Who Would Kill Whom First

Choke!!

Chu Tianshu pointed his fingers like a sword and swung them forward.

The Sanqi swords were drawn from their sheaths, like a silver meteor, piercing through layers of wind and mist.

With the sword hilt facing forward, it struck the corner of the Ten Thousand Needle Iron Coffin at the foot of the mountain.

With a dull thud, the iron coffin shattered into pieces, revealing the Viking prince lying on the bottom.

The Directorate of Palace Construction who pressed the wrong mechanism, though not knocked away by the iron coffin, was so startled that he staggered backward, just as a soldier nearby arrived and snatched the iron tube from his hand.

The silver-white longsword hovered above the Viking prince. Suddenly, the tip of the sword trembled slightly, and streaks of green Sword Qi shot out, striking various acupoints on the Viking prince's body.

They slowly forced out the iron needle that had pierced his heart.

The Viking envoy, wearing a helmet with bull horns, had already jumped onto the arena. His eyes were bloodshot, and white breath was coming out of his nostrils. He looked like a wild bull, and his body gradually swelled up.

Upon seeing this, the Viking envoy was both surprised and delighted. His tense muscles gradually relaxed, and his posture returned to normal.

At this moment, many people noticed what was happening on the arena and looked towards the mountaintop.

Chu Tianshu was on the mountaintop, arms outstretched, hands forming sword incantations that constantly changed, controlling the sword remotely.

Even taking the straight-line distance, the area between the top and bottom of the mountain is several miles apart.

In the past, when Chu Tianshu flew on his sword, he could only provide an initial power source; the rest of the power came from the Weapon Soul itself.

However, after he mastered the Leakless Mystic Art, Sanqi was already able to withstand the Great Void Internal Art.

The internal energy would then permeate the sword for a long time, allowing it to be sensed even from miles away, enabling more complex maneuvers.

"Why did they happen to be Vikings?"

Nie Hongxian's expression darkened slightly. "That official is problematic!"

Although the Vikings were originally pirates, they became allies after several encounters with the Great Tang fleet.

For the Great Tang, having such an allied principality in the far west was of profound significance.

Moreover, the Vikings were known to be mostly berserkers, because while they were incredibly powerful when angered, they were also difficult to control.

If the Viking prince had died on the stage just now, the envoy would most likely have dared to cause trouble despite Hai Donglai's gaze.

"Directorate of Construction?"

Chu Tianshu looked for An Jingsi again, only to find that An Jingsi had already run towards the arena.

Hai Donglai also had doubts, but still said, "Tianshu, you have a method of transmitting sound, which can be kept secret from outsiders, right? Use sound transmission to have Jungong stop him."

Chu Tianshu nodded, then used his inner True Qi to Secret Sound Transmission.

The Golden Wu Guard's handling of the blunder caused by the Directorate of Construction was legitimate and could temporarily suppress its impact.

Upon hearing the telepathic message, Yang Jungong immediately descended the mountain, caught up with An Jingsi, and pulled him aside.

At this moment, a loud explosion suddenly came from the mountainside of the northwest mountain among the Seven Martial Competition Mountains.

It appeared to be a fight between Buddhist masters from the Pyu Kingdom and Brahmanism from Western India, right there in the stands.

This caused an uproar, and in the blink of an eye, at least a dozen conflicts broke out in the mountains.

It seems that all the animosity between religions and the old grudges between nations have been accumulating in this day.

Many Plain King, including those of the highest rank, sensed something was amiss. However, since others had already dared to bully their group, how could they stand idly by and protect them?

The bald leader of the Far West Thunder God Sect punched away an Egypt was attacking him.

Although he cultivated strength, he controlled the force of his punch perfectly. He merely knocked the Egyptian away, but when the Egypt landed, he was already bleeding from all seven orifices and dead.

The dark-skinned Egypt elder flew into a rage, swung his serpent staff, and brought it down in a swift strike.

Hai Donglai tell just by glancing at it.

Of those who ignited the conflict, the initial instigator is either dead or has already been apprehended.

But their deaths sparked even greater conflict.

"Who could possibly have planted so many spies in both the Great Tang and other countries?"

Upon thinking of this, Hai Donglai's expression suddenly turned fierce.

"Dashi!!"

The Dashi Empire's methods of bribing, controlling, and planting spies are arguably among the best in the world today.

During the Tianbao era of the Tang Dynasty, the famous general Gao Xianzhi led his troops to attack the Western Regions, destroying several countries in succession. He plundered cities and won many battles. After conquering the last country, he pursued the enemy for more than 700 li and encountered the army of the Dashi Kingdom.

