Chapter 347: The Descent of the Latent Charm

The newly promoted Martial Master, Winged Tiger Zhou You, has fled with his family.

After witnessing this, the martial artists guarding other sections of the city wall quickly spread the news to all quarters.

Less than a quarter of an hour had passed since Zhou You and his group left the city, and those with keen eyesight could still see a thin, thread-like caravan slowly moving forward at the distant horizon.

But why? Zhou You had just broken through to Martial Master, with a bright and limitless future ahead of him; why would he be so short-sighted?

Bearing a War Order is both a power and a constraint; one must fulfill the city defense duties arranged by the noble families.

As the saying goes, "The order stands, the city stands; the city falls, the people die." For a holder of a War Order to abandon the city and flee is truly sensational news.

Before dawn, this news will have spread rapidly throughout Gongliang City.

Who knows how the Third Young Master of the Qi Family will fly into a rage when he hears of this, condemning Zhou You for being as cowardly as a mouse?

However, many martial arts hall masters sensed something different.

"Master, so what if Zhou You became a Martial Master? Without the heart of a powerhouse, to actually flee after a great victory—he is simply a big joke."

Wang Xiaofeng shook his head with a smile, his expression full of disdain.

His master, Wang Panshi, master of the Panshi Martial Arts Hall, wore a grave expression and asked, "What about Wang Laohu?"

"He already knows the news, but has no reaction."

Hearing that Wang Jianxiong was still in the city, Wang Panshi breathed a sigh of relief, then his ears suddenly twitched, and he looked up at the sky.

The other martial arts hall Disciples, including Wang Xiaofeng, followed his movements, all looking in unison toward the pitch-black, deep night.

However, the night was vast, and nothing could be seen.

Wang Panshi's Martial Master eyesight was extraordinary; he suddenly saw something, and his expression gradually turned to terror.

His limbs were trembling, and his tone was full of despair and unwillingness, "Why has it come to this?"

Air with a magnitude reaching a hundred tons was compressed by a mysterious force high above, instantly transforming into a solid entity more terrifying than a mountain, crashing down onto this stretch of the city wall, enveloping every living thing in the vicinity in the blink of an eye.

Doom has arrived! "Master, how could Zhou You have fled?"

Lu Qiang's eyes were full of shock; he could not understand how Zhou You, who was labeled as shrewd and forbearing, would choose this moment—having just broken through to Martial Master, the highlight moment to finally get ahead and show his prowess—to flee.

Many people estimated that after the rebel army retreated, with the support of the noble families, Zhou You would be qualified to open a martial arts hall as a master, becoming a pivotal figure in the martial arts world, standing shoulder to shoulder with his mentor, Wang Laohu.

But, the sudden news of him abandoning the city to flee... Wang Jianxiong did not answer; he let out a breath, "Lu Qiang, Master has failed you."

"Natural disasters are coming; all living things have a premonition, yet now, humans are not as good as beasts."

"Zhou You, heh, Zhou You—even when he broke through to Martial Master, I didn't think much of it, but in this prosperous and hypocritical scene, he calmly thought, saw the crisis, and decisively abandoned his family business to survive."

"With such spirit and decisiveness, if he does not die this time, he will surely achieve great things in the future."

His aged face revealed a sense of helplessness, "Lu Qiang, do not blame your master for being heartless and not giving you a way out."

"Master, do you know why?"

Wang Jianxiong grinned, "Don't think anyone will punish Zhou You for 'fleeing,' because the two great noble families, the Xu Family and the Qi Family, have already taken the lead and cleared out; Gongliang City is now just an empty shell."

A thunderclap rang out, and suddenly a martial arts hall Apprentice shouted urgently.

"Hall Master, Big Senior Brother, Senior Brother Shi Gaofei has snatched his mother and is rushing out of the city; we cannot stop him."

Wang Jianxiong waved his hand, unconcerned, "Let him go!"

