Starting with a blind date with a female constable, you acquire the Nine Swords of Dugu.

Chapter 42: The Great Battle (9k views, please vote)

An Yi and Tang Batian were also drawn to Gu Guanqi by Tang Yu's gaze.

Gu Guanqi's lips twitched slightly, and he said, "Yes, I think Sect Leader Tang is right. It's indeed not good to be lenient in everything."

Tang Yu sighed slightly and said, "Actually, not all the rumors in the martial arts world are false. Ba Tian's mother does have a connection with snakes, but she is not a snake; rather, she keeps a snake."

Legend has it that I once saved a white snake, and that's true. However, it wasn't some snake undergoing tribulation; it was just a snake raised by Ba Tian's mother.

His mother practiced a kind of unorthodox martial art, transformed from a spirit snake, which relied on absorbing the snake's essence for cultivation. The white snake was one she had carefully selected, possessing special potential. She fed it many rare and precious herbs, and under her nurturing, the snake became extremely intelligent.

Later, due to an accident, the snake was caught by a snake catcher, but I happened to rescue it and release it. Then the snake brought Batian's mother to thank me, and that's how we became acquainted. However, we didn't discuss marriage at the time because she wanted to cultivate in seclusion in the mountains.

Years later, after I had grown up and started a family, I was being hunted by enemies and rescued by his mother. She cared for me tenderly for a long time, and during that time, we developed feelings for each other. Then, his mother became pregnant with Batian. So, I took his mother back to the Mechanical Gate.

Speaking of which,

Tang Yu couldn't help but sigh again and said, "That was the worst thing I ever did in my life. I thought I could handle the affairs of the inner quarters well because I had already married three wives and they got along very well. I naturally assumed that Wenluo would also stay peacefully in the inner quarters."

But I overlooked the fact that everyone has a different personality.

At first, things were fine. Wenluo used snake blood to nourish my body and cleanse my marrow and meridians for a long time. As a result, my martial arts skills improved by leaps and bounds, and I gradually became a high-ranking member of the Mechanical Sect, and even a candidate for sect leader.

It was only at this point that Wenluo began to reveal her true nature. She started trying to drive all my other wives out of the house, wanting Batian to take over all my businesses by himself.

My other three wives were certainly not happy about it, and so, disputes began to erupt in the inner quarters. I was already trying my best to control the situation. But I never imagined that Wenluo would be so ruthless as to want to kill someone!

Tang Batian quickly asked, "Who did she kill?"

"She didn't manage to kill anyone," Tang Yu said. "She poisoned your three concubines, trying to kill them. But before marrying me, your three concubines were all martial arts masters, far more skilled than me. They only married me because I was good at sweet-talking and deceiving them when I was young."

Although your mother has some tricks up her sleeve, she actually lacks experience in the ways of the world. These women saw through her scheme and turned the tables on her, causing her to suffer the consequences of her own actions.

By the time I arrived, your mother was beyond saving due to the poison attacking her heart. She was riding her giant python to attack your three aunts. I killed the snake, but your mother was already beyond saving.

Later, in order to protect your mother's posthumous reputation and to minimize the criticism you might face, I fabricated a lie that your mother died while obtaining snake gall to save me. I strictly ordered all those who knew the truth at the time to remain silent.

Tang Batian's face was ashen as he muttered, "How could this be... What about the Thousand-Machine Umbrella and the Thunder Drum?"

Tang Yu rolled her eyes and said, "Outsiders might not know, but you grew up in the Mechanical Gate. Don't you know what the Thousand-Mechanism Umbrella and Thunder Drum are made of? Can snake skin be used to make a drum? Can snake bones be melted or hammered? How is the Thousand-Mechanism Umbrella made?"

Tang Batian said, "I...I know, I know the Thousand-Machine Umbrella and the Thunder Drum have nothing to do with snakes, but...but...how could my mother be like that..."

Tang Yu said, "Back then, I offended a lot of people when I was vying for the position of sect leader. In order to smear me, they fabricated the story of the White Snake Immortal, which did cause me a lot of trouble."

Tang Batian said, "No wonder, I've always felt that those aunts didn't like me since I was little."

Tang Yu said, "The fact that they don't hold a grudge against you for what your mother did is already a great kindness. How could they possibly like you? But it doesn't matter anyway, since you two only see each other twice a year."

