Chapter 462: Chapter 180: Seizing the Initiative with a Preemptive Strike
The hue inside the temple turned gloomy, as if night was about to fall.
Jiang Li’s breath became ethereal, as if present and yet not, as though in this place and yet elsewhere, omnipresent, merging into one with the surrounding environment, breathing in unison with the wind.
"Hoo——"
Jiang Li slowly exhaled, a stream of mist billowed from his mouth like a long dragon, and immediately, a great wind arose around him, causing noticeable ripples and distortions in the air, reverberating continuously towards the interior of the temple.
At this moment, in front of the Xuanyuan Hall of the Two Saints Temple, a group of people was intently watching the battle unfolding in the sky.
The two leading figures were impressive—one was a towering figure draped in a yellow robe, his height alone surpassing that of a foot, making him appear even more formidable than the Yellow Turban Warriors around him; the other had a clear and bright face, young in appearance, wearing a Dao robe and carrying a peach wood sword, the very picture of a typical Daoist.
Another young Daoist followed behind him, but his bearing fell far short of the former’s.
Further back, there were distinctly two groups of people—one side wore yellow robes like the Yellow Turban Warriors and held staffs like the healers of the Taiping Sect, while the other side was dressed as Taoists, though their Dao robes were of various styles, clearly belonging to different sects.
These individuals were all from the Mystic Sect, invited by the Taiping Sect for this occasion.
As the battle in the sky grew more intense, the leading Taoist seemed calm and collected, even jokingly said, "It seems that the Thunder and Lightning Twin Divine Powers of the Taiping Sect are somewhat lacking. Facing two against one, they still struggle to secure victory."
Upon hearing this, the sturdy man, with his marble-like resolute face showing little emotion, spoke with a tone that betrayed dissatisfaction, "If Daoist Zuo thinks the prowess of our sect’s great ones is lacking, he may invite his own Sect’s elder to make a move personally. Even if they cannot match Yaoguang Breaking Army, they might still compare their skills with Kaiyang Martial Arts."
The two major martial frontmen of the Dinghu Sect weren’t famed for nothing—they might not be the strongest, but they certainly were the most frequently involved, especially in conflicts against enemies where the Yaoguang Breaking Army was almost always present.
As for the other, although his duties involved guarding the Sect and teaching disciples the ways of martial arts, due to his personal conflicts with the Kunxu Immortal Palace, he had also acted quite often.
While some practices of the Kunxu Immortal Palace were hard for the mainstream to accept, their beauty was undeniable.
Beauty for a woman is a form of capital.
Although Elder Kaiyang only had disputes with the Kunxu Immortal Palace, over the years, he had crossed swords with various sects, noble families, and even toadies within the imperial court. In his youth, defeating the young would bring forth the old. Later, as the toadies grew stronger, the battles continued, and gradually, he had fought against nearly half of the Divine Country.
This reputation was also fought for.
Upon hearing the big man’s words, Daoist Zuo gave a slight smile, ready to speak, but the other Daoist behind him preempted him, "This is a disaster brought on by your Taiping Sect, and you still have the nerve to ask our Upper Pure Sect to make a move?"
"Junior Brother Fang," Daoist Zuo suddenly spoke sharply, rebuking, "Do not speak nonsense."
Although it was indeed a problem the Taiping Sect had stirred up, you shouldn’t lay it out in the open—don’t you understand the art of rhetoric?
Daoist Zuo found this junior brother quite troublesome; originally, the junior brother was of a mediocre standing within the Upper Pure Sect, but he had an awakening after going through a life-and-death situation in Yong Province, and now he stood out among the current disciples of the Upper Pure Sect.
For this reason, on this trip to Liangzhou Province, the Sect had sent Junior Brother Fang out, because, despite the dangers in Liangzhou, it was a good place to Demonstrate Dao Fruit.
Initially, Daoist Zuo was happy to foster ties, but now he regretted it, for Junior Brother Fang was simply too unaware of the weight of his words, lacking restraint in speech.
