Yefutidaolu

Chapter 324 It’s Me
Huang Chengshi's complacency is his biggest weakness!

Gao Jian subtly adjusted his figure in the shadows, like a cheetah about to pounce, his aura completely concealed. The dormant power within him, like a volcano about to erupt, began to quietly circulate along a certain trajectory.

"Now is the time," Takami silently thought to himself.

He was waiting for this very moment when Huang Chengshi believed the situation was settled and he was most relaxed!
On the chessboard of the entire battlefield, that brilliant insight that everyone had overlooked was finally about to be played.

His target was Huang Chengshi, the seemingly invincible, deadly sword hanging over the border!

Of course, he couldn't just rush over there.

Instead, he leisurely took advantage of the break and came to Huang Chengshi's side.

Just then, a slightly disheveled figure, under the cover of several elite members of the Jin family, or rather, protected by the aftershocks of Huang Chengshi's sword energy, stumbled across the chaotic edge of the battlefield and approached Huang Chengshi. It was Gao Jian. His robes were stained with dust and blood, he was slightly out of breath, and his face showed a mixture of relief and lingering fear, but deep in his eyes was a barely perceptible weariness.

"Elder Huang!" Gao Jian's voice carried just the right amount of urgency and a hint of dependence, "This place is extremely dangerous, please allow me to temporarily avoid the danger!"

Huang Chengshi glanced at him casually. To this student of the Imperial Academy, his mindset at that moment was one of condescension.

With the overall situation already in their hands, protecting one of their own is merely a simple matter, further demonstrating their control.

Of course, there were also people who attacked Gao Jian, but with Huang Chengshi's protection, it was impossible for anyone to succeed. In Huang Chengshi's eyes, Gao Jian was one of his own, so he protected Gao Jian and brought him to his side.

"Mr. Gao, don't panic." Huang Chengshi's voice carried a hint of victor's magnanimity. With a casual flick of his wrist, a spell, like a serpent, circled around Gao Jian's side, instantly turning two guards who had suddenly attacked from the pile of corpses into a bloody mist. "With me here, no one can harm you in the slightest."

He subtly withdrew his technique, actually clearing a small, relatively safe area beside Gao Jian, signaling Gao Jian to approach.

Gao Jian's face showed gratitude. He quickly walked to Huang Chengshi's side, slightly out of breath, rubbed his slightly crooked eyes, and glanced at the messy battlefield and the two people fighting fiercely in the sky. He exclaimed, "Elder Huang's divine might is unparalleled! Patriarch Jin is even more unfathomable, managing to fight that Qilin Shen to such an extent! This battle... is truly magnificent and breathtaking!"

He paused, his tone carrying a perfectly balanced mix of doubt and flattery: "Now, Lord Jin is holding back Qilin Shen, the elder from Youming Land is fighting against Qin Long, and the remaining formations are trapping another Jin family elder. The situation is clear, and with Elder Huang here, no one can stop you! The overall situation is settled, the dust has settled! However..." He changed the subject, lowering his voice with a questioning tone, "With so many top experts and the various tribes of the grasslands so united, who exactly is the mastermind behind all this? Their power is almost comparable to a great immortal sect! There must be something fishy about what made Elder Huang and Lord Jin mobilize so much."

Who is behind this?

Upon hearing this, Huang Chengshi's cold smile deepened, radiating an air of superiority as if he knew everything and controlled the entire situation. His gaze continued to sweep across the battlefield, as if admiring his meticulously crafted masterpiece, searching for the next target worthy of his attention. He casually remarked, "Hmph, just a coward hiding his true intentions. No matter how many schemes and tricks he employs, they are futile in the face of the current tide."

With a slight flick of his wrist, the Ghost King behind him made his move, and a hazy gray sword aura shot out silently. The head of a guard captain who was trying to maintain the formation a hundred feet away exploded instantly, and red and white matter splattered all over the ground.

Huang Chengshi didn't even glance at them, as if he had casually crushed an ant. His tone carried a cruel, playful edge: "Just like these ants, no matter how much they struggle, they can't change their fate of being crushed. Back when I was in charge of the harvest in Liaobei, a billion people were trapped in a siege. Some so-called righteous immortal sects came to stop them, but they were just like today, utterly routed by us. I refined them, listening to them go from cursing to wailing, and then to silence... That was truly interesting. The Ghost King behind me was also refined back then. This scene before us is just a small skirmish, a quicker harvest."

