Chapter 175 - 107: Crossing the Sea True Intent
At this thought, Lü Bingchen nodded. "Alright."
"When do we leave?"
"Three days from now," Lü Bingchen said. "Use the time to prepare."
Leaving Mingxin Pavilion, Lü Bingchen and Liang Cheng walked side by side on the mountain path.
The setting sun stretched their shadows long.
Lü Bingchen suddenly spoke. "If I were to face the Fire Worship Sect’s Left Envoy alone, I could last five moves at most. How many do you think you could handle?"
Liang Cheng thought for a moment. "I wouldn’t lose within ten moves."
Lü Bingchen stopped, turned to look at him, and then the corners of his mouth curled up. ’This disciple of mine... he’s reached such heights without me even realizing it.’
"Master, why aren’t we having Elder Huang rescue them on Black Stone Island?"
"Who said Elder Huang isn’t going? He’ll just be hidden in the shadows."
Lü Bingchen paused, then said meaningfully, "Elder Huang also said that we shouldn’t underestimate the Dean and the City Lord, and that you would definitely be going too. It’s a foolproof plan."
Hearing this, Liang Cheng was instantly relieved. If Elder Huang was going, there was naturally nothing to worry about.
Lü Bingchen then added, "Remember to keep this a secret. We’ll act as if Elder Huang isn’t going. That way, no one in Lin Wu City will dare make a move."
Liang Cheng nodded.
"In that case, I will go and prepare. We’ll set off together in three days."
Lü Bingchen nodded.
After returning to True Inheritance Peak, Liang Cheng immediately focused his mind on his Cultivation.
With an ample supply of Elixirs and the aid of the Crossing the Sea True Intent Fragment, his cultivation speed reached a new level.
[Broken Wave Technique, Second Layer: Great Success (5783/15000)]
[Profound Yin Sword Technique: Great Success (1134/12000)]
[Wind and Thunder Slash: Great Success (2991/12000)]
Every bit of strength was another layer of security.
...
「Three days later, in the early morning.」
Liang Cheng said a brief farewell to his mother and Yang Wei, not allowing them to see him off. He had already made arrangements for while he was away.
Along the way, a figure in white stood with a sword in his arms, his gaze as sharp as a blade. "Liang Cheng, count me in for the Black Stone Island trip."
It was Yun Jinghong.
Liang Cheng stopped, his expression grave. "This journey is perilous. The Fire Worship Sect’s main force is there. You might not come back."
"Then I won’t."
Yun Jinghong’s voice was calm. "I have cultivated arduously ever since I exchanged for the Soaring Cloud Technique, but my progress has now stagnated. My Sword Dao needs tempering, and only on the brink of life and death can I achieve a breakthrough."
He looked at Liang Cheng, a burning battle intent in his eyes. "If you die on Black Stone Island, who will I test my sword against then?"
Liang Cheng was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "Alright."
Yun Jinghong sheathed his sword, said nothing, and turned to walk toward the docks.
...
At the Lin Wu City docks, five Black Flood Dragon Warships stood with their sails raised, ready to depart.
Three hundred Martial Arts Academy disciples and two hundred Black Flood Dragon Guards lined up to board, their armor clanging.
Liang Cheng stood at the prow of the main ship, dressed in black with the Zhenxian Saber at his waist. The sea breeze whipped his robes, making them flutter loudly.
’Elder Huang is truly something else. I still haven’t found any trace of him.’ Lü Bingchen walked to Liang Cheng’s side, his green robes and loose sash giving him a composed and profound air.
Lü Bingchen gazed at the horizon where the sea met the sky. "The Fire Worship Sect has been operating on Black Stone Island for many days. There’s bound to be an ambush. We’ll land on the island first and find the Dean and the others."
"Alright."
Liang Cheng’s voice was calm.
"Weigh anchor!"
Lü Bingchen shouted the order.
The mooring lines were untied, the sails billowed full, and the five warships slowly pulled away from the docks, breaking through the waves as they headed for Black Stone Island.
...
「Black Stone Island, below Dragon-Breaking Cliff.」
The sky was gray, and the sea breeze carried the stench of blood.
Before the broken cliff stood a shocking, hundred-foot-square altar of flesh and blood.
Thousands of corpses were mixed with black stone and red copper. Among them were soldiers of Lin Wu City and members of the Fire Worship Sect. The altar’s surface was carved with deep, twisted grooves, in which dark red, viscous blood slowly slithered, making a faint sizzling sound.
In the center of the altar stood a dark red stone pillar so thick it would take three people to encircle it with their arms.
