Chapter 412: Knocking at the Door
Was any Inner Sect Disciple of the Xuandao Sect a pushover?
The bamboo pole, worn smooth from use, grew as it met the wind. Emerald green shoots even sprouted from its nodes.
The youth from the Tongzi Tan let out a long cry, crossing his dual maces to block the attack from above.
BANG!
The waist-thick bamboo pole slammed onto the dual maces, nearly knocking them from his grasp.
The youth spat a mouthful of blood, but he clenched his jaw, forcing it back.
He used the momentum to drop back to the ground. After catching his breath with difficulty, he shrieked:
"This one’s tough! Retreat!"
In the distant mountain forest, a group of figures hastily mounted a giant flying leopard and took to the sky.
"Don’t even think about it!"
The disciple with the bamboo pole erupted in fury. Once again employing that strange footwork, he gave chase to the winged, leopard-like Spirit Beast.
In just three steps, he had already crossed a distance of over a hundred feet.
Gritting his teeth, the youth with the dual maces followed close behind. With a flick of his wrist, he threw one of his maces, which transformed into a massive, striped python and shot toward the disciple’s back.
Distracted by the attack, the Inner Sect Disciple abruptly redirected his bamboo pole and brought it down viciously on the giant python.
The Inner Sect Disciples on Bai Mo’s Flying Ship were also taking action.
But due to the great distance, their attacks felt somewhat lacking in force.
Only one of the senior brothers took out a palm-sized bow and carefully fired at the flying leopard.
A tiny arrow, not much larger than a toothpick, struck two of the Cultivators in the back.
From a distance, the two who were hit crumpled and fell.
"Nice!"
Someone exclaimed in admiration.
"Junior Brother Zhu, that Yin Soul Bow of yours is truly remarkable. It might not look like much, but it’s a first-rate Magical Artifact for sneak attacks!"
Startled, the Cultivators on the flying leopard whipped it. The beast cried out in pain and flew even faster.
A short while later, the flying leopard banked sharply, dove into the depths of Celestial Barrier Mountain, and vanished from sight.
The Xuandao Sect’s Inner Sect Disciples shifted their gazes, now focused on the youth holding the dual maces.
"Bastard, kill him!"
"Wait, let’s keep him alive..."
A dazzling, chaotic flurry of sneak attacks, iron chains, and blades descended upon him.
The youth with the dual maces was distracted for a moment and was struck across the waist by the bamboo pole.
CRACK! With a sickening sound, he was sent flying a great distance, one side of his body a bloody mess.
’I got careless...’
He struggled to his feet in pain and threw his last mace. It too transformed into a giant python, coiling and growing larger as it writhed.
Before the giant python could even hiss a threat, a motley of attacks landed on it, tearing its body to shreds in an instant.
Fragments of flesh and blood flew through the air, reverting to pieces of multi-colored metal as they fell.
An Inner Sect Disciple landed, sword in hand. A wave of Sword Qi swept out from his blade, batting away the scattered metal fragments.
He glanced around, but the Tongzi Tan youth was nowhere to be seen.
"Damn, he’s fast."
The disciple with the bamboo pole suppressed the python he’d been fighting, which reverted to a large mace that he gripped in his hand.
"He wields those dual maces as if they were weightless. His skill is extraordinary, so his status within the Tongzi Tan must be high."
"It’s not surprising he had a few tricks up his sleeve to escape."
Just by looking at the metal pieces scattered everywhere, one could imagine how heavy the dual maces forged from such materials must be.
The disciples gathered, not overly concerned that they had let the others escape.
"The Tongzi Tan are very particular about the ’children’ they recruit."
"Heh heh, if they’re here, they must have set up an altar. They’re probably performing a ritual to assess the innate talent of Cultivators..."
"If we find them and wipe them out in one fell swoop, it’ll be another great accomplishment for the sect!"
Brother Zheng, the one who had first spotted the Tongzi Tan youth, stepped forward and held up his right hand. A significant amount of his flesh had been corroded away.
The flesh was still dissolving, though his Spiritual Qi had slowed the process considerably.
"The Tongzi Tan’s Holy Water is as nasty as ever."
"Does anyone know how to treat this? Quickly!"
