Free Web NovelChapter 175: Chapter 175: Meeting
The view from Moyun Peak was superb.
Looking out from the summit, one could see clouds of red and yellow dust drifting in the distance like a sandy veil, with heat rising in shimmering waves.
It possessed a kind of magnificent beauty.
From here, one could take in most of the scenery of the Fire Cave Dynasty.
"The ancients truly did not deceive me!"
Bai Mo exclaimed in admiration.
In the distance, the long, single-file snake formation added a grim, murderous aura to the landscape—a quality that those predecessors had never witnessed.
Zhao Jingyu did not share Bai Mo’s leisurely mood. All he saw was a rather dull and treacherous desert.
The latter narrowed his eyes, stared for a moment, and suddenly spoke:
"The rebel leader is nothing special. He’s a dead man!"
Bai Mo and Wan Shenxiu, who were not privy to the details, immediately shot him a questioning look.
"The duel is in three days. The rebels are attacking today, which probably means their leader wants to make one last desperate effort."
"Without the conviction that he will win, he’s already at a disadvantage."
Zhao Jingyu spoke with conviction, and Bai Mo, unsure if his reasoning was sound, simply listened quietly.
"Secondly, even though their military formation is shifting, only the common soldiers and low-ranking officers are engaging."
Zhao Jingyu pointed to a few small black dots in the rear.
"Those are their command tents. They haven’t moved an inch, which shows the rebel leader is still trying to conserve his strength, avoiding battle if he can."
"He’s shrinking back, unable to commit. It’s a textbook case of crippling indecision."
Zhao Jingyu commented.
"In this battle, the enemy is doomed to lose!"
Bai Mo and Wan Shenxiu exchanged a look of surprise.
"Senior Brother, where did you learn this theory? Are you also versed in military affairs?"
Bai Mo asked with a smile.
It was rare to discover this man had expertise in something other than Body Refinement.
Zhao Jingyu let out a hearty laugh and said:
"A Senior Brother in the sect taught me. The principles within are also tricks of the trade for decisive combat."
Bai Mo quickly turned to the man at the center of the upcoming duel.
Mo Tianshu opened his eyes from his meditation and said flatly:
"He’s mostly correct, but he missed one thing."
Zhao Jingyu paused, quickly trying to recall what his Senior Brother had taught him.
’Did I miss anything?’
Mo Tianshu shot him a glance.
"Battle intent. If that man could cast aside his reservations and come to the front lines to challenge someone to a fight to the death."
"It wouldn’t take much. He’d only need to take two or three heads. If he came to our duel then, riding that wave of momentum, he would even make me wary."
"As it stands now, I won’t even need half my strength to kill him."
The three of them—Bai Mo and the others—looked at each other, stunned.
Zhao Jingyu scratched his head.
"That... my Senior Brother really didn’t mention that part."
Mo Tianshu snorted coldly and closed his eyes again.
"Your Senior Brother, in the end, is just a third-rate amateur. At best, he only knows half the story."
Unlike Shui Ziming, this man was not one to enjoy playing the teacher, delighting in guiding his juniors.
To have said this much was already going above and beyond for him.
Bai Mo nodded silently, taking the lesson to heart.
He probably wouldn’t do something so ruthless himself in the future, but he wanted a basic understanding of such methods to be prepared for anything.
Wan Shenxiu, who had been silent, watched the distant battlefield for a moment and noticed something amiss.
"The experts on the royal court’s side haven’t made a move, nor have they sent anyone to issue a challenge!"
"It seems their general understands these principles. They’re just waiting for their opponent’s morale to hit rock bottom so Senior Brother can take his head for them!"
No one knew if this was truly the case.
But after half a day of fighting and a considerable number of casualties, no one had stepped forward to issue a formal challenge. Something was definitely strange.
Bai Mo watched for a long time. The long snake formation was broken in several places, only to be reconnected again.
Overall, the lives lost on both sides seemed meaningless.
Neither side advanced nor retreated; it was as if they were playing a pointless game.
Such a stalemate would only make a general more anxious.
"Huh?" Zhao Jingyu finally realized.
"Junior Brother Bai, why aren’t you cultivating? Taking it so easy?"
"The cultivation atmosphere on Broken Blade Peak shouldn’t have faded from you yet."
