Who among the gangsters wants to fall in love?

Chapter 460 The Sword Has Been Drawn
Ding ding ding————

Accompanied by thirty-six heavy gongs and drums, the morning light fell on the oasis, and wisps of smoke rose from both inside and outside the city of Baihuo, while street vendors called out their wares loudly.

At the very center of the temple, colorful flags fluttered and the decorations were magnificent. Looking up from afar, one could see a golden palace towering into the sky, perched atop the Chalian buildings, resembling the head of a coiled dragon overlooking the desert.

This palace is the Fire Worship Palace, known as the residence of the Fire God. Even the Holy Sect Leader Shen Tu Bu Zui is not worthy of living here. In previous years, people could only enter during the Fire Worship Festival to worship the Fire God.

Apart from that, only some of the fire god's retinue were assigned to serve the fire god on ordinary days... that is, to clean the palace.

The Fire Worship Palace is magnificent and imposing, with a large square in front of it, all made of white stone.

It was built so spacious that it could accommodate 10,000 people.

Today is the Fire Worship Festival that Shen Tu Bu Zui has been preparing for a long time.

More than 10,000 followers, dressed entirely in black with red trim, stood in the square in front of the Fire Worship Palace.

There were old and young, men and women, some were江湖人 (jianghu people who had tasted blood on the edge of a knife), and others were wealthy, portly gentry... Everyone had a solemn expression and bowed respectfully to the Fire Worship Palace.

Although the Holy Sect is a martial arts sect, it is essentially a religious force. None of its followers do not believe in the Fire God, and even Shen Tu Bu Zui himself is actually the most loyal disciple of the Fire God.

Only a handful of people, led by Meng Po, scoffed at the God of Fire. Their reason for joining the sect was nothing more than having ulterior motives.

In front of the Fire Worship Palace, there is a folding chair.

Behind the throne is the Fire Worship Palace with its doors wide open. Inside the main hall stands a magnificent, towering statue of the God of Fire.

This chair remains unoccupied... This is the seat of the God of Fire.

Shen Tu Bu Zui, Meng Po, and several other high-ranking members of the Holy Sect stood on either side of the chair, their backs straight, yet they secretly bowed their heads to show their respect for the God of Fire.

The master of the Blazing Phoenix Pavilion, Meng Po from the Western Regions, was dressed in a magnificent sacrificial robe, the gold and silver ornaments on her clothes jingling with every movement.

With fair skin, a straight nose, a flame-shaped dot of rouge between her brows, and crimson lips tightly pressed together, her expressionless face made her appear even more sacred and solemn in this setting.

Even if you said she was the daughter of the god of fire, no one would doubt it.

The Holy Sect leader, Shen Tu Bu Zui, was dressed in a crimson sacrificial robe with a sword at his waist. With his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, he was imposing and dignified. Although he was of noble status, he still felt inferior to Meng Po when they stood on either side of the chair.

Below the square, thousands of followers occasionally looked up at Meng Po, their eyes filled with amazement.

The Fire Worship Festival is held every year, and this is not the first time Meng Po has attended in full regalia, yet every time people are captivated by her.

If we say that most people in the martial arts world join a cult, at the very beginning, they must be coming for Meng Po, hoping to catch a glimpse of this peerless beauty... How they will be brainwashed and worship the God of Fire later is another matter.

Meng Po appeared calm and dignified, seemingly aloof and unapproachable, but in reality, her mind was filled with thoughts of men.

Last night I was so busy flirting and kissing that bastard that I forgot to ask him how to sneak into the Fire Worship Ceremony.

Sigh... lust for men leads to trouble, lust for men leads to trouble.

With a serious expression, Meng Po scanned the more than ten thousand followers below the White Stone Square. As a martial arts master, she had exceptional eyesight, and even though they were far away, she could still clearly see the expressions on everyone's faces.

Everyone noticed Meng Po's gaze and their hearts trembled. They lowered their heads and stood respectfully, not daring to meet her eyes, thinking that Meng Po was just showing them proper etiquette.

But no one would know... she was just looking for that jerk she couldn't forget.

After scanning the area, Meng Po looked away with slight disappointment... she couldn't find him.

How then could he infiltrate the Fire Worship Ceremony?

Meng Po looked around... With his martial arts skills, ordinary sentries couldn't stop him. He must be lurking in some corner, waiting for his chance.

While she was pondering, she heard a few clanging drumbeats, which made Meng Po quickly look away.

The time has come...

The more than 10,000 people present became even quieter upon hearing the drumbeats; you could hear a pin drop.

Shen Tu Buzui glanced at Meng Po with a calm gaze. He looked young, but was actually a generation older than Zhao Wumian, yet he had a youthful mindset.

Seeing this, a strange smile appeared in his eyes, but he didn't care... Meng Po's martial arts skills were quite good, but that was all.

