Chapter 700

Huanglong River.

Fengling Ferry.

“On the night of the full moon, upon the great river… when the sea surges wildly, true heroes reveal their nature.”

A man in blue robes stood atop a single green bamboo stalk, not a boat or raft, yet he crossed the vast river with a lightness of movement beyond imagination.

He pressed his bamboo pole down and landed on a stretch of riverside mudflat.

Dense reeds stretched endlessly, covering a hundred li to form a vast reed marsh.

Upon closer inspection, one would see they were arranged according to the Qimen Dunjia formation—already treacherous enough to confuse travelers, now rendered utterly inescapable even for a Rank One Grand Master.

The blue-robed man moved through it as if familiar with every path, and soon reached a mid-river islet.

“Excellent… In ancient times, the founder of Dahei Temple crossed the river on a single reed, forging a great legacy in the north. This disciple’s feat rivals that of the old master.”

The islet already held many martial artists.

A young voice cried out in admiration.

“Stop calling me Disciple. I have left the monastic life…”

The blue-robed man smiled faintly: “I will not re-enter the monastery until I kill the Black Lotus. Nor will I become a Buddha.”

His gaze swept across the crowd and settled on a young Daoist: “You must be the current Tianyang Zi of the Tianyang Sect. And you, Master Du Qiankun of the Five Animals Sect, Master Nie Renlong, Master Chao of the Thirteen Swords of the Southern Seas…”

Over the years, these once-promising young martial artists had mostly ascended to the upper three ranks as Grand Masters, becoming the backbone of today’s righteous martial world…

For the elder righteous masters had all perished in repeated attempts to eliminate the Black Lotus Master…

If they died here too, it would confirm the righteous martial world’s generational collapse—silent, lifeless, doomed.

‘Can I really accomplish anything with these misfits?’

Xun Heihu’s face darkened as he stared at the assembled masters:

‘Only Zhuge Wu of Zhuge Manor and this ex-monk have any real merit. The rest are Rank Two and Three nobodies—how dare they show up?’

‘An army may lose its general, but a common man cannot lose his will…’

Fang Xing chuckled: ‘Every power before its fall shows its last surge of passion and defiance. This must be it…’

If he could, Xun Heihu would have worn a human-skin mask to come.

But this was a secret operation—without revealing his identity, he could never be accepted or joined.

More importantly… he alone could not track the Black Lotus Master’s movements or ambush him mid-journey past his demonic guards.

‘I say, why play it safe? Just storm the Black Lotus Sect’s headquarters, break through ten thousand troops, and take the Black Lotus Master’s head—how satisfying, how majestic!’

Fang Xing watched the chaos with delight.

Xun Heihu rolled his eyes.

He was only a Super Rank—he wasn’t a god. Killing ten thousand fanatical martial artists? He might collapse from exhaustion.

Joining this ‘Stab the Lotus’ operation was merely for easier access to intelligence.

Of course, the persona he displayed was the Rank Three Bēngyuè Realm he’d maintained for years.

Du Qiankun, Nie Renlong, and other former top newcomers on the New Wind List had all broken through to Rank Two, thanks to their national grudges and relentless cultivation support from major sects…

Even more astonishing, the sole surviving monk of Dahei Temple, ‘Qing Yong,’ had reached Rank One Grand Master.

“Enough idle talk,” Qing Yong interrupted. “Can we confirm the Black Lotus Master will cross the river tonight?”

Monk Qing Yong interrupted the idle chat: “Can we confirm that the Black Lotus Ascendant will cross the river by boat tonight?”

Du Qiankun said: “This news comes directly from ‘Tian Ni.’”

“Tian Ni? Isn’t she missing since the Jingxin Nunnery was destroyed?”

“So Tianxin Xianzi has been undercover in the Black Lotus Sect?”

“Is she sacrificing herself to the demons?”

…

The martial artists erupted in shock—even Nie Renlong frowned.

Xun Heihu was also slightly startled.

