Mount Tai Gathers the Peaks

Five li north of Heavenly Capital's northern gate lay an elm forest. Though it was part of the official road, it was extremely easy for bandits to hide there. Most passing merchants and travelers disliked this route and went around it. Mountains stood to the east and west of the elm forest, making it an even better place to conceal filth and evil.

Twenty-seven members of the demonic sect were waiting here.

Junior Sister Cao had her head lowered, her face unseen. One of her arms had been severed, and she was tied beside a great tree!!

"Big Brother, do you think those little brats might be playing some trick?"

"Heh! There are so many of us. Are we supposed to fear a few first-realm brats?"

"Zhang Sixth, you should be worrying about how much gold you'll get later!"

"There are nearly thirty of us. Even if there are tens of thousands of taels of gold, each person will only get a little over a thousand taels!"

"A man's heart is never satisfied, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. A thousand taels of gold still isn't enough for you to live carefree for half your life?"

"Brother Feng is right. We risk our lives for the demonic sect, licking blood from the edge of a blade every day. How much money can we possibly earn?"

"Quiet!"

The lean man was named Qin Leopard. He quickly waved his hand. The bandits and demons all rose to their feet.

"Something's wrong!"

Qin Leopard stepped forward and stared at Gu Jingchuan and Lei Zhaoye, who were slowly approaching from a hundred zhang away. "Who are you?"

Gu Jingchuan sneered. "Here to watch a monkey show!"

"You dare insult disciples of the Palace of Delusive Thoughts!" Qin Leopard flew into a rage. The two demonic sect brutes behind him cut the ropes, dragged over Junior Sister Cao, and threw her severed arm over as well!

"These beasts!!!" Lei Zhaoye roared in fury, but Gu Jingchuan held him down tightly.

"It was right not to bring Gong Liefeng! Even I nearly failed to restrain myself!" Lei Zhaoye stared at Cao Langao, whose eyes had been gouged out and arm severed. His rage split his eyes wide, and his brows seemed to point at the heavens!

Gu Jingchuan sneered. "What do you want?"

"What? You came too late! This is the price! Hand over the silver now, and she may still keep her life! Otherwise—" The lean man shouted and tore apart Junior Sister Cao's clothes, exposing snow-white skin. "My brothers and I will tear her to pieces right now!"

"You are worse than beasts! For the sake of money, you can harm common folk and slaughter innocents!" Lei Zhaoye fiercely pressed the tiger's mouth of his left hand. His entire body was already trembling with fury.

"The monkey show is good!" Gu Jingchuan threw back his head and laughed. His voice seemed to carry demonic power; half the demonic sect members swayed, their minds muddled for an instant!

Lei Zhaoye's heart settled. Most of these bandits were not highly skilled!

Qin Leopard grew wary. This man's elixir arts are pure! He is most likely a core disciple of a great sect! It will be extremely difficult to defeat him!

"Monkeys, open your eyes and look carefully!" Gu Jingchuan clapped his hands. Gong Liefeng and Cai Yuelin emerged from behind the trees, protecting Cao Langao!

Cao Langao gave a shy smile, then put her veil back on!

"They already rescued the hostage? No!!!" Qin Leopard's expression changed drastically. He looked toward the northwest, then turned and roared at the others, "That bastard Shangguan Hui relied on his father's power and sold us out!"

"Support me!" Gu Jingchuan shut his eyes, his body suddenly weakening. Lei Zhaoye supported his back with one hand and sent him his internal power!

An invisible current of true qi burst from his body and swept across a hundred zhang, enveloping the demonic sect members!

"Wasn't Shangguan Hui with Liu Third in that cave, watching the hostage?"

"Could it be that he thought there were too many monks and too little meat, so he secretly made a deal with these brats?"

"It must be!"

Gu Jingchuan opened his eyes, grabbed Lei Zhaoye, and shot toward the northwest at great speed! Junior Sister Cao, Gong Liefeng, and Cai Yuelin followed close behind!

Qin Leopard was shocked and enraged. "We've been tricked! Go after them!"

"Boss, what happened?"

Qin Leopard flashed his blade like lightning and chopped the man into pieces on the spot. He shouted at the others, "Stop asking so damn much! Follow me, now!"

"Yes! Yes!"

