Luring Gongsun Tuo to His Death

In Wutong Forest, the autumn wind sighed bleakly, and fallen leaves carpeted the earth.

A falling leaf drifted slowly down before a youth in black robes. His robes gleamed with an unusual light, clearly no ordinary garment. Anyone with a discerning eye would have recognized that they were made from the hide of a Sea Condensation Realm Black Bear Demon.

The black-robed youth wore a pair of Gauntlets, white at the front and red at the back, with a Black Rope hanging at his waist.

Just as the leaf reached the ground, the youth opened his eyes, revealing a star-bright gaze. At the same moment, a star lit up in the sky.

The star grew brighter and brighter, and a shaft of starlight shone down upon him.

Yang Xiao clenched his right fist. Starlight gathered around him into the figure of a burly man. Initially expressionless, the figure opened its eyes in fury as Yang Xiao punched, then followed with a punch of its own. A small hill ahead collapsed with a thunderous crash.

Yang Xiao exhaled. After seven days, he had gained a preliminary grasp of Great Kui Star.

Unlike other spiritual arts, Great Kui Star could draw upon the power of the stars above.

He guessed that its creator must have been a Heavenly Master, since communing with the stars was a Heavenly Master's method. Whoever had fused the two into one had been truly remarkable.

"Not bad. Quite powerful."

Shen Laodao suddenly appeared in Wutong Forest, took a bite of a chicken drumstick, and voiced his admiration.

"How are things?" Yang Xiao leaned against a tree, turned his right hand over, and produced one of Yang You'er's chicken drumstick snacks, taking a bite.

"Not good. I watched the Earth Master Hall for seven days, and Gongsun Tuo never came out." Shen Laodao shook his head.

"Then we'll have to use the second plan. I'll lure him out myself." Yang Xiao frowned slightly.

During this time, he had been practicing Great Kui Star while having Shen Laodao watch Gongsun Tuo, looking for an opportunity to kill him alone. Now it seemed that approach would not work.

"Will that work?" Shen Laodao eyed him doubtfully.

"Won't we know once we try?" Yang Xiao headed toward Plum Court.

Gongsun Tuo hated him to the bone. If Yang Xiao had not spent all his time at the City Lord's Residence, the man would probably have come to kill him long ago.

Now Yang Xiao was delivering himself to his doorstep. The question was whether Gongsun Tuo dared come.

Back at Plum Court, he waited until nightfall, called Yang You'er, and the three began their operation.

Yang You'er was, after all, a Living Spirit Realm expert. Bringing her along was insurance against the unexpected.

Yang Xiao left the City Lord's Residence alone. The moment he stepped outside, he saw Old Li driving a carriage toward him.

"Steward Li, I won't need you to accompany me today," Yang Xiao said.

Old Li had lived in Slaughter Heaven City for many years, and the people of the Earth Master Hall certainly knew him. With him accompanying Yang Xiao, Gongsun Tuo might well lose his nerve.

Old Li stared at Yang Xiao for a long while, told him to be careful, then drove into the City Lord's Residence.

For this operation, Yang Xiao deliberately went out alone. Shen Laodao and Yang You'er would follow after he left.

Yang Xiao headed down the street. The streets were even livelier at night than during the day. Sure enough, no matter the time or world, there were always plenty of night owls.

"Boss, a bowl of beef noodles." Yang Xiao sat down at a noodle stall and glanced around. Several people dressed in black turned their backs to him.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. These were all disciples of the Earth Master Hall. Their presence reassured him—the odds of Gongsun Tuo making a move tonight had risen to fifty percent.

"Young master, your noodles." The stall owner brought over his beef noodles.

Yang Xiao took out his chopsticks and stirred the bowl. Two or three pieces of beef in an entire bowl of noodles—unbelievable. Didn't the man know that, ever since childhood, his beef noodles had always been half beef and half noodles?

Eating the beef noodles made him miss Aunt Lü a little. Thinking about it, he had already been away for a year. He wondered whether she was doing well.

Once this is over, I'll go back and see her.

After finishing his beef noodles, Yang Xiao headed out of the city. Gongsun Tuo was a Living Spirit Realm expert, and a fight between them would certainly alert others. The best option was to leave the city and go somewhere farther away.

Seeing Yang Xiao leave through the city gate, a black-robed man flashed to the entrance of the Earth Master Hall and rushed inside. He reached a main hall, where a middle-aged man in black robes stood with his back to him, studying a mural on the wall with a grave expression.

