Chapter 252: The Path Ahead

Previously, the various peaks of Luo Shen Peak had actually dispatched people to support Bailian City.

However, the elders and disciples sent on this mission witnessed Master Chihuo taking action halfway to Bailian City.

At that time, everyone assumed that since a Zunzhe had intervened, it would surely have nothing to do with them, and they prepared to wait until the opponent had dealt with the Great Li experts in the city before heading to Bailian City just to make a token appearance.

Yet, later, Master Chihuo seemed to be defeated, and subsequently, the Zhang Sect of Shenfengzhang Sect and various Zunzhe personally intervened.

This instantly terrified those heading to Bailian City for support; how could they possibly deal with an expert capable of defeating such a terrifying existence as Master Chihuo? Therefore, they stayed halfway and waited to see how things developed.

This also caused the crowd, who had already begun to feel alarmed, to never proceed to Bailian City, after all, no one was willing to go to Bai Bai and die pointlessly under uncertain circumstances.

Only after the Daozhang Sect and other Zunzhe took action did they see the distress signal emitted from Bailian City.

At this moment, the crowd finally made a decision and immediately turned to flee!

Disciples who still held a sliver of doubt and hope fled back to their respective Shanfeng, while others who guessed that the Daozhang Sect and Zunzhe had already perished and no longer held any hope for Luo Shen Peak directly joined the Pan Sect and attempted to escape the territory of Luo Shen Peak.

Meanwhile, the other peak seats of Luo Shen Peak, who originally were unsure of the outcome in Bailian City.

Just like people in other places, after seeing the signal from Bailian City, they also guessed that the momentum of Luo Shen Peak was already lost.

For a moment, except for the deceased peak seat of Bailian Peak, Zheng Yunfeng, and the peak seat of the eighth peak, Zhanyue Peak, who was still in secluded cultivation with his head covered and completely unaware of what was happening.

The remaining six peak seats of Luo Shen Peak, without exception, gazed toward the direction of Bailian City in the dark night; besides feeling immense shock and disbelief, they were then overwhelmed by a deep, uncontrollable fear that kept surging.

At this time, only two paths lay before the various peak seats: either fight to the death and perish together with the sect, or flee immediately; although they would be hunted down by the Great Li court, there was still a great chance of survival.

Above the green jade palace sitting on the eternal ice at the summit of Yulan Peak.

The mirror-like phantom of Yumianjiao suddenly collapsed, and immediately, the true body of Yumianjiao, who was cultivating, flew out of the palace.

She arrived beside Ouyang Beiqi Ming Qi, standing on the air, and gazed toward the direction of Bailian City with a shocked expression, murmuring to herself:

"The Zhang Sect and the Zunzhe have truly been defeated?"

Ouyang Beiqi Ming Qi, the peak seat of the fifth peak, said nothing, but the shock on his face was no less than that of Yumianjiao.

Although the two had previously discussed the outcome of the Zhang Sect and several Zunzhe taking action, and had even considered the possibility that the Zhang Sect and others might be defeated.

But that was merely a worst-case scenario they had spoken of, whereas what was happening now was a reality.

For a moment, even these two peak seats holding high positions found their hearts as turbulent as a churning sea, unable to calm down.

The two gazed at the silent Bailian City in the darkness, their bodies trembling slightly with fear.

They naturally knew better than all other disciples of Luo Shen Peak the terrifying power of the Zhang Sect and the several Zunzhe.

Yet even so, the Zhang Sect and the others were no match for that Great Li expert in Bailian City.

This made the two think the same as the Three Elders of Xuan Yin; it was truly difficult to imagine what terrifying level of power that expert of the Great Li court had reached.

In the night, the two gazed silently into the distance for quite a while.

At this time, Ouyang Beiqi Ming Qi slowly turned his head, looked at Yumianjiao beside him, and suddenly asked:

"Now, does junior sister still intend, as previously stated, to perish together with Luo Shen Peak?"

Hearing this, Yumianjiao withdrew her gaze, then glanced down at Yulan Peak below, but did not answer Ouyang Beiqi Ming Qi's question; her expression merely looked extremely grim.

Seeing this, Ouyang Beiqi Ming Qi did not continue to press, but gradually composed the expression on his face, striving to remain calm, and said:

"The Great Li court actually hides such powerful experts; even the Zhang Sect and several Zunzhe were defeated by them, which far exceeded our expectations and those of the entire Great Li Jianghu."

"Now the defeat of Luo Shen Peak is certain, and with that existence in Bailian City stationed by the Great Li Tianjin Wei, even if the seven peak seats join forces, we probably would not be a match for even one of their moves; the final outcome would surely be death."

Hearing this, Yumianjiao slowly raised her head, gazed at Ouyang Beiqi Ming Qi before her, her eyes flickering, and suddenly asked:

"I wonder what plans brother Ouyang has?"

Ouyang Beiqi Ming Qi shook his head, but instead of answering, he asked:

"Before I answer junior sister's question, I hope junior sister will truthfully inform me: do you wish to live in shame or sacrifice yourself to death?"

