Chapter 233: Response

Li Muxian glanced at the corpse of Zheng Yunfeng, fallen into the ditch below the street.

Although he had never regarded Luoshen Peak as a threat, the fact that its peak master was this weak was still surprisingly unexpected.

Li Muxian shook his head, then withdrew his gaze and continued refining the Azure Dragon Cangming Scripture.

At the current pace, by the time he resolved Luoshen Peak, the Azure Dragon Cangming Scripture would be perfectly perfected.

When he obtained the power of the Vermilion Bird’s bones, he would likely gain another slight boost.

“One must compare only with oneself—comparing with others is meaningless.”

…

The scene unfolding above Baixiang Pavilion could be clearly felt by everyone in Bailian City.

Zheng Yunfeng had terrified the entire city with his terrifying martial aura and sky-piercing killing intent, then struck with thunderous force; the horrifying essence of his fist Dao descended from the heavens, as if the whole of Bailian City were about to be reduced to ruins.

The people of the city trembled in fear.

But all of it came suddenly—and vanished even faster.

Everyone had been shivering, preparing to face the peak master of Bailian Peak, yet everything vanished in an instant, as if nothing had happened in Bailian City.

“Bad! The peak master is in trouble!”

A martial expert in the Bailian City governor’s mansion quickly realized what had occurred and immediately shouted:

“Quick, send word for reinforcements!”

…

On a small hill outside Bailian City.

The ragged-robed elder and Lin Xuner stared at the dark, silent Bailian City, clearly stunned for a long while before slowly regaining their senses.

“Grandpa, if I didn’t misread it, didn’t the peak master of Bailian Peak just die?”

Lin Xuner suddenly turned her gaze to the ragged-robed elder, her small face visibly stiff.

The ragged-robed elder fell silent for a moment, his expression shifting uncertainly, then said:

“Zheng Yunfeng’s fist essence shattered, his vital energy dissipated—he was clearly defeated, but…”

He did not continue, only gazing toward the city, his face filled with complex emotion.

At that moment, Lin Xuner reached up and rubbed her stiffened cheeks, then continued where the ragged-robed elder had left off:

“But we didn’t see that guy lift a finger. Even if he did strike, Zheng Yunfeng and the opponent only exchanged one blow—and to kill the peak master of Bailian Peak in a single strike… is that even possible?”

The air fell silent; neither of them could answer this question.

Though they had witnessed it all firsthand, and the facts confirmed it had truly happened, they still found it hard to believe.

Then the ragged-robed elder’s expression shifted; he suddenly withdrew his gaze, his aged face flushed with uncontrollable excitement, and said:

“Xuner, no matter what, Zheng Yunfeng is dead—and for us, this is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity!”

Hearing this, Lin Xuner, who had been dazed, snapped back to awareness; instantly, she whirled around to stare toward Bailian Peak.

At that moment, her pale, delicate face lit up with excitement, and a chilling killing intent slowly radiated from her body:

“With Zheng Yunfeng and the Bailian Peak’s Grand Elder dead, there’s virtually no one left on Bailian Peak who can threaten us. Now is the time to strike back and avenge our vengeance.”

With that, she and the ragged-robed elder exchanged a glance, instantly understanding each other’s decision; without hesitation, they immediately descended the hill and raced toward Bailian Peak.

On the dark mountain path, the ragged-robed elder carried Lin Xuner at high speed, while Lin Xuner looked back at Bailian City receding into the distance, her dark eyes gleaming.

Lin Xuner’s heart was far from calm; she never imagined the chance to avenge her sister would come from that detestable fellow.

…

On the mountain path connecting Luoshen Peak to Bailian Peak.

The three elders from Luoshen Peak’s main summit stared at each other, their expressions filled with shock and grave seriousness.

At that moment, a slightly corpulent elder turned back, bowed to the young man on the carriage, and spoke with a grim face:

“Young Master, Zheng Yunfeng has been defeated!”

They had all witnessed the scene above Bailian City: the golden pillar collapsing, Zheng Yunfeng’s martial qi dissolving—everything was clear.

Though they could hardly believe that Zheng Yunfeng, a peak master, had been defeated by this opponent—and so swiftly.

But the truth was undeniable; even if they could not accept it, they had to.

