Chapter 17 Dark Currents

Parting ways...

While a fierce battle was imminent on the performance stage, undercurrents were also surging within Gu Zhi City.

Speaking of Ping Qing Sheng, after transforming into demonic energy and returning to the demon city, he encountered his mortal enemy just as he entered the city gate.

"Hey there, old man." A soft, charming female voice suddenly rang out from behind Ping Qing Sheng. "You seem to be quite busy lately."

Ping Qing Sheng knew who was speaking without even turning around, so he merely sneered softly, "Hmph... are you spying on me? Daji."

"Heh..." Daji giggled charmingly, walking forward with light steps and circling to the front of the strange monk. "I have no interest in you monks. If I were to spy on someone... I'd rather spy on handsome men like Zhou Yu or Azai Nagamasa."

Daji from the *Warriors Orochi* series is actually a nine-tailed fox spirit. She wears an ornate lunar crown, and her purple hair is braided into several long tresses, hanging over her shoulders and behind her neck. Her face is delicate and alluring, eternally youthful, and she has two pointy fox ears peeking out from her hair. She wears a tight-fitting bodice that reveals her shapely figure, and her legs are adorned with rather avant-garde fishnet stockings. Light gauze ribbons are wrapped around her arms and waist. She wears no boots, and her fox-like feet are bare.

"You haven't answered my question." Ping Qing Sheng refused to be led by the nose by Daji, and he pointed out her intention to change the subject.

"Ping Qing Sheng, why bother asking questions when you already know the answer?" Daji's expression suddenly turned cold upon hearing this. The voice and tone that had just been like a young girl's coquetry instantly transformed into that of a queen.

"Since we all understand each other..." Ping Qing Sheng slowly turned his head, staring intently into Daji's eyes, and said, "Then I might as well be frank..." He raised a hand, demonic energy churning in his palm. "The people you sent to spy on me have already been 'taken care of' by me... If you want to send spies to monitor me in the future, you'd better find someone a little more astute..."

"Since we all understand each other..." Daji mimicked his tone, retorting without showing any weakness, "Then why don't you just tell me yourself... what exactly are you plotting?"

"What I intend to do is none of your concern." Ping Qing Sheng's reply could also be interpreted as—no way.

"Hmph... it can't be anything good, I'm sure." Daji said. "Ah~" She returned to her soft, languid tone. "Should I go tell Lord Orochi?"

"Do you think Lord Orochi would care?" Ping Qing Sheng retorted. "If that's what you truly believe, then I can only say... you, a woman who styles herself as a 'confidante strategist,' are nothing more than that."

Upon hearing this, Daji's anger flared, and murderous intent was revealed. "You damned monk... you better not let me catch you plotting to betray Lord Orochi..." She said through gritted teeth.

"Betrayal..." Ping Qing Sheng repeated the word. "Don't you think... that it's you, who proposed the 'martial arts tournament' to Orochi, who is the more treacherous traitor?" He said darkly. "Although I also believe that Lord Orochi will not lose to anyone, what exactly is your intention behind this suggestion that invites trouble and poses a threat?"

"Heh..." Daji sneered. "It's useless to talk to you..." As she spoke, she turned around and, before leaving, revealed her true purpose for waiting here. "In any case, when you weren't in the city, Lord Orochi said he had something to summon you for... come with me."

............

"Are you kidding me..."

Back at the martial arts tournament… Feng Bujue was incredibly annoyed after hearing the announcement from the arena statue.

"I just got here, and my butt isn't even warm yet... and they're already calling my name?" He wasn't exaggerating, because he really was sitting on the ground.

The reason Jue-Ge sat down was simple: the damage from the battle with Bei Ling hadn't fully recovered, and sitting would allow him to recover faster than standing...

"Damn it..." Feng Bujue glanced at the game menu and muttered, "Survival Value 65%, Stamina Value 2021, Spirit Value 102... hmm..." He gritted his teeth and walked towards the performance stage. "Fighting against someone from the Pili world in this state... is not ideal..."

"Hold on!" At this moment, a voice shouted, and a figure leaped onto the stage.

It was a man... nine feet tall, with a two-foot-long beard, a face like a jujube, lips like rouge, phoenix eyes filled with power, and silkworm eyebrows like mist. He wore a single green robe embroidered with clustered flowers, a lion-mane belt, a pair of boots adorned with embroidered Qilin amidst jade clouds, and held a Green Dragon Crescent Blade...

