After fifteen years of cultivation, he finally reached the pinnacle of the first rank!

Chapter 252 The way out
Previously, the peaks of Luoshen Peak had actually sent people to Hundred Refinement City to provide support.

However, on their way to Hundred Refinement City, these dispatched elders and disciples witnessed Venerable Crimson Fire take action.

At the time, everyone thought that since the Venerable One had taken action, there was nothing left for them to do. They planned to wait until the Venerable One dealt with the Great Li experts in the city before going to Hundred Refinement City to make a show of it.

However, later, Venerable Crimson Fire appeared to be defeated, and then the Sect Leader of Fallen God Peak and other Venerables personally took action.

This immediately terrified the people who were heading to Hundred Refinement City to provide support. How could they possibly deal with a master who could defeat such a terrifying being as Crimson Flame Venerable? Therefore, they stayed halfway and acted according to the situation.

This also prevented the group, who were starting to feel uneasy, from heading to Hundred Refinement City, since no one wanted to throw their life away in uncertainty.

It wasn't until the sect leader and others took action that they saw the distress signal coming from Hundred Refinement City.

At this point, everyone finally made a decision and immediately turned and ran!
Those disciples who still harbored a sliver of doubt and hope fled back to their own mountain peaks, while others who guessed that the sect leader had been defeated and had given up all hope for Fallen God Peak directly betrayed the sect and wanted to escape the area of ​​Fallen God Peak.

Meanwhile, the other peaks of Fallen God Peak, which were not yet certain about the outcome in Hundred Refinement City, were also affected.

Like everyone else, after seeing the signal in Hundred Refinement City, he had already guessed that the fate of Fallen God Peak was sealed.

For a time, apart from the deceased Hundred Refinement Peak Master Zheng Yunfeng, and the Eighth Peak Master Zhan Yue Peak who was still in seclusion and completely unaware of what had happened, there was no one else around.

The other six peak masters of Luoshen Peak all gazed towards the direction of Bailian City in the darkness. Besides feeling extremely shocked and incredulous, they were also filled with a deep and overwhelming fear that was difficult to suppress.

At this point, the peak masters were left with only two paths: either die fighting to the death with their sect, or flee immediately. Although they would be hunted down by the Great Li Dynasty, there was still a great chance of survival.

At the summit of Jade Peak, above the Jade Palace perched atop the Mysterious Ice.

The mirror image of Yu Mianjiao suddenly collapsed, and then her true form, who was cultivating, flew out of the palace.

She stood beside Ouyang Mingqi, her face filled with shock as she gazed in the direction of Hundred Refinement City, muttering to herself:

"The sect leader and the venerable one have actually been defeated?"

Ouyang Mingqi, the fifth peak's leader, remained silent, but the look of shock on his face was no less than that of Yu Mianjiao.

Although the two had discussed the outcome of the sect leader and several venerable ones' actions before, they had even considered the possibility that the sect leader and others might lose.

But that was just a hypothetical situation they mentioned, while what's happening now is a real occurrence.

For a moment, even the two high-ranking officials were in turmoil, their hearts filled with turmoil.

The two gazed at the Hundred Refinements City, now silent in the darkness, their bodies trembling slightly with fear.

They naturally understood the terrifying nature of the sect leader and several venerable ones far better than all the other disciples of Luoshen Peak.

Even so, the sect leader and his companions were no match for the Great Li expert in Hundred Refinements City.

This made the two of them think the same way as the Three Elders of Xuan Yin: it was really hard to imagine just how terrifying the strength of that expert from the Great Li Dynasty was.

In the darkness of night, the two gazed into the distance in silence for a long while.

At this moment, Ouyang Mingqi slowly turned his head, looked at the beautiful woman beside him, and suddenly asked:

"Does Junior Sister now intend to live and die with Fallen God Peak, just as she said before?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Mianjiao withdrew her gaze and glanced at Yu Lan Peak below, but did not answer Ouyang Mingqi's question. Her expression was extremely unpleasant.

Seeing this, Ouyang Mingqi did not press the matter further. Instead, he gradually composed himself, trying to remain calm, and said:
"The fact that the Great Li Dynasty had such a powerful expert hidden in its ranks, even defeating the sect leader and several venerable ones, is far beyond our expectations and even the entire Great Li martial arts world's expectations."

"Now that the defeat of Luoshen Peak is certain, and with that person from Bailian City in charge of the Dali Tianjin Guard, even if the seven peak leaders join forces, we probably won't be a match for him even once. Our final fate will definitely be death."

Upon hearing this, the beautiful woman with jade-like face slowly raised her head, gazed at Ouyang Mingqi before her, her eyes flickered slightly, and suddenly asked:
"What are Senior Brother Ouyang's plans?"

