Chapter 755: Chapter 480: Sword’s Arrival
"Clop, clop..."
On the desolate road paved with yellow mud, a team of assassins rode toward the center where storm clouds gathered.
This squad dispatched by Mu Prince Manor, tasked with assassinating the Empress, was composed of magicians and martial artists.
The former were clad entirely in white, with hoods over their heads, a mourning stick slung across their backs, and a small palm-sized coffin tied to their waists with worn hemp rope—clearly, they belonged to the same sect as the magician who once curse killed Zhao Douan.
The latter were retainers and loyal warriors Mu Prince had been recruiting and keeping in the manor for years.
"Stop!"
The leader of the group was a steward of Mu Prince Manor’s private army.
At this moment, he abruptly reined in his mount, glaring ahead as if facing a dire threat.
Beside the road ahead, standing amidst the dirt, was a square-shaped stele of green stone, inscribed with the characters "Baihua."
This was one of the boundary stones seen everywhere in Yu Country.
But atop this green stone stele, a young woman wearing a plain Taoist robe with pure white cuffs sat cross-legged, exuding charm.
"Halt there, all of you." Yu Xiu’s calm brows met the gaze of the group.
"Jade Sleeve Priestess?" The complexion of the steward darkened, unexpectedly recognizing Yu Xiu’s identity with great surprise:
"Why is the priestess here? Why stop us? Does the Heavenly Master Mansion intend to meddle in worldly affairs?"
The woman, whose appearance could only be described as "plain," raised her hand slightly, pointing to the tense-looking magicians of White Clothes Sect in the group, her lip corners mocking:
"I have no ties with you, but eradicating evil mages is the rightful duty of my Heavenly Master Mansion. I haven’t even asked why you’re walking alongside evil mages, yet you’re questioning me?"
The steward fell silent, almost forgetting that White Clothes Sect, due to its worship of the ’Sorrow God,’ was a target for extermination by righteous factions.
Even if rebelling, Mu Prince could never publicly acknowledge any dealings with an evil mage sect.
"Nothing to say? Then leave." Yu Xiu spoke.
The steward replied sternly: "What if we don’t leave? How would the priestess handle that?"
A flash of emerald coldness swept through Yu Xiu’s eyes. The green jade flying sword tied with golden thread at her slender waist flew out silently.
In an instant, it sliced through the troop of riders.
Simultaneously, numerous horse legs were severed, and amidst the horses’ mournful cries, the magicians and martial artists toppled to the ground, yelling.
Yu Xiu’s hand reached out from her wide, white sleeve, lightly grasping the returning green jade flying sword, her tone indifferent:
"Next time, it won’t just be horse legs being cut."
The hearts of the Jianghu experts trembled, and even the magicians of White Clothes Sect seemed to face a formidable foe, looking back at the steward.
He gritted his teeth, raised his hand, and swung it forcefully:
"Leave the magicians to hold her off, the rest follow me into the village! She is alone!"
The magicians from White Clothes Sect wielded their mourning sticks; and instantly, a gust of eerie wind arose. Thin mist gushed from ground cracks, and ghostly apparitions emerged, baring their "fangs" at Yu Xiu sitting cross-legged on the stele.
It is known that White Clothes Sect revered the "Sorrow God," possessing authority similar to the "Netherworld God," allowing them to summon ghosts to fight.
A magician from White Clothes Sect stepped forward:
"Curse!"
A series of dark halos washed over, Yu Xiu furrowed her brows; her life star dimmed swiftly, her fortune declined rapidly, entangled by numerous negative states, with her cultivation inexplicably waning.
As a cost, the group of magicians stood motionless, rooted to the ground, confronting her.
"So annoying..."
Yu Xiu felt irritated at heart. She hated these repulsive magics of evil worshippers, but unfortunately, they worked on her.
The steward left a few Jianghu people to flank Yu Xiu from the sides, not seeking to harm, merely aiming to stall.
Creating an opportunity for the Mu Prince Manor steward to breach the barrier.
...
...
"Ahead comes a bunch from the Magic God Sect."
Gongshu Tianyuan pressed the "telescope" against his eye socket, squinting his small eyes like mung beans, gritting his teeth.
Heavenly Master Mansion and Magic God Sect have deep ties, akin to a relationship where they must fight to the death upon encountering each other outdoors, even if it results in losing rank.
"Are there many of them?" Jin Jian concerned herself only with numbers.
She leaned on her magic wand, at the top of which, a lone eye twisted restlessly, yet rarely looked at the enemy, gazing instead back at the center of the flower sea behind.
"There are quite a few... Ah, they’re reducing, their numbers are decreasing. Strange."
Gongshu Tianyuan lowered the "Thousand-mile Eye" in surprise, his plump face filled with solemnity:
"It seems the other side has noticed us too, and is avoiding us in advance."
In the distance, over twenty mages from Magic God Sect surged onto the road, leading them was a lewd old Taoist.
The dirty robe he wore bulged with fullness, beside him followed some familiar faces.
The tall, brawny, bear-like body-refining mage "Xiong Ba."
And the sinister little fatty carrying a ghost banner.
"Not good, ahead is Zhu Dian from this generation of Heavenly Master Mansion!"
A mage whose eye emitted silver-hair-like beams exclaimed.
Heavenly Master Mansion?
All mages felt a sinking in their hearts; this was an unmentioned surprise in the intel.
"It can’t be helped; I have a feeling if we can’t prevent what’s about to happen ahead, even turning back here, we won’t escape."
The lewd old Taoist’s reed-thin hands trembled slightly, lips pallid as he spoke, fixated on the dragon faintly appearing in the sky, feeling oppressed.
Something bad had evidently happened ahead, though he couldn’t foresee what exactly.
Why did the celestial signs resemble the past Luoshan Sealing?
But Baihua Village wasn’t Luo Mountain, and the heavily injured, defeated, Dragon Qi-scathed Empress couldn’t have so quickly reached the peak.
"Xiong Ba, Little Fatty, take half the people using this talisman, and bypass them. I’ll take the rest to hold them off." The lewd old Taoist spread his dirty hand, revealing a purple talisman paper in his palm.