Chapter 770

Transmit my order: launch an immediate assault on the Yuan army and rescue the Xuanxinzheng Sect.

Jiangchen, Corpses Hanba, Sun En, and other national protectors immediately received their orders and departed.

Various Tang Army units, led by their respective commanders, advanced toward the Yuan army.

"My lord, should I intervene and assist Yan Chixia?"

Only when the Tang Army and Tang elite warriors had engaged did Cang Qu finally speak up.

Pudu Cihang's true form was a primordial centipede, far beyond Cang Qu's imagination.

Seeing Yan Chixia, despite aid from Qinglong, Bai Hu, and others, still struggling to hold on, his strength nearly equal to his own.

Defeat might take longer, but Pudu Cihang's breakthrough of the Xuanxinzheng Sect's formation and the unsealing of Yin Yue Dongtian was clearly imminent.

As a generation-defining Heavenly Demon and one of the top ten warriors of Jiuzhou, Cang Qu had long been itching to challenge.

But with this entire army assembled, every move must be decided by Di Renjie.

"My lord, do you think you should enter the battle?"

Di Renjie smiled, but did not answer—instead, he asked a question.

"Hm?"

Cang Qu was a genius of extraordinary brilliance, having created the Heavenly Demon Secrets and founded the Demon Gate path—his intellect was unquestionably extraordinary.

Only moments ago, the urge to fight had stirred in him.

Now, hearing Di Renjie's counter-question, he instantly understood.

At present, all factions' elite warriors remained hidden.

If I acted rashly, I would force the Tang to reveal all their hidden cards.

By the final moment, others might simply reap the rewards.

Yet Cang Qu could not fathom it: the unsealing of Yin Yue Dongtian would at most yield the Yin Yue Imperial Court.

The alliance between Yin Yue Imperial Court and Dayuanjie Alliance was already taking shape.

That is to say, the greatest beneficiary of Yin Yue Dongtian's unsealing would naturally be Dayuanjie.

Then why were all factions holding back?

The great battle continued!

The Dayuanjie, Tang, and Xuanxinzheng Sect forces clashed below in chaotic melee.

Pudu Cihang transformed into a primordial centipede, single-handedly battling Yan Chixia, Qinglong, and Bai Hu—the three strongest warriors.

Soon, he would shatter the Twelve Heavenly Stems Formation and lift the seal of Yin Yue Dongtian.

Yet none of this battle could disturb the outcome of the duel between Zhang Sanfeng and Long Xiang Seng.

Both were masters of their age; every faction deliberately avoided the area where they fought.

Thus, though their duel took place at the heart of the Dayuanjie camp—the very epicenter of the battle—

no one watched, save the Wu Dangqixia.

After so long a fight, the dragon-elephant phantom behind Long Xiang Seng grew steadily fainter.

In contrast, the Taiji Yin-Yang fish in Zhang Sanfeng's palm turned ever more fluid, lifelike.

Though he hated to admit it, Long Xiang Seng knew he was moments from defeat.

After another desperate punch, again neutralized by Zhang Sanfeng's Yin-Yang principles and countered in turn—

Long Xiang Seng could no longer withstand the combined force of hardness and softness; struck, he spat a jet of black blood.

His entire demeanor deteriorated rapidly.

"I refuse to accept this…"

Long Xiang Seng was truly unwilling to accept it—he was ranked nineteenth on the Heavenly Dao Golden List, while Zhang Sanfeng had been far behind him.

At the start of today's battle, Long Xiang Seng had held a slight advantage through his cultivation.

But the longer they held out, the more he realized his recovery could not keep pace with his expenditure, while Zhang Sanfeng grew stronger with every strike.

This seemed to suggest the Heavenly Dao Golden List was flawed—and also that Zhang Sanfeng had concealed his true strength.

Zhang Sanfeng saw that after this blow, Long Xiang Seng's Ren and Du Meridians had been shattered; his cultivation was plummeting rapidly.

He knew this once-mighty warrior, who had led the annihilation of Wu Dangpai, was about to perish here.

He could not help but sigh inwardly.

Today's victory had been, in truth, somewhat fortunate.

All of this was due to the arrangements made by the Great Dragon Chief behind the scenes.