Yumianjiao immediately frowned; she remained silent for quite a while, finally sighed, and said:

"If one can live, who would be willing to die?"

Ouyang Beiqi Ming Qi stared at the other for a while, then narrowed his eyes and said:

"Actually, upon learning that Luo Shen Peak was suddenly attacked by the Great Li court, I had already considered defeat before victory and prepared a retreat path for myself."

Hearing this, Yumianjiao's face showed no emotion; she merely asked:

"Could it be that brother Ouyang had already planned to flee and leave Luo Shen Peak?"

However, Ouyang Beiqi Ming Qi slowly shook his head and said:

"For people like you and me, junior sister, who hold the position of a peak seat, we have long been on the Great Li court's list of those to be killed; how could it be so easy to escape?"

"Moreover, with that expert from Bailian City currently stationed by the Great Li Tianjin Wei, tell me, how could you and I possibly escape their grasp?"

Yumianjiao fell silent once more, but soon, she bowed to Ouyang Beiqi Ming Qi and said:

"Forgive junior sister's stupidity; please instruct me, brother Ouyang."

Ouyang Beiqi Ming Qi waved his hand, then turned his head to look toward the direction of Yulan City and said:

"Instruction is not needed; I intend to surrender."

Upon hearing this, Yumianjiao was clearly stunned for a moment, then frowned and said:

"Is brother Ouyang joking? Since we are both on the Great Li court's list of those to be killed, wouldn't surrendering mean dying even faster?"

Ouyang Beiqi Ming Qi looked deeply at Yumianjiao and said:

"Logically speaking, that is indeed true; surrendering is undoubtedly waiting to be beheaded, but the situation of the Great Li court is now different."

Speaking thus, he stared at Yumianjiao and slowly said:

"Junior sister must surely understand that a living person is always more valuable than a dead one."

"The Great Li court has always regarded the four great sects of the Jianghu as thorns in their flesh and eyes, wishing to eliminate them as soon as possible; now that the Great Li court has taken down Luo Shen Peak with just the Tianjin Wei alone, do you think the Great Li will have designs on the other three great sects next?"

"And to act against the other three great sects, the Great Li court is undoubtedly in urgent need of personnel; this is our sliver of hope. That Commander my lord will naturally understand that keeping us alive is far more useful than killing us."

Hearing this, Yumianjiao's expression shifted uneasily, and she said:

"Senior Brother, are you gambling with your own life?"

Ouyang Beiqi Ming Qi nodded slightly and said:

"Indeed so, Junior Sister, you may also choose to flee."

"However, this one advises Junior Sister to consider carefully: people ascend to higher places, water flows to lower ones. With such a master comparable to Wu Shen existing in the Great Li court, what scene do you think the entire Great Li will present in the future?"

Upon hearing these words, the jade-faced beauty's expression changed; she immediately furrowed her brows and fell silent, evidently pondering the words spoken by Ouyang Beiqi Ming Qi.

Seeing this, Ouyang Beiqi Ming Qi did not disturb her, merely gazing toward the direction of Yulan City and speaking softly:

"I hope Junior Sister makes a decision soon; the time left for us should not be much."

Meanwhile, Sikong Xuan, the former commander of the Great Li Tianjin Guard, had already, according to the established attack plan, without expending much effort, launched a surprise attack and seized Yulan City in advance.

Having won a victory against the Fallen God Peak, the morale of the Tianjin Guard under his command had obviously improved significantly.

However, along this journey, their emotions had been severely tormented, fluctuating like a swing.

Previously, witnessing Master Chihuo's intervention, that terrifying scene had made everyone in the Tianjin Guard, including Sikong Xuan, vaguely feel a sense of despair.

But later, the situation reversed; the Zhang Sect of Fallen God Peak and others intervened, and Commander Fu Qiwen even sent a verbal message stating that the Eighth Imperial Prince had single-handedly suppressed and killed Master Chihuo of Fallen God Peak.

Although Sikong Xuan still expressed doubt regarding this, believing Fu Qiwen's action was probably to boost the morale of the Tianjin Guard.

Yet, while surprised and suspicious about whether the Eighth Imperial Prince had indeed eliminated Master Chihuo, a faint glimmer of hope still arose in his heart.

Although this hope seemed very slim to him, Sikong Xuan still conveyed Fu Qiwen's words word-for-word to the entire Tianjin Guard.

As for afterwards, the intervention of the Zhang Sect and the Chi Huo Zunzhe of Fallen God Peak, revealing that terrifying scene, undoubtedly caused the morale of the Tianjin Guard to plummet greatly again.

However, this low morale did not last long; the distress signal sent from Bailian City undoubtedly gave everyone hope again.

Until the capture of Yulan City, the people of the Tianjin Guard were now somewhat dazed, not knowing whether they should be full of hope or disappointment regarding the annihilation of Fallen God Peak?

Their emotions were almost entirely dragged along by the situation in the direction of Bailian City, but the situation within Bailian City was itself full of ups and downs and unpredictable, truly making everyone endure great torment.

