A battle of wits
The sky hung low, leaden grey, weighing heavily upon the head, suffocating. The air was stagnant, not a breath of wind, and only the thick stench of earth and the sour smell of decaying leaves, a nauseating, damp stench that filled the lungs.
"Not good!" Tiao Tiao heard a very slight rustling sound above his head, and his heart was filled with alarm. He tapped the ground lightly with his toes, and his body flipped in the air like a kite, retreating several feet quickly.
Almost simultaneously, a row of sharp blades, flashing a cold, blue light, tore through the stagnant air, crashing down with a piercing murderous intent. The heavy impact was deafening, stirring up a cloud of dust, choking Tiao Tiao's throat with a bitter taste, blurring his eyes with tears, and he couldn't help but cough.
The icy breath of death brushed past his nose. Although it wasn't his first time facing it, cold sweat instantly soaked his back. The sharp blade was only an inch away from where he stood. If it had been a fraction of a second later, he would have been a corpse impaled on the ground.
"What a beautiful move!" A sudden clap of hands echoed through the dead silence, its eerie sound adding to the eerie atmosphere of this solemn and murderous place. "As expected of the Green Light Sword Master. No one has ever survived my Soul-Falling Nail, yet you've managed to dodge it so effortlessly. Unfortunately... today's setup is a sure death. You can avoid it on the first day, but not on the fifteenth."
The smoke and dust filled the air, blinding him. But Tiao Tiao's keen senses, already stretched like a spiderweb, clearly detected over a dozen powerful auras locked onto him. If he moved even slightly, a devastating combined attack would descend instantly, crushing him to dust.
His heartbeat was like a drum, and his blood vessels throbbed in his eardrums. Tiaotiao's right hand tightly grasped the hilt of the emerald sword, his palm slippery and wet. His mind raced, countless escape plans racing through his mind.
The smoke and dust gradually cleared. When I saw the scene clearly, even though I had expected it, my heart still felt like it was being hit by a hammer.
As far as the eye could see, a sea of bladed figures shone in a continuous stream. Figures from behind continued to pour in like ants, layer upon layer, completely blocking all escape routes.
The crowd was clearly divided, with more than a dozen forces each surrounding a leader, all dressed in different clothes and with a dignified aura.
"Master Qingguang Sword, do you find today's scene pleasing to the eye?" A deep, cold voice cut through the air, and the crowd parted like a tide. A man in a black robe slowly emerged, his dark cloak fluttering in the wind, a sinister, bloodthirsty smile playing on his lips.
"So it's Zhao Peng, the head of the Slaughter Heaven Sect. I've long admired you!" Tiao Tiao suppressed the chill in his heart, but a calm smile spread across his face as he spoke loudly, "I wonder what has troubled all of you heroes to mobilize so many troops today?"
"As expected of a guardian from the demonic lair, you can still laugh and talk even when facing death." Zhao Peng narrowed his eyes slightly, a cold light flashing in them. "Today, all the heroes have gathered to enforce justice and eliminate you, the great scourge of the martial arts world! The blood debt on your hands in the past will be settled today!"
"Master Zhao? This..." Tiao Tiao was stunned for a moment, then his face filled with astonishment. He pointed at Zhao Peng in disbelief, his voice trembling with just the right amount of force. "You...you want to kill me to silence me! I must have known about your plot to unify the martial arts world, so you incited the heroes to kill me so that you can pursue your evil ambitions unimpeded!"
The moment these words were spoken, the entire crowd was shocked. Countless eyes fixed on Zhao Peng, a mixture of suspicion, scrutiny, and vigilance intertwined. If he truly had such intentions, he would be the enemy of all sects.
Several of the powerful auras that had been locked onto Tiao Tiao suddenly shifted towards Zhao Peng. Tiao Tiao felt the pressure around him suddenly decrease, and his heart relaxed slightly.
Zhao Peng's face turned pale with anger at this unexpected tirade. In his entire career, he'd never encountered anyone so audacious and unfounded, yet still feigning such genuine affection!
"Great! What a great demon cult guardian! What a great show!" Zhao Peng instantly saw through Tiao Tiao's sinister scheme to deflect blame, and laughed out loud in anger, "Tiao Tiao, your dying struggle only adds to the joke!"
Tiao Tiao's face was bitter, and his voice was filled with grief and indignation. "Zhao Peng! I have already given you all the secrets of each sect as you requested, leaving not a single piece of paper behind! But you are afraid that I will leak the secrets, so you are determined to kill me..."
