"Wan Yunting..."
"How can he be here..."
Lu Chenzi, Zhang Boyun, Yan Changjian, Meng Yan, and the others following behind Yuan Gaowu and his son Yuan Kaicheng, as well as Zhou Ruoxi, Zhang Xian'er, Zi Qing, and Qi Xiu, all looked in surprise at Wan Yunting standing at the exit, wondering why he was here.
Roar...
Two colossal beasts, one grey and one black, were locked in a fierce battle within the dark underground river cave. Their roars, like dragon's cries, were deafening. Liu Xiaohei, the black flood dragon, and the old grey snake, Laoxie, their massive bodies intertwined...
Bang bang bang...
The two colossal beasts thrashed and wrestled in the underground river, stirring up waves over ten meters high that crashed against the shore where Ji Ruxue knelt. Her face changed drastically. She didn't know which of the two black flood dragons it was, but Ji Ruxue could feel a familiar divine snake aura...
Rumble rumble...
"It's collapsing! Let's go!"
As the two colossal beasts engaged in a world-destroying battle, stones continuously rained down in the cave. A disciple from the Kongtong Sect was crushed to death on the spot.
"Senior Brother..."
Zhao Xuyan cried out in grief. Zhang Xingyue, who had been severely injured by Yuan Kaicheng's stone attack earlier, was also hit by a large stone that smashed his legs. He gasped his last breath, shouting, "Junior Sister Zhao, you all hurry and go..."
Stones continued to fall in the cave, and it was on the verge of collapse. Yuan Gaowu and his son Yuan Kaicheng, along with disciples like Geng Hong, no longer cared about the sudden appearance of Wan Yunting and rushed to escape.
"Sect Leader Zhou..."
Wan Yunting ignored the Kunlun Sect, the Kongtong Sect, the Diancang Sect, and the Shenjian Sect members who had already fled. He quickly approached Zhou Ruoxi, helped the injured He Shanyue, Zhang Xian'er, Zi Qing, and the others, and called out, "You all hurry and get out..."
"And you?"
Zhou Ruoxi saw him heading down. Wan Yunting pointed to Ji Ruxue, who was still kneeling there, and said, "You go out first, we'll follow immediately..."
"Hurry!"
Chong Ling'er helped Zi Qing, and Qi Xiu pulled Zhao Xuyan along. Wan Yunting saw Zhang Xingyue, whose legs were smashed, and pushed aside the large stone, rescuing Zhang Xingyue. He had Qi Xiu and the others quickly escort him out. Then, narrowly dodging a falling stone, he shouted to Ji Ruxue below, "Are you seeking death? Hurry up and come up!"
Ji Ruxue glanced back at him, then reacted, got up, and ran towards Wan Yunting, asking, "Did you bring that black divine snake?"
Wan Yunting grabbed her arm and walked outside. Suddenly, a stone fell, and Ji Ruxue flicked her snake whip, batting it away. She continued to ask, "Is the divine snake aura on you from that one?"
"It is."
Wan Yunting led Ji Ruxue, chasing after Zhou Ruoxi and the others who had gone ahead. He said, "It came to seek revenge on that grey old snake..."
As the flood dragon and the old snake, these two colossal beasts, battled in the underground river cave, with constantly falling stones, the main hall of the Divine Snake Tribe's origin had long since collapsed. The bodies of Lin Yiping, Elder Zuo Qi, Tan Song, and others were buried within.
Rumble rumble...
Outside the cave, dark clouds covered the sky, thunder rumbled deafeningly, and fierce winds raged, kicking up sand that flew everywhere.
Wan Yunting and Ji Ruxue, who had just emerged, couldn't open their eyes. They reached the leeward side of the sand dunes on the Gobi Desert and saw Lu Shuang and Zhao Xuyan taking care of the injured He Shanyue and the dying Zhang Xingyue nearby.
Clang clang clang...
On the other side, Zhou Ruoxi, Zhang Xian'er, Zi Qing, Qi Xiu, Chong Ling'er, and the others were engaged in a melee with Geng Hong, Guan Feipeng, and over a dozen disciples from the Kunlun Sect who had come to reinforce them.