‘Tian Ni’ was a title passed down through generations of Jingxin Nunnery, like ‘Tianyang Zi’—only the most outstanding disciple could bear it.

The current Tian Ni had once roamed the martial world as ‘Tianxin Xianzi,’ captivating countless heroes and hailed as the ‘Number One Beauty of the Martial World.’

No one expected she had fallen into demonic hands—and yet still managed to send such vital intelligence.

Yet they had fallen into the demon’s grasp and still managed to send out such vital news.

Xun Heihu recalled how, years ago, he’d wanted to see this beauty—only to be punished by Jiang Yuyan with months of confinement in the study.

Xun Heihu recalled how, back then, he had been curious enough to go see that beauty—only to be punished by Jiang Yuyan with months of confinement in the study…

He cut in immediately: “My lords—the Black Lotus Sect worships a demonic deity. All who join must undergo a worship ritual, after which their minds are utterly transformed. Tian Ni may not be trustworthy.”

“Hmph,” Du Qiankun snapped. “Tian Ni is a Rank One Grand Master. Jingxin Nunnery’s famed Xuanxin Secret Scripture governs mental illusions—how could a mere ‘demonic deity’ corrupt her?”

As the eldest disciple of the Five Animals Sect, he had long resented Xun Heihu.

After all, his fame had been crushed under Nie Renlong and Xun Heihu for years.

“True,” Nie Renlong laughed. “What demonic deity exists in this world? Probably just a puppet statue the Black Lotus Sect uses to confuse minds.”

“If you’re afraid, Xun Heihu, just go home,” he added.

He and Xun Heihu had once been known as the “Dragon and Tiger of Chuzhou and Lingzhou”—but that title vanished.

Xun Heihu was too reclusive; even his Rank Three cultivation was known only in narrow circles, used only for deterrence.

But Nie Renlong still felt humiliated.

After all, he was now Rank Two Shenhai.

The farther one advances on the martial path, the greater the gap between each rank.

He believed himself far more talented than Xun Heihu. Scholars looked down on each other; martial artists wished each other dead.

If not for the shared enemy of the Black Lotus Sect, every master on this islet would already be slaughtering each other—half would be dead by now.

“You don’t understand the horror of Pan Wu!”

Xun Heihu felt exhausted, yet thought: ‘Good thing I’m only here for intel—if I actually fought alongside this lot… I’d spit blood.’

“Tian Ni has sent word: on the night of the full moon, at Fengling Ferry, we annihilate the Black Lotus!”

“Kill the Black Lotus Master, and the sect will be leaderless—we can crush them all at once!”

The martial artists spoke with fiery passion—even Du Qiankun and Nie Renlong.

‘They may dislike me, but at least they’re not acting like fools with the enemy before them…’

‘Too bad… I have a feeling we’re walking into a trap tonight.’

Xun Heihu sighed.

Any Rank One martial artist with undying spirit could sense impending doom.

The Black Lotus Master might perfectly mask his killing intent, blocking even a Rank One Grand Master’s intuition—and slay them effortlessly.

But he was different.

‘This is a good opportunity… but we’ve become the prey instead of the hunters. To trap them all, a full army assault would never fool these Rank One and Two masters. The most likely plan? A surprise strike by elite warriors. If the Black Lotus Master wants absolute certainty, he’ll be among them.’

The Black Lotus Ascendant may perfectly suppress his own killing intent, thereby blocking the First-Rank Grand Master’s intuitive premonition and easily slaying a Grand Master.

Jiuuuu!

“This is also a good opportunity… but we’ve become the prey instead of the hunters… If we want to net them all, a large-scale assault will surely be detected by these First- and Second-Rank Grand Masters… The most likely scenario is a surprise strike by top-tier experts… If the Black Lotus Ascendant wants absolute certainty, he must be among them!”

Beneath the full moon, a strange eagle soared, its wingspan over twenty meters—a rare 'abnormal beast.'

No matter how intricate the Qimen Dunjia formation, such an aerial threat rendered it useless.

