Chapter 83: 81 March (Part 1)

Ding.

Inside the Fortune God Hall.

Zhang Xuan raised his hand, precisely blocking the dart aimed at him.

The dart was only a hand’s distance from his neck, but no matter what, that hand couldn’t close the gap.

The two men’s arms crossed against each other, their eyes meeting.

“You… you didn’t get drunk!!?” Fang Qi’s face was astonished, shocked, his arm trembling slightly.

He clearly saw the other finish the entire drink laced with sedative!

How could this be??

How is it possible!?

Taking advantage of Fang Qi’s shock and distraction, Zhang Xuan suddenly reached out, his free left hand closing the distance between them, striking him right in the chest.

Bam!

The heavy palm strike hit Fang Qi’s chest hard.

Even though Zhang Xuan was no longer at the peak of his youth as a fifth rank, his palm strength was still above the fourth rank level.

That strike broke Fang Qi’s chest bone, sending him retreating several meters.

He couldn’t get up in time, seated cross-legged on a mat, sliding back several meters along with it!

“…..”

Fang Qi coughed up a mouthful of blood, which fell onto the grayish floor tiles.

The blood slowly seeped down the gaps between the tiles, carrying tiny bubbles.

“You’re really something… Brother Zhang… Seems you’ve always been on guard against me….”

Zhang Xuan’s face was complex as he slowly stood up.

“Actually… I really drank it all… But unfortunately… you were afraid I’d notice something, so you put in too little drug. And I had specialized training to resist sedatives when I was younger….”

“Resistant training against sedatives?” Fang Qi was stunned, suddenly realizing that using sedatives against Zhang Xuan was completely wrong.

But how would an ordinary person undergo such training? And where could someone receive such training?

“Then earlier, when you said you’d send people to Tan’s Manor, that was… fake too?” he asked in surprise.

“Who knows, maybe it’s true? After all, Tan’s Manor isn’t within our province, and the environment over there is much more stable.” Zhang Xuan sighed lightly.

“What I didn’t expect the most, was you… actually….”

“What do you understand!?” Fang Qi suddenly interrupted him, gritting his teeth.

“Do you think I don’t know that our uprising this time is meant to be cannon fodder? That it’s a sure death? You’re not afraid to die, Zhang Xuan, but I’m still young!”

He stood up, clutching his chest.

“I, Fang Qi, have trained my martial arts bitterly for many years, endured so much hardship! Is it just to be cannon fodder and die here for nothing?!”

“Brother Zhang, you should think for yourself and for your son and disciples. At times like this, we have a great opportunity to switch allegiances. Do you really think we can rely on just a few thousand of us and natural barriers to resist those brutal Spirit Court troops!?”

Zhang Xuan looked painfully at the brother who had once allied and vowed to rebel together with him.

He opened his mouth to say something, but ultimately said nothing.

What Fang Qi said wasn’t wrong; they couldn’t hold out indefinitely like this.

Originally, he had calculated a fallback for their people, but… looking at it now, it was all too late.

Outside the Fortune God Hall, the sound of weapons clashing mixed with screams and shouts quickly resonated.

Zhang Xuan’s expression shifted slightly as he looked outside.

“What else have you done??”

“What have I done?? Just brought a few extra people when I came up the mountain.” Fang Qi laughed heartily, “Brother Zhang, those who know the times are wise, now is our best chance. Pledge allegiance, capture the remaining rebellious leaders, and as long as we take Han Elder’s head, we…”

“Shut up!” Zhang Xuan’s expression changed instantly, darting forward. Using a combination of the One Element Talisman and the Morning Energy Talisman with Mist Smoke Step, he quickly launched an attack.

He needed to take down Fang Qi before the others arrived.

Though Fang Qi’s chest was injured, his movement was still swift.

The two exchanged several blows back and forth until Fang Qi, with a low shout, burst out of the hall’s doorway.

On the stone steps outside, their punches and kicks intersected with sounds belonging to the fourth rank, repeatedly exploding.

Having drunk the sedative-laced wine, Zhang Xuan, even with his former resistant constitution, was still somewhat affected. His strength and speed had slightly diminished.

