Chapter 424 - The Beginning of the Final Battle
Translator: Subudai11 Editor: Chrissy
"Brother Ziye, my condolences."
In the residence of Shaman in Eternal Tree, Wang Lu was sincere in his consoling.
Before him, Zhan Ziye appeared haggard, as if he was a walking corpse.
"How to put this, even though Shaman has left you, she at least left her children to you!" While speaking this, Wang Lu inwardly felt that his words didn't seem to be comforting, but instead filled with irony. It was not easy for him to hold back his laughter when he thought of this idiot's action!
However, taking into account the situation that they had to face next, Wang Lu still needed to rely on the power of this loser nerd, so he had to continue to do everything he could to comfort him.
"Moreover, you might as well look at it from another angle. It is simply a miracle that Shaman, as the master, has died but you, her follower, are still able to survive. Before leaving, Shaman has passed on the position of Sacred Leaf to her eldest son to maintain the continuity of Sacred Leaf. Taking into account that the new master of Eternal Tree is still young, he will appoint you as the regent in order to use your follower status to govern from behind the curtain. At present, you are the actual controller of Eternal Tree, and the millions upon millions of creatures in the tree are under your jurisdiction. The forest fairy demons, from which Shaman comes from, have even picked you as their absolute ruler… The three happiness in life, to be promoted, gain wealth, and dead wife, you already have them all, what more would you ask!"
"…"
Seeing that Zhan Ziye was still indifferent to his full of sincerity consoling, Wang Lu had to sigh with emotion and admit that, this Zhan Ziye was indeed worthy to be the lead disciple of Ten Thousand Arts Sect; he had already been immune to the topic of woman…
Yet, Zhou Mumu that fool still worried that Zhan Ziye would make the king of Harmony River wear the green hat… She did not see who the object was! This was the lead disciple of Ten Thousand Arts Sect! He inherited the glorious tradition of Ten Thousand Arts Sect, doomed to live a lonely life! Even if he went to his Junior Brother Hai Yunfan to do it, it was still not a woman!
Let alone she was still inexperienced, so she couldn't see that the deep fetters between A Ye and Shaman simply couldn't be cut off! The two might have discordant personalities and might have flaws that were difficult to tolerate, but their profound love, that made them willing to sacrifice their own life for each other, was enough to offset everything. How could that kind of person possibly cheat on their spouse? That was as unrealistic as saying that Wang Wu had picked up her moral integrity that she had abandoned for years.
Wang Lu's original proposal to Xiang Liang to first cut off the alliance between Harmony River and Eternal Tree was not entirely joking. At the same time, he also put the center of gravity of the four forces alliance on Xiang Liang because water and wood were natural allies, so in theory, there was no need for him to spend too much thought on it.
Unfortunately… these guys were in such a hurry. Without waiting for him to explain, they already made their move one by one. Moreover, they were particularly self-righteous, and their style of action was especially aggressive. They were as uncontrollable as a mad dog in heat. Even the best chess player, upon encountering such pieces, could only call out in vain.
The battle of Misty capital city shocked the whole world. The king of Harmony River has united with Sacred Leaf Shaman to blow the throne on the sky. From twelve Pure Gold Guards, about half of them fell, and the Golden City could not save its face. It sounded like a brilliant victory, but the price of that was the fall of two spirit masters and the exit of water spirit Zhou Mumu. At the same time, it also triggered a huge disaster…
In fact, Wang Lu had actually guessed the intention of A Ye. Except for his brain that had been crammed with muscle, which caused him to almost have no restraint in fighting intent, A Ye only had a few points of wisdom. He thought that this way could boost the morale of the alliance, making everyone focus on their common enemy… Although Wang Lu had to admit that this simple wisdom, in general cases, was indeed practical, but the present situation was extremely complex. The result of wishful thinking often backfired from its initial intent.
While continuing to deduce the change in the situation, Wang Lu said to Zhan Ziye, "I heard that you had planned an amazing strategy of 'Eternal Tree standing on earth'. If you succeed, you can sweep this world with an invincible helper. Unfortunately, Shaman didn't have the time to cooperate, but I'm very interested in that strategy."
Zhan Ziye swept Wang Lu with indifferent eyes. "So what if you're interested? Shaman is gone."
"Shaman has gone, but she left her two children in your hand. Although those two children are still very young, they inherited their parents' unique aptitude. One has a natural compatibility with water, the other one has a natural affinity with wood. And using our standard, both are of the level of heavenly spirit root. The eldest son inherits the Sacred Leaf position and has a natural harmony with the Eternal Tree. His qualification is even better than his mother."
Zhan Ziye impatiently waved his hand to interrupt him. "So what? It's too late! Even with the deep foundation of Shaman, I still need at least ten days to half a month to help her comb her physique and improve her method. Let alone these two children? They simply can't afford this important task!"