The black-robed man bowed. "Reporting to the hall master: Yang Xiao has left through the East City Gate. The remaining disciples are following him."

Gongsun Tuo closed his eyes in thought. After a while, he opened them, two sharp gleams shooting from his gaze. "Go to the Heavenly Master Palace and invite Feng Su here."

Walking along the main road, Yang Xiao glanced at the spies behind him, feeling thoroughly pleased.

The Earth Master Hall's people were following him, which meant Gongsun Tuo intended to make his move.

Glancing at the mountains on either side, Yang Xiao accelerated and flew ahead.

Against a veteran Earth Master like Gongsun Tuo, the richer the Earth Vein Qi, the greater his disadvantage.

"After him!" Two black-robed men sprang from the grass.

Yang Xiao's smile grew wider and wider. Had the situation allowed it, he would have laughed aloud.

The two behind him were merely Sea Condensation Realm disciples, slower than he was. To keep them from losing him, Yang Xiao deliberately reduced his speed.

The peaks along either side of the road grew fewer, and the plain ahead drew closer.

Suddenly, the moonlight overhead was blocked. Looking up, he saw a small hill flying toward him.

"Yang Xiao, I'd like to see just where you found the courage to lure me here." Gongsun Tuo's voice came from behind.

A shaft of starlight pierced the hill and fell upon Yang Xiao. With one punch, he shattered the hill.

He turned to look, his pupils contracting slightly. Beside Gongsun Tuo stood an old man with white hair, eyebrows, and beard.

Having experienced the Demon Beast Uprising, Yang Xiao knew the old man's identity: Feng Su, master of the Heavenly Master Palace.

He said scornfully, "What a grand entourage, Hall Master Gongsun. To deal with a mere Sea Condensation Realm cultivator like me, you even brought along the master of the Heavenly Master Palace."

Gongsun Tuo sneered. "You're hardly insignificant. I never imagined that a Sea Condensation Realm cultivator could inflict such immense losses on the Earth Master Hall.

"When dealing with you, I have no choice but to be cautious."

"Yang Xiao." Feng Su's beard fluttered in the air. "Heh, Yang Xiao. You killed disciples of my Heavenly Master Palace. Today, I will grind your bones and scatter your ashes."

Though there had been a slight complication, it was still within his expectations.

Yang Xiao glanced behind the two men. Shen Laodao and Yang You'er were flying toward them.

Shen Laodao abruptly stopped, pulled the Short Staff from his robes, dropped to both knees, and cried out with heartfelt emotion, "Father!"

Yang You'er tossed down two black-robed men—the very pair who had been following Yang Xiao. Their faces were pale, their vitality gone. They were already dead.

Feng Su and Gongsun Tuo looked back in astonishment. Feng Su frowned slightly, while Gongsun Tuo laughed. "So this is the help you called in? He's quite to my liking.

"Since he called me Father so sincerely, I'll leave his corpse intact."

Yang Xiao looked at Gongsun Tuo mockingly. You probably don't know what happened to the last person he called Father. Even his daughter ended up with us.

Sure enough, the next instant, Gongsun Tuo and Feng Su both paled dramatically and spat blood. Before they could react, their auras plummeted, dropping to the Soul Seed Realm.

"What kind of dark sorcery is this?" Gongsun Tuo cried in horror. He was terrified.

"I feel as though I've seen this dark sorcery somewhere before. Damn it, I'm getting old. I can't quite remember." Feng Su clutched his chest, his expression no better than Gongsun Tuo's.

"Now it's my turn to collect your corpses. No, I won't be collecting them. I'll leave that to your disciples." Yang Xiao clenched his fists.

With Yang You'er standing by, Yang Xiao had no fear of either man escaping.

"Split up!" Feng Su shouted. The two used their respective methods to flee, one north and the other south.

"Feng Su is yours. I'll chase Gongsun Tuo!" Yang Xiao called to Yang You'er, stepping forward in pursuit of Gongsun Tuo.

Yang You'er nodded and turned into a streak of light, chasing Feng Su.

Earth Chains stretched from the ground, blocking Gongsun Tuo's path.

"Yang Xiao, we can talk this through. I'm an official of Great Zhou. Killing me won't do you any good." Gongsun Tuo was growing frightened and retreated repeatedly.