Meanwhile, Fang Qi’s chest injury hampered his strength, and the pain was unbearable.

Both were of the fourth rank, both in similarly poor states, knowing each other inside out from years of friendship.

Now, the fight became a stalemate.

But what troubled Zhang Xuan was that upon fighting out of the Fortune God Hall, he realized the fight outside had already begun.

Groups of people from unknown origins, surprisingly teamed up with some members of Qinghe Palace, were slaughtering another section of Qinghe Palace’s martial disciples.

The entire Taoist palace was filled with sounds of killing, fighting.

Blood, screams, painful wails, and angry roars echoed through the sounds of crossing weapons.

“Hahaha!!” Fang Qi laughed heartily. “Brother Zhang, give it up. Now that Palace Master Tang Sha has pledged allegiance, along with the hundreds I brought, do you think you still have a chance?”

Zhang Xuan’s eyes were bloodshot as he watched his son Zhang Xintai and several other Martial Cultivators slowly gather Qinghe Palace’s many skilled fighters, holding up in the largest Profound Heart Hall, relying on the hall doors for a prolonged fight.

Outside, a Taoist unskilled in martial arts was driven and captured.

Those who resisted were struck down one by one.

The path in front of the three main halls was covered in bloodstains.

In his heart, a surge of anger gradually turned into sorrow.

“Fang Qi!!”

This emotion transformed into strength, quickly enhancing every strike he made.

Fang Qi, already struggling, found it even harder now.

But soon, another person rushed in from the side.

The newcomer, clad in a Taoist robe, wearing a jade-branched lotus crown, had a clean-shaven face—none other than the current Palace Master, Tang Sha.

“Junior Brother Zhang, the tide has turned, what are you persisting for?”

Without saying much, he took over Fang Qi’s position and engaged in battle with Zhang Xuan.

This time, the roles reversed.

Tang Sha was one of the few renowned fifth-rank experts within Qinghe Palace known for his real combat experience.

Like Zhang Xuan, he had traveled extensively when he was younger.

As soon as he engaged, he surpassed Zhang Xuan in both power and speed.

“Lianqing, help me!” Zhang Xuan suddenly shouted.

Thwack!

A crossbow arrow shot out, aimed at Tang Sha’s back.

Caught off guard, Tang Sha only managed to roll to the left upon hearing Zhang Xuan’s shout.

But he was still a step too slow.

The arrow punched through the flesh of his left shoulder, leaving a bloody hole.

But likewise, the distant eldest disciple Chen Lianqing became exposed, tangled up with an expert brought by Fang Qi.

“Impertinent!!” Tang Sha, in immense pain, immediately grew furious.

Engaging in combat with Zhang Xuan once again.

Zhang Xuan was drenched in sweat, being beaten to the point that he could only dodge. He swiftly shifted positions.

Occasionally counterattacking, he could only use desperate moves to ease the situation.

At this moment, in other areas, the volunteer army under Zhang Xuan and some disciples of Qinghe Palace were gradually being overwhelmed by Fang Qi and Tang Sha’s forces, one after another falling to the ground.

There were also guards at the mountain gate, preventing anyone from descending the mountain.

This was clearly an attempt to capture everyone on the mountain in one swoop.

The situation was becoming increasingly dire.

*

*

*

Qingding Mountain.

Two figures swiftly flashed through the mountain forest.

Zhang Rongfang avoided the tree branches and leaves that could collide with him at any moment while keeping an eye on Qingsu ahead.

This woman from Golden Wing Pavilion had quite an impressive body technique.

Even with the speed he deliberately displayed, which was a notch above the third rank, he barely managed to catch up.

Of course, the strength of his body technique didn’t lie in speed, but in silence and stealth.

At this moment, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

Qingsu suddenly halted her steps, using one hand to push off the tree trunk. Her whole body lightly soared three meters upward.

With this height, she glanced far ahead.

“Up ahead is the mountain where Qinghe Palace is located. You should be more familiar with this place than I am, right?”

“Naturally.”

Zhang Rongfang had already sensed the familiarity of the surroundings.

“So, have I fulfilled the requirement of the Feather Talisman?” Qingsu asked calmly.

