Chapter 99

The underground river within the culvert had long since dried up, and further away, rocks had collapsed, blocking the river. The remaining part was filled with strange and jagged rocks, which in the darkness seemed like a group of fierce ghosts, making one feel as if they had arrived at the gates of hell.

To avoid exposing their position, Zhang Yuanshan did not light a fire, but instead relied on the weak light seeping in from outside, using his eyes that had opened the eye acupoint to move forward. Fu Zhenzhen tightly held onto his clothes, firmly following him, though she could not see anything, she felt a peculiar sense of security in this darkness, as if she could fully trust and rely on Zhang Yuanshan.

After rounding a strange rock, Zhang Yuanshan stopped and did not go further, as doing so would prevent him from immediately detecting the sandstorm, missing the opportunity to strike.

"Ying Sha" had innate night vision and had exchanged for all kinds of stealth, disguise, and assassination skills. After entering the cave, he felt like a fish in water, quietly approaching Zhang Yuanshan and Fu Zhenzhen.

The darkness was deep, and Ying Sha seemed to have merged with it, using shadows to hide, advancing step by step. Soon, he was only ten feet away from Zhang Yuanshan and Fu Zhenzhen.

His right hand rested on his short sword, his body bent, gathering strength and true qi at one point, preparing to launch a sudden attack. His assassination techniques were simple and unadorned, but their effects were astonishing.

Zhang Yuanshan tightly gripped the Tengshe Sword, adopting a Tai Chi defensive stance, his brow throbbing, his spirit focused outward, guarding against any sneak attack.

Suddenly, he felt a movement in his heart and, without hesitation, swung his long sword in front of Fu Zhenzhen, from bottom to top, as if drawing a beautiful circle.

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing echoed in the culvert and then disappeared, leaving everything silent, as if what had just happened was an illusion.

Zhang Yuanshan's defense was flawless, giving the enemy no chance, but he was quite uneasy because after the failed attack, the enemy disappeared into the darkness, and he did not know where they were hiding. He did not know from where the next attack would come.

From the feeling of the previous encounter, Zhang Yuanshan realized that even if the enemy's strength was not as great as his, they would not be difficult to kill in a direct confrontation. However, they were definitely a master who had opened four acupoints and was skilled in stealth and assassination. In this environment, the danger was multiplied. Once he exposed a weakness, he would face a fatal attack. He had to be fully alert, with his mind highly concentrated, and could not afford any slack. If he wanted to kill the enemy, he could not even find their shadow.

Zhang Yuanshan knew that this state of high alert was very draining, especially for the eye acupoint, which was already throbbing more and more. The longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for him. Unless the sandstorm outside began to subside.

After the failed attack, Ying Sha immediately retreated, hiding behind another rock, merging with the darkness. He focused his gaze on the two people opposite, patiently waiting for an opportunity.

As an assassin, he was always very patient. He had once lain in wait in a swamp for seven days to wait for a good opportunity to strike, and the result was that the seven-acupoint master, who had a deep grudge against him, died with a short sword in his throat, his eyes wide open.

Without patience, one cannot become a good assassin!

"Yuanshan, the darkness is not in our favor. I will light the fire first," Fu Zhenzhen's gentle and sweet voice reached Ying Sha's ears.

Ying Sha remained motionless, completely unconcerned. If a little light could reveal him, it would be a gross underestimation of his stealth abilities. Hiding in the shadows was his specialty!

He had once met a terrifying master who could use the power of all things. With his guidance, he finally mastered the "Shadow Concealment" skill he had exchanged for.

"Alright," Zhang Yuanshan's voice was very low, as if he had something in his mouth, or was too cautious to speak.

The fire lit up, and the light from the fire in Fu Zhenzhen's hand spread around, replacing the darkness with dimness. However, the shadows were still everywhere, as if enemies were lurking everywhere, not much different from before.

...

Qi Zhengyan was hiding in a relatively rear position, still able to see a bit of the sun not yet obscured by the sandstorm, his heart full of caution.

Cultivating the "Hun Tian Bao Jian" required the use of unusual energies from the universe, so he had a more sensitive perception of changes in the sky than normal acupoint masters. He vaguely sensed something was wrong, but the sandstorm blocked his view, and he had no immediate solution.

Suddenly, Qi Zhengyan felt the sunlight become intense and blinding, making him squint.

At that moment, a figure darted out from the golden light, the short sword in his hand pointing directly at Qi Zhengyan's throat, as if he had been hiding in the sunlight all along!

Behind Qi Zhengyan, the sand and soil on the ground suddenly swelled like a grave, and another figure leaped out, his fingers curved and glowing with a dark light.

The arrival of the two demon sect envoys was so mysterious and unexpected!

The two of them had no doubt that the dead face in front of them would die at their hands, because whether it was the Sun Escape or the Earth Escape, they were beyond the understanding of normal people and impossible to guard against.

Suddenly, a white mist rose from the ground, like a cloud descending, or a fog enveloping everything, making it impossible to see anything around them.

Where the two of them struck with their short swords and fingers, red light flowed, like lotus flowers dancing, and they were directly deflected into the air!

Was the dead face actually a respected figure who had mastered two envoys' abilities?

...

Xia Dandan held a pair of long and short knives, leaning against a poplar tree, temporarily avoiding the sandstorm.

Her heart was filled with a burning desire for revenge, but under the power of nature, she could only suppress her emotions and wait for the storm to weaken. In this situation, neither they nor their enemies could move.

