Chapter 157 - Fan Xiuwen’s Choice

The surging energy stirred up the dust and soil from the ground with a loud boom, it was as though a sandstorm had suddenly descended. At the same time, scorching waves of dark purple energy bared their fangs at everyone in range. It did not distinguish from friends and foes!

The three avatars merely withstood the impact for a moment before they shattered.

The red-robed cultivators’ cultivation bases were the weakest. Even if they flew at top speed, they could not possibly outfly the flying chariot. They were instantly devoured by the merciless purple energy.

“Master… Third and Fourth Senior Brothers!” Little Yuan’er pointed at Duanmu Sheng and Mingshi Yin who were speeding toward them.

“Stop!” Lu Zhou raised a hand. Based on their cultivation bases, after such a long fight, even if they used their Grand Techniques, it would be difficult for them to escape the sandstorm in time. The flying chariot would have to wait for them.

Lu Zhou appeared calm, but inwardly, he felt regretful! After all, the red-robed cultivators were a source of merit points!

‘The Ten Shamans are dead people… Wu Sheng is the only one who can gain me some merit points. Alas, I don’t think he’ll survive this energy blast.’

As for Fan Xiuwen and the two Dark Knights, they were worth quite a lot of merit points! ‘It’s truly a great loss to me to lose them to this energy blast!’

While Lu Zhou was lost in his thoughts, Duanmu Sheng and Mingshi Yin finally leaped into the flying chariot.

“Let’s go!”

The flying chariot was activated again. When the flying chariot was stopped, it would, naturally, take some time for it to resume flight, causing its pace to slow down. Due to this slight delay, the powerful purplish-black energy wave that pursued Duanmu Sheng and Mingshi Yin was now upon them.

The vast purple energy was like a huge wave!

Lu Zhou frowned slightly as he looked at the wave. ‘I’ve already incurred a great loss… Don’t tell me I have to use another Impeccable Card as well?’ Moreover, he thought the Impeccable Card was like the Deadly Strike Card; it would only provide protection for a single individual!

Suddenly, among the vast wave, an Eight-leaf Golden Lotus avatar shone brightly, accompanied by a strong gust of wind!

Fan Xiuwen appeared within the avatar. He was drenched in blood at this moment.

“Fan Xiuwen isn’t dead?” Mingshi Yin and Duanmu Sheng stepped forward. Their guards were up as they looked at Fan Xiuwen.

Lu Zhou changed his plan and said indifferently, “An ant is trying to shake a tree…” A Deadly Strike Card appeared in his hand as he thought to himself, ‘Trying to take a bite out of me before you take your last breath?’

However, contrary to expectations, the strong gust of wind from Fan Xiuwen blew in the opposite direction.

“Eh? He’s helping us!” Mingshi Yin exclaimed in surprise.

Lu Zhou was surprised as well. Fan Xiuwen should have held a grudge against the Evil Sky Pavilion. At a time like this, he should be more than willing to let this energy blast destroy the cloud-splitting chariot. Why did he choose to help the Evil Sky Pavilion?

‘What’s he playing at?’ Lu Zhou raised his hand. “Wait.”

It was not surprising that Fan Xiuwen, who had an Eight-leaf cultivation base, was so powerful. However, it was shocking that he managed to survive the Ten Shamans’ destructive blast. It was no easy feat.

Mingshi Yin sighed and shook his head as he said, “He’s unleashing this technique while risking his own dantian’s sea of Qi… I think Fan Xiuwen plans to die.”

Fan Xiuwen was already at his limit.

The vast purplish-black wave was pushed back by Fan Xiuwen’s struggle.

Fan Xiuwen’s desperate voice reached them at this moment. His voice was hoarse as he said, “I, Leng Luo… have never asked for another person’s help… I’m risking my life to keep the Ten Shamans at bay here, and I have but one request, senior… Kill… Mo Li!”

Before Lu Zhou could reply, the vast purplish-black wave broke through the wall of wind, and the avatar vanished. The Eight-leaf Golden Lotus spun several circles before it vanished as well.

The huge wave of energy seemed to have morphed into a giant face and said, “How foolish!”

The people on the flying chariot sighed. Who knew Fan Xiuwen would make this choice so he could make this request of Lu Zhou?

The purplish-black wave dissipated.

