Chapter 248: Empty Words

At the same time, the various peaks of Luoshen Peak were clearly far from calm.

The abbot of Luoshen Peak and several Venerables suddenly moved—catching everyone off guard.

Even among the peak masters, though some had faintly suspected something, none wished to believe it in their hearts.

“Sister Yu, what do you make of this?”

Ouyang Mingqi, peak master of the Fifth Peak, gazed toward Bai Lian City and asked with a frown.

Yu Mianjiao’s mirror-like reflection stared at the sky churned by rolling black clouds; her expression grew grave, and after a long silence, she spoke:

“All we can say is that we vastly underestimated the martial strength of that Da Li expert in Bai Lian City.”

Hearing this, Ouyang Mingqi turned to look at her, his gaze unreadable, and said:

“Earlier, the messenger from Bai Lian City said this Da Li expert was very young. Yet now it seems his martial strength may even surpass Chi Huo Venerable. I’ve never heard of Da Li’s court producing such a terrifying expert.”

Yu Mianjiao’s mirror-like reflection slowly shook her head and said:

“Sometimes even what you see with your own eyes isn’t real. For us, whether he is old or young, he has only one identity now: our enemy.”

“The only thing we need to worry about now is whether the abbot and the Venerables can subdue him. This matter concerns the very survival of Luoshen Peak.”

At these words, Ouyang Mingqi’s expression also turned grave. After a moment’s thought, he asked:

“Are you worried that even the abbot and the others might fail to capture the expert from Bai Lian City?”

Yu Mianjiao’s mirror-like reflection trembled faintly in the air, and she sighed:

“I naturally had no doubt or concern before—but now…”

Here she did not continue.

Since the incident in Bai Lian City, from Zheng Yunfeng, peak master of Bai Lian Peak, to Chi Huo Venerable, every one who faced that expert had met an outcome beyond her expectations.

Now, Yu Mianjiao had begun to deeply doubt her own judgment—and unconsciously, a thread of distrust had formed toward Luoshen Peak’s strongest figures.

Ouyang Mingqi seemed to understand Yu Mianjiao’s mood. After a moment of silence, he suddenly gazed toward the distant horizon and asked:

“If the abbot and the others fail again this time, what will you do, Sister?”

Yu Mianjiao’s mirror-like reflection glanced at Ouyang Mingqi, her gaze flickering slightly, then turned away, her face calm:

“Naturally, I will perish with Luoshen Peak.”

Hearing this, Ouyang Mingqi withdrew his gaze, studied Yu Mianjiao for a moment, then slowly narrowed his eyes—but said nothing.

Then both turned their heads together toward Bai Lian City, clearly eager to witness what would come next.

…

At the same time, the old man Wu Yong and Lin Tang and others moved swiftly through the mountains, occasionally glancing back toward Bai Lian City.

“Wait—stop everyone!”

At that moment, the plump woman Lin Tang suddenly spoke.

Her form halted abruptly, and she turned to gaze toward the sky above Bai Lian City.

Hearing this, Wu Yong and the others frowned, but since they were now far from Bai Lian City and no danger lurked nearby, they did not press forward.

“What’s wrong?”

Wu Yong stopped and looked at Lin Tang in confusion, only to see her pointing at the rolling black clouds and thunder in the distance, speaking gravely:

“Again, such a powerful innate talent—clearly the abbot and others of Luoshen Peak have moved. Haven’t you wondered why?”

Hearing this, Wu Yong and the scholar Sui Zhen exchanged glances, then frowned in thought.

Soon, both suddenly narrowed their pupils—they had finally guessed something.

Lin Yueru beside them reacted the same way, then looked at her elder sister with disbelief:

“Could someone with such terrifying flame-based innate talent really be defeated by that Imperial Prince?”

Wu Yong and Sui Zhen also turned to Lin Tang. Though they had faintly suspected something, they clearly found it hard to believe.

At this moment, Lin Tang shook her head and said:

“Too far to be certain, but all signs suggest the weight of what Little Sister said earlier is growing.”

Hearing this, Wu Yong and Sui Zhen both showed surprise, staring at Lin Tang and asking:

“What did Mo Mo say?”

Lin Yueru glanced at the two, then took a deep breath and said:

“Mo Mo quietly told us that the Imperial Prince’s martial strength is already… the strongest in the world.”