But there was a slight teasing in her heart.

Without the Feather Talisman, she wanted to see what this Zhang Rongfang could do upon returning.

Even if he’s a genius, the current Huaxin County and the current Qinghe Palace, according to the intelligence obtained from within the pavilion, Zhang Xuan and others belong to the entrenched faction of the volunteer army.

The entrenched faction was slightly weaker than the appeasement faction.

The Spirit Army had been waiting for this very moment.

Surely by now, turmoil has already erupted within the Vigorous Army.

The three brothers of the Han family, the Qinghe Palace logistics, all were beginning to be targeted….

She landed and stopped, turning to look at Zhang Rongfang.

“I’ll give you a piece of information for free. The Spirit Army is now collaborating with spies inside the Vigorous Army to launch an inside-and-outside attack on your master and the others. If you return now, you’ll face not just internal strife but also a full suppression by the Spirit Court’s garrison.

Moreover, after today, this entire area may be surrounded, and not even a bird will be able to fly out.

So before you go in, you should think it over.”

Under the pressure of the Spirit Court’s troops, it’s not as simple as a duel between experts during a chaotic battle.

No matter how high your martial skills are, or how great your talent, you can’t withstand a barrage of random arrows.

Zhang Rongfang looked up, peering through the gaps in the trees at the faintly visible Qinghe Palace.

Scenes of his master and senior brothers quickly flashed through his mind once more.

“So you’re saying I can still leave today?”

He retorted.

Qingsu squinted her eyes, her expression under the mask a bit complicated.

She understood the other’s feelings at this moment because she, too, had faced such difficult choices in the past.

The current Zhang Rongfang reminded her of her former self.

“What do you intend to do?”

“I will do what I want to do.”

Zhang Rongfang withdrew his gaze, slowly took the wheel of wishes from his back, and removed the wrapping cloth.

Whirr.

The edge of the wishing wheel began to turn steadily, revealing its sharp serrated blades.

Without any further hesitation, he strode up the mountain.

“I’ll share a saying from our pavilion master with you.”

Qingsu suddenly said from behind.

“What?” Zhang Rongfang paused his steps and slightly turned his head.

“As long as your body technique is fast enough, you’ll always face only one enemy at a time.”

Qingsu looked at him with complex emotions.

At that time, she didn’t choose to rush out, she retreated…

But Zhang Rongfang at this moment…

“Thanks.” Zhang Rongfang waved his hand and quickly walked up the mountain.

*

*

*

“Junior Sister Rao!!” Zhang Xintai cried out in anguish, watching as the junior sister with great rapport in the Daoist Palace was hacked to death, falling in a pool of blood.

He wielded a long knife, fiercely slashing down a soldier, trying to rush out to save her.

But two people behind him grabbed him and held on tightly.

“Senior Brother, don’t be reckless!! Going out now means certain death!”

Zhang Xintai roared in fury, his eyes red, as he was dragged back into Profound Heart Hall.

Inside the hall, under the lead of Martial Cultivator Zhao Dachong and others, everyone was using sturdy wooden planks to block the windows.

A giant bell, taller than a person, was positioned to block the side of the big door. Once Zhang Xintai and the others entered, they closed the door immediately, pushing the bell to cover most of the doorway.

There were only over thirty people left in the hall; the rest had mostly been captured by the berserk soldiers outside, while those who resisted were cut down.

But more people stood on the side of Palace Master Tang Sha, becoming one of the main forces of this rebellion.

Including the Qinghe Palace with its staff, there were over two hundred people, at least half of whom stood on Tang Sha’s side.

“Senior Brother! What do we do now!?” A group of people surrounded Zhang Xintai, all looking panicked.

Zhang Xintai, the leader of the volunteer army, was heartbroken and disoriented, unable to think of any good ideas.

He wished to rush out and fight until the end.

But….

“We….”

Just as he began to speak,

Thud!

Suddenly, a black line shot through the wooden window of the Profound Heart Hall.

The black line pierced through a person’s chest and pinned them heavily to the wall.

Screaming, everyone crouched down; only then did they see that the black line was actually an arrow!

A black, thick arrow with a metallic crossbow head!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep