Chapter 867: Chapter 517: Young Master
The five sorcerers all wore the evil attire of the White Clothes Sect. Leading them was a man with an androgynous appearance, around twenty years old. His mouth was habitually curved in a smile, giving the impression that he was perpetually grinning, yet his smile always contained a disdainful sarcasm, a superiority cultivated from long periods in power.
The young sorcerer seemed to have noticed the arrival of the court’s official army early on. With a gentle smile, he said, "I was wondering who had arrived. If I’m not mistaken, could it be the rumored gigolo kept by the Empress? The stallion of White Horse Hall that has not been castrated?"
Zhao Douan stopped, gripping his Chasing Saber, with a blood line flowing steadily from the tip.
His face showed no signs of being angered: "White Clothes Sect? Mu Prince Manor doesn’t even care about face, allowing you gutter rats to walk openly."
The young sorcerer laughed: "With your intelligence, you should understand the concept of ’the victor is king, the loser is a bandit.’ What True God, Evil God? It’s merely the division set by the Strong. If Mu Prince ascends the throne, why shouldn’t our White Clothes Sect become a renowned righteous sect, admired by all? Just like the Great Yu Royal Family six hundred years ago, wasn’t it also a dynasty founded in blood? Who is better than whom?"
Zhao Douan had no interest in verbal sparring or debate. The reason he hadn’t drawn his saber was that he sensed a threat from the other person.
This White Clothes Sect sorcerer had the power to inflict significant harm on him.
An instinctual warning of danger caused Zhao Douan’s heart to sink, rippling with unease. He began to doubt whether he’d overestimated his confidence. Perhaps the true purpose of today’s war wasn’t to blow up the silver mine, but... himself?
Otherwise, how could the current situation be explained?
Not to mention Zhao Douan’s reckless, full-out bursts could briefly empower him to contend with Perfection of the Worldly Realm, even performing normally, he possessed Middle Grade battle prowess. Though the White Clothes Sect might have experts, worldly realm ones wouldn’t be plentiful, so why would they encounter them so easily?
Suddenly, a breeze swept from behind, Yu Xiu floated over, standing in front of Zhao Douan, calmly stating, "Leave these to me. My Heavenly Master Mansion’s priestess has an iron rule: all evil demons should be exterminated. Mr. Zhao, please observe from the rear."
I nearly forgot about you... Zhao Douan blinked, looking at the exquisitely beautiful female Daoist’s robe billowing in the wind, her Green Jade Flying Sword vibrating at her waist. He wanted to say "Let’s join forces," but when the words reached his mouth, he swallowed them abruptly.
...
Ten or so miles away from the Song Family Manor was a chaotic graveyard, where tombs stood among wild grass, unmaintained, the grass growing as tall as a person.
The villagers around avoided it, with frequent tales of hauntings.
The Netherworld Sect Leader strolled leisurely among the sea of grass, as if returning home.
He was draped in a dark red robe, with a matching face cloth covering half of his face, dirty black hair flowing loosely, unkempt, tangled into knots.
On his back hung a longsword made from copper coins, his demeanor ragged, resembling not a living person but a drawing by an undertaker.
"Caw caw—"
A black crow circled in the air, flapping its wings, landing on a dead tree branch atop a grave.
The Netherworld Sect Leader seemed to tire, sitting on the grave, facing the Song Family Manor direction, humming, "Why provoke the Zhao family? Even if you disregard the Empress, wouldn’t you consider the thoughts of that old fellow in the Heavenly Master Mansion in the capital, who hasn’t left the mountain for decades? Young ones, they’re still too young."
The crow, blacker than ink, spoke in human tongue: "Is that guy a bastard of Zhang Yan Yi? Not even the Zhu Dian’s kids who go out for training have this specification, sending people to guard and protect them, right?"
The Netherworld Sect Leader glared at the reckless-talking crow: "You have a loud mouth, but don’t drag me into it. I’ve lived quite well, unwilling to partake in those heavenly disputes and struggles. Who knows how much this Zhao family member is involved? If he’s just a gigolo, that’s fine."