At these words, Wu Yong and Sui Zhen froze, standing motionless for a long while without speaking.

At this moment, the plump woman Lin Tang withdrew her gaze and said:

“We thought Little Sister might have been fond of the Imperial Prince, so her words were exaggerated—and we didn’t mention them.”

“But now it seems that even if she overstated things slightly, the Imperial Prince’s strength far exceeds our imagination. At the very least, he might truly be able to destroy Luoshen Peak.”

At these words, the mountain forest fell silent. All four remained quiet. After a while, the scholar Sui Zhen hesitantly asked:

“Then what should we do now? Should we still keep leaving?”

Wu Yong remained silent, still weighing Lin Tang and her sister’s words.

But then Lin Tang gazed toward the sky and said:

“I suggest we wait here for now—don’t rush to leave. Let’s see how things unfold. We’re already far from Bai Lian City; no matter the outcome, we can advance or retreat.”

Hearing this, Wu Yong exhaled slowly, then nodded and said:

“Then let’s stay and watch—tonight, who will be the last to laugh: Luoshen Peak or the Da Li court?”

…

Bai Lian City.

The old man in hemp robes and Lin Xuner, still hidden in the tavern not far from Bai Xiang Pavilion, watched the ink-black clouds above, lightning writhing like serpents, and the deafening thunder. They exchanged glances.

“They came fast!”

Lin Xuner swallowed hard. Beneath the oppressive aura of this celestial spectacle, her small frame trembled involuntarily.

The hemp-robed old man immediately channeled martial qi to shield her from the crushing pressure descending from the heavens.

Then, quietly, he glanced toward the rooftop of Bai Xiang Pavilion and murmured, uneasy:

“Will Young Master Li be alright?”

Hearing this, Lin Xuner glanced at the old man, her slender brows knitting:

“Grandpa, how can you still not remember? Haven’t you forgotten what you yourself said before? How many times have you been proven wrong?”

The old man coughed lightly, his wrinkled face flushing:

“I’m not doubting Young Master Li’s strength—I’m just worried about him.”

Lin Xuner rolled her eyes. At that moment, a faint sound suddenly came from behind them inside the tavern.

Normally, this sound would have been drowned by the thunder above—but it did not escape the old man’s ears.

He instantly darkened his gaze and whirled around—yet the next moment, a strange expression crossed his face.

A large, glossy black cat with sleek fur had appeared in the tavern room, tail held high, walking calmly toward them in feline strides.

Lin Xuner noticed her grandfather’s reaction and turned as well. Seeing the black cat, her eyes brightened—she recognized it.

Earlier, on their way to Luoshen Peak, they had met Hu Rui’an’s group and seen this cat in their carriage.

This black cat was clearly Li Muxian’s pet.

Seeing them stare, the cat paid no mind, let out a soft meow, and walked over to stand beside the old man and Lin Xuner.

Then it sat down, paws neatly folded, lifting its head to gaze fixedly at the sky above Bai Lian City, its emerald eyes unmoving.

Seeing this, the old man and Lin Xuner exchanged glances—they now both recognized the cat as Li Muxian’s.

Though its appearance was sudden, as the saying goes: even when you hit a cat, you must consider its master. Naturally, they had no intention of harming it.

On the contrary, Lin Xuner’s dark, clear eyes gleamed. Seeing such a large black cat, she instinctively reached out a small hand to stroke its fur.

But the next moment, the black cat’s emerald eyes snapped toward her, and it raised one paw, ready to swipe at her hand.

Startled, Lin Xuner yanked her hand back, heart still pounding.

Yet she could not strike or poison the cat—so she muttered:

“This cat is so mean!”

The old man had no desire to touch the cat—he only watched it closely. He suspected that a cat favored by Li Muxian might possess some unusual qualities.

Moreover, this cat was indeed the largest he had ever seen in his life—distinctive in itself.

Yet after studying it for a long while, he could discern nothing special.

Finally, he lowered his gaze and looked toward the rooftop of Bai Xiang Pavilion, addressing the black cat:

“You’ve come to watch your master’s battle—quite loyal.”

“But don’t worry. Young Master Li’s martial arts are divine—he won’t be harmed.”

