Chapter 220: Drive the Tiger to Swallow the Wolf!

The great moon hangs suspended in the sky.

Meiqiu ascended beneath the stars, her amber eyes scanning the earth below, seeing people emerging from all directions, pressing themselves to the ground to listen.

Xie Jinhuan, deep underground, relentlessly hammered at the rocks, unaware of the celestial upheaval, but as the three opportunities vanished, the leaking Five Elements spiritual essence reversed and contracted, causing subtle, almost imperceptible changes throughout the underground; accumulated together, these transformed into the rolling thunder echoing through the Fire Phoenix Valley:

Boom—boom—boom...

The sound seemed distant, yet any cultivator knowing the history of the Fire Phoenix Valley knew what this meant!

Beneath the stars and moon, a group of five stood on the barren, empty wasteland, looking around; leading them was Yan Lang, the Black Hell Gang's leader, while beside him stood Xu Guanfu, the Jiangzhou Gang's leader.

As one of the martial arts leaders of Great Qian, Xu Guanfu's cultivation far surpassed Yan Lang's; thus, the Black Hell Gang sought to recruit him to hold the line, and even upon learning of Xie Jinhuan's rise, the Black Hell Gang abandoned the Phoenix Tomb opportunity entirely, seeking only to have him eliminate Xie Jinhuan and prevent trouble before it arose.

Xu Guanfu indeed desired the Phoenix Tomb opportunity, otherwise his martial arts would make no further progress, and since he maintained close ties with this band of sea pirates from the Black Hell Gang, if Xie Jinhuan destroyed the Black Hell Gang, he would inevitably trace the culprit back to him.

If his strength were insufficient, Xie Jinhuan's future rise would be impossible to suppress; therefore, his primary goal in coming here was to seize the opportunity, and if he failed to obtain it yet encountered Xie Jinhuan, he would have to seek fortune amidst danger, seeing if he could crush this youth in the cradle and let the Black Hell Gang take the blame.

But though Xu Guanfu had considered many possibilities, he never expected that just as the Black Hell Gang intercepted the message from the Wu Alliance stating "Xie Jinhuan has arrived in the Southern Border, suspected of seeking the Ling Guang Divine Gift," and they rushed over, the underground had already shown signs of disturbance.

Liang Yue, returning from Sanjiangkou, lay prone on the ground listening carefully, his brows furrowed:

"It's not thunder; it's movement underground, it seems all the opportunities have been taken."

"All?!"

Yan Lang, the Black Hell Gang's leader, a warlord who carved his way out of the sea pirates and one of the several well-known local tyrants in the Southern Border, now looked utterly bewildered:

"It's not even the Winter Solstice yet; treasure-seeking cultivators haven't arrived. Even if Xie Jinhuan is here, he could only take one; how could all the opportunities be gone?"

"Could it be that only one appeared?"

"Impossible; history has never shown a case of only one appearing."

Xu Guanfu also disbelieved that anyone could seize all the opportunities so early, yet the celestial upheaval does not lie; to prevent the taker from escaping, he immediately soared into the air, scanning the vast wasteland below.

The experience of past generations proved correct once again.

After searching for less than half a quarter-hour, three figures burst forth from a crack in the ground dozens of li away.

"East!"

Upon spotting someone emerging from the underground, Xu Guanfu let out a cold shout and shot toward the figures like a raging thunderbolt.

Boom!

On the other side.

Xie Jinhuan and the two beauties, faces beaming with joy, had just leaped above the surface and hadn't even landed when they heard a sound from the night sky:

"Clang—"

Hearing Meiqiu's warning, Xie Jinhuan frowned, quickly scanning the surroundings, only to see a black line streaking toward them from the western horizon.

Although the distance was great, the black line left a sonic boom cloud in its wake; if his estimation was correct, it would arrive here in no more than twenty seconds!

Even more terrifying was a slightly slower black dot soaring behind, closely following and rushing toward this location on the wind.

"Damn..."

Only at this moment did Xie Jinhuan realize why the Five Divine Gifts were something even those below Super Rank didn't deserve to smell.

It was one thing for the old Daoist Lu Yan from Northern Zhou to descend, but these two approaching were definitely not ordinary Super Ranks at the forefront.