He had learned from his disciples that Yang Xiao possessed astonishing combat power and could kill opponents above his realm. He did not dare fight him.

"Isn't it a little... late to say that now?" Killing intent flashed in Yang Xiao's eyes.

Starlight descended, and Great Kui Star's giant of starlight bathed him in an even more divine radiance.

"Don't push me. Even if I die, I'll tear a chunk of flesh from you!" Gongsun Tuo spoke fiercely, but inwardly he quailed. His trembling legs told Yang Xiao... this immensely powerful Hall Master Gongsun was afraid.

"Die!" Yang Xiao punched down. Gongsun Tuo brought out a whip and, with a sweep of his hand, drove two small hills before him as shields.

Yang Xiao shattered the hills and stepped back twice. He looked at the whip in Gongsun Tuo's hand. It was actually a supreme-grade Spirit Artifact exclusively for Earth Masters.

"Gah!"

Gongsun Tuo spat blood. Already afflicted by the curse, he had now forcibly wielded a Spirit Artifact, aggravating his injuries.

"Yang Xiao, spare me today, and all grievances between us will be wiped clean.

"Otherwise, I'll fight you to the death. With this Mountain-Driving Whip, even if I die today, you won't come out unscathed."

Yang Xiao's expression grew grave. He had not expected Gongsun Tuo to possess such a Spirit Artifact. He had not seen him use it during the Demon Beast Uprising. Thinking back now, the man had been hiding his strength.

Gongsun Tuo was right. With the Mountain-Driving Whip aiding him, taking him down would be difficult.

But only difficult.

Black mist spread through the night, deepening its darkness. Yang Xiao raised his head, revealing a pair of scarlet eyes, like a demonic god.

"That's a bloodline! You actually possess a bloodline!" Gongsun Tuo exclaimed in shock.

"Gongsun, you old bastard! Today, you die!" Yang Xiao roared. Dozens of Earth Chains coiled around Gongsun Tuo, and the Thousand-Spirit Spider Rope at his waist flew forward like a slithering snake.

Yang Xiao stepped forward and appeared beside Gongsun Tuo. Bound by the Earth Chains and the Thousand-Spirit Spider Rope, the man could barely wield his Mountain-Driving Whip.

Seeing Yang Xiao's fist about to descend, Gongsun Tuo roared. Powerful magical energy broke through the Earth Chains' restraint, and a fierce wind blew the Thousand-Spirit Spider Rope aside.

"Yang Xiao, I'll take you down with me!" Gongsun Tuo swung the Mountain-Driving Whip, sweeping up a nearby mountain and sending it crashing down upon them both.

Gongsun Tuo intended to crush both Yang Xiao and himself beneath the mountain.

"Earth's Right Hand!"

Yang Xiao diverted part of his concentration. A stone hand ten zhang across reached out from underground and struck at the mountain.

Without altering his stance, he drove his fist through Gongsun Tuo's chest. Blood ran down his arm.

"I told you I'd take you down with me." Blood trickled from Gongsun Tuo's mouth as he seized Yang Xiao's right arm. Earth surged up along Yang Xiao's legs.

"Let go!"

Yang Xiao sent Gongsun Tuo flying with a punch. The man was already at death's door; Yang Xiao had no intention of being buried with him.

Looking up, he saw Earth's Right Hand hold for one second before shattering. The mountain came crashing toward him.

Yang Xiao hurriedly used Shrinking Earth to Inches and fled outward.

His magical energy was almost exhausted. He had no means left to stop the mountain's descent.

Boom!

The mountain crashed down. Yang Xiao hurtled forward, a sharp pain tearing across his back. Though he had escaped, the mountain had still grazed his back, probably scraping away half a layer of skin.

As he lay facedown on the ground, a streak of light flew in from the horizon. Yang You'er landed and anxiously gathered him into her arms, tears streaming down her lovely face. "Brother Xiao."

"Don't cry." Yang Xiao wiped away her tears and smiled. "It's just a small injury. I'm fine. It'll heal in a little while."

An injury like this would leave anyone else half dead, but with Yang Xiao's extraordinary healing ability, a night's sleep would be enough to recover.

Before long, Shen Laodao flew over as well.

"Let's go back." Yang Xiao glanced regretfully at the mountain. Everything Gongsun Tuo owned was buried inside, but unfortunately, he could not retrieve it in his current state. He silently noted the location. Once his injuries healed... he would return for it.