And just shortly after capturing Yulan City, Sikong Xuan, who had planned to rest for a moment before continuing the attack on Yulan Peak, was now frequently glancing toward the direction of Bailian City.

For him, no movement was the best movement.

Because that would indicate that the Zhang Sect and others of Fallen God Peak within Bailian City had likely truly met with disaster; even if they had not met with disaster, at least the enemy showed no signs of attacking the Tianjin Guard.

At this moment, a messenger officer suddenly rushed frantically into the City Lord's Mansion of Yulan City, shouting loudly:

"My lord, a falcon has delivered a message."

Sikong Xuan, with a head full of white hair and a withered face, immediately furrowed his brows, glanced at the messenger officer before him, and felt his heart sink.

He thought inwardly that it must not be bad news; at the very least, he must wait until he ascends Yulan Peak and destroys one of the peak seats of Fallen God Peak.

Hearing bad news now, aside from affecting his mood, basically had no other effect whatsoever.

Thinking thus, Sikong Xuan spoke with a expressionless face:

"Read it!"

Although for him now, no news was the best news.

But regardless, he could not ignore Fu Qiwen's transmitted message, especially in the current situation.

The messenger officer immediately opened the bamboo tube containing the short note, glanced at it quickly, and the next moment, his eyes suddenly widened, and for a moment he forgot to speak.

Sikong Xuan furrowed his brows, let out a heavy snort, and said:

"I told you to read it!"

The messenger officer immediately came to his senses, immediately took a deep breath, held his breath and focused his spirit, stared at the content on the short note, and spoke word by word, pause by pause:

"Transmit the command of the Tianjin Guard Commander: The Eighth Imperial Prince has completely annihilated the Zhang Sect and the four Chi Huo Zunzhe of Fallen God Peak; now order the four routes of the Tianjin Guard to launch a full-scale attack on the four peaks and seize Fallen God Peak before dawn!"

Although the characters on the short note were few, the matter was undoubtedly extremely great.

It left Sikong Xuan taking a long while to come to his senses, and then he made the messenger officer read it aloud two more times.

The next moment, he suddenly stood up, even unable to restrain himself from cursing.

Inside the City Lord's Mansion, Sikong Xuan stood in place and murmured to himself:

"The Eighth Imperial Prince, the Eighth Imperial Prince, what virtue does the Great Li possess to produce such a heavenly prodigy!"

Previously, when he saw the signal sent from Bailian City, he actually had some guesses in his heart.

But that guess was truly too incredible, to the extent that he felt he was merely imagining things.

However, now having received Fu Qiwen's verbal message confirming it, he was finally certain that the Zhang Sect and the Chi Huo Zunzhe of Fallen God Peak had all been defeated.

Moreover, they were all killed by the Eighth Imperial Prince of the Great Li, who was said to have once wandered among the common people.

In Sikong Xuan's view, for such a genius figure, the Great Li imperial family had actually let him wander among the common people, and yet he could still be found; one could only say the Great Li had truly experienced an overwhelming stroke of luck.

At this moment, Sikong Xuan's aged body trembled uncontrollably with excitement.

Agreeing to Fu Qiwen's request to intervene this time, aside from his own lifespan being nearly exhausted, was actually to fulfill a long-held desire of his before his death.

When he held command of the Tianjin Guard, Emperor Yuanwu had already intended to plot against the four great sects of the martial world, and the Tianjin Guard was a chess piece aimed at Fallen God Peak.

However, so many years had passed; he had expended great effort and energy on Fallen God Peak, but until he stepped down from the position of Commander and retired to his hometown, he had never once even touched the edge of Fallen God Peak from beginning to end.

This undoubtedly became an obsession in his heart.

Originally, he thought he would die without ever seeing the Great Li take action against Fallen God Peak, but Fu Qiwen suddenly came to his door bringing good news.

Of course, he also understood that relying solely on the Great Li Tianjin Guard to annihilate Fallen God Peak was basically impossible.

His greatest purpose in this journey was merely to gamble with his own martial arts aura and decaying body to exchange for one peak seat of Fallen God Peak, which would count as achieving success and dying.

However, all of this was rewritten by Li Musheng.

Now, the original purpose is no longer sufficient to satisfy Sikong Xuan's ambition; since the Zhang Sect and the Chi Huo Zunzhe of Fallen God Peak are all dead, seizing Fallen God Peak has become a foregone conclusion.

Therefore, he now not only plans to destroy one peak seat of Fallen God Peak, but also to witness the destruction of Fallen God Peak with his own eyes.

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Sikong Xuan immediately spoke in a deep voice and gave orders:

"Issue the order: everyone, prepare for departure immediately and proceed at once to Yulan Peak!"

In an instant, his entire body trembled with qi, and he seemed to grow younger by several years, brimming with vigor.

Hearing this, the messenger officer was equally stirred with emotion; he quickly replied and turned to deliver orders to all quarters.

But at that moment, a Tianjin Guard suddenly rushed in, his face filled with shock and uncertainty, and reported:

"My lord, emissaries from Yulan Peak have come to surrender!"

At these words, Master Sikong froze in stunned silence:

"What?"

(End of Chapter)