On another side, Yuan Kaicheng and Yan Changjian were locked in battle. Meng Yan and He Yunxia, aided by the young girl's sword attendants, were directly sent flying by one of Yuan Kaicheng's powerful moves, crying out as they landed and vomited blood.
"Meng Yan, Yunxia..."
Seeing this, Yan Changjian's face contorted with rage. Gripping his broadsword and pointing at Yuan Kaicheng, who had white hair and wore a grey robe that fluttered in the wind and sand, he roared, "Yuan Kaicheng, you immortal old scoundrel, today I, Yan Changjian, will risk my life to kill you, you old bastard, kill!"
With a roar of anger, Yan Changjian charged forward with his sword. The old man Yuan Kaicheng, with a sinister smile, met him with his palms, sneering, "Yan Changjian, you're still too green to kill this old man. If your father Yan Donghai were here, perhaps he could match this old man."
The two locked in battle again. Yan Changjian yelled furiously, "Bah! How dare you compare yourself to my father? I can kill you myself..."
They fought and bickered, while on the other side, Yuan Gaowu, Lu Chenzi, and Zhang Boyun were also fighting fiercely.
"Ah..."
Lu Chenzi, unable to withstand him, was punched away by Yuan Gaowu. His face flushed red, he spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground, gasping.
"Pfft..."
Immediately after, Zhang Boyun was also sent flying, crashing heavily onto the ground. Lu Chenzi began to panic. Seeing Yuan Gaowu approaching step by step, he scrambled to his feet and retreated in a flurry, exclaiming in fear, "Sect Leader Yuan, we can talk things through, why must we fight to the death?"
"Exactly! As long as I, Zhang Boyun, don't reveal this matter, isn't that enough?"
Zhang Boyun, still spitting blood, was also terrified. In this moment, he had no regard for anything else and knelt down with Lu Chenzi, begging Yuan Gaowu for his life.
Previously, when they saw Yuan Gaowu, their first impression was of his uprightness, both in his speech and actions, always adhering to the righteous path.
But now, no one could have expected that the Yuan father and son of the Kunlun Sect, in order to embezzle the martial arts manual of the Snow Mountain Sect, would be so ruthless and intend to leave them all to be blown by the sand and wind in the desolate Gobi Desert of Death Valley.
"Sect Leader Yuan, I'll kneel for you."
Lu Chenzi, who feared death, immediately dropped to his knees and kowtowed to Yuan Gaowu in terror. "As long as you show mercy and spare our lives, we promise we will never reveal this matter."
"Furthermore, our Kongtong Sect will be at your Kunlun Sect's beck and call from now on. Whatever you ask us to do, we will never shirk. Please, Sect Leader Yuan, spare us..."
"Sect Leader Yuan, we definitely won't say anything, please spare our lives..."
Zhang Boyun, that old scoundrel, was also filled with terror and fear. In this moment, he no longer cared about anything else and knelt down with Lu Chenzi, begging Yuan Gaowu fervently, just to save his life.
"Hmph, spineless!"
On the other side, Qi Xiu and Chong Ling'er, who were fighting alongside other elders and disciples of the Kunlun Sect, watched this scene with disdain.
Yuan Gaowu, holding a long sword, looked expressionlessly at Lu Chenzi and Zhang Boyun, who were kneeling on the ground and trembling with fear. His sinister eyes narrowed, and a cold smile curved his lips. "Don't you know that dead men are the best at keeping secrets?"
As soon as he said this, the trembling bodies of Lu Chenzi and Zhang Boyun stiffened. They raised their heads, their eyes wide, staring blankly at Yuan Gaowu. Zhang Boyun, filled with sudden anger, lunged forward, roaring, "Yuan Gaowu, I'll fight you to the death... Ah...!"
In the next second, a scream escaped his lips. His back was pierced by a long sword, and the blood stained the blade, dripping onto the sand and coagulating.
