The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 477 War begins

Wu Chengyu was amused by Nangong Luan's words. The two sides were completely unequal in strength. The Beggar Clan had two top masters, Hong Qigong and himself, both of whom were combat-ready. In terms of numbers, he had about twenty men by his side, but there were hundreds of Beggar Clan disciples lurking at the foot of the mountain.

On the surface, the Ming Cult only has Fang Yu as a top-tier expert, and he is currently unwell. Even if his condition is abnormal today, he can at most trade one for one with Hong Qigong.

Wu Chengyu didn't take Fang Yaning's claim of being able to deal with the three top-tier ghost generals seriously. These three people probably had some skill, but Wu Chengyu was no ordinary top-tier expert.

As for the Ming Cult members, their average strength was not bad, but the Beggars' Sect's numerical advantage was simply too great. Wu Chengyu really couldn't figure out what gave Nangong Luan the confidence to threaten Hong Qigong and give him a choice.

This time, Hong Qigong didn't even shake his head: "You are delusional. I, the old beggar, may not have many other skills, but I am tough enough not to be a lackey of the Ming Cult. My Beggar Clan will never do anything against loyalty and righteousness."

Nangong Luan's face flushed, but his tone gradually softened: "Since that's the case, Phoenix Mountain has excellent feng shui, so please, Chief Hong, stay here forever."

As soon as he finished speaking, Nangong Luan waved his right hand, and a man behind him suddenly shot out a signal arrow. There was no unusual movement in the forest where they were, but a loud noise suddenly came from the back of Phoenix Mountain.

Immediately afterwards, everyone felt a tremor beneath their feet. Looking into the distance, they saw dozens of large holes suddenly appear in the ground, and a large number of people filed out of the holes.

In just a dozen breaths, hundreds of people emerged from the cave, and the number was still increasing. All of them were dressed as soldiers, wearing leather armor, and carrying standardized military equipment instead of weapons used in martial arts battles.

One group wore earth-brown armor and carried mostly heavy weapons, while the other group wore bright yellow armor and was armed with spears and swords, exuding a murderous aura.

With the loud noise, Lu Youjiao, who was down the mountain, immediately led his Beggars' Sect disciples to surround the area, but the Beggars' Sect was now at a disadvantage in terms of numbers.

Nangong Luan laughed wildly a few times: "You didn't expect that, did you? My Ming Cult regards Hubei as the place to start our uprising. The Wuchang and Hankou area is a thoroughfare along the Yangtze River and a strategic location that military strategists must fight over."

A year ago, I ordered the Thick Earth Banner of the Ming Cult's Five Elements Banner to secretly infiltrate Wuchang and dig a hidden troop cave at the foot of Phoenix Mountain.

Originally, it was just a casual move, and I didn't know when it would be useful. But Zhou Xuancheng actually caused your Beggars' Sect to suffer a great loss of strength. I immediately decided to annex you, and Wuchang City became the negotiation place I had set up in advance.

My Ming Cult's Five Elements Banners are all elite warriors trained with great difficulty, completely different from you rabble who wander the martial world, and each has its own unique skills.

"Time is short, so I only managed to summon the Thick Earth Banner and the Sharp Metal Banner. But with these two elite troops, let's see how you beggars who only know how to beg for food can stop us."

Wu Chengyu turned his head and glanced at Lu Youjiao behind him. This guy had led people up the mountain overnight to check if the Ming Cult had any ambushes. He was indeed hardworking and diligent, but it was all in vain. No one would have thought that all the Ming Cult disciples were actually hiding underground.

Lu Youjiao may be careless, but he can't be blamed this time. After all, even Wu Chengyu himself didn't expect that the Ming Cult had made arrangements here a year ago.

Moreover, Hou Tuqi's skills in civil engineering are truly remarkable; he managed to hollow out half of Phoenix Mountain without making a sound.

The situation was dire. Hong Qigong squinted, ready to make a move at any moment, while Nangong Luan retreated several steps, hiding in the crowd, and bowed to Fang Yulue, who had been silent and looking down at ants.

"Only by asking the sect leader to take action can we turn the tide in one fell swoop."

As the saying goes, "To catch a thief, first catch his king." We request that the leader eliminate Hong Qigong. Without the Northern Beggar, the Beggar Clan is like a toothless tiger, a disorganized mess. Our Ming Cult will find it easy to annex the Beggar Clan, and our great undertaking will be just around the corner.

He spoke loudly, as if asking for instructions or mobilizing someone, but then Nangong Luan leaned close to Fang Yu's ear and whispered something. However, Wu Chengyu's hearing was extraordinary, and he heard Nangong Luan's whisper clearly.

"Master, don't forget that Miss is still in my hands. If you refuse to obey, I only need to give you a look and Miss will probably suffer a fate worse than death."

The leader has already taken the Rejuvenation Pill and only has three days to live. Why not grant your request? The Rejuvenation Pill is incredibly effective; the leader's martial arts have increased by at least 30%. Hong Qigong will definitely not be your match.

As long as you, Master, defeat Hong Qigong, I guarantee you that Miss will live a peaceful and prosperous life from now on.

Even if one of his subordinates were to ascend the throne and establish a new dynasty in the future, he could still bestow upon the young lady the title of princess.

Wu Chengyu understood. Nangong Luan had rebelled, first taking down Fang Yaning, and then threatening Fang Yu to take some kind of Rejuvenation Pill or a Three-Day Death Pill.

As the name suggests, during his final moments of lucidity, all his negative states disappeared, and his power increased dramatically, enough in Nangong Luan's eyes to kill Hong Qigong.

