Chapter 334: Heterodox Demons
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Meng Qi trekked past blue snow-capped mountains along muddy roads before finally entering Dragon-rocky Mount a short while later. He was at the boundary between two prefectures. There were few experts of the Exterior there and thus any surprises would be limited. If the monk mastermind was decisive in his killing, then the lineup of assassins from Unrelenting Tower would probably be more luxurious. He could not say for sure that they would not dare to brashly act, for they could change their assassinations into open attacks.
Hence, Meng Qi had decided to pick up his pace. Since there was only one Red-stair assassin along the particular path he was taking, he would take the opportunity to cross Dragon-rocky Mount and enter Qin prefecture. Shaolin Temple was close by and martial arts blossomed in that area. Several Shaolin Temple disciples not of monk origin had established families there, so there were many experts of the Exterior. There was also a greater number of Six Fan School’s Slivery Badge and Green Ribbon arresters.
Whereas the number of assassins from Unrelenting Tower at and above the orange-stair level was limited. The number of assassins of each stair could be counted on one’s fingers, and some even only had one or two at best. The world was a big place with many business opportunities, so there were probbaly five or less assassins available to deal with a trivial enlightenment period-level individual like him. Moreover, they could not afford to fail. They would have to retreat in the face of diffiuclties once they caught the attention of the Northern part of Qin prefecture.
Various pros and cons drfited through Meng Qi’s mind, pushing him to step into Dragon-rocky Mount.
At that point in time, it was impossible for any experts of the Exterior to directly go forward and protect him. Firstly because there were few brave and heroic people like that; he could only get those who were after the monetary gains or rewards from aristocratic families and sects to secretly follow behind him, waiting to “capture” their prey. Secondly, Meng Qi also wanted them to stay hidden. If Unrelenting Tower learned of the number of powerful individuals following him, they would definitely come up with a counteracting measure. However, if they were unaware, they would hold back in case they harmed someone they were not supposed to. They would not be able to come up with a targeted measure if they did not have a clear understanding of the situation. In the case of assassins, they would rather not act at all.
Typically, assassins only acted when they possessed a relatively clear understanding of the situation and were sure that their targets were at their most vulnerable.
Cui Hao and the others watched Meng Qi enter the mountain and deliberated for a moment before discreetly following him. If he ran into red-stair or orange-stair assassins, they would definitely sit out. They did not want to endanger themselves. However, if it was a Golden-level killer, they would probably act in a chivalrous manner. As long as they killed one or two of them, their good names would spread far and wide.
Meng Qi was walking along the mountain path when he suddenly heard someone from behind shout,
“May the Young Master in front please hold on!”
Meng Qi held his saber in defense and quietly turned to take a look.
The crowd was led by a Jianghu bandit wearing a large fur coat. He cupped a fist in his other hand and said, “Everyone wants to get rid of the Nine Evil Paths. If you don’t mind, I am willing to walk alongside you and fight Unrelenting Tower’s assassins together.”
Meng Qi wielded his long saber as a sign that they should stay away from him. He politely smiled and replied, “Brave men, the assassins are skilled at concealing themselves and changing their appearances. I am willing to walk alone. I don’t want the people around me to suffer from the assassins’ attacks either. If you guys have set your minds on helping, just quietly follow me. When the assassins appear, we can surround and suppress them.”
From the looks of it thus far, even if Golden-level killers had set a death trap for him, they could not do anything to him. However, as the saying goes, it is easy to dodge an spear in the open, but not an arrow in the dark. If a “trusted aide” by his side suddenly attacked, he would have fallen into the trap. Many masters had perished at the hands of their own kin, disciples and friends!
The Jianghu bandits appeared a little embarrassed at having been rejected by Meng Qi. However, Meng Qi was very firm in his attitude. He had no other way, and thus continued on his path into the woods with the band of brothers covertly following him.
There was not a single shadow of a bird or the trace of a human. Dragon-rocky Mount appeared very cold and quiet, but there could be countless assassins who had enlightened their Acupores hidden amidst the trees or under the snow.
The snow crunched beneath Meng Qi’s feet. He did not care about the traces he was leaving behind, but focussed on going full speed ahead. He put all his effort into getting out of the woods as soon as possible.
Night fell. The moon was shrouded by clouds, casting darkness across the mountain range. From time to time there were terrifying roars of beasts coming form the depths of the forest. They reverberated in the still and quiet air.
Meng Qi had been at it for several days by then. He slightly slowed and retrieved some water and preserved foods from the Space Ring to maintain his strength. If he became too tired, he would not be able to use his full strength.
