The Demonic Cult Remnants, Surrender at Once!

Mount Heng, Damaoling.

Under the autumn sun of October, the mountain scenery was hazy and ethereal. Jianxing Peak, five or six li away, rose halfway into the clouds, exuding an otherworldly, dust-free air.

Starting from the Hour of the Dragon, cries of slaughter rang throughout the mountain range.

The Scholar in Green vaulted up from below the slope. His long sword flashed out, its cold light glinting, and four Blue-robed Cultists fell dead to the ground.

He then swung his sword at the blue-bottomed, wave-patterned Sun Moon flag. Once this flag fell, the Demonic Cult's morale would completely collapse.

But when the sword's edge was three inches from the flagpole, it abruptly stopped.

The Scholar in Green sheathed his sword. The purple aura on his cheeks faded as he looked down the ridge. All the Demonic Cult's Hall Masters and Flag Masters had been killed, leaving only a few stragglers still putting up resistance.

"Demonic Cult members have always committed every manner of evil. Dying here can be considered their own fault. It's just a pity that they sullied this sacred Buddhist ground."

Before long, another long-faced man in red robes led a group up the ridge from the east. He passed the scholar without stopping. His palm force shot out swiftly, blasting the flagpole in the middle into countless splinters. The great flag slowly drifted down the slope.

"Those who lay down their weapons may be spared!" He poured his Internal Energy into his voice, making it echo throughout the valley.

Seeing the half of the flagpole stuck in the ground giving off wisps of smoke, as though it had been burned by fire, the Scholar in Green thought to himself, The Mount Song Sect has many experts. Aside from Sect Leader Zuo Lengchan, the Thirteen Protectors are also famous throughout the martial world. It's a pity that after the Qi Sword Dispute, the Mount Hua Sect has declined and produced few talents. For now, I can only bide my time.

He stepped aside and cupped his hands with a smile. "Senior Brother Fei, your Great Song Yang Hand has reached the stage of supreme mastery."

"It still falls short of Sect Leader Yue's Purple Cloud Divine Skill, which has long been famous throughout the martial world."

The two exchanged a smile.

Fighting and killing was part of the martial world, but so was flattery and praise.

Nearly a thousand corpses of Blue-robed Cultists lay scattered across the mountain. Their blood gathered into trickling streams.

In the end, the more than eighty people who had laid down their weapons and surrendered were all killed as well.

The Five Great Sword Sects and the Sun Moon Divine Cult had harbored grievances for a century. Countless relatives and friends had died at the hands of the opposing side, and they had long since killed until their eyes were red.

The long-faced man said, "Sect Leader Yue, annihilating the Demonic Cult's Cloud Water Hall this time is truly a great achievement."

"It was all thanks to your Sect Leader Zuo's thorough preparations. Half a month ago, he already learned the exact time, number of people, and route the Demonic Cult would take to attack Mount Heng."

"Haha, the arrangements were so meticulous, yet the Hall Master of Cloud Water Hall still escaped."

"Wu Lianjiang has been a famous Demonic Cult expert for many years. He is known in the martial world by the nickname Flying Cloud Divine Ape, and his lightness skill is extraordinarily impressive. However, he took two of my sword strikes. If we send more men to search carefully along the route, I doubt he can make it back to Blackwood Cliff."

The long-faced man laughed again. "Sect Leader Yue is right. I will lead Mount Song disciples eastward in pursuit. Sorry to trouble you with searching southward. How does that sound?"

The Sun Moon Divine Cult's headquarters at Blackwood Cliff lay east of Mount Heng, more than three hundred li away. To martial world experts, that was only a day's journey.

Yue Buqun's eyes turned slightly cold, but he still smiled. "Then I'll follow Senior Brother Fei's arrangements."

The two were both famous experts who had made names for themselves in the martial world long ago.

The long-faced man, Fei Bin, was Sect Leader Zuo Lengchan's junior fellow disciple in the Mount Song Sect. His palm force was powerful enough to snap wood and split stone, earning him the nickname Great Song Yang Hand.

The Scholar in Green was the current Sect Leader of the Mount Hua Sect. Humble and refined, he conducted himself with righteous integrity and was publicly recognized by the martial world as Gentleman Sword, Mister Yue.

After the two left, the disciples of the Five Great Sword Sects withdrew from Damaoling one after another.

Two more hours passed. As dusk approached, the smell of blood drew flocks of crows to circle overhead, cawing merrily across the sky.

Zhang Yu opened his eyes. The iron saber beside him had not yet been drawn or stained with blood. Half of a blue Sun Moon flag covered his body, and a corpse lay across his legs.

"Half a year. I've been in this world for half a year, yet I'm still a Deputy Flag Master of the Demonic Cult who has survived by pretending to be dead."

Deputy Flag Master sounded impressive, but his status was only slightly higher than that of an ordinary foot soldier.

In his previous life, he had been a university student majoring in Chinese language and literature. After graduation, aside from delivering takeout, he enjoyed reading wuxia novels in his spare time. After holding the title of top delivery king for three consecutive months, he suddenly fainted and transmigrated.