The reason I later insisted on placing your concubines in various locations to manage the businesses was because of the warning your mother gave me. Don't delude yourself into thinking that a group of women can get along peacefully; that's simply impossible.

As he spoke,

Tang Yu then looked at Gu Guanqi and said, "So, the best way is to make them avoid meeting as much as possible. We must find them things to do so they won't be thinking about palace intrigue all the time!"

Tang Batian suddenly realized, "No wonder you're always going around doing business!"

Gu Guanqi's pupils contracted slightly, as if deep in thought.

After a while,

Gu Guanqi's eyes lit up.

His gaze met Tang Yu's.

Tang Yu nodded slightly.

Gu Guanqi thought to himself, "I've learned a lot!"

At this time,

Tang Yu withdrew her gaze and said, "The reason I brought this up is because the actions of the person behind the scenes tonight made me realize that they definitely want to bring up old matters and take the opportunity to deal with me."

Although I am on guard now, the fact that they dared to do this means they are definitely not afraid of my precautions and must have a killer move targeting me. They even found out about the joke I made to Batian's mother back then about using the Broken Void Shuttle as a hairpin, so they must have done in-depth research on me. That killer move will definitely be difficult to counter.

With that, Tang Yu stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to Gu Guanqi and An Yi, and said, "Therefore, I would like to ask the two of you to help me tomorrow. I will certainly remember this great favor!"

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly.

An Yi cupped her hands in greeting and said, "It's my duty!"

Tang Yu bowed again to express his gratitude and said, "I have told you both everything today. If the other party continues to use Wen Luo's name to claim personal revenge, please do not doubt it. It is absolutely false."

"Okay," Gu Guanqi nodded in response.

"Father," Tang Batian said, "Since we know there's a trap, can't we just go back to the mechanical gate?"

Tang Yu shook his head and said, "I can't back down now. Today, the other party publicly called for revenge against me in your mother's name. If I leave, it will confirm that I killed your mother because I was greedy for my future. Then how can I face anyone in the martial world?"

Furthermore, I came here to rescue people. How can I leave before even saving them? How can I explain this to my fellow martial artists? That I couldn't bear to part with the Broken Void Shuttle and would rather watch other martial artists be harmed? And the reason they were harmed was because your mother wanted revenge against me?

An Yi also said, "Tang Xiaosi, Sect Leader Tang can't back down now. Besides, even if he doesn't care about his reputation, it's useless. This matter is specifically aimed at Sect Leader Tang. He can back down temporarily, but not forever."

Tang Batian remained silent.

An Yi asked Tang Yu, "Sect Leader Tang, what are your plans now?"

Tang Yu nodded slightly and said, "We don't need a big plan. Judging from the appearance of the snakes tonight, and combined with the rumors about the snake spirit in Shekou Town over the past two months, it's easy to deduce that the person behind it is hiding on Snake Mountain behind Sheshan Town."

The other party must have been doing something on Snake Mountain before, and was worried about being discovered by the snake catchers in town, so they deliberately staged the story of the snake spirit descending to earth, just to prevent the people of Snake Mountain Town from going up the mountain.

An Yi nodded and said, "I was thinking about this issue during the day today. According to Tang Xiaosi, Snake Mountain Town is full of snakes, to the point that they are rampant."

Now that the people of Snake Mountain Town no longer catch snakes, they should theoretically have a lot of snakes and they should be very common there. But we haven't seen a single snake on our way here today.

As for the claim that it might be due to realgar powder, this is merely a folk rumor and has no actual effect.

Tang Yu said, "And tonight, the person behind the scenes is controlling the snake tide, which confirms that the group that is going to deal with me is the same group that caused the snake spirit to descend to earth in this town."

So, my plan was to go up the mountain after dawn to meet this so-called White Snake Fairy.

An Yi looked at Gu Guanqi.

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly.

An Yi then said, "Okay, then we'll go up the mountain tomorrow."

Seeing An Yi's subconscious reliance on Gu Guanqi's opinion, Tang Yu smiled knowingly and said, "Then it's settled. Thank you both for your hard work tonight. Take some time to rest while you still have time, and we'll set off tomorrow morning!"

As he spoke,

Tang Yu stood up and said, "I'll go downstairs and greet the others."

"Alright, Sect Leader Tang, take care," An Yi said.

Tang Yu nodded slightly and looked at Tang Batian.

Tang Batian waved his hand and said, "Father, go ahead. I need to calm down. Today's events have been too much of a shock for me. I need some peace and quiet!"