He had barely surfaced and already bumped into two; he didn't dare to think about how many more were rushing over from the surroundings.

Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua, though having crossed into the Fourth Realm by building the Heaven-Earth Bridge with breakthrough pills, had only just entered Super Rank; even at full strength, dealing with Lu Yan was a stretch, let alone with their Qi Seas not yet recovered and having to fight two against three.

Although the Yang fire in the Zhu Que Tomb had subsided, such a vast area would take days to dissipate completely; cultivators within it would still be suppressed by the power of heaven and earth, and the maze still existed.

The three would die the moment they surfaced; without discussion, they simultaneously jumped back into the crack and sprinted back along the original path.

But down below was the furious and desperate old demon Lu!

Bu Yuehua held the Ling Guang Divine Gift but was blocked by wolves in front and tigers behind; despair filled her heart as she desperately searched for a way out, finally asking:

"What do we do?"

Nangong Ye felt that unless his master arrived, the three of them could not escape unharmed; gritting his teeth, he said:

"How about giving one opportunity to Lu Yan? If we ally with Lu Yan, dealing with these two outside shouldn't be a big problem."

Xie Jinhuan strongly disagreed with this proposal; first, he couldn't bear to part with it, and second, the mental damage was too extreme; now, asking this old Taoist for help, one opportunity would definitely not settle the matter.

But in this situation, even if he summoned a ghost, or the Great Immortal Zisu, it would be useless.

Xie Jinhuan moved through the intricate maze, thought for a moment, and said:

"Drive the tiger to swallow the wolf! Find a way to make these two groups fight each other while we sneak away."

Nangong Ye thought this was a good idea, but the problem was:

"How do we drive them?"

Xie Jinhuan scanned the chaotic rock crevices, devising a strategy, but this was clearly difficult; finally, the Ghost Wife reminded them:

"Sister Hua knows witchcraft; let her release a poisonous fog to muddy the waters and snatch the fish."

Xie Jinhuan paused, looking at the quiet big cart beside him:

"Can you control the poisonous fog?"

At this moment, Bu Yuehua had no mind to act with Nangong Ye; she nodded:

"Yes."

Saying this, she tossed a poison-curing pill to the two, waved her sleeves, and immediately a dark green fog snake rose behind her, spreading into the rock fissures and obscuring everything.

Seeing the poisonous fog identical to Wan Yi's, Xie Jinhuan's eyes grew suspicious.

But there was no time to ask details now; he glanced at the slightly nervous Seeing Bing Tuozi beside him, swallowed the poison-curing pill in one gulp, then vanished into the poisonous fog, suppressing all his aura...

Moments later.

Five figures successively slid into the underground; the unbearable heat and the spreading poisonous smoke made the three behind them feel the urge to retreat.

Xu Guanfu, wearing a white cloak and holding his sword, walked ahead, while Yan Lang followed at his side with a blade in hand, protecting himself with a strong qi to prevent infection by the poisonous fog.

"Poison mist... is it the Wu Alliance?"

"You intercepted intelligence from the Wu Alliance; naturally, they know Xie Jinhuan came to seize the opportunity. But even if Master Sikong personally intervened, he could take at most one share. How could he take everything so quickly?"

"Unclear. But the one who came is definitely not Master Sikong. If it were him, we should be the ones running."

"Master Sikong has been at Phoenix Port these past few days, discussing with the Gu Du Pai sect master the matter of re-entering the Central Plains. He has no time to come here..."

Xu Guanfu feared encountering Master Sikong in the Southern Border. As the seventh martial artist of Great Qian, he could challenge any other hero of the Southern Border. He immediately walked quickly deeper:

"Those three just emerged; their Qi seas must be depleted. It will be hard to recover here. They cannot hide for long. Search."

Yan Lang carefully sensed the movements beneath the ground, tracking the whereabouts of the three from before. He soon discovered that besides the distant muffled thunder beneath the earth, there were also some dull roars, as if someone was breaking rocks and shattering stone. He frowned:

"Do they want to break through to another exit?"

Xu Guanfu thought it possible. After all, the next exit might be over a hundred li away. The underground environment was like a maze; a normal person could not be so lucky to find the second exit directly. Thus, he followed the sound:

"Chase quickly."