It was only when he heard the Cultists around him shouting fervently, "The Holy Cult Master is Virtuous and Martial! May he live for ten thousand years and unify the martial world!" that Zhang Yu confirmed he had transmigrated into the world of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.

At this point, nine years had passed since the former Holy Cult Master, Ren Woxing, disappeared. His successor, Dongfang Bubai, was obsessed with martial cultivation, while Yang Lianting controlled the Cult's real power.

Zhang Yu had loved wuxia novels in his previous life, and he had read The Smiling, Proud Wanderer twice, albeit roughly.

He knew that Ren Woxing had been ambushed by Dongfang Bubai and secretly imprisoned in the Water Prison beneath Plum Manor at West Lake. Three years later, he would escape with the rescue of Xiang Wentian, Linghu Chong, and others.

He knew that Feng Qingyang lived in seclusion on Mount Hua, and that there were cliff inscriptions in a hidden cavern recording the martial arts of various sects.

He knew even more that the supreme martial art, the Bixie Sword Manual, was hidden in the Buddhist hall of the Lin Family's old residence in Xiangyang Alley, Fuzhou. It would later give rise to the famous martial world tale of the "Four Sisters of Mount Hua and the Two Rouge Husbands."

What use was knowing all that?

As a mere Deputy Flag Master, without an order he could not even leave Blackwood Cliff, let alone travel a hundred zhang. After half a year of painstakingly practicing the Sun Chasing Saber Technique, he had only mastered a common skill. He did not even know what Internal Energy was.

Whenever a battle broke out, once the Hall Master gave the order, he had to charge forward shrieking like the little bull demon in Journey to the West.

A minor character like him would not even be given a name in a novel. He was merely Passerby A, Bandit B, Villain C, or Corpse D—a small NPC meant to make the protagonist look impressive.

"I don't want to be Passerby A!"

Zhang Yu picked up his iron saber and pushed the corpse off his legs. When the corpse's face rolled upward, he discovered that it was someone he knew.

Wang Liyu, a Flag Master of Cloud Water Hall, was half a rank above him and commanded more than twenty people.

He and the original owner had come from the same village. They had wandered the martial world together, submitted letters seeking discipleship to various prestigious righteous sects, and dreamed of becoming great heroes in white robes with swords at their waists. In the end, however, they had joined the Demonic Cult, despised by the Righteous Path.

There was a bloody palm print on his chest. Judging from the depth of the depression, his internal organs had already been shattered.

Not long after the battle began, Zhang Yu had found an opportunity to lie down and pretend to be dead. He did not know when Wang Liyu had died, nor whose hands had killed him.

"Rest easy."

Zhang Yu cut off three strands of hair and closed the dead man's eyes.

"Hair is where the soul is tied. I'll send you home."

Night had fallen. A full moon rose over Jianxing Peak, casting down a long trail of clear light.

Zhang Yu glanced back, then turned and walked into the darkness.

Apart from the Sun Moon Divine Cult, he seemed to have nowhere to go if he still wanted to remain in this martial world.

Even experts and famed figures like Qu Yang and Liu Zhengfeng could not control their own fates, let alone a minor soldier of the Demonic Cult like him.

"The martial world has never been a place where one controls one's own fate."

"And martial artists are like gamblers whose eyes have turned red. Unless they lose everything, they will never leave the table!"

That was what Wang Liyu had said to Zhang Yu while drunk, on the night before he joined the Sun Moon Divine Cult.

The Sun Moon Divine Cult's headquarters, Blackwood Cliff, lay east of Mount Heng, within Pingding Prefecture of Hebei.

Zhang Yu chose to descend from the southern foothills before turning eastward back toward Blackwood Cliff. It would only add half a day's journey. He took these precautions to guard against the people of the Five Great Sword Sects pursuing him along the way.

Clip-clop, clip-clop~

The sound of horses' hooves came from behind.

Zhang Yu swiftly jumped into a roadside ditch, pulled fallen leaves over himself, and observed the outside through the gaps.

Two riders approached beneath the moonlight.

The rider in front wore a blue robe, a scholar's cap, and three long strands of beard beneath his chin. A long sword hung at his waist.

"It's Yue Buqun."

Zhang Yu thought, This is bad.

His hiding place was only five or six meters from the mountain road. Yue Buqun was an expert in Internal Energy. If he heard Zhang Yu's breathing, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Fortunately, I have this ring."

Zhang Yu pulled the Green Jade Thumb Ring from his chest and slipped it onto his right thumb. A sharp pain immediately stabbed him, and the ring seemed to be tightening until it sank into his flesh.

His breathing gradually slowed, from one breath every three seconds to one every nine seconds.

His mind also became clear and empty, while his vision, hearing, and sense of smell grew exceptionally sharp.

He had obtained it in exchange for takeout a customer had returned, buying it from a street stall. It was also the only thing he had brought with him after transmigrating.

