Chapter 200: Chapter 200 - Masked Again
Translator: SoupHunter Editor: TomYummy
However, he wasn’t a fool. He furrowed his brows and asked, "Is this information reliable? Are you sure that Qin Weiwei has gone to East Arrival Cave?"
If it was only to take over a mere East Arrival Cave and kill a bunch of worthless pawns—he wasn’t the least bit interested. That wouldn’t affect Yang Qing in any way, and he wouldn’t be able to seize East Arrival Cave for himself. He had no need to do something so tedious, without any returns.
Mei Yu replied, "Not long ago, Yang Qing reorganised the troops of both Manors, and it just so happens that a former trusted aide of mine, was assigned to Mount Calming Sea. He finds his situation in Mount Calming Sea rather dissatisfying, and I have long since made contact with him to establish a channel of information. There is definitely no mistaking it."
Liu Jingtian was inclined to agree, but after a moment, he hesitated before adding, "I have heard that the East Arrival Cave Master possesses unfaltering valor. Even with the encirclement of Zhang Decheng’s two hundred strong army, he managed to carve a bloody path in and out—and no one was able to stop him. Since Qin Weiwei has gone to East Arrival Cave, I fear that it will be no easy task to make our move! Even if we hurried there, we would still only reach the following day. By then, there’s still a question of whether or not Qin Weiwei is still there!"
Shaking his head, Mei Yu replied, "The rumors are slightly exaggerated. Your subordinate saw it with his own eyes. While it is true that this person won’t be easy to handle, with his full body set of transcendent artifacts, the most he could do was run away. If we used brute force, as long as he doesn’t escape, even I alone will be enough to take his head. He could barely face off against those White Lotus Cultivators—against a Blue Lotus Cultivator, he will have no chance. Manor Head only needs to deploy men from a few Caves, along with one or two Blue Lotus experts for everything to fall into place. Even if that East Arrival Cave Master manages to escape, it will be fine so long as Qin Weiwei remains behind! In the unlikely event that we fail—without any evidence—what could Yang Qing possibly do even if he knows we are the perpetrators? Would Yang Qing be so bold as to assault Thriving Ten-Thousand Manor again? Even the Suppressing Second Hall Master won’t be able to save face if Yang Qing repeatedly trifles with Suppressing Third Hall!
Liu Jingtian nodded with a sneer, thinking back to how Yang Qing had led a large army over and made a bloody mess of things. However, Liu Jingtian didn’t have the resolve to do the same—to charge towards South Edict Manor, or Ever Peace Manor; and look for Yang Qing to get his revenge. The main reason, was that he had no idea how to settle the trouble that would brew between the two Manors after the deed—just like Yang Qing had done. He couldn’t afford to bear that responsibility.
This was also why, he hadn’t been able to find a chance to take his revenge against Yang Qing all this while. If only Yang Qing dared to bring his men over once more, that would have be the easiest solution.
If he could properly settle this matter, he could show the Hall Master that he wasn’t useless.
As soon as he gathered his thoughts, Liu Jingtian suddenly slammed his palm and declared, "Very well! I will order Mount Returning Loyalty’s Mountain Chieftain Su Biao to personally lead a few Caves’ troops forward. We shall teach Yang Qing a lesson tonight. Let him understand the consequences of angering me!"
It would be a breeze; he simply had to slip in and out a short skip away, and the task would be done. Once Qin Weiwei left East Arrival Cave, it would be difficult to find another opportunity. He took action as soon as he said he would—going back to quickly scribble down detailed instructions into a jade archive. Imbuing it with his transcendence seal, he gave it to his handmaiden to send out.
One after another, spirit eagles swiftly flew off into the night sky.
In the meantime, Liu Jingtian himself had donned his armor, and mounted his dragon steed. He quickly lead his men over to the frontlines, where the battle would soon break out. The troops of his subordinates were also gathering there.
He wasn’t trying to go to war with Yang Qing—but he wanted to be ready. In case Yang Qing lost his temper, he would be prepared and avoid being caught off guard on the off-chance that it did happen...
Under the night sky, a spirit eagle descended onto Mount Returning Loyalty. A short moment later, an aerie of spirit eagles flew off in different directions, calling the various troops of Mount Returning Loyalty’s Caves to arms.
With a cultivation at Blue Lotus Second Grade, the Mountain Chieftain of Mount Returning Loyalty, Su Biao, led his men straight in the direction of the East Arrival Cave border.