The two sides had been locked in a stalemate for five days, neither daring to make a move.

However, in Gao Xianzhi's army, the Karluks led their followers in a rebellion and defected to the Dashi Kingdom, leading to a major defeat for the Tang army.

Gao Xianzhi led only a few thousand men and retreated to the Protectorate.

In just five days, they were able to bribe and control a tribal leader who had long fought alongside the Tang army.

The Dashi Empire has harbored hatred towards the Great Tang for nearly sixty years.

They focused on Chang'an, where they planted and controlled numerous spies, some of whom had been working on their fathers since their fathers' generation.

The number of people deployed in the envoys' entourages of various countries is not spared from being ignited today.

This is one of the reasons why Mahalun, the "Guardian of the Law" of the Dashi Kingdom, dared to launch the plan.

All the mountain peaks were in chaos, and it seemed that only the mountain peak where Chu Tianshu and his group were located was relatively safe.

The crowd rushed and scrambled towards this direction.

Some people wanted to escape elsewhere, but were swept up by the crowd and had no choice but to squeeze their way over here.

Tian Zhu hurriedly reached the mountaintop. "Master, something's wrong today. It's nothing like the sporadic private duels of previous years."

"We must mobilize the veteran Inner Guard and seasoned officers..."

Nie Hongxian was awakened by his words and hurriedly looked at Hai Donglai.

Among the Inner Guard, there are many retired seniors who are present today. Many of them have mastered the secret techniques and can even hold their own against the Plain King.

Among the veteran generals of the Great Tang, there were several who were Plain King.

This was the opportune moment to order them to take action.

However, precisely because of their extensive experience, these people are hesitant to act rashly, lest they become unaware of the situation and create further chaos.

Only Hai Donglai's prestige could make them immediately choose to believe his instructions and act accordingly.

Tian Zhu rushed over anxiously, just to get Hai Donglai give the order; he was so worried that sweat beaded on his Shangdu.

When he mentioned the word "veteran general".

Hai Donglai, who had been intently observing the scene below the mountain, suddenly turned around. "Why didn't you go to quell the rebellion?"

This sentence was spoken extremely quickly and clearly, much like a thunderclap.

Nie Hongxian's heart skipped a beat, and she thought to herself: The retired seniors may be slow to grasp the situation due to outdated intelligence, but Tian Zhu is a serving Ministry of War. How could he not see who I should target?

If Hai Donglai wanted to give an order, would he need Hai Donglai to specifically remind him?

These two thoughts flashed through Nie Hongxian's mind, and her reaction was remarkably swift.

However, for true masters, two full thoughts is still too long.

During this process, Tian Zhu had already undergone a dramatic change in expression, posture, and even the amount of sweat on his brow.

He was originally well-proportioned, but in the instant his expression changed, a large number of water droplets burst from his pores, creating hundreds of tiny, round holes in his robe.

When hundreds of water droplets burst into the surrounding air.

Tian Zhu, who had become skin and bones, suddenly moved his left hand. His left hand moved several times faster than the speed at which beads of sweat shot out.

Just like air resistance, it actually helps the hand become more compressed, sharper, and faster.

As he thrust out his hand, two sonic boom rings appeared at his fingertips.

They needed to sever Nie Hongxian's neck from behind.

The more severe the injury, the faster the recovery; but if the head is severed, there is no chance of recovery.

But at that moment, Nie Hongxian trembled violently; her red robe, her black hair, everything trembled in an instant.

Including the skin on the back of her neck, and the fine hairs on that skin.

The fine hairs on the skin are so delicate that when startled or blurred, they appear as a halo of smooth, round pearls.

Tian Zhu's left hand, pierced by the halo of light, produced a sharp, piercing sound from its fingertips, which were already as sharp as spearheads.

For Nie Hongxian, that extreme tremor was merely a harmless fluctuation.

However, for Tian Zhu, this fluctuation was exceptionally noticeable, causing his entire left arm to instantly transform into a violently undulating wave shape.

A terrifying shockwave even struck his left cheek.

Tian Zhu retreated in horror, his wide robe torn by the impact of his back. His emaciated figure was pushed back more than ten feet away, and his left hand, finally freed from its twisted state, was trembling uncontrollably.

The beads of sweat finally scattered, pattering onto the ground and onto the fallen leaves.

Hai Donglai's fist was still pressed against Nie Hongxian's throat. With a sudden movement of his arm, he shifted like a blur.

Without moving his feet an inch, his body had already bypassed Nie Hongxian and appeared directly in front of Tian Zhu.

