Chapter 495

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Protagonist:

Yu Zhangsheng

"Not knowing what business Senior has blocking the way ahead, this Poor Daoist is Jiang Shiqiu of the Lian Shui Sect of Lanzhou, and pays respects to Senior."

The white-haired old man Wei Lao was disguised as froze for a moment, turned his head toward the front, cupped his fists in a bow, his complexion respectful, his tone gentle.

In the vast desert, the scorching sun hung high, heat waves rolling; yet at some unknown time, a human figure had quietly stood erect ahead of the old and young pair, right in their path, silently watching them.

This person's appearance was extremely sudden, soundless and traceless, even their aura ethereal and elusive, difficult to detect.

This person's face was calm, eyes slightly narrowed, of middle-aged appearance, tall and straight in stature, clad in a moon-white long robe fluttering in the wind, as if fused with the surrounding heaven and earth; wind and sand danced all around, yet not a speck of dust fell upon him, instead automatically parting away.

Square face, distinct contours, sword eyebrows slanting into the temples, eyes shining like cold stars, gaze deep and sharp; a single glance seemed able to pierce the falsity of all things in the world.

High nose bridge, lips evenly red, a head of long hair casually tied up, a few strands lifting lightly in the wind, adding a touch of carefree grace.

Most eye-catching was a faintly visible crescent-shaped mark on his forehead, seemingly containing mysterious unfathomable power, with a vague Dao rhyme emerging, his skin emitting a faint glow.

Standing with hands behind his back, the occasional wisp of aura leaking out, though somewhat vacuous, still startled Wei Lao; though not yet Spirit Transformation, he already possessed the Sub-Talisman Late Stage, even Peak realm.

It was precisely one of the two Spirit Transformation cultivators of Qingzhou who fought the Blood Xuan True Venerable in the past, hailing from a Holy Land, Meng Xiangrui!

But obviously, the one descending here at this moment was not his true body.

"Lian Shui Sect's Jiang Shiqiu?"

Time seemed to freeze, pausing for a short while, then Meng Xiangrui was seen taking a light step forward, his voice carrying a sense of ethereal nothingness, gently falling into the two's ears.

Wei Lao's heart jumped, vigilance heightened, yet the respect on his face grew even deeper; hearing this, he bowed his head again, speaking gently:

"Precisely so."

"Oh." Meng Xiangrui spoke calmly and lightly, glancing at the two, eyes slightly narrowed, gaze flickering as if uncertain, continuing to ask lightly: "Since you are people of Lanzhou, why go to such great lengths to come to Wuzhou, not taking the official roads but traversing this desolate distant desert, enduring such hardship, truly not easy."

Wei Lao gave a wry smile, lowered his brows and cupped his fists: "This junior usually loves touring mountains and waters, cannot stay idle; just recently accepted a Personal Transmitted Disciple, so on a whim brought him out to travel and gain experience, which is better than just burying one's head in bitter closed-door cultivation."

"As for why we took the Yunbo Desert..."

Wei Lao pondered, paused slightly, a bitter smile revealing a trace of helplessness, said:

"This was also unexpected; who knew Wuzhou would suddenly erupt in war, everywhere unrest, turmoil and unease; with this junior's cultivation, naturally fearing being caught up in it, thus forced by necessity, we entered this desert for safety's sake, only wishing to return to the sect sooner."

Wei Lao sighed with emotion, gently shook his head and sighed.

Yu Zhangsheng at the side likewise nodded in approval, following behind Wei Lao, not speaking, but inwardly extremely vigilant.

"Logically... with the Black Tortoise's breath-concealing method, even Spirit Transformation would find it hard to detect our disguise and transformation; though I don't know how Meng Xiangrui caught up, he should not have recognized me."

"Plus the deliberate dialogues we enacted after Master and I discovered his traces earlier..."

"And if he really intends mutual destruction... then..."

Yu Zhangsheng muttered inwardly, somewhat helpless; all this way, the two had been extremely vigilant, leaving no traces everywhere, stealthily lurking, yet never expected that by the time they reached the Yunbo Desert, they would still run into Meng Xiangrui.

Wei Lao finished speaking, the air abruptly stilled, the atmosphere somewhat oppressive, only the howling wind and sand slowly dancing; Meng Xiangrui still blocked the two's front, silently watching them, not uttering a word.

Seeing this, Wei Lao gently exhaled a breath, stepped forward cupping fists, tone still gentle:

"If Senior has no further business, we master and disciple will take our leave; meeting is fate, if there is a chance in the future, should Senior come to the Lian Shui Sect, this Poor Daoist will certainly host you well; my Master is True Lord Jiang Ping, who all his life most enjoys making friends, Senior may also have some acquaintance."

Finished speaking, Wei Lao, with lowered brows, took Yu Zhangsheng's hand and walked past Meng Xiangrui, the three brushing shoulders.

