Chapter 101 - 100: Trap
Martial Artists of the Blood God Sect were spread throughout the Jianghu, but the most powerful among them were concentrated in the Nine Provinces of the Central Plains.
The Central Plains were under the Court’s control, teeming with numerous Jianghu Forces and an abundance of masters.
For a Martial Artist of the Blood God Sect to lie low in such a place was incomparably more difficult than in a remote region like Ning Province.
Gongyang Li earned his moniker, "Evil Bone Blood Slaughter," because whenever he was discovered, he would immediately massacre the local Sects and Noble Families, creating chaos to cover his escape.
He had killed even more Martial Artists than the number He Cheng had used to absorb Qi Blood for cultivation.
Even now, with Gongyang Li’s Primordial Pill shattered and his strength below the Grandmaster Realm, a single glare from him was enough to make He Cheng shudder.
"Lord Gongyang, please, don’t be angry! That’s not what I meant! I’m just worried that if Zhenwu Hall really tracks us down, it will put you in danger."
Gongyang Li snorted. "I escaped all the way from Qin Province to Ning Province without a problem. Those bald donkeys from Vajra Prajna Temple couldn’t touch me. Why would I put myself in danger?"
"Rest assured. I know your Master Qiu. Why would I ever want to harm you?"
With Gongyang Li having spoken, He Cheng dared not object.
But his intuition told him it was still dangerous to stay here. They had to relocate, at the very least.
’East Mountain City isn’t far from Mountain Monarch Ridge. If the Zhang Family can’t hold out and sells us out, won’t Zhenwu Hall have us surrounded and trapped?’
Just then, a sudden wave of Blood Qi emanated from outside.
He Cheng’s expression changed. He cried out, "Lord Gongyang! Someone triggered the outer warning array! It has to be Zhenwu Hall! They’ve found us!"
Gongyang Li said dismissively, "Don’t make a fuss. A hastily laid array like this could be triggered by any large animal."
"With all the tigers on Mountain Monarch Ridge, isn’t it perfectly normal for the array to be accidentally triggered?"
"The tigers on Mountain Monarch Ridge were wiped out hundreds of years ago!" He Cheng roared.
He truly didn’t understand how Gongyang Li could be so arrogant and witless. This was not the kind of judgment he expected from a Blood God Sect Hall Master who had come from the Central Plains Martial World.
Gongyang Li’s brows shot up, and he shot He Cheng an icy glare.
But before he could say a word, Chen Yuan and the others had already stormed into the cave.
The moment Xing Shen saw Gongyang Li, his benevolent expression twisted into the wrathful glare of a Vajra.
"Gongyang Li! We’ve finally caught you, you fiend!"
Gongyang Li cackled. "You bald donkeys are certainly persistent, chasing me all the way from Qin Province to Ning Province and clinging to me this whole time."
"But you were too incompetent to track me on your own. You had to rely on Zhenwu Hall’s power just to find me, so what are you so smug about?"
The five monks from Vajra Prajna Temple looked grim.
Gongyang Li was telling the truth. They had lost his trail, and without the help of Zhenwu Hall, they would still be searching for a needle in a haystack somewhere in Ning Province.
Xing Nan said in a low voice, "Stop wasting words on this fiend. Let’s attack!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the martial brothers Xing Shen and Xing Nan charged Gongyang Li, while Qi Yuanming and Du Tianfeng teamed up to attack He Cheng.
Hui Ming and the other two monks, along with the rest of the Zhenwu Hall men, began to cut down the other Martial Artists of the Blood God Sect.
These Blood God Sect Martial Artists were quite strong, all of them at the Sea of Reincarnation Realm.
However, in terms of combat prowess, they couldn’t even compare to Gu Hongyuan, let alone Feng Xieyun.
Chen Yuan was used to clashing with experts from the Blood God Sect. Suddenly facing these ordinary disciples, he found it a little jarring.
Still, these "ordinary" Blood God Sect Martial Artists were only weak in comparison to Feng Xieyun and Gu Hongyuan. They held a significant advantage over other Martial Artists at the same level in the Sea of Reincarnation Realm.
In a one-on-one fight, at least, Wu Bingjian and his men struggled greatly against them.
Thankfully, with Chen Yuan and the three monks from Vajra Prajna Temple present, Zhenwu Hall was spared from suffering heavy losses.
Chen Yuan wasn’t under much pressure, so as he fought, he kept a close eye on Gongyang Li.
This Martial Arts Grandmaster of the Blood God Sect seemed to be grievously injured. Facing the combined assault of Xing Shen and Xing Nan, he barely counterattacked, spending most of his time dodging or taking the blows head-on.
Chen Yuan frowned slightly. ’I’m sure of it,’ he thought. ’Gongyang Li has an ace up his sleeve.’
’In the original plot, Gongyang Li managed to escape to You Province, and even Xing Shen and the others couldn’t stop him. It makes no sense that he’d suddenly be this helpless now.’
As the Blood God Sect Martial Artists fell one by one, Zhenwu Hall gained an absolute advantage.
He Cheng gnashed his teeth in hatred as he fended off the attacks of Du Tianfeng and Qi Yuanming.
’That arrogant, stubborn fool, Gongyang Li!’
’If he hadn’t been so stubborn about staying on Mountain Monarch Ridge, how would we have ended up in this mess?’
Soon, all the Blood God Sect members had been wiped out, leaving only Gongyang Li and He Cheng.
Just then, an incredibly powerful burst of Blood Qi erupted from Gongyang Li, forming into a ghostly, blood-red hand that swatted Xing Shen and Xing Nan away, sending them flying.
At the same time, he spun and punched the cavern wall behind him, blasting a hole through it. He then roared at He Cheng, "Follow me!"