Tian Zhu had imagined what the day would be like when he betrayed the Red Emperor.

Hai Donglai will be very surprised, and perhaps heartbroken, but it wasn't that Tian Zhu wanted to kill him; Tian Zhu was forced into it.

It's incredibly difficult to rise through the ranks from township, county, prefecture, and circuit levels to the position of Minister!

Tian Zhu asked himself, having climbed this far through countless hardships, why couldn't his own children and grandchildren directly inherit the power he left behind? Not all of it, even three or five percent would be fine!

If his descendants want to become officials, they will have to stand in the examination hall with the common people just like him. Wouldn't all his years of hard work have been in vain?

Tian Zhu tried sending officials from the Ministry of Personnel to sound out Hai Donglai's intentions, asking for nothing more than a reduction in resources allocated to civil and military academies.

With the support of his family fortune, his descendants would have a high chance of consistently winning the imperial examinations, even if they participated in the same examinations. In that case, Tian Zhu would not need to betray him.

But Hai Donglai n't allow it.

Tian Zhu also considered that Hai Donglai was ultimately a martial artist, and might not ask about the betrayal first, but would instead question him about why he hadn't continued practicing the Water-Extinguishing Palm.

Then Tian Zhu could also tell him that he had figured out a better fighting method under the same training time.

In an instant, it sheds the burden of most of the water, maintaining only the bare minimum of water quality.

If one can maintain physical strength even after significant weight loss, then their speed can double.

It was while comprehending this technique that Tian Zhu achieved Leakless True Force, and he has always kept his strength hidden.

But now that it's come to this, before he even gets close to Hai Donglai, his identity as a traitor has been exposed.

But... Hai Donglai didn't ask a single question!

While Tian Zhu's left arm was still trembling, Hai Donglai appeared in front of him and struck him with another palm.

Tian Zhu had so much to say, but the deadly threat of that palm strike forced him back into his stomach. He desperately raised his right hand to receive the blow.

Their palms just barely touched.

Hai Donglai's hand moved like mercury, soft as clouds in the wind, yet strong as black iron. His palm and fingers spun, and he grabbed Tian Zhu's wrist from the side!

Even someone like Hai Donglai, who has cultivated Leakless True Force, cannot grasp the weakness in the opponent's physical waveform at first glance.

However, Tian Zhu's foundation ultimately came from Hai Donglai's martial arts techniques, which were then disrupted by this attack and subsequent shake.

Tian Zhu's entire body would be shaken so badly that his bones would break and his flesh would separate, his whole body falling to the ground like pieces of a piece of wood that hadn't been properly joined together.

However, just as he was about to flick his wrist, the ground suddenly went black.

It was as if the earth and rocks a foot in diameter beneath their feet had suddenly vanished, leaving only endless darkness.

This darkness is not serene and pure, but rather carries countless subtle fears, as if burying the most untouchable things in people's hearts.

The greater the fear, the greater the greed; in the darkness, it's as if countless fine grains of sand have already formed a vortex spinning at top speed.

As soon as the ground sank, the vortex swallowed Hai Donglai and Tian Zhu underground.

Chu Tianshu's expression changed; he hadn't even noticed the master of that darkness before he made his move.

But having swallowed Hai Donglai, how could he possibly conceal his whereabouts?

Chu Tianshu could now clearly sense a crooked, dark tunnel connecting the mountaintop to the foot of the mountain.

At this moment, the three people were rapidly descending in the tunnel.

The entire tunnel was filled with fine black sand, which swirled rapidly and flowed downwards, making it impossible for anyone inside to maintain their balance.

"Mofu," disguised as a Turks envoy, is the top Turks fighter. As the cousin and master of A'ertai, the assassin from Nanzhao, his moves are also known as the Great Demon-Slaying Hand.

But it is a refined and sublimated Heavenly Wolf Fist Intent.

With one hand, he instantly transformed into a wolf-like charge, displaying wolf fangs, claws, and a wolf tail; his other hand flashed like stars, launching a surprise attack through the gaps in the wolf shadows.

In an instant, Tian Zhu was rescued.

At this moment, the two of them were simultaneously launching a desperate offensive against Hai Donglai.

In such a cramped environment, Hai Donglai did not have time to explore a larger space.

The advantage of having more people against fewer people, and four hands against two hands, was amplified to the extreme.

Moreover, Tian Zhu's ultimate technique, "Withered Wood Severing Water," which he mastered with Leakless True Force, is entirely focused on speed, and Mofu also emphasizes speed.