Meng Po is unimportant; what matters most is whether or not Zhao Wumian can be killed.

He withdrew his gaze, stepped forward, his ambiguous smile turning solemn, and after scanning the room, he spoke loudly:
"Fellow believers, today we gather before the Fire Worship Palace, by the will of Heaven and the divine decree, to pray for favorable weather and abundant harvests in the Western Regions, and for the well-being of all people!"

His voice, like a resounding bell, echoed in the temple, and the congregation bowed their heads, clasped their hands, and offered devout prayers.

Shen Tu Buzui nodded slightly, then his eyes sharpened, and his tone suddenly turned serious:

"However, in today's world, there are people who are disrupting the court and deceiving the emperor!"

"Marquis Zhao Wumian, who harbors wolfish ambitions, deceives the emperor and acts as a traitor, using the emperor to command the feudal lords, causing chaos in the court and suffering to the people!"

Shen Tu Bu Zui held immense prestige within the sect. His few words, though merely eloquent and righteous, had already stirred the blood of his followers, who all raised their arms and shouted in unison:

"Purge the court of corrupt officials! Execute the treacherous ministers!"

Meng Po didn't expect Shen Tu Bu Zui to say such things on such an important festival as the Fire Worship Festival... Just perform the sacrifice properly, why is he cursing her man?
Her expression turned somewhat cold. Back at Moyan Post Station, Wen Wuzheng's words, "overestimating Zhao Wumian," had already enraged her. Now, Shen Tu Buzui's words had only fueled her anger.

She glanced sideways, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing slightly, and said in a cold voice:

“The priest should perform the sacrifice properly and not let worldly wars disturb the peace of the fire god.”

"Oh?" Shen Tu Buzui turned to look at her, a slight smile on his face. "Meng Po seems to dislike others making unwarranted comments about Marquis Weiming."

Meng Po's expression grew even colder. Shen Tu's words were practically a confession to her... "I know about your affair with Zhao Wumian."

But there is no evidence to prove that Shen Tu is innocent; it is obviously just speculation... That makes sense. So many people died at Moyan Post Station, and Zhao Wumian came to the Western Regions. People would naturally associate her with Zhao Wumian.

If Shentu Buzui truly had no suspicions about her, then all his years as the leader of the sect had been in vain.

Although she had already planned to break off all pretense of civility today, she didn't know if her scoundrel of a man was around. If he lost his temper and impulsively exploded, it would definitely ruin Zhao Wumian's original plan, and she would die here as well.

Although Meng Po was unwilling to continue playing along, she still took a deep breath and remained silent.

Shentu Buzui's smile widened as he turned to look down at the thousands of believers in the square and continued in a loud voice:
"Our Western Regions Dingyuan Army, by the mandate of Heaven and in accordance with the will of the people, broke through Yumen Pass a month ago and swore an oath to march eastward, to jointly carry out this righteous cause and sweep away the evil influence!"

"Let's join hands in this righteous act and sweep away the evil influence!" the crowd in the square shouted.

Right now!

call out--

A sharp, mournful sword cry suddenly rang out from beyond the sky. The sound sent chills down the spines of the more than ten thousand followers, who were about to turn around to look when they caught a glimpse of a white line suddenly appearing in the sky.

Immediately following was a loud 'clang'.

Long before the sword's cry and shriek could be heard, the white line had already pierced the air, pulling up a wisp of white air current in the sky. In an instant, it crossed the square, suddenly passed by Shen Tu Bu Zui's face, rushed into the Fire Worship Palace, and nailed itself to the golden statue of the Fire God.

Meng Po and the more than 10,000 followers were slightly taken aback and looked at the Fire Worship Palace. Shen Tu Bu Zui frowned and touched his cheek with his palm, where faint traces of blood could be seen on his fingertips.

He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword and turned to look.

sough--

Inside the Fire Worship Palace, golden silk ribbons fluttered and rustled in the strong wind pulled by the white threads. Through the colorful, fluttering ribbons, one could see a long sword stuck in the heart of the Fire God.

The sword has a clean, elegant blade and a pale blue hilt. Half of the blade is embedded in the golden statue, while the remaining hilt vibrates rapidly and makes a buzzing sound.

Everyone stood frozen in place, followed by boundless rage.

Regardless of where this sword came from, the fact that it is now brazenly stuck in the statue of the fire god is undoubtedly a trampling of their faith.

The arena erupted in chaos, everyone furious. Just as they were about to say something, Shen Tu Bu Zui calmly withdrew his gaze and looked in the direction from which the sword had been shot.

"Don't you want to join hands in this righteous cause, to cleanse the evil influences, to purge the court of corrupt officials, and to punish the treacherous ministers?"