It is said that... his lofty ambitions and imposing manner have lasted for millennia, his heroic spirit is unparalleled. His majestic countenance is revered by all, and none can surpass his loyalty and bravery.

This peerless hero who had ascended the stage was none other than Guan Yunchang.

"Everyone..." Guan Yu surveyed the stage and said in a loud voice, "Respect for the dead, allow me to carry them off the stage first, and then..."

"Puh-cough..."

At that very second, suddenly... Hei Tie Zhenjie, who was lying on the stage, spat out a mouthful of blood, coughed, and then said in a rather unfriendly tone, "Who are you saying is dead?"

"Ugh—Ah-cough... Ah-cough..."

Two seconds later, Tachibana Ukyo also spat out a mouthful of old blood and said, "I think I can still be saved..."

"Uh..." Guan Yu was stunned, thinking, "So, you're not dead..."

After all, Guan Erye was unparalleled in loyalty and righteousness. Regardless of whether these two were dead or not, he had already come up, so he might as well help them. Thus, Guan Yu grabbed the two blood-coughing swordsmen (in their own universes, they were basically coughing up blood whenever they appeared, but it was never because they were cut down, it was all due to consumption) under his arms with one arm and carried them off the stage.

He had only walked about ten meters when four people surrounded him. Guan Yu glanced at them and found three familiar faces, while the remaining stranger was a young girl with a strange dress.

"General Guan, I have some knowledge of medicine. If it's convenient, allow me to take a look at them." Hua Jian cupped her fist in salute to Guan Yu and said.

"Hmm..." While Guan Yu was still hesitating...

The Justice Trio had already spoken up: "Lord Guan Yu, please rest assured, Master Hua Jian is a very reliable partner."

"That's right, my foot injury was treated by benefactor, his medical skills can be described as reviving the dead and bringing the dying back to life."

"Lord Guan Yu, let me help you put them down."

"I see..." Guan Yu still trusted the three chuuni youths before him. Since they all said that Hua Jian was trustworthy, then there should be no problem.

Thus, Hua Jian began to treat the two eliminated swordsmen...

Her strategy in this script, as you may have already guessed... Hua Jian knew that in terms of raw strength, she, a medical specialization player who had just reached level 40, was definitely no match for the others. Relying on fighting to enter the final list of the martial arts tournament was almost impossible. Therefore... her plan was to "borrow power," to obtain as much help from the NPCs as possible while ensuring her own safety. When the situation changed, she would be able to find an opportunity to win...

"Oh... she's trying to use the power of the NPCs to fight against us..." After this little interlude, Feng Bujue, who had stepped onto the stage, couldn't help but glance at Hua Jian, thinking, "A very correct choice... this is the only strategy that might allow her to win. If I were her, I would do the same."

Just as Jue-Ge was distracted with his thoughts, his opponent had already leaped onto the performance stage from the opposite side.

"Hahahahahaha..." Kuang Long Yi Sheng Xiao let out a chillingly bizarre laugh as soon as he appeared, and said in a deep voice, containing inner strength, "Who in the world dares to be called mad? Only I, Kuang Long, stand above the martial world. A single laugh stirs up the rivers and lakes, Kuang Long's emergence makes him king!"

As the poem concluded, his figure became still.

Kuang Long Yi Sheng Xiao had green hair, with long strands hanging down to his chest, and the hair at the back of his head was braided into a giant whip, resembling a dragon's tail. His hairline was somewhat similar to that of a Saiyan prince, seemingly bald but not quite. His bulging brow bones, the strange green patterns on his face, and the beard on his chin all made him appear fierce and sinister.

As for his attire, he wore a white robe with a black coat, adorned with many green scale-like patterns. His weapon, "Ni Lin" (inverted scale), was carried behind him, a chain with bladed teeth.

"Hehe... not a bad poem..." Feng Bujue silently put on the [Smiling Mask], chuckled dryly, and said, "It lives up to the 'Kuang' (mad) in your name."

"Hahaha..." Kuang Long laughed a few more times. "What are you? How dare you judge me?"