Wang Lu suddenly stopped talking, tilted his head and sized Zhan Ziye up and down. The look in his eyes was very uncomfortable for Zhan Ziye.
"What's the matter?"
"I just thought…" Wang Lu lightly said, "Right now, you look like a hungry fool who is burning with passion that normal thinking ability is not even available. The illustrious name of the lead disciple of Ten Thousand Arts Sect has fallen in your hand!"
Upon hearing this, Zhan Ziye ridiculed, "Are you here just to provoke me with filthy speech?"
Wang Lu said, "No. I initially came here to seek your support, but the current Zhan Ziye has become completely useless. Your academic spirit has been totally drowned by the joy of man and woman, completely insignificant."
"Damn, you're taking advantage while others are down!" Half of Zhan Ziye's body turned into lightning as he reached out to grab Wang Lu's collar. And surprisingly, Wang Lu didn't resist with his Non-Phase Sword, but just moaned with a smiling expression.
"Do you really want to fight me?" Zhan Ziye clenched his teeth. "I'm in a bad mood right now, so stop provoking me!"
Wang Lu laughed out loud. "It's so rare for Ten Thousand Arts Sect disciple to utter this kind of local gangster's words. Oh Zhan Ziye, for the sake of our friendship, I remind you again, the strategy of a standing Eternal Tree is not completely unfeasible. Even if Shaman is not here, there is a way to control it… and that way, should not have been reminded by me to you."
Upon hearing this, Zhan Ziye wrinkled his brows, there was still a way? To control Eternal Tree, there must be a strong core to act as a bridge. Before this, he put his hope on Shaman, but now… who could replace Shaman's position?
After thinking about it, Zhan Ziye ended up not having any clue, but when he looked at Wang Lu's facial expression, he became especially irritated. "Don't keep me in suspense. If you are really sincere in the alliance, then just say it!"
Wang Lu uttered a laugh, then stopped smiling and said with a heavy face, "Actually, the way is very simple. Strengthen the current Sacred Leaf by using the power of the blood mark."
"The power of the blood mark…" After whispering to himself, Zhan Ziye finally vaguely guessed Wang Lu's method. His pupils sharply contracted and his breath stagnated.
"Yes, blood sacrificed the love one, in exchange for powerful strength. Doesn't the current Sacred Leaf happen to have one top quality sacrificial offering? His sibling inherits the bloodline of the king of Harmony River. If the blood sacrifice is performed, then I'm sure he'll be able to claim more than ten blood marks, which is enough to evolve the current Sacred Leaf to a useful state… Although because it is such a crude strengthening I'm afraid you'll only be able to use him once before he becomes a waste, but the Eternal Tree only needs this one time to suppress all the enemies…"
"Go to hell!"
Before Wang Lu could finish his words, Zhan Ziye's thunder force abruptly erupted, flinging Wang Lu upside down and causing him to crash heavily against the tree wall.
Although Zhan Ziye's attack was strong, Wang Lu quietly and completely resolved the whole thing with his Non-Phase Sword Qi, leaving him completely without any injury. He stretched out his hand to smooth out the folding on his clothes and said, "Do you think I'm inhuman? Then I might as well tell you one thing. After hearing it, then you can judge my humanity again."
With that, he pulled a stool, sat down, and then said a few words that made Zhan Ziye become covered in shock and calm his anger.
"Qiong Hua has finally come out."
—
Regardless of what kind of analysis and judgment people made in this five spirits power struggle situation, Qiong Hua's Shengjing Sect team was one of the most dazzling ones.
Zhan Ziye determined that the final opponent of this immortal dream land would be Wang Lu. This was a full affirmation of Wang Lu's ability to take advantage of the situation and his ability to survive. However, the biggest enemy was none other than Qiong Hua. Because in this immortal dream land, her power had already gone beyond her peers.
It was just that, so far from the start of the war, Qiong Hua had always been quiet, firmly suppressed by the master of Golden City. Only the team's second line members such as Jianglu and Wangyue siblings could come forward to deal with the others. However, second line members were after all second line members, very quickly they were eaten up by the other forces. Thus, the Shengjing Sect team was slightly weakened. Right now, they nearly only had one person, Qiong Hua. From a tactical point of view, Qiong Hua's use of the team was undoubtedly a failure. Not only did they fail to play their role, their sacrifices were also in vain. Even worse than that, they caused her to be permanently imprisoned by the master of Golden City.
If one did not know that Shengjing Sect was the number one powerhouse in the entire immortal cultivation world of Nine Regions, this would be seen as a complete joke… Therefore, although no one could guess her layout, everyone believed that sooner or later, Qiong Hua would make her move. And once she made her move, the situation in this world would dramatically change.