"Shut up!" Zhao Peng shouted, his face distorted and ferocious.
There was an uproar in the room, and whispers spread like a tide.
"Zhao Peng! Is what he said true or false?!" Tian Yizhong, the head of the Shangqing Sect, could no longer contain himself and asked harshly.
Zhao Peng said nothing, only glancing coldly at him. His gaze was like ten thousand years of black ice, filled with undisguised contempt and a chilling chill.
Tian Yizhong froze at the sting of his contempt, then a surge of evil fire shot up to his head, his face flushing purple. "Zhao Peng! We are all here today to give your Lutian Sect a face! Who are you trying to show off to by being so arrogant and rude?!"
"Let me show you." Zhao Peng's eyes were as deep as a cold pond, and his voice was so gloomy that water could drip out of it.
When had the Shangqing Sect ever suffered such humiliation? Their rage was instantly ablaze, their eyes wide open, glaring murderously at the Lutian Sect. The Lutian Sect, unwilling to be outdone, met their gaze with stern brows, creating a tense atmosphere.
"Zhao Peng, you little brat! You're going too far!" Tian Yizhong was burning with rage, and shouted, "Today I'll let you taste the power of my Taoist master!" Before he finished speaking, his figure had already approached like a ghost, and the silver thread of the whisk in his hand exploded, turning into a sky full of cold light, and went straight to Zhao Peng's face!
Zhao Peng snorted coldly, his face showing disdain, and waved his palm to meet the attack. In an instant, the two of them were fighting in one place, and the wind was blowing everywhere.
The corners of Tiao Tiao's lips curled up in a cold arc where no one could see.
The bet won!
Shangqing and Lutian have a long-standing grudge. How could they join forces if not for the immense benefits they were driven to do so? That benefit must have been the one he controlled in the Demonic Cult back then...
"Masters, wait a minute! Don't fall into the trap set by the traitors!" Seeing that the situation was not good, Lu Jun'an from Tianmen Mountain flashed his body and flew into the arena like a big bird. He used his palms to split the waves, and his Qi energy circulated like Tai Chi, which actually dissolved the fierce attacks of the two men at the same time.
Tian and Zhao's offensive was blocked, and they felt humiliated. Although they suppressed their anger temporarily, their dissatisfaction with Lu Junan was clearly visible in their eyes.
Tiao Tiao frowned slightly, lowering her eyelashes to hide the thoughts flowing in her eyes.
This Lu Junan... is quite important.
He suddenly sneered, his voice low but clear enough to carry throughout the room: "Tianmen Mountain is truly righteous! What a shame! Zhao Peng once privately said that the first step in his grand ambitions would be to sacrifice Tianmen Mountain!"
“What?!” Everyone in Tianmen Mountain was furious, and their raging anger was directed at the Lutian Sect!
Lu Junan was so angry that his whole body was shaking and his knuckles were white.
"I underestimated you, Demon Cult Protector." Zhao Peng's eyes flashed with cold light, and his tone was as chilling as the wind from the underworld. "With just a few words, you have brought this catastrophic disaster upon me. Your position as Protector is truly well-deserved!"
When these words were spoken, many people nodded secretly, agreeing with them.
Tiaotiao raised his head, his smile bleak and sad. "The guardian of the Demon Cult? I'm just trying to survive. Why is Sect Leader Zhao so obsessed with this? Could it be that since you can't find any other faults in me, you can only use this as an excuse to incite the other heroes to kill and silence us, ruining everyone's future?"
The words "ruin your future" pierced everyone's hearts like an icicle. The atmosphere suddenly froze, and everyone looked at each other in fear.
Tiao Tiao's expression suddenly darkened, his eyes sweeping across the room like lightning. He declared in a loud voice, "My fellow heroes! Zhao Peng threatened me with my life, forcing me to hand over all the secrets of the various sects I knew, and not to keep any copies. To save my life, I had no choice but to obey. But after he succeeded, he threatened to spread these secrets throughout the martial arts world. Once the various sects were in disrepute and their prestige was shattered, he would unite them, under the banner of 'Exorcising Demons and Defending the Way,' and commit... utter annihilation of entire families, leaving no one alive. Zhao Peng, you have such a vicious heart! Today, even if I have to be shattered to pieces and stabbed three times and stabbed six times, I will expose your sinister plot to the world! Let the world see the heart of a hypocrite and a wolf!"
"You're lying!" Zhao Peng could no longer contain himself. He flew into a rage, his face as black as the bottom of a pot, and he punched out with both fists. The wind from his fists whistled like a ghost, and each punch was more powerful than the last, each one aimed at the deadly blood vessels all over Tiao Tiao's body.