More than twenty demons, terrified out of their wits, followed Qin Leopard and ran toward the mountain peak in the northwest!

Seven people raced ahead, more than twenty pursued behind, and countless streaks of light shot together through the dense forest!

"They're about to catch up!" Gu Jingchuan stared behind him. "Whichever of you is strongest, hold back some of them. The rest follow me to save Miss Cao!"

"I'll do it!" Liu Yunshen, disguised as Cao Langao, stood in their path with a black iron staff in hand. Gong Liefeng cried out in astonishment, "Brother Liu, alone?"

"Brother Gong! Go save them!"

Tears filled Gong Liefeng's eyes as he hurried away!

"I'll help you!" Lei Zhaoye's palms danced. A tiny gateway appeared, and a seven-foot sword, like a leaping fish in an abyss, flew into his hand!

Qin Leopard shouted and brought down his steel blade, intending to rush past them. Lei Zhaoye raised his sword, and a fierce gale surged forth! The blade qi shattered at once! An inch longer, an inch stronger; the spear-length Sword Qi was as imposing as a rainbow! It shot directly at Qin Leopard, suspended in midair with nowhere to dodge!

"I, Qin Leopard, have roamed the Nine Provinces for years. How dare a milk-scented brat act wildly before me!" Qin Leopard cried out in shock and fury, sweeping his blade upward before being forced to drop back to the ground!

"Hehe, this little lady's face really is quite lovely..."

"The flames are already licking at our eyebrows, and you're still staring at her face? Ping Ru, you worthless trash who knows nothing but whoring, what use are you?"

A blade qi over a zhang long cleaved one demonic sect member in two. The rest stared at Qin Leopard in terror, angry but not daring to speak!

"Zhao Hungry Tiger, stay and deal with these two fledglings! I'll take the others and continue the pursuit!"

Qin Leopard and half his men shot upward and raced through the trees. Lei Zhaoye and Liu Yunshen leapt up to pursue them, only for blade qi and Sword Qi to erupt behind them, blanketing the sky and earth!

"Careful!" Liu Yunshen shouted. He swung up his sword to block Zhao Hungry Tiger's spear, twisted aside with a staggered step, then swept his sword across. Four men were dismembered on the spot! Surging demonic qi flowed into the black iron staff!

Lei Zhaoye was overjoyed. "I never imagined Brother Liu's martial arts were so formidable!"

Zhao Hungry Tiger pointed his spear vaguely at Liu Yunshen. "This youth is truly not simple!"

After absorbing four streams of mighty demonic qi, the iron staff actually released a savage sword cry!

Liu Yunshen stood with his sword in hand, blocking the center of the road. "Which one of you will come next!!"

A quarter of an hour earlier, inside a hole broken into the mountainside, Cao Langao was tied to the ground.

Five bandits approached with vicious grins. Shangguan Hui drove the others back, then lecherously stroked Cao Langao's delicate, fair cheek with the back of his huge black hand. "Big Brother said we can't touch you first. Little girl, you really are lucky!!"

Fear filled Cao Langao's heart as she glared at him.

"I like girls with spirit like you!" Shangguan Hui was at the fourth rank of the second qi-refining realm, his strength second only to Qin Leopard's.

"Brother Shangguan, can't we beg Brother Qin this time to let the hostage live a few more days? Then us brothers can enjoy ourselves for a few more days too!"

Several bandits let out wolfish, jackal-like laughter.

Shangguan Hui looked at Cao Langao, then shook his head after a long while. "The important matter comes first. Who dares delay what the Palace Master ordered?"

"Haha! Well said..."

Before the bandit could finish, a treasured sword wrapped in endless Water Mystic true qi pierced out through his mouth!

The bandit died on the spot!

"Save your words for the underworld and the King of Hell!" Shui Xuanshuang thrust one sword, then raised another, stabbing straight at Shangguan Hui, whose cultivation was the highest!

Shangguan Hui was horrified and dodged in haste, but his right waist was already wounded. He used his palm as a blade and smashed it toward the longsword. "No matter how hard this little bitch's sword is, I'll break it into eighteen pieces!"

"Dare hurt her, and you'll die!" Gu Feibai drew his sword and lunged at Shangguan Hui!

"Damn it, why aren't you lot moving?!" Shangguan Hui struggled desperately against the two of them. When he glanced over, all four men had already been killed!

