The distant agitation, vaguely discernible, resembled the pre-boiling murmur of water in a pot, subdued and low.

A spreading murderous intent pressed close to his brow, bringing a hallucination-like sting. Lin Zongwu opened his eyes, rose from the futon, and walked towards the door.

On this crucial day, the entire area within a few miles of the old yamen had been restless all morning, but at this moment, the water of the entire Jiangning City was about to boil.

Lin Zongwu, who had conserved his energy all morning, had already recovered from the depletion of his duel with Meng Zhu-tao last night. Moreover, competing with and defeating a master who had stepped into the Grandmaster realm before such a grand event served as a warm-up, bringing his martial prowess and condition to a new peak.

This was the third floor of the magnificent rear hall of a temple in the city. Ascending to the terrace, Lin Zongwu, with his wide sleeves and vigorous spirit, resembled a giant Buddha in the mortal world. On one side of the huge hall, a tall ginkgo tree spread its canopy across the sky, and the white light of late autumn fell in streaks through the gaps in the golden leaves.

The restless atmosphere came from the southwest, the territory defended by the experts of Yama King and Heavenly King. At this moment, the commotion there had not yet attracted the attention of most people, but with the appearance of Lin Zongwu, masters of protector and retainer level, such as "Heavenly Blade" Tan Zheng, "Cold Crow" Chen Juefang, and "Five Lo Slices" Tang Qinghua, also appeared in the distance, one after another.

The cicada senses the coming autumn wind before it arrives; this is a manifestation of achieving amazing mastery in the art of martial arts.

In the distance, a strange signal flare streaked across the sky, its faint cracking sound like sparse firecrackers during the Lunar New Year, ringing a few times.

Looking towards that direction from the heights of the temple through the leaves of the ginkgo tree, the courtyards, one after another, were filled with fluttering flags. But at a certain moment, a flag in the distance swayed a few times, and after a slight pause...

A black flag slowly squeezed into the upper part of the field of vision, like a drop of black ink suddenly dripping into the sea of flags.

The flag fluttered.

At this noon hour, the entire sky above Jiangning City seemed to quiet down for a moment. A certain atmosphere pressed down from the sky, like a tide, humming and sweeping in from afar, finally transforming into a raging wave thousands of feet high.

In the distance, a firework suddenly soared into the sky, accompanied by the crisp sound of an alarm.

And then, one after another, fireworks, even accompanied by the roar of earthen cannons, soared into the sky, interweaving light and shadow.

The people guarding here were signaling and reminding their comrades in countless directions. Those who launched the warning fireworks ran through the streets, and some even shouted loudly.

The autumn wind caressed the leaves of the ginkgo tree, caressed the wide cassock on the giant Buddha's body. Above the surrounding courtyards, Wang Nanda, Chen Juefang, Tan Zheng, Tang Qinghua, Jin Yongsheng... figures of masters leaped onto the terraces or rooftops. Lin Zongwu looked over there, his gaze indifferent. Amidst the rising and falling alarms like tides and storms, he slowly opened his arms, and then, with a sound of "Ah—", thundered across the sky.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

The giant Buddha's voice was deep and heavy. As the vast and astonishing internal force within his body was urged, this roar also spread like a tide above countless courtyards. It gradually merged into the rising and falling alarms, and then, in the chaos within a few miles, transformed into the most obvious signal. The masters and grandmasters at various joints, listening to this thunderous sound from the heavens, were first horrified, and then transformed into calm and joyful excitement in their eyes.

Under the sunlight, the leaves of the ginkgo tree fluttered, and the sleeves of the human giant Buddha billowed. He was using his own strength to stabilize the turmoil of people's hearts within a few miles. The sense of oppression brought by the black flag was dispelled by this majestic roar. It seemed that a counteracting wave was formed in the sky above the city, and the black flag seemed to become less alarming.

At this moment, with the hearts of the people aligned, Lin Zongwu seemed to have become the undisputed number one in the world. Even the past Zhou Tong had never left behind a legend like this moment.

In his wandering life, he wanted to become the most unquestionable number one master, but because of Zhou Tong's early death, he was always a bit short of definitive proof. He wanted to achieve a great career, but he was always frustrated when facing military affairs and politics. He went to Bianliang and was chased by cavalry. He wanted to resist the Jin, but the soldiers under his command were just a rabble. He wanted to spread the teachings in Jin, but he found that he was even inferior to a woman in scheming...

As an unquestionable protagonist on a huge stage, he always seemed to be one step short. Even following Wang Nanda to Jiangning, Xu Zhaonan and He Wen's split always seemed to make him lose the exhilarating righteousness. He didn't really want to kill Meng Zhu-tao, and he even admired Meng Zhu-tao's awareness in his heart, wanting to see the other party's future growth...

But even if life has so many flaws, adults in troubled times always have to make their own choices and pay their own price. And when he made that choice, Lin Zongwu was still the Great Bright Sect leader who had been fierce for half his life, the strongest grandmaster whose martial arts were second to none.