"You don't even recognize me, yet you're standing there gloating, laughing like an ajumma in a transvestite bar..." Feng Bujue would never lose to anyone in a verbal sparring match. "...Are you just stupid or a doormat? Little Long-Long~"

"Hmm?" Kuang Long's laughter stopped, replaced by anger rising in his brows.

"Of course, you and I both know... you're not stupid. Not only are you not stupid, but you're also very smart." Feng Bujue said. "So... the answer to my question is already obvious."

"Ha! Hahahahaha..." Kuang Long laughed again, but this time the laughter was completely different from before. "You seem to know me very well?"

"I'd say so." Feng Bujue replied. "To sum it up... you're a sis-con, but your sister doesn't like you very much. Your entire life has been spent agonizing over this twisted, perverse infatuation, and everything you do is actually full of contradictions. As someone who is extremely rational at heart, you've chosen madness, because some degree of madness allows you to hide your true feelings and alleviate the pain in your heart. Thus, you've developed the ability to feign madness and play the fool under the dual extreme emotions of creating pain for yourself and self-gratification, leading to one tragedy after another that harms others and benefits no one."

"Mad Bujue, is it..." Upon hearing this, Kuang Long Yi Sheng Xiao revealed a solemn expression. "Good, I'll remember your name." As he spoke, his hand reached for "Ni Lin" behind him.

"What do you mean remember my name? Do you think you're Qi Tian Di (God of Destruction)?" Feng Bujue replied in a languid tone. "Someone like you, this daddy can take down twenty-five in a second. Take this opportunity to admit your mistake, and while you're at it, admit defeat, and maybe I'll spare your life."

"Ha!" Kuang Long sneered, lunging forward. "Boy! Do you think I can't see... that you're stalling for time!"

Before the words had faded, the cold light had arrived.

Feng Bujue lightly tapped his feet and spun to dodge. With the ability to calculate at zero time difference, avoiding this move wasn't too difficult.

"Deceptive tactics are useless." Kuang Long's next move followed closely. "If you were truly much stronger than me, why would you need to say so much nonsense!"

Jingle jingle—

The sound of the chain trembling brought another wave of attacks.

The toothed blade flew towards him, its momentum breaking through the wind and waves, killing covering a large arc around Jue-Ge.

"Tch... even mocking him like this didn't make him lose his temper..." Feng Bujue muttered softly as he leaped up, "Sure enough... those who feign madness are actually the most clear-headed."

"He went up, huh..." Seeing Jue-Ge ascend into the air, the corners of Kuang Long's mouth curled up slightly. "Then that makes things easier!"

Kuang Long, who wore the Rui Gan Zhi Ying (an artifact that enhances the five senses and allows one's thoughts to be clearer, but can greatly affect one's mind when worn), was even better than Xiao Tan with [Eagle Eye Vision] activated. In battle, he could anticipate the enemy's moves at every turn.

"Jing Long Kuang Zhan!"

Facing the leaping Feng Bujue, the mad and wild blade technique, like an evil dragon soaring, rose into the sky.

"Too naive!" Feng Bujue shouted loudly, sparing no effort in provocation during this battle. "Moon Step. Lightning!"

Like [Luan Jiao], Feng Bujue had, through repeated practice, developed various uses for [Moon Step]. For example, the move he was currently using was a technique that allowed him to advance along a zig-zagging path by repeatedly warping at high speed three times in a row.

"Who's naive?" Kuang Long's strength and combat skills were also extraordinary. As soon as he saw Jue-Ge's movements, he knew that the other party wanted to use offense to break offense and counterattack. Therefore, he immediately waved his sleeve and manipulated the chains in the sky, creating a net to block Jue-Ge's advancing route.

"Not letting me pass, huh..." Seeing this, Feng Bujue stopped in time and jumped again in mid-air. "Then I won't come over. I'll send you two gifts to play with!" With that, he took out two grenades from his pocket and threw them at Kuang Long.

The two grenades passed through the gaps in the chain net and fell towards Kuang Long's side. Although the latter didn't know what these two things were, he could roughly guess that they were some kind of offensive weapon, so...

"Drink—" Kuang Long inhaled and exhaled, angrily unleashing a fierce move, "Kuang Long Gui Xiao!"

The invisible power, like a conical bamboo hat, covered towards the sky. At the moment of contact with the grenades, the force of the impact detonated them with a bang.

