1087 The Banquet I

Through deep clouds and dense mist, they could only hear the voices without seeing the faces. It would have been a good chance for a sincere conversation and an honest retrospect over their life. They could have recalled the good old days and laughed away the hatred, or at least felt for each other and sighed over the ups and downs. After that they should straighten their clothes and pull out their swords for a fair last round of their lifetime confrontation.

No one would have expected that Ning Que would attack all of a sudden with his mightiest iron arrow, and launch a meanest strike at such a wonderful moment. If only there were some audience they would definitely be stunned by his shamelessness.

Upon a light hum by the firm bowstring of the iron bow, the iron arrow pierced through the air and disappeared in a split second. The river bickered indistinctly among the mist while a clear and horrifying tunnel in the clouds was made by the arrow.

There was no one on the other end of the tunnel, nor any sounds. The iron arrow flew across the hills on the other side of the river and headed for somewhere afar. Or probably it would fall into the stormy sea.

Ning Que's ruthless and brutal sneak attack was made in vain because his enemy today was the one who knew him the best. He knew his shamelessness and ruthlessness. Therefore he would never spare him the chance. 

But it was still confusing. Long Qing had been talking over there and Ning Que had been staring at the origin of the voice. How could Long Qing expect Ning Que's action and get away in advance?

The tunnel created by the arrow was gradually covered. The disturbed Qi of Heaven and Earth spread around and created bouts of swirling breeze. The bouts of breeze joint together and formed some tornado that roared and blew away the clouds.

When he could see the other side of the river clearly, Ning Que became more solemn. 

There were many people on the other side of the river, intensively dotted like ghosts hidden among the rocks. They seemed extremely powerful and their eyes were grey and chilling. Hundreds of eyes stared ruthlessly at him. It was weird and horrible.

These powerful cultivators who followed Long Qing seemed like a group of hungry wolves right now.

Then Ning Que found Long Qing.

A moment ago he was calmly stating his unwillingness and making everyone else think that he was asking for a fair fight with Ning Que. Now he was standing behind the hundreds of powerful cultivators, extremely prudent and dangerous. Himself and his energy seemed incredibly complicated.

The iron arrow failed to hit the target. Yet it was also a signal for the launching of the battle.

Hundreds of powerful cultivators shouted out while they dashed into the roaring river. The water was not deep in the upstream and could barely reach their knees. They splashed the water while making a horrifying charge. 

Instead of pulling out his blade, Ning Que held onto the iron bow and waited patiently.

The flying swords were the first to arrive. Several shining Taoist swords pierced through the air and the remaining mist, and sizzled toward his body.

Ning Que paid no attention to the swords. Instead he gazed at Long Qing behind the crowd who was retreating into the woods. He even did not blink when those Taoist swords flashed in front of his eyes.

Several Taoist swords stabbed onto him almost at the same time.

Strange cracking sounds were heard by the riverbank. The sounds were very loud and even covered the roar of the rushing river. It sounded like a child cutting on a long-preserved pig's foot with a blunt knife, and the knife slipping over the firm skin without making any cut.

Even the sharp Taoist swords could not pierce through his skin.

The moment when the swords stabbed onto his body, Ning Que burnt out the connections between the Taoist swords and their masters with Haotian's Divine Flame. Upon the strange cracking sounds the Taoist swords were bent and thrown onto the ground like scraps.

He proceeded and suddenly saw a cliff at the other side of the mist-free valley. Down the cliff there was a blue Rognon Sea. It seemed familiar. He might have been there. Indeed, he was there once. It was where he met Mo Shanshan and the girls from the Black Ink Garden for the first time.

All of a sudden he missed her. Ever since Sangsang left the human world he had not been thinking of Mo Shanshan or any other girls in the human world for a long while. But the moment the mist was gone and the blue lake appeared today, he suddenly was missing them. He could not figure out why.

Could it be because he was not confident in defeating Long Qing, or even leaving the riverbank safe and sound? Although it would make no difference to be buried here or anywhere else, he thought it might be nice to die here today because of the good memories associated with this place.

Those cultivators crossing the river were all top figures from Taoism. They followed Long Qing for years in the battles in the East Wilderness as well as the Yan Kingdom. They possessed incredibly firm will power. It could neither frighten them nor slow them down even when they had realized Ning Que's powerfulness and witnessed that the Taoist swords could not hurt him the slightest.

The roaring river was splashed in their charge. Hundreds of powerful Taoist cultivators came from the other side toward Ning Que. They called back the flying Taoist swords and held them tightly in the hands. Then they stabbed toward Ning Que.

That was the truth of cultivation that Ke Haoran and Liu Bai had revealed to the world. One had better keep his natal sword as close as possible in order to keep their natal bond. And the closer he got to his enemy, the easier he could break the enemy's defense.

A middle-aged man in leather armor held a sword and leaped emotionlessly in to the air in front of Ning Que. He played no tricks and chopped the sword onto Ning Que's head immediately. It was so fast that it made no sound even when piercing through the air.

It was a meaningful and mighty strike.

Despite his powerfulness Ning Que could not completely ignore such a sword strike.

He found the middle-aged man familiar. Then he realized that he was the cavalry leader Ye Hongyu expelled from the Divine Hall of Judgment years ago, who had become one of the most horrifying fallen leaders later on.

Ning Que raised the iron bow, held the bow tightly in his left hand and pulled randomly on the bowstring with his right hand. Upon a slight strum the bowstring swung back to the normal position.

The cavalry leader wondered how could he kill without an arrow on the bow. A moment later, the cavalry leader turned extremely pale. Light flashed in his grey eyes while he yelled and placed his sword in front of his body. Because he sensed the killing intent.

There was a killing intent instead of an arrow on the iron bow.

Ning Que released the bowstring and a sharp killing intent pierced through the air.

Upon a slight sizzling a fresh mark was made on cavalry leader's sword and broke the sword from the middle. Right after that a slight blood line was made on his wrist.

Like a ripe fruit falling off the tree, the hand of the cavalry leader fell onto the ground.

Ning Que raised the iron bow and knocked down a cultivator who attacked from the side. Immediately after that he pulled the bowstring again and released it toward the cavalry leader who just landed on the ground.

A slight strum was heard as if someone was playing a zither.

A blood line appeared on the body of the cavalry leader.

The blood line started from his left shoulder and carried deeply through to the bottom of his ribs.

In the next moment the upper half of his body fell onto the ground like a collapsing hill.

On both sides of the roaring river, it turned quiet for a second.

...

...