In the past ten years, he had not gone to the southwest to seek trouble with Ning Yi, but only because there was no need. And at this moment in Jiangning City, no matter which master came from the Black Flag Army, he had decided to go all out and suppress the other party's edge, as a consolation for his life's work and as proof that he truly suppressed the world -

...

The sudden fighting and explosions resounded through the noon hour, but the little monk did not pay much attention to the boring noises. As Xue Jin walked past him, as the dark-skinned southwestern masters walked past him, as the people holding knives, shields, and strange long sticks walked past him, his mind gradually quieted down in the unfolding of the black flag in his hand.

He rushed forward, scurrying up to the nearby rooftops. The fighting on the surrounding streets had already begun. Surprisingly, no one came to stop him. It was unknown whether it was unnecessary or a subconscious oversight of his existence.

The little monk rushed onto the nearby roof. He found a relatively tall pavilion, pushed down the flagpole, threw away the colorful flags on it, and put on the black flag. Then, he erected the black flag on the high point of the pavilion.

The flag unfolded. Looking down from the rooftop, several bloody lines of assault were spreading forward from the outer periphery of the street.

And just a moment later, he saw cannon fire and warning fireworks rising up continuously, pointing here from countless directions. The vast sound waves almost submerged the entire city. People were warning others in fear and shock.

--Black Flag Army.

--They've come.

The little monk's eyes widened.

He had never seen such a magnificent scene.

"Ah—"

He raised his arms and shouted loudly on the roof.

I am the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong—

The Great Sage Equal to Heaven wanted to shout out these words in his heart, but he was too shy to say them out loud. And in just that moment of hesitation, the little monk's open mouth turned into a terrified shape. Looking at the rising rain of arrows in front of him, he turned around abruptly and ran away with his head in his hands.

Running at high speed to the edge of the building, the little monk leaped nimbly onto the roof on the other side. He had just stood firm when a shouting voice like a raging wave swept in from afar with the urging of surging internal force.

Ah? Master...

The Great Sage Equal to Heaven slipped and crashed through a piece of tile, falling into the courtyard filled with panicked enemies...

...

As various warning fireworks rose and the angry Buddha's roar swept like a tide, in the large area within a few miles of the old martial arts yamen, the onlookers or lurkers had also reacted one after another.

In a courtyard on the north side facing the main street, Fu Pingbo, "Dragon Sage," who was temporarily in charge of King Ping's affairs in Jiangning City, took three steps at a time to reach the roof. He raised his binoculars to observe the distant movements. After a while, he was able to determine the specific situation.

"...Black Flag invasion... Has the Chinese Army made a move?"

"What's going on... Wasn't it said that we would move first? Why is he showing off? What time is it now..."

Witnessing the expanding situation over there, Fu Pingbo even confirmed the specific time with the people around him again, and then quickly went down from the roof: "Everyone, prepare—"

This action of the Jiangning Supervisory Department was to show the "will of the people" chosen by He Wen in front of the people of the world. Therefore, even if He Wen held a large army, he could not directly send troops to flatten the entire city, but rather let a large number of martial artists, ordinary people, and some forces that had already chosen to cooperate with He Wen "spontaneously" break through the positions of the other four kings.

It was precisely because this goal was full of difficulty that the other four were willing to put on such a posture, showing the choice of the majority to the people of the world in an offensive and defensive manner, rather than killing Xu Yongwei and burning the old yamen to the ground.

Under this goal, this bet in Jiangning was bound to be dominated by He Wen's forces taking the lead and creating momentum, and the Black Flag as foreign aid would then intervene as an auxiliary. But what Fu Pingbo, who had always followed the rules, had not expected was that the world-renowned Black Flag would be so unethical. The time had not yet come, but they had actually stolen the show in advance...

Leading the charge with a hundred people, are they looking to die--

Although he was furious in his heart, due to the scarcity of allies, Fu Pingbo immediately began to issue and transmit orders as quickly as possible, preparing to remedy the recklessness of these allies. Anyway, in the chaotic ecosystem of the Fair Party, his rescue was not just once or twice...

At the same time, on other street corners near the old martial arts yamen where the riots had not yet started, some ordinary people who had seen the leaflets and tried to cry out for injustice began to stir. They subconsciously walked forward, and what greeted them was a more violent round of swords and guns than before. As the huge alarm sounded, the elites guarding the front of each intersection also put away the last trace of playfulness in their hearts.

The war had begun.

On the east side of the old martial arts yamen, in a dark alley in front of the street corner guarded by the "Undying Guard," You Hongzhuo and Liang Si Yi picked up their swords in the rising warning fireworks. Then, Lin Zongwu's roar swept like a tide, and countless martial artists on the street showed amazed expressions. The two quietly felt the message in the roar in the dark alley.

"That grandmaster from the southwest, his internal force may be slightly inferior..." You Hongzhuo said in a low and calm voice, expressing his assessment.

