Chapter 988: Nine-Step Half-Saint Showdown
Just when everyone thought Gu Linfeng would compromise, his attitude remained quite resolute. He said indifferently, "I'll say this one last time. If you want to take Lady Shi away, you'll have to step over my corpse."
Hearing this, Kong Hongbi's gaze gradually turned icy cold.
Mu Rongyue shot a glance at Zhang Ruochen, feeling extremely puzzled. The Crown Prince had always been a very rational person. How could he lose his composure over a strange woman?
Regardless, since the Crown Prince had made his decision, today's battle was inevitable.
Mu Rongyue circulated her Saint Qi, and immediately above her head, a bright crescent moon emerged, rising to a height of several hundred zhang, radiating dazzling light and becoming a second moon in the night sky.
This was her signal.
Seeing the bright moon hanging in the sky, the experts of the Mu Rong Clan rushed into the Pearl Light Pavilion at top speed.
"Greetings, Young Miss."
There were six people in total, all of them Half-Saint realm experts.
Among them, the one with the highest cultivation had even reached the Nine-Step Half-Saint.
Mu Rongyue nodded lightly, then looked at Zhang Ruochen and said, "Once the battle begins, Young Master Gu should take Lady Shi and leave first. I, along with the experts of the Mu Rong Clan, can hold back the Young Hall Master of the Bright Hall."
Clearly, Mu Rongyue was worried about Zhang Ruochen's safety and hoped he could leave first while she stayed behind to cover their retreat.
"I came to the Pearl Light Pavilion to buy the Elephant Soul. Why should I leave?"
Zhang Ruochen appeared very calm, yet his gaze was extremely firm. He added, "If necessary, I will use some of my trump cards. Even if Kong Hongbi is ranked seventh on the Half-Saint List, there's nothing to fear."
If it truly came to a desperate situation, Zhang Ruochen would be willing to expose his identity to take Lady Shi away, even if it meant going all out.
A gentle breeze blew, causing ripples on the lake, which covered several hundred mu.
In the lake, the reflections of the two moons gradually became blurry.
The two factions faced off against each other. All the Half-Saints present released their Saint Soul Domains, creating a chilling, murderous aura.
To the southeast of the Pearl Light Pavilion, at the top of an observation platform, Ouyang Huan and Qi Feiyu sat facing each other. From the platform's position, they could clearly see the distant lake.
On the stone platform between them, a furnace was set up, boiling a pot of tea. The fragrance emanating from the teapot enveloped the entire observation platform, with mist swirling around as if in a fairyland.
Qi Feiyu sat upright, looking toward the lake, and said, "If those two continue to fight, the Blood God Sect and the Bright Hall might completely fall out."
Ouyang Huan smiled warmly. "The Blood God Sect, the Bright Hall, and the Moon-Worshipping Cult can only check the Taiji Dao, the Confucian Path, and the Ministry of War if they unite. The cooperation between the three major sects has long extended to various fields, with countless connections. How could they fall out over a woman?"
Then, Ouyang Huan added, "At most, Gu Linfeng and Kong Hongbi will fall out and become enemies."
Qi Feiyu shook her head. "The gap between Gu Linfeng and Kong Hongbi is too great. He's not enough to contend with Kong Hongbi."
Ouyang Huan looked confident and smiled. "Letting the Blood God Sect and the Bright Hall develop some friction isn't necessarily a bad thing for our sect, is it?"
The Blood God Sect, the Bright Hall, and the Moon-Worshipping Cult were indeed cooperative, but they also checked and competed with each other.
If the Blood God Sect and the Bright Hall really started fighting in the shadows, it would only benefit the Moon-Worshipping Cult.
Qi Feiyu's clear black-and-white eyes fixed on Kong Hongbi as she asked, "Kong Hongbi is ranked seventh on the Half-Saint List. How powerful is his combat strength? With your current cultivation, could you fight him?"
Ouyang Huan's expression turned serious. He held a fan, fanning the furnace fire, and pondered for a moment before saying, "My cultivation has just broken through to the Nine-Step Half-Saint, while Kong Hongbi's cultivation is only half a step away from the Saint Realm. If I were to fight him with my current cultivation, the outcome would be about fifty-fifty."
Qi Feiyu gasped, her heartbeat quickening.
Not long ago, Ouyang Huan had returned to the sect and, with his Nine-Step Half-Saint cultivation, challenged three Saint-level elders of the Demon Sect in succession, achieving two wins and one draw, shocking the entire sect.
A Half-Saint defeating a Saint was practically an act of defying heaven.
Such a record had also solidified Ouyang Huan's position as the Divine Son, making it unshakable.
"If Kong Hongbi's combat strength is really that formidable, then he could crush Gu Linfeng and all the experts of the Black Market First Class Hall with just one finger. Using a mantis trying to stop a chariot to describe Gu Linfeng is truly fitting."
Qi Feiyu shook her head, silently mourning for Gu Linfeng.
The experts of the Moon-Worshipping Cult did not intervene to stop the conflict between Gu Linfeng and Kong Hongbi, but they activated all the defensive formations around the lake, turning the area into an isolated zone.
On the lake surface, Kong Hongbi's face showed a fierce expression. He swept his gaze over Zhang Ruochen and the cultivators of the Black Market First Class Hall, sneering disdainfully. "A bunch of arrogant ants dare to challenge me? You really don't know when to die."
After all, many cultivators had gathered around the lake, and all eyes were watching.
If Kong Hongbi didn't take back Lady Shi and give Gu Linfeng a severe lesson, his reputation in the Kunlun Realm would plummet.
Just as Kong Hongbi was about to make his move, Yan Xu Saint General charged forward first, saying, "Why should the Young Hall Master personally deal with them? I alone am enough to capture them."