The young man, the master’s eldest disciple, fell silent for a moment, gazing through the night toward Bailian City; a faint ripple appeared on his youthful face:

“I’m not surprised the Great Li court sent such a powerful martial expert—but why did he strike now, instead of saving it as his final trump card? That truly puzzles me.”

Hearing this, the three elders exchanged glances, their eyes filled with unusual expressions.

Then one elder quickly bowed low to the young man and said:

“Young Master, since the Bailian City expert is so formidable—even Zheng Yunfeng couldn’t stand against him—should we still proceed?”

At that moment, another elder spoke up:

“Young Master, I suggest we immediately request reinforcements from the peak. Only the Master and a few Venerables could handle this man.”

The young man glanced at the three elders, did not reject their advice, and softly said:

“Return to the peak and consult with Master. I will go to Bailian City myself—to see the expert who defeated Zheng Yunfeng with a single strike.”

At these words, the three elders were startled and urgently protested:

“Absolutely not! Bailian City is now extremely dangerous—Young Master, you must not risk yourself!”

Yet the young man seemed unconcerned; he waved his hand and said:

“No need to worry. Rest assured—he cannot harm me. Just do as I say.”

With that, the young man said no more, lowered the carriage curtain, and the carriage continued toward Bailian City, leaving the three elders standing behind.

“Return to the peak at once and inform the Master—do not let the Young Master come to harm.”

The three elders exchanged glances, then immediately turned and raced back to the main peak.

…

“Why did the golden pillar suddenly vanish?”

Among the Tianjin Guards advancing toward Yuxing Peak, many looked toward the horizon and suddenly cried out in shock.

Meanwhile, the Guard Commander Fu Qiwén and Hu Rui’an, riding side by side behind them, both frowned, their expressions strange.

Since they were far from Bailian City, Fu Qiwén could not observe as clearly as those nearby, but he still faintly sensed Zheng Yunfeng had been defeated.

“One strike? He defeated the Bailian Peak’s peak master—the man whose fist Dao essence was refined and whose fist techniques ruled the Great Li martial world?”

Fu Qiwén murmured softly, his gaze dark and unreadable, filled with both shock and disbelief.

At that moment, Hu Rui’an beside him suddenly sighed:

“Why didn’t His Highness use any fist Dao martial art? And we didn’t even see how he struck—yet Zheng Yunfeng was already defeated.”

“Sigh, His Highness is always like this—every time he strikes, it’s as if a deer hangs its antlers on a tree, leaving no trace at all!”

Hearing this, Fu Qiwén turned to look at Hu Rui’an, his eyebrow twitching slightly; he suddenly felt his subordinate’s words were subtly slapping his face.

Thinking of this, Fu Qiwén fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked:

“Rui’an, are you certain it was Eighth Prince who struck, and not some hidden expert behind him?”

Hu Rui’an turned to Fu Qiwén and nodded solemnly:

“I know it’s hard to believe—I once thought the same. But His Highness is unlike anyone we’ve ever known. He is a unique existence, beyond all conventional understanding.”

At these words, Fu Qiwén drew a deep breath and turned his gaze toward Bailian City; suddenly, he recalled the moment Li Muxian accepted the mission to exterminate Luoshen Peak.

“Your Highness… did I truly misunderstand you? Was your confidence all along rooted solely in yourself?”

…

“The Luoshen Peak’s peak master only struck for a moment—why did he suddenly stop?”

The destitute scholar stared at the dimmed horizon, his face filled with confusion.

The other three shared the same look of suspicion; they had merely followed the big black cat and had no idea what had happened.

At that moment, the big black cat crouched ahead and meowed several times, as if answering the scholar’s question.

The elder Wu Yong and the destitute scholar immediately turned to the Lin Tang sisters, clearly seeking their insight.

Seeing this, Lin Tang frowned slightly and hesitated:

“Little sister says His Highness has already killed the Bailian Peak’s peak master.”

“But… she blames us for being too slow, ruining her view of the show—she said she shouldn’t have brought us along.”

Hearing this, Elder Wu Yong and the scholar Sui Zhen exchanged glances, clearly unable to believe the Bailian Peak’s peak master had simply died.

At that moment, the scholar Sui Zhen quietly asked Lin Yueru:

“Is Mo Mo’s claim reliable?”

