Chapter 485: 459 Breaking Through

The storm arrived silently.

It seemed that, in a certain instant, a crisp sound emerged from the sky overhead, as if fine lightning had broken through the dew of early Spring, startling the insects in the soil, and in a blink, it was deathly silent.

So much so that Yue Lai thought he had misheard, that there was no sound at all, and that he had only experienced an auditory hallucination because Tang Zhao had warned him.

But immediately after, the situation on the field changed drastically.

Previously, those giants had been besieged by various Sun Birds and had lost their bearings, spinning in place, yet they had maintained their frenzied dancing. It was just that after Tang Zhao and the others had grown accustomed to it, they ignored it like watching wind blow through leaves.

But they suddenly went still, and the entire scene became eerily serene.

The giants did not stiffen like puppets with cut strings; rather, it was as if they were stuck in paste, their movements suddenly becoming sluggish, reaching a point of near-stillness for a time, then suddenly twitching, returning to their previous frenzied state, and then pausing once more.

Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, suddenly still, suddenly dancing wildly—coupled with the giants' originally massive bodies and hideous heads, how eerie was this scene?

It works!

Regardless of what devious thoughts Meng Huazhou harbored, those giants were indeed cut off from one another under his manipulation.

Tang Zhao frowned; he discovered that in that strange storm field, it was not just the giants being affected—even his own connection to those Sun Birds had become sluggish.

Those Sun Birds were spurred by his Sword Intent, so they had always maintained a basic connection with him. This connection could not be called tight; he could issue commands and occasionally borrow their perspective to observe, but it was not direct control, merely a vague sense.

But after the storm began, this connection became tenuous, intermittent.

It was just that those Sun Birds were true life, so even without Tang Zhao's instructions, they would fly on their own; thus, they were still circling freely in the air, unlike the Shadow giants, whose behavior was so bizarre.

An interesting Sword Art... rather than electromagnetic interference, it is more like... silence?

While observing, Tang Zhao conceived his own Sword Art in his mind, then concentrated his Spirit to issue commands to all the Sun Birds he could reach, telling them to fly out from every direction and leave the center of this storm.

A portion of the birds heard his command and scattered in all directions, some even flying straight up into the high sky.

As they flew, upon reaching a certain node, that connection suddenly returned; clearly, they had flown out of the interference range.

Tang Zhao calculated the coverage of this storm through the coordinates where the birds flew out of range, and discovered—

It looks like a birdcage.

Calling it a storm is one thing, but it is more like some kind of magnetic field; within the range of the magnetic field, all kinds of spiritual links are ineffective. It lacks lethality, but it is very useful in certain scenarios.

This is a strategic Sword Art.

Thinking this, Tang Zhao asked Yue Lai, "Do you know what direction his new sword takes?"

Yue Lai shook his head and replied, "He is only a Sword Student, I cannot tell. But I don't think it's a good thing. He picked it up from a skeleton in the gatehouse. And that skeleton looked like it had been strangled by Cloud Silk; its bones were shattered when it died. That skeleton should not have been a person of Baiyujing, but an enemy of Baiyujing, who died during a defensive counterattack. He was very excited when he saw that sword at the time, and immediately let the Cloud Silk disperse to take that person's sword."

Tang Zhao was very surprised; he did not know that real enemies had come to Baiyujing, as he had thought there were only the Wangliang.

But upon second thought, it did not seem strange; there were already Sword Guests on Wangliang Mountain, such as that Mr. Xing. They were not only thugs for Wangliang Mountain, but they themselves were not good people either.

However, just because a Sword Guest is not good does not mean the sword is not good. The vast majority of swords are absolutely neutral; not only can one not speak of "character" for the sword itself, but it also does not choose a Sword Guest based on "character." The path taken afterward depends entirely on how the Sword Guest and the sword harmonize. To a sword, all concepts are neither good nor evil; killing, deception, coercion, and theft are merely a type of Sword Intent.

There are no weak swords, only weak Sword Guests—this saying may not be true; but there are no evil swords, only evil Sword Guests—this saying is undoubtedly certain.

Picking up a dead person's sword is nothing, but Tang Zhao was worried that this birdcage capable of releasing silence was an attribute of the new sword; that would be hard to explain with electromagnetism, and the Sword Intent would be hard to guess.

Although, being a Sword Student, it does not matter if one cannot guess it.

Yue Lai added, "If I had to guess, it might be Shadow and Thunder."

Tang Zhao was thoughtful. At this moment, he saw a giant, stiff as a puppet at the very edge of the Thunder Cage, suddenly move, walk toward a great hall, sway, crouch down, and with a 'swish', drill into the hall through a window.

Tang Zhao narrowed his eyes. From above, separated by layers of Shadow, he did not see how Meng Huazhou had attracted a giant into the great hall. Was it the method of attracting monsters through contact like the white fox, or was there a more direct way to manipulate the Shadow giants?

Then he heard a whistle; it was Meng Huazhou below releasing a signal, indicating that he had already trapped the tiger in the cage, urging Tang Zhao to go down and fulfill the agreed-upon plan.

Tang Zhao took a step forward, and Yue Lai immediately blocked him, saying, "You don't need to take the risk. If he hadn't released this storm, that would be one thing, but now that he has, his goal is achieved, and he is no longer useful. Why not make a decisive choice? There is no need to keep playing along with him."

Tang Zhao smiled and said, "Rest assured..."