After all, Qimen Dunjia, however powerful, remained within martial arts—relying on visual and psychological deception.

Like a maze against a helicopter—it was over.

On the back of the monstrous eagle stood two figures.

One, veiled in white silk, resembled a water goddess—Tian Ni, Tianxin Xianzi.

The other was a burly, rugged giant, draped in a dark-gold kasaya, his bearing majestic and demonic.

On the back of the monstrous eagle stood two figures!

“The Black Lotus Master!”

“They say the former Lotus Master once practiced the ‘Withered Zen,’ his body skeletal—but after going mad, his qi reversed, shattered his zen, and transformed him into this monstrous frame…”

Du Qiankun and Nie Renlong were stunned.

Zhuge Wu’s face paled: “My Qimen Dunjia formation…”

“It is said the former Lotus Ascendant once cultivated the ‘Zen of Withering,’ his body gaunt as a skeleton—but after falling into demonic deviation, his blood and qi reversed, breaking his Zen practice and transforming him into his current burly form…”

Master Chao stared at the graceful figure, his eyes filled with disbelief.

“It is because my body and soul have been conquered by Pan Wu,” Tianxin Xianzi said slowly as she descended, her finger touching Master Chao’s forehead.

Master Chao’s face twisted into an indescribable expression of bliss, a smile curling on his lips—then he collapsed, dead.

This ‘Number One Beauty of the World’ was herself a Rank One Peak martial artist.

And after worshiping, her power had surged further.

The Celestial Heart Immortaless descended slowly and pressed one finger to the old man’s forehead.

Qing Yong raised his voice in a Buddhist chant as a bamboo pole descended from the sky like a divine weapon, cleaving the air with the weight of Mount Tai, crashing toward Tian Ni.

This "Number One Beauty of the World" is also a Rank-One Ultimate expert!

Even after worshipping the gods, his Wu Gong improved dramatically!

"Amitabha!"

Monk Qing Yong loudly chanted the Buddha’s name, as a bamboo pole descended from the sky like a divine weapon, displacing the air with the weight of Mount Tai, crashing down upon Tian Ni!

In the next instant, a figure appeared behind Tian Ni as if teleporting—it was Wu the Strategist!

As fellow top-tier experts, he and Qing Yong Monk merely brushed minds, and knew this day was a death sentence.

The only chance lay in the Black Lotus Elder’s indifference!

Seizing the moment of his neglect, he could destroy or severely wound Tian Ni—then perhaps still have a chance to break out in scattered groups!

“Hehe… little monk, you’re truly heartless. Back then, you used to—”

“Love watching me the most.”

Tian Ni chuckled softly, and a semi-transparent rope materialized in her hand.

It resembled a serpentine whip, flicking lightly through the air, unleashing an invisible force upon the bamboo pole.

Sssss!

The bamboo pole shattered instantly, splitting into countless bamboo threads that rained down like a storm of needle-like projectiles.

Tian Ni’s form shifted nine times, dodging the bamboo needles while her slender fingers extended, trading blows with Wu the Strategist.

As they clashed, their spiritual energies swiftly probed and circled each other…

To the eyes of a master-level expert, this spiritual maneuvering was far more exquisite than their physical techniques.

“Damn! Two top-tier Immortal Threshold experts can’t subdue Miss Tianxin? No—Miss Tianxin the Demoness!”

Du Qiankun was startled.

At that moment, the Black Lotus Elder—like a demonic god—leapt from the giant eagle’s back.

Boom!

A vast, pitch-black sun materialized in the heavens and crashed down!

Beneath the palpable spiritual pressure, the second- and third-tier warriors turned pale, collapsing to their knees one by one, blood streaming from their seven orifices!

No!

Among all the experts present, apart from the few top-tier ones, one man stood straight as a spear.

“Him?”

“Xun Heihu… really?”

Du Qiankun and Nie Renlong exchanged glances, a crushing sense of defeat rising in their hearts.