Minglong

Chapter 229: Driving the tiger and swallowing the wolf!

The big moon hangs in the sky.

The coal ball soared beneath the stars, its amber eyes surveying the earth, where people could be seen emerging from all directions, pressing themselves against the ground to listen.

Xie Jinhuan, buried underground, relentlessly bombarded the rocks, unaware of the changes in the world. However, as the three opportunities vanished, the leaking spiritual energy of the Five Elements began to recede, causing subtle, almost imperceptible changes throughout the underground. These changes accumulated and transformed into the rumbling thunder echoing through Fire Phoenix Valley.

Rumble…

The sound seemed to come from afar, but any cultivator who knew the history of Fire Phoenix Valley knew what it meant!
Under the stars and moon, a group of five people stood on the desolate Gobi Desert, looking around. Leading them was Yan Lang, the leader of the Black Yan Gang, and next to him was Xu Guanfu, the leader of the Jiangzhou Gang.

As one of the leading figures in martial arts in the Great Qian Dynasty, Xu Guanfu's cultivation level was much higher than Yan Lang's. It was for this reason that the Black Yan Gang wanted to bring him over to provide support. They even abandoned the Phoenix Mausoleum opportunity after learning that Xie Jinhuan was gaining power, only asking him to help them deal with Xie Jinhuan as a precaution.

Xu Guanfu did indeed want the opportunity at Phoenix Mausoleum, otherwise his martial arts would be difficult to improve. Moreover, he had close ties with the Black Yan Gang, a group of pirates. If Xie Jinhuan destroyed the Black Yan Gang, he would inevitably seek revenge against Xu Guanfu.

If he is not strong enough, he will not be able to stop Xie Jinhuan from rising to power in the future. Therefore, his first priority in coming here is to seize the opportunity. If he fails to do so and encounters Xie Jinhuan, he can only seek fortune in danger and see if he can nip this kid in the bud and let the Black Yan Gang take the blame.

Even though Xu Guanfu had considered many possibilities, he did not expect that the Black Yan Gang had just intercepted the news from the Witch Alliance that "Xie Jinhuan came to the Southern Frontier, suspected of plotting to seize the divine gift of Lingguang" and rushed over, and there were already strange movements underground.

Liang Yue, who had turned back from the confluence of the three rivers, lay prone on the ground, listening intently, his brow furrowed.
"It wasn't thunder, it was noise from underground, as if all opportunities had been taken away."

"all?!"

Yan Lang, the leader of the Black Yan Gang, was a ruthless warlord who rose from the ranks of pirates and one of the most influential local figures in the southern borderlands. His expression at this moment was inexplicable.
"It's not even the winter solstice yet, and the treasure-hunting cultivators haven't come. Even if Xie Jinhuan arrives, he'll only take one. How could he possibly miss out on all the opportunities?"

"Could it be that only one appeared?"

"Impossible, there has never been a case of only one copy in history."

Xu Guanfu didn't believe that anyone could seize the opportunity so early, but the changes in the world didn't lie. To prevent the successful person from escaping, he immediately took to the air and scanned the vast Gobi Desert below.

As a result, the experience of our ancestors throughout the ages has never been wrong.

In less than a quarter of an hour, three figures emerged from a crack in the ground dozens of miles away.

"East!"

Xu Guanfu noticed someone emerging from underground, and immediately let out a cold shout, rushing towards the figure like a thunderbolt.

Boom——

The other end.

Xie Jinhuan and the two beauties, their faces beaming with joy, had just leaped off the ground and hadn't even landed yet when they heard a voice from the night sky:
"Chong-"

Xie Jinhuan frowned upon hearing the warning from the coal ball and quickly looked around. He then saw a black line shooting towards them from the western horizon.

Although the distance is far, the black line leaves a sonic boom cloud along its path. If the estimate is correct, it will arrive here in no more than twenty seconds!
Even more terrifying was that a slightly slower black dot rose into the air behind it, following closely behind and speeding towards this place.

"Fuck..."

It was only at this moment that Xie Jinhuan realized why something like the Five Divine Gifts was not even worthy of being smelled by those below the highest grade.