He continued to gather his men from the various Caves along the way. By the time he and his troops reached the boundary before South Edict Manor, he had already assembled three Caves worth of men. Together with his own direct subordinates, he had amassed a force of nearly fifty men.
As a precautionary measure, Su Biao continued to wait patiently.
He continued to wait until all the troops from the ten Caves had assembled; then, ordering two Caves to stay behind for backup, he lead over a hundred men with him in a relentless charge towards East Arrival Cave….
Just then, the faint light of dawn was beginning to touch the sky.
Miao Yi was still unaware that trouble was brewing. He was still cooped up in his own shack cultivating cross-legged.
Whenever he had time, he would use it on cultivation.
As they say, ‘Better safe than sorry’. Ever since the Great Cave Master Miao caused a ruckus at Changfeng Cave, he was always worried that Xiong Xiao would come to take revenge. As such, out of the twenty or so cultivators in East Arrival Cave, he sent eight out to take turns keeping guard over the perimeter. They rotated every day as a precaution against an ambush.
As a result, he was prepared—not for Xiong Xiao, but another group instead.
In the boughs of a great ancient tree within the gloomy mountain forest, a hidden guard of East Arrival Cave was sitting in cross-legged cultivation. From the surrounding silence, he suddenly picked up the sound of galloping hooves coming from afar—he quickly opened his eyes, and stood up.
The vision of a normal human couldn’t possibly make anything out at this time of the day. He hastily invoked his arts, and utilized his transcendence vision to investigate—only to find a large army in front of him, charging right in his direction.
The strange thing was—they all had masks on, making it hard to make out their identities.
He was one of the members who had used a mask, and caused a ruckus in Changfeng Cave, so he naturally had some experience in the matter. Once he saw this scene before him, he knew the situation didn’t look good. He hastily jumped down—landing on his dragon steed at the base of the tree, and quickly began riding back.
He rushed across mountains and ridges as he returned to East Arrival Cave. "AOOOOOO…", he invoked his arts and shouted while he was still a distance away to warn the others. His sharp wails echoed from afar.
Not only did the then-cultivating Miao Yi quickly open his eyes, and rush out to mount his steed; the cultivators in the nearby wooden shacks also raced out to their horses. Everyone shouted to warn the guards stationed around the perimeter, to quickly return and assemble.
Their party quickly urged their dragon steeds towards the opposite end, where the alarm was sounding out from. As he rushed past Qian’Er and Xue’Er, Miao Yi swept the two of them onto his dragon steed, and charged on.
Leading the charge, Mount Returning Loyalty’s Mountain Chieftain Su Biao knew that something was amiss the moment he heard the wail—they had already been discovered! He swung his hand forward, and urged the troops behind him to pick up the pace.
When the company of men reached East Arrival Cave, they were all stupefied. They were at a loss on how to react after seeing East Arrival Cave in such a tragic state.
In a distant mountain, after finally assembling his scattered subordinates, Miao Yi watched on with his transcendent vision. He couldn’t help scoff, "Masked men again? They truly have a guilty conscience! It seems Xiong Xiao is really determined to succeed this time, to have sent so many men against me!"
They had long ago decided on their contingency plan. If a situation came up, they were to first retreat temporarily. Once everyone was assembled, and if there was still time, they could then observe the situation.
Qian’Er and Xue’Er were shifted onto Yan Xiu’s mount. Then, Miao Yi spread his arms out —clouds of silver mist burst out from his storage ring. Both man and steed were instantly covered in formidable battle armor—with the Inversed-Scales Spear already in his hands. Only the original helmet had been destroyed by Zhang Decheng.
Qian’er and Xue’Er were quite nervous. It was obvious that East Arrival Cave had met with trouble yet again. Only then, did they realize that the world of ‘Immortals’ was far from being as lavish as they had assumed. When they were in East Arrival City, they thought that they could enjoy the fortune of Immortals once they were on the other side. They never expected that they would be at risk of dying so often.
However, it was still a first for them both to see Miao Yi don such a formidable set of battlearmor—they were both shocked; a sense of wonderment flashing across their eyes.
Miao Yi turned back and instructed Yan Xiu, "Bring the both of them away and hide. Once I have dealt with these mongrels, I will look for you all."
Yan Xiu nodded, and swiftly turned his dragon steed around to bring the two little ladies away.
They had already agreed on this beforehand—if anything were to happen, he was to first bring the two handmaidens off to the pier to hide.
When dragon roars blasted out from behind them, Qian’Er and Xue’Er turned their heads back to look—only to see the Cave Master thrusting his spear forward as he grandly shouted, "East Arrival Cave Master is here!"
