Chapter 212: The Knot in Qin Lie’s Heart
“A huge upheaval has happened in Armament Sect!”
“Something terrible has happened!”
“Our people are getting slaughtered!”
Outside the city, in the many villages, tall hills, and forests.
Right now, there were cries coming from every one of these regions.
The five great forces, Dark Asura Hall, Seven Fiends Valley, Dark Shadow Tower, Purple Mist Sea, and Cloud Sky Mountain, had sent their back up martial practitioners, and these people were scattered outside Armament City ready to support those inside.
Right now, through their own respective communication channels, they had learned that the situation inside Armament City had gone beyond their expectations.
There were many people who gradually lost their patience, grouped up and quietly headed for Armament City. They wanted to figure out exactly what happened, what managed to deal the five great forces a defeat.
Xie Jingxuan, Liang Zhong, and Second Hall Master Cao Xuanrui also rushed towards Armament City, hoping to stabilize the situation inside the city as much as they could.
“Miss Xie, if that person of the Xie Family is still around, then please contact them… as soon as possible.” Cao Xuanrui’s expression was solemn as he sat on top of the Profound Nether Beast. “Lang Xie is inside the city, so this means that Liang Yangzu and the others have failed. Lord Tu Xi… and Di Shijiu has also gone missing. An accident must have occurred.”
Liang Zhong’s expression was dark. “Tu Xu is the Fulfillment Realm expert sent by Eight Extreme Temple. Who in Armament Sect could have caused him to go missing?”
“Lang Xie is very powerful! There was a time when I tried to probe his true strength, and as a result, before I could even start, I had nearly lost myself to his fiendish blood aura,” Cao Xuanrui said unnaturally.
Xie Jingxuan and Liang Zhong stared at him in surprise.
Tu Mo, Tu Ze, and Zhuo Qian also wore looks of surprise. “Milord, you have fought against Lang Xie before?” Zhuo Qian exclaimed lightly.
Cao Xuanrui smiled bitterly, “It wasn’t really a fight, it was just me testing out his strength a bit. I am sure that Lang Xie’s true power exceeds that of the grand hall master and Cloud Sky Mountain’s mountain master. There should not be anyone in the nearby forces who can match up to Lang Xie. Perhaps even Lord Tu Xi… may not necessarily be able to beat him for sure.”
Xie Jingxuan’s eyes shone with a strange light as she pondered for a bit. Suddenly, she pulled down the diamond-shaped accessory around her neck and pressed a white finger against it.
A sweet and clear ringing sound came out from inside the diamond-shaped accessory. Xie Jingxuan used her mind to listen to it.
“Jingxuan, come to the forest east of Armament City.” A deep and low male voice rang out very clearly from the diamond-shaped accessory.
“We go to the city’s eastern forest!” Xie Jingxuan withdrew the diamond-shaped accessory again. Then, she slapped the Profound Nether Beast beneath her, and it swiftly rushed out.
“Milord?” Zhuo Qian turned to Cao Xuanrui.
“Follow her!” Cao Xuanrui softly exclaimed.
Under the evening light, the group from Dark Asura Hall, riding on Profound Nether Beasts and unicorns, swiftly ran towards the forest to the east of the city.
An hour later.
Xie Jingxuan and Liang Zhong were the first to arrive at the forest. “Second Uncle? Where are you?”
“Jingxuan, come over here,” a person greeted from inside the forest.
Before long, Xie Jingxuan and Liang Zhong had arrived at where the source of the voice was. There, they saw a handsome-looking, middle-aged man wearing a long blue robe.
It was obvious that there were traces of intense battle at this place. Numerous ancient trees had been broken, and the leaves were like grass covering the ground. In addition, a great number of the leaves were tainted with blood.
A headless body lay right beneath the middle-aged man’s feet. He looked at the body beneath him and said, “This is Tu Xi.”