It's one thing that Lu Yan, that old Taoist from Northern Zhou, met such a fate, but the leader of these two who came over is definitely not an ordinary high-level cultivator.

He bumped into two as soon as he showed his face, and he didn't dare to think about how many more were rushing past.

Although Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua have entered the fourth realm by building a bridge between heaven and earth with the help of breakthrough pills, they have only just entered the super grade. Even at their peak, they would have a hard time dealing with Lü Yan, not to mention that their Qi Sea has not had time to recover and they have to fight three people at once.

Although the Yang Fire in the Vermilion Bird Mausoleum has subsided, it is still a large area that cannot be completely dispersed in just a few days. Cultivators within it will still be suppressed by the power of heaven and earth, and the maze will still exist.

The three of them died the moment they showed their heads. Without any discussion, they jumped back into the crevice and ran back the way they came.

But below him is the furious and enraged Old Demon Lü!

Bu Yuehua, holding the divine gift from Ling Guang, was surrounded by enemies on all sides. Despairing, she racked her brains but found no way out. She could only ask:
"How to do?"

Nangong Ye felt that unless his master arrived, the three of them would not be able to escape unscathed, and gritted his teeth, saying:

"How about we give one of our opportunities to Lü Yan? If we join forces with Lü Yan, dealing with those two outside shouldn't be a problem."

Xie Jinhuan strongly disagreed with the suggestion. After all, he was reluctant to part with it, and the mental damage was too much. Asking this old Taoist priest for help now would definitely not be enough to resolve the situation.

But given the current situation, even inviting a ghost or a spirit like Zisu wouldn't help.

Xie Jinhuan wandered through the intricate maze, and after thinking for a moment, said:
"Let's use one group to fight another! We'll sneak away then."

Nangong Ye thought it was a good idea, but the problem was:

How to drive it away?

Xie Jinhuan scanned the messy cracks in the rocks, also trying to come up with a strategy, but it was clearly a bit difficult. In the end, it was the ghost wife who reminded him:

"Senior Sister Hua knows witchcraft; let her create a poisonous fog and fish in troubled waters."

Xie Jinhuan was taken aback and looked at the quiet carriage beside him:
"Can you control the poisonous fog?"

At this point, Bu Yuehua had no intention of playing along with Nangong Ye's act, and nodded:
"can."

After saying that, he tossed an antidote pill to the two of them, then waved his sleeves, instantly creating a ghostly green mist snake behind him that spread into the cracks in the rock strata, obscuring everything.

Xie Jinhuan noticed the poisonous fog that was identical to Wanyi's and looked somewhat suspicious.

However, he couldn't ask any questions at this moment. He just glanced at the slightly nervous Bing Tuozi beside him, swallowed the antidote pill in one gulp, and then disappeared into the poisonous mist, concealing all his presence...

……

After a while.

Five figures slid into the ground one after another. The unbearable heat and the pervasive poisonous smoke made the three behind them want to retreat.

Xu Guanfu, wearing a white cloak and holding a sword, walked in front, while Yan Lang followed beside him with a knife, using his inner energy to protect himself from the poisonous fog.

"Poisonous fog...is it from the Witch Alliance?"

“You intercepted intelligence from the Witch Alliance, so they naturally know that Xie Jinhuan came to claim the opportunity. But even if old man Sikong personally intervened, he could only take one share at most. How could he have taken them all so quickly?”

"I don't know. But it's definitely not that old man Sikong who came. If it were, we would be the ones running away."

"Old Master Sikong has been in Phoenix Harbor these past few days discussing the re-entry into the Central Plains with the leader of the Gu Poison Sect, so he hasn't had time to come here..."

……

Xu Guanfu feared he might encounter Sikong Lao'er in the Southern Frontier. As the seventh strongest martial artist in the Great Qian Dynasty, he could challenge any of the other heroes in the Southern Frontier. He quickly strode deeper into the area.

“Those three just came out, their Qi Sea must have been depleted, and it will be difficult for them to recover here. They can't hide for long. Search them.”

Yan Lang carefully sensed the movements underground, tracing the whereabouts of the three people who had just left. He quickly discovered that, apart from the distant rumbling thunder, there were also some muffled booming sounds underground, as if someone was breaking rocks and quarrying stones. He frowned.

