Chapter 15

"Seem like they can't see it?" Jiang Zhwei whispered to Meng Qi, pointing to several experts who could also see the stone wall but ignored the mission prompt.

Meng Qi nodded, while Zhang Yuanshan let out a bitter laugh and said softly, "So completing the mission reveals this..."

When they rescued Tan Wenbo, they thought they had completed one of the side missions. If they had known there would be a prompt, Qing Jing wouldn't have died so carelessly.

"Unless we kill them, perhaps finding the antidote to the Heart-Seizing Pill is the only way to complete the side mission," Meng Qi speculated.

Qi Xia sighed, "I hope nothing else goes wrong."

She tore a piece of her clothing and, with Jiang Zhwei's help, bandaged her left shoulder, which she had only hastily stopped from bleeding earlier.

Ge Chongshan and the others mourned for a while, then composed themselves and followed the path they had explored, heading towards the central hall.

The corridor was empty except for the torches that seemed to be burning constantly, and since Ge Chongshan, Qi Zhengyan, Qi Xia, and others were skilled in lightness techniques, their footsteps were very light. Only Meng Qi's heavy steps echoed through the corridor, making him fall behind.

"Little monk, they look at you with suspicion," Jiang Zhwei suddenly whispered with a smile.

Meng Qi said helplessly, "I would be suspicious too."

A monk with such low martial arts skills, perhaps even worse than a common servant in Ge Chongshan's household, being brought by his "Master" to Hidden Emperor Fort to kill the fort's master, a top expert, was simply impossible.

This wasn't a place for sightseeing!

Unless there was something else going on!

Jiang Zhwei looked ahead and said, "Once we kill the Hidden Emperor Fort master, they might surround and capture us. We need to be careful."

"No problem, once the mission is over, we should be immediately taken away by the 'Master of the Six Realms,'" Meng Qi said based on his "experience."

"I hope so," Jiang Zhwei's tone became low, then she asked very seriously, "Little monk, are you willing to trust me completely in the upcoming battle?"

Meng Qi was taken aback, "Don't I always trust you? If you tell me to take two steps to the left, I take two steps to the left."

He thought Jiang Zhwei was referring to their lack of coordination, feeling a bit frustrated that he had never doubted her and always acted quickly.

Jiang Zhwei continued in a low voice, "Not that. I mean, even if it's a cliff, a forest of swords, if I tell you to charge forward, are you willing to trust me, overcome your fear of death, and use all your strength to charge forward?"

Meng Qi hesitated. If it were a girlfriend, he would have sworn, "If you jump, I jump." But Jiang Zhwei was clearly referring to the upcoming battle, not some idle talk. He couldn't just say it and then fail to act when the time came.

Jiang Zhwei didn't rush Meng Qi for an answer, letting him think quietly.

Meng Qi's expression changed repeatedly, his face contorted. Finally, he thought that if Jiang Zhwei failed, he would probably die too. Besides, he would be carrying her forward; she wouldn't commit suicide, right?

He gritted his teeth and said solemnly, "Miss Jiang, I trust you!"

We're in this together anyway!

"Remember these words," Jiang Zhwei said seriously. "You haven't learned lightness techniques, so your steps can't keep up with my swordplay. I can only focus on defense, which isn't my strength. When necessary, I might take a risk."

She smiled, "Don't worry too much. Maybe the Hidden Emperor Fort master will collapse on his own."

Meng Qi couldn't laugh, forcing out, "I hope so."

The rest of the journey was uneventful, and Jiang Zhwei, Meng Qi, and the others arrived at the central hall smoothly.

The hall was styled like an imperial palace, with eight corridors leading to the square and various parts of Hidden Emperor Fort.

The main door was open, and a few bright yellow flowers adorned the front of the hall. Inside, dozens of black-robed figures knelt, and on the throne sat a lean middle-aged man in a bright yellow dragon robe with a fine beard, speaking with authority:

"I have waited for you long enough!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the dozens of black-robed figures stood up, their faces twisted, eyes bloodshot, and muscles bulging, stretching their clothes.

