836: Chapter 832: Clashing Against Each Other 836: Chapter 832: Clashing Against Each Other But Ye Tian had no time to marvel at the beautiful night sky now, as he had already heard the sounds!
“Rustle!
Rustle!”…
There was no doubt these were the sounds of Qinggong experts traversing lightly, and not just one, but many of them!
Ten people…
no, at least twenty…
Relying on his sharp hearing, Ye Tian concluded that the Outer Sect disciples of Tianmen had come to a quick consensus—to join forces and launch an assault to snatch the Wind Flow Strength cultivation technique from Zhao Sixi and the three Ding brothers!
Of course, it was not yet Ye Tian’s time to reveal himself, so he quietly hid nearby, observing the scene in secret.
Though these people were Qinggong experts, their skills were utterly insignificant compared to Ye Tian’s.
As long as Ye Tian concealed himself, this group would have no chance of discovering him.
From under his watchful eyes, they moved toward the location where Zhao Sixi and the three Ding brothers were stationed.
Weaving through the forest or treading lightly on tree branches, more than twenty Outer Sect disciples of Tianmen swiftly closed in on Zhao Sixi and the three Ding brothers.
Zhao Sixi and the three brothers, who were pretending to be in the midst of cultivating, naturally noticed the approaching presence.
They promptly ceased their practice, withdrawing the whirlwind force into their bodies, and rose to their feet.
The twenty-or-so Outer Sect disciples also landed right in front of Zhao Sixi and the three Ding brothers.
Standing at the forefront was none other than Li Hui, the one who had badly injured Zhao Sixi in their last confrontation!
“Zhao Sixi, you had the nerve to feign innocence when we fought before, claiming you knew nothing and that you didn’t have the complete Wind Flow Strength cultivation technique.
Yet here you are, openly cultivating Wind Flow Strength with these three Ding Family wastes.
If I hadn’t arrived in time with my men, you might have succeeded already!”
Li Hui spoke venomously.
Back when he had managed to leave Zhao Sixi gravely injured, it was proof of their significant strength disparity.
Yet this gap might not last much longer.
Zhao Sixi was now cultivating the complete Wind Flow Strength, and if he succeeded, Li Hui would stand no chance against him!
For Li Hui, who was always proud and arrogant, unwilling to lag behind any of the other Outer Sect disciples, this was absolutely intolerable.
That was why he wasted no time gathering a group of fellow disciples to launch this attack.
His aim was clear: seize the complete Wind Flow Strength technique and kill Zhao Sixi in the process!
“Zhao Sixi, Ding Da, Ding Er, Ding San, if you know what’s good for you, hand over the complete Wind Flow Strength right now.
Otherwise, don’t blame us for being ruthless!”
“That’s right!
Even though you’ve started cultivating the complete Wind Flow Strength, you’re just getting started and haven’t fully mastered it yet.
With so many of us attacking at once, there’s no way you can escape!”
“Of course, even surrendering the technique can’t guarantee your lives.
But we can at least leave your corpses intact.
You should feel grateful!
Heh heh heh…
actually, there’s no need for you to hand it over yourselves.
We can just kill you and search your bodies afterward!”
“You shouldn’t complain either.
Survival of the fittest has always been Tianmen’s law of existence!
If you had fully mastered the complete Wind Flow Strength, we’d naturally be no match for you.
You could slaughter us as you pleased.
But right now, with your lack of skill, you’re destined to become nothing more than our stepping stones to greatness!”
…
A chorus of taunts erupted from the gathered Outer Sect disciples in front of Zhao Sixi and the three Ding brothers.
With such a stark numerical advantage, they brimmed with confidence.
Ever since Tianmen’s Sect Leader announced that a few Outer Sect disciples would be admitted into the Inner Sect, the Outer Sect had been in constant turmoil.
Any disciple rumored to possess the complete Wind Flow Strength appeared to be a marked target, endlessly hunted down.
Each disciple hoped to carve out a share for themselves.
Many disciples—both those rumored to have obtained the technique and those involved in the pursuit—had already lost their lives in these battles.
Yet not a single complete Wind Flow Strength manual had been found.
Still, those participating in the hunt and slaughter remained undeterred, biding their time and waiting for opportunity.
Many disciples fled to distant areas to avoid being pursued, but even more awaited their shot at obtaining the technique in Tianshan City, given its close proximity to Tianmen and richer sources of information.
Perhaps fortune would smile upon them…
That explained why the moment Zhao Sixi strutted through Tianshan City, countless Outer Sect disciples were alerted.
All it took was Li Hui making a few calls to gather a group of over twenty Martial Artists to launch this ambush.
