Chapter 345

The Heart-Eye Clan is the ruling family of the Ghost-Driving Masters of Iron City.

You just saw their abilities; combined with special firearms that transcend eras, their threat level even surpasses that of modern snipers.

The people of the Sky-Soaring Clan can fly. The Heart-Eye Clan happens to perfectly counter the Sky-Soaring Clan's ability — at the very least, they possess extremely powerful countermeasures against enemies in the sky.

On top of that, as Ah Ping said, they've also hired some executioner samurai.

The downfall of Lake City and the Sky-Soaring Clan is only to be expected.

Those who pursued just now weren't only this leader of the Iron Spear Crowd on the ground; there was also a Ghost-Driving Master of the Heart-Eye Clan.

He chose to hide in the dark and launch a probing attack; then, choosing to attack became the most erroneous decision of his life, without even a chance to remedy it.

Tang Luo rubbed his fingers, brushing off the black ash stuck to them, and looked at the little girl: "Continue. Tell me about that Scripture-Fetcher, how to find him."

The little girl wiped her face, calmed her emotions, and said: "Legend says the Scripture-Fetcher is born with divine will, possessing boundless strength."

"Oh?" Tang Luo was quite interested.

"Think about it," the little girl said, "You can run into ghosts anywhere; even inside the city isn't necessarily safe. The Scripture-Fetcher has great strength, so only then can he go to the Western Pure Land and retrieve the True Scripture of Transcendence."

Revealing a few parts childish innocence.

"Mm, makes sense." Tang Luo nodded, in full agreement; if you don't have great strength, what True Scripture would you fetch?

"Then what?" Ao Yulie couldn't help but ask.

"That's it." The little girl shook her head, "I only know this much."

"That's it?" Ao Yulie wore a "are-you-kidding-me" expression; she started off speaking with such conviction, but at the most crucial juncture...

The clue to finding the Scripture-Fetcher was just one — great strength.

The Iron Spear Crowd leader he just beat half to death also had considerable strength; could he be a Scripture-Fetcher too?

"Then that's that, you all go." Tang Luo waved his hand, "We'll stay here and help you block another wave of pursuers."

The little girl blanked for a moment, then said: "Thank you. You will gain the friendship of the Sky-Soaring Clan."

"The Sky-Soaring Clan is as good as finished, okay?" Ao Yulie said.

"I will rebuild the Sky-Soaring Clan, restore its glory!" The little girl vowed solemnly.

Ao Yulie glanced at the little girl: "Ghost-Driving Masters inherit through bloodline, secret arts, and techniques. Bloodline is the foundation; without bloodline, many things can be learned but cannot take effect. Right?"

She paused for a beat.

Ao Yulie continued: "So to restore the glory of that whatever-clan, looks like you'll have to have lots of kids."

The little girl froze in place, then her face rapidly flushed red, she pressed her lips tight, the area around her mouth puffing slightly; facing a villain, she dared be angry but not speak.

On the other side, Flying Ape Thirteen flew into a rage — a minister dies when his lord is humiliated; he grabbed the dagger on the ground, leapt up, and stabbed at Ao Yulie.

Ao Yulie imitated Tang Luo just now, flicked a finger, directly snapping the dagger, and in the same motion pressed Flying Ape Thirteen back down to the ground.

"Thirteen!" The little girl cried out in alarm.

"Repaying kindness with enmity; isn't it said your samurai class values honor greatly?" Ao Yulie said.

Flying Ape Thirteen didn't answer, struggling with all his might.

Unfortunately the hand pressing on his head didn't budge an inch; in his struggle he even felt his cervical vertebrae shifting out of alignment.

The honor of the samurai class actually consists of only two words: "Loyalty." The master is everything.

"Right, forgot to ask something." Tang Luo asked, "Why would Iron City attack Lake City?"

"I don't know." The little girl's voice carried a sobbing tone, forcing herself not to cry, wrenching at Ao Yulie's hand with all her strength.

And kicking with her feet too.

But kicking against Ao Yulie's clothes couldn't even leave a footprint.

"Really don't know?" Tang Luo continued questioning.

"It... it's for the partial remnant scrolls of the True Scripture of Transcendence!" The little girl said, "We discovered the remnant scrolls, the news leaked, Iron City came for the remnant scrolls!"

"I see." Tang Luo nodded at Ao Yulie.

Ao Yulie looked at Tang Luo, suddenly revealing a ferocious grin; the hand pressing on Flying Ape Thirteen's head clenched, and lifted upward.

Flying Ape Thirteen's body rose into the air, completely out of his control.

Ao Yulie struck a palm onto his chest.

Flying Ape Thirteen flew backward, crashed to the ground, no external injuries visible, but his body twitched twice and he lost all breath, dying on the spot.

"This is the consequence of making a move on me." Ao Yulie's face was cold and grim.

The little girl stopped moving, stunned for half a second, then immediately ran to Flying Ape Thirteen's side, grabbed his hand, and pressed it to her own forehead.

A moment later, the little girl's face turned deathly pale, her small body swaying on the verge of collapse.

Flying Ape Thirteen, however, abruptly opened his eyes, sprang up from the spot — not only revived, but his twisted arm also returned to normal.

"Young Master!"

Flying Ape Thirteen looked at the nearly unconscious little girl, turned to look at Ao Yulie, his hands slowly clenching into fists; the next moment, he scooped up the little girl and fled with reckless abandon.

These two people are too strong.

Even if only one, I absolutely wouldn't be a match, let alone two.

Can only run; only by escaping is there a sliver of survival.

Regarding speed, Flying Ape Thirteen still had a bit of confidence.