Lu Chenzi's eyes widened in shock. The next moment, he reacted, his face contorted with terror, and he scrambled to his feet and fled into the wind and sand.
Seeing this, Yuan Gaowu drew his long sword from Zhang Boyun's body and hurled it at Lu Chenzi, who was fleeing. The sword flew rapidly, piercing through the wind and sand, and was about to pierce Lu Chenzi's back.
Clang!
However, a long saber flew over and struck the sword Yuan Gaowu had thrown at Lu Chenzi. The saber and sword fell onto the sand. Lu Chenzi stopped, turned, and stared at Wan Yunting, who had timely intervened to save him, filling his heart with excitement.
"Wan Yunting!"
Yuan Gaowu turned his head, his eyes coldly fixed on Wan Yunting, who approached with the Junzi Sword. He said in a cold voice, "How did you get here?"
Wan Yunting performed a sword form with the Junzi Sword in his hand, flicking away the swirling dust. His eyes were half-closed as he stared at Yuan Gaowu and said, "My presence here is none of your business, Sect Leader Yuan, is it?"
"Could it be that Sect Leader Yuan, in order not to expose your ruthless actions, your infighting, and your embezzlement of the Snow Mountain Sect's secrets, also intends to kill me to silence me?"
Yuan Gaowu had a disciple toss another sword to him. He gripped it and confronted Wan Yunting, saying coldly, "Wan Yunting, I don't care what you're doing here, but unfortunately, you've seen things you shouldn't have. Therefore, you'll stay here and be buried with them in this magnificent Gobi Desert."
Wan Yunting held the Junzi Sword, facing Yuan Gaowu, a powerful expert at the Grand Dao Outer Manifestation stage of martial arts. He dared not be careless or underestimate him. He said, "Being buried in this Gobi Desert seems quite nice, but it's a pity for you, Sect Leader Yuan. I don't want to die yet."
"You have no say in that!"
Yuan Gaowu's eyes suddenly widened. Before he could finish speaking, he exerted force with his feet and charged forward with his sword. The sharp long sword reached Wan Yunting in an instant.
Clang!
Wan Yunting's expression was serious, and his reaction was swift. He raised the Junzi Sword to block. The sword blades collided, sparks flying. Yuan Gaowu's left hand transformed into a palm, and his qi erupted, attacking Wan Yunting's lower body.
Wan Yunting's eyes widened, and he immediately somersaulted backward. Before his feet touched the ground, he let out a fierce cry, swinging the Junzi Sword. Several invisible, sharp sword qi attacks flew out.
Seeing this, Yuan Gaowu was startled and quickly swung his sword, parrying Wan Yunting's fierce sword qi attacks with a flurry of strikes, forcing him back.
Wan Yunting seized the opportunity and attacked again. The Junzi Sword danced in the air, its movements fluid and its sword qi sharp. He engaged Yuan Gaowu in a fierce battle.
Clang clang clang, sparks flew. The two exchanged blows, fighting fiercely for a moment, engaging in over a dozen rounds.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Zhou Ruoxi, Zhang Xian'er, Zi Qing, and the others were in a melee with the Kunlun Sect's senior disciple Geng Hong, Guan Feipeng, and a group of young powerhouses.
Later, two elders from the Kunlun Sect, the Third Elder Guan Yongwu and the Fifth Elder Ren Bo, arrived. Both elders were very skilled. They faced off against Zi Qing and Zhang Xian'er, two prominent figures among the younger generation of major martial arts sects, and the battle was exceptionally fierce.
However, Zhang Xian'er and Zi Qing had been injured by Yuan Kaicheng earlier. Now, fighting against the two elders Guan Yongwu and Ren Bo, they were being pushed back steadily and struggling to hold on.
Zhou Ruoxi was entangled by Geng Hong and could not break free. Qi Xiu, Chong Ling'er, Lu Shuang, and Zhao Xuyan were also held back by Guan Feipeng and the others, being suppressed in battle and completely outmatched by the Kunlun Sect members.