The allure of the complete Wind Flow Strength was simply too irresistible for the Outer Sect disciples of Tianmen!
Faced with so many foes staring him down hungrily, Zhao Sixi didn’t panic.
Instead, he spoke calmly.
“Li Hui, to be honest with you, I don’t have the Wind Flow Strength technique on me.
If I truly possessed it, how could I have been beaten so badly by you during our last fight after cultivating it?”
Zhao Sixi spoke with utmost sincerity, but Li Hui wasn’t about to believe him.
“Don’t have it?
What kind of nonsense is that?
Let me tell you right now, I won’t believe even a single punctuation mark of what you’ve said!
Zhao Sixi, I overheard your conversations with the Ding brothers.
All of you have obtained the complete Wind Flow Strength and are hiding here to cultivate in secret!”
“Do you think I don’t know your intentions?
You want to fool us into giving up and leaving, so you can continue cultivating once we’re gone.
When you’ve fully mastered Wind Flow Strength, you’ll turn around and slaughter us all!
Do you take me, Li Hui, for a fool who’d fall for that?”
Li Hui ridiculed him, and Zhao Sixi knew it was futile to expect him to believe the truth.
Nonetheless, he had to try, if only to save himself and his companions.
“Li Hui, if you don’t believe me, you can search me!
You can search the three Ding brothers too.
We’re doing this to demonstrate our sincerity.
All of us Outer Sect disciples are victims here.
If we continue killing each other, we’ll only be playing into the hands of schemers!”
Zhao Sixi continued to reason with him, but Li Hui remained skeptical, a cold smirk spreading across his face.
Someone standing beside Li Hui snorted, “Zhao Sixi, stop lying!
Earlier today, you and the Ding brothers were spotted roaming Tianshan City together.
We overheard your conversations, calling Outer Sect disciples ants and vowing to massacre them once you became Inner Sect disciples.
Are you denying that now?”
“Duan Feng, those words were mere bait to draw you out!”
Seeing this turn of events, Ding Da hastily explained.
The man who had spoken with a cold snort was named Duan Feng, someone the three Ding brothers knew well.
“Bait?
What bait?”
Duan Feng pressed further, unwilling to be placated by Ding Da’s flimsy explanation.
Patiently, Ding Da detailed, “In truth, all of this is a scheme orchestrated by Tianmen’s Sect Leader.
The promotion of Outer Sect disciples to the Inner Sect and the rumors about the complete Wind Flow Strength—all of it is part of a wager between the Sect Leader and another person.”
“A wager?”
Ding Da’s words left the crowd bewildered.
The idea was so outlandish that no one could believe it outright.
Li Hui sneered, “Ding Da, don’t try to scare us with lies.
You’re just trying to save your own skin!
If we were to fall for your falsehoods, you’d have a chance to cultivate Wind Flow Strength in peace.
Once you’ve mastered it, we’d be at your mercy!”
Li Hui wasn’t the only one; none of the gathered disciples believed the words of Zhao Sixi or the Ding brothers…
Of course, this did not surprise Zhao Sixi or the Ding brothers.
Those fixated on obtaining the complete Wind Flow Strength would never easily trust such explanations.
Still, Ding Da pressed on relentlessly.
“Everyone, please calm down and hear me out!
This is all part of a gamble between Tianmen’s Sect Leader and another individual.
The Sect Leader incited infighting among the Outer Sect disciples and constantly tracks the daily death count.
Whether the number of deaths is odd or even determines the outcome of their wager.
“We cannot let ourselves be deceived by such a Sect Leader!
Even as Outer Sect disciples, our lives are our own—precious and irreplaceable.
We should never allow ourselves to become mere pawns in someone else’s game!
Please, for the sake of your own survival, don’t play into their hands!”
Ding Da urged them earnestly, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.
Duan Feng retorted coldly, “Ding Da, you think we’d believe such nonsense?
We’re all Outer Sect disciples of Tianmen, and we know the Sect Leader better than anyone.
As messy as Tianmen’s business tends to be, it would never go to such extremes!
“If the Sect Leader truly saw us Outer Sect disciples as expendable pawns in some wager, why would Tianmen have aggressively expanded its recruitment efforts years ago, even teaching us Martial Artists unfamiliar with the force of nature the Wind Flow Strength technique?
If we were now being discarded for a mere gamble, wouldn’t all that effort have been for nothing?”
Duan Feng’s reasoning left Ding Da momentarily speechless.
Yet Zhao Sixi’s words couldn’t have been lies; he had indeed overheard the Sect Leader and Dai Li’s conversation…
And Ye Tian’s deductions were sound, logical, without a single flaw!