"Where are you going?" Disregarding everything, holding his breath and exerting every ounce of strength to burst out, the single-minded Flying Ape Thirteen suddenly heard a mocking voice by his ear.

Then, a massive force struck, causing him to completely lose control of his body.

The world spun, and he slammed heavily to the ground; yet, upon landing, the imagined pain did not arrive.

The Young Master he was holding had "slipped from his grasp."

Flying Ape Thirteen flipped into a half-kneel on the ground; that Ao Yulie stood right before him, while the Young Master had fallen into the hands of another white-haired person.

He held her up with both hands, just catching the setting sun: "Are you this generation's Scripture-Fetcher?"

The little girl did not struggle, merely looking at Tang Luo; after a moment she spoke: "Yes, you people……"

When her peculiarity was revealed and she was confirmed as a Scripture Seeker, there were many who wanted to obtain her, to obtain her power.

The Heart-Eye Clan of Lake City was not the first, and the executioner samurai before her eyes would not be the last.

"Good." Tang Luo smiled, set the little girl down, crouched, and gently stroked her head. "What you said is right. Being a Scripture Seeker, how could it do if one cannot fight?"

That gentle expression, gone the lofty indifference from moments ago, left the little girl at a loss for how to react for a time.

"Let us reacquaint ourselves." Tang Luo said, "This poor monk is Tang Xuanzang; once, I too was a Scripture Seeker."

The little girl stared blankly at Tang Luo, not speaking.

"Master, how did you know she is the Scripture Seeker?" Ao Yulie came over and asked.

Just now he had suddenly struck out to "kill" Fei Yuan Shisan; in reality it was only a palm strike that knocked him into a temporary feigned death — a little treatment and he would wake up. Of course, if the time dragged on it would become "fake becoming real."

The reason Ao Yulie did this was naturally because he had received Tang Luo's hint.

"There is a bit of 'resonance,' so to speak; your master was once a Scripture Seeker as well." Tang Luo said.

The little girl's performance had basically no flaws, but she let slip one point: the Western Pure Land.

In the story she told at first, she only said it was the land of the Pure Land; apart from the Scripture Seeker, no one had ever known where the Pure Land was.

Later, when Tang Luo asked how to find the Scripture Seeker, the little girl mentioned the "Western Pure Land" while describing the Scripture Seeker's characteristics.

Moreover, at first the little girl seemed to want to treat Fei Yuan Shisan's injuries, but was refused by him.

Healing is not a special ability of the Void-Soaring Clan.

If we assume the little girl is not of the Void-Soaring Clan, then her identity must be extraordinary; otherwise she would not have commanded the loyalty of one of the Fei Yuan, who protected her to the death.

So Tang Luo had Ao Yulie test it, and sure enough he pried out a clue.

As for bluntly stating she was the Scripture Seeker — just like with Ao Yulie — it was simply a bluff, and the bluff succeeded.

Even if the bluff had failed, Tang Luo and the others would have lost nothing.

Ao Yulie secretly gave a thumbs-up; worthy of being Master — every word was solid truth, without the slightest flaw.

Was Tang Luo once a Scripture Seeker? Absolutely!

One hundred percent solid truth, not a shred of deception.

"You don't believe me?" Tang Luo looked at the little girl and said, reaching out to press a finger to her forehead.

The little girl's eyes widened; her originally bloodless, pale complexion rapidly flushed healthy, returning to normal.

"You too……" The little girl's suspicious look gradually faded.

A secret art only a Scripture Seeker would know!

"Let's go quickly!" The little girl let out a light breath, looked at Tang Luo, and said.

"Go?" Tang Luo shook his head. "What is there to run from? Converting enemies — that is what a Scripture Seeker truly ought to do. In the future you must journey to the Western Pure Land; do you intend to flee all the way there?"

"Eh?" The little girl showed a blank, puzzled expression.

She claimed the Scripture Seeker possessed boundless strength — clearly made up — yet…… it seemed she had stumbled blindly into the truth: this former Scripture Seeker really could fight.

He grabbed the Howling Celestial Dog sleeping soundly on his shoulder, stuffed it into the little girl's arms, and said: "From now on she will protect you."

The little girl looked at the cute little cat in her arms, her eyes involuntarily showing a few traces of delight, then turned worried toward the direction of the main city.

Over there a cavalry force was already assembling; the Iron Spear Men were steadily approaching.

Those who had given chase at first were only the vanguard; the delay was enough for the subsequent pursuers to catch up.

Those coming now were not the two from before, but a large host of men and horses.

Nearly all the Iron Spear Men had turned out in full force, the Heart-Eye Clan, and besides them, the Executioner Samurai.

All of them came for this Scripture Seeker!

"Not bad; the treatment is much like this poor monk's back in the day — truly nostalgic." Tang Luo looked at the pursuers sweeping in like a gale; they were his lost youth.

"Master……" Ao Yulie said softly.

"I will handle it myself." Tang Luo said, walking toward that crowd.

No nonsense; seeing someone blocking the way, the Iron Spear Men gripped the iron spears in their hands, aimed at Tang Luo, and hurled them with force!

Simultaneously, the few Ghost-Driving Masters of the Heart-Eye Clan standing on horseback behind the Iron Spear Men also squeezed the triggers of the strange firearms they held — weapons like flintlocks but much thicker.

A hail of spears and bullets!

Tang Luo revealed a smile, raised his hand — Thousand Hands Cannot Guard!

Palm shadows filled the sky.

Iron spears and bullets froze in midair for an instant, then reversed and flew back!

Horses' neighs, metal clashing, human cries of alarm and agony echoed beneath the setting sun.

The pursuers sweeping in like a gale collapsed mid-charge in a single instant.