"Father once said that Lin Evil Monk has a physical advantage, and there is no one else in the world with such a blessed body to train internal strength..." Liang Si Yi said, "But there is nothing to be afraid of."

Wang Yin, who practiced the Seven Exhibitions of the Peacock Ming King, also had a deep understanding of Lin Evil Monk's martial arts in the past. However, in the second half of his life, Wang Yin changed his name to Wang Juyun and rescued people and trained soldiers in the north. Lack of clothing and food, but also exhausted his efforts, martial arts was no longer an important thing in his life. The elegance of the Jianghu at this moment was extremely far away from the past Wang Shangshu, who was both civil and military. And this elegance now belonged to Lin Evil Monk.

Liang Si Yi's "there is nothing to be afraid of" was more like a calm statement that "there is nothing to be afraid of death." You Hongzhuo smiled. Of course, they might be able to accomplish their purpose without confronting Lin Evil Monk. The two stood there, waiting for this wave of world-suppressing sound to pass.

In a more distant place in the city, Ding Songnan, holding a telescope, saw the unfurling of the black flag. The scene of Qian Luoning and the various special operations teams killing into the inner encirclement made his expression complicated.

In the past, he had also been a part of this fierce team.

And next, he would have to rack his brains every day to think about how to face the impact of this kind of offensive in the future.

Countless onlookers were shocked by the arrival of the Black Flag and the momentum created by this wave of roaring.

On the south side of the teahouse, after Qian Luoning and others went downstairs, Zuo Xiuquan still stood by the window for a while. Lin Zongwu's roar came, and the sound waves were still clearly audible even several miles away. The old man's face gradually changed, and he said, "Is this not a human?"

Yue Yun listened, gradually frowning: "Father and General Gao... seem to be a line short..."

Yin Ping said: "It can't resist a few people on the battlefield, but Sect Leader Lin's internal force... has indeed reached an unimaginable level."

"That Black Flag person..." Zuo Xiuquan turned his head and recalled the last conversation just now, feeling a little confused. But then, he shook his head: "Forget it, don't think too much... According to the planned schedule, you also start preparing."

He looked at the crowd in the teahouse.

"Act according to circumstances, your goal is only one—"

There were also waves of forces, and one by one, orders began to be issued among countless onlookers.

On the southwest side of the city, the sudden impact of the Chinese Army and the soaring of the Black Flag brought the first wave of huge chaos, but then, this chaos began to reorganize in Lin Zongwu's roar.

"It's Sect Leader Lin—"

"With Sect Leader Lin guarding the formation—"

"So what if it's the Black Flag, there are not many people..."

The first wave of chaotic people warned while running, and then, in courtyards and streets, the elite killers and Green Forest masters who had certain psychological expectations began to boost their morale. Some stretched their bodies, circulated their inner breath, and began to force it to the peak. Some picked up their knives and rushed out of their houses. Those with high light skills had already leaped onto the roof, opening their eyes in the raid. Those who were good at concealment traveled at high speed along the foot of the houses, began to break out towards the outer perimeter. On the second line of defense slightly behind the streets and alleys, elite soldiers pushed up shield carts, beginning to press forward like walls.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—"

"Kill them and eat them—"

"I want to fuck the women of the southwest—"

On the south side of the defensive "fortress," the masters under "Yama King" Zhou Shang were already bloodthirsty and crazy, while on the west side, the subordinates of "Heavenly King Gao" were the soldiers most adapted to the battlefield among the four kings. As the Chinese Army broke through a section of the outer courtyards, the counterattacks of the masters came like a landslide under the guidance of Lin Zongwu's roar.

And the sudden attack of only a hundred people also crashed into it in an instant, and collided with these masters with a bang, and then, what bloomed was a scene of flesh and blood flying like the blade of a meat grinder -

...

As one of the useful vanguards under "Heavenly Killer" Wei Xuwen, Lu Xian was not only highly skilled in martial arts but also retained rationality and had a certain overall view. Therefore, when deciding on a defensive position, he and his men were arranged on the second line of the street, that is, on a fork in the road seven or eight zhang away from the street corner where the Grandmaster "Limitless Slash" Gao Haifeng was stationed.

The moment the enemy appeared at the street corner and the black flag fluttered, the faces of him and his men looked a little pale, but then, Lin Zongwu's roar spread. As the deputy, Li Duanwu seized the opportunity and commanded the surrounding soldiers in a deep roar, and began to push up the row of hideous shield cars lined up on the street.

This was a giant wall blocking the street, filled with knife mountains. Even grandmaster-level martial arts masters would be a little helpless when facing these shield cars for a while.

At this time, the flesh and blood were mixed in the front. In a fierce wave of killing, the group of Black Flag masters had already crushed Gao Haifeng and his group of disciples. Someone was running and leaping on the roof, someone was jumping down, Li Duanwu was shouting hoarsely, leading everyone to push the cart forward, and the figures of the Chinese Army were also moving forward, forward...

Boom—

The collision unfolded—