The three fought to a standstill.

Chu Tianshu focused his mind and sensed for a moment.

These three people had already fallen more than twenty feet.

"Tai Xu... Heavenly Eye!"

Chu Tianshu drew his sword with a flick of his wrist, sending Sanqi flying back toward him. He then used his right hand to flick his sword finger and smear it across his forehead.

The Heavenly Eye opened wide, and a beam of emerald light shot straight toward the ground.

The beam of light formed by the Great Void Formless Sha Fire completely ignored the obstruction of soil and rocks, and rapidly penetrated down.

Without damaging the soil and rocks, the emerald beam of light swiftly pierced the tunnel from the side, about to shine on Tian Zhu's back.

Buzz!!

Halfway up the mountain, a large patch of tiny, flickering, pale red electric light suddenly seeped into the mountain and intercepted the emerald beam of light.

The large patch of tiny electric lights, its overall outline resembling a pale red crescent moon, seeped into the mountain and continued to swirl endlessly.

Judging from its flimsy appearance, it should not have been able to withstand the pressure of the emerald beam.

However, due to its ingenious rotation, the emerald beam of light struck the crescent moon and, just like a real beam of light, split into several streams of blue light, refracting outwards.

"Saber Intent?!"

Chu Tianshu's heart stirred, and he turned to look at the mountainside.

Amidst the crowd, a figure in a black cloak swayed left and right, appearing and disappearing among the people.

In the blink of an eye, the cloaked figure had reached the mountaintop.

Beneath the cloak was a Persia face, with a mustache that spread out like a black knife, and a saber in his hand.

Chu Tianshu raised an eyebrow at him, then reached out his right hand and caught Sanqi as it flew back.

"Do you think those two can kill Hai Donglai?"

Before the Persia could speak, the sound of drums suddenly rose from the mountains.

Eighteen drums sounded simultaneously, although the quality of each drum was not as good as the Mountain King Divine Drum.

But every drummer is well-versed in the unique techniques of the Mountain King lineage.

Chu Tianshu sensed the energy around him gathering and dispersing, but he simply smiled and took a step forward.

Nie Hongxian also turned around, took off the gold ring from her arm, and held it in her hand like a small sword.

At that moment, Chu Tianshu's expression changed slightly, and he glanced at the horizon.

"Hongxian, go get the Divine Drum. The fungi on the drum are specifically designed to kill locusts."

Nie Hongxian was still puzzled. She looked up at the sky and saw fluffy yellow and black clouds drifting towards them.

Ahead of the dark clouds, a human figure appeared, arriving the fastest.

The humanoid figure Shangdu its scalp, its body was bulging with muscles and bones, its limbs were large and strong, its skin was covered with stiff, yellowish-brown hair, and its blood-red eyes were large and bulging, like insect eyes.

Behind the person, membranous wings were spread out, with an outermost layer of hard shell wings, a middle layer of long black-striped wings, and a bottom layer of tender wings.

Three pairs of wings fluttered simultaneously, and as they flew through the air, they left long white streaks as if cutting through the wind.

The monster, sensing the battle between the hungry Heavenly Wolf and the unpleasant aura, rushed towards this direction.

Although he was fast enough, he was still quite far away, and only arrived now. He didn't see Hai Donglai for a moment, but he did hear the familiar sound of drums.

Following the sound of the drums, he looked at the target that was being targeted by all eighteen drums.

The murderous intent emanating from his bloodshot eyes.

Chu Tianshu raised his eyes, his own cold gaze meeting Chu Tianshu's.

"The Mountain King is still alive!"

Persia voice rang out, "So, they just want to stall Hai Donglai for a while, while we want to kill you first!"

Mahalun suddenly charged forward, but drew a zigzag trajectory.

Like a bolt of lightning across a vast desert, stretching across the sky, awe-inspiring and majestic, yet its shape is winding and twisting.

His movements seemed to follow the gaps formed by the coexistence and compression of various natural electric fields on the mountaintop.

Therefore, these winding traces seemed to appear in a flash, enveloping his mind and attracting electric snakes along the way.

The white electricity of the environment and the red lightning of the Saber Intent converged on his saber and slashed towards Chu Tianshu.

Chu Tianshu flicked his wrist, and the internal force in his wrist rippled like waves.

Sanqi felt as light as a feather, like a silver ray radiating from the palm of your hand, appearing suddenly and without the slightest hint of fire.

The sword tip struck the blade precisely.

Bite!!!

"Why do you have the misconception that I'm easier to kill than Hai Donglai?"

(End of this chapter)