clergé

Chapitre 81

"Yes, you've just let things drift, allowing them to fantasize about you." The man in white curled his lips, his expression quite meaningful. "Frankly, you're the most heartless person I've ever met." The man in purple glanced at him sideways.

"He's also the most suitable person I've ever met for a high position," the man in white laughed heartily. "No one can grasp your weaknesses, never!"

The man in purple ignored him and turned his head back straight away.

A series of heavy, distant horn sounds rang out from outside the tent.

The appointed time has arrived, and the life-or-death battle between the righteous sects and the Moon Worship Cult is about to begin.

The purple-clad man's usually calm eyes finally changed, like glass falling into water, shimmering with an unfathomable light.

Zhang Xiuzhu stood before the gauze curtain, his robes fluttering, brimming with confidence and surging emotions. Today would be a day that would forever etch his name in the history of Wudang, or rather, in the history of the martial world—a day of immense significance. The leader of the martial arts alliance had received intelligence that the young master of the Baiyue Sect, Zuo Nanyi, was seriously injured and unconscious, and had just been sent back to the sect. Zuo Huai'an was currently preoccupied, making this undoubtedly the best opportunity in a lifetime to attack the Baiyue Sect. This battle was sure to be a resounding victory! All those who participated would become famous throughout the world! However, he hadn't expected that Gu Xiju would assign him such a glorious task.

"You scoundrels who worship the moon! You old scoundrel Zuo Huai'an! Why don't you hurry down the mountain and surrender!" He shouted at the top of his lungs towards the opposite mountain.

It must be said that Gu Xiju's choice of Zhang Xiuzhu to lead the charge was absolutely correct. This man had a strong voice and a deep tone, and his shouts could be heard from a great distance. For a time, the whole valley echoed with the words "Come down the mountain and be captured!"

Countless birds were startled from the mountains and fled in all directions, flapping their wings, but the black gate of the Moon Worship Cult, covered with human heads, remained unmoved.

After waiting a while longer, there was still no movement at the gate, and Zhang Xiuzhu couldn't help but become a little impatient.

Strangely enough, the challenge was sent ten days ago, so why is there no movement at the entrance of the Moon Worship Cult today?

"You old scoundrel Zuo Huai'an! If you don't come out to fight, be careful that we raze this Chuyun Mountain to the ground!" He silently gathered his strength and challenged again.

"Pingdi didi didi ayi," the melodious and rhythmic echoing rang out, and the pitch-black giant door finally creaked open. A group of people dressed in white and wearing masks walked out of the door; they were ten of the twelve elders of the Moon Worship Cult.

Zhang Xiuzhu breathed a sigh of relief and laughed heartily.

"Where is Zuo Huai'an? Why didn't he come out to fight personally? Why did he send you few guardian elders to your deaths?!" He raised his chin, his words a scathing insult, "What cowards!"

"Insolence!" The white-robed man at the front shouted, his sinister voice as rough as the bark of a thousand-year-old pine tree. "Dealing with you is more than enough for us elders, why does the sect leader need to take action personally?" As soon as he finished speaking, all ten of them assumed a fighting stance.

"Wasn't it said that only Rong Gu was unconscious among the twelve masters? Why are only ten people showing up today?" From inside the high gauze tent, the white-robed man approached the purple-robed man with a puzzled expression. The purple-robed man raised an eyebrow but didn't speak; this was clearly unexpected.

Looking into the battleground, several righteous masters had already jumped in, unable to contain themselves, and engaged the white-robed elder in fierce combat. Leading the charge were the three major sects: Kongtong, Emei, and Qingcheng. Having witnessed their former sect leader's head displayed as a trophy on the Demonic Sect's gates, how could they swallow such humiliation? They wished they could tear the Moon Worshipers to pieces, grind their bones to dust, and kill them with every ruthless move, showing no mercy whatsoever.

In contrast, the Shaolin and Kunlun factions have not yet made a move, remaining on the sidelines as observers.

"Zhikong and Heshannai are truly two old foxes," the white-robed man muttered to the purple-robed man, his face filled with disdain. "They're still thinking about preserving their strength at a time like this!"

The man in purple smiled nonchalantly: "They just feel it's not the right time to act yet; acting too early would lower their status." He picked up his porcelain cup, took a sip of his favorite sparrow tongue syrup, and said with a contented expression: "With such a great achievement as eradicating the Demonic Sect, do you think they wouldn't try to get a share of the spoils?"