When Fang Yu dies, he, as the Left Guardian of Light, will naturally become the next leader of the Ming Cult. Then Hong Qigong will die, and the remaining forces and resources of the Beggars' Clan will be swallowed up by the Ming Cult. The next step is to train troops and raise the flag of rebellion. It has to be said that this plan is very clever.

Upon hearing Nangong Luan's words, Fang Yu finally stood up slowly, his eyes showing neither joy nor sorrow. He gave Nangong Luan a deep look before turning his gaze to Hong Qigong.

At this moment, Nangong Luan finally gave the order: "Thick Earth Banner and Sharp Metal Banner, listen to my command! Kill all the beggars here. The rest of you, seize these Beggar Clan elders and the Three Ghost Generals, and stop Wu Chengyu!"

"And Yang You Shi, let's join forces to help the sect leader and capture Hong Qigong as soon as possible."

Standing silently behind Fang Yu, Yang Xu, the Right Envoy of Light, who was the third-ranking figure in the Ming Cult and had always been just like any other ordinary member, was bald, had a big beard, and a fierce appearance, but now he was bowing down to Nangong Luan.

The Beggars' Sect wouldn't just sit idly by and wait to be killed. Lu Youjiao immediately led his disciples to set up the Lotus Flower Formation. Hundreds of beggars held wooden sticks, bent over, and kept hitting the ground with the sticks while chanting incantations, as if they were begging for food again.

The Lotus Fall Formation, as the fundamental formation of the Beggars' Sect, is certainly not just for beating dogs. This formation emphasizes the power of numbers. The more people in the formation, the stronger its potential. It may not be able to trap true masters, but it is extremely effective in large-scale battles.

This is a small mountain surrounded by a large forest. The mountain road is bumpy, making it far from flat ground for fighting. The Ming Cult disciples' military formations are not well-managed here. Although they are numerous, they cannot break through the Lotus Fall Formation's defenses in a short time.

The remaining Beggar Clan elders and eight-bag disciples, including A-Ku, all confronted the Ming Cult masters and engaged in fierce combat, with neither side able to gain the upper hand for the time being.

With Ah Ku present, the Beggars' Sect members were subtly gaining the upper hand.

A-Ku has been by Wu Chengyu's side for half a year and has learned the Lesser Formless Skill. She has now achieved a minor level of mastery. Combined with her original skill, she is now at the peak of a super-first-class master and is only a little short of reaching the level of a top master like Qiu Qianren.

Not only that, she was also incredibly strong and powerful, and she practiced the most powerful Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. In a direct confrontation, none of the Ming Cult's experts, excluding the leader and the two Bright Envoys, could match her.

Left with no other choice, the remaining three Dharma Kings of the Ming Cult, all of whom were at the top-tier level, were held off by A-Ku alone. The last Dharma King was stopped by the Beggar Clan's law enforcement elder.

Without these three Dharma Protectors, the remaining Ming Cult masters no longer have any advantage against the other Beggar Clan elders and Eight-Bag Disciples, and none of them can defeat the others in the short term.

However, the two Dharma Kings protecting the Dharma were struggling against Aku's Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms and could not hold out for long. Once Aku won, the balance of power in the arena would be immediately broken.

Hong Qigong was on high alert, ready to face Fang Yu, the leader of the Ming Cult. Based on his experience, he could naturally tell that Fang Yu was not in good condition, but posed a great threat.

Wu Chengyu remained motionless, but his brows were furrowed. On one hand, he was thinking of a way to break the deadlock, and on the other hand, he was surrounded by the three foreign devils with body odor, who were forming a triangular shape around him.

Nangong Luan's idea was simple: use the Thick Earth Banner and the Sharp Metal Banner to fight against the Beggar Clan disciples, and have the experts he brought fight against the Beggar Clan elders.

Then he had the three ghost generals entangle Wu Chengyu, while he himself joined forces with the Right Envoy of Light to help Fang Yu capture Hong Qigong.

In Nangong Luan's view, it doesn't matter who wins or loses this fight; the most important thing is that Hong Qigong must die.

As long as Hong Qigong dies, the Beggars' Clan will be leaderless, and this battle will be considered won.

Without Hong Qigong, the Beggars' Clan would have been unable to resist the Ming Cult's attack and would have been swallowed up sooner or later.

As for Wu Chengyu, no matter how high his martial arts skills were, he was just a mere individual and not worth paying attention to compared to his rebellion.

Fang Yu, a top-tier expert who had taken the Ascension Pill and greatly increased his power, was either fearless or seeking death. He was joined by the two top experts, the Left and Right Bright Messengers, who were no weaker than Qiu Qianren.

It seems that no matter how powerful Hong Qigong was, he could only end up defeated and dying.

Nangong Luan's vision was never focused on the struggles of the martial world; it was more about strategic thinking.

Hong Qigong was indeed the strongest member of the Beggars' Clan. With Hong Qigong around, even if the Clean Clothes Faction was wiped out, the Beggars' Clan would eventually be able to recover its strength.

However, the strongest point is often the greatest weakness. If Hong Qigong can be killed, the Beggars' Clan will be leaderless and no longer a threat.

Nangong Luan saw this out, which is why he set up this ambush. He didn't care about the other members of the Beggars' Clan, and it didn't matter if a few escaped, but Hong Qigong had to die here today.

The Beggars' Sect is a loosely organized and complex gang. A powerful leader makes the Beggars' Sect strong, just like Qiao Feng in the past or Hong Qigong now.

Even with Guo Jing's assistance, Huang Rong later on, the Beggars' Sect's strength was enough to dominate the martial arts world.

But if the leader were different, like the foolish sycophant You Tanzhi, or Xie Feng from The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, or Shi Huolong from The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, the Beggars' Clan would be no different from a rabble.

(End of this chapter)