“Tu Xi? Eight Extreme Temple’s Tu Xi?” Liang Zhong exclaimed.
Xie Jingxuan’s expression turned slightly, “Second Uncle, who killed Tu Xi?”
“Who else? In Armament Sect, who else but Lang Xie could kill Tu Xi?” Xie Zhizhang countered.
“Lang Xie? Lang Xie should only be at the late stage of the Netherpassage Realm, he…” Liang Zhong was stunned.
“It may not be easy to take down someone beyond one’s realm, but it is not impossible. Lang Xie may only be at the late stage of the Netherpassage Realm, but the spirit art he cultivates is incredibly terrifying. Moreover, the spirit artifacts he owns are also of high grade, not to mention that Lang Xie values the tempering of one’s corporeal body greatly. The toughness of his body far exceeds that of an ordinary Netherpassage Realm martial practitioner’s.” Xie Zhizhang’s tone was calm and his expression serious, “He has all the requirements needed to challenge someone beyond his realm.”
Xie Jingxuan and Liang Zhong turned quiet.
“Armament Sect is truly not one to be underestimated. If they had a few more decades, it may be even harder for Profound Heaven Alliance and Eight Extreme Temple to deal with them than it is now.
Once finished, he began walking slowly towards Armament City, as if he was going on his way normally. But in Xie Jingxuan and Liang Zhong’s eyes, his figure quickly turned blurry and unclear.
After Xie Zhizhang left, Cao Xuanrui and the experts from Dark Asura Hall finally caught up.
“Whose corpse is this?” Cao Xuanrui exclaimed.
“Tu Xi’s.” Xie Jingxuan threw down the name before driving the Profound Nether Beast to chase after Xie Zhizhang’s footsteps.
“Tu Xi! It’s actually Tu Xi!” Cao Xuanrui’s expression grew visibly agitated as he immediately ordered, “Notify all the forces and say that Tu Xi from Eight Extreme Temple has been beheaded! Have them all be careful!”
“As you wish!”
……
Armament Sect.
Halfway up Flame Volcano, Qin Lie and Ling Yushi stood on a cliff, facing the sunset.
The remnants of light filled the sky. Fire-burned clouds littered the sky and painted Flame Volcano in a layer of vivid red.
“Back at Herb Mountain, you and I would watch the sunset as well. Four years has passed in the blink of an eye. I never thought that we would be able to see the sunset together at Flame Volcano,” Qin Lie exclaimed.
When he recalled his life four years ago at Ling Town, all sorts of emotions bubbled up in Qin Lie’s heart. Now that he looked back, he realized that those days at Ling Town were so calm and cherishable…
He had come to Ling Town when he was ten years old, staying there with his grandfather and living together with him at Herb Mountain.
During the first five years, he had lived in his own world. In the state of Thoughtless Tranquility, he worked hard in cultivating Heavenly Thunder Eradication and listened to his grandfather’s rambling everyday, talking about all sorts of interesting things regarding artifact forging.
After that, his grandfather had disappeared, and he too had left the state of Thoughtless Tranquility.
Ling Yushi then came into his life and nagged him everyday inside the small house, speaking about some of the trivial matters she had encountered.
If Jiu Liuyu and Lu Li had not appeared, he would’ve been able to enjoy a very long time of peace. He would have been able to spend those amazing few years and months together with Ling Yushi.
“You said that you would come to Seven Fiends Valley to look for me. I waited for you for four years…” Ling Yushi said gently.
The red light shining on her added a hint of charm to her beautiful face, causing her to look incredibly attractive as of that moment.
“Meet you at Seven Fiends Valley as an insignificant martial practitioner at Nebula Pavilion?” Qin Lie looked down and said with a slightly bitter tone, “If I had really done that, then I may not even have the qualification to step in Dark Fiend Valley. Even if I did struggle my way in, Lu Li would laugh at me, your fellow senior and junior sisters would scorn me, and that Li Zhongzheng guy… would sarcastically insult me.”
