Chapter 1006

Guihai Yidao and Shangguan Haitang were not only fellow top secret agents of Shanzhuang alongside Duan Tianya.

More crucially, the three were as close as brothers, long ago bound like siblings by deep kinship.

Since Zhou Zhiruo was the benefactor of Guihai Yidao and Shangguan Haitang, she was also Duan Tianya's benefactor.

Though the three Earthly Masters had been killed, Duan Tianya did not feel he should strike against his benefactor.

Yet now his adoptive father Zhu Wushi had ordered him to act, leaving him caught in an agonizing dilemma.

Fortunately, during this brief moment of speech, the situation on the other side had changed drastically.

Originally, Zhou Zhiruo's sudden appearance had slaughtered the three Earthly Masters with thunderous brutality.

Not only had this thrown Cao Zhengchun into panic, forcing him to threaten Abbess Jingjue,

but even the other three Great Experts of the Eastern Depot and the remaining elite of Shanzhuang were now trembling with fear.

The encirclement had already loosened considerably.

Seizing this opportunity, Seeing Gu Hongzi charged toward Cao Zhengchun without regard for his own life.

Mid-air, he unleashed his signature technique: Seven Killers.

Seven Killers—also known as Seven Sha Hands!

It was a lethal Mount Emei Sect technique, weaving together the seven energies of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Yin, and Yang in intricate, interwoven transformations.

When unleashed, it appeared calm and effortless, yet concealed lethal intent beneath its surface.

794 Are you mad?

Cao Zhengchun's attention had been drawn entirely to Zhou Zhiruo.

By the time he realized the danger, Seeing Gu Hongzi had already closed the distance.

This range was precisely where the Seven Killers reached their maximum destructive radius.

Thus, Seeing Gu Hongzi poured all his true qi into the technique, pushing it to its absolute peak.

He had been a top disciple of Mount Emei Sect, and with Zhou Zhiruo's aid, he had fully comprehended the Mount Emei Nine Yang Art.

His cultivation had advanced to the Realm of Earthly Immortal.

Now, to save Abbess Jingjue, he unleashed nearly all his power.

Every strike was aimed solely at forcing Cao Zhengchun to retreat, leaving not the slightest defense for himself.

At this moment, Cao Zhengchun finally reacted, glancing once—and instantly understood Seeing Gu Hongzi's intent.

Though Zhou Zhiruo was about to arrive, Seeing Gu Hongzi's deadly strike was right before him.

With no choice, Cao Zhengchun seized Abbess Jingjue's blue steel sword, spun around, and thrust it toward the opening in Seeing Gu Hongzi's technique.

This move was merely a casual, half-hearted strike by Cao Zhengchun.

He only intended to strike where Seeing Gu Hongzi must defend, forcing him to retreat half a step.

Then he would retract the sword and reassert control over Abbess Jingjue, to deter Zhou Zhiruo's impending assault.

Who could have imagined that this clearly fatal thrust, Seeing Gu Hongzi seemed to ignore entirely?

He lunged straight into Cao Zhengchun's blade, pierced clean through his chest.

"Are you mad?"

Cao Zhengchun, stunned beyond words, cried out involuntarily.

In truth, from the depths of his heart, he had no desire to kill either Abbess Jingjue or Seeing Gu Hongzi.

After all, killing them would make him a mortal enemy of Zhou Zhiruo.

With Zhou Zhiruo's power combined with that sword's might, he feared his days henceforth would be filled with sleepless nights and restless meals.

Cao Zhengchun had taken Abbess Jingjue hostage merely to trade her for that sword from Zhou Zhiruo.

Now Seeing Gu Hongzi had rushed forward as if committing suicide—completely beyond Cao Zhengchun's expectations.

Hearing Cao Zhengchun's shout, Seeing Gu Hongzi merely grinned.

In his hand, the Seven Killers suddenly shifted into a single palm strike, slamming hard toward Abbess Jingjue beside him.

Though Abbess Jingjue had been locked in place by Cao Zhengchun's pressure points, her body immobile,

Seeing Gu Hongzi's palm strike not only unsealed her acupoints but also hurled her far out of the battle zone, flying toward Zhou Zhiruo.