Hearing this, the black cat glanced sideways at the old man, its gaze clearly saying: “Do you really think I need you to say that?”

But soon it turned its eyes again toward Li Muxian’s figure on the rooftop, let out a soft meow, and sat quietly to watch the battle.

…

Rooftop of Bai Xiang Pavilion.

Li Muxian sat atop the eave, chin in hand, gazing at the sky above.

Vast black clouds loomed as if ready to crush down; the air above Bai Lian City thickened like molten lead. Winds howled across the city, thunder rolled across the heavens.

One must admit: the innate talents of divine beings clearly overstepped normal bounds.

To Li Muxian, this spectacle above Bai Lian City was simply someone using their innate talent to manipulate wind, gathering clouds above the city.

The thunder within the clouds? That was the abbot of Luoshen Peak using his innate talent to summon lightning for dramatic effect.

Yet from the whole scene, it appeared as if Luoshen Peak’s people wielded divine power over wind and rain—truly awe-inspiring.

Of course, the dangers contained within are equally immense; an ordinary Heaven-Tier expert would likely be reduced to charred ash by just a single bolt of thunder from the Master of Falling Spirit Peak.

At that moment, the dark clouds above churned like boiling ink; the black dome slowly parted, revealing an elderly man with purple lightning arcing behind him and simple robes.

“Young man, was it you who killed my brother Chi Huo?”

The Master of Falling Spirit Peak’s voice rolled like thunder, his eyes flickering with hidden lightning.

His gaze studied Li Muxian, who sat atop the Baixiang Pavilion, yet he paid no attention to Li Muxian’s age—instead, he continuously probed the qi and martial energy surrounding him.

Yet he soon frowned, for he could not penetrate Li Muxian’s true nature; no matter how he examined him, the man appeared nothing more than an ordinary mortal.

In response to the Master of Falling Spirit Peak’s question, Li Muxian slowly nodded, then spoke to confirm:

“Are you the Master of Falling Spirit Peak? Aside from you and these others, does Falling Spirit Peak truly have no one stronger?”

Hearing this, the Master of Falling Spirit Peak narrowed his eyes, watching Li Muxian’s casual, utterly dismissive demeanor.

A flicker of anger passed through his gaze, then he spoke coldly:

“Falling Spirit Peak and the Great Li court have always kept to our own paths, living in peace. Yet now your Tianjin Guard suddenly invade our sect, kill our disciples and elders, slaughter our peak masters—this unjust, tyrannical brutality will be reviled by all under heaven.”

Listening to the Master of Falling Spirit Peak immediately cast blame, spouting lofty rhetoric to paint the Great Li court as the aggressor and his sect as the righteous party,

Li Muxian shook his head—he could only say, no wonder he was a sect master, unlike those other experts who only knew how to shout and fight.

Even before a fight, he knew how to claim the moral high ground, condemning his opponent and protecting his sect’s reputation and image.

The goal was simple: no matter the outcome, the momentum must never be lost.

But Li Muxian was clearly not Commander Fu Qiwén of the Tianjin Guard; perhaps Fu Qiwén, concerned for the court’s dignity, might have argued a few words before striking.

He cared nothing for such things. To him, Falling Spirit Peak—one of the Four Great Sects of the martial world—though outwardly unblemished,

had maintained the dignity and image of a top-tier sect along his journey, rarely seen committing atrocities like oppressing women or bullying the weak.

Yet it was, without dispute, a malignant tumor.

Leaving aside its oppressive domination over other sects and the countless vile acts of murder and arson it committed in secret,

whether it extorted wealth from all sects to the point of devastating the common people, or ignored imperial law and shattered martial order—its harm to the people and the state was boundless.

Such a martial force had long deserved eradication; Li Muxian would show no mercy, nor waste words.

He looked up at the Master of Falling Spirit Peak amid the clouds and said calmly:

“Don’t bother with all that nonsense. I don’t care about your justifications—they mean nothing to me. Since you are Falling Spirit Peak’s final recourse, it is time to end this.”

No sooner had he spoken than Li Muxian suddenly raised his hand and reached downward toward the base of the Baixiang Pavilion.

Simultaneously, the entire street below trembled; bricks and stones surged like waves, coalescing into a stone dragon dozens of zhang long.

(End of Chapter)