"Senior Brother!"

"Uncle!"

"Mingkang!"

...

The experts brought by Ge Chongshan called out, clearly recognizing some of the black-robed figures as their old acquaintances.

The black-robed figures let out animal-like roars, their eyes devoid of reason.

"Evil one, what have you done to them?" someone shouted in grief.

The fort master roared, "Do you still have a sense of hierarchy? How dare you roar at your lord!"

He slowly rose, pointing at the black-robed figures, "They have willingly transformed into beasts to serve me! After I crush the rebels, I will ensure their descendants live in eternal glory and prosperity!"

"Beasts!"

"Madman!"

Angry shouts rang out. Ge Chongshan, maintaining his composure, said, "Hand over the Heart-Seizing Pill and the antidote to this beast transformation poison, and we might spare your life!"

There are many punishments worse than death!

"Ha, ha," the fort master pointed his fingers into a sword and laughed, "These elixirs are gifts from heaven; how could there be an antidote?"

"I am appointed by heaven, and all under the sea and sky should submit. Yet you dare to defy me! Die!"

Heaven's gift... Meng Qi's heart suddenly stirred.

The dozens of black-robed figures immediately leaped out of the hall, charging at Ge Chongshan and the others. From their speed and movements, it was clear they were highly skilled in martial arts.

"They are all close to the Enlightenment stage..." Jiang Zhwei sighed, "If we hadn't waited for Lord Ge and the others, we might have lost many people trying to kill the fort master."

She seemed to still have confidence in her strength before she was injured.

Ge Chongshan and the others, unwilling to let their old acquaintances suffer, hesitated to "ask" Jiang Zhwei's master and rushed forward. Zhang Yuanshan, moving gracefully, somehow managed to dodge the black-robed figures and rush into the hall!

"The Wu Dang Sect's 'Eight Trigram Spirit Step' is truly remarkable," Jiang Zhwei couldn't help but marvel, "There's no poison mist; we can enter the hall from the edge of the square."

She knew Meng Qi's martial arts were weak, and he wouldn't be able to break through the crowd. Now, with the black-robed figures and nearly a hundred experts from Ge Chongshan's group fighting near the entrance, it was a good opportunity to go around the edge.

Meng Qi saw Qi Xia weaving through the battlefield, helping Zhang Yuanshan, and without a word, he ran to the edge of the square. Qi Zhengyan was blocked by a black-robed figure and couldn't break free.

Clang!

Just as Meng Qi reached the edge of the square, he saw the stone door fall, blocking the passage.

"None of you will escape!" The fort master's hands glowed with a dark green color, blocking Zhang Yuanshan's sword.

"There must be other passages; he's here too!" Ge Chongshan shouted, stabilizing the situation, then his iron fan flew, blocking two attacks and rushing into the hall.

Meng Qi didn't dare to delay, running towards the hall entrance and, under Jiang Zhwei's direction, passing through the less chaotic part of the battlefield.

Inside the hall, Ge Chongshan, Zhang Yuanshan, and Qi Xia were jointly attacking the Hidden Emperor Fort master. Under his fierce and powerful dark green palms, they could only barely hold on. If not for Zhang Yuanshan's Tai Chi sword, which was as steady as a rock, the already injured Qi Xia might have been knocked down.

Ge Chongshan's martial arts were on par with Zhang Yuanshan's, but he was far from the fort master's level. When he first entered, he was shocked by the fort master's relentless attacks, losing his courage and unable to counterattack.

While Zhang Yuanshan's sword techniques were exquisite and his moves varied, the fort master relied on his powerful dark green palms and his higher realm, always countering Zhang Yuanshan's various techniques with brute force, maintaining the upper hand.