Everyone is waiting, just waiting for the perfect opportunity.

After a fierce battle, the Moon Worship Cult clearly gained the upper hand. Only four elders suffered minor injuries, while six members of the righteous faction were seriously injured. Three of them were forced to leave the scene immediately, and soon new experts from the righteous faction joined the battle.

Round after round of fighting continued until the seventh round. The ten elders were clearly exhausted and swaying precariously. Just as the situation was about to turn completely around, the black gate creaked open again, and a man in blue robes walked out steadily. The newcomer was Shi Jueming, the Right Envoy of the Moon Worshiping Sect, whose status in the entire sect was second only to Zuo Huai'an.

Master Zhikong, the abbot of Shaolin Temple, and He Shannai, the head of Kunlun Sect, exchanged a glance, then lifted their robes and leaped into the formation.

"Shi Jueming! If you hand over Zuo Huai'an today, I'll spare your life!"

He Shannai routinely took the initiative.

“Amitabha Buddha, monks are compassionate. The leader of the Left Sect has committed many evils and will surely be punished by heaven today. Please, benefactor Shi, put down your butcher's knife and turn back to the right path.”

Master Zhikong began his opening remarks as usual.

Shi Jueming looked at them and raised an eyebrow.

Everyone in the arena knew that Shi Jueming would soon spout some nonsense like, "Heaven and earth bear witness to my unwavering loyalty to the leader; I would rather die than lose my integrity." They couldn't help but secretly gather their strength and rub their hands together in anticipation. This was merely the prelude to a performance; a top-tier duel was about to unfold.

"A rabble!" Shi Jueming's face suddenly showed a mocking expression. "Do you think that by killing the leader and me, the Moon Worship Cult will disappear and have no successors?"

Both He Shannai and Monk Zhikong were taken aback.

"To gang up on the few and take advantage of their weakness, what kind of righteous sect do you think you are!" He spat on the ground, raised his chin, and laughed loudly. "Let me tell you, if anyone is to be punished by heaven today, it will be you! Hahaha!"

Seeing that the old man was still being stubborn even when he was about to die, He Shannai couldn't help but get angry and launched a "Jade Dragon Soars" attack straight for the opponent's vital point.

Shi Jueming stared coldly at him, his body motionless, seemingly unprepared to face death. Just as He Shannai's palm strike was about to touch his chest, a golden lightning bolt suddenly pierced the sky with a "crackling" sound.

The lightning was extremely sharp, and with a fierce wind, it forcefully cleaved through He Shannai's protective true energy. Not only did it split the "Jade Dragon Soars" move in two, but its profound force also caused him to stagger back several steps!

After finally managing to stand up, He Shannai felt dizzy, lightheaded, and had a sore mouth.

He reached out and wiped his face with his sleeve, only to be shocked – it was blood! He had actually been struck by the lightning and coughed up blood! The onlookers also turned pale; the dignified leader of Kunlun had actually had his heart meridian injured by a sudden bolt of lightning! Who on earth was this person who had barged into the battlefield?

Everyone looked up.

"Who dares to presume that I, the Moon Worshipper, am without anyone to rely on?"

As the clear, melodious voice rang out, someone rode down from the mountaintop with a whip cracking, causing the wind and clouds to change color.

With dark, lacquered eyes, a peach-blossom face, and a disdainful smile, he seemed utterly indifferent to the world around him.

The Red Hare horse, the phoenix robe, and the dazzling beauty outshone even the most magnificent clouds in the mountains.

"Smack!"

With another crisp sound, the man-sized boulder behind Master Zhikong shattered into pieces.

The girl in red rode a tall horse, exuding an aura of power, her golden whip drawing dazzling curves in the air.

"Shi Jueming! How dare you allow these disciples to curse and swear in front of my sect?" Before the crowd could react, the young girl had already shouted imperiously, and the whip lashed the hillside again. A loud crash and a cacophony of sounds rang out, and the gauze curtain behind Zhang Xiuzhu tore apart and collapsed, bringing with it a cloud of flying sand and gravel that slammed into him, leaving him covered in dust.

"You monster..." He jumped up in a fit of rage, about to unleash a torrent of curses, but fell silent the moment he saw the girl's face.