Boom—Boom—

The explosion brought out fragments of shattered metal, raising a sky-filled of hazy dust.

In this instant, two insidious madmen did the same thing... use hidden weapons.

Chi Chi Chi...

Disordered noises, streaming light.

Kuang Long Yi Sheng Xiao shouted in a low voice, and dozens of green lights shot out from the green scales on his body, flying towards the sky.

Feng Bujue also shouted lightly, sacrificing Death Poker, and the [Chasing Soul] effect was immediately activated, with hundreds of golden lights rushing towards the enemy.

For a time, two colors of energy intertwined in the air... as fast as thunder, as swift as lightning, scattered ten thousand stars in the sky. The area within nearly a hundred meters around the two was enveloped in a chaotic explosion of light.

"Hahaha... you vile person! Trying to ambush me?" Kuang Long retreated several feet, blocking with his chain while shamelessly scolding, "You really have a lot of hidden weapons on you, first those two exploding things, and then these golden streamers..."

"What are you talking about? Where did I use hidden weapons?" When it came to the thickness of one's skin, Feng Bujue would never lose. "My move just now was called Big Dipper Hand Grenade Fist, and this move is called Chasing Soul. They're all upright and open ranged attacks, so how can you say they're ambushes?" He changed the subject. "On the other hand... you used a voice that sounded like you were pooping, quietly releasing so many hidden weapons at me. This kind of nasty behavior is really too unsightly."

Looking at the performance of the two on the stage, the other participants below the stage were all sweating. It could be said that there was always a mountain higher than another, and a pit deeper than another... these two powerful players, who combined madness, cunning, treachery, and ruthlessness, and were completely shameless, were truly eye-opening.

"Big Dipper Hand Grenade Fist'... did you learn it from Jaggi (the third-ranked disciple of the Big Dipper Divine Fist School, the disciple with the worst strength and character in the school)?" Even Xiao Tan couldn't help but complain about Jue-Ge from below the stage.

"Are you trying to use words to test my position? It seems your eyesight isn't good, Mad Bujue!" On the stage, Kuang Long once again discerned and exposed Jue-Ge's intentions. As he spoke, he kept moving, making his voice sometimes left, sometimes right, sometimes forward, sometimes backward, erratic and unpredictable.

"Are you talking to me?" Jue-Ge, who was in the air, took out the [Deceptive Pocket Watch] and adjusted the voice to that of Lian Emei (Kuang Long Yi Sheng Xiao's older sister), imitating the tone of Pili puppetry and said, "Little Long-Long?"

The voice of his older sister suddenly coming from the midst of the light and dust made Kuang Long's heart tremble.

In the past, Kuang Long had always used the weaknesses in other people's hearts to disturb, enrage, and even manipulate them in battle in order to control the situation. But today, he had encountered someone he didn't understand at all—Mad Bujue.

The advantage on the intelligence front had made Jue-Ge the main controller of this battle, while Kuang Long had become the one being manipulated.

"Ah—" A moment later, Kuang Long became angry, truly angry. He knew that the voice was imitated by his opponent, and his sister would never use that tone to speak to him. "You hateful brat! I'm going to kill you!"

"Hahahaha..." Feng Bujue's frenzied laughter came, and the voice he used was still Lian Emei's. "I'm already dead, Little Long-Long. You're the one who killed me, remember?"

"Go to hell!" Kuang Long roared, leaping up, grabbing the Ni Lin blade, and charging towards the direction of the voice.

"What's wrong? How does it feel to have killed your closest and dearest?" Knowing that the other party had taken the bait, Feng Bujue immediately activated [Spirit Sense Gathering Technique. Modified], continuously stepping with Moon Step, only retreating and not blocking, his words were like knives, "Regret? Pain? Sadness? Unwillingness?"

"Ah—" Kuang Long's speed also increased, and his ultimate move [Reverse Slash Style. Kuang Long Slashes Peerlessly] was already ready to be unleashed. As long as he could get close to his opponent, his ultimate move would be released.

"Oh, right..." At this moment, Feng Bujue suddenly put away the voice changer and asked in his own voice, "Don't you think... you're being a little rash?"

His words seemed to be a kind of friendly reminder.

But these words entered Kuang Long's ears like an evil incantation urging him to his doom.

When a person reminds his opponent during a battle, it is clear that... he has the victory in his grasp.