……

Early the next morning,

Tang Yu then led his men to Snake Mountain. Among them were Gu Guanqi, An Yi, Tang Batian, Hua Jinhuan, and about twenty other masters from various sects.

Dozens of people were poisoned last night, and some people had to stay behind to take care of them. Also, those with low martial arts skills could not go. Therefore, in the end, less than thirty people went to Snake Mountain.

Originally, everyone thought that with so many people, finding them shouldn't be difficult.

However, after arriving at Snake Mountain,

Only then did everyone realize that their estimation seemed to have been wrong.

Snake Mountain is not a single small peak, but a mountain range that stretches out together.

With their limited manpower, it would probably take them more than ten days to finish searching.

Just when everyone was feeling a bit awkward,

An Yi suddenly spoke up, "Everyone, follow me!"

Everyone was very puzzled.

Tang Batian quickly asked, "Senior Sister An, did you find any clues?"

An Yi slowly said, "Last night, when the snake tide receded, I sprinkled a lot of my specially made tracking powder on the snakes. The places the snakes passed through will carry a special scent. Ordinary people can't smell it, so everyone follow me."

"Young Master An's methods are brilliant!"

"Truly worthy of being a top disciple of Medicine King Valley!"

"..."

Everyone praised An Yi.

An Yi didn't take it to heart at all. She waved her hand slightly and took the lead, with everyone else quickly following.

Gu Guanqi followed beside her and said, "Senior sister, you really are very thoughtful."

An Yi smiled slightly and said, "I already had some doubts about the lack of snakes in Snake Mountain Town, and when the person behind the scenes came with a snake last night, I was basically certain that the other party was the one who kidnapped those martial arts practitioners, so I naturally became wary."

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly.

An Yi added, "I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you, Junior Brother, to keep things under control today."

Gu Guanqi chuckled and said, "According to what Ding Yue said before, the Left Prime Minister Zhang Jiexi has already decided on the leader of the martial arts alliance and will be paving the way for that person in secret. Now that Sect Leader Tang is being targeted, it is very likely that Zhang Jiexi is behind it all, arranging for that person to eliminate his rivals."

Zhang Jiexi's faction is already sending the Four Extremes Hall to kill me; this feud is already established. Therefore, since they want to deal with Sect Leader Tang, I naturally have to help him. Moreover, the Mechanism Gate and Medicine King Valley are on good terms, and given my relationship with Medicine King Valley, I can't just stand by and do nothing.”

"Better safe than sorry!" An Yi said with a slight smile.

Subsequently,

Led by An Yi, the group crossed two mountain ridges, passed through a dense forest, and finally arrived at a mountain peak.

The mountain path grew narrower and narrower, the bushes on both sides became denser, and a unique smell gradually filled the air, like rotting meat mixed with damp soil, and a strong fishy odor.

Finally, An Yi stopped in front of a rocky cliff covered with vines and said, "It's here."

Gu Guanqi used his sword to part the vines, revealing a hole inside.

Tang Batian immediately stepped forward, drew his short sword, and slashed.

Soon, the true appearance was revealed. The entrance to the cave was not large, about the height of a person. The inside of the cave was pitch black, and its depth could not be seen. A fishy and foul smell wafted out of the cave entrance, which was very strong.

"I'll go first," Tang Yu said, glancing back at the crowd before adding in a deep voice, "Everyone, the situation inside is unclear, please be careful."

After all,

He took out a tinderbox and went inside first.

The others also took out their tinderboxes and followed them inside, all proceeding with extreme caution.

The cave was initially quite narrow, allowing only two people to walk side by side.

The walls were damp, and the ground was muddy. The further they went in, the more spacious the cave became, and the stronger the stench grew, making it almost impossible to breathe.

After walking for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, light appeared in the passage ahead.

Immediately,

The group quickly walked over.

Then, everything became clear.

Inside is a huge domed cave with passages all around, leading to who knows where. There is an opening diagonally above the cave, through which sunlight shines down, illuminating the entire cave.

The scene inside the cave sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.

In the center of the cave was a huge pool of blood.

The blood pool was as big as an ordinary house, and the liquid in it was dark red and very thick.

The surface of the blood pool was covered with countless things—the corpses of snakes. Some had rotted away to the point of being just skeletons, while others were still intact, but all were torn apart, their flesh mangled and bloody, a truly gruesome sight.

