El tercer erudito de la dinastía Song

Capítulo 123

“I think it’s not appropriate for a dancer to attend such an occasion, especially since she’s not feeling well. I’ll have her rest in her room,” Bai Xiaosheng said with a smile, his peripheral vision glancing intentionally at the incense burner. Almost there…

"Oh? Actually, she could come! It's not a big deal. Besides, after my treatment, she's quite robust now. And... well, it would be a shame if she didn't come to this incense, which is so refreshing. It might even be beneficial to her delicate body!" Upon hearing Bai Xiaosheng's words, Huang Ying stopped chatting with Wei Ziqi, raised her eyebrows, and smiled meaningfully.

"That's right, that's right." Bai Xiaosheng broke out in a cold sweat from Huang Ying's meaningful smile and kept agreeing. Her smile seemed to indicate that she had already seen through them. She had specifically mentioned incense. Did she see something?

"Alliance Leader Duan, the Sect Master and Young Master Ling have arrived. What solutions do you have?" Sheng Qing said with a sly smile, raising an eyebrow at Duan Zhengfei, who had been frowning slightly from the start. He figured Duan was the only one still in the dark. Was he too honest? Or too stupid? But now, he seemed to be having some doubts...

"Sect Leader Kong, you speak!" Duan Zhengfei turned to the Kongquan Sect leader and said. They only asked him to invite the Holy Emperor and the Prince out, but did not tell him what the solution was. It seemed that they were hiding something from him.

"Your Majesty, I believe the only way... is for Your Majesty to hand over the secret manual and treasure map. This way, the martial arts world will no longer disturb Your Majesty's peace. What do you think, Your Majesty?" The leader of the Empty Fist Sect stood up with a flick of his sleeve, his face fierce, and he smiled coldly. He had completely lost his previous respect for the Holy Emperor and his "gentlemanly" demeanor of upholding justice in the martial arts world. His true colors were immediately revealed.

"Sect Leader Kong, what are you saying?" Before Saint Lord and the others could speak, Duan Zhengfei stood up in shock and anger, shouting angrily. But as soon as he stood up, he found himself weak all over and immediately slumped back into his chair, staring incredulously at the sect leaders Kongquan, Shenjian, Tianri, and Baixiao, who were all smiling smugly and cunningly.

"Alliance Leader Duan, are you deaf? I made myself perfectly clear!" The leader of the Empty Fist Sect stroked his beard, glanced at Duan Zhengfei disdainfully, and stood up with a wicked grin.

"Haha..." Bai Xiaosheng and the other two laughed heartily, flicked their sleeves and stood up, looking up triumphantly at the Holy Immortal Sect members who were all sprawled on their chairs.

"You...you planned this all along, using me..." Duan Zhengfei glared weakly at the four men who were grinning with smug satisfaction, and said in a gloomy voice. He now understood everything. They had been using him from beginning to end, using him to get close to the Holy Emperor, using him to lure the Holy Emperor out. Their goal was the Holy Emperor's secret manual and treasure map. He had even thought they were "righteous people."

"Hehe... It's too late to realize this now! Hahaha..." The Divine Sword Sect Master drew his sword, laughing wildly. He glanced around, pointed his sword at the Holy Monarch, and said sternly, "Hand over the secret manual and the treasure map, and perhaps we can consider leaving you with a whole corpse, considering that you destroyed the Seven Fiends Tower."

The Holy Lord slightly raised his eyes and gave the Divine Sword Sect Master a cold, sharp, and icy glance. With just one look, the Divine Sword Sect Master's hand holding the sword trembled, and he almost dropped the sword. His previous fierce expression vanished without a trace, and he lowered his head guiltily.

"Useless." The Heavenly Sun Sect Master shoved aside the Divine Sword Sect Master, disdainfully saying. His composed face revealed impatience as he held a gleaming broadsword to the Holy Monarch's neck, coldly snorting, "Hmph, others may fear you, but I don't. Quickly hand over the secret manual, or else..." He, who had always kept a low profile, had been waiting for this moment.

"Otherwise what?" Jin Xuan said coldly and gloomily, his deep eyes shooting out a thousand years of ice, freezing the four people standing there as if they were frozen in a layer of ice, their whole bodies cold, in this hot summer it was like walking in an ice cave, it was really cold!

"Hmph, otherwise you will all die a horrible death." Bai Xiaosheng tugged at his robes and sneered. This person was just as mysterious as the Holy King, and equally awe-inspiring. He could not be allowed to live.

