Chapter 743: Accidental/Surprised |
This guy called Old Blade was a bit arrogant, but he had the skills to back it up. Just by displaying this move of his, he showed extraordinary power. Dong Qiang True Monarch was already at a significant disadvantage, and Meng Zhang focused more on the battle happening elsewhere.
Book Mountain True Monarch remained unruffled and composed, always appearing calm and collected. His seemingly casual and carefree moves firmly entangled True Monarch White Crow, making it impossible for him to easily help Dong Qiang True Monarch despite trying various methods.
In today's ambush, the key figure was Book Mountain True Monarch. The Soul Bead was taken by Meng Zhang from the black market's treasure vault back in the day, then later taken by Luo Ye Daoist Master, and finally passed on to Daoist Master Black Fox after some processing.
This happened many years ago when the Dark Alliance was not yet divided and didn't face the pressure from the Dali Dynasty. It was during that time that Daoist Master Black Fox spared no expense to hire a Gold Core Daoist Master to retrieve the Soul Bead. If they had not been concerned about alarming the Barbarian King and triggering a Primordial Spirit-level war, even a Primordial Spirit True Monarch might have been dispatched.
The faction to which Luo Ye Daoist Master belonged, whether it was Red Pig True Monarch or Jade Rabbit True Monarch, saw the opportunity and took advantage of it, plotting against their opponent.
Meng Zhang was amazed by the cunning and skill of these old foxes. He was relatively new to being a Primordial Spirit and hadn't fully adapted to his changed identity. Setting up a plan spanning hundreds of years as a Primordial Spirit True Monarch wasn't too difficult.
Maybe when Luo Ye Daoist Master's backer tampered with the Soul Bead all those years ago, they didn't expect it would play such a significant role today. It was merely a casual move that ended up having a massive impact many years later.
Dong Qiang True Monarch and his group thought they had Book Mountain True Monarch at their mercy by holding the Soul Bead, but they never imagined it had been tampered with. Red Pig True Monarch and his allies took advantage of this and conspired with Book Mountain True Monarch beforehand.
For Book Mountain True Monarch, even if he genuinely wanted to remain neutral and maintain the overall situation without seeking personal gains, once Dong Qiang True Monarch threatened him with the Soul Bead, he had to make a choice. Even if he had a good temperament, he wouldn't let anyone threaten him and control his life and death.
While Meng Zhang was lost in his thoughts, Old Blade completed his casting. He controlled the massive golden blade above his head and swung it heavily at Dong Qiang True Monarch in front of him.
Already completely suppressed by Jade Rabbit True Monarch and Red Pig True Monarch, and with Primordial Spirit True Monarch codenamed "Wood" restricting his movements, Dong Qiang True Monarch had no chance to dodge.
Meng Zhang also activated his True Essence, ready to follow up with his attack. Even if Dong Qiang True Monarch managed to barely withstand Old Blade's strike, he would immediately face Meng Zhang's attack.
Just when everyone thought the situation was settled, Meng Zhang felt a sudden sense of danger from his Diviner's Spiritual Awareness.
After reaching the Primordial Spirit stage, the Heavenly Calculation Art had not been able to keep up with Meng Zhang's Cultivation Base. It was challenging to use it in battles involving Primordial Spirit True Monarchs. But at this moment, this long-unused ability suddenly activated.
Meng Zhang didn't hesitate and trusted his Spiritual Awareness. With his profound understanding of the Space Grand Dao, he unleashed its power, allowing his body to quickly escape the current space and enter a spatial crevice.
At the same time, the unexpected change occurred. The massive golden blade, which was about to strike Dong Qiang True Monarch, suddenly changed direction without any warning, heavily striking "Wood," who was restraining Dong Qiang True Monarch. Even though "Wood," codenamed Primordial Spirit True Monarch, was vigilant and had not let his guard down, he couldn't react in time to the attack from his ally.
Caught off guard, he instinctively tried to defend himself by commanding massive azure wood to block the blade, but it was futile. The unstoppable strike sliced through everything that dared to obstruct its path.
The Primordial Spirit True Monarch known as "Wood" let out a miserable scream as his body was cleaved in two. Old Blade had unexpectedly turned against his comrades, leaving Red Pig True Monarch and Jade Rabbit True Monarch utterly astonished.
Red Pig True Monarch's face was filled with disbelief, and he couldn't even be bothered to hide his ally's identity, directly shouting his true name. True Monarch Crossing Blade, who often operated in the vicinity of Jiuqu League, was a well-known Primordial Spirit True Monarch, and he was none other than Old Blade.
Red Pig True Monarch and True Monarch Crossing Blade had a complicated relationship. They had known each other and started cooperating even before achieving the Primordial Spirit stage. They had worked together for many years, and while they might not be deeply connected on a personal level, they had mutual interests and trust.
True Monarch Crossing Blade's betrayal dealt a severe blow to Red Pig True Monarch, a cunning old fox who found it difficult to accept this emotionally. The sudden turn of events and True Monarch Crossing Blade's action left him in disbelief.
Old Blade, or rather, True Monarch Crossing Blade, didn't pay any attention to Red Pig True Monarch and instead called out to "Changchun, old man, sorry about this, we each must act in our own interest."