He had not built a fire to boil water or hunt for food because of two reasons. He was rushing for time, and he was afraid that the assassin was adept at poisoning and might have poisoned his food and water. Hence, he settled for the water and dried food he had prepared beforehand. That put his mind at peace.
A shrine appeared at the side of the path ahead. Since it was a place meant for passers-by to shelter themselves from the rain, it was well-maintained. Glimmers of the fire inside could be seen, their orange-red flames jumping about and warming the freezing winter night. It made one want to go in and warm up by the fire while resting their feet.
“I wonder who’s inside…” Meng Qi was prepared to directly walk past the shrine and carry on with his journey.
“Sir, the winter night is harsh. It must be hard to be in a hurry, so why not come in and have a rest?” A female voice came from inside the shrine.
Her voice was gentle, feminine and sounded pleasing to the ears. It was like a hand caressing his heart. At the same time, Meng Qi felt like he could smell the fragrance of food wafting out from the shrine. The aroma mingled with the refreshing scent of the nearby pine trees, combining into an indescribable smell.
All around them were steep mountainous cliffs and a dense forest. The shrine had naturally turned into the perfect place to take shelter. Only a gentle breeze blew past, but it did not disperse the smell.
Something was off. Meng Qi was suddenly on the alert as he realized that his genuine Qi was becoming weaker. He had carelessly slipped into their trap!
Calmly, he retrieved his Concentration and Anti-poison Pill and slipped it into his mouth under the fake gesture of covering his nose. The pill’s effects slowly spread throughout his body. The poison was rapidly removed and everything returned to normal.
Right then, there was a massive explosion. The roads on the mountain all shook and swayed at the impact as dense smoke billowed up into the sky. Someone had used a lot of explosives!
Then, a firework shot out from the shrine and into the sky. It burst apart in a gorgeous display!
“‘Killing Blade’ Su Meng, I’ve long heard of your name. Now that I’ve seen you today, you seem only so-so.” A male voice came from beyond the bend further up the road. It sounded like its owner was quickly drawing closer.
He had a middle build and was completely bald, his head shining like a spiced corned egg. A pair of thick eyebrows sat above his deep eyes while a slightly flattened nose bridge made his plump lips stand out even more.
The man was around 30 years old. He was clad in robes of such a deep red they appeared black and a crimson long saber rested in his hand.
Meng Qi waited for the pill’s effects to completely set in. He was holding his sword in his left hand and his saber in his right, but was in no rush to act. In a low and steady voice, he asked, “Flame-scorching Devilman? I didn’t think you’d join in the fray. Aren’t you afraid of being surrounded and attacked by heroes and sent to Six Fan School in exchange for rewards? Or have you perhaps joined Unrelenting Tower?”
The man had such a unique appearance that Meng Qi could tell who he was with a single glance. He was the Flame-scorching Devilman of Destruction Sect’s 19 Devilmen. In terms of strength, he was among the top five devils!
He practiced the “Roaring Flame Devil Saber”. Although he did not improve at a particularly fast rate, he had a solid foundation. He had not made it on the Ranking List of Young Masters before the age of 35, but was now already close to attaining the Heaven-man Connection at 40. There was plenty of time for him to break through to the Exterior. According to Six Fan School’s evaluation, his strength was comparable to around the tenth rank on the Ranking List of Young Masters.
“I’m doing well in Destruction Sect, why would I betray them and switch over to Unrelenting Tower? Since I’ve accepted someone’s money, I’ll have to do my job!” The Flame-scorching Devilman chuckled. He was in no hurry to act either, as if he were waiting for something. “As for the crowd of heroes? The many landmines the Luo Denomination’s ‘Green Cultivator’ has collected have already blown up the path. They won’t even make it in time for your funeral.”
His words were sharp and aggressive, evidently trying to strike a mental battle with Meng Qi.
“Luo Denomination’s ‘Green Cultivator’?” Meng Qi was surprised. Not only had Destruction Sect joined in, but Luo Denomination was also involved?
A green shadow appeared on the path behind him. Its footsteps were light, almost like it was floating above the ground, and its face was drearily pale like it had suffered internal injuries.
“Shadow Cold Palm? You’re a Luo Denomination Cultivator!” Thanks to Siz Fan School’s information, Meng Qi was also able to recognize the person blocking his path from behind.