"Is that so?" The Holy Monarch smiled coldly, his eyes flashing. A gentle breeze blew by, ruffling two strands of white hair on his forehead. He raised his hand slightly, waved it lightly, stood up, and said calmly.

At the same time, the Tianri Sect Master felt a powerful internal force attacking him. The precious sword in his hand broke in response, and the sword's owner was also sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground, clutching his chest and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"You..." The Divine Sword Sect Master pointed at the Holy Monarch in terror, his legs trembling violently. He felt a sudden darkness before his eyes and flew out like the Heavenly Sun Sect Master, crashing heavily onto a chair. The chair, which served as his cushion, shattered instantly, and the Divine Sword Sect Master also suffered severe internal injuries.

Looking at the Holy Emperor and Jin Xuan standing directly in front of them, Bai Xiaosheng and the Empty Fist Sect trembled in disbelief, drawing their weapons and huddling together warily, stammering, "This... how is this possible? How are you alright? How could the 'Hundred Flowers Tendon-Softening Powder' have failed?"

"Hundred Flowers Softening Tendon Powder? That's a nice name, but you think you can bewitch my Saint Purple with just 'Hundred Flowers Softening Tendon Powder'? You underestimate the number one poison in the world, and you underestimate our Saint Immortal Sect!" Saint Purple smiled and glanced disdainfully at the two trembling figures.

The Divine Sword Sect Master and the Heavenly Sun Sect Master struggled to their feet, and together with the Empty Fist Sect Master and Bai Xiaosheng, they looked at the Holy Immortal Sect members and Jin Xuan and the others who were all standing except for Duan Zhengfei with fear.

"Such a stupid person still wants to steal the secret manual, tsk tsk... He's really overestimating himself!" Sheng Cheng said, shaking his head as he twirled his fingers and glanced at Bai Xiaosheng and the other three.

"Someone as stupid as you, getting sold out and still helping the seller count the money, someone so bad at business, is useless in this world. Cheng Wuying is smarter than you all," Sheng Qing mocked with a sly smile. They were all used by Cheng Wuying without even realizing it; they were incredibly stupid.

"Cheng Wuying?..." Bai Xiaosheng's pupils constricted instantly, his fearful eyes filled with intense hatred and mockery. Could it be that their defeat was due to the dancing girl they rescued on the road? Was she the venomous woman Cheng Wuying, despised by all? Hah... He had been defeated by lust.

"Alas, lust is a double-edged sword. Remember this wise saying in your next life," Saint Green sighed softly, offering them a very "sincere" piece of advice, which only instilled greater fear in them. Saint Green suddenly hardened her expression and glared at them: "You think you can fool our Alliance Leader with your little tricks? Hmph, from the moment you arrived, your every move has been under the Sect Leader's control. Hmph..." Saint Green found another opportunity to lecture them.

Only the chanting of Saint Green remained in the hall; everyone else was drenched in cold sweat.

"The Strategist and the Princess" by Sui Fengqing, Chapter 85: A Twist of Fate

Chapter word count: 8596

Saint Chi's sinister eyes narrowed, and he gave a cruel sneer. He still had one last killing move. With a wave of his hand, five men in black flew out from all around. Four of them had empty eyes, as if they had no soul, while the other held a short flute.

Saint King's expression changed, and he muttered while holding the Heavenly Stem Sword, "Soul Devouring Technique?" Saint Chi indeed had a backup plan. Last time, he was probably lucky to break the Soul Devouring Technique. This time, Saint Chi was well prepared, and it would be difficult for him to kill the person holding the flute.

"Haha... Holy Lord, it seems you already know the last move I've left, haha... No matter how high your martial arts are, it's useless. You will die today, haha... Kill..." Saint Chi glanced at the Holy Lord, laughed loudly, blood still flowing from the corner of his mouth. His iron mask looked so sinister and terrifying under the moonlight as he coldly gave his orders.

The man in black holding the piccolo did not immediately carry out Saint Chi's order. Instead, he glanced at Saint Chi with slight surprise, a hint of bloodlust flashing in his calm eyes, filled with hatred, but not towards the Holy Lord and the others, but towards Saint Chi.

The Holy Emperor looked at the man in black with unfathomable eyes filled with doubt. Those bloodthirsty eyes were so familiar, yet they only flashed by so quickly that the Holy Emperor thought he had seen wrong.

"Ah..." A mournful cry rang out clearly in the silent night. One of the men in black who was fighting Jin Xuan had been killed by a sword.

But Jin Xuan dared not relax at all, because the remaining three men in black were attacking faster and more ruthlessly. It seemed that they were stimulated by the sight of their companion being killed, or encouraged by the arrival of the five men in black. The three of them were even more powerful than the four men before. Jin Xuan was already struggling to keep up and was finding it increasingly difficult to defend himself. His left hand had already been stabbed by a sword.