"Are they trying to open up other exit routes?"

Xu Guanfu thought it was possible, after all, the next exit might be over a hundred miles away, and the underground environment was like a maze. It was impossible for a normal person to be so lucky as to find the second exit directly. Therefore, he followed the sound.

"Follow."

……

At the same time, half a mile away.

Xie Jinhuan and his two companions hid silently in the crevice, surrounded by dangers, not daring to even blink.

Seeing the fate of his powerful enemy on the surface, Xie Jinhuan looked at his ghost wife with questioning eyes.

Ye Hongshang had been observing the opponent's movements. When the five of them reached within a hundred feet, he said with slight surprise:

“All five are martial artists. The two top-tier ones are hard to figure out, but one of them is injured and seems to be Liang Yue, who you fought before, a member of the Black Yan Gang.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinhuan knew that he had been targeted by someone with ulterior motives. The Black Yan Gang was not there to seize the opportunity, but to eliminate him completely.

His whereabouts have only been told to a handful of people, so it's unlikely that they will be leaked. However, he has been making headlines recently, and if he disappears from the capital, the evil sects will dig up his whereabouts no matter how hard they try.

He wouldn't hide, and as he sped south, passing through so many prefectures and counties along the way, it wouldn't be surprising if Fang Chaopin caught his trail.

But even if the Underworld Cult knew about it, how did the Black Yama Gang find out about it?

Xie Jinhuan was somewhat puzzled, but there was no way to investigate at the moment. He took out the 'Yellow Qilin Seal' from his pocket, which could breathe fire and search for treasures, and whispered it into Bing Tuozi's ear...

……

Xu Guanfu and his companions followed the crisscrossing cracks in the rock strata, searching for the source of the sound deep within, while also listening for any sounds they heard along the way.

But the five had not gone far when they heard a woman's voice coming from deep within the poisonous fog:
"Bing and Ding, Yinghuo; Zhuque, incarnation; blazing true fire, heed my command..."

Call ~
A golden-red flame shone from the depths of the poisonous fog!

Xu Guanfu recognized the flames by their color and knew it was the 'True Heaven-Burning Fire Curse' blessed by Ling Guang. His expression changed drastically, and his sword was instantly drawn.
Choking——

Sa——

An invisible sword aura instantly sliced ​​through the emerald green poisonous mist and even the cliff face, striking directly at the source of the fire.

At that moment, a blinding flame appeared in the distance, forming a wave of fire that surged forward. When it encountered the sword energy, it was cut apart to the left and right, turning the rock wall crimson, and continued to surge outward.

Boom...

The Burning Heaven Fire Curse is the signature divine power of the Divination Sect. Without the divine gift of Ling Guang, it can only be said to have a wide range. However, with the 'Blazing True Fire' bestowed by Ling Guang, it is so powerful that it can melt immortal artifacts, and mortal bodies cannot withstand it.

Although Yan Lang felt the momentum was a bit weak, the 'Blazing True Fire' was undeniable. Seeing the flames surging towards him, he dared not be careless in the slightest and immediately used his protective energy to shield himself.

Boom——

The sword energy and the firelight clashed, then vanished in the blink of an eye.

Xu Guanfu looked toward the source of the firelight, only to see that the end of the crack, marked with a sword's mark, had collapsed.

The person who made the move was nowhere to be found; only the woman's anxious voice could be faintly heard:
"Quickly inform Uncle Lü to find another way out. The people who want to seize this opportunity have arrived, and they are extremely powerful..."

……

Upon hearing this, Yan Lang suddenly realized:
“They are from the Zhouling Mountain in the North. The Divination Sect is skilled in divination and aura observation, and can calculate the approximate time when the opportunity will appear. Lü Yan is also proficient in fire magic, no wonder he was able to arrive so early…”

Xu Guanfu felt that the second-in-command of the Northern Zhou Taoist sect was not easy to deal with.

However, the other party has a family to support and is searching for three opportunities underground, so it's impossible for them to be in full condition.

He and Yan Lang had just stepped off the field, their momentum unstoppable.

The Northern Zhou cultivators, once killed, are simply killed without any lingering consequences...

