Chapter 1001

Therefore, when Abbess Miejue and Seeing Gu Hongzi burst forth into battle.

The Eastern Depot's elite were caught off guard, and their encirclement instead opened a gap.

Although Cao Zhengchun charged fastest, his mortal rival Zhu Tie Dan was also present.

Thus he had always kept his eyes scanning six directions and his ears attuned to eight.

Seeing that Abbess Miejue and Seeing Gu Hongzi, two Mount Emei Sect disciples, dared to assault the Eastern Depot's encirclement.

This powerful Eastern Depot Director could not help but grit his teeth in rage, bellowing at Master Yeyu:

"Master Yeyu, are you planning rebellion?"

In this foreign Great Ming, the court's power truly towered over the Jianghu.

Especially after the Invincible Child Gu Santong slaughtered the Bada Sect, the court's control over the Jianghu intensified greatly.

Thus although Cao Zhengchun was merely the Eastern Depot Director, even the Shaolinzhang Sect leader had to look up to him.

At this moment, Master Yeyu, struck by Cao Zhengchun's roar, froze in stunned silence for a long while.

She had no idea who Abbess Miejue or Seeing Gu Hongzi were.

How could she have anticipated that Abbess Miejue and Seeing Gu Hongzi would attack the Eastern Depot's encirclement?

And their strikes were brutal—right from the first move, they unleashed Mount Emei Sect's deadliest techniques.

Within a few strikes, they had cut down numerous Eastern Depot agents like chopping melons and slicing vegetables.

Had it not been for the Eastern Depot's eight top experts reacting swiftly and dispatching three elite fighters to intercept them.

They might have already shattered the entire encirclement in that brief moment.

Even if Master Yeyu wished to order these two Mount Emei Sect experts to retreat, she knew full well she could not control them.

To publicly deny they were Mount Emei disciples would likely not convince Cao Zhengchun at all.

She could only swallow bitter gall, unable to voice her suffering.

Fortunately, after Cao Zhengchun roared once, he had no time to continue screaming at Master Yeyu.

For he had charged forward so swiftly that he had already reached the figure engulfed in flames.

That flame-enshrouded figure, seeing Cao Zhengchun charge toward him,

Without hesitation, raised his hand and launched several strikes.

These strikes were not only cunning and ruthless, but each one carried boundless flames.

Cao Zhengchun had once fought Zhou Zhiruo, and at first he assumed these flames were the same Yang energy she possessed.

He immediately unleashed his Hunyuan Tian Gang True Qi to counter directly.

But when their techniques clashed, he was stunned to realize:

This was no Yang energy at all—it was even fiercer than Zhou Zhiruo's Yang energy.

Though both True Qis belonged to the Yang path, they still held subtle differences.

Though slight, such a difference in a clash between experts meant a hair's breadth error led to a thousand-mile mistake.

Thus, as soon as they connected, Cao Zhengchun, unprepared, immediately fell into disadvantage.

The flames surged, engulfing Cao Zhengchun entirely, burning fiercely.

He looked as if he were about to be burned to death.

"Ah! Director, hold on—I'll help you!"

Seeing Cao Zhengchun in such dire peril, the Eastern Depot experts were all stunned, their attacks slowing.

Only Luo Jusheng, without hesitation, charged forward immediately.

Luo Jusheng was a traitor of Yunzhou Shaolin, a Zi-character monk.

Driven by lust for worldly splendor and unable to endure the monastery's austere asceticism, he had betrayed Shaolin Temple.

His Shaolin Wu Gong ranked only below the Three Divine Monks.

Thus Cao Zhengchun had recruited him as an Eastern Depot guest minister, treating him with great respect.

Now, seeing Cao Zhengchun in danger, he repaid the favor without delay.

He plunged straight into the flames and unleashed Yunzhou Shaolin's Great Strength Jin Gang Finger, stabbing fiercely at the flaming figure.

Yunzhou Shaolin's Great Strength Jin Gang Finger was an utterly Yang technique.

Even an ordinary divine weapon, struck by Luo Jusheng, would likely shatter.

How much more so a human body?

The flaming figure had intended to seize this chance to at least severely wound Cao Zhengchun.

But now, with Luo Jusheng charging recklessly toward him, he lost the opportunity.

He could only sigh faintly and strike out with one palm.

Cao Zhengchun used this palm strike to immediately escape the flames surrounding him.

Then the flaming figure surged his entire True Qi and launched a full assault on Luo Jusheng.

Luo Jusheng groaned in agony, barely managing to defend himself.

As soon as Cao Zhengchun emerged from the flames, others saw that his exquisite crown had been mostly burned away.

Had it not been for his True Qi shielding his head, even his hair might have been completely scorched off.

"Director, are you alright?"

At this moment, Tiezhua Feiying finally reacted, rushing to Cao Zhengchun's side to show his loyalty.

"Idiot, what could possibly happen to me? Quickly, all of you—attack together with Luo Jusheng and capture this fiend!"

Cao Zhengchun cursed bitterly, then ordered the other Eastern Depot experts to surround and attack.

Earlier, when Cao Zhengchun had been engulfed in flames, they had been too fearful to advance.

Now that Cao Zhengchun had emerged and given the command.

Though still fearful of the flame-shaped figure, the several top Eastern Depot experts could only grit their teeth and charge forward.

Of the Eastern Depot's eight top experts, three were held back by Abbess Mie jue and Seeing Gu Hongzi.

Thus, only five experts—including Luo Jusheng and Tiezhua Feiying—were left to surround the flame-shaped figure.

These five experts varied greatly in cultivation level.

They usually competed for credit and clashed in rivalry, so they had never trained to fight together.

Therefore, though five attacked one, none unleashed their full strength.

As a result, the flame-shaped figure grew even more ferocious with each strike.

In the end, it let out a roar.

That roar was full of vigor, brimming with boldness.

Cao Zhengchun adjusted his Qi, preparing to rejoin the assault.

But hearing that roar, he froze in place.

"Th-this… this is a man?"

Indeed, that roar held no feminine softness—it was unmistakably the voice of a man.

But wasn't I supposed to be attacking Zhou Zhiruo?

Is this even Zhou Zhiruo?

Just as Cao Zhengchun was bewildered, unsure whether to press on—

"Cao Eunuch, you dared wound Shangguan Haitang? Today, I swear to kill you!"

At that moment, a furious shout came from behind Cao Zhengchun.

The next instant, Cao Zhengchun felt a pang of dread.

For Cao Zhengchun to feel dread, the attacker's assault must have been terrifyingly fierce.

Eunuch Cao, you cannot retreat!

Cao Zhengchun had no time to think—he immediately activated his Hunyuan Tiangang True Qi, forming a protective aura around himself.

Boom—

The moment the aura formed, endless Ning Daoqi slashed toward him.

These blade-qi were fierce and tyrannical, yet concealed deep malice and venom.

Cao Zhengchun, caught off-guard by the flame-shaped figure due to his earlier carelessness, had already sustained minor injuries.

Now, struck by these blade-qi—even though they only hit his True Qi shield—

He felt a slight obstruction in his meridians; a thread of sinister Qi pierced through the shield and surged into his meridians.

"Damn it!"