The pillar’s body was embedded with Blood Marrow Jades of various sizes, which faintly glowed with a bloody light. Atop the stone pillar sat a giant, three-legged bronze cauldron. A viscous, bloody soup churned within it, with bones and half-dissolved organs occasionally surfacing.
Beneath the altar was an open space, dozens of feet across.
Shen Jun knelt on one knee, his Black Armor shattered. A wound on his right shoulder, deep enough to expose bone, had already scabbed over. The Black Flood Dragon Battle Flag was planted in the ground before him; its surface was torn, but it still stood tall.
Two paces behind him to the side, Bai Hong sat cross-legged. His plain robes were soaked in blood and his aura was weak, but his back was ramrod straight.
Around the two of them, corpses were strewn everywhere amidst pools of blood.
"Cough, cough..."
Shen Jun coughed up a mouthful of dark blood and looked up at the figure standing outside the altar with his hands behind his back. "Situ Lang, you actually dared to collude with the Fire Worship Sect!"
Outside the altar, Situ Lang stood in an immaculate, dark purple brocade robe.
Behind him stood a Red-robed Right Envoy with a gloomy aura, and behind them was a dense mass of Fire Worship Sect elites. Their crossbows were menacing, and their killing intent was so thick it felt tangible.
"Why wouldn’t I dare?"
Situ Lang’s tone was casual, as if making small talk. "Brother Shen, Dean Bai, all past grievances will be wiped clean after this."
Bai Hong sneered, his voice hoarse. "Fulfilling your ambition with the flesh and blood of your comrades? Will you be able to sleep at night?"
’If Situ Lang hadn’t leaked the information and led them into the Fire Worship Sect’s ambush, how could things have ended up like this?’
He glared viciously at Situ Lang. "And another thing, you don’t really think the Fire Worship Sect will let you sit securely in the City Lord’s seat, do you?"
Situ Lang’s smile was cold and sinister. "Who do you think the Fire Worship Sect’s Sect Leader is?"
As soon as he said this, the Right Envoy beside him dropped to one knee. "Holy Fire Sect Master, may your life be as eternal as the heavens!"
The faces of Bai Hong and Shen Jun grew even paler, their eyes wide with fury. Situ Lang continued, "No one knows this identity. Even Wu Zhenshan thinks I’m merely cooperating with the Fire Worship Sect."
"The Ten-Year Grand Tournament is imminent. As long as I can lead them to victory, I will establish my legitimacy. Who will even remember you then?"
"Rest assured, once this blood sacrifice with you two succeeds, I will be able to touch the threshold of the True Gang Realm. At that point, never mind Lin Wu City—in the Three-City Grand Tournament, who will be my match?"
"You two are just too hidebound! The Martial Dao reaches for the heavens—which step of the way isn’t paved with a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood? Is a True Gang Realm achieved through blood sacrifice not a True Gang Realm?!"
He took a step forward, his voice low. "Shen Jun, Bai Hong, I’m not afraid to tell you now... Lin Wu City has likely already fallen into my hands."
"Dream on."
"You don’t think the Martial Arts Academy’s Master can stop the Holy Sect’s Left Envoy, do you? And here’s another piece of news for you: Wu Zhenshan has already broken through to the True Essence Realm."
Hearing this, Bai Hong and Shen Jun couldn’t help but frown.
’The situation has become dangerous.’
’Do we really have to risk it all?’
’But the price is too high. We believe the Martial Arts Academy will never give up without a fight. We have to hold on a little longer!’
At that moment, Situ Lang raised his hand. Seizing the opportunity while their minds were reeling, he swung it down. The Red-robed Right Envoy and the other sect members simultaneously slit their wrists, spilling their blood into the grooves at the altar’s edge.
"BOOM—!!"
The bloody light on the altar flared violently!
The Blood Marrow Jades embedded in the stone pillar vibrated in unison, shooting out dozens of blood-red threads that wove together in mid-air, forming a viscous net of blood that slowly pressed in toward the center.
The sickly sweet stench in the air intensified. A single breath made one’s Qi Blood churn, and it felt as if countless fine needles were piercing the Meridians within their bodies.
Shen Jun and Bai Hong grunted in unison as the True Essence around their bodies erupted, forcefully holding open a small space beneath the blood net.
As more and more Fire Worship Sect members joined the blood sacrifice, Bai Hong and Shen Jun stood back to back. Although their auras were weakening, they could still hold on.
The smile on Situ Lang’s face completely vanished.
"Stubborn fools."
Just as Situ Lang was about to intensify his efforts, a muffled horn blast suddenly sounded from the sea beyond the island.
A sect member came stumbling over. "Sect Leader, five Black Flood Dragon Warships have broken through the outer defenses and are forcing a landing!"
Situ Lang’s expression changed.