Chapter 479: The Curtain Rises

That thieving old man!?

Duan Rong could not help but curse inwardly. No wonder when he was in the dense forest, the old man had urged him to rescue Ruyi's brother? At that time, Duan Rong had already felt it was a bit strange—how did this old man suddenly act like a human being again?!

At that time, the old man had just told him that he had already sent Wu Shidao to save Zhu Xiaoqi and Yang Zhen. Duan Rong had believed his nonsense for a moment, thinking he was truly a human being?!

Now, it seemed that the old man's urging him to rescue Ruyi's brother was simply a pretext; he was afraid that Duan Rong would harbor resentment and refuse to investigate further upon returning. Only then did he use such a reason to persuade him.

"That goddamn thieving old man!?" The more Duan Rong thought about it, the angrier he became, and he could not help but curse out loud.

Liang Xuesong stood behind Ge Rusong. Hearing Duan Rong cursing, he assumed Duan Rong was cursing Ge Rusong, so he said angrily, "Kid, you're at death's door, yet you're still there cursing and swearing? Do you believe that I'll truly slice you into a thousand pieces in a moment, letting you properly taste the flavor of being sliced into a thousand pieces?"

Ge Rusong, however, looked at Duan Rong with a smile and said, "Hey~ Xuesong, why bother with this kid? He's a man about to die; why not let him curse a bit?"

Although Ge Rusong wore a faint smile on his face, in his heart, he wished he could grind Duan Rong to dust.

Not long after Yang Sixuan captured Pei Du and Jiang Zhe and brought them back to the Ruling Sect Justice Division, he received news from the spies he had planted within the Ruling Sect Justice Division.

And several hours ago, the document regarding the Taihe Tower incident had also been sent to the Sect.

With two major crimes bearing down on him, Ge Rusong knew that he would inevitably be implanted with a Seed Character and imprisoned within Changliu Mountain, living the life of a living corpse.

He had always been arrogant; how could he accept being controlled? Fortunately, the matter of Pei Du and Jiang Zhe had not yet been fully exposed, so he immediately decided to flee Changliu Mountain and subsequently escape the borders of Qingzhou.

As a powerhouse of the Dongming Realm, with the vastness of Jiuzhou, was he afraid there would be no place for him to stay?

However, before leaving, he had to kill Duan Rong first!

Arriving along with the document about the Taihe Tower incident was the document regarding Duan Rong killing Ge Hengtai in public.

At that time, Ge Hengtai was still an Advisory Grand Master, and he was his blood relative in the secular world. Duan Rong actually dared to kill him in public—even when beating a dog, one must look at its master, right?

Furthermore, Duan Rong had plotted to kill Li Shensi, destroyed his Taihe Tower, and used himself as bait to lure him into that trap to kill the Sect's direct disciples. With these various matters and layers of hatred, if he did not kill this kid, his resentment would truly be hard to appease!

Ge Rusong looked at Duan Rong. With hatred in his heart but a calm expression, he said quietly, "Kid, if you are willing to kneel and beg for mercy, this seat can just cripple your dantian and spare your dog's life."

It was impossible for Ge Rusong to spare Duan Rong, but he just wanted to see Duan Rong crawling at his feet begging him; only then could he slightly soothe the hatred in his heart.

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong gave Ge Rusong a faint glance, his expression like one looking at a fool.

That look from Duan Rong actually stung Ge Rusong.

Duan Rong said, "Ge Rusong, you had better look after yourself!"

Naturally, Ge Rusong and Liang Xuesong could not understand these words of Duan Rong.

Liang Xuesong said, "Kid, Lord Ge is giving you a way to live; don't be ungrateful."

Duan Rong glared at Liang Xuesong with a look of disgust and said, "You, a weakling in the True Qi Realm, what are you barking about here? You truly don't know what you're talking about!?"

"You..." Liang Xuesong was so choked with anger by Duan Rong's look and tone.

Duan Rong, however, looked at the two of them with composure and continued, "How about this. You two kowtow to me three times, and I will spare you today. How about it? Actually, this is a fair deal."

Liang Xuesong's expression was stunned, and he muttered, "Is this kid crazy?" He truly could not understand how, with death at his doorstep, Duan Rong could still have such a fearless, death-seeking attitude. Could it be that this kid was truly not afraid of death?

Ge Rusong sneered and said, "Kid, I didn't expect you to be a tough nut to crack. He is a weakling in the True Qi Realm, but in front of this seat, aren't you, a person in the Qi Refining Realm, also a weakling?"

Duan Rong, however, glanced at Ge Rusong with a teasing look in his eyes and said, "Whether I am a weakling or not, you can go ahead and try to strike?! Why just talk and not act?"

Looking at the palpable mockery in Duan Rong's eyes and the rather biting sarcasm in his tone, the rage in Ge Rusong's heart could no longer be suppressed.

For some reason, from the moment he walked out, Duan Rong had been looking at him with the eyes of someone looking at a fool. He had always been respected by others; how could he not be filled with rage?