The crow showed a humane disdain, flapped its wings and loudly sneered: "Are you scared?"
Although conceding verbally, the Netherworld Sect Leader’s rear remained unmoved, rubbing the messy stubble on his chin, his gaze seemingly crossing miles to the scene in the Song Family Mansion Ancestral Hall, muttering under his breath: "I’ve outgrown that provocation since I was three. My Netherworld Sect simply dislikes those pointless conflicts, wouldn’t it better to earn some life money with these thirty-six thousand days? I just don’t care to get involved. Moreover, I’ve seen the aura of the Death God enveloping the land... If Zhang Yan Yi remains secluded, fine. Once out, I’ll deplete my foundation to send him directly to the Earthly Realm."
...
...
The Song Family Ancestral Hall was still burning, tablets turning to charcoal in the flames.
Zhao Douan heard Yu Xiu continue calmly: "This matter belongs to my Heavenly Master Mansion. Just as we don’t interfere in the court’s disputes, the court shouldn’t meddle in cultivation and the Martial World affairs. Mr. Zhao, you’d best step back a bit."
After dropping these words, Yu Xiu coldly watched the white-clothed sorcerers, spitting out a name: "Shi Luoyi, I couldn’t catch you before. Now you’ve delivered yourself."
Shi Luoyi? Zhao Douan’s heart stirred, his mind recalling the correspondence he’d studied, remembering the details behind this name.
This was the son of the White Clothes Sect Master, the young master of the sect.
He showed great aptitude in the cultivation of the Sorrow God path, but seldom left Yunfu. Due to his evil nature, he was relatively low-key, known by few.
Shi Luoyi’s smile faded briefly upon Yu Xiu’s appearance, then blossomed brilliantly: "Jade Sleeve Priestess, you killed quite a few of my White Clothes Sect disciples last time in Baihua Village. This account is remembered by the young master."
"Be careful, young master!"
At this point, the other four sorcerers grew tense. While Zhao Douan wasn’t concerning enough, the presence of Jade Sleeve Priestess made the situation precarious.
Shi Luoyi waved his hand, showing no nervousness or agitation, a little wryly exclaiming: "Two people... really a headache. I was hoping to keep Lord Zhao here, but it seems a bit difficult today. Huh, but..."
Suddenly his smile bloomed brightly, he thrust the Mourning Stick into the ground, instantly altering the surrounding, the once sunlit ancestral hall dimming rapidly, his voice drifting in the eerie wind: "The young master truly wants to test the color of Heavenly Master’s disciples!"
As he acted, the other four sorcerers simultaneously planted their Mourning Sticks into the ground, in an instant, the ground cracked open, and from the fissures spewed "mourning energy," not inherent to the earth but collected and stored within waist-sized life coffins by White Clothes Sect sorcerers, with the magic unleashing, mourning energy surged from the Mourning Sticks, shrouding the entire ancestral hall area in dim light, with paper money falling from the sky.
Zhao Douan’s heart stirred, sensing a shadow suddenly drape over his brow, a chill and cold aura rising through his body. This feeling wasn’t unfamiliar; back in Jianning Prefecture, one White Clothes Sect sorcerer cursed him, afflicted him with sickness during sleep, simultaneously dimming his Life Star and plummeting his fortune to rock bottom, becoming extraordinarily unlucky.
Now, proficient in curse techniques, White Clothes Sect sorcerers enveloped the ancestral hall area within the Sorrow God’s shadow, reducing the fortune of those within to the nadir, worsening their mood, weakening their battle spirit. Not only this, the five sorcerers simultaneously formed seals, employing the curse killing technique!
In an instant, Zhao Douan saw in front of the sorcerers the apparition of scarlet illusory characters, each representing a curse, layering and sweeping over, most targeting the Jade Sleeve Priestess.
In an instant, Zhao Douan saw in front of the sorcerers the apparition of scarlet illusory characters, each representing a curse, layered and sweeping over, most targeting the Jade Sleeve Priestess.