"Ah... Third Brother, be careful." Cheng Wuying, who was already stunned with fear, immediately rang out her sharp voice when she saw Jin Xuan injured. She then turned to Sheng Chi with a fierce expression and said angrily, "Qisha, tell your people to stop. You promised me you wouldn't hurt Third Brother."

"Hehe... If I don't hurt him, do you expect me to kill him? Wu Ying, you can just be my woman in peace! Ouyang Jinxuan will die today, hahaha..." Sheng Chi glanced at Cheng Wu Ying upon hearing this and said with a cruel, cold laugh.

"Qisha, you..." Cheng Wuying glared angrily at Sheng Chidao. No, she couldn't let anything happen to her third brother. She still wanted to be Princess Jin, and she wanted to be with her third brother forever. Qisha, you can't kill my third brother...

Before she could speak, Sheng Chi seemed to know what she was about to say. He smiled cruelly, his sinister eyes narrowing dangerously as he glared fiercely at the still-standing man in black holding the flute. He roared, "Didn't you hear my order? Kill them for me!" Cheng Wuying, do you think I would let go of Ouyang Jinxuan, such a formidable enemy, for your sake? Haha... Loving beauty more than power, I, Sheng Chi, would never do that.

“Third Brother…” Cheng Wuying’s legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, looking desperately at Jin Xuan, who was still fighting the man in black. Her sinister eyes shimmered with tears: If Third Brother died, everything she had done would have been in vain. Had all the evil she had done come to nothing? No, no, Third Brother was a war god, invincible under heaven. No one could harm him, especially with the mysterious and unpredictable Holy Lord. Third Brother would be alright. But she also knew that once the Soul Devourer was unleashed, even if the Holy Lord and Third Brother were highly skilled, they couldn't defeat the Soul Devourer, which was immortal and painless. Moreover, the Flute-Holder (the man in black with the flute) was also unfathomably skilled. Qi Sha had said that his martial arts might not be inferior to his own. Waaah… She was unwilling to accept it. Qi Sha, she shouldn't have trusted Qi Sha. He was a villain, a devil. She shouldn't have believed his words…

Shi Di slowly raised his short flute, slightly lifted his black veil, and began to play. The four black-clad men with empty eyes suddenly became fierce. A glint of light flashed by, and they slowly raised their swords, attacking Jin Xuan's direction. They were more powerful and terrifying than the two Soul Eaters from the Seven Kill Tower. They were the truly invincible Soul Eaters.

Jin Xuan was already struggling to deal with three guardians by himself, and with the addition of the four Soul Devourers, all he could do was dodge. He tried his best to avoid the four Soul Devourers, but he was still stabbed by a sword again.

The Holy King was startled. He moved swiftly and attacked the flute-wielding man in black. He knew that the most important thing was to kill this flute-wielding man in black. He was right. This flute-wielding man in black was not so easy to kill. Just by looking at how the man nimbly turned around and avoided his killing move, he knew that.

Shi Di stared blankly at the familiar, pure white figure approaching, momentarily lost in thought. He seemed to see that stunningly beautiful figure etched into his very bones, especially... especially the sword in his hand, which was so similar. No, no, that was her sword. How could it be in his hands? Shi Di's eyes narrowed as he stared intently at the sword in the Holy Lord's hand, seemingly lost in memories, until a strong killing intent swept over him, bringing him back to his senses and narrowly avoiding the opponent's deadly attack.

With a swift movement, the Holy Lord swung his Heavenly Stem Sword, unleashing a barrage of sword energy like a net of heaven and earth towards Shi Di. Shi Di immediately leaped into the air, but still couldn't dodge. Fortunately, Holy Chi flew over and used his full power to block the Holy Lord's sword energy with a palm strike. The two of them flipped back a few steps before finally regaining their footing. Shi Di was now Holy Chi's last resort; he couldn't let anything happen to him!

"The three guardians can handle Ouyang Jinxuan, but summoning the Four Soul Devourers back to deal with the Holy Lord is the most difficult task." Saint Chi stood before Shi Di, his sinister eyes fixed on the sword-wielding Holy Lord, and cruelly gave the order. The Heavenly Stem Sword would be his sooner or later.

Shi Di sneered and, caught off guard, suddenly struck Sheng Chi, who was standing in front of him, with a palm. This blow caught Sheng Chi completely off guard, causing him, who was already seriously injured, to stagger forward and spit out a mouthful of blood.