144. Elder Desheng Finally Takes Action

The results of the competition had finally been announced. The five victorious contenders were Dongmen Jianhao, Li Wuqiong, Xu Lang, Yue Xianchen, and Xie Wuji.

Yet an accident had occurred. Xu Lang of the Ten Thousand Demons Hall had suddenly been beaten and severely injured outside the arena.

Anyone with eyes could tell that Hao Lang had been the one to do it.

Xu Lang had secretly schemed against Hao Lang, and that was how he had become one of the victors. Hao Lang’s family, however, had always been one of the foremost clans within the General’s Residence. Now that Hao Lang had been ambushed, it was not only the Hao family who were furious—the entire General’s Residence was dissatisfied with the manner in which Xu Lang had won the match.

Xu Lang had been beaten terribly. Both his arms were broken, and it would likely take at least two or three months for him to recover.

With Xu Lang eliminated, the five finalists became four. The next round would see Xie Wuji face Dongmen Jianhao.

Yue Xianchen would fight Li Wuqiong.

Xie Wuji had never expected to encounter Dongmen Jianhao, but for him, this was something to look forward to. He had always wanted to cross blades with a true expert.

The matches would take place the following day. Besides the semifinals, there would also be the championship match and the battle for third place.

Xie Wuji went over to Dongmen Yong’s side. Dongmen Yong smiled and said, “Wuji, you won your match against the Snake Fairy beautifully. But your master is curious—what sword technique was that?”

Dongmen Yong already knew everything about the Undying Longevity Sect. Xie Wuji had no intention of revealing anything about the Immortal Heaven Sword Sect for now, so he replied, “Master, it is also an inner sword technique of the Undying Longevity Sect. I made some improvements to it and combined it with the sword techniques of the Scarlet Dawn Sect. It is not yet complete.”

“Haha, excellent, excellent. Come, tonight we’ll all go to the finest restaurant for a meal. Consider it a celebration for you and Jianhao. Our humble Scarlet Dawn Sect has actually sent two disciples into the semifinals this time. That is certainly cause for celebration.” Dongmen Yong laughed.

After some thought, Xie Wuji decided to tell him about Ding Desheng. Dongmen Yong was shocked when he heard it. Gritting his teeth, he said, “As expected. The moment Baili Qingyan lost power, he began preparing to make his move.”

“Master, are you planning to…” Xie Wuji looked at Dongmen Yong.

It turned out that Dongmen Yong had already taken precautions. However, Ding Desheng had brought a considerable number of allies with him, while Dongmen Yong’s side was badly outnumbered. It was impossible to know whether they would be able to withstand them.

By then, the spectators had begun to disperse one after another. Everyone was excited by what had happened that day. Nearly every match had been fought without restraint, each one fierce and exhilarating, providing the crowd with a spectacular visual feast.

When Xu Lang was carried away, he was filled with resentment. He turned toward the distant General’s Residence and roared at the top of his lungs.

“Hao Lang, you bastard! You can’t stand losing! You miserable coward! I’ll curse your ancestors! I’ll curse your mother for eighteen generations!”

Xu Lang’s eyes seemed ready to spit blood, red as rouge. Yet his limp arms hung uselessly at his sides, twisted like the claws of a chicken.

Dongmen Yong led everyone back. By then, they all knew of Ding Desheng’s scheme and had made preparations, remaining highly vigilant along the way.

Just as they entered a narrow alley, Dongmen Yong suddenly stopped.

Dongmen Jianhao and Xie Wuji immediately moved to either side of him, flanking him from left and right. Xie Wuji asked, “Master, have they already…”

“Come out,” Dongmen Yong said, standing in the middle of the road and addressing the empty space around them.

“Haha!”

A hearty laugh drifted over from the distance.

The sky was filled with stars, but there was no moon. Cold winds swept through the alley, fierce and powerful, cutting against their bodies like blades and leaving a burning pain in their wake.

A cloud of smoke suddenly drifted through the air.

“Hold your breath!” Dongmen Yong shouted.

But it was already too late. Many of the disciples had inhaled the smoke, and one after another they collapsed unconscious.

When the smoke finally dispersed, a large group of people had appeared among them. Ding Desheng and Baili Qingyan stood at the forefront.

Baili Qingyan’s brow tightened, and a trace of pity appeared in his eyes when he saw Xie Wuji.

Dongmen Yong said, “So you really were in a hurry.”