At the same time, half a li away.

Xie Jinhuan and the other two hid silently in the crack, with wolves before and tigers behind, not daring to blink their eyes even once.

Seeing the powerful enemies on the surface intervene, Xie Jinhuan looked at Ghost Wife with his eyes, asking a question.

Ye Hongshang had been observing the opponents' movements. When the five walked within a hundred zhang range, she said with slight surprise:

"All five are martial artists. Two are Super-Grade, hard to gauge, but one carries injuries. It seems to be Liang Yue, who fought you, from the Black Yan Gang."

Black Yan Gang... Hearing this, Xie Jinhuan knew he was being watched by someone with ulterior motives. The Black Yan Gang was not here to seize the opportunity, but to cut off the roots completely.

His whereabouts had been told to only a handful of people; it was unlikely to leak. But recently, his fame had been too great. As long as he disappeared from Jingcheng, even the evil paths would dig up the earth three feet deep to find his tracks before feeling at ease.

He did not use invisibility either, traveling at full speed toward the south. Passing through too many prefectures and counties along the way, it was not strange if some Super-Grade power captured his trail.

But even if the Mingshen Sect knew, how did the Black Yan Gang know this news, and through what channel?

Xie Jinhuan was somewhat puzzled, but he could not investigate now. He took out the 'Huang Qi Seal' from his chest, which could spit fire to explore treasures, and whispered near Seeing Bing Tuozi's ear...

Xu Guanfu and the others followed the crisscrossing rock layer cracks, tracking the source of the sound deep inside, while also listening for any rustling in the surroundings along the way.

But before the five had walked far, they heard a woman's voice coming from deep within the poison mist:

"Bing Ding Ying Huo, Zhu Que transforms, blazing true fire, obey my command..."

Hush~

Golden-red firelight lit up deep within the poison mist!

Xu Guanfu, just by looking at the flame color, knew this was the 'True: Heaven-Burning Li Fire Spell' enhanced by Ling Guang's divine gift. His face changed instantly, and his sheathed sword flashed out in the blink of an eye:

Clang—

Whoosh—

An invisible sword qi instantly sliced through the oily green poison mist and even the cliff wall, striking directly at the source of the firelight.

At that very moment, blinding firelight surged from the distance, forming a wave of fire that sprayed forward. When it met the sword qi, it was cut open to the left and right, turning the rock wall crimson, and continued surging outward.

Boom...

The Heaven-Burning Li Fire Spell was the signature divine art of the Divination Sect. Without Ling Guang's divine gift, it could only be said to have a large range. But with the 'Blazing True Fire' bestowed by Ling Guang's divine gift, it was so strong it could melt immortal artifacts; a mortal body could not possibly withstand it.

Although Yan Lang felt the momentum was a bit weak, the 'Blazing True Fire' was no fake. Seeing the flames surge forward, he dared not be the slightest bit careless, immediately using his yuan qi to protect the space before him.

Boom—

The sword qi and firelight converged, then vanished completely in the blink of an eye.

Xu Guanfu looked toward the source of the firelight, but saw that the end of the crack, which had been cleaved by a sword mark, had already collapsed.

The person who struck had vanished without a trace; only the woman's anxious words could be faintly heard:

"Quickly notify Junior Uncle Lu, find another way out. The people seizing the opportunity have arrived, and they are very powerful..."

Hearing this, Yan Lang suddenly understood:

"It is people from Northern Zhou's Five Spirit Mountain. The Divination Sect is skilled in divination and observing qi techniques; they can calculate the approximate time an opportunity appears. Lu Yan is also proficient in fire arts. No wonder they could arrive so early..."

Xu Guanfu thought the second-in-command of the Northern Zhou Daoist sect would not be easy to deal with.

But the opponent was burdened with family and dependents, searching for three opportunities underground; they could not possibly be at full strength.

And he and Yan Lang had just intervened, their momentum soaring.

Northern Zhou cultivators... if killed, they were killed. There would be no aftereffects at all...

Thinking of this, Xu Guanfu immediately walked quickly to chase:

"Lu Yan must be carrying the Fire Decree or the Five Elements Seal. These two magical treasures are more precious even than Ling Guang's divine gift. Do not let them escape."