He took out a large, yellow pill and tossed it into his mouth. He began absorbing its medicinal power, and within moments, he was drenched in sweat.
He threw two punches, and the air in front of him seemed to compress and crackle with faint explosions.
Constantly striving for improvement—this was the true nature of the valiant and diligent disciples of the Xuandao Sect.
Bai Mo shook his head helplessly and said:
"If I were to cultivate, I wouldn’t have the mind to appreciate the scenery. It would be a waste of such a magnificent view."
...
「Three days passed in a flash.」
This time, the duel was to be held on the enemy’s turf. Early in the morning, Zhao Jingyu tapped his feet lightly and leaped down from the peak.
Waking Bai Mo from his cultivation, Zhao Jingyu praised him:
"Junior Brother Bai, you truly are a cultivation fanatic! You didn’t get distracted and wake up once!"
Bai Mo was still a bit groggy.
Zhao Jingyu’s call had been like the resounding clang of a great bell, leaving his head buzzing. He still hadn’t fully come to his senses.
Zhao Jingyu shouldered his coffin and secured it tightly.
"Junior Brother, hurry up and get ready. Senior Brother has already set off."
"If we don’t hurry, we’ll miss the main event!"
Bai Mo glanced over and, seeing no sign of Mo Tianshu, quickly jumped to his feet.
In a chaotic rush, the five new outer disciples helped each other pack up and began to scramble down the mountain.
A thought suddenly occurred to Bai Mo.
"We are heading into enemy territory for this."
"What if the rebels refuse to accept the outcome and try to harm us afterward?"
His concern was not without reason.
If the crowd became enraged, the situation could spiral out of control. A simple promise to accept defeat wouldn’t be enough to resolve it.
To put it bluntly, if things were handled poorly, one could easily imagine the enemy swarming them, tearing the five of them into eighteen pieces, and pickling them in a jar.
Wan Shenxiu reassured him:
"Don’t worry, I already have a plan for that."
"When the time comes, we’ll position ourselves upwind. If something unexpected happens, Junior Brother, you throw the Five Obstacles Pill. We can fight while retreating. It shouldn’t be a problem..."
When the five of them arrived at the dueling ground, the place was already packed so tightly that not even a drop of water could get through.
"Make way, excuse us, make way..."
Zhao Jingyu, carrying the coffin on his back, led the way, clearing a path.
A soldier turned and glared at him angrily, only to be met with Zhao Jingyu’s own arrogant, domineering stare.
"What? Even at an opera, they know to leave an aisle open. What do you think you’re doing?"
"Or are you planning to turn into axemen and attack our Senior Brother the moment things go wrong?"
The soldier blocking the way snorted coldly but still let them pass.
Once inside, Bai Mo froze and subconsciously grabbed Zhao Jingyu.
"Senior Brother, you should hide in the back..."
Down in a natural sand pit, a clearing about a li in radius, Mo Tianshu stood calmly. Across from him was a listless Cultivator with heavy, dark circles under his eyes.
Nearby, several other Cultivators stood watching from the edge of the pit. They were travel-worn and silent.
Having clashed with the Silver-Robed Cultivator before, Bai Mo could tell at a glance that they were disciples of the Douchen Sect.
Speaking of which, the coffin on Zhao Jingyu’s back had been seized from their hands.
But the coffin was tall, and no matter how Zhao Jingyu tried to hide, he couldn’t conceal it. So, he simply stood out in the open.
As expected, the Douchen Sect Cultivators all shot him resentful glares.
Zhao Jingyu met their gazes without a trace of fear.
Wan Shenxiu whispered from the side:
"Senior Brother, you should be more discreet. Don’t be fooled by their travel-worn appearance, as if they were mere odd-job disciples. In reality, their cultivation levels are all higher than ours..."
A flicker of something passed through Zhao Jingyu’s eyes.
"Junior Brother, you shouldn’t have reminded me right now. If I back down, it’ll look like I’m afraid of them, and I’ll lose face for nothing."
Bai Mo was in no mood to joke around. Watching the few Douchen Sect Cultivators, he got a strange feeling.
There was an air of professionalism about them, unlike ordinary Cultivators.
Bai Mo was an expert in the Alchemy Dao and carried a similar air, as did Wan Shenxiu.
He just couldn’t tell what line of work those few were in.