Ouyang Mingqi shook his head, but instead of answering, he asked:

"Before I answer my junior sister's question, I hope she will tell me truthfully whether she is willing to live a wretched life or to sacrifice herself for death?"

Yu Mianjiao frowned immediately. She remained silent for a while, then finally sighed and said:

"If one could live, who would want to die?"

Ouyang Mingqi stared at the other person for a while, then narrowed his eyes and said:
"In fact, when I learned that Luoshen Peak had been suddenly attacked by the Dali Dynasty, I had already considered the possibility of defeat before the possibility of victory, and had already planned a way out for myself."

Upon hearing this, her beautiful face remained expressionless; she simply asked:

"Could it be that Senior Brother Ouyang had already planned to escape from Kailuo Shen Peak?"

However, Ouyang Mingqi slowly shook his head and said:

"People like you and me, junior sister, who hold the position of peak leader, have long been on the Great Li Dynasty's kill list. How could we possibly escape so easily?"

"Moreover, with that expert from Hundred Refinement City now in the Great Li Heavenly Brocade Guard, how do you think we can escape from their grasp?"

Yu Mianjiao fell silent once more, but soon she bowed to Ouyang Mingqi and said:
"Please forgive my ignorance, Senior Brother Ouyang."

Ouyang Mingqi waved his hand, then turned to look in the direction of Yulan City and said:
"I would not offer guidance; I intend to surrender."

……

Upon hearing this, the beautiful woman with jade-like face was clearly taken aback, then frowned and said:
"Senior Brother Ouyang, are you joking? Since we're all on the Great Li Dynasty's kill list, wouldn't surrendering just mean an even faster death?"

Ouyang Mingqi gave the beautiful woman a deep look and said:
"Logically speaking, that is indeed the case; surrendering would undoubtedly mean waiting to be executed. However, the situation of the Great Li Dynasty is different now."

As he spoke, he gazed at the beautiful woman with jade-like face and said slowly:
"Junior Sister should know that the living are always more valuable than the dead."

"The Great Li Dynasty has always regarded the four major sects of the martial arts world as a thorn in its side, wishing it could be eliminated as soon as possible. Now that the Great Li Dynasty has taken down Luoshen Peak with just the Tianjin Guard, do you think the Great Li Dynasty will have designs on the other three major sects next?"

"As for taking action against the other three major sects, the Great Li Dynasty is undoubtedly in dire need of manpower. This is our only chance. The commander will naturally understand that keeping us alive is far more useful than killing us."

Upon hearing this, the beautiful woman's expression shifted uncertainly as she said:

"Senior brother, are you gambling with your life?"

Ouyang Mingqi nodded slightly and said:

"That's true, junior sister, you can also choose to escape."

"However, I advise you to think this over carefully. People strive for higher positions, and water flows downhill. With such a master comparable to a martial god in the Great Li court, what kind of future do you think the entire Great Li will be like?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Mianjiao's expression changed, and she immediately frowned and fell silent, clearly pondering what Ouyang Mingqi had said.

Seeing this, Ouyang Mingqi did not disturb them, but simply gazed in the direction of Yulan City and said softly:

"I hope my junior sister makes a decision soon; we don't have much time left." ...

Meanwhile, Sikong Xuan, the former commander of the Tianjin Guard of Dali, had already taken Yulan City ahead of schedule with a surprise attack, without expending much effort, in accordance with the established attack plan.

Having won a victory against Luoshen Peak, the morale of his Tianjin Guards was significantly boosted.

However, their emotions were tormented throughout the journey, fluctuating like a swing.

The terrifying sight of Venerable Crimson Fire's attack filled the Heavenly Guards, including Sikong Xuan, with a sense of despair.

However, the situation later reversed. The leader of Luoshen Peak and others took action, and Commander Fu Qiwen even sent a message saying that the Eighth Prince had actually killed the Crimson Flame Venerable of Luoshen Peak all by himself.

Although Sikong Xuan still expressed doubts, believing that Fu Qiwen's move was probably to boost the morale of the Tianjin Guard.

But while he was still wondering whether the Eighth Prince had eliminated the Crimson Flame Venerable, a glimmer of hope still lingered in his heart.

Although he thought the hope was slim, Sikong Xuan still conveyed Fu Qiwen's words to the entire Tianjin Guard without missing a single one.

As for what happened afterward, the terrifying scene revealed by the sect leader and venerable one of Fallen God Peak undoubtedly caused the morale of the Tianjin Guards to plummet.

However, this low morale did not last long, as the distress signal sent by Hundred Refinement City undoubtedly gave everyone hope.