Gong Liefeng untied Cao Langao's ropes, removed the cloth stuffed in her mouth, and held his junior sister tightly. "Don't be afraid. We're here!"

"Senior Brother!" Cao Langao threw herself into Gong Liefeng's arms and burst into loud sobs!

Gu Jingchuan raised his hand and struck out with his palm. Palm force five zhang long, like a mountain range, crashed toward Shangguan Hui!

"My life is finished!" Shangguan Hui endured the Sword Qi of Shui Xuanshuang and Gu Feibai head-on. His left arm flew away, yet he ultimately evaded that terrifying palm force and rolled frantically out of the cave!

"Young Hero Gong, Heroine Cao, this is not a place to linger! Quickly, come with me!" Gu Jingchuan took the lead in rushing out.

Outside the cave, Qin Leopard had joined Shangguan Hui. Leading more than ten experts, they tightly surrounded the cave entrance!

"Little brats! I hadn't intended to kill anyone today. You forced my hand!" Qin Leopard roared in fury.

Gu Jingchuan sneered. "You did not intend to kill anyone? After you tormented that woman who looked almost exactly like Miss Cao for nearly an hour, should she thank you for sparing her life?"

Cao Langao was shocked and furious. She looked up at Gong Liefeng and Cai Yuelin, then at Shui Xuanshuang and Gu Feibai. All four glared furiously at the demonic horde.

"Cut the damn nonsense! Die!" Qin Leopard shouted and swung his blade down!

Gu Jingchuan slanted his palm upward to meet it. The two clashed fiercely, neither able to gain the upper hand!

Shangguan Hui slammed his palm into a man beside him, forcibly ripped the inner core from the man's dantian, and swallowed it. His left arm actually began to grow back slowly! The surrounding demonic sect disciples all backed away in terror and begged, "Brother Shangguan! Spare us!"

"Get the hell back here! Your blade!" Shangguan Hui pointed at one man, who handed over his saber. Shui Xuanshuang and Gu Feibai attacked once more!

"Little bitch, I'll cripple both your arms and legs. I'll make you beg for life but unable to live, beg for death but unable to die!!" Shangguan Hui rose with blazing eyes, his longsaber spinning into an ocean of blades!

Gu Feibai and Shui Xuanshuang were suddenly seized by inexplicable delusive thoughts. They shouted at the same time! By the time the heart-demon illusion broke, the saber was already before their faces!

With a thunderous clang, Gong Liefeng was sent flying backward, but the saber's trajectory finally changed!

Gu Feibai and Shui Xuanshuang barely evaded it with iron bridges!

Shangguan Hui roared in fury. "You can hide from the first day, but not from the fifteenth!"

"This bandit's illusions are formidable! Everyone, be careful!" Gong Liefeng shouted.

"Thank you for saving our lives!" Shui Xuanshuang and Gu Feibai had no time for further thanks before attacking again!

"Junior Sister! Junior Brother Cai, form the formation!" Gong Liefeng's roar was like thunder. The sword in his hand rose like a raging gale, scattering the movement techniques of the demonic sect crowd!

"What a pity Brother Ouyang is not here!"

"Why would bandit demons deserve the might of four swords joined as one! We few alone are enough!"

Cao Langao's swordsmanship was identical to Gong Liefeng's. Though her gale was somewhat weaker, its nimble movements flowed like colored silk! Hardness and softness complemented each other, wielding extraordinary power!

Cai Yuelin merged man and sword as one, transforming into a streak of blazing lightning that flashed around the battlefield, killing three enemies in an instant!

Shangguan Hui and Qin Leopard transmitted their voices amid the chaos.

"The Myriad Swords Sect truly has an extraordinary foundation!"

"The Myriad Swords Sect has already declined. Even the masters of its four branches wish to break free of its control and establish sects of their own?"

"Forget that for now. Kill these brats first!"

"Even at death's door, you still cling to wishful thinking!" Gu Jingchuan sneered. The myriad changes in his palms gradually gathered together, as if Mount Tai itself were toppling down!

"You know the Mount Tai Cloud-Locking Form, lost for centuries?!!!" Qin Leopard retreated in terror. Mountain-like palm force enveloped an area ten zhang wide!