“Yes. I have been waiting all this time—waiting for this opportunity!” Ding Desheng replied with a venomous smile. “Do you know that ever since you became sect master, I have not slept peacefully for a single day? I could not accept it. I hated you. I refused to submit!”

Ding Desheng extended a hand.

“My father was deceived by you back then. He never realized that you were the most ambitious and calculating of us all. To obtain the position of sect master, you were even willing to sacrifice your own love and marry my younger sister!”

“What happened back then cannot be judged so simply now. You forcibly took away our junior sister. Later, when I was consumed by grief, your sister and I came together.” Dongmen Yong’s voice was calm, devoid of emotion.

Ding Desheng flew into a rage. “What do you mean, I forcibly took her away? I merely refused to let you ruin her! At the time, our junior sister loved you with all her heart. And what did you do? When did you ever respond to her feelings? Do not forget… you laid hands on her back then. You took advantage of her and then refused to take responsibility. That alone proves you were no gentleman! You deceived my father, but you could not deceive me. I know you better than anyone, because we grew up together!”

Ding Desheng spoke with such passion that everyone listened in silence.

Xie Wuji heard every word clearly, but he could not make sense of the matter. It only grew more complicated the longer he listened. It had all happened in the past, and each side seemed to have its own justification. Either of them could be lying.

Dongmen Yong said, “Even so, that is no reason for you to usurp my position. You simply refuse to accept me.”

“Interesting. You think I merely refuse to accept you? I hate you to the very core!” Ding Desheng said. Then he turned toward the people on either side of him. “Prime Minister Li, Lord Zhang, Lord Niu, Lord Situ—it is time for us to reshape the Cloudrise Kingdom!”

“You treacherous elder, lower than pigs and dogs! Everyone knows that the Four Great Ministers are the true powers in the Cloudrise Kingdom. Though she is the empress, the Empress has no real authority. Are you planning to usurp the throne?” Xie Wuji could no longer restrain his fury and shouted at the top of his voice.

Ding Desheng glanced at him. “What a pity. You possess excellent innate potential and extraordinary cultivation, yet you are not my disciple. With your abilities, I could have made you even stronger. As things stand, you have merely been deceived by Dongmen Yong’s false mask of benevolence and righteousness. You know nothing of the truth. You do not even realize that you are being used as someone else’s weapon!”

One of the Four Great Ministers, Prime Minister Li, stepped forward. He was an elegant old man with a beard streaked with white.

“Imperial Guards!”

As soon as his voice fell, a vast number of soldiers clad in golden armor appeared all around them. Their cultivation was far from weak. In fact, a great many of them were at the Golden Core stage.

Xie Wuji was astonished. So the imperial guards of the Cloudrise Kingdom’s royal family possessed such formidable strength.

Yet these guards were not under the command of Bai Liuli. They were controlled by Prime Minister Li instead, which was deeply troubling.

The imperial guards began closing in around them. Xie Wuji’s side had originally numbered more than a thousand, but the first wave of smoke had rendered nearly two-thirds of them unconscious. By now, apart from a handful of powerful cultivators, hardly anyone remained standing.

“With so few imperial guards, do you truly think you can annihilate everyone here?” Dongmen Yong asked.

Ding Desheng threw back his head and laughed. “Of course not!”

As he spoke, another vast group appeared behind Xie Wuji and the others. They were all dressed in black robes.

Xie Wuji cried out, “The Ten Thousand Demons Hall! So you had already joined forces with them!”

“You are truly foolish. You are only realizing it now? The Ten Thousand Demons Hall and I have been working together for far more than a day or two. Back then, it was I who led my people and joined forces with the Ten Thousand Demons Hall to destroy the Undying Longevity Sect.”

Ding Desheng continued, “The sect master of the Undying Longevity Sect was indeed skilled in defense. His body was like steel and iron, impervious to fear or injury. Without using extreme measures, it would have been impossible to kill him…”

“So it was you…” Xie Wuji slowly raised his head.

“What? Are you saying the Undying Longevity Sect had something to do with you?” Xie Wuji clenched his fists and stared fixedly at Ding Desheng. He had always believed that the Ten Thousand Demons Hall’s hatred was theirs alone. Never had he imagined that Ding Desheng was connected to it so deeply.

“Why? Why did you destroy the entire Undying Longevity Sect? What had they done wrong?”

Xie Wuji trembled violently.