Meng Xiangrui, however, kept his brows furrowed, watching the backs of Wei Lao and Yu Zhangsheng, his gaze flickering, somewhat unpredictable, hesitating and wary in his heart, yet at the instant Wei Lao led Yu Zhangsheng past him, he suddenly turned back and said: "Yu Zhangsheng!"

The air seemed to still; Wei Lao and Yu Zhangsheng's bodies steadied, only Wei Lao turned his head, looking at Meng Xiangrui with slight puzzlement, asking puzzledly: "What else does Senior say? Is it that Yu Zhangsheng who was issued a Bounty Order by the Qingzhou Emperor?"

Tone natural, expression normal, speech watertight, not revealing any abnormality.

Seeing this, Meng Xiangrui fell silent for a while, slowly shook his head, waved his hand at the two, said lightly:

"Nothing, this old man overthought. You two go."

"Now Wuzhou is in turmoil, returning early is also good; after you return, if there is a chance, please convey my regards to your Grandmaster Lian Shui Zhenjun Liao Qing, just say if he wants the Lian Shui Sect to be completely secure, he should take the initiative to come to Wuzhou, this old man Meng Xiangrui will be waiting for him."

These words spoken, Wei Lao's steps halted, first a bow then his expression even more shocked and doubtful, still maintaining gentleness:

"Senior actually still knows Grandmaster? However, who is this Liao Qing Senior speaks of? This junior's Grandmaster Lian Shui Zhenjun should be Chen Qing."

Words neither servile nor overbearing; these words spoken, Meng Xiangrui instantly frowned, looked deeply at the two once more, then waved his sleeve again, said lightly: "Oh, right, it's Chen Qing, this old man remembered wrong, you two go."

The Lian Shui Sect's status in Lanzhou is equivalent to the Three Gates in Wuzhou generally; it is a top-tier sect of Lanzhou, within the sect there are no less than several Spirit Transformation True Venerables sitting in command.

And Lian Shui Zhenjun is the sect's openly known Spirit Transformation; Lian Shui is merely an inherited title, once cultivation reaches Spirit Transformation one can naturally inherit it; naturally each generation's Lian Shui Zhenjun's true name is not easily known to outsiders, belonging to a kind of secret. And even though Meng Xiangrui is also Spirit Transformation, regarding the Lanzhou side he is likewise eyeing it covetously, determined to obtain it, yet in the short term he does not want mutual destruction with the other party, still wanting to maintain a period of calm.

Therefore, this hesitation and indecision, and the repeated probing.

After all, Lian Shui Zhenjun is famous for protecting his own; and Wei Lao said his Master Jiang Ping is Lian Shui Zhenjun's youngest and most favored disciple; with this layer of relationship, even Meng Xiangrui does not want to lightly offend.

And in fact, all these matters were long premeditated by Wei Lao, including the choice of identity after disguise, all with deep consideration.

The Jiang Shiqiu he disguised as does indeed exist, and is indeed Jiang Ping's disciple.

It can be said, Wei Lao's conduct is also watertight.

After two probes were both resolved, Wei Lao and Yu Zhangsheng both secretly quietly exhaled in relief, each lowering their heads in a bow, then without a word hurriedly flew toward the distance.

Meng Xiangrui watched the two's backs, gaze flickering, unpredictable, until the two's figures were about to disappear from vision, suddenly pursed his lips, bit his fingertip, a smear of fresh blood overflowing, then with the fresh blood, lightly wiped across the crescent mark on his forehead.

Instantly, the crescent mark faintly flickered, rippling a trace of blood light; Meng Xiangrui's body swayed, complexion instantly pale, somewhat weak, yet abruptly exhaled a mouthful of white qi, hand seals changing rapidly, pressing once more on the crescent mark on his forehead.

"Blood Soul Guidance, Heart Spirit as Trace, Trace Source Pursue Root, Karma Follows!"

Meng Xiangrui finished speaking, complexion even paler, breathing becoming rapid, opened his mouth and sprayed another mouthful of fresh blood; the crescent mark on his forehead, however, suddenly flickered, using the blood on Meng Xiangrui's finger as a thread, twisting several times, a red line spanning the void, extending toward the direction where Yu Zhangsheng was.

In an instant, Meng Xiangrui's gaze abruptly sank, casually wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, took a step forward, in a split second space distorted, once again arriving in front of the fleeing Yu Zhangsheng and Wei Lao, face gloomy as if water would drip, in a split second a palm struck out! "Yu Zhangsheng! You almost got away with deceiving us!"

Meng Xiangrui coldly laughed, his anger-laden voice like muffled thunder rolling and exploding in the void, reverberating across the desert, stirring up countless flying sands; terrifying aura abruptly erupted, the momentum belonging to Sub-Talisman Peak soaring skyward, descending upon this desert like a heavenly pillar; one hand pushed out, in a split second the void roared, from nothingness a pair of golden gigantic hands emerged, fiercely pinching toward Wei Lao and Yu Zhangsheng! Boom!