Huang Chengshi boasted, prompting Gao Jian to look at the Ghost King behind him, who was still relentlessly wielding his sword.

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the scattered defenders still putting up resistance on the city wall. The gray sword light, like a venomous snake ready to devour its prey, slowly slithered around him, bringing a chilling aura. "Mr. Gao, look," he said with an arrogant air of commanding authority, "these defenders have mixed martial arts styles and unknown origins. Some use 'Canglang Force,' which seems to be the style of rogue cultivators from the East Sea; some practice 'Thick Earth Technique,' which has a hint of the earth element sects of the Central Plains; and a few have unpredictable movements, faintly showing traces of witchcraft from the Southern Frontier... even the brute force of the Qilin tribe is mixed in."

Huang Chengshi frowned slightly, this was the first time he had shown a hint of confusion: "So chaotic, it's practically a hodgepodge. Logically speaking, the person behind the Qilin tribe, who can mobilize so many experts from different backgrounds, must be incredibly powerful and have their own unique mark or unified cultivation system. But these people..." He shook his head, with a hint of disdain, "are a disorganized mess, each fighting their own battles, without any discernible strategy. If it weren't for this remnant formation and Qilin Shen Qiang holding them up, they would have been utterly destroyed long ago. But the source of this 'hodgepodge,' I really can't discern which immortal sect is behind it; they've kept it well hidden."

He frowned almost imperceptibly.

The individuals Gao Jian pointed out did indeed employ a diverse range of techniques, and each seemed to have only grasped the superficial aspects of some powerful lineage, or were simply making ambiguous imitations. This made it difficult for him to accurately determine their true origins. It felt as if someone had deliberately pieced together a collection of scraps to create the image of the guard's elite, in an attempt to mislead and deceive.

"These people's techniques are mixed and not refined, seemingly correct but actually flawed, as if they have been deliberately mixed together, making it difficult to trace their true origins." Huang Chengshi's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible irritation. He was used to being in control of everything, and this feeling of not being able to see through things completely made him somewhat unhappy.

He subconsciously turned his gaze to the man beside him who seemed to be thinking as well, and asked with a hint of seeking approval, "Mr. Gao has always been meticulous and insightful, and as a graduate of the Imperial Academy, he is well-informed and knowledgeable. Have you noticed anything else? What exactly is the person behind this, hiding their true intentions and confusing the public, all for the sake of this?"

Upon hearing this question, Gao Jian's face revealed an expression that was a mixture of solemnity and mystery. He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice, as if he were about to reveal some earth-shattering secret: "Elder Huang, I do have a guess about the person behind this."

Gao Jian's sharp gaze swept across the battlefield, as if he were analyzing it carefully. After a moment, he leaned forward slightly, lowered his voice, and spoke with the solemnity of someone who had discovered a crucial clue: "Elder Huang, the mixed cultivation techniques here are the biggest point of suspicion, but..." He changed the subject, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, his tone tinged with mystery, "Just now, during the fierce battle at that breach, I seemed to have caught a very subtle yet exceptionally pure fluctuation of energy, completely different from the methods of everyone present! That energy... seems somewhat strange."

"Oh?" Huang Chengshi's eyes flashed with interest. The "abnormal aura" that Gao Jian mentioned so solemnly might be the key to unlocking the mystery! He subconsciously leaned slightly towards Gao Jian, lowering his head to hear more clearly. "What kind of aura is it? Where does it come from?"

"Elder Huang, please look over there. Right behind the ruins of that collapsed arrow tower, at the edge of the remaining array patterns..."

Huang Chengshi had no doubts. Following the direction Gao Jian "guided," his gaze unconsciously focused on that direction, and his mind was completely attracted by the "abnormal atmosphere" in Gao Jian's words. He no longer had any wariness towards Gao Jian, who was so close at hand.

But he hesitated, as if he wanted to say something, and gestured for Huang Chengshi to come closer.

"The mastermind behind this, Mr. Gao, do you have any guesses? But to be honest..." Huang Chengshi hadn't even finished saying the word "no."

His words stopped abruptly!

Because at the very moment when he was most relaxed, most focused on demonstrating his control over the outside world, most immersed in the superiority of a victor, and completely unprepared for his "own people" who were right next to him—a sudden change occurred!

