Chapter 118 - True Body of the Sect Leader

Following the path she had entered, Rao Shuang walked quickly and soon saw the gap in the statue's base into which she had been chased.

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

She slightly lowered her head and emerged from the hole in the giant rock.

Then she froze.

In the great hall, a group of disciples from the Five Gods Summit heard the noise and turned their heads in unison. Their eyes locked onto Rao Shuang, and then they froze as well. This group of disciples seemed to have just come down after searching the upper floor. One after the other many more were still spilling down the corridor.

Now they're just adding insult to injury,

Rao Shuang secretly lamented. She had yet to bandage her burns, and the sharp pangs of pain shot all across her body. Now, she was blocked by another group of people... Was she to have the treasure snatched back before it had even warmed up in her embrace?

In that instant, a multitude of thoughts flooded Rao Shuang's mind, and at that moment, the group of stunned disciples from the Five Gods Summit finally reacted and unleashed a pandemonium of shouts.

"Found her!"

"She’s here! Everyone, come quickly!"

"Catch her!"

"This intruder is formidable! Get her together, everyone!"

Although they made a huge commotion, none of the disciples seemed eager to rush at her. While Rao Shuang was puzzled, she saw a swarm of shadows surging toward her.

Rao Shuang looked around and couldn't help but curse herself for being foolish. How could the people from the Five Gods Summit man up and fight by themselves? The shadows that surrounded them were clearly a huge number of animated corpses!

The eerie great hall was filled to the brim with animated corpses, and conflict was about to erupt under the illumination of the bluish-green flames.

Both sides suddenly quieted down, and the hall grew so silent that one could hear a pin drop.

Rao Shuang could hear the restless breathing of the disciples closest to her. She was inclined to return to the hidden path to defend it, wanting to hold her ground like a single warrior blocking a hundred foes, but these corpses were as tough as iron and equally hard to wear out. She feared if she chose that route, she would have no way to dig herself out of that hole.

Had she known earlier, she would have never followed Forsaken Phoenix Tang Jinnian up the mountain. Otherwise, how could she have found herself in such a perilous situation?

Rao Shuang began to blame Tang Jinnian again in her heart, but it was too late to say anything now.

The atmosphere in the arena had built to its boiling point, someone had to make a move.

***

When Tang Jinnian heard the voice of the short, hooded figure, he realized that he had truly underestimated his opponents.

This voice was the same as that of the sect leader. It was old yet powerful, with an exceptionally deep internal qi.

Wiping the bloodstains from the corner of his mouth, Tang Jinnian turned to look at the half-destroyed corpse nearby.

The corpse was charred black, but there were no traces of blood.

Tang Jinnian mentally reviewed what had happened and quickly understood how he had been fooled.

"It seems there's something to your tricks after all..."

Tang Jinnian slowly stood up from the ground, gazing at the figure off to the side.

"I thought no one at the Five Gods Summit would have a good head on their shoulders... I truly didn’t expect there to be a smart one."

A faint smile curved Tang Jinnian's lips, and his light and carefree laughter rang through the night.

At this moment, he had figured out the whole story. The middle-aged man he had seen earlier was not the sect leader but another animated corpse controlled by the sect leader. The short figure in front of him was the real sect leader, who had been lurking in the darkness, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

The middle-aged animated corpse was merely a distraction to keep Tang Jinnian occupied while the real leader searched for a decisive opportunity. However, neither the sect leader nor the surrounding disciples of the Five Gods Summit had anticipated the power of the puppet in Tang Jinnian's hands, nor could they have foreseen his decisiveness in sacrificing the puppet to kill the fake leader, and wipe out the surrounding disciples from the collateral damage.

At this point, the hidden sect leader could no longer hold back. Seeing that Tang Jinnian was no longer protected by his puppet, it was the perfect opportunity to strike. He acted decisively and stealthily approached Tang Jinnian from behind before launching a swift and powerful attack.

However, he had underestimated Tang Jinnian's reflexes in the end. At the critical moment, Tang Jinnian narrowly avoided the lethal strike and escaped with his life.

The short figure at the side remained silent for a long time before finally asking, "Who exactly are you, brat?"

Tang Jinnian chuckled lightly, picked up the jade pipe that had fallen to the side, and lit it. Taking a deep puff, he slowly said, "You have no need to know who I am... After all... you are all going to die tonight."

In the face of Tang Jinnian's blatantly arrogant response, the Five Gods Summit sect leader slightly frowned but didn’t explode with rage like before. He seemed to have grown accustomed to Tang Jinnian's tone. He stepped forward, fully revealing his face to Tang Jinnian's gaze.

The sect leader was an old man whose height barely reached Tang Jinnian’s waist. He looked like a dwarf. His face was lined with wrinkles that accentuated his age, but his eyes showed an unmistakable spark of brilliance and sharpness. Unlike the other disciples, who wore Daoist robes, he was wrapped in a drab gray robe that trailed on the ground.

"Where does your confidence come from?" the sect leader asked, "Brat, I see that you’re young yet possess such skills. You will surely become a prominent figure in the jianghu in the future.

"What's the point in clashing with the Five Gods Summit? If you remain stubborn, you will meet a bad end. However... if you are willing to make peace and admit your mistake to the Five Gods Summit, I would consider it a good connection, and this matter would be—"

"Enough." Tang Jinnian waved his hand, showing his impatience clearly as he exhaled a puff of green smoke. "For a dead man... you speak too much."

"You!" The sect leader was furious but could not express the words that were stuck in his throat.

Ignoring the enraged sect leader, Tang Jinnian lowered his head and gently removed the golden-threaded gloves from his right hand. He mumbled to himself, "Stormqueller said I’ve improved in my finger techniques... Today, I will use the Five Gods Summit to test it out..."

"Then come!!!"

A small sect master's furious shout erupted like a thunderclap.

Tang Jinnian's deadly gaze flashed like lightning. Turning his head, he saw the short sect leader charging toward him with a face full of rage. As he ran, his form continuously changed positions, leaving behind a series of afterimages. Tang Jinnian felt that this movement technique was strange, and suddenly, the sect leader's figure flickered and inexplicably vanished on the spot!

Has he vanished?

Tang Jinnian didn’t believe the old man would trip down the ravine, so he remained on high alert.

At that moment, Tang Jinnian suddenly sensed a strong wind approaching from behind. He quickly turned around, bringing the two fingers of his right hand together to form a sword, and struck out with the force of wind and thunder!

"Brat!" From behind, the sect leader pounced down diagonally, his face twisted in a fierce expression. His hands formed into claws and unleashed a chilling wind aimed directly at Tang Jinnian’s crown. "Today, I’ll let you understand how dangerous the jianghu truly is!"

Tang Jinnian showed no fear on his face, a cold smile playing at his lips, maintaining that light and carefree demeanor. His right index and middle finger glimmered with a faint metallic sheen as they pierced toward the approaching, withered claws!