A clear voice echoed throughout the entire temple through the inner energy. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice. Meng Po's almond-shaped eyes brightened slightly, while Shen Tu Bu Zui's expression remained icy.

Behind the White Stone Plaza, a figure stepped onto the stone steps, a gentle breeze ruffling his pure white cloak.

Everyone looked at the swordless scabbard in his hand, announcing who had wielded the hundred-foot-long flying sword.

Tap tap tap————

The young man's footsteps were not heavy, but the square was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, making his footsteps seem so abrupt.

The man in the blue robe, wrapped in a pure white cloak and carrying a sword without a scabbard, sneered expressionlessly:
"I am Marquis Weiming. You want to purge the court of corrupt officials... Fine, I'll give you that chance..."

Zhao Wumian, holding his sword sheath, stood on the outer edge of the square, looking at the more than ten thousand followers in front of him and Shen Tu Buzui on the high platform, and said calmly.

"Om..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd erupted into uncontrollable commotion. The furious expressions quickly turned into bewildered horror, and then the crowd fell silent once more.

Zhao Wumian glanced around and asked, "Didn't you want to kill me? Why aren't you drawing your sword?" No one answered.

Zhao Wumian smiled, raised his hand to untie the cloak's ties. The temple was situated on a high ground, and a light breeze was blowing, causing the pure white cloak to flutter behind him.

Zhao Wumian, carrying his sword sheath, moved slowly through the crowd, causing the standing followers to step aside.

His blue robe stood out so conspicuously among the crimson robes of the Holy Church, as if he were the only one of his kind in the world.

Meng Po's almond-shaped eyes widened slightly, not expecting him to make no attempt to hide, but to come openly and honestly with his sword drawn.

Shen Tu Bu Zui, also carrying a long sword, stood on the high platform, looking down at Zhao Wu Mian, watching him make a grand entrance and visit him, but with a smile in his eyes.

This was his second meeting with Zhao Wumian.

When Shen Tu Buzui received Wen Wuzheng's intelligence and went east to the Central Plains with Ding Jingcheng to intercept Zhao Wumian, he thought that this person's swordsmanship was extremely fast, probably no less than that of the Wuxiang Emperor of Goguryeo. Unfortunately, he was a foolish and infatuated man.

He risked his life to steal the Naraku Red Silk from the imperial court for the sake of a woman, but ended up exhausted, seriously injured, and surrounded.

Now, nearly two years have passed in the blink of an eye, and he has risen to become a prince of the imperial court and a top figure in the martial arts world. He travels all over the country, conquering the Central Plains, Nanzhao, and the grasslands, with only the Western Regions remaining...

Now that they've come forward openly and honestly, the reason is self-evident.

But Shentu Buzui still asked softly, "Xiao Yuankong... I heard that you married the emperor of the Central Plains in February. Now, instead of spending a romantic night with the empress in the capital, you've come all the way to the Western Regions to eat sand... What's the matter?"

"Of course, I'll kill you."

As soon as he finished speaking, a strange sound was heard. Behind the Fire Worship Palace, with a "whoosh," the hilt of the Qingxu Sword, which was stuck upside down on the golden statue of the Fire God, suddenly trembled and bounced back.

The sword traced an arc of light in the air, and Zhao Wumian raised the scabbard, the longsword already perfectly inserted into the hilt.

Click, click—

Suddenly, spiderweb-like cracks appeared at the gash where the golden colossus had been pierced by the longsword. In the blink of an eye, the cracks became numerous, and with a loud 'boom,' the golden colossus fell to its side, crushing half of the palace. The golden statue's head was exposed outside the palace.

The crowd inevitably erupted into chaos again. The statue of the fire god was destroyed, so what was the point of holding the fire worship ceremony?

However, this fire-worshiping ceremony only had two purposes: one was to pray for rain, and the other was to purge the court of corrupt officials... Praying for rain depended on the heavens, so there was no way to ask for it, but the latter...

Zhao Wumian is right here now.

Amid the dull thud of the Vulcan statue collapsing, over ten thousand people gazed at Shen Tu Bu Zui and Zhao Wu Mian.

Under the gaze of thousands, the two stood facing each other, one in the square and the other on a high platform.

Dark shadows whizzed by, the sentries on guard around them. Seeing this, they couldn't help but tense up, but dared not utter a sound.

Shen Tu Buzui stood with his back to the collapsed golden statue, his gaze icy, not turning around to look at Zhao Wumian, but staring straight at him.

Controlling a crane and capturing a dragon sounds simple, but Zhao Wumian was able to control the sword from such a distance, and even Shen Tu Buzui himself couldn't detect the internal energy pulling involved...

This can no longer be explained by the concept of controlling cranes and capturing dragons; it would not be an exaggeration to call it the "sword control technique" among the arts of immortals.

