Chapter 54: The Sound of Gongs (Please keep reading)

Chapter 54: The Gongs (Please keep reading~)

The forbidden technique of the Autumn Water Sword Style: Autumn Water Flowing Clouds!

Once Autumn Water Flowing Clouds was unleashed, her killing power could rival that of an internal qi expert who had broken through the first bottleneck. With this, she could break free from Wu Haihua's entanglement and glimpse a sliver of hope for survival.

Such power as Autumn Water Flowing Clouds possessed naturally came with a price.

If she were to use it, she would need at least two to three months to recover.

For a martial arts genius like her, whose cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds every day, time was her most precious commodity. These two or three months were no trivial matter.

It meant that during this period, she would have to focus solely on recovering from her injuries and depletion. During this process, her martial realm would not advance. While she remained stagnant, others would continue to progress, meaning the gap between them would widen.

Such a loss was unacceptable to her!

However, at this point, there was no other way.

Just as Mu Wanjun was preparing to use the forbidden technique Autumn Water Flowing Clouds to break through the encirclement, a series of loud, crisp gong strikes rang out from not far away. They were as dense as raindrops, continuous and unrelenting.

Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!

"Not good!"

Hearing the sound of the gongs, Wu Haihua's expression changed.

"It's the people from the Zhenfu Division! Damn it!"

To have the Zhentfu Division discover them at such a critical moment was infuriating. However, he was absolutely unwilling to give up just like that.

"Finish this quickly!"

Wu Haihua gave a low command. His internal qi surged through his body as if it cost nothing, pushing his attacking rhythm to the absolute limit. The two first-class deacons of the Myriad Demon Sect—one fat and one thin—also unleashed their respective attacks in a continuous barrage.

With blood qi at the sixth level of perfection, they had undergone marrow cleansing and blood transformation, possessing immense strength; every strike carried the force of ten thousand catties.

Boom!

Under the onslaught, an entire wall collapsed with a roar.

Knowing that reinforcements from the Zhentfu Division were arriving, Mu Wanjun's mindset shifted from before. Her execution of the Autumn Water Sword Style became flawless. Even though Wu Haihua was forcing his way through, he could not subdue her in a short amount of time.

Listening to the incessant ringing of the gongs nearby, his anxiety caused him to lose his rhythm.

"Skinny, you go deal with that kid first!"

Wu Haihua commanded.

Hearing this, the thinner first-class deacon who was besieging Mu Wanjun prepared to break away from the fight to deal with the person striking the gongs.

Mu Wanjun would not let them have their way.

Swish~

A flash of sword light flickered, blocking the thin deacon's path.

"You seek death!"

Wu Haihua let out a sinister laugh. Seizing the opportunity, he lunged with a short thrust, aiming directly at Mu Wanjun's chest.

Mu Wanjun's brows furrowed. Reacting swiftly, she shifted her body slightly to evade the thrust. However, she only managed to dodge most of the edge; the tip of the weapon still struck her body.

"Die!"

Wu Haihua intended to press further to strike her heart and lungs, but Mu Wanjun would not give him the chance. Sword light surged as she thrust toward his throat.

In the heat of the moment, Wu Haihua slashed downward with his short thrust, attempting to inflict the maximum possible wound.

Rrip!

A large section of fish-scale armor was torn away.

"Soft armor!"

Retreating to avoid the sword light, Wu Haihua's face turned grim as he looked at the scene before him.

Beneath the fish-scale armor, Mu Wanjun was wearing a layer of soft armor. Though the armor was exquisite, it only protected her core areas.

Yet, this single detail caused Wu Haihua's calculations to fail completely.

He had intended to forcibly kill Mu Wanjun before the Zhentfu Division reinforcements arrived. But with the protection of the soft armor and her impressive martial strength, they truly could not take her down quickly.

However, if he lingered here, once the experts from the Zhentfu Division converged, they likely wouldn't be able to escape. They had already delayed long enough since the gongs first started ringing.

It was time to go!

Wu Haihua hadn't expected that this Mu Wanjun, despite being just a young girl, would possess such rich combat experience alongside her martial realm.

With such talent, she would likely rank in the top ten among the younger generation of Weishui County City!

"Let's go!"

Wu Haihua spat out the words unwillingly.

But before leaving, he would kill the person who had ruined his plans!

Huh!?

Wu Haihua suddenly froze.

Just now, the previously dense and rapid gong strikes had suddenly vanished. Wu Haihua stared at the last place the sound had originated and moved to pursue.

Swish~

Mu Wanjun thrust her sword out like the waves of autumn water, blocking Wu Haihua's path.

"If you want to kill someone, you'll have to get through me first."

"Damn it!"

Wu Haihua cursed again.

But after a moment of hesitation, he made his decision. The gongs had gone silent, and it would take time to root out the culprit. Combined with Mu Wanjun's interference, trying to force his way to kill the gong-striker would likely cause even more delay. It wasn't worth the risk for such a "minor" matter.

Forget it! We'll deal with it another day!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three figures moved with extreme speed, leaping between the rooftops.

Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!

Not long after they left, that incredibly dense sound of gong striking rang out once again.

Mid-leap, Wu Haihua felt as if he were about to vomit a mouthful of blood.

"You motherf—"

"How despicable! You're infuriating me!"

"Finally, they're gone."

Chen Pingan, the one striking the gongs, was somewhat nervous, his palms covered in sweat. Seeing that the situation had stabilized, he lowered his head slightly, breathing heavily to calm his nerves.

He had originally followed the sound toward this place. The closer he got, the more distinct the sounds of combat became. He had heard the fighting from a distance. Based on the sounds, he had judged that these people's methods were not low.

His first thought had been: Are these people at the fourth level of blood qi!? Or the fifth!?

He had crept closer quietly, but as he approached, he was startled.

There were magnificent sword shadows dancing, accompanied by flashing sword light, while on the other side, short thrusts spat out sharp edges. These methods...

Were above the level of blood qi!

Having seen the scene clearly, Chen Pingan was utterly shocked.

In the middle of the night, in this remote corner of Jiming Alley, where did these experts come from!? What kind of luck is this!

When he was still a fair distance away, Chen Pingan's first instinct was to extinguish the candle in his lantern. Then, looking at the gong in his hand, his first thought was: I can't strike it!

If I strike this, I won't even know how I died!

For beings above the level of blood qi, killing him would be far too easy!

How much is my monthly salary anyway? Why would I risk my life!

Just as Chen Pingan was preparing to slip away quietly and run as far as possible, he suddenly spotted the black-patterned fish-scale armor among the figures.

Black-patterned fish-scale armor! They are from the Zhentfu Division!

"Fortune favors the bold. I'll go for it!"

After a fierce internal struggle and weighing the pros and cons, Chen Pingan finally made his decision. He struck the gong in his hand.

However, he wasn't stupid; as he struck, he observed the situation on the field. If things went south, he was ready to bolt at any moment.

Just as Wu Haihua prepared to come over and kill him, Chen Pingan keenly noticed this. Without hesitation, he resolutely stopped striking the gong and ran for his life.

However, the man was intercepted by the person in the black-patterned fish-scale armor.

Seeing the man flee, Chen Pingan grew bold again and struck the gong once more.

Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!

"Alright, the person has already run away. There's no need to strike it anymore."

Chen Pingan looked up to find an incredibly elegant figure appearing not far from him.

(End of Chapter)