The snake carcasses were piled up layer upon layer, covering the entire blood pool; there were at least tens of thousands of them. The stench that permeated the air emanated from this blood pool.

At the edge of the blood pool, several disheveled people lay unconscious on the ground, motionless. Their robes were filthy, some even soaked in blood, making them look extremely wretched.

"It's Sect Leader Liu's eldest disciple!"

"And Elder Chen's son!"

"They're the ones who were tied up!"

Several gasps of surprise rang out from the crowd, and a few people who recognized their relatives and friends immediately rushed forward.

"Wait a minute!"

Tang Yu raised his hand to stop the crowd, his gaze sweeping warily around him. He spoke in a low voice, "Don't make any rash moves."

Upon hearing this, everyone stopped in their tracks, gripped their weapons tightly, and cautiously looked around.

The cave was deathly silent, with only the occasional gurgling sound of bubbles rising from the blood pool echoing in the empty space.

at this time,

"Glug, glug, glug..."

Sounds emanated from the blood pool, and countless bubbles rose to the surface. The water began to churn, stirring up the floating snake corpses and scattering them in all directions.

next moment--

"Splash—"

With a deafening roar, the center of the blood pool suddenly exploded, and a huge white figure shot into the sky from the blood pool.

It was a white python.

Its entire body was snow-white, its scales gleaming coldly in the sunlight. Its body emerged from the pool of blood, rising high to a height of several meters. Blood gushed down its body, transforming into a dark red rain within the pillar of light.

At that moment, the air inside the cave seemed to freeze.

Everyone instinctively took a few steps back.

Tang Yu stood at the very front, raised her head, and stared at the enormous white python.

The white python slowly opened its massive jaws, and a voice emerged from its mouth—the woman's voice, soft and ethereal:

"Tang Yu...it's time to pay back the debt you owe me."

Tang Yu's brows furrowed sharply, a surge of anger appearing on his face. He let out a cold snort, his voice booming like a bell echoing through the cave: "Still daring to spout nonsense here! Everyone, you take care of rescuing the people; I'll deal with this scoundrel!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already moved.

He leaped forward like an arrow, hurtling towards the enormous white python. His right hand reached into his robes, retrieving the silver-white Broken Void Shuttle. Infused with his inner energy, the shuttle gleamed with a dazzling silver light.

The person was in mid-air, their wrists shaking repeatedly.

"Whoosh whoosh-"

Several extremely sharp bursts of energy shot out from the tip of the shuttle, as fast as shooting stars, leaving several silver trails in the air, heading straight for the white python's head.

The white python neither dodged nor avoided.

It opened its huge mouth and let out a sharp screech, a sound so piercing that it made the eardrums of everyone in the cave ring.

Then, it suddenly crashed into us.

That enormous body moved with astonishing speed at this moment, like a white lightning bolt, rushing towards the several bursts of energy.

"Pfft, pfft, pfft—"

Two bursts of energy struck the white python's body, shattering its scales and splattering blood. Several other bursts of energy, however, passed directly through the snake's body, seemingly hitting the air before striking the stone wall.

He immediately understood.

Today's snake was half real and half fake; it still used illusion magic, but there was something real hidden inside.

At that moment, the enormous body of the white python coiled around.

Tang Yu's expression changed slightly. His body remained in a forward-flying posture in the air, unable to use the momentum to turn around. He tried to tap the outside of the broken shuttle a few times, but this time, all of them missed. He had no way of knowing which part of the white python was real and which part was fake.

The white python was incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, it had surrounded Tang Yu, its body suddenly contracting and completely binding him.

"Sect Leader Tang!"

Several exclamations came from the crowd, and some people were about to rush forward, but in that instant, countless venomous snakes shot out from all the crevices and vines in the cave, like a barrage of hidden weapons, attacking the people from all sides and preventing them from helping.

And this time,

The white scales on the body of the white python that was coiled around Tang Yu began to blur, and in its place, finer, cold-glowing scales clung tightly to the humanoid body.

In that instant, the white python's body contracted and condensed, transforming into a human form.

That's a woman.

She wore a white dress, her skin covered in dense, white scales that stretched from her neck to her ankles; every inch of her visible skin was covered in scales. Her face was also covered in scales, with only her eyes visible—those captivating, alluring eyes.

Her hands were tightly wrapped around Tang Yu's waist, her whole body pressed against Tang Yu's, tightly binding him in an ambiguous posture, with hands entwined and legs intertwined, restricting Tang Yu's arms and legs, and pulling Tang Yu down into the blood pool.

Fortunately, two vines were hanging in the air.

Tang Yu possessed remarkable lightness skills, and he quickly steadied himself by stepping on one of the vines, thus avoiding falling. However, with his arms and legs restricted, he was unable to react quickly.

Immediately, his pupils contracted sharply, and he released the Broken Void Shuttle from his hand.

The Broken Void Shuttle fell instantly, but in the next moment, it floated up and soared into the air before piercing the woman's chest.

"Cheng—"

The Broken Void Shuttle pierced the scales as if it were striking metal, sparking a burst of sparks before finally sinking into the woman's chest.

Fresh blood gushed from the wound.

The woman's body stiffened abruptly, and she let out a piercing scream.

"what!"

The scream was sharp and piercing, echoing through the cave and making everyone's eardrums ache.

Then, the scales on her face disappeared, revealing her true appearance.

It was a pale face, with delicate features and exquisite eyebrows and eyes, looking no more than thirty years old. But at this moment, her face was ashen, her lips were bloodless, and a trickle of blood oozed from the corner of her mouth.

Her eyes were full of affection as she looked at Tang Yu.

Tang Yu stared at that face, completely frozen in place.

His pupils contracted sharply at that moment.

"Wenluo..."

His voice was filled with an indescribable shock and disbelief.

The woman looked up at Tang Yu, a slight, melancholic smile playing on her lips: "Tang Yu...you finally...recognized me..."

Tang Yu's face turned deathly pale in that instant. He shook his head violently and roared, "Mental illusion! What's fake can't become real!"

He focused his mind, trying to break free from the hallucination.

But in that very instant—

At the edge of the blood pool, among the unconscious "hostages," one figure suddenly sprang up.

The man, who had been lying motionless on the ground with disheveled hair and tattered clothes, indistinguishable from the other unconscious people around him, suddenly moved with astonishing speed, leaping up from the ground like a black lightning bolt.

A long sword slid out from his sleeve, its blade gleaming with a cold, eerie light.

The sword was drawn, its energy like a bolt of lightning, aimed straight for Tang Yu's back.

This sword strike had been brewing for a long time, and the timing was perfect, catching Tang Yu off guard at the last moment.

The sword energy pierced the air, and a sharp whistling sound exploded in the cave.

The sword strike was extremely fierce. Wherever the sword energy passed, the air was torn apart, creating a visible ripple. The pebbles on the ground were swept up by the strong wind and flew to both sides.

The sword tip was pointed directly at Tang Yu's back.

Fast, incredibly fast.

In the blink of an eye, he was behind Tang Yu.

however,

Tang Yu seemed to have been prepared.

The Myriad Manifestations Umbrella on his back flew out automatically.

The Thousand-Mechanism Umbrella was entirely black, its canopy made of some unknown material that gleamed faintly in the sunlight. Tang Yu flicked his wrist, and the Thousand-Mechanism Umbrella suddenly opened behind him.

"Clang, clang, clang—"

A series of rapid clanging sounds filled the air as the umbrella completely blocked the sharp sword energy. Sparks flew as the sword energy exploded on the umbrella, leaving only a few shallow white marks.

The sword tip touched the tip of the umbrella, and the umbrella surface instantly reversed and wrapped around it.

However, the attacker's pupils contracted slightly.

He quickly abandoned his sword and withdrew his hand.

And then,

Tang Yu's body trembled violently, and his true energy surged out, instantly breaking free from the woman's restraints. With a powerful palm strike of his right hand, he pushed the woman off him, sending her falling into the blood pool.

Then he turned his left hand, and the canopy of the Thousand Machine Umbrella suddenly contracted, while the ribs popped outwards.

"Clatter—"

A soft sound.

Countless poisonous needles shot out from the ribs of the Thousand Chance Umbrella, raining down on the attacker like a storm.

The attacker's expression changed slightly. He twisted his body in mid-air, barely avoiding the overwhelming rain of needles. The needles pierced the stone wall behind him, making a dense "thud thud thud" sound, leaving countless needle holes on the stone wall.

However, several poisoned needles still pierced the body of the attacker.

The attacker coughed up blood and, as his body flew backward, simultaneously struck out with a palm.

The moment the palm strike was unleashed, an unexpected change occurred.