This revealed "Wood's" true identity. He was Changchun True Monarch, the leader of Changchun Outlook, a Gold Core sect that had risen to prominence after he achieved the Primordial Spirit stage. The unexpected attack from True Monarch Crossing Blade dealt a heavy blow to Changchun True Monarch, leaving his life hanging by a thread, and his sect's fate uncertain.
If Meng Zhang hadn't been alerted by a sudden impulse and promptly used the power of space to escape, he would likely have fallen victim to the surprise attack. By that time, he might have suffered a fate similar to Changchun True Monarch.
Meng Zhang reappeared not far from Red Pig True Monarch, seeking to regroup with his allies instinctively, trying to stay close together for safety.
The Primordial Spirit True Monarch who had been hidden in the shadows could no longer conceal himself after launching the attack on Meng Zhang. The long-missing Dali Dynasty envoy, Wen Dong, slowly manifested himself in the distance.
"So you used such a righteous Great Divine Ability for a surprise attack. You do your ancestors proud," Meng Zhang said with gritted teeth.
Wen Dong looked a bit surprised as he glanced at Meng Zhang. He hadn't expected this unknown Primordial Spirit True Monarch to be so vigilant, enabling him to evade the premeditated surprise attack.
"Wen Dong, why are you here?" Jade Rabbit True Monarch's countenance changed, filled with astonishment.
"If you hadn't sent someone to distract me, I might not have noticed something amiss. You guys are indeed clever, but you ended up outsmarting yourselves," Wen Dong laughed smugly.
The situation in the field changed drastically, and Red Pig True Monarch and Jade Rabbit True Monarch could no longer focus on suppressing Dong Qiang True Monarch. Instead, they drew closer to each other, preparing to adapt.
On the other side, Book Mountain True Monarch saw the sudden shift in the situation and realized that continuing to restrain True Monarch White Crow was futile. He allowed him to break free.
Now, Changchun True Monarch was gone, and the field became four against four, seemingly balanced in numbers.
"Wen Dong, do you really want to interfere in our Dark Alliance's internal affairs? Is your Dali Dynasty truly going to be our enemy?" Jade Rabbit True Monarch yelled.
"With just a few of you, you dare to represent the Dark Alliance? Take a look at yourselves before acting so self-righteous," True Monarch White Crow retorted.
Red Pig True Monarch stopped Jade Rabbit True Monarch from continuing his insults. "Crossing Blade, what did they use to bribe you? Is there something they offered that I couldn't give you?"
Clearly, Red Pig True Monarch still couldn't accept Crossing Blade's betrayal.
"Crossing Blade, no, now it should be General Crossing Blade. Don't waste time with these people. The four of us together can take them down, and the fate of the Dark Alliance will be completely decided," Wen Dong shouted confidently.
Although True Monarch Crossing Blade was arrogant and reckless, he still felt somewhat uneasy facing Red Pig True Monarch.
"Brother Red Pig, everyone follows their own path, I have no choice," he said.
"To be honest, I have always been a part of the Dali Dynasty."
"In a war, deception is fair play. I had no choice," he added.
Hearing these words from True Monarch Crossing Blade, Red Pig True Monarch's face changed dramatically, and then a determined expression appeared on his face.
Meng Zhang, who was listening nearby, was also shocked. True Monarch Crossing Blade had been famous for many years, roaming the surrounding regions. He appeared in Jiuqu League when the Dali Dynasty had not yet invaded the Crossing Severing Mountain Range, and the Three Sects Alliance was still its dominant power. This showed that the Dali Dynasty's plan against Jiuqu League had been deeply laid long ago. This increased Meng Zhang's wariness of the Dali Dynasty even further.
Book Mountain True Monarch interjected, "At this point, all talk is meaningless. Only through actions can today's events be resolved."
Due to True Monarch Crossing Blade's betrayal and Wen Dong's sudden appearance, the morale of Red Pig True Monarch's group dropped, appearing quite despondent. However, in reality, the situation was not as dire as it seemed.
True Monarch Crossing Blade had come here without knowing Red Pig True Monarch's target, which was to eliminate the faction of Dong Qiang True Monarch. Dong Qiang True Monarch and his group had already fully sided with the Dali Dynasty and played a significant role in the Dali Dynasty's future plans.
As a hidden pawn of the Dali Dynasty, True Monarch Crossing Blade naturally couldn't just stand by and watch Dong Qiang True Monarch's group perish entirely. He secretly used a special technique to inform Wen Dong, guiding him to this location. Then, at a crucial moment in the battle, he betrayed Changchun True Monarch with a lethal blow.
He hadn't chosen to attack Red Pig True Monarch and Jade Rabbit True Monarch not out of consideration for their friendship, but because of his own calculations. Both Red Pig True Monarch and Jade Rabbit True Monarch were cultivators in the mid-Primordial Spirit stage, experienced and with many tricks up their sleeves. If he had attacked them, he could at most severely wound them, not deliver a fatal blow. His goal was to cut off the weakest link among the enemy and reduce their overall strength. When the balance of power became clear, victory would naturally be on their side. This was the overall situation and the art of war.
He certainly didn't expect that Meng Zhang, who had been hiding his identity, would be so vigilant and avoid his surprise attack. With Meng Zhang still in the field, their side would not gain the upper hand in numbers.
Book Mountain True Monarch, although unaware of the details, urged everyone to act promptly and not let the enemy overpower them in momentum.
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