Chapter 2014: Crescent Ring

Lu Sanyuan was quite unhappy with the result. He had never expected there to still be twenty percent who were still willing to follow Yun Jianyue even in this kind of situation! He coldly said, “You’re all following the path to your own doom!”

Zu An looked around him and said, “All of you are Holy Sect disciples. If conflict erupted due to personal interests, resulting in mutual destruction, that would only bring anguish to our own and satisfaction to our enemies. Lu Sanyuan, since you wish to become the new sect master, don't implicate others. How about we fight it out between just the two of us? The victor will take the crown.”

Everyone loyal to the Devil Sect nodded, and even many people from Lu Sanyuan’s eighty percent felt embarrassed.

Sect Master Yun was still thinking about us in this kind of situation! This really makes us blush in shame...

In reality, apart from a few stubborn people, most of them had only chosen to side with Lu Sanyuan because the situation called for it. They naturally didn’t want to throw their lives away for nothing.

When he saw the others look at him expectantly, Lu Sanyuan wasn’t shaken at all. “Martial sister Yun, at first, I thought that you were quite the impressive person, but now, it seems you aren’t open and honest at all. You only have twenty percent on your side, while we have eighty percent, let alone the fact that my elite troops are still waiting outside. And yet, you're still asking for a fair fight with me in this kind of situation?”

He didn’t feel like speaking any more to the other side for fear that she would say more things to sway his side’s morale. As such, he waved his hand. The archers on the walls received his order and released their bowstrings. Arrows immediately showered down, instantly arriving in front of everyone on Yun Jianyue’s side.

When they heard the terrifying sound of air being shattered, their expressions turned pale. These arrows were all supported by runes, making their power and armor-piercing abilities incredibly great. Even though they were all strong cultivators in the sect, and could last a wave or two against the terrifying arrow storm, they would still be doomed to die in the end.

While they were panicking, however, a faint yellow barrier appeared out of thin air and blocked all of the arrows. They were overjoyed at the unexpected good news! They all turned to Chi Fuzi, who was in the center of the group, and exclaimed, “The Secret Path Master is so amazing!”

A small formation disc appeared in Chi Fuzi’s hands. He wiped at the cold sweat on his forehead while cursing, “Amazing my ass! I didn’t bring enough of my treasures because I came to attend a wedding. This defense formation will hold up for another ten seconds at most. If you can't think of a solution in that time, we can only die together right here!”

As soon as he spoke, the air was filled with cracking sounds. The sect members were alarmed to discover that these armor-piercing arrows really lived up to their name. They didn’t fall after hitting the barrier; instead, their runes continued to flicker, the arrows continuously spinning in place to make their way through.

If it had been just a few arrows, the Secret Path Master’s defense formation would be enough to block them. But there were just too many! The huge rain of armor-piercing arrows were doing their best to pierce through, making the barrier flicker. Many parts were already covered with fine cracks; it was clearly about to break at any time.

The loyal sect members now realized what was happening as well. They all brought out their long-range attack methods. Streak after streak of light fired toward the archers on the courtyard walls.

Letting out muffled groans, many archers were knocked down. In response, the soldiers in the courtyard took out shields to block the long-range attacks. Some of Lu Sanyuan’s trusted aides rushed over to help neutralize the attacks as well.

With them taking the lead, the others couldn't remain still anymore. They were worried that Lu Sanyuan would remember if they didn’t do anything in this kind of situation. Lu Sanyuan’s camp held the majority to begin with, and these people were all powerful members of the sect, so they easily dealt with the long-range attacks.

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The archers' position stabilized, and they continued their coordinated attack on Yun Jianyue’s group.

The formation disc in Chi Fuzi’s hand audibly cracked, then fully ruptured, the defensive barrier also disappearing into specks of light. The people inside brandished their weapons at the incoming arrows, but there was already a hint of despair in their eyes. They knew fully well that just the eighty percent on Lu Sanyuan’s side would be enough to wipe them out, let alone so many archers and Lu Sanyuan’s elite armored troops.

Suddenly, the sound of a pipa filled the air. It was mournful at first, but then it became mellow and sweet. The murderous soldiers’ expressions relaxed. They couldn't help but lower the bows in their hands. The other eighty percent of Devil Sect members stopped their attacks too. In an instant, the fighting came to a standstill.

Only some female members were confused. They quickly asked their companions, “What's going on?” However, they didn’t receive any response, so they naturally didn’t dare to leave their own ranks and continue attacking.

They followed the men’s line of sight and saw a woman in a white dress. In her hand was a pipa that she played gently. She stood on a swaying branch and swayed with the wind, as if she were standing on a cloud. Her beautiful appearance and unique countenance were incredibly hard to describe in words.

In that instant, even the women had the same thought:

Is this a goddess who descended from the heavens above?

Qiu Honglei couldn't help but say through voice transmission, “Ah Zu, this Lady Daji really is too beautiful!” Even though this wasn’t the first time she had seen Daji, it always left her with a deep sense of shock.

Zu An said with a smile, “You're also really beautiful, you know? I’ve discovered that almost every one of these young disciples at the Lake of Hatred is an admirer of yours.”

In truth, he could have just used the Lion’s Roar against these numbers, but he was currently dressed up as Yun Jianyue. The Lion’s Roar really wasn’t too elegant.

If news got out that Yun Jianyue had forced back her enemies with the Lion’s Roar, wouldn’t big sis Yun chew me out to death after?