“I should not have left Ling Town.” Ling Yushi said quietly, “If I didn’t leave Ling Town, then I would have been able to spend these four years with you. I would be together with my… father. Perhaps then father would not have died.” Mist appeared in her bright eyes as the corner of her eyes slowly grew wet.
The death of Ling Chengye and the people of the Ling Family from Ling Town had always been on her mind. For the past few years, she had always been regretting the fact that she had left Ling Town for Dark Fiend Valley.”
“It’s not your fault. Whether or not you left, Du Haitian would still have committed that atrocity. Your father, Ling Xing, and Ling Xiao would not have been able to escape that danger. You don’t have to blame yourself,” Qin Lie consoled softly.
Not far away, Ling Xuanxuan was sitting on a rock. She seemed to have heard her sister’s words and had grown teary as well, now softly crying.
“What are you going to do? The attack on Armament Sect was a joint decision made by Eight Extreme Temple and Profound Heaven Alliance. The five great forces are just the vanguard. They will still come and send an endless amount of experts. Armament Sect will not be able to deal with this.”
Ling Yushi was very worried. “Qin Lie, why don’t we leave together? Let’s abandon Armament Sect and abandon Seven Fiends Valley. Why don’t we find a place where no one can find us and live there? We can cultivate on our own…”
Eight Extreme Temple and Profound Heaven Alliance were both Copper rank forces and the overlords of Scarlet Tide Continent. How could Armament Sect possible resist them when they single-mindedly sought for the destruction of Armament Sect?
“I’ll find my way one step at a time. Don’t worry, I have my own life-saving arts. Even if Armament Sect is destroyed, I would still be in danger.”
Qin Lie did not wish to run away before he was really pushed into a corner. He knew very well that there would always be terrible conflict on the land beneath him. There would never be true peace.
It was definitely not feasible to just run away time and time again. Furthermore, it would be bad for his growth and the ascension and tempering of his martial way.
Only through heavy pressure and responsibility could his potential be unleashed. It was only then he could truly let himself go and unleash his true self.
Armament Sect was but the first step in his life. He could not retreat from this step!
Nor did he want to!
“Qin Lie… are you serious when you say that you want my master to personally come to Armament City to beg for Senior Sister Lu and Uncle Shi’s release?” Ling Yushi bit her lip and asked.
“I am serious.” Qin Lie nodded.
“Master… master treats me and Xuanxuan very well, I…” Ling Yushi hesitated.
“Four years ago, she dissolved the engagement between you and me with but a word. Four years ago, she did not even look me in the eye and just had Lu Li give me a single Natal Ordering Pill!” Qin Lie scowled, “One of my motivations for working this hard is to have her see and grovel before me! The knot in my heart can only be untied by her. Otherwise, I would not be able to forgive myself!”
……
At the entrance to Armament City’s Wind District.
A row of martial practitioners wearing a valley logo on their chests stood at the city entrance. At this moment, the city entrance had been closed once more.
Tong Jihua stood above the walls and looked down on those below. He was looking at the people from Seven Fiends Valley.
Gazing at a luxurious carriage, he frowned. “Are you the valley master of Dark Fiend Valley, Jiu Liuyu?”
“It is I,” the voice of an old woman came from inside the carriage. “How are my three disciples?”
“They are alive.” Tong Jihua said coldly, “Armament City has been closed once more. Before I receive any new orders, no one is allowed entry.”
“No one is allowed entry?” Jiu Liuyu laughed coldly, “The reason we have traveled a thousand miles to Armament City wasn’t to listen to your instructions outside the city. We have come to break the city and destroy Armament Sect!”
The moment she said this, the numerous martial practitioners from Seven Fiends Valley immediately took out their spirit artifacts and prepared to break into the city.
Almost at the same time, uninvited guests had appeared at every single one of Armament City’s main entrances. At each of them, a bloody war was about to break out.