What erupted was not a palm print, but a dense burst of fine sword energy surging forth from the palm, thousands of cold rays as fine as hairs, layer upon layer, continuous and endless.

The sword energy intertwined into a sharp net of light, piercing the air with a shrill whistling sound, sweeping forward like a gentle drizzle in the wind.

In that instant, Tang Yu touched a vine beneath his feet and his figure quickly floated back several feet. At the same time, he spun the Thousand Chance Umbrella with his left hand, and the umbrella surface rotated in front of him, deflecting all the pursuing sword energy.

He landed back on the ground, putting distance between himself and the attacker.

They are located at opposite ends of the blood pool.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

From Tang Yu's entanglement with the white python to someone's sudden sneak attack, and then to Tang Yu's retreat, the process seemed complicated, but in reality, it only took three or four breaths.

When Tang Yufei returned, he landed unsteadily and staggered backward.

And at this very moment—

A figure darted out from the crowd.

The figure was incredibly fast, like a streak of blue lightning, rushing straight towards Tang Yu.

It was a time of great joy and celebration.

The young master of Lingyun Manor in Chuzhou, who always presented himself as a refined gentleman in white, had completely lost his gentle smile at this moment. In fact, his entire face seemed to have become blurred.

He slapped Tang Yu on the back.

In that instant, a dense and profound palm intent suddenly erupted, its formless and intangible essence spreading out instantly, enveloping the surrounding area for several feet. There was no fierce and killing energy, but rather an endless sense of sorrow and melancholy, spreading out like a cold fog in the dead of night, invading the mind.

That sadness gnaws silently at people's hearts, stirring up the weariness, regret, and exhaustion deep within, making one's mind slump, and causing a surge of distracting thoughts. One just wants to let go of obsessions, give up resistance, and willingly abandon all struggle.

It was none other than the unique enchanting atmosphere of the famous Seven Soul-Stealing Palms.

in the blink of an eye,

The palm strike has arrived.

Tang Yu hadn't even stood up properly when she caught a glimpse of the palm strike out of the corner of her eye.

He didn't have time to react.

The others didn't even have time to react.

In that split second,

A beam of sword light exploded from the side.

The sword light was pure and otherworldly, without a trace of worldly dust, like a beam of moonlight descending from the sky, or a Milky Way hanging down from the heavens.

Where the sword light passed, the air seemed to turn into water, stirred by the sword light, creating visible ripples.

Gu Guanqi made his move.

His figure was like a cloud blown by the wind, without a speck of dust on him, drifting out from the crowd, and he made his move at the same moment as Hua Jinhuan.

With a gentle turn in his hand, the Autumn Water Sword gleamed with a lustrous sheen. It was not the cold light of metal, but the warm luster of jade, the clear glow of moonlight.

The sword is drawn.

He did not gather his strength, nor did he use any special sword techniques.

It's just a normal sword strike.

But this sword strike was incredibly fast, as fast as a falling meteor.

In Hua Jinhuan's pupils, the sword rapidly magnified.

He tried to dodge, but Gu Guanqi's sword was too fast, so fast that he didn't have time to react. He could only rely on his fighting instincts to turn his head at the moment of death and barely avoid the fatal sword.

However, Gu Guanqi's sword fell smoothly.

"puff--"

Where the sword flashed, blood splattered.

Hua Jinhuan's arm was severed off, flew into the air, tumbled twice, and crashed heavily to the ground, splattering blood.

Hua Jinhuan's body stiffened abruptly. He pushed off with his feet and staggered backward, flying rapidly to the side of the blood pool.

The disheveled swordsman who had previously ambushed Tang Yu quickly stepped forward to protect Hua Jinhuan.

Hua Jinhuan quickly applied pressure to acupoints to seal the meridians, preventing the blood from gushing out.

He looked down at his right arm—below the shoulder, it was empty, and blood was gushing from the wound, instantly staining half of his robe red.

He clenched his teeth tightly, his face ashen, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

He looked at Gu Guanqi with eyes full of shock and disbelief, and said, "You were on guard against me all along? How did you find out?"

Gu Guanqi, holding his sword, said, "I have to thank my Senior Sister An for this."

"Hua Jin Huan" looked at An Yi on the other side.

Everyone looked over.

An Yi slapped a snake away and said, "The Four Extremes Palace's face-changing technique is very strong; I can't see through it. However, you shouldn't have disguised yourself as a young person. A young person in their twenties has a very different blood and energy level compared to someone in their forties or fifties. I am a doctor!"