Right now, Qiong Hua had finally changed the situation in a manner that was anticipated by everyone.
"Senior Brother Zhiye, can you guess how Qiong Hua could come out of her imprisonment?"
Then, without waiting for Zhan Ziye to reply, Wang Lu answered his own question, "She killed the master of Golden City and seized the power. Right now, she's both the master and the blood spirit, the two become one. And thus, she is now the most powerful creature in this world… Incidentally, since Zhou Mumu has left this world, the blood spirit power was recycled. One part belongs to the temple of blood spirit, and the other part ends up in Qiong Hua's hand. Now she has the power of three people, so basically, no one is her match."
"…" Zhan Ziye was shocked and unexpectedly unable to say anything.
"In fact, her target from the beginning is the master of Golden City. However, the supreme king was born with a keen sense, so he naturally perceived Qiong Hua's killing intent. Therefore, immediately after Qiong Hua appeared, he put her in captivity. Using his blood marks, he created the limitless hall. As a supreme in this world, his means are so amazing that even the Jindan Stage Qiong Hua could not get out from that… Speaking of blood mark, since blood sacrifices of the loved one are required to obtain the blood marks, do you know who is the relative of the master of Golden City that he used as the blood sacrifice?"
Zhan Ziye thought about it and asked, "Is it the twelve Pure Gold Guards?"
"Correct. It seems like Senior Brother Ziye finally found your thinking ability… the so-called Pure Gold Guards are, in fact, the sons of the master of Golden City. He blood sacrificed his twelve children into blood marks to seal Qiong Hua so that she could not move… This was because he wasn't sure that he could kill Qiong Hua, otherwise, he would have certainly done it. As for the five blood spirit crown, he could only care less about it, because Golden City is basically the overlord of this world. The rest of the four forces are not really a threat to his power. On the contrary, Qiong Hua is a deadly threat in sight."
Wang Lu then shook his head. "Unfortunately, the master of Golden City is really not that cruel-hearted. Because the blood-sacrifice is his own sons, he made a slight adjustment in the ceremony, so that the Pure Gold Guards could freely transform between blood mark and human form. Only when the crisis in this world was over will he recall the twelve Pure Gold Guards. Unfortunately, although this loophole showed his brilliant spells, but buried within was the foreshadowing of his downfall… Faced with the provocation from the king of Harmony River, his dignity as the supreme monarch made him unable to sit idly by, so he boldly used the power of the Pure Gold Guards. He pulled the blood marks out from the limitless hall, while at the same time came forward to replace the blood marks to personally suppress the limitless hall. This was a cautious move, but it played into Qiong Hua's hand. When the blood marks were reassigned, there was a moment of lax-ness in the limitless hall. Qiong Hua then took advantage of this slight opportunity to break through, and then she slew the master of Golden City when he was caught off guard. The process was clean and tidy."
After that, Wang Lu looked up at Zhan Ziye, his smiling face has a trace of admiration in it. "So, Senior Brother Ziye, do you understand what kind of opponent we are facing with? From the very beginning, Senior Sister Qiong Hua constantly showed signs of weaknesses, which enabled the other four forces to form an alliance and press the Golden City until it can't breathe. When the two sides were mutually wounded, she took advantage of the opportunity to pick the biggest fruit… She is indeed worthy to be the lead disciple of Shengjing Sect. Her strength and her calculation are all so wonderful that other people could not help but become speechless."
"And Senior Brother Ziye, in the face of such an opponent, do you think we have the qualification to hold back our strength?"
Without waiting for Zhan Ziye to think, Wang Lu immediately added a new weight.
"Let's think clearly about a problem, Senior Brother Ziye… Why was Senior Sister Qiong Hua bent on killing the master of Golden City from the very beginning? No matter how wonderful her layout is, it is impossible to explain this contradiction that happens from the very beginning. What is the point in her taking great pains to get rid of her strong ally?" As he said this, Wang Lu's complexion became more and more serious.
"At present, I can only think of one answer. When the rest of us are targeting the five blood spirit crown, Senior Sister Qiong Hua… has already been looking for the entire world. What she wants is this world.
"So, if you continue to be soft-hearted, those two children will eventually be unable to escape death, and it will surely be a meaningless death. Their parents' sacrifice to protect their countries would be taken by the other… Senior Sister Ziye, although they are young, they have already inherited their noble status. And along with the status comes the duty, the duty to protect their countries!
"I believe that even if they're here, they will not object to my view. After all, they're the children of that guy, they are born heroes!"
Wang Lu's voice has just fallen when from outside the tree hole, two tender but decisive voices rang in unison.
"Yes! We are the sons of the king of Harmony River, and we are not cowards!"
Hearing these two voices, Wang Lu finally smiled with satisfaction, and Zhan Ziye before him could no longer get angry.