Yan Xu Saint General took a step forward, and the Saint Qi he released pressed the lake surface downward, creating a depression.
"How dare you oppose the Young Master? Death without mercy."
Behind Mu Rongyue, the six Half-Saints of the Mu Rong Clan charged out simultaneously to meet Yan Xu Saint General.
The leader was named Mu Rong Chengfeng, a Nine-Step Half-Saint, renowned as a fearsome expert in the Eastern Domain.
The other five Half-Saints were also formidable, comparable to the kings of the Ministry of War.
Facing six Half-Saint experts, Yan Xu Saint General showed no fear. Instead, he let out a loud laugh.
From his arms, dozens of bowl-thick bolts of lightning surged out, as if the Thunder God had descended. He struck out with two palm strikes simultaneously.
"Crash!"
Two torrents of lightning condensed from his palms, flying out like a sky-covering flood, striking the six Half-Saints of the Mu Rong Clan.
Except for Mu Rong Chengfeng, the other five Half-Saint-level experts were all sent flying, crashing onto the lakeshore.
Among those five Half-Saint-level experts, two had reached the Seven-Step Half-Saint.
Yet, even united, they couldn't withstand a single blow from Yan Xu Saint General. It was truly astonishing.
The entire lakeshore was covered in lightning, with dense electric patterns weaving through the water, causing the lake to boil.
"Yan Xu Saint General is indeed the sixteenth-ranked Saint General. I wonder if Mu Rong Chengfeng can withstand his attack?"
"Mu Rong Chengfeng is a Nine-Step Half-Saint, standing at the pinnacle below the Saint Realm. Compared to him, Yan Xu Saint General might still fall short."
Yan Xu Saint General let out a long roar, his aura soaring like a rainbow. With his hands opening and closing, he condensed a massive lightning orb three zhang in diameter.
He flipped his right hand and slammed the lightning orb down toward Mu Rong Chengfeng.
"One slash to part the path of life and death."
Mu Rong Chengfeng stood on the lake surface, as if treading on a primordial sea woven with lightning. Gripping his saber handle with both hands, he gathered saber qi and, using all his strength, slashed upward.
A blinding saber light stretched out for hundreds of meters, like a saber river splitting heaven and earth, tearing the lightning orb apart into two halves.
Yan Xu Saint General's arms were clad in two pieces of purple armor, shaped like shields.
He crossed his arms, and the two shield armors overlapped, revealing dense lightning-attribute inscriptions.
"Whoosh!"
A lightning shield ten zhang in diameter appeared, blocking Mu Rong Chengfeng's saber light.
Mu Rong Chengfeng's eyes narrowed as he stared at Yan Xu Saint General hovering in the air, his expression turning serious. "Have you broken through to the Nine-Step Half-Saint?"
"That's right."
Yan Xu Saint General crossed his arms over his chest, exuding an extraordinary bearing.
Having broken through to the Nine-Step Half-Saint, Yan Xu Saint General now had the strength to enter the top ten of the one hundred and eight Saint Generals.
"Shua."
Yan Xu Saint General's body transformed into a flash of lightning, rushing rapidly toward the pavilion to capture Gu Linfeng.
Capture the leader to defeat the rest.
As long as he took Gu Linfeng down, the victory would be secured, and Mu Rongyue and Mu Rong Chengfeng wouldn't dare to continue interfering.
No matter how strong Gu Linfeng was, he was only a Four-Step Half-Saint. With the power of a Nine-Step Half-Saint, he could suppress him with a single move.
However, Yan Xu Saint General didn't reach Gu Linfeng's side before being intercepted again by Mu Rong Chengfeng.
Gui Gu Saint General stood behind Kong Hongbi, exuding a chilling aura. "Mu Rong Chengfeng is quite strong."
Kong Hongbi snorted coldly. "The Mu Rong Clan were traitors to the Sacred Bright Central Empire back then. If they hadn't hidden in the Eastern Domain's Evil Land, the Hall Master would have annihilated them long ago. Since the Mu Rong Clan's cultivators dare to come to the Central Domain, how could I let them return?"
"Gui Gu, go capture Mu Rongyue and Gu Linfeng and make them kneel before me."
Gui Gu Saint General hesitated slightly. "Mu Rongyue is the Young Miss of the Eastern Domain's Black Market First Class Hall. Capturing her might provoke a conflict between the Black Market and the Bright Hall."
Kong Hongbi smiled confidently, as if directing the world. "Now that the world is about to fall into chaos, with a complex situation, the Black Market First Class Hall won't dare to easily start a war with the Bright Hall. Besides, the Eastern Domain's Black Market First Class Hall has two Young Misses. Even if we kill Mu Rongyue, the impact won't be too great."
"In that case, I'll go capture Mu Rongyue and Gu Linfeng now."
Gui Gu Saint General's body shattered like a piece of paper, turning into a dark, chilly wind that swept across the lake surface toward the pavilion.
The black wind let out a mournful howl, and faintly, hundreds of ferocious ghostly figures could be seen dancing within it.
Those ghostly figures overlapped, condensing into a headless, hundred-meter-tall vengeful spirit. It extended a claw the size of a house, pressing down toward the pavilion.
In an instant, the bone-chilling cold froze the lake.
Although the massive ghost claw hadn't yet landed, the beams of the pavilion could no longer withstand the immense force, creaking and cracking.
Gui Gu Saint General ranked ninth among the one hundred and eight Saint Generals of the Bright Hall, with combat strength even greater than Yan Xu Saint General's.
Mu Rongyue's face turned pale, her body trembling, and blood flowed from her eyes.
Just the Saint Soul Domain of Gu Gu Saint General had already severely injured her.
It was easy to imagine that once the massive ghost claw landed, the people in the pavilion would either die or be crippled. (To be continued.)