Even after capturing Yulan City, the Tianjin Guards were still somewhat bewildered, unsure whether to be hopeful or disappointed about annihilating Luoshen Peak.
Their emotions were almost entirely dictated by the situation in Hundred Refinement City, but the situation in Hundred Refinement City was unpredictable and volatile, which was truly agonizing for everyone.

Shortly after capturing Yulan City, Sikong Xuan, who planned to rest briefly before continuing his attack on Yulan Peak, kept glancing towards Bailian City.

For him, silence is the best noise.

This would indicate that something might have really happened to the sect leader and others from Luoshen Peak in Hundred Refinements City. Even if nothing did happen, there was at least no indication that the other party had attacked the Tianjin Guards.

At this moment, a messenger suddenly rushed into the city lord's mansion in Yulan City, shouting loudly:

"My lord, a falcon has delivered a message."

With his white hair and withered face, Sikong Xuan frowned and glanced at the messenger before him, his heart sinking.

He secretly hoped it wouldn't be bad news; he had to wait until he stormed Jade Wave Peak and killed one of the peak masters of Falling God Peak before making any decisions.

Now, hearing bad news has virtually no effect other than affecting his mood.

Thinking it over, Sikong Xuan spoke expressionlessly:

"Read!"

For him right now, no news is the best news.

However, we cannot ignore Fu Qiwen's message, especially in the current situation.

The messenger immediately opened the bamboo tube containing the short note, glanced at it quickly, and then suddenly his eyes widened, and he forgot to speak for a moment.

Sikong Xuan frowned, gave a heavy snort, and said:
"Let you read it!"

The messenger immediately snapped out of his daze, took a deep breath, held his breath, and stared intently at the contents of the short note, saying each word slowly and deliberately:

"By order of the Tianjin Guard Commander, His Highness the Eighth Prince has annihilated the Sect Leader and four Venerables of Luoshen Peak. The Tianjin Guard is now ordered to launch a full-scale attack on the four peaks from four directions and capture Luoshen Peak before dawn!"

Although the note contained few words, the matter was undoubtedly of great importance.

It took Sikong Xuan a long time to come to his senses, and then he had the messenger read the order twice more.

The next moment, he suddenly stood up and even couldn't help but swear.

Inside the city lord's mansion, Sikong Xuan stood there, muttering to himself:
"Eighth Prince, Eighth Prince, how could the Great Li have produced such a prodigy!"

He had already made some guesses when he saw the signal sent by Hundred Refinement City.

But the guess was so unbelievable that he felt he was just imagining things.

However, upon receiving confirmation from Fu Qiwen, he was finally certain that both the sect leader and the Venerable of Luoshen Peak had been defeated.

Moreover, they were all killed by the eighth prince of Dali, who was said to have once lived among the common people.

In Sikong Xuan's view, it was truly incredible that the Dali royal family had allowed such a talented person to wander among the common people and even find him.

Sikong Xuan's aged body trembled with excitement.

The reason he agreed to help Fu Qiwen this time was not only because he was nearing the end of his life, but also because he wanted to fulfill a long-held wish before he died.

When he took command of the Tianjin Guard, Emperor Yuanwu already intended to plot against the four major sects of the martial arts world, and the Tianjin Guard was a move aimed at Luoshen Peak.

However, despite spending so much time and effort on Luoshen Peak over the years, he never even set foot on the peak until he retired from his position as commander and returned to his hometown.

This undoubtedly became an obsession in his mind.

He originally thought he would never see Da Li make a move against Luo Shen Feng before he died, but Fu Qiwen suddenly came to his door with good news.

Of course, he also understood that it was virtually impossible for the Dali Tianjin Guard alone to destroy Luoshen Peak.

His ultimate goal for this trip was to sacrifice his weakened body, which was now devoid of martial arts energy, to replace one of the peak masters of Luoshen Peak, thus achieving his goal in death.

However, all of this was rewritten by Li Musheng.

Now, the original goal is no longer enough to satisfy Sikong Xuan's ambition. Since the sect leader and the Venerable of Luoshen Peak are both dead, taking over Luoshen Peak has become a foregone conclusion.

So now he not only intends to destroy a peak master of Fallen God Peak, but also wants to witness the destruction of Fallen God Peak with his own eyes.

Suppressing his excitement, Sikong Xuan immediately gave the order in a deep voice:

"Pass down the order: everyone prepare yourselves and head to Jade Peak immediately!"

In an instant, his whole body trembled with energy, and he became spirited and seemed to have become several years younger.

Upon hearing this, the messenger was equally excited and quickly agreed before heading off to deliver the orders.

Just then, a member of the Imperial Guard rushed in, his face full of surprise and uncertainty, and reported:

"My lord, Yulan Peak has sent men to surrender!"

Upon hearing this, Sikong Xuan was immediately stunned:
"what?"

(End of this chapter)