Wang Liyu's only wager had been his own life. Zhang Yu had this Green Jade Thumb Ring as well.

Seeing the Green Jade Thumb Ring take effect, Zhang Yu felt somewhat relieved.

"Could this beautiful married woman be Ning Zhongze? You can't tell at all that she's given birth."

"Guarding such a lovely wife, yet he castrated himself to become a eunuch. Could it be that aside from being 'Buqun,' he is also not..."

The rider behind was a female knight in plain clothing. She carried a Jade Maiden Sword on her back, and her cloudlike hair and flowerlike features were matched by a dignified bearing. Though dressed as a married woman, the heroic sharpness in her brows and eyes had not diminished in the slightest. She possessed an air of untouchable nobility.

"This is outrageous! Fei Bin pursued them east himself, yet had Senior Brother search south. Clearly, he wants to monopolize the credit for capturing the Demonic Cult Hall Master. We rushed here from Mount Hua to provide aid the moment we received the Alliance Leader's order, and this is how we're treated."

"Exterminating demons and defending the Way is the Mount Hua Sect's duty. Besides, I never intended to compete with Alliance Leader Zuo for anything."

"Senior Brother, you may not fight for it, but can Zuo Lengchan really refrain from fighting? Over the past two years, he has recruited experts from the unorthodox world and incited infighting among the various sects. I'm afraid he isn't satisfied with being the Alliance Leader of the Five Great Sword Sects. He intends to swallow up our four sects."

Yue Buqun said in a low voice, "In the martial world, strength is ultimately what matters. Enough of this. Where are Chong'er and the others?"

"Chong'er took Lingshan and Dayou ahead. He said he would wait at the Mountain God Temple at the foot of Mount Heng."

Yue Buqun frowned. "Why didn't they travel together? What scheme is he plotting now? As the senior disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, he is always rash in his actions. He disregards his status and befriends all sorts of people from the Three Teachings and Nine Schools, drinking and fighting, acting arrogant and impetuous. How can he shoulder the important responsibilities of the sect?"

Ning Zhongze chuckled. "Young people are bound to be a little wild. Besides, Chong'er is kind by nature. With you, his master and Gentleman Sword, guiding him, he certainly won't fall onto the evil path."

"Junior Sister, you always make excuses for him..."

Yue Buqun looked displeased and was about to say something when he suddenly reined in his horse and looked toward the woods.

Ning Zhongze hurriedly reined in her horse as well. "Senior Brother, what is it?"

Yue Buqun swept his gaze around the woods. "Nothing. I probably heard wrong."

Zhang Yu shrank into the pile of dead leaves, holding his breath and concentrating. He felt that compared with a tortoise, he was only breathing half a breath more. When will I be able to ride a horse with a sword in hand and roam the martial world as I please?

"Let's go."

The two rode away.

Zhang Yu did not immediately get up. His other abilities had not improved much over the past half a year, but his experience in pretending to be dead and escaping with his life had reached the maximum.

Sure enough.

Before long, the sound of hooves returned.

Yue Buqun shouted loudly toward the woods, "Come out. I saw you long ago."

Zhang Yu's heart turned cold.

"The dignified Demonic Cult elder, Flying Cloud Divine Ape—dead is dead. Why imitate those petty thieves and scoundrels?"

He's bluffing me!

Zhang Yu let out a sigh of relief.

Yue Buqun waited for a while, then muttered to himself, "Could I really have heard wrong?"

He looked around once, then rode away.

"Sure enough, he's the martial world's greatest two-faced bastard!"

The autumn cold of October grew heavy at night, and frost thickened.

Zhang Yu's entire body went limp. Cold sweat poured down his back. Just as he was about to rise, suspicion suddenly arose in his heart. What if Yue Buqun comes back for another surprise attack?

Ten minutes later.

Yue Buqun rode back, looked around, and left without saying anything this time.

"Yue Buqun, I curse your grandmother!"

Zhang Yu cursed inwardly, but still did not dare to get up.

He lay stiffly in the pile of dead leaves for half the night. Afraid he might snore, he did not dare truly fall asleep. He endured the cold frost and dew as well as the bites of mosquitoes, keeping his mind highly focused. The agony was no less than being tortured.

At midnight, the moon sank and crows cried out.

"I don't believe Yue Buqun is still lurking around."

"If he really is, then I'll accept my fate!"

He crawled out of the ditch and stood in the woods, waiting for the blue edge that might stab at him from nowhere.

After a long while, nothing happened.

Zhang Yu let out a long breath, forcefully removed the Green Jade Thumb Ring, and groped his way through the mountain woods beside the road in the darkness. How many times he fell, and how many bloody scratches branches and thorny vines left on him, was not worth mentioning.

It was nearly dawn when he finally descended the mountain.

Once he crossed the woods ahead, he would be out of Mount Heng's territory.

Just as Zhang Yu began to relax, a voice came from behind him.

"Demonic Cult remnants, I've been waiting for you! Surrender at once!"