Shen Tu Bu Zui wouldn't even doubt that Zhao Wu Mian might be able to do even the legendary 'flying on a sword'.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds, both remaining silent. The room was deathly still, but a murderous aura suddenly rose into the sky.

Zhao Wumian said coldly, "I know that Uudam is also here... Let him come out. There's no need to hide anything. Kill both of you. That way, I won't have to go back to the grasslands after I leave the Western Regions."

"Oh?" Shentu Buzui smiled slightly. "Then where is Xiao Yuanmu, who is by the Marquis's side? Tell her not to hide anymore and to show herself quickly."

"Why would I need to join forces with others to kill you?"

“I return these words to you, my lord, exactly as they were.” Shen Tu Bu Zui’s voice suddenly turned cold.

As top martial artists in the martial arts world, Shen Tu Bu Zui, although allied with Wu Da Mu, was able to kill Zhao Wu Mian single-handedly, which was naturally better than fighting two against one... This is the arrogance that all martial arts champions possess.

Meng Po stood to one side, her delicate hands clenching secretly within her wide sleeves. At this point in her speech, she was ready to make her move.

Meng Po has no sense of morality. If a fight really breaks out and Uudam doesn't show up for a long time, then she will have to engage in a shameful two-on-one battle with her dog of a man.

In any case, killing Shen Tu Bu Zui first is definitely the right thing to do.

“Is that so…” Zhao Wumian paused for a second, then suddenly raised his hand and placed it on the hilt of his sword.

No sword sound was heard, yet the sword was already drawn.

Shen Tu Bu Zui's pupils contracted, and he drew his demon-slaying sword. However, even Meng Po, who was standing nearby, did not see the sword light flash.

Ding!
After a sharp crack, everyone paused in their movements.

Shen Tu Bu Zui's sword was only half drawn, but Zhao Wu Mian's sword was already sheathed.

He appeared before Shen Tu Bu Zui without anyone noticing.

And Uudam, dressed in white, also appeared beside Shentu Buzui.
He was raising his hand, his palm surging with energy.

Shen Tu Bu Zui had a bead of blood on his throat, and his expression was one of surprise and uncertainty.

Just now, Uudam appeared and blocked the sword for him.

The area in front of the Fire Worship Palace remained deathly silent.

“You are no longer my match.” Zhao Wumian glanced at Shen Tu Buzui before turning to look at Uudam.

Uudam, dressed in white, resembled a refined and easy-going middle-aged man.

He withdrew his hand and placed it behind his back, resembling a scholar who could be seen anywhere in the Central Plains.

He smiled slightly, "You really came."

"Since you're here, of course I'll come... I've traveled thousands of miles from the capital to this vast desert, isn't it all to kill you?"

Zhao Wumian and Uudam have not seen each other for a long time, but they are each other's arch-enemies.

When Zhao Wumian first met Uudam, his martial arts skills were extremely weak, but he felt that Uudam's martial arts were ridiculously strong.

Now, as his martial arts skills have become more and more profound, his insight has also improved... Only then did he realize just how extraordinary Uudam's background truly was.

After a century of arduous cultivation, Uudam and Zhao Wumian's realms must be nearly identical, and they are only a few opportunities away from becoming immortals.

Unfortunately, Uudam was too arrogant back then. No matter how high his martial arts skills were, he was still just a mortal. He was seriously injured by the gunpowder planted by the Prince of Jin. Otherwise, Master Guiyi and Spear Master would have died at his hands.

Zhao Wumian stared at Uudam, "Do you know that you have been betrayed?"

Uudam raised an eyebrow slightly. "You mean Asur?"

"It's true."

"So what?" Uudam laughed a few times. "As long as we kill you, the grasslands still have a chance to return to the Central Plains. Whether he betrays us or not is of no use to the overall situation."

"The affairs of the world are yours, mine, not his."

"That's why you came to the Western Regions instead of staying in Xiliang to command the central army."

"The entire territory of Xiliang is not worth even a fraction of your head."

Zhao Wumian smiled.

Uudam smiled too.

After laughing a few times, the two of them suddenly turned cold, their murderous aura soaring into the sky, startling Meng Po and Shen Tu Bu Zui, whose expressions changed slightly.

Uudam was right... The fate of the world rests on the shoulders of the two of them.

As long as Zhao Wumian kills Uudam, he can rest easy and pacify the world.

If Uudam kills Zhao Wumian, the Empress of Dali will probably disregard everything and follow him, and the Central Plains will be in chaos in the blink of an eye.

Even so, it might not be easy to take control of the Central Plains... but if Zhao Wumian doesn't die, he will never have that opportunity.

Both of them were fully aware of this.

The veins on Zhao Wumian's hand, which was gripping the sword, were bulging.

Uudam's hands were also tightly clenched under his sleeves.

The future of the world hinges on today.

------

The next chapter will finish the fight scene.

(End of this chapter)