The two young maidens were immediately unafraid. They realized that the Cave Master would always be magnificent, and there was nothing that the Cave Master could not handle.
Su Biao and his men were already looking in their direction. He motioned with his hand, and the forces behind him immediately followed along with his charge.
In contrast, the men behind Miao Yi were very calm. They were well aware of the situation—amongst Xiong Xiao and his subordinates, there was not a single Blue Lotus expert. While the men on their side were few in numbers, they were not a force that could be defeated by sheer numbers alone.
As he watched the enemy forces charge up the snowy slope, Miao Yi raised his spear and nonchalantly mentioned, "Those with notable accomplishments—this Cave Master will not be stingy with the rewards. Now, go and kill!"
From his sides, Yuan Fang and Lai Yuhan immediately led the assault in a zealous downwards charge. Soon, their squad of twenty clashed with the larger force charging up the snowy slope.
Charcoal was excitedly kicking around with its hooves a little, yet it could do nothing with Miao Yi restraining it. He held onto his spear, and stayed put—observing the battle.
After spending so much of his resources to feed so many men, it wasn’t possible for him to personally take the lead every single time there was a problem. When it was time for the subordinates to step up and test the waters, then they should step up. If anything went wrong, he would have ample time to make preparations. Otherwise, what was the point in feeding so many men?
Since it wasn’t possible to compete with the enemy in numbers, the twenty man squad simply lined up in a wedge-shaped formation and charged straight in.
From behind his vanguard on the lower end of the slope, Su Biao swept his gaze across the men charging forth from the opposing side, and immediately realized that something was off—he was shocked!
Didn’t they say that there wouldn’t be any Blue Lotus Grade opponents? Why were there two Blue Lotus cultivators with a single-petaled flower on their foreheads charging at the fore? There were even White Lotus Ninth Grades, and Eighth Grades behind them! It seemed like the lowest cultivation was the White Lotus Fifth Grade—there wasn’t even a single Fourth Grade in sight!
Su Biao silently cursed, but it was already too late for second thoughts. Yuan Fang was already striking out with his spear.
‘GONG!’ Su Biao swiftly swung the long spear in his hand to parry the strike. He wasn’t afraid, he was simply worried that there would be heavy casualties among his subordinates.
With this clash, Yuan Fang also realised that something was amiss. Didn’t they say that there were no Blue Lotus level experts on Xiong Xiao’s side?
Su Biao was masked, so Yuan Fang couldn’t directly see the cultivation on the forehead of the other party. Both parties immediately engaged in a fierce battle. Waves of transcendence energy rolled out, creating clouds of snow and dirt, and making it difficult for normal people to get close.
Twenty against a hundred; the sounds of a fierce battle instantly thundered as they mercilessly butchered the men that were charging up the slope like lambs to the slaughter.
After a brief confrontation with Su Biao, Yuan Fang immediately realised that he was too much for him to handle. The other party’s cultivation was higher than his, and he could only passively deflect his strikes. Realising that it would be difficult for him to last long, he immediately shouted, "Junior Brother. Aid me!"
After defeating multiple opponents like a hurricane, Lai Yuhan swiftly swept his spear across to clear the area. Then turned about, and made his way towards Yuan Fang to battle Su Biao in concert.
There were too many men amongst the enemy forces—a few managed to slip out and charged towards Miao Yi’s position on the slope.
As he gazed down, Miao Yi also realised that something was wrong. Did Xiong Xiao have someone that would make it hard for two Blue Lotus First Grade experts to defeat together?
When the men charged at him, Miao Yi’s body emitted a resplendent white glow. The Inversed-Scales Spear in his hand roared in lightning-fast strike—piercing to his left and right successively—striking his enemies off their dragon steeds in an instant.
Even then, there were still dozens behind the first group. Just then, Charcoal’s body began shining with a bright light. He harrumphed excitedly and carried Miao Yi down the slope. Following suit, waves of cold light burst forth from Miao Yi’s hand as the men in their path were continuously thrown from their steeds.
Miao Yi’s target wasn’t these men, but the one that Yuan Fang and Lai Yuhan were currently engaged in battle with. Once he slipped past the foes charging at him, Charcoal immediately leapt upwards, carrying Miao Yi straight towards Su Biao.
Su Biao was taken aback, whereas Yuan Fang and Lai Yuhan were ecstatic. The two of them threw caution to the wind, and began a relentless assault—trying their utmost to entangle him.