The other disciples turned to look at Bai Mo.
"Junior Brother Bai, could you take a look..."
Brother Zheng followed their gazes and looked over, a little surprised.
"You’re Junior Brother Bai from Immortal Arrival City? I’ve been to your shop. Your Pills are certainly something special."
Bai Mo stepped closer to examine his arm.
"You’re too kind, Senior Brother..."
After a moment, Bai Mo shook his head.
"Neutralizing this will be difficult and time-consuming. Senior Brother, it would be better to just cut away the afflicted flesh."
"I have a Pill that can help you regrow the flesh quickly."
With that, he produced a bright red Pill.
Junior Brother Zhu, the one with the Yin Soul Bow, sauntered over. With a flip of his hand, he said with a grin,
"What do you say? Need a hand?"
"Or should we apply some anesthetic first?"
Seeing his peculiar expression, Bai Mo knew there was some history between the two of them.
With everyone watching, Brother Zheng couldn’t afford to look weak. He sneered and said decisively,
"I don’t need it!"
Saying this, he took the Pill from Bai Mo, tossed it into his mouth, crushed it between his teeth, and swallowed.
He drew a short sword with his left hand and, without relying on anyone else, began to operate on himself.
The scene was so gruesome that several of their fellow disciples couldn’t bear to watch.
A few people stayed to keep watch while the other disciples went to the side, gathering the scattered pieces of metal ore from the ground.
This kind of material was quite valuable.
One could only imagine how the Tongzi Tan youth felt, having lost his dual maces.
...
「An hour later.」
The disciples split into two groups and fanned out to search.
Accompanying Bai Mo was Brother Zheng, one hand tucked into his sleeve, and the disciple surnamed Zhu, who carried the Yin Soul Bow.
The rest were Outer Sect Disciples.
However, these five were from the Armament Peak. They could form a battle formation, and their combined strength was not to be underestimated.
The group headed down toward the Azure Dragon River.
Brother Zheng was an expert tracker. It was said he possessed a pair of unusual eyes that could see things imperceptible to ordinary people.
After taking Bai Mo’s Pill, the flesh of his right hand had begun to regrow, but it hadn’t fully healed yet.
His right hand hung limply at his side as his gaze swept the surroundings.
"One of the methods the Tongzi Tan uses to select its ’children’ is a water-refining process."
"It’s not the same water refining used in the Alchemy Dao or in smithing. They use it to wash the impurities from a Cultivator’s body."
"This makes it easier to apply their other techniques on them later."
Seeing him speak with such familiarity, Bai Mo realized he knew a great deal about the Tongzi Tan and asked,
"Brother Zheng, have you dealt with them before?"
Brother Zheng nodded.
"We’ve had plenty of run-ins with the Holy Dao Sect, and the Tongzi Tan is one of their more active branches."
"Many missions from the Foreign Affairs Hall specifically target this branch. Haven’t you taken any, Junior Brother?"
Bai Mo looked a little embarrassed.
"I was assigned to guard the Black Prison, so I don’t get out much..."
Many boats were moored along the bank of the Azure Dragon River.
As Immortal Arrival City developed, trade along the river flourished.
There were even families who made their living on the water, transporting Demon Beasts and other cargo.
However, due to the recent turmoil in Celestial Barrier Mountain, many Cultivators were out of work. They gathered on the bank in twos and threes, their faces etched with worry.
They were all waiting to see when the bustling activity on the river would return.
SPLASH!
A great fish covered in golden scales erupted from the water, its thrashing tail kicking up massive waves.
Cries of alarm rose from the shore.
A creature this large was a rare sight on the Azure Dragon River.
Any who encountered it usually ended up with their boats destroyed and their lives lost.
The five Outer Sect Disciples from the Armament Peak finally had a chance to prove their worth.
Seeing the great fish charging, about to smash their Flying Ship to pieces, they struck without mercy.
In a single volley of long spears and short pikes, they punched more than a dozen holes clean through the great fish’s body.
The fish’s body went still, floating on the surface of the water.
Everyone looked at the old wounds on its body and smiled in satisfaction.
"It delivered itself right to our doorstep. Now, where is its lair?"