"No…"

With her acupoints freed, Abbess Jingjue could not control her flight toward Zhou Zhiruo, yet she screamed in anguish.

Seeing Gu Hongzi had just sacrificed himself to save her!

On Zhou Zhiruo's side, seeing Abbess Jingjue rescued by Seeing Gu Hongzi's self-sacrifice, she immediately withdrew her sword and reached out, drawing her master into her arms.

Once caught by Zhou Zhiruo, Abbess Jingjue immediately struggled to break free and rush toward Seeing Gu Hongzi.

Zhou Zhiruo sighed, then pressed a finger to a vital point on her back, whispering softly,

"Master, forgive me. I will avenge Master Seeing Gu Hongzi—but not today."

In truth, Zhou Zhiruo had remained hidden in the flames so long because someone outside had exposed her consumption of Tian Xiang Doukou.

Her Heavenly Being Realm cultivation, even across the Nine Provinces, was already formidable.

Thus, hidden within the fire, she had long sensed many hidden experts within Yunzhou Shaolin.

After a moment's thought, she understood.

The Great Ming, for this Qinglong Society mission, had dispatched nearly the entire Wu Lin of the Great Ming.

Though their arrivals had been staggered, many had still come.

Tian Xiang Doukou was the mission's target—countless Great Ming martial artists had their eyes fixed on this treasure.

Now that she had consumed Tian Xiang Doukou, the unburned Le Ku had revealed it.

These Great Ming martial artists had clearly grown hostile toward her.

Yet, since she had not yet appeared, they had held back—until now.

But since the Abbess Miejue and Seeing Gu Hongzi were in danger, and Zhou Zhiruo was not a heartless person, she could only reveal herself to save them.

Though Seeing Gu Hongzi had perished, at least the Abbess Miejue had been saved.

If the Abbess Miejue were allowed to seek out Cao Zhengchun again out of vengeance, she would be delayed.

If she drew the siege of Great Ming martial artists, even with the Yi Tian Sword in hand, she might not be able to extract the Abbess Miejue from peril!

Thus Zhou Zhiruo could only immobilize the Abbess Miejue, suppressing her grief over Seeing Gu Hongzi's death.

She turned, seized the Abbess Miejue, executed a graceful backward somersault—employing the unique body skill Snake Crawl, Cat Flip from the Nine Yin Manual—intending to escape.

From Seeing Gu Hongzi's sudden attack to Zhou Zhiruo immobilizing the Abbess Miejue and preparing to flee with Snake Crawl, Cat Flip—

The entire span of time matched exactly the duration of Zhu Wushi and the others' conversation.

Seeing Zhou Zhiruo attempt to flee, Duan Tianya still hesitated, not moving to act.

Zhu Wushi's face darkened with fury, saying,

"Good, good! You all have truly grown wings, daring to openly defy my orders.

Very well, very well! I need not trouble you—I shall act myself."

As Zhou Zhiruo completed her first backward somersault and was about to land, Zhu Wushi struck.

In this foreign Great Ming, since the death of the Invincible Naughty Child, he, Zhu Wushi, had been the supreme martial artist of the age.

Though his move came slightly late, the moment he acted, he immediately activated the Absorb Power Great Art.

This Absorb Power Great Art was one of the two divine arts of this foreign Great Ming.

Not only could it absorb others' cultivation power and convert it for one's own use—

It could also absorb others' martial techniques, allowing the user to learn them, truly extraordinary.

But more terrifying still, when perfected, this art absorbed everything.

Even celestial qi and the Dao's laws might be drawn in.

Zhu Wushi had not reached its ultimate depth.

Yet with his current cultivation, he could still perform remote suction.

As the Absorb Power Great Art activated, even over a hundred zhang away, Zhou Zhiruo's figure was frozen midair.

That somersault could no longer be completed.

"Hand over the Tian Xiang Doukou, and I shall let you go."

Though Le Ku had said Zhou Zhiruo had already swallowed the Tian Xiang Doukou, Zhu Wushi still clung to hope.

He hoped Le Ku, grievously wounded, was merely babbling.

The Tian Xiang Doukou in the Damo Hall had merely been taken by Zhou Zhiruo—not swallowed.

"Hmph!"