Free Web NovelChapter 520: Chapter 305: Martial God Atlas
The Tao Yuan River flows from north to south, its banks shaded by willow trees. At a glance, both sides are emerald green—refreshing and soothing to the eye.
On the river, people row boats, most of them black-canopied skiffs, but only one warship stands out conspicuously.
On its deck, a group of martial artists dressed in deep blue robes, tiger-head iron belts at their waists, tiger-head boots on their feet, gathered together and discussed in low voices.
"The day before yesterday, the Lieyang Sect on Red Sun Peak had its mountain gate smashed, the Sect Leader Zhenren was wounded, and his daughter was abducted by villains, her whereabouts unknown."
"Five days ago, the Qingcheng Sect’s Sect Leader was captured and tied to the gatehouse in Rich Town, ten miles away. When found, he’d been drenched in filth, the stench unbearable."
"Three days ago, half of the Yujiang Thirteen Dragons were slaughtered. Now, the surviving half is searching everywhere for the murderer."
"Yesterday, Master Tong of Yi Xian Peak was injured, and the sect’s treasured ’Pure Yang Sword’ was stolen."
...
They continued to share intelligence they’d uncovered, each one adding at least twenty incidents—every one a martial force in the jianghu facing serious trouble.
"According to investigations, they all found this symbol at the scene." The first spoke, producing a piece of paper, inked with a lotus flower.
The others followed, bringing out their own findings, each one featuring a lotus illustration.
It seemed that wherever tragedy struck, a lotus appeared.
Given the circumstances, this lotus had inevitably become a target.
"Legend has it the White Lotus Sect’s stronghold is in the Central Plains. Could all this truly involve them?"
"At this rate, even if it’s not related, it’ll have to becomeso. With so many jianghu forces attacked, this won’t end quietly."
As their discussions grew heated, they suddenly noticed a massive white carriage appear on the riverbank ahead.
A large group of riders on white horses stared at them, eyes glinting with a complex, unfathomable light.
Their gazes were like wolves sighting plump sheep—a predator’s focus before the hunt.
"Who are these people? Their outfits are so odd."
"White robes... why does this feel..."
Before they could react, those riders suddenly leapt from their horses, light as swallows, treading atop the water as they charged at the warship.
One person skimming the surface is graceful; a whole group doing it is downright astonishing.
In barely the blink of an eye, these white-robed youths—boys and girls—landed aboard and fighting broke out.
"White Lotus Sect! They’re White Lotus Sect!"
During the brawl, someone shouted; the rest were shocked to their core.
In the chaos, some dove into the river, abandoning ship; others feigned death on the deck; some truly lost their lives.
Once only corpses remained, the group painted a lotus symbol on each body and looted the warship, taking everything of value before swiftly leaving.
Qin Yuesheng possessed the Enlightening Mind ability—even an ordinary person like Sanhuang, with only a few days of martial training, could be forcefully imbued by him into an Inner Strength expert, let alone these disciples of Snake Sect.
Now that he’d made them all Inner Strength masters, carrying out Qin Yuesheng’s plan became markedly easier.
These days, on his journey to the White Lotus Celestial Pavilion, Qin Yuesheng stirred up trouble everywhere, provoking and attacking sects across the jianghu, causing the name of the White Lotus Saint Sect to resound ever more loudly throughout southern Central Plains.
Whether the deeds were truly the White Lotus Saint Sect’s doing—or someone impersonating them, framing and inciting blame—
—all that no longer mattered. As fury raged, the White Lotus Saint Sect was bound to be swept up sooner or later.
...
The Central Plains are vast, divided into east, west, north, south, and center.
In the southern region, the Five Peaks, Eight Mountains make up but a tenth of the land, but with more sects struck and harmed every day, some prudent folk, fearing for themselves, rushed to ally together, forming a coalition called the ’Lotus Destruction Alliance’.
No need to ask which lotus they targeted.
Shuiyun Sect was a prominent name in southern Central Plains, ranking among the top sects in the jianghu; naturally, the Lotus Destruction Alliance gathered its victims, hoping to petition Shuiyun Sect for justice.
Shuiyun Sect’s leader, Luo Songtang, ranked seventy-seventh under heaven—not only powerful, but renowned for his integrity and fairness, always defending the weak and upholding justice, thus earning the nickname ’Impartial and Righteous’ in the jianghu.
Normally, when trouble brewed in southern Central Plains, seeking out Luo Songtang was usually the right move.
This day, a surging crowd flooded Shuiyun Sect, packing the vast plaza to overflowing—a sea of heads, a mountain of people.
Even the Shuiyun Sect’s disciples had never seen such a scene before, and rushed to report to their Sect Leader for guidance.
"Sect Leader Luo, the Wolf Gang’s Gang Leader requests an audience!"
"Hero Luo, Liuhe Manor’s Lord requests an audience!"
Several prominent jianghu figures stepped up from the crowd, shouting toward the Shuiyun Sect disciples.
Soon, a man with hair coiled atop his head strode from the main hall, dressed in gray-white robes, his bearing extraordinary, gaze calm and serene—all clear signs this was Luo Songtang, Sect Leader of Shuiyun Sect.
"Gentlemen, why have you come to Shuiyun Sect today?" Luo Songtang asked.
One of the victims immediately stepped forward from the crowd. "Sect Leader Luo, a heretical cult now commits endless evil in the jianghu, bringing disaster to our peers. Surely you’ve heard?"
In recent days throughout southern Central Plains, martial manors and sects have suffered attack—the culprit always the White Lotus Saint Sect. Word had spread; as a leading force in southern Central Plains, Shuiyun Sect had its own network of informants—how could they not know?