Yan Lang, a pirate by origin, heard this and a fiery look appeared in his eyes. He immediately led three hall masters to chase underground.

At the same time, underground.

Boom boom boom...

Lu Yan held the useless junior under one arm and blasted open the collapsed rubble with one hand. To prevent the cunning little Xie Jinhuan from escaping to the surface and running far, he no longer cared about the depletion of his Qi sea. His speed was very fast; to an onlooker, he looked like a fire lion, smashing a path through the underground.

However, when approaching the surface, Lu Yan blasted open the rubble and suddenly saw thick green mist churning on the other side. He immediately retreated several steps.

Discovering it was just ordinary poison mist, Lu Lang's brows furrowed. He waved his wide sleeve, creating a gust of wind that blew the poison mist away for dozens of zhang.

But the entire surface space seemed filled with poison mist; it could not be cleared at all.

Why did the Gu Du Pai people come too...

Could it be Master Sikong...

Thinking of this, Lu Yan became more cautious. He quietly searched for a path to the surface, listening carefully along the way, to avoid being ambushed by poison rats.

As a result, after moving out a short distance, a sound of tearing wind suddenly erupted from the crack in the distance.

Whoosh~

It sounded like three people fleeing rapidly.

?!

Liang Yue spotted Xie Jinhuan's target; his eyes were immediately filled with surging rage again, and he quietly moved toward the source of the sound.

Meanwhile, Xu Guanfu, Yan Lang, and others, hearing the commotion of the three fleeing, also advanced toward the source.

To prevent opponents from detecting their tracks early, everyone suppressed their breathing and sounds, thinking to close the distance silently.

But Liang Yue's cultivation was still higher!

As he passed through a rock fissure, Liang Yue suddenly sensed something was wrong; his peripheral vision turned toward the depths of the thick poison mist, and the Righteous Fire Token in his right hand instantly displayed a gold-red glow, shooting forth a meteor of flying fire from a hundred zhang away.

Boom—

Xu Guanfu also sensed someone on his side, though he was unsure; seeing the gold-red firelight flare up again, his face changed instantly, and he immediately slashed out with his sword.

Swish—

At the same time, from the rock layer fissures extending in all directions, Xie Jinhuan's arrogant words rang out:

"Heaven has a path you refuse to take, Hell has no door yet you come yourself. Let's see if you still chase! Hold the rear!"

"Yes—"

?!

Terrible, we've fallen into a trap...

Hearing these words, Liang Yue knew he had fallen into an ambush; Xie Jinhuan had helpers outside, waiting specifically for him to come out!

Xu Guanfu also hadn't expected Xie Jinhuan to be so cunning, coming to seek opportunities together with people from the Northern Zhou Zhan Yan Pai, and even being "prophetic," setting up a killing formation in advance...

No, Xie Jinhuan seems to be the Empress Dowager's lover, so having connections with the Zhan Yan Pai is not strange...

But where did the Gu Du Pai cultivators come from...

Both sides were full of question marks in their heads, but they all knew they had fallen into this boy's ambush!

Liang Yue and others immediately protected the rear.

Liang Yue, knowing he was trapped in a heavy encirclement and might perish with his Dao extinguished, held back nothing more; he tossed Xi Yanjun behind him, his Dao robe billowing all over, the Righteous Fire Token floating directly before him, a ring of fire surging forth, and then:

"Clang—"

The flames whistled like a phoenix crying blood, echoing in the underground filled with poison mist.

Xu Guanfu and Yan Lang also became trapped beasts in a cage; to seek a sliver of a chance for life, the two Super-Grade martial artists charged out directly from left and right, attacking Liang Yue's flanks, attempting to block the World-Destroying Fire Art!

Boom boom boom—

In an instant, rolling thunder immediately erupted from the dark underground.

Mountain rocks shattered, firelight splashed, like a hell of Asuras!

And half a li away.

After shouting once, Xie Jinhuan quietly and sneakily ran toward the surface.

Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua were almost scared to death; at this moment, they didn't even dare to breathe, following closely behind with heads down, fleeing wildly, their bodies covered in cold sweat...

—

Over nine thousand words or two!

(End of this chapter)