"I see, I wasn't careful enough!"

As he spoke, "Hua Jinhuan" shook his head slightly, and his face began to distort, transforming into the image of a gentle and refined middle-aged man.

"You are Suzaku," An Yi said.

"Hua Jinhuan" said in a deep voice, "That's right, I am Zhuque." He sighed and said, "I originally thought today was your dead end, but now it seems we've been outmaneuvered. You didn't expose me earlier to lure me out, didn't you?"

Gu Guanqi said in an icy tone, "Zhuque, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Zhuque said, "Back then, we thought it was your good fortune that Qingzhou couldn't find you, but now it seems it was my good fortune."

Gu Guanqi chuckled, glanced at the blood pool, and said, "The one controlling the snakes should be the Azure Dragon. One is the Vermilion Bird, and the other is the Azure Dragon." He then looked at the disheveled man on the other side who had ambushed Tang Yu with his sword and said, "The one wielding the sword, is he the White Tiger?"

"He's not a white tiger!"

Tang Yu suddenly spoke, but his voice was a little off, trembling slightly, and he was also weak and hunched over.

He lowered his head and said, "The Six-Line Formless Sword Qi he just used is a unique technique of the Death Sword Peak of the Listening Tide Sword Sect. Only one person can reach the level of concealing the sword within the body: Death Sword King Qingzhi!"

Immediately,

Standing beside Tang Yu, Pan Lin sneered, "Wang Qingzhi, your Tingchao Sword Sect has actually colluded with the Four Extremes Hall! What are you trying to do? Are you going to fall into the demonic path?"

Wang Qingzhi remained silent, his hair still disheveled.

At this moment, An Yi said in a deep voice, "It seems that Zhang Jiexi has decided that your Tingchao Sword Sect will be the leader of the martial arts alliance. Since Peak Master Wang has made a move today, he must be planning to kill all of us here to silence us."

"Feel sorry!"

Wang Qingzhi finally spoke, his voice hoarse: "Fellow practitioners, the Tingchao Sword Sect is facing a life-or-death crisis. We have no other choice. This place is considered an auspicious location, so it is not an insult to you all!"

Gu Guanqi frowned slightly and said, "Qinglong was killed, Zhuque lost an arm, and you, Wang Qingzhi, are also seriously injured. The advantage is on my side, yet you still dare to say such things?"

Wang Qingzhi remained silent.

Tang Yu said somewhat embarrassedly, "Master Gu... there's something I need to tell you. I failed to kill Qinglong, and now I'm seriously injured. The advantage is no longer on our side!"

Gu Guanqi was slightly taken aback.

At this moment, Tang Yu straightened up with force and turned her head slightly.

Gu Guanqi then noticed that Tang Yu's abdomen was covered in blood and was covered with dense scales, and his lips were slightly purple.

"Didn't you defend against it all?" Gu Guanqi asked, puzzled.

Tang Yu said in a deep voice, "We thought the real killer move was Wang Qingzhi, but in reality, it was still that woman. She... actually cultivated the Spirit Serpent Transformation, and she changed to have the same face as Wen Luo, plus the same martial arts aura. At that moment, I lost my composure."

Gu Guanqi: "..."

Tang Yu continued, "Master Gu, we are both sentimental people, you can understand me. Although I have married many wives, I have been sincere to each and every one of them, so even after twenty years, I will still be moved when I see her again."

Gu Guanqi quickly said, "You can talk about yourself, but don't talk about me. I... you're putting me in a very passive position! Forget it, just tell me about your absent-mindedness!"

Tang Yu smiled helplessly and said, "In that moment of distraction, I was caught in Qinglong's attack and seriously injured. This affected my condition when using the Thousand Chance Umbrella later, so I couldn't severely injure Wang Qingzhi. Therefore, we actually... don't have much of an advantage!"

Gu Guanqi: "..."

"However," Tang Yu added, "Master Gu, you don't need to worry. I personally crafted the Thousand-Machine Umbrella. There's a special move I haven't used yet. This move is called Thousand-Machine Great Harmony, which can at least take one person down with it."

As soon as this word comes out,

Zhuque and Wang Qingzhi's expressions both changed slightly.

Tang Yu continued, "In a moment, you'll lead your junior apprentice, An, out to fight your way out!"