Tiao Tiao's face was filled with terror. He dodged in a panic while screaming, "Murder to silence the witnesses...Ah...Zhao Peng is murdering to silence the witnesses!"
"Look at how scared he is. It doesn't seem like he's faking it..."
"Exactly! He was trying to remain calm earlier, but now, frightened by Zhao Peng, he's revealed his true colors. If Zhao Peng didn't really have evidence against him, why would he be in such a state?"
In the eyes of everyone, Zhao Peng's punches were as powerful as a violent storm, extremely exquisite, while Tiao Tiao was like a small boat in the raging sea, struggling to make ends meet, surrounded by dangers, and could be torn to pieces by the fierce punches at any time.
Only Zhao Peng groaned inwardly. This Tiaotiao's movements were as sleek as a swimming fish, coupled with superior Qinggong, allowing him to dodge fatal attacks at the last second. While seemingly a matter of millimeters, the actual demands placed on his movements, vision, and reflexes were extremely demanding, far more than the apparent awkwardness would suggest.
"Good Green Light Sword Master! Excellent acting!" Zhao Peng approached, his voice low and piercing, "I've blamed all the trouble on you, and you're pretending to be weak, making these fools think I'm the real troublemaker!"
Tiao Tiao's figure was elusive, and he lowered his voice with a hint of joking, "Master Zhao, you're so kind. Isn't this also for your own good? As the master, if you even make dealing with a junior like me so 'difficult', if word gets out... where will you put your face?"
"You little bastard! I will tear you into pieces!"
"I'm looking forward to your arrival."
Zhao Peng was so angry he practically gnashed his teeth. He was the one holding the knife, hoping to enlist the help of the other heroes to slay Tiao Tiao and eliminate any future trouble. But with a few words from Tiao Tiao, the blade, meant for him, suddenly turned and pointed at him, instantly becoming a butcher block.
He wanted to eat Tiaotiao alive, but he was unable to do anything. The other party was so slippery that he couldn't even get a single drop of his clothes on him.
Tiao Tiao didn't dare slack off even for a moment. The gap between Zhao Peng's twenty years of accumulated skills was no easy task. He relied solely on his agility and exceptional lightness skills to avoid a fatal blow. He then deliberately acted in a disastrous manner, appearing weak and misleading his enemies into thinking he was nothing to worry about.
The leaders of several leading sects exchanged glances quickly and reached a tacit understanding in an instant.
"What a wicked and ambitious Lutian Sect!" Lu Jun'an shouted angrily, his hair and beard standing on end. "If that's the case, don't blame us for not adhering to the moral code of the martial arts world!"
"When dealing with such scum, why bother talking about morality? Let's fight shoulder to shoulder!"
"Yes! Let's go together!"
The crowd was in an uproar, shouting and killing, shaking the sky.
If the secret was truly in Zhao Peng's hands, he must die. Even if he was innocent, who would miss the opportunity to eliminate the great threat of the Slaughter Heaven Sect?
Seeing the crowd rushing towards him like a tide, Zhao Peng's deep eyes finally flashed with an unconcealable fear. He had no choice but to abandon Tiao Tiao and hastily fight back, roaring angrily, "Are you crazy?!"
The only response he got was more intense and fiercer swordplay!
In an instant, the sounds of piercing air, shouts of killing, and the clanging of metal and iron were mixed together. The spectacular scene of the fierce encirclement and suppression of a single individual just now had now turned into a chaotic Shura scene.
Tiaotiao was secretly delighted. This chaos was a good opportunity to escape! He quietly changed his tone and shouted, "Kill Zhao Peng! Destroy Lu Tian! Kill Zhao Peng! Destroy Lu Tian!"
This cry was like a spark thrown into a frying pan, instantly igniting a frenzy! More and more people followed suit, and the sound surged, reaching the sky: "Kill Zhao Peng! Destroy Lu Tian!"
Tiao Tiao has successfully pinned everyone's criticism on Zhao Peng and the Lutian Sect. In the chaos, no one remembers him as the instigator.
Tiaotiao quietly escaped the battle circle and stood on a high branch in the distance, looking down at the bloody melee below the mountain that he had started with cold eyes. A hint of cold sarcasm escaped his lips: "A mob gathers for profit, and will disperse for profit. You want to use others to kill me? Then you will taste the bitter fruit of your own making."
"You're such a good trick! You even broke this fatal situation. I underestimated you." A cold voice sounded in front of him.
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