Suddenly, a soft giggle sounded in her ear. She turned back in surprise and saw a girl in a white dress, ethereal and beautiful, walking gracefully through the sandstorm. Despite the strong wind and dense sand, they became tame and dissipated around her, so she walked without a speck of dust on her.

This girl seemed like a fairy descending from heaven, but her aura was elusive and hard to grasp, with a hint of mesmerizing charm.

Xia Dandan found it difficult to speak, her voice hoarse: "Gu Xiaosang?"

Gu Xiaosang, also known as Xiaozi, smiled leisurely:

"The world is full of suffering and worries. Why not return to the pure and empty homeland and share in the bliss?"

The surrounding sandstorm slowed, and it seemed to become brighter, with a faint, ethereal sound descending.

...

In the dilapidated temple of the Demon Lord, Meng Qi, Chen Xiao, and Luo You also noticed the sudden intensification of the sandstorm.

"Thank goodness we came in early," Chen Xiao said happily.

Luo You naturally praised his beautiful junior sister: "Thanks to your wisdom, sister. Otherwise, in such a big sandstorm, we would be unable to move and might get lost in the desert."

The desert climate is changeable, and sandstorms are common. Sudden intensification is not unheard of, so even in this semi-desert area, the two of them found it natural.

Meng Qi, however, frowned and walked to the side of the dead demon sect disciple, holding the Red Sun Evil-Repelling Saber. This sudden "natural disaster," this abnormal sandstorm, always reminded him of the "Crying Old Man." Could it be that the Demon Lord himself had arrived, like the master of Fengyun Manor, Gu Kongshan, who had triggered changes in the sky?

Of course, this change in the sky was definitely not as powerful as the "Crying Old Man's" Sandstorm Skill, which could cover a hundred miles and bring about an apocalyptic end, with the power to destroy a region.

He secretly raised his alertness, slightly opening the Ancestral Acupoint in his brow, his spirit focused outward, while examining the body of the dead demon sect disciple.

The dead man's skin was pale, his meridians dark, and faint black qi was rising. But as soon as he approached Meng Qi, the black qi dissipated under the dark red glow of the "Red Sun Evil-Repelling Saber."

"Just now, his ability to hide in the shadows was almost like an outer-scene miracle, but his strength was vastly different, and he was heavily tainted with evil qi... How did he obtain such an envoy ability?" From the exclamations of Luo You and Chen Xiao, Meng Qi roughly understood that this was the so-called envoy ability, and he became even more interested in the power system of this world. If it had no hidden dangers and could be learned, it would be a good trump card to complement his martial arts and saber techniques.

The saber technique Meng Qi had just used, derived from "Breaking Clean," left Luo You and Chen Xiao in awe, dispelling their previous underestimation of him. They were even more impressed by their master's foresight in warning them to pay attention to these "Rights Gang" members.

"What are you looking at, Master Zhen Ding?" Chen Xiao asked, mustering her courage. She felt that her "Wind Escape" ability and the accompanying sword technique were no match for this little monk, so she unconsciously changed the way she addressed him.

Meng Qi did not want to reveal his ignorance of the envoy abilities, so he raised his palm and said, "Amitabha, though killing is for the sake of protecting life, and cutting off karma is not the same as cutting off a person, it is still a life, and it is a sin."

"Master, your compassion is truly admirable. However, the demon sect members use demonic qi to practice, losing their humanity, being cruel and vicious, and causing many deaths. Killing one of them saves many more, and is better than building a seven-story pagoda," Luo You said smoothly.

Meng Qi's response made Chen Xiao nod slightly. Although she had killed before, she was still a good person, and the death of a life would definitely not be easy for her to bear.

"Master Zhen Ding, with such compassion, you will surely become a great monk in the future," Chen Xiao smiled. "The saber technique you used just now..."

Just as she was about to ask, Meng Qi's strange premonition from the Illusory Form Technique resurfaced, and he suddenly turned his head toward the broken window.

He saw a thin tube extending through a hole, blowing out a faint mist.

"Be careful," Meng Qi warned, holding his breath, and the Golden Bell Cover skill activated, with a dark golden glow flowing around his body.

Chen Xiao and Luo You followed Meng Qi's gaze and were startled again. It was the poison expert who had caused panic that night!

Meng Qi knew it was a poison expert from the opposing camp and understood the need for a quick resolution. He raised the Red Sun Evil-Repelling Saber and used the Wind God Leg technique, charging straight to the window, his dark golden skin making him look like an unstoppable war chariot.

He charged into the mist, the Golden Bell Cover blocking the infiltration, and with a side collision, he used his shoulder and back to smash the window, leaping out.

Outside the temple, the sandstorm was intense, but the ground was covered with slippery snakes, fluffy spiders, and colorful insects. In the center stood a girl in bright clothing.

Meng Qi did not stop or use the agile movements of the Divine Traveling Technique. He took large steps into the mass of poisonous insects, heading straight for the girl.

The snakes raised their heads, the spiders leaped, and the insects flew, all landing on Meng Qi's body. But their bites were like hitting metal, and they were all bounced away.

Meng Qi, this "war chariot," broke through all obstacles, charging forward fiercely, and in a moment, he reached the girl.

Hongxiu was completely unprepared for the little bald monk's simple and brutal fighting style, which was incredibly fierce. She was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered, pressing her palm and firing the hidden poison flower!

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