This Is the Surprise?

Where the flying boat had crashed down, smoke and dust swirled thick in the air. Branch Master Chu's mask lay shattered, and unable even to maintain his transformation technique, he revealed his true face—none other than Commandery Governor Li! His left arm was dripping blood, dangling limply and clearly ruined. Meng Jingzhou landed, dissatisfied with the outcome. "If only we had another flying boat." Branch Master Chu drew a deep breath. Just as he was about to spout a few grand remarks, he began coughing violently, bloodshot veins spidering across the corners of his eyes. "This smoke is poisoned!" Branch Master Chu hurriedly held his breath, seething with fury. They truly lived up to their names—an innate demonic seed and a Dao Demon Descended joining forces! First, they had trapped him with the Spirit-Restricting Array, then dropped a flying boat right on top of him. The craft had been loaded with mountain-blasting explosives, and to top it off, once the explosion cleared, the smoke itself was toxic. These two were like an old sow in layers of armor—layer upon layer, one dirty scheme after another! Branch Master Chu had initially suspected that Lu Yang was an undercover plant sent by the orthodox sects, someone who destroyed the Reverse Lifespan Formation upon seeing that it harmed others for personal gain, and that the Cult Master had simply misjudged him. Looking at this nested series of traps now, however, even if Lu Yang claimed to be an orthodox undercover agent, Chu would never believe it! The crash of the flying boat had smashed the Spirit-Restricting Array to pieces, allowing Branch Master Chu to regain his spiritual power. Even so, he was forced to divert a portion of it just to suppress the poison seeping through his body! Under normal circumstances, he could have purged the toxin in a few breaths, but right now, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou gave him no time at all! Meng Jingzhou channeled his technique, his body turning a shade of bronze. Like a fierce tiger bounding down the mountain, he roared across the woods. "Heaven-Shaking Six Forms!" This was the Third Elder's ultimate technique, though Meng Jingzhou had only learned the barest surface. His vitality and blood surged as punch after punch flew out, erupting with raw force. Blow upon blow stacked on top of one another, the shockwaves blasting with thunderous cracks, all aimed straight for Branch Master Chu's face. No matter how badly injured Branch Master Chu was, he remained a cultivator of the late Golden Core stage; with just a single hand, he blocked both of Meng Jingzhou's fists. Like an assassin, Lu Yang materialized silently behind Branch Master Chu, the Green Blade Sword in hand. Yet Chu's reflexes were astonishingly sharp. Kicking backward with his right heel, he sent Lu Yang flying once more. Man Gu appeared right along the trajectory of Lu Yang's flight. Catching Lu Yang by both ankles, he spun once on the spot and flung him right back. Lu Yang became like a sharp blade himself, the Green Blade Sword tearing through the air as it thrust straight for Branch Master Chu's neck! Branch Master Chu batted Meng Jingzhou away with a palm strike and whipped around, clamping his elbow and knee together with immense force to lock the unstoppable Green Blade Sword in place! With a sliver of his Ancient Barbarian bloodline ignited, Man Gu's frame expanded an entire size. His sinews and bones resonated in unison, roping with brutal muscle. Charging forward like a savage elephant, he bore down with the might to topple mountains and overturn seas! Branch Master Chu sneered. No matter how powerful this brute was, could he possibly overpower a late Golden Core cultivator? To his surprise, just as Man Gu was about to collide with him, the barbarian flipped his palm, hurling several sharp bamboo skewers straight at Branch Master Chu's eyes. Branch Master Chu shut his eyes and turned his head aside, dodging the skewers. Another volley of skewers whistled from behind him. Hearing the noise, Branch Master Chu channeled his Golden Core, coating the surface of his body with a thin golden membrane to deflect the sneak attack. Glancing back, he saw that the skewers had not been thrown by a person at all—they were being fired automatically by a formation. It was precisely the Automatic Skewering Array devised by Lan Ting, operating at maximum power. Lu Yang had asked Lan Ting to assist from the shadows to heap psychological and physical pressure upon Branch Master Chu from both ends. "All of you must die!" Branch Master Chu withdrew a great crimson banner from his storage ring. It looked as though it had been soaked through with fresh blood, reeking with an eerie, wicked aura. The moment the crimson banner appeared, the surrounding temperature plummeted by several degrees. Branch Master Chu spat a mouthful of fresh blood onto it. Stained by its master's blood, the crimson great banner grew even more sinister, and the four youngsters faintly heard the wailing of vengeful ghosts! "Can't you use a normal weapon for once instead of pulling out this wicked garbage all the time?" Lu Yang spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm. Sword light flickered like a swimming dragon returning to the sea as he cast the spell Shrinking the Earth, tunneling through the ground at blinding speed before bursting out directly beneath Branch Master Chu! Branch Master Chu stepped back. Banner and sword clashed with a ringing metallic clang. Lu Yang wove a flurry of sword flowers, shifting between fast and slow with