Yet before Lin Yueru could answer, the big black cat turned its head and meowed twice, then continued on its own, vanishing into the dark forest.

Hearing this, Lin Yueru turned to the scholar Sui Zhen and sighed:

“Little sister says believe it or not—if you’ve got the guts, don’t follow. She doesn’t even want to take care of us.”

Saying this, Lin Yueru turned to her elder sister; Lin Tang paused for a moment, then said:

“Little sister is mischievous, but she’s never lied to us. Perhaps His Highness truly struck—and if so, Bailian Peak is now our opening.”

“With the Bailian Peak’s peak master dead, we can use Bailian Peak to infiltrate Luoshen Peak’s main summit.”

Hearing this, Elder Wu Yong frowned, pondered for a moment, then said:

“If the Bailian Peak’s peak master truly died by His Highness’s hand, he will surely become the target of Luoshen Peak—this is extremely dangerous for us. We must not act rashly.”

The other three fell silent; Lin Yueru thought for a moment and said:

“It’s dangerous, but also an opportunity. If His Highness draws Luoshen Peak’s experts out, we can act covertly and choose the perfect moment to enter Luoshen Peak.”

At these words, Lin Tang nodded; Elder Wu Yong and the scholar Sui Zhen pondered briefly, then finally nodded in agreement:

“Then we’ll follow Mo Mo and see if we can find a suitable opportunity—but we must proceed with extreme caution. We must not reveal ourselves unless absolutely necessary.”

With that, the four no longer hesitated and continued following the direction of the black cat.

……

In the night, a carriage stood atop a small hill.

Inside the carriage sat Ouyang Mingqi, the Fifth Peak’s Peak Seat; the driver’s seat held an elderly man.

“Zheng Yunfeng has fallen. Should the Peak Seat still proceed to Bailian City?”

The old man suppressed the shock on his face and turned to ask.

The man inside the carriage fell silent for a moment, then spoke coldly:

“My martial cultivation is not far behind Brother Zheng’s, yet he could not withstand that man’s single strike. My going now would be useless—let the Main Peak’s Sect Master handle it.”

Hearing this, the old man on the driver’s seat nodded lightly, turned the carriage back toward the Fifth Peak, and sighed:

“The Great Li court still holds deep reserves. Their strike against our Luoshen Peak was clearly premeditated. We’ve already lost a Peak Seat before any major clash—this is a devastating blow to our sect.”

Ouyang Mingqi inside the carriage showed no emotion, his tone indifferent:

“Don’t worry. Our sect’s reserves are not something the Great Li court can shake. Brother Zheng’s death is regrettable, but the Great Li court alone, with just this one man, cannot possibly take down Luoshen Peak.”

As he spoke, the carriage vanished into the night, moving farther and farther from Bailian City.

……

Yulan Peak.

Yu Mianjiao’s mirror-like reflection hovered above the Azure Jade Palace, gazing toward Bailian City.

Her ethereal form then shook violently, revealing her inner turmoil.

“Brother Zheng has fallen?”

Yu Mianjiao’s mirror reflection whispered to herself. After gazing at the dark horizon for a while and seeing no further movement, the last shred of hope within her was extinguished.

“The Great Li court sent such a formidable expert against Bailian Peak? Only the Main Peak can resolve this now.”

Yu Mianjiao had no intention of avenging her brother Zheng Yunfeng.

On the contrary, she knew she need not act herself—what she now needed to fear was the Tianjin Guard’s impending assault on Yulan Peak.

Earlier, she had sought Zheng Yunfeng’s aid, believing it sufficient to deal with the Great Li court’s dying former Guard Commander.

But who could have foreseen that, mere moments after their agreement, Zheng Yunfeng met his end? Now she must find another way.

After a moment of thought, Yu Mianjiao seemed to make a decision. Her mirror reflection dissolved into a clear light and flew into the night.

……

Bailian City.

After Zheng Yunfeng’s death, the City Lord’s mansion dispatched messengers in all directions seeking aid.

Li Muxian, seated atop the Baixiang Pavilion, naturally welcomed this, yet he doubted Luoshen Peak’s people were fools.

Seeing their Peak Seat gone, many would likely dare not come.

But Luoshen Peak could not ignore him entirely—those who arrived next would likely be stronger.

Soon after, a carriage appeared outside Bailian City.

(End of Chapter)