HSSB985: Scaring away the numerous heroes
It was already bad enough that a late Immortal Bridge Martial Saint expert was unable to take down an opponent of the late Seeing Divinity stage.
In the end, he was even suppressed by the other party’s attacks, being forced to concentrate solely on defence.
Although the other party had the advantage in terms of weapons, the gap between their cultivation bases was so immense. Zhang Shuren felt embarrassed to the extreme.
This was especially so when Yan Zhaoge who was a Seeing Divinity Martial Saint was unable to fully exert the power of high-grade Sacred Artifacts.
What was even more shocking was the fact that this was him, ‘Treasured Branch Suppressing Peak’ Zhang Shuren.
First not speaking of the full defensive prowess of the Wutong Divine Palm, the four Virtues together already possessed extreme defensive power.
If it were anybody else here, whether they might be able to withstand such ferocious attacks by Yan Zhaoge was still an unknown.
Besides that, though, he as a late Immortal Bridge Martial Saint even lacked confidence in entering a protracted battle with this junior of the sixth level of the Martial Saint realm, competing in terms of their foundations and wearing him down?
While it was rather hard to stomach, Zhang Shuren was clear on the fact that Yan Zhaoge who was proficient in many peak supreme martial arts was really not afraid to fight a protracted battle with him.
Also, as Yan Zhaoge possessed numerous treasures, Zhang Shuren felt even less confident.
Who knew if he might still possess yet more treasures, yet more methods?
Granted, the ‘Blazing King’ Peng He who was also a ninth level Martial Saint and company were also chasing after Yan Zhaoge as they were currently hurrying over to the eastern region of the southern Blazing Heaven Territory.
If Zhang Shuren could drag it out till then, Yan Zhaoge would be caught in a pincer attack and left hard pressed to flee alive.
Still, there was another problem that Zhang Shuren definitely needed to be concerned with.
His actual responsibility was to guard Circumference Mountain from the peak experts of the southeastern Yang Heaven Territory to the east of the border.
At this time, it could be said that he had left his post without reason in having departed from Circumference Mountain and come to the Announcing Peace Mountain Range.
It was still fine if he was not away for long. Still, if some more time passed, the experts of the southeast might discover that he had left.
With Circumference Mountain left unguarded by him, their enemies might directly rip a hole through their defences.
Even if they had not known about Yan Zhaoge’s situation beforehand, when they had speedily advanced into the southern Blazing Heaven Territory, they could learn about his situation then.
As Zhang Shuren and Yuan Xiancheng remained at the Announcing Peace Mountain Range, there was also the possibility of them being caught in a pincer attack.
With that in mind, Zhang Shuren immediately made up his mind.
His palm technique abruptly changed as he turned and evaded the Light Yin Sword Seal that Yan Zhaoge held.
Yan Zhaoge changed his sword techniques in response, continuing to stab towards Zhang Shuren with a sword.
Yan Zhaoge’s sword landed on the shoulder of the old man who was facing sideways as a haze of blood instantly erupted.
The tall treasured Wutong tree vanished between the heavens and earth at this moment.
There were only streams of white qi of nether virtue which surged, sweeping along Zhang Shuren and Yuan Xiancheng in flying into the air, leaving Vast Spirit Mountain and fleeing eastwards.
“Senior apprentice-uncle…” Yuan Xiancheng’s lips twitched, but he remained silent.
He could understand Zhang Shuren’s rationale.
Since he was unable to defeat Yan Zhaoge, there was no need to continue engaging in a battle of life and death. If he retreated to Circumference Mountain, he would still be blocking Yan Zhaoge’s path back east at the end of the day.
Ever since the great battle between the southeast and south two years ago when the two sides had completely become enemies, the experts of Phoenix Ritual Mountain’s Wutong Slope had set up an extremely powerful formation in the region of Circumference Mountain that they used to guard the border.
It was because he was worried that Yan Zhaoge might conceal himself within the Announcing Peace Mountain Range that Yuan Xiancheng had come to oversee the search and capture operation this time.
Since this had ended in failure now, standing guard at Circumference Mountain would still be more beneficial for the martial practitioners of Wutong Slope in obstructing Yan Zhaoge.
At the same time, they would also be obstructing those of the southeast. Even if they were attacked from both sides, it would be more advantageous for them to battle there than at the Announcing Peace Mountain Range.