However, what Daoist Zuo did not know was that the Taiping Sect was feeling equally aggrieved at the moment.
Because even those currently on the same side believed that it was the Taiping Sect who had destroyed Emperor Yan’s statue, it was needless to guess what others would think.
But it truly wasn’t us who did it.
Clearly, this sort of thing is usually done by the Devil God Sect.
Unfortunately, this time, the all-too-convenient Blame-shifting Sect was of no use.
Just as the two parties were exchanging thoughts with differing intentions, a torrential force burst through the two pavilions like a Divine Dragon soaring the skies, roaring in its approach.
"Someone’s launched a sneak attack."
Zuo Qinghong’s brows furrowed as he moved to protect his fellow Daoists behind him, but someone else was already a step ahead.
"Such petty tricks aren’t worth troubling Daoist Zuo."
A middle-aged Daoist stepped forward with a loud and clear shout, waving his hand to release a Jade Talisman.
Zuo Qinghong recognized this fellow Daoist as the Pavilion Master of the Green Jade Altar, known as "Qingyuan Mountain Man," who was also invited by the Mystic Sect. However, compared to the Upper Pure Sect, the Green Jade Altar and the Taiping Sect were closer allies, being members of the Three Emperors Sect, and naturally had closer ties with the Taiping Sect than the Three Pure Ones-affiliated Upper Pure Sect.
Ultimately, the reason the Upper Pure Sect would ally with the Taiping Sect was out of mutual interest. In truth, if the Taiping Sect were to instigate chaos, the Upper Pure Sect would distance itself because, by that time, the Upper Pure Sect’s goals would have been achieved and they would have to guard against the Taiping Sect’s potential success in rebellion, which would bring unity to the world under the Yellow Heaven faith.
The Qingyuan Mountain Man practiced the Talismanic Thunder Technique. With the release of the Jade Talisman bearing thunder patterns, a bolt of Green Thunder was drawn from the sky, with resounding thunderclaps striking terror.
At that moment, three masters of the Thunder Technique were clashing above, their display of thunderous power far surpassing that of naturally occurring thunder. By invoking the might of a fourth-rank, Qingyuan Mountain Man’s move effectively borrowed divine assistance, summoning electric snakes from the heavens with unmatched force.
The Green Thunder struck the Qi dragon, instantly burst out with brilliant arcs of electricity, the thunder expanded, electric snakes raced along, blasting the stream of Innate Qi to nothingness...
"Boom—"
Amidst the dazzling thunderlight, the Qi dragon transformed into a dragon made of thunder and lightning, roaring as it bared its fangs and claws.
It was not that the Green Thunder had obliterated the Innate Qi; instead, the Innate Qi had become thunder, turning the Green Thunder to its own advantage, using the adversary’s method against them.
"It’s Innate Qi!"
The sturdy man recognized the origin of the Innate Qi and with a vigorous stomp, his feet sparked with electricity, and with the speed of thunder preceding the need to cover one’s ears, he positioned himself at the forefront, his body marked with thunder patterns, and he threw a punch towards the Thunder Dragon.
"Boom!"
Thunder exploded with a thunderous roar, blasting thousands of electric sparks onto the Big man, while a domineering electrical Qi from the fist’s edge surged in, nearly causing the Big man’s arm to go numb.
Jiang Li had killed thirty-six people with a single gesture, his methods were eerie and silent, and coupled with the thunder from above and the turmoil of Qi, the people in the temple had failed to notice his arrival.
It was only now, with the release of this Innate Qi, that they became aware of the situation.
The wild thunder had co-opted Qingyuan Mountain Man’s power, becoming overwhelmingly dominant to the point that even the sturdy man struggled to fully defend against it, even risking injury. At the critical moment, Zuo Qinghong released a talisman, imprinting it onto the Big man’s body.
"Bang bang bang—"
Bolts of thunder struck out in all directions, scorching pits into the ground.
"So it’s the smart-asses from the Upper Pure Sect."
A voice drifted in with the wind.