After all, the Heavenly Dao Golden List was decreed by Heaven itself; even with the Qinglong Society's vast resources, how could Zhang Sanfeng possibly catch up to Long Xiang Seng in such a short time?

But today's duel was never meant to be a mere martial arts contest.

Zhang Sanfeng had come here to kill Long Xiang Seng—to avenge the destruction of Wu Dangpai!

After learning of the Wu Dangpai incident, Ximen Wudi had specifically ordered Lu Xueqi, upon leaving the Sword Realm, to bring back a strategy to resolve it.

Wu Dangpai was an outer faction of the Qinglong Society; theoretically, the Qinglong Society could have mobilized en masse to exterminate Long Xiang Seng—and even cleanse his patron, Dayuanjie—with little difficulty.

But Ximen Wudi understood Zhang Sanfeng best; he knew this old Daoist Priest cherished Wu Dangpai deeply.

He would never seek to avenge Wu Dangpai by relying on Qinglong Society's power.

Thus, Ximen Wudi's first directive was to use Wu Dangpai's own strength to seek revenge.

The Zhenwu Seven-Cut Formation was the perfect choice.

On the surface, the Wu Dangqixia formed the Zhenwu Seven-Cut Formation.

In truth, this Zhenwu Seven-Cut Formation was no longer Zhang Sanfeng's original creation—

it was further linked, via the Heart-to-Heart Pill, to one of Qinglong Society's secret trump cards: the Twenty-Four Solar Terms.

With the Twenty-Four Solar Terms' enhancement, even the Wu Dangqixia alone could have defeated Long Xiang Seng.

This was the original plan.

Indeed, things unfolded exactly this way; Long Xiang Seng did not realize he was trapped within the Twenty-Four Solar Terms and failed to unleash his full power at once.

Thus, his defeat was already sealed.

Unexpectedly, halfway through, Pudu Cihang appeared.

This demon, whose true form was a barbaric centipede, uttered a single Buddhist chant, taking advantage of the stalemate between Wu Dangqixia and Long Xiang Seng.

It directly shattered Mo Shenggu, the weakest link, causing the True Wu Seven-Cut Array to collapse, and thus severed its connection to the Twenty-Four Solar Terms.

Without the Twenty-Four Solar Terms, how could Wu Dangqixia possibly oppose Long Xiang Seng?

In a moment of crisis, Zhang Sanfeng struck decisively.

He had already, through copying the Daoist scriptures and integrating them with his own martial path, comprehended the Way of Yin and Yang.

But what he had previously understood was still incomplete.

This fierce battle with Long Xiang Seng allowed him to fully grasp the essence of the copied Daoist scriptures through their exchange.

His understanding of the Way of Yin and Yang surged forward!

Yet the gap in their cultivation levels was hard to overcome.

Wu Dangqixia stabilized their formation and reactivated the True Wu Seven-Cut Array.

After reestablishing contact with the Twenty-Four Solar Terms, master and disciples charged together.

Even if the Lotus Life Buddha, once the top expert of Mingwang Temple, had come here, he would have retreated in defeat.

Zhang Sanfeng, of course, knew all of this.

He silently sighed: the Qinglong Society's depth was immense, its Great Dragon Chief Mo Ce was unfathomably cunning, and he even cared for his subordinates.

Though this battle was somewhat dishonorable in victory, Long Xiang Seng's destruction of Wu Dangpai was never truly righteous either.

Zhang Sanfeng was no rigid fool; he spoke directly:

"When hundreds of us on Mount Wudang were slaughtered, how many of us did not feel the same despair as you do now?"

Upon hearing this, Long Xiang Seng's face darkened further, then he let out a bitter, roaring laugh:

"True! True! At the moment of death, no one is ever truly at peace!

I cultivated for eight lifetimes, seeking the pinnacle of martial arts—yet today I am defeated by you.

Fate! Destiny!"

"Enough! I respect you as a great Gao Seng who endured eight lifetimes of cultivation. I ask you: was the Great Yuan involved in the destruction of Wu Dangpai?"

In truth, given the Qinglong Society's nature, there was no need to confirm whether the Great Yuan had participated.

Long Xiang Seng was the Great Yuan's national protector and patron; he himself instigated the annihilation of Wu Dangpai.