Scorching sun high, yet with Meng Xiangrui's move, suddenly the sky darkened, thick dark clouds gathering, blocking the sunlight; moreover layer upon layer of storms swept in, rolling wind and sand, covering heaven and earth, howling as they lifted the heat waves; under the oppressive atmosphere, Meng Xiangrui's figure towered to the heavens, the pressure belonging to Sub-Talisman Peak exploding wave after wave! "Damn it!"

Wei Lao's complexion instantly sank, cursed a word; though puzzled, looking at the golden giant palm falling from the sky, the next instant, a grand sword light instantly rose from the sky beside him, stirring wind and clouds, slashing fiercely toward this sky-reaching giant hand! Crack!! Sword light grand, giant palm trembled, after resisting a moment it collapsed apart. Wei Lao turned his head; the one who struck was precisely Yu Zhangsheng, who at this moment no longer concealed anything, the Purple Spirit Imperial Sword in his hand lightly humming, sword body trembling slightly, astonishing Sword Intent erupting amidst the brewing.

"Master, you go first. I'll deal with him and be right back."

Yu Zhangsheng's expression turned slightly grave. His body swayed, and after handing the Xuan Gui to Wei Lao, he narrowed his eyes at Meng Xiangrui opposite. Amidst his shifting features, he no longer concealed his true nature, revealing his true face.

"But... right now the Xuan Gui cannot act, you..."

Wei Lao hesitated. Hearing this, he froze for a moment, looking at Yu Zhangsheng with worry, then at the tigerishly watching Meng Xiangrui. He pursed his lips, his complexion ugly.

"It's fine. It's merely just a clone. It still can't pose a threat to me. Master, you hurry and go first. We'll rendezvous at the previously agreed place. Once I've killed him, I'll head over immediately.

Time is pressing. If nothing unexpected happens, this old thing's true body should be on its way here."

Yu Zhangsheng said in a low roar. He turned his head and gave Wei Lao a reassuring look. The Purple Spirit Imperial Sword in his hand trembled slightly. Boundless purple light instantly enveloped the entire desert. The aura belonging to Yu Zhangsheng's Purple Mansion Mid Stage similarly rose up, transforming into a second sky-pillar in the desert, standing in confrontation with Meng Xiangrui, facing off against each other.

"Rest assured. A mere Purple Mansion cultivator. Killing him is not difficult."

Finished speaking, Yu Zhangsheng even grinned, his tone relaxed.

Hearing this, Wei Lao let out a long breath. His heart settled slightly. He was not a hesitant person either. After looking deeply at Yu Zhangsheng once, he nodded and admonished: "Then be careful. No need to force a head-on clash."

Finished speaking, he glanced at Meng Xiangrui, picked a direction, and in an instant burst forth with speed not inferior to a Purple Mansion cultivator, racing toward the horizon.

Regarding this, Meng Xiangrui merely watched coldly, expressionless, and did not move to stop him. His target was Yu Zhangsheng.

In his eyes, Yu Zhangsheng was more important.

Thus, Meng Xiangrui let out a cold laugh and said: "You actually have quite the nerve. Not bad. In just this short time since we last met, you've actually already reached Purple Mansion Mid Stage."

"Truly terrifying. In that case, I cannot let you leave even more. Today, you must die!"

"Hmph, so much nonsense."

Yu Zhangsheng let out a cold hum. Amidst an icy expression, his body swayed, exploding with extreme speed. The Purple Spirit Imperial Sword in his hand swung accordingly. Sword Qi surged forth. Carrying the sword, he slashed fiercely at Meng Xiangrui! "Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!"

The ultimate sharpness tore through the Void. The two figures collided hundreds of times in a single instant. Every collision triggered a Void boom. Astonishing momentum rose up. Thus, heaven and earth changed color. Storms howled.

Boundless yellow sand churned toward the high heavens. Amidst flying sand and walking stones, dense layers covered a radius of ten thousand li, obscuring the sky's light. Within, Sword Qi arced like a rainbow. Wave after wave of startling flashes erupted. The might of spells and divine abilities exploded, shaking heaven and moving earth. Countless grains of yellow sand were swept to the sky's edge. Two blurry figures continuously collided within. In the turn of an instant, they had exchanged over a thousand moves.

From the sky, they fought to the ground. From the ground, they reached the sky. Thus, countless quicksand pits were shaken out in the desert. Innumerable sand and gravel flew about, like blade edges. Each grain tore through the Void, revealing astonishing sharpness.

"Sha Fire Purgatory!"

Yu Zhangsheng raised his eyebrows. The Chi Lian Purgatory Dragon coiled around his side. Amidst the boundless yellow sand storm, his figure rose and fell, faintly visible. Boundless golden flames rose sky-high, dancing on every grain of sand, spreading out. Thus, the hundred-li desert was swept by a boundless sea of fire. Astonishing high temperatures twisted space. A scene of purgatory. Amidst the turmoil, it rolled toward Meng Xiangrui.

Meng Xiangrui coldly laughed. His complexion appeared very calm. He waved his sleeve. Layer upon layer of ice crystals fell densely from the sky, like countless needles, confronting the desert fire sea. (Chapter End)