Meng Huazhou held a torch in one hand and the Jingzhe Sword in the other, with the new long sword on his back, waiting quietly.

Although he was waiting, he was exceptionally nervous, leaning against the corridor of the great hall, panting slightly. The sound of his panting sounded like an ox's breath to his own ears.

He was truly nervous: there was only one best opportunity. He had to take this opportunity to get rid of that person. Otherwise, if he were allowed to search Yutang unscrupulously, he himself would get nothing.

Really, he had already backstabbed Shangguan Jianke and forced Yue Lai into a desperate situation; after killing him and then finding Black Widow to kill her together, once the people who needed to be killed were all killed, the purpose of this trip would be more than half achieved. Yet he would then follow the guidance to retrieve that item, and everything would be perfect. Why did that Sword Guest have to emerge at this time?

That Sword Guest... what was his surname again? When they were listening to music together before, he had pretended to be pure and kind, and he had actually thought he was a unique, benevolent gentleman. He never expected that deep down, he was also a hypocritical, greedy person, no different from ordinary Sword Guests. Just as greedy and stupid as that Shangguan Jianke, who had believed his lie that there was medicine in Baiyujing to prolong life and had voluntarily followed him to become his tool.

Sure enough, everyone in the world is greedy; it is just a matter of how well they hide it. That kid had pretended to be decent before, but behind the scenes, it was still the same old story.

At the time, he had a moment where he wanted to lure that kid to replace Shangguan Jianke as a thug. After all, Shangguan Jianke had turned against him too early and had been dealt with, but he had lost a henchman. This new Sword Guest could be taken over and used.

But he immediately abandoned this thought.

From Shangguan Jianke, Meng Huazhou had learned a truth—Sword Guests are not so easy to manipulate. Even the most stupid and blind Sword Guest would turn against you for inexplicable reasons; it is not that you didn't induce them well enough, but that their self-esteem is uncontrollable, they don't put mortals in their eyes at all, and they might go berserk for any random reason.

And once a Sword Guest loses control, they are particularly dangerous. Meng Huazhou had already found it incredibly thrilling just to backstab Shangguan Jianke; he really shouldn't put himself in danger again out of greed. What difference would there be between him and those stupid Sword Guests?

So, this pretty-boy Sword Guest can go die too!

Although he thought this, he had used his wits to create a trap that served two purposes, thinking he had some certainty, but whether the person would take the bait depended on luck. If that person were cautious enough, it was entirely possible he wouldn't come.

When your strength is inferior to others, you are just this passive.

It would be good once I become a Sword Guest... Meng Huazhou thought this. The sword had already been chosen, but it could be changed before becoming a Sword Guest. If he could get the ideal sword this time, that would be best; if not, he would have to make do with this sword. At least he would go out and become a Sword Guest first; once he became a Sword Guest, he wouldn't be controlled by others like he was now.

As he thought this, he saw a Lamp float over.

It's here!

Meng Huazhou was overjoyed, but he suppressed his emotions, revealing only a tiny smile, and said, "Senior has indeed come. I knew you were a person who keeps his word."

Tang Zhao's figure appeared from the darkness holding the Lamp. Because the light of the Cloud Silk Lamp was bright, it made his expression look somewhat distorted, with a bit more gloom that could not be seen at ordinary times. He said indifferently, "Don't pull this. I don't buy your flattery. You... don't play any tricks." As he spoke, he pointed, and a ray of light tethered Meng Huazhou's arm. "If you play any tricks after I go in, I will let you know what regret is."

Meng Huazhou let him tether him and said respectfully, "Naturally, I will wait here for Senior. I wish Senior a triumphant success."

Tang Zhao stopped talking and went straight into the great hall, locking himself in with the giant.

As soon as he entered the great hall, the doors and windows of the hall immediately closed tight; the windows instantly became walls, and the great hall turned into an iron barrel on the spot.

This had been agreed upon. Meng Huazhou stared fixedly at the great hall, wanting to see if this person, who was so arrogant, really had the ability to win a one-on-one fight against a Shadow warrior after the connection to the outside world was cut off.

If he couldn't win, then he wouldn't need to waste any more effort.

Boom—

Suddenly, a brilliant light burst forth within the great hall!

It was hard to describe the radiance of this moment; Meng Huazhou had never seen such a strong light. Even through the thick walls of the great hall, it was still like a sun exploding before his eyes, with countless rays of light rushing into the sky!

This beam of light reopened the Shadow shrouding above Baiyujing, punching a large hole through it and shooting straight up to the nine heavens!

After a long while, that radiance gradually dissipated.

However, the Shadow above did not dissipate for a long time. Instead, it revealed a large patch of clear, bright sky.

If one were to look down from above, the Shadow-shrouded Baiyujing would look like a duck eggshell that had been pierced by a chopstick, creating a hole and causing immeasurable damage.

So strong...!

Meng Huazhou watched from the outside, his face turning pale.

This was a power that exceeded his expectations! It was simply incomparable to Shangguan Jianke!

At this moment, he suddenly shuddered, his expression becoming even uglier.

The cage he had painstakingly created had also been half-collapsed; those giants had already lost their restraints and were beginning to stir... No, they were coming.

At this time, the doors of the Hall opened; Tang Zhao had automatically lifted the lockdown and was about to come out.

How could I... let you come out!

Meng Huazhou bared his teeth and pointed a finger—

The great hall, as if it were a drawbridge with its cables cut, collapsed with a boom!