With that, Gongyang Li leaped into the opening. After a moment’s hesitation, He Cheng unleashed his full power, forcing back Qi Yuanming and Du Tianfeng before jumping in after him.
The monks from Vajra Prajna Temple pursued them without a moment’s hesitation.
Chen Yuan noticed Du Tianfeng’s face had turned pale, a sign that his old wounds might be acting up. He shook his head and said, "Lord Du, I suggest you take the other Guardian Envoys and head down the mountain to cut them off. If this tunnel leads to another exit, you’ll be able to intercept them."
"With your old injury flaring up, it’s too dangerous. The other Guardian Envoys wouldn’t be able to withstand a single blow from Gongyang Li. Following them would just be a liability."
Du Tianfeng nodded, his voice grave. "I understand. Glory is important, but one’s life is more so."
The pursuit of Feng Xieyun had already resulted in heavy losses; he couldn’t imagine what would happen chasing after Gongyang Li.
So Du Tianfeng decisively followed Chen Yuan’s advice, leading his men to set up an ambush at the foot of the mountain.
Qi Yuanming’s eyes darted about for a moment, then he turned to Fei Bin. "Do you dare join me in hunting down Gongyang Li? This is a chance for great glory!"
The glory from killing a Blood God Sect Hall Master was on a completely different level from killing ordinary members.
Although Fei Bin was currently serving under Du Tianfeng, he had always been Qi Yuanming’s trusted subordinate, and Qi Yuanming didn’t mind giving him opportunities.
Fei Bin was overjoyed. He quickly bowed to Qi Yuanming. "Thank you for this opportunity, My Lord!"
With that, Fei Bin shot a smug smile in Du Tianfeng and Chen Yuan’s direction before immediately following Qi Yuanming into the tunnel.
He had been feeling incredibly stifled lately.
Not only had he been thoroughly humiliated by Chen Yuan without daring to fight back, but no one had stood up for him either.
Du Tianfeng was the Inspector of Linzhong Prefecture and technically his superior, yet he treated Chen Yuan with such deference. He couldn’t even tell his own people from outsiders!
Now Qi Yuanming had finally arrived. His old boss was the one who was truly loyal, always thinking of him when there was an opportunity for profit.
Du Tianfeng shook his head gently. "He’s hopeless. With his level of strength, he wouldn’t survive a single casual blow from the likes of Gongyang Li, yet he thinks we’re the ones holding him back from glory."
"Fortune favors the bold. Fei Bin is nothing if not ambitious."
A peculiar expression crossed Chen Yuan’s face as he spoke, and then he too entered the tunnel.
"Lord Chen, be careful!"
Du Tianfeng shouted after him, then immediately ordered his men to gather the corpses of the Blood God Sect Martial Artists.
But as he lifted one of the bodies, he let out a soft gasp of surprise.
Something was wrong with the corpses of these Blood God Sect Martial Artists. They were far too light, and every one of them was pale and gaunt, as if their Qi and Blood had been drained from them.
It was as if after they died, their Qi Blood was drawn out by some unknown force, flowing endlessly out of them and seeping into the ground. This was completely unnatural.
’Could it be because of the Blood God Sect’s cultivation techniques?’ he wondered. ’After all, who can say what these Evil Techniques are capable of?’
Du Tianfeng wasn’t sure, but his intuition told him something was very wrong.
But there was nothing he could do about it now. He could only order his men to surround the base of Mountain Monarch Ridge and act as the situation demanded.
Meanwhile, Chen Yuan followed the tunnel downwards. The path was rugged and narrow, clearly a natural fissure in the mountain.
He descended deep into the middle of the mountain before the path suddenly opened up into a vast, spacious underground cavern.
The monks from Vajra Prajna Temple had already reached the bottom but had stopped, for before them lay a ten-foot-wide Blood Pool.
The cavern itself was natural, but the pit that formed the Blood Pool was filled with dark blood, its surface covered in Array Patterns that had obviously been set up later.
At that moment, Gongyang Li’s aura suddenly surged, a far cry from the man who could only dodge and flee when pressed by Xing Shen and Xing Nan earlier.
Even an idiot could see that Gongyang Li had deliberately feigned weakness to lure them here!
"Gongyang Li! What is the meaning of this?"
Xing Shen stared at Gongyang Li, his eyes filled with gravity.
Gongyang Li, however, glanced toward the tunnel entrance where Chen Yuan and the others had just emerged and frowned slightly. "Only a few of you came down? The people of Zhenwu Hall are cowards indeed. Still... this will be enough."
As he spoke, Gongyang Li’s hands formed a Seal Technique. The array around the Blood Pool flared to life. The blood in the central pool churned, and countless nets made of blood shot out from it, completely sealing off the entire cavern!
He Cheng stared, dumbfounded. A sudden thought struck him. He rushed to the edge of the Blood Pool and plunged his hand into it, sensing the power within.
He Cheng whirled around, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Gongyang Li. "You did this on purpose!"
"You secretly set up this array long ago! You deliberately stayed on Mountain Monarch Ridge, waiting for Vajra Prajna Temple and Zhenwu Hall to come knocking so they would kill our brothers!"
"And all the while, you were down here, using the array to collect their Blood Qi! Why would you do such a thing? Why!?"
He Cheng couldn’t understand. Gongyang Li was also a Hall Master of the Blood God Sect. Why would he set a trap to harm his own people?
At the same time, he was filled with immense regret. He had sensed that something was wrong for a long time.
’How could someone who became a Hall Master of the Blood God Sect—let alone one from the Central Plains Martial World—possibly be an arrogant, stubborn fool?’
’I should have taken my men and left earlier! I never should have listened to his commands!’