Ge Rusong's expression began to turn ferocious, and he could no longer maintain the fake smile he had originally worn.

"Since you want to die, this seat will grant your wish!"

Ge Rusong raised his right hand and swept it toward Duan Rong. It looked slow but was actually fast, and faint ripples in space spread out from his palm...

In that instant, Duan Rong felt that his body could not move. Not only could his body not move, but even the body of Liang Xuesong, who was standing behind Ge Rusong, could not move either.

But there was a smile on Liang Xuesong's face; he felt that in the next moment, Duan Rong would be turned to dust and obliterated. However, he was also filled with a kind of respect for this guy Duan Rong; after all, even until this moment, his face still wore a faint, teasing expression, and there was not the slightest bit of fear in his eyes... let alone hearing him say a single soft word...

"Young as he is, his character is as firm as iron, it's just a pity..." Liang Xuesong could not help but sigh in his heart.

Just at this moment, a low, lingering sound of a cicada suddenly rang out within the great hall.

Liang Xuesong was slightly startled. "It is already late autumn, why would there be the sound of a cicada?"

Liang Xuesong had heard it, and Ge Rusong, who was closer to Duan Rong, naturally heard it too.

After all, Liang Xuesong was only a Martial Artist in the True Qi Realm in the secular world; he naturally had no way of knowing about a great treasure like the Yinlu Cicada. But Ge Rusong knew it the moment he heard it—that low, clear, and melodious cicada sound was precisely the sound of the Yinlu Cicada.

Unlike the first time Duan Rong tried the Yinlu Cicada in the wild—where because there was no danger around, the power of the Yinlu Cicada became an indiscriminate attack in the surrounding area—this time was different. Ge Rusong was using Law Power and had already enveloped Duan Rong.

As soon as the Yinlu Cicada was activated, all its power surged toward Ge Rusong.

In the blink of an eye, two incomparably powerful forces of Law collided and intertwined, grinding against each other like two millstones...

In that instant, Liang Xuesong watched as the narrow space between Duan Rong and Ge Rusong seemed to burst with the brilliance of a scorching sun, blinding one's eyes...

And in the very moment his eyes were filled with white light, without feeling any pain, his entire person had already evaporated and vanished...

In that instant, he was still wondering: Ge Rusong was a Sect Elder and a powerhouse of the Dongming Realm; how could there be such a huge commotion when obliterating a junior?

But this thought had only just arisen when his consciousness and his person, like snow under the scorching sun, instantly dissolved and turned into nothingness.

Not only did Liang Xuesong turn into nothingness, but the entire Lingzhen Taoist Temple also turned into nothingness in that instant...

The vast expanse of trees around the Taoist temple all dissolved like melting snow...

And where Duan Rong and Ge Rusong stood, the dazzling white light was still splashing, and the void around them even faintly revealed thin, silk-like cracks in space...

Atop the mountain peak, Chu Qiushan and Zhu He took everything into their view.

They did not see it by probing with Divine Sense, but with their naked eyes. The dazzling white light was too striking; in the mountain hollow on the hillside, it was as if a sun were hidden, illuminating the entire mountain wilderness as bright as day, with the white light shooting straight up to the stars.

That dazzling white light came quickly and went quickly; it weakened in one breath and vanished in a few breaths.

In a small, empty patch of gravel, Duan Rong and Ge Rusong were still standing there.

Unlike the last time, when there was no target and the power of the Yinlu Cicada spread across the wilderness, this time it was concentrated on Ge Rusong.

Ge Rusong looked at Duan Rong with a shocked expression. He coughed, and a faint line of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. He said with resentment, "That old thief actually gave a great treasure like the Yinlu Cicada to you. It seems that you kid are truly the apple of his eye!"

The killing intent in Ge Rusong's eyes became even more intense.

He had not used his full strength just now, and the Yinlu Cicada had risen suddenly, which was why it had nearly injured him. However, the moment he heard the cicada sound, he had already protected his internal organs; although he suffered some shock, he was not truly injured.

Furthermore, the Yinlu Cicada can be used at most three times; even if he pushes himself for two more, he must kill this brat by the fourth time!

The more Zhu He values him, the more he can vent his hatred by killing this brat!

"Rusong!"

Ge Rusong was just about to move again when he suddenly heard a voice calling him.

The moment he heard that voice, Ge Rusong's body trembled noticeably.

He was very familiar with that voice. It was the voice of Chu Qiushan!

In the darkness not far behind Duan Rong, two figures appeared almost simultaneously.

One was Chu Qiushan, and the other was Zhu He!

Upon seeing the two, after his initial shock, a complex expression appeared in Ge Rusong's eyes.

Hearing the voice ring out behind him, Duan Rong also turned his head to look back, seeing two people emerge from the darkness; one he did not recognize, while the other was the very Zhu He he had been cursing in his heart.

Duan Rong ignored Chu Qiushan entirely, for he had never met this Sect Master Chu at all. His gaze passed over Chu Qiushan and went straight to glare at Zhu He.