"Zhang Senior Brother excels in Tai Chi defense, but his Wu Dang sword techniques are not yet perfected. Otherwise, the fort master wouldn't dare to attack so aggressively," Jiang Zhwei commented softly as Meng Qi approached, then her sword intercepted the fort master's left palm.

Taking advantage of this, Zhang Yuanshan's sword, like a snake emerging from a cave, pointed straight at the fort master's chest, forcing him to defend himself.

Since the start of the battle, the fort master had been forced into a defensive position for the first time. Jiang Zhwei's sword strikes were faster and faster, like waves crashing in, gradually overwhelming the fort master with the help of Zhang Yuanshan, Ge Chongshan, and Qi Xia.

The fort master suddenly let out a cold snort and began to move, constantly circling and attacking.

In the brief battle, he had already identified Jiang Zhwei's weakness: Meng Qi's slow movements.

Sure enough, Meng Qi and Jiang Zhwei were soon in danger. Although Jiang Zhwei knew how to move, Meng Qi followed without hesitation, but it took time to communicate, and more complex maneuvers were impossible.

Unable to help it, Jiang Zhwei switched to defense, blocking most of the fort master's attacks with Zhang Yuanshan, while Ge Chongshan and Qi Xia counterattacked. The battle was a stalemate.

Clang, clang, clang! The sound of the long sword striking the fort master's dark green palms was like hitting iron, and Meng Qi, listening, suddenly felt a wave of irritability, his legs feeling weak.

"Poison!" Zhang Yuanshan, who had been fighting the fort master first, looked gray and his movements slowed, as did Ge Chongshan's and Qi Xia's.

The fort master immediately gained the upper hand, laughing, "They have transformed into poisonous beasts! The flowers in front of the hall complement them perfectly!"

"Killing you all, there will be no one left to challenge me in the martial world!"

The experts, feeling weak and helpless, watched the black-robed figures, whose skin was beginning to rot and bubble, becoming even more ferocious. Despair filled their hearts at such a stealthy and deadly poisoning method.

"Beasts! I'll fight you to the death!" Ge Chongshan roared in anger and grief.

At that moment, Meng Qi, full of anger and fear, heard Jiang Zhwei's calm and peaceful voice:

"Charge forward."

Charge forward? Right in front of him were those dark green palms. If they hit him, he would surely die!

But Meng Qi remembered his conversation with Jiang Zhwei. His mind raced, thinking of the dead Yan Wujang and Qing Jing, of how he would be at the mercy of others if poisoned, of his past peaceful life, and of these inexplicable encounters...

Thus, all his thoughts quickly converged into a fierce, desperate determination.

"Damn it, if I die, I die; if I live, I live for a thousand years! I'll fight!"

Meng Qi's facial muscles contorted, and he used all his strength to charge at the fort master.

During this process, his eyes were wide open, staring at the dark green palms, determined to see how he would die!

Suddenly, a brilliant sword light appeared, quickly filling Meng Qi's vision, blocking out everything else.

What beautiful sword light... Meng Qi thought subconsciously.

The experts fighting the black-robed figures suddenly sensed a subtle change in the world, looking up to see a sword light like a celestial swan, overshadowing everything else!

As the sword light faded, Meng Qi saw the long sword embedded in the fort master's forehead, the tip deep in, the wound slightly red, while the dark green palms pressed on his chest, but with no strength left.

Thud! Unable to stop himself, Meng Qi knocked the fort master to the ground, rolling a few times with Jiang Zhwei on his back before stabilizing.

Only then did Meng Qi see the fort master still smiling, his pupils constricted, filled with intense fear and disbelief.

Looking down, Meng Qi saw Jiang Zhwei's slender fingers trembling violently, not at all like a hand holding a sword, and then he heard her heavy breathing.

"One of the nine killing moves from the 'Great Supreme Sword Canon'?"

"'Sword Without Self,' 'Sword Without Self,' she actually learned 'Sword Without Self'!"

Qi Xia and Zhang Yuanshan were shocked, muttering in disbelief.