Mingshi Yin and Duanmu Sheng channeled their Primal Qi into the flying chariot. Although the power of witchcraft had faded, the sandstorm was still raging. The two of them maneuvered the flying chariot so that it rose higher. The cloud-splitting chariot shone and sailed through the sandstorm, leaving a streak of light in its wake.

In just a blink of an eye, the flying chariot left the area.

…

Meanwhile, the low-level cultivators who were observing the battle from the distant Tangzi Town looked up.

“The Evil Sky Pavilion has won!”

“Those red-robed cultivators were so powerful, and yet, they were still defeated by the Evil Sky Pavilion! Just how powerful is the Evil Sky Pavilion?”

Someone sighed. “Who knows? Our sights were blocked earlier, and we couldn’t see anything but flashes of light and hear the cacophony of noises.”

“It’s enough to just look at the outcome! It seems like even without the first and second disciples, the Evil Sky Pavilion is still untouchable for now!”

There was a long collective sigh. In the beginning, there were not many cultivators there. Then, more and more cultivators gathered to watch the battle from the distance.

A green-clad swordsman stood among the crowd as he looked at the cloud-splitting chariot in the skies with a calm expression on his face and his arms crossed. He shook his head.

“Hello.”

“Brother, it’s dangerous over there. You shouldn’t go there…”

“Thanks.” The green-clad swordsman stepped to the side. He looked at the falling dust and sand that were stirred up by the battle.

“Brother, I think you were late… It’s a shame you didn’t see how exciting this fight was! Do you see that flying chariot? It’s the Evil Sky Pavilion’s flying chariot!” The cultivator beside him began to talk passionately about what had happened.

The green-clad swordsman looked at the flying chariot and ignored the other cultivator.

The cultivator sighed. “I didn’t think the Evil Sky Pavilion would be this powerful. When its first and second disciples were still around, the Evil Sky Pavilion lived in days of glory… However, it seems like it’s still as powerful as it once was.”

The green-robed swordsman noticed the cultivator used the words, ‘as powerful as it once was’. In fact, not everyone hated the Evil Sky Pavilion. There were some people who respected and admired them. Perhaps, this cultivator belonged to the latter group.

The green-clad swordsman nodded politely. “Thank you for your praise.”

‘Thank you? For what? Is he a nutjob?’ The cultivator was baffled.

Suddenly, the crowd began to exclaim in shock.

“The cloud-splitting chariot is coming back!”

“Didn’t they leave?!”

The low-level cultivators retreated. They were worried the Evil Sky Pavilion would send out a villain and kill them. However, that did not happen.

The cloud-splitting chariot returned to the Grand Predecessor Formation’s area and slowed down.

Meanwhile, Lu Zhou stood on the flying chariot and surveyed the lands beneath him. “Visibility is completely restored… Search for Elder Hua.”

“Understood.” Mingshi Yin and Duanmu Sheng leaped off the flying chariot.

The moment they left the flying chariot, the low-level cultivators who were watching the battle in Tangzi Town turned around and ran away as quickly as their feet could carry them.

Mingshi Yin saw their actions as he looked down from above. “Cowards.”

“It’d be abnormal if they weren’t afraid,” Duanmu Sheng retorted.

“You’re the smart one, Third Senior Brother.”

The two of them landed. The land was full of potholes and cracks as a result of their battles. The locations of the witchcraft Formations were charred.

“I don’t think Elder Hua is too far from here.” Mingshi Yin looked around his surroundings.

“Luo Shisan is no ordinary opponent… I’m just worried Elder Hua isn’t a match for him.”

“Elder Hua’s Six Compatible Seal has a ninth script now. I don’t think Luo Shisan’s 13 energy blades can do anything against him.

“All he does is take blows… If I were Luo Shisan, I’d just stall for time,” Duanmu Sheng said with slight contempt.

Mingshi Yin coughed. He acted as though he did not understand Duanmu Sheng’s words and said, “You’ve got a point, Third Senior Brother.”

Creak.

Creak.

“What’s that sound?” Mingshi Yin turned around.

All of a sudden, a hand emerged from a patch of charred soil.

Mingshi Yin jumped back in shock. He pointed at the pitch-black arm and said, “A living corpse?” However, after a moment, he dismissed that thought. After all, who would be able to survive such a powerful explosion? He was an intelligent person. After mulling over it for a moment, a name appeared in his mind. “No way! Fan Xiuwen?”