“Hmph, I wouldn’t dare to claim that I could compare to Lady Daji. At the very least, I can’t disarm so many men,” Qiu Honglei said, her face red. If not for the fact that Zu An had already told her before, she really would find it hard to believe that a woman like this was just a summoned creature. She didn’t feel any envy, however. Instead, she was full of pity for Daji, because such a devastatingly beautiful woman had actually lost her soul.

Lu Sanyuan finally reacted and roared, “War drums, where are the war drums?!”

He naturally recognized that Daji was using an extremely profound mind-control method. Dealing with it was easy, however. Either one had to have cultivation as profound as hers, or one had to remove the pipa from her hand. Apart from that, battlefields were often filled with murderous shouts and the sound of military war drums being struck. With such things in place, music from a pipa often wouldn’t have as much of an effect, as it would just be overpowered.

However, even after he hollered for a long time, he realized that this wasn’t a battlefield, so he hadn’t prepared war drums or anything of that sort.

The Freedom Path and World School Masters exchanged a look. They saw the shock in each other's eyes. The skill seemed a bit similar to the Heavenly Devil School’s charm skills, but there seemed to be some kind of fundamental difference.

Lu Sanyuan couldn't wait any longer. He darted forward like an eagle hunting a rabbit. He instantly arrived in front of the white-clad woman. As long as he killed her, his subordinates would become clear-headed once more.

Daji’s Fox Charm skill was something that would make even enemies with higher cultivation be lenient toward her out of pity for her beauty. However, her opponent just happened to be the Unfeeling Path Master Lu Sanyuan, who focused on eliminating all feelings. There was no way he would have tender, protective feelings for the fairer sex.

Even so, he was a bit confused as well. Why wasn’t there even the slightest bit of fear in this woman’s eyes, with his vicious attack about to take her life? Not only was there no fear, he couldn't feel any emotions from her. It was almost as if she... as if she was just a puppet.

Suddenly, the white-clad woman vanished. In her place was Yun Jianyue.

Lu Sanyuan was shocked.

How did she do that? Why did I not sense her movements at all?

When he thought of that, he felt a bit of apprehension and quickly held back thirty percent of his power. Two palms collided, and his entire body trembled. Fortunately, he had prepared himself and used the chance to fly backward. After retreating a hundred meters, he stabilized in the air. He looked at the person on the tree in horror.

Why is Yun Jianyue’s cultivation even stronger than before?

Meanwhile, Zu An was feeling a bit of a headache. He was currently using Yun Jianyue’s identity and couldn't use many skills. If he used a move that was too fierce and killed this Lu guy, that would easily cause complications.

First, others would doubt his identity. After all, in the eyes of most people, Yun Jianyue and Lu Sanyuan were on the same level. Second, he was worried that Zhang Zitong wouldn’t be able to find Yun Jianyue, and he had to get the information by interrogating Lu Sanyuan. That was why he didn’t want to just kill him off.

...

In the eyes of everyone who was still clear-headed, they were all incredibly shocked.

They saw that ‘Yun Jianyue’ had used an unknown method to take the place of the white-clad woman. When she faced Lu Sanyuan’s powerful attack, she merely casually raised a palm to send him flying.

Could it be that there is already a qualitative difference between their cultivation?

Zu An chuckled, remarking, “In the end, isn’t it still just a fight between the two of us? Why did we have to go through all of that trouble before?”

Lu Sanyuan’s expression was grave, but there was no fear. Instead, he surged with fighting intent. Judging from their earlier interaction, he predicted that her cultivation was only a bit higher than his own.

She might have used some secret method to temporarily activate her potential and raise her cultivation. What is there to be scared of if it’s something like that?

“If it’s to be a fight, then so be it! Let’s see which one of us has the right to become the sect master!” he yelled. His long hair flew wildly, and black energy surrounded him. All of his muscles suddenly swelled, and he immediately became twice as big!

The strong feeling of pressure made even those who were befuddled by Daji gradually wake up. They wondered just what had happened, but their attention was immediately drawn to Lu Sanyun.

“What kind of situation is this? Why did Sect Master Lu use his Ruthless Tyrant Body?!”

Even the World School and Freedom Path Masters clicked their tongues, saying, “I didn’t expect him to immediately use his most powerful skill! Sect Master Yun is now in a difficult spot.”

Qiu Honglei quickly reminded Zu An, “Ah Zu, be careful! That’s the Unfeeling Path’s most powerful skill. It's rumored that Lu Sanyuan has already reached the unbreakable realm. Not only does every movement he makes carry the weight of a mountain behind it, his defenses are unmatched, making him impervious to swords and sabers.”

“Where is your Crescent Ring? If you still don’t bring it out, you might not have a chance to anymore. Or perhaps you can't use it to begin with?” Lu Sanyuan remarked; after entering this state, his mind had become especially clear. He felt that it was more and more unlikely for Yun Jianyue to be here.

Qiu Honglei looked at Zu An worriedly.

There's definitely no issue with Ah Zu’s cultivation, but even though he can have master’s face, he can’t imitate master’s techniques or weapons!

Zu An looked calm, however, and said, “I thought that I didn’t need to use the Crescent Ring to defeat you, but since you brought it up, I guess I can give you what you want.”

Qiu Honglei's eyes immediately widened, because she saw a curved moon appear at Zu An’s side. It was identical to master’s Crescent Ring!

When did master give her weapon to him?

However, she quickly realized something. She vaguely remembered that Ah Zu had a 'Rune Weapon Chart' skill that could imitate all kinds of weapons he had seen.

Lu Sanyuan didn’t know about thhat. When he saw the weapon, he was a bit stunned.

Could it actually be her?

Suddenly, a crescent moon rose in front of him. The moonlight was beautiful and enchanting, yet incomparably dangerous.