His sobriquet was “Shadow Cold Palm” and he was an infamous evil man of the Heterodox. Seven or eight years ago, he had unlocked the Hidden Latch of Life and Death and rose to the level of Half-step Exterior Scenery. However, because the demonic art he practiced was highly dangerous and bizarre, he suffered from Qi-deviancy Derangement once. He had barely been able to survive it, but his strength drastically plummetted and he was left with internal injuries that could not be fully cured. Attacking others meant simultaneously dealing damage to himself. Hence, he had been keeping a low profile over the past few years and had hardly acted at all. To think he had turned into Luo Denomination’s “Green Cultivator”, or perhaps he had been one all along?
“Your life will be traded for a cure for my internal injuries. You should be honored.” The Green Cultivator sounded dark as he swiftly spoke.
He was known for his Lightness Skill. Thus, although he had been following Meng Qi from before, nobody had noticed!
The “Flame-scorching Devilman” alone was already a challenge, but the “Green Cultivator” and the poison lady in the shrine made things even more difficult. Meng Qi suddenly felt like Jiang Hengchuan when he had to face Jiang Zhiwei, Ruan Yushu and himself.
“Master Su, are you not taking the chance to attack first because you’re waiting for the Exterior-level experts near Dragon-rocky Mount to come help you?” The lady in the shrine revealed herself, holding a hairpin. Her pale pinkish-grey skirt fluttered in the breeze. She had a clean beauty to her and a charming smile. There was even a beauty mole near the corner of her lips.
In her left hand was a jade bamboo flute with an eye-catching green glint.
“‘Soul-losing Flute’ Lin Biyu?” The beauty mole and jade bamboo flute allowed Meng Qi to identify her.
She was a Heterodox Expert as well and was skilled in the Sonorous Skill and poisoning. Although she looked she was only slightly over 20 years old, she had in fact crossed 40 a long time ago. At the nine acupores level, even if she was not as strong as the Flame-scorching Devilman and the Green Cultivator, she could attack and control the situation from a distance. It was truly troublesome!
Such a battle formation was much stronger than the death trap in the city. It was as terrifying as when Meng Qi, Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu had teamed up to fight Jiang Hengchuan.
“You made a fatal mistake when you killed the Fire Lord and ruined the plans of the Civil Star and the others. Given the chance, of course there’d be people acting as a go-between where you live.” Lin Biyu giggled. “Right now, Dragon-rocky City is in a mess. One Yellow-stair assassin and two Red-stair assassins are no match for the nearby Exterior-level experts and are slightly late so they can’t directly attack you, but they’re enough to draw away the powerful individuals.”
To think there was a Yellow-stair assassin! They were much stronger than the Orange-stair assassin Meng Qi had thought of. The monk mastermind was clearly a cold-hearted killer who ground his enemies to dust like a thunderclap. Thank goodness Meng Qi had properly responded!
However, he had not expected “The Myths” to go along with the situation and seize the opportunity to attack him. His past enmity with them had yet to be erased, and they had never directly attacked him.
But how had they known his tracks? He definitely could not make their list of people to exact revenge on, thus there was no way a Peerless Master Pro or even more powerful official member would pay any attention to him.
Unless the monk mastermind had some deep connection to “The Myths”?
That was the only explanation…
“So it seems I don’t have any aid for now.” Meng Qi suddenly burst into a carefree smile and said, “I’m waiting, and you guys seem to be waiting too. Are you waiting for the poison to take effect, or are you waiting for even more powerful support to arrive?”
Lin Biyu lightly laughed. “I see you have an outstanding antidote elixir.”
The Flame-scorching Devilman appeared calm. “Indeed. There’s another Red-stair assassin making his way here right now. You’ll never escape.”
His straightforward confession was supposed to give Meng Qi mental pressure. It was supposed to make Meng Qi feel despair and discomfort. In a battle between masters, he had to try force Meng Qi’s mentality into collapsing. There was no room for carelessness.
Meng Qi’s expression turned serious as he looked at the long saber before him. In a placid voice, he said,
“No worries, I’ll just kill you guys before he arrives!”
His aura exploded around him as he stepped forward. He was like an unsheathed blade. He loudly cried,
“If you want to kill me, at least one of you’ll have to die with me. Who wants to volunteer?”
Meng Qi’s shouting traveled into the distance. Even before striking, he had already pinpointed their flaws, shaking their confidence.
The three of them were from different factions. It was their first time working together and thus none of them could trust one another. They could not cooperate the same way he, Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu had. It was obvious from the way they had been delaying attacking before that and were only concerned about themselves as they waited for the Red-stair assassin to arrive. As long as Meng Qi could make good use of this point, he stood a chance at winning!
One monk fetches the water himself, two monks carry it together, and three monks refuse to get any water at all!