Zhang Shuren had no way of ascertaining now whether it would be the ‘Blazing King’ Peng He’s group or the experts of the south who first arrived.
He did not wish to make such a gamble too.
Therefore, Zhang Shuren had chosen not to irrationally battle with Yan Zhaoge here as he instead retreated to Circumference Mountain.
It was just that with that, the reputation of Zhang Shuren and Wutong Slope would probably plummet drastically before these numerous locals of the southern Blazing Heaven Territory.
“This Yan Zhaoge is really a heaven-defying genius. It is no wonder that senior apprentice-uncle Zhang made such a choice,” Yuan Xiancheng sighed deeply, feeling rather unresigned somehow.
Actually, upon seeing that Zhang Shuren had been suppressed to the point of only being able to defend, all the martial practitioners of the south present had already been rendered dumbstruck.
When they saw that Zhang Shuren, a lofty ninth level Martial Saint, had actually fled in retreat on his own accord, an uproar inevitably arose.
At this moment, most of them felt that there seemed to be something that was collapsing within their hearts.
Still, amidst their shock, there was also a portion of people who gradually regained their wits. They vaguely felt that going by the strength that Yan Zhaoge had displayed, it seemed only natural that events had unfolded like this.
It was just that at this moment, there was already no longer anyone who still saw Yan Zhaoge as a simple Seeing Divinity Martial Saint.
This was a figure who truly surpassed their knowledge and imaginations!
“Coming to the alliance meet this time was really an erroneous decision,” Gradually, more and more people felt this way.
Seeing that Zhang Shuren and Yuan Xiancheng had fled in defeat, everyone present successively fled helter-skelter from the peak of Vast Spirit Mountain.
All of them had similar thoughts within their minds.
“I must go as far away from this scourge as I can!”
“Please go chase someone else! Don’t chase me…”
“Run! Or if he catches up, we’re all going to die!”
Thinking of how these people had all gathered here to form an alliance to surround and kill him, Yan Zhaoge could not help but shake his head and smile and he watched this unfold.
Looking next at Zhang Shuren and Yuan Xiancheng as they fled in the direction of Circumference Mountain, Yan Zhaoge could basically guess what they were thinking.
“The rumours of him being stable and conservative are indeed well deserved,” Yan Zhaoge extended a palm, capturing the temporarily ownerless Cloud Circulating Heavenly Light Sword and Phoenix Cry Crown, Heh, ‘Treasured Branch Suppressing Peak’, ‘Treasured Branch Suppressing Peak’. They say that there are only wrong names, never wrong nicknames. The ancients were indeed right in this.”
He stomped downwards as the precipitous peak of Vast Spirit Mountain instantly collapsed and fell apart!
Even the martial practitioners of Vast Spirit Mountain had sought to flee from the mountain earlier, seeking only to escape far from Yan Zhaoge’s ‘devilish claws’.
As they turned back and watched now, they helplessly saw their headquarters collapsing as they wished to cry yet lacked the tears for such.
Remembering the high spirits of their entire sect as led by their Chief, Daoist East Spring, when organising this alliance meet, they wondered how it was that things had become like this in an instant now. They all regretted it so much now it was like their innards could fall out from their bodies.
Daoist East Spring was dead, their headquarters destroyed, most of their experts slain.
Vast Spirit Mountain who had once competed for the position of hegemon of the Announcing Peace Mountain Range with the Night Magnificence Sect was virtually decimated following this event!
While they were not exactly wiped out, they had declined greatly as let alone maintaining their original position, even being able to keep the allegiance of all their people would already be a difficult problem that rivalled the heavens.
As for the martial practitioners of the other powers, especially those of the Night Magnificence Sect, they all gloated at the misfortune of Vast Spirit Mountain now upon thinking of how they had acted previously after calling for that alliance meet.
Along with their mockery, however, there was also a sympathetic sorrow that overtook them.
Who had not wished to be as glorious as Vast Spirit Mountain at the time of the alliance meet?
Yet, who would have thought that things might ultimately end up as they had?
At this point, they all felt emotional and fearful after the fact.
After shattering Vast Spirit Mountain with a stomp, Yan Zhaoge lightly hovered into the air and headed north neither hurriedly nor slowly.
As Zhang Shuren and Yuan Xiancheng fled in retreat, Yan Zhaoge pursued them all the way with these two Immortal Bridge Martial Saints being pursued from the Announcing Peace Mountain Range all the way to Circumference Mountain.