Thinking of this, Xu Guanfu immediately hurried after him:

"Lu Yan must be carrying the Fire Edict or the Five Elements Seal. These two magical treasures are even more valuable than Ling Guang's divine gift. Don't let them get away."

Yan Lang, a former pirate, saw a flicker of fervor in his eyes upon hearing this and immediately led three hall masters in pursuit underground.

Meanwhile, underground.

Boom boom boom...

With one arm around the useless junior, Lü Yan smashed through the collapsed rubble with one hand. To prevent Xie Jinhuan, that cunning brat, from escaping and running far away, he no longer cared about the consumption of his Qi Sea. His speed was extremely fast, and from the side, he looked like a fiery lion, smashing a tunnel through the ground.

However, as he approached the surface, Lü Yan blasted through the rubble and suddenly saw a thick green mist churning in the other direction. He immediately took several steps back.

Upon discovering that it was just ordinary poisonous fog, Lü Yan frowned and waved his sleeves, creating a gust of wind that blew the fog away for dozens of feet.

However, the entire surface space seemed to be filled with poisonous fog, which could not be cleared at all.

Why are the Gu Poison Sect members here too...?

Could it be that old man Sikong...?

Lu Yan became more cautious, carefully searching for a path leading to the surface, listening intently along the way to avoid being ambushed by poisonous rats.

After walking a short distance, a sound of wind breaking suddenly came from the crack in the distance.

Huhu~
It sounds like the three of them fled quickly.

? !
Upon spotting Xie Jinhuan's target, Lü Yan's eyes were immediately filled with overwhelming rage, and he quietly crept towards the source of the sound.

Xu Guanfu, Yan Lang, and the others, upon hearing the commotion of the three fleeing, also approached the source of the noise.

To avoid being discovered by their opponents, everyone kept quiet, trying to close the distance silently.

In the end, Lü Yan's cultivation was still superior!

As he passed through a rock crevice, Lü Yan suddenly sensed something was wrong. He glanced into the depths of the dense poisonous fog, and the Fire Commanding Token in his right hand shone with a golden-red light, spewing out flying fire meteors a hundred feet away.

Boom——

Xu Guanfu also sensed someone on his side, but was unsure. When he saw the golden-red flames reappear, his expression changed drastically, and he immediately slashed out with his sword.

Sa——

Meanwhile, from the interconnected crevices of the rock strata, Xie Jinhuan's arrogant words echoed:
"You've chosen the path to hell when there's a way to heaven. Let's see if you're still chasing me! Cover our retreat!"

"Yes--"

……

? !
Oh no, we've fallen for their trap...

Upon hearing this, Lü Yan knew he had fallen into an ambush. Xie Jinhuan had accomplices outside, waiting for him to come out!
Xu Guanfu hadn't expected Xie Jinhuan to be so cunning, actually coming with the Northern Zhou divination faction to seek opportunities, and even 'predicting events with divine foresight,' setting up a killing formation in advance...

No, Xie Jinhuan seems to be Empress Dowager Guo's male favorite, so it's not surprising that he has connections with the divination faction...

But where did these Gu poison cultivators come from...?

……

Both sides were full of questions, but they both knew they had fallen into this trap!

Liang Yue and others immediately took shelter in the rear.

Knowing he was surrounded and might die, Lü Yan held nothing back. He left Xi Yanjun behind, his Daoist robes billowing, and the Fire-Controlling Token floated before him, emitting a ring of fire. Then:
"Chong-"

The roar of flames, like the mournful cry of a phoenix, echoed through the poisonous fog-filled underground.

Xu Guanfu and Yan Lang were also trapped like caged beasts. In order to seize a sliver of hope, the two top-grade martial artists charged out from the left and right, attacking Lü Yan's flanks in an attempt to stop the World-Destroying Fire Technique!

Rumbling--

In an instant, a thunderous roar came from the dark underground.

Rocks crumbled and flames flew, resembling a hellish inferno!

And half a mile away.

After Xie Jinhuan finished yelling, he quietly ran down to the ground.

Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua were terrified. They didn't dare to breathe and followed behind him, fleeing in a panic, their bodies covered in cold sweat...
-
More than 9,000 words or 2!

(End of this chapter)