Sun Kai’s focus broke.
The incessant screams of his men, along with the still-blossoming Fire Lotuses, grew clearer and clearer.
To lose focus in a duel like this made leaving an opening inevitable.
Of course, Bian Yixia wouldn’t miss such an opportunity. Gritting her teeth, she began her counterattack.
She knew something was very wrong with her condition today.
She had been fine at the start, but as the fight wore on, waves of weakness had begun to wash over her.
However, Bian Yixia couldn’t be sure if Sun Kai was behind it.
After all, while she primarily practiced the Six Harmonies Reincarnation Skill, she had also cultivated other Evil Skills that could pose a hidden threat to her body.
Furthermore, Sun Kai had shown no suspicious or unnecessary movements from start to finish, and they had both just sworn the Heart Demon Poison Oath...
In this uncertain situation, unilaterally stopping the duel would clearly be a violation of the oath.
Although she could likely save her life by violating the oath and fleeing immediately, her lifelong dream of reaching the peak of the Martial Dao would become little more than a fantasy...
It might have seemed like a dilemma, but for Bian Yixia, the choice wasn’t difficult at all.
’I might not lose. I have to keep fighting!’
But now, with Zou Feng’s arrival, the duel had miraculously reached a turning point...
Meanwhile, after glaring at Sun Kai for a moment, Zou Feng turned and resumed his slaughter of the Mountain and River Association members.
Without the Seventh Grade Expert Gu Yufan to hold the line, and with the Black Flood Dragon Gang’s predictable surge in morale, the situation quickly devolved into a one-sided massacre.
Since beginning his cultivation, Zou Feng had never fought so many opponents at once. The battle was utterly exhilarating.
He didn’t get completely carried away, however. His sharp senses picked up on something—disguised Ten Directions Cultists were mixed in with the members of the Mountain and River Association!
He could tell by the scent of their Evil Pills; he was all too familiar with the stench of the Ten Directions Sect.
On the verge of death, some of them even subconsciously used their most practiced Cultivation Skill out of terror—the Great Compassion Hand.
’The Mountain and River Association is in league with the Ten Directions Sect?!’
’Or has Sun Kai been ensnared by the Ten Directions Sect?’
Zou Feng suddenly understood. ’That would explain why Bian Yixia didn’t realize she’d been sabotaged before the duel, leaving her unable to fight at full strength.’
The Ten Directions Sect possessed countless Evil Skills, so it was entirely possible they had employed Profound Mysterious Techniques nearly incomprehensible to Low Grade Martial Artists.
He also recalled the earlier battle over the Immortal Treasure. After their clash with the Celestial Essence Sword Sect, the Ten Directions Sect must have acquired some of the treasures that had scattered.
’Maybe one of those treasures was used to ensnare Bian Yixia.’
’So...’
’There are other masters hidden here!?’
A jolt went through Zou Feng, but his hands didn’t falter. He continued to make blood blossom with unstoppable force.
At the same time, however, he remained vigilant, scanning his surroundings for any unusual activity.
’It’s probably not that Fang Jingchuan, the Gang Qi Realm expert. If it were him, he wouldn’t need to be so covert. He could just show up and start slaughtering everyone, just like I did.’
There were two likely reasons for his absence.
First, as a Gang Qi Realm expert, Fang Jingchuan would likely disdain participating in the petty squabbles of low-level gangs, sending only a few subordinates instead.
The second possibility was that he had been seriously injured during his intense battle with Shen Xuan of the Celestial Essence Sword Sect over the Immortal Treasure and was now forced to hide and recuperate.
Zou Feng leaned toward the second possibility. After all, an Immortal Treasure offered immense benefits even to Gang Qi Realm experts like them, so they would have undoubtedly fought with everything they had.
’In any case, as long as no Sixth Grade expert from the Ten Directions Sect is involved, the situation should be manageable for now.’
He observed for a while longer. As the last of the Mountain and River Association members fell, Zou Feng still hadn’t found any other masters from the Ten Directions Sect.
’Could it be that these Cultists are hidden far away, and the method they used on Bian Yixia was cast from a distance? A curse, perhaps?’
It was the only possibility Zou Feng could come up with for the moment. After all, if it were something like poison, Bian Yixia would have most likely detected it.
And by now, seeing how the situation had turned, those Ten Directions Cultists who acted from afar had probably already made the decisive choice to retreat.
"Noooooo—"
With the last member of the Mountain and River Association hacked to death, Sun Kai was left completely alone, surrounded by members of the Black Flood Dragon Gang.
By now, the Black Flood Dragon Gang members were in a blood-crazed frenzy, their eyes red and their bodies spattered with gore.
Following Zou Feng’s lead, they all turned in unison, staring unblinkingly at Sun Kai.
As for Sun Kai, his heart had already sunk.
After all, the situation was perfectly clear.
Even if he won and killed Bian Yixia, he no longer had a single man left at his side. His opponents, on the other hand, had Zou Feng—the monster who had just killed Gu Yufan!
Therefore, no matter how he looked at it, death seemed inevitable once the duel was decided.
Unless...
His will to live was strong. In the midst of their deadlocked battle, Sun Kai suddenly shot a glance in the direction of the shantytown.
It was as if something—or someone—who could save him was in that direction.
Zou Feng’s sharp eyes caught the glance. After a moment’s thought, however, he chose to bide his time.
Sun Kai’s pleading gaze was clearly a desperate hope for the people from the Ten Directions Sect to intervene.