Standing beside him, Gao Jian, who had just looked relieved and inquisitive, had all his emotions—relaxation, fear, exhaustion, and doubt—recede instantly like a tide! In its place was an extreme, cold indifference, like ancient ice!
There was no murderous intent! No signs of energy fluctuations! Not even a hint of muscle exertion!
Gao Jian simply raised his right hand with utter naturalness, the movement as fluid as brushing dust off a sleeve. But at that instant, his fingertips lit up.

fast!
Indescribably fast!

"Pfft!"

A faint sound, almost drowned out by the roar of the battlefield, rang out, like a sharp blade piercing a ripe fruit.

Huang Chengshi's body stiffened abruptly! The composed and cold expression on his face froze instantly! He lowered his head in disbelief and with extreme slowness.

He saw a rusty knife calmly piercing through his left chest, right where his heart was.

There was no violent energy eruption, no earth-shattering sound. Only that one point of deep black light, like the most greedy glutton, was devouring and annihilating all life and power in his heart at a terrifying speed! He felt no excruciating pain, only that his life and power were being instantly drained away.

“You…” Huang Chengshi let out a broken, guttural sound, like a broken bellows.

He struggled to turn his eyes to look at Gao Jian, who was so close at hand.

The student he saw was no longer the one from the Imperial Academy.

He saw a pair of eyes—eyes as deep as the boundless universe, as cold as ancient, frozen stars, devoid of any emotion, containing only absolute reason and control. It was as if the blow that had pierced the heart of a ninth-realm expert was nothing more than brushing away a speck of dust to him.

"Isn't the answer obvious?" Gao Jian's voice was calm and even, as if stating a very simple fact.

Who is behind this?

It's me, Elder Huang.

boom--! ! !
Only now did the terrifying power within Huang Chengshi, which had been forcibly suppressed and was on the verge of collapse, finally erupt out of control due to the destruction of its core! But it was not an active attack by him; rather, it was a catastrophic explosion caused by the collapse of his power!
The hazy sword energy, like a runaway dragon, exploded wildly from his body!

However, these terrifying sword energies, powerful enough to tear mountains apart, melted and vanished silently the moment they came into contact with the glimmer of light at the tip of Gao Jian's blade, just like ice and snow meeting the sun! Not even a ripple was stirred.

Why? Because... divine will is suppressing these sword energies.

The Ghost King under Huang Chengshi's command has gone out of control! It's backfiring!
Huang Chengshi's body was like a punctured balloon, with violent turbulent forces pouring out uncontrollably, instantly shattering the surrounding rubble and corpses into dust! But he himself was like a clay sculpture that quickly lost its color.

"Ughh ...

This scream, like a thunderclap from the heavens, struck the entire battlefield!

In the midst of the fierce battle, Jin Dafu suddenly turned around, his dark golden pupils contracting sharply, filled with boundless horror and rage!
The old man from Youmingdi, who was locked in combat with Qin Long, froze, and all the color drained from his face!
The ninth-realm expert trapped by the formation also forgot to bombard the enemy, staring in disbelief!
The movements of all the eighth-realm experts, Qilin warriors, and defending soldiers who were engaged in a bloody battle suddenly froze!

Time seemed to freeze.

At this moment, an extremely terrifying Ninth Realm Ghost King was actually unleashed and became the enemy of Jin Dafu and his group!

But what's even more terrifying is the knife that Gao Jian pierced through Huang Chengshi!

That strike contained divine intent; it was divine intent that interrupted the control over the Ghost King!

Having the divine intent of martial arts means that one has opened the gates of the divine realm!
Gao Jian has already unlocked the secret.

Two Grandmasters!
This realization struck like a bolt of lightning, instantly devouring the heart of every strong warrior on the battlefield!

Brilliant insight... indeed, a Grandmaster of both realms?!
Impossible, absolutely impossible!

Never before in history! And absolutely impossible! A mere sixth-realm cultivator could cross such an insurmountable chasm and directly become a Grandmaster of two realms?!
This is a million times more absurd than telling everyone that the sun rises in the west and rivers flow backward! This completely overturns the cultivation system that the Divine Dynasty has formed over thousands of years and is as unshakeable as a law!
What kind of sorcery is this?! Or is it...?

A colder, more terrifying thought came to everyone's minds.

Is he not a 'brilliant insight' at all? Or is his so-called 'six realms' a complete and utter scam that fooled everyone from the very beginning?

But regardless of the circumstances, the balance of power on the battlefield was instantly overturned by this earth-shattering counterattack!
"Qilin Shen, it's time for you to die." Gao Jian pushed Huang Chengshi forward.

(End of this chapter)