Zhu He, however, acted as if he hadn't seen it, looking at Ge Rusong with a light and breezy air as he said, "Elder Ge, while my little disciple may have some talent, you needn't be so narrow-minded as to feel the need to eliminate him at all costs!"

"You..."

Ge Rusong knew that arguing further at this point was completely meaningless.

Suddenly, his eyes shifted as if he had realized something; in that instant, his whole body turned cold, and for the first time, he looked at Zhu He with fear in his eyes.

He wondered, at which step had he begun to be schemed against by Zhu He?

Before coming to Lingzhen Taoist Temple to execute Duan Rong, he had thought Zhu He had only schemed against him during the incident where Jiang Zhe and the others surrounded and killed Duan Rong.

The moment Chu Qiushan and Zhu He appeared, he understood that his coming to this Lingzhen Taoist Temple to execute Duan Rong was also a step taken within Zhu He's scheme; Zhu He seemed to have calculated that he would not be willing to leave just like that and would inevitably seize the opportunity to kill Duan Rong before departing.

But just now, he suddenly thought that what Zhu He had calculated about him was by no means limited to these two steps. So, when exactly had he begun to step into this trap set by Zhu He?

Was it when Taihe Tower was taken down? Was it during the mysterious death of Li Shensi?

Or even earlier? Was it during the Zhu Shizhong case? Or when his request to take on a disciple at Longyu Hall was rejected? He realized with a start that the deep hatred for Duan Rong had already been planted in his heart long ago!

It was just that this hatred had grown layer upon layer, one event after another, and without him realizing it, he had already come to view Duan Rong as a thorn in his side that had to be removed at all costs.

Perhaps, as that hatred grew layer by layer, he had already been unconsciously walking into Zhu He's trap.

Otherwise, why was it Duan Rong who handled the mysterious death of Li Shensi, rather than Wu Shidao, who seemed more suitable?

Zhu He had led him into the trap step by step without him noticing, until he was beyond redemption, only then did he wake up from the dream!

Thinking of this, Ge Rusong suddenly turned his head to look at Duan Rong. He had to admit that this chess piece used by Zhu He could truly be called a "divine move"; such a little-known brat had been able to sting him repeatedly.

He had thought the Zhu Shizhong case was done flawlessly, yet in the end, it was completely uncovered by Duan Rong.

The Li Shensi case was strange and bizarre; he had guessed wrong and lost face within the Elder Council.

And then there was the Taihe Tower incident—fast, accurate, and ruthless, uprooted entirely, and with a complete chain of evidence that confirmed the crimes of the Office of Transmission.

By now, Ge Rusong already hated him to the bone, and forced by the situation, he could no longer afford not to kill him.

This led to the incident where Pei Du and Jiang Zhe surrounded and killed Duan Rong in the dense forest. But in this matter, he was played by Zhu He again, forcing him to defect from the Taiyi Sect and flee Qingzhou.

Yet here in the wilderness at Lingzhen Taoist Temple, he had been schemed against by Zhu He once more and blocked here.

At this moment, the curtain was lifted, the defeat was sealed, and he finally understood this chess game.

It was exquisite at every step, with murderous intent hidden throughout!

The moment Ge Rusong looked toward Duan Rong, Duan Rong also understood the look in his eyes; the once imperious Ge Rusong now had eyes filled with desolation and defeat.

The most lamentable things in this world are the fading of a beauty and the end of a hero's road!

Whether Ge Rusong could be considered a hero, Duan Rong did not know, but he had indeed reached the end of his road.

Although Duan Rong was very annoyed that Zhu He had played with him time and again, using him like a fool on a string, as he watched the desolation in the eyes of the once imperious Ge Rusong, his view of Zhu He changed slightly in that instant.

The old man was annoying, but he was truly formidable!

The layout was interlinked, with murderous intent hidden at every step!

It was only the moment he saw Ge Rusong at Lingzhen Taoist Temple just now that he realized the final person to be executed in this chess game was actually Ge Rusong!

At the very least, before coming to this temple, he did not know Ge Rusong would be waiting for him here. If he had known, would he really have come?

Perhaps if he had known in advance, as long as there was the slightest hesitation in his actions, Ge Rusong might have seen through the clues. Then this play would have been exposed.

At this moment, as the chess game drew to a close, besides the winner and loser of the match, the only other person who could understand this game was likely the core chess piece who had experienced it all: Duan Rong.

Every link in this chess game was one he had walked through himself.

At this moment, recalling the various past events, Zhu He's strategy reminded him of a quote from the e-sports king SKY on Blue Star in his previous life: "You must use your offense to make your opponent commit errors."

Usually, when encountering a formidable opponent, simply sitting and waiting for them to make a mistake is not enough; you must guide the opponent to make mistakes. And in this process, you must never expose your intentions in the early stages; once seen through by the opponent, all your efforts will be wasted.

This was clearly a great test of the layout-maker's ability.

This is what is meant by: those skilled in attack move from above the nine heavens; those skilled in defense hide beneath the nine earths.

(End of chapter)