extraordinary fluidity. Deploying the Heaven-Shaking Six Forms once again, Meng Jingzhou rushed in to back him up. Fist impressions shook the air, thudding heavily against the flagpole and nearly breaking Branch Master Chu's stance. A thick tree trunk dropped from above as Man Gu let out a furious roar, swinging the massive log down toward Branch Master Chu! "Fire Dragon Talisman!" came a sharp cry from within the woods. Using blood as ink, Lan Ting swiftly drew a talisman. A scarlet fire dragon brandished its claws and bared its fangs, scorching the air and burning away the chilling atmosphere brought on by the crimson banner. "There's a fourth one!" Branch Master Chu's eyes widened in fury, his teeth grinding. This traitorous dog Lu Yang had truly come prepared. "Settling Wind and Waves!" Branch Master Chu gripped the flagpole with both hands and slammed it violently into the earth with a thunderous shout. Soundwaves and shockwaves surged together, knocking the three boys off their feet and scattering the fire dragon! Branch Master Chu had flown into a frenzy, his eyes suffused with blood. If he had not been struck by the flying boat right at the start and forced to divert spiritual power to suppress the virulent poison, how could he have ever ended up in such a passive, miserable state? Leaping into the air, he drove the flagpole down toward Man Gu, who lay sprawled on the ground. Man Gu scrambled to dodge, but it was too late; he managed to shift only half his body before the pole punched straight through his shoulder blade. Blood leaked from Man Gu's teeth, yet he did not utter a single cry of pain! The Ancient Barbarian race feared neither pain nor death! Refusing to let up, Branch Master Chu moved to deliver a stomp that would crush Man Gu's head. Seizing the opening, Meng Jingzhou hurled an artifact and roared, detonating it on the spot. Caught off-balance on one foot, Branch Master Chu was blasted backward, while Man Gu, pinned to the earth, escaped unharmed. Meng Jingzhou had plenty of treasures on him, but their rank was simply too high; he could neither activate them nor detonate them. Branch Master Chu shattered a boulder with a kick to reverse his momentum and charged back, yanking out the banner along the way to sweep it across Meng Jingzhou. The Green Blade Sword intercepted him dead-center, parrying the great banner aside as Lu Yang tangled with Branch Master Chu once more. Lu Yang had mastered the spell To Inches to absolute perfection. Whenever Branch Master Chu was about to land a hit, Lu Yang shrank in size, neatly evading the blow and leaving Chu gnashing his teeth in frustration. Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu rallied their strength and charged back into the fray, while Lan Ting drew talismans with both hands at once, sending twin dragons of water and fire soaring into the sky to intertwine and lunge at Branch Master Chu. Unable to endure such humiliation any longer, Branch Master Chu planted the flagpole into the ground. The cloth flapped wildly in the wind like crashing ocean waves, and the sounds of weeping ghosts and howling wolves echoed from the fabric, confounding the mind. "Ghosts Disturb the Heart!" The ghostly wails carried an indescribable enchantment, instantly locking the four of them in place. Each felt as though malevolent spirits were clutching their limbs, leaving them utterly unable to move. Meng Jingzhou's heart tightened. He wanted to shout aloud and warn everyone that this was an illusion, but he could neither move nor speak. Branch Master Chu burst into loud laughter. This was his ultimate technique, one he had been reluctant to use because it felt beneath him. Yet driven into a corner by these four brats, he could no longer afford to hold back his trump card. Only by slaughtering them could he wipe clean this disgrace! "Break." The Green Blade Sword descended from above as swift as lightning. Before Branch Master Chu could even react, the blade drove straight through his skull. Branch Master Chu stared at Lu Yang in utter disbelief. He saw that Lu Yang's eyes were crystal clear, a mocking smile tugging at the corner of his lips. The boy was entirely unaffected by the illusion! "How... can you still move... How is this possible..." Branch Master Chu toppled backward, blood leaking from all seven facial orifices. Lu Yang thrust a follow-up blow directly into his dantian, shattering Branch Master Chu's Golden Core to ensure he was truly dead. Lu Yang had no interest in explaining to a dead man that this was a technique he had created himself under Eldest Senior Sister's guidance: the *Art of Illuminating the Heart and Seeing Nature*. It anchored one's true heart and allowed one to see through to the essence of things. His cultivation of it had only just begun, so discerning the fundamental essence of all things was still beyond him, but shrugging off the illusions and dream-realms of a cultivator one realm higher was no trouble at all. Delayed by trivial matters, the Inspecting Emissary had only just arrived from the neighboring commandery. He had barely crossed the ridge of Mount Song and reached the outskirts of the battlefield when he watched Lu Yang skewer Branch Master Chu to death with a single sword strike. He recalled Branch Master Chu's earlier words: *"I have a surprise to show you."* *"The newly recruited Lu Yang is a rare talent who will surely shine at the Spring-Plucking Festival."* "...Is this the surprise Little Chu was talking about?" In his hundred years of life, the Inspecting Emissary had never encountered a surprise quite like this.