Immediately sensing something, he looked up at the sky, his expression becoming increasingly certain.

He muttered to himself, his voice faint, yet audible to Lu Qiang who was close at hand...

"It's finally here!" The pitch-black night sky, as if a mysterious switch had been flipped, instantly flickered with countless spots of light, like blooming flowers, like shooting beams, and like thousands of threads tangled together in a chaotic mass.

In the eyes of a Martial Master level, this is a very dangerous omen.

This is the air moving and compressing rapidly, causing the temperature to rise sharply, igniting the air and sparking flames and embers.

Anything capable of causing such a phenomenon is definitely the astonishing, mighty power of a Strong Martial level.

Many Commoners in the city did not know danger had arrived, looking at the brilliant 'fireworks' in the night sky and sighing, "How beautiful."

"Damn it, Wang Laohu is not human; we were all deceived by him."

Mao Laoliu grabbed Mao Lang's hand and pushed aside a Disciple who wanted to ask something with a palm, "Get lost, go find your own way to survive!"

The section of the wall he was responsible for was in chaos; the Apprentices and Disciples did not know why the Hall Master had gone mad.

It was said that Mao Lang's nickname was Mad Beast, and his actions were extreme and crazy; once he had an episode, he would not recognize his own kin. Now it seemed the Hall Master's madness just hadn't flared up yet; once it did, it was even more formidable than Mao Lang's.

"Master, the Mistress and the others are still in the city!"

Mao Lang reminded Mao Laoliu; he had been cared for by the Master's family, treated like a son, and had an extraordinary bond with Mao Laoliu's family.

When the Master said he was leaving, he followed without a word, following unconditionally.

Yet, Mao Laoliu was actually disregarding his own family; what kind of situation could cause him such panic?

"It's too late; after I die, I will apologize to them."

Mao Laoliu's eyes were full of pain, "A great Gongliang City is about to be destroyed; the two great noble families have run off completely, leaving us here to sit in a besieged city and die, just as an empty shell and a facade."

"That Wang Laohu knew about this long ago; he clearly knew it was a dead end, yet he deliberately kept his Disciples here, just to confuse our various martial arts halls and cover the retreat of the two great noble families."

"Right, he has connections reaching the heavens; he must have made a deal with the two great noble families and obtained benefits."

"I understand now; Lu Jianqing's future at Dayin Mountain was bought with the lives of the entire martial arts hall. Wang Laohu, you are truly heartless; I, Mao Laoliu, am impressed."

The more Mao Laoliu spoke, the more resentful he became, "Deserved! No wonder Zhou You abandoned you and rebelled against you; you really don't treat others as human beings."

One master and one disciple rushed out of the city gate, behind them the clamorous city, before them the vast night.

Although they had gotten out, they did not know where to go, and for a moment, they felt somewhat lost.

Suddenly, Mao Laoliu's pupils contracted sharply; the deafening sound descending from the sky made his ears bleed.

It was too late.

The torrent, like a waterfall draped from the firmament, surged down at the most unexpected moment, presenting a posture of pouring down thousands of miles.

The entire Gongliang City, along with dozens, or even hundreds of miles of the surrounding area outside the city walls, was enveloped in the sudden attack, as if trapped inside a giant cage.

In the night, the uninvited guest spread its massive figure, silent and vast like a ghost in the water.

"A Phantom, this is a Shadow of Hidden Charm."

Mao Laoliu had just exposed the nature of the uninvited guest when he was blown away by the shockwave of the torrent hitting the ground, with Mao Lang following closely behind, sent flying in the opposite direction.

They still hadn't managed to escape Gongliang City! Under the cover of night...

The caravan was moving as fast as possible, but the speed was still not satisfactory.

Zhou You landed behind the caravan and looked back at Gongliang City; suddenly, a strong sense of ominous foreboding surged into his heart.

What appeared before him was an absurd scene he had never witnessed in his entire life.

(End of chapter)