Chapter 594: Thus Begin The Storm!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Bai Yixue was stunned speechless.
With regards to the topic of reputation, there were only three to five people in this world who could beat Jun Moyan, but his young master had dragged out two of those immediately. Was his young master playing him or was his young master playing him?
Ling Xiaozui smiled with a gentle nod.
When Feng Xiange was being introduced, Bai Yixue had bowed to show respect. This fellow obviously noticed that someone who was associated with Dugu Chou and Ling Xiaozui could not be an ordinary mortal.
Indeed, he was stunned yet again.
The name of the Phantom Physician God of Wine, Feng Xiange, was not above that of Jun Moyan's, but it was no less spectacular in any way.
"And this one…" Gu Chaliang was seen shaking his head lightly when Yun Yang was about to introduce him. The latter changed his opening line and said, "This one is surnamed Gu."
"Senior Gu." Bai Yixue was still reverent in his manner.
'Excuse you, this one must be someone significant as well. At the very least, he won't be someone lesser-known than Jun Moyan. His name isn't even important. I can't show the slightest disrespect anyway!'
"From now on, everyone will be staying in the Residence of Yun. We're all one family."
As Yun Yang announced this, Bai Yixue exclaimed with joy, "Young master, I need to go back immediately to invite my master over."
Dugu Chou had disclosed a revelation and this matter was his master's lifetime regret; now that there was hope for recompense, Bai Yixue could not wait a moment longer, impatient to tell his master this good news.
Actually, Yun Yang was equally impatient as well.
Bai Yixue's master was Dugu Chou's only disciple that was left. He had to be a super expert as well. People like him could come in droves every day and Yun Yang would not complain about the influx. It would be best for Bai Yixue to go find him quickly, and once he came, he need not even think about leaving!
"Go, go quickly! You can leave now, remember to come back as soon as possible!" Yun Yang chortled with glee.
The other experts rolled their eyes at him, obviously seeing through a certain someone's grand plan that held no shame nor limit. They had come to the same conclusion – this young one was not the slightest bit cautious. Even if he were lacking manpower, he did not have to show it so explicitly…
"I am really in need…" Yun Yang looked back at the four experts in desperation, only to find that their answer was a set of rolled eyes.
"Cough… Let us all rest now. It's not that early anymore." Yun Yang chuckled.
After watching Bai Yixue leave, he had nothing much left to do. Now that his residence was occupied by these four people, he could sleep soundly without any worries!
Instantly, Yun Yang shed the caution that he had held, like he was walking on eggshells all this time, completely. As his high-strung nerves relaxed, exhaustion took over. He could not help wanting to sink right into slumber for days.
It was the first time in Yun Yang's life experiencing the intricate feeling of having support, of having someone to brace the sky if it fell... It felt great!
Yun Yang, who had gone back to his room, was surprised to see Ji Lingxi waiting for him in his yard.
"Why are you sitting here? Not going out? The rarely-seen masterly experts are all outside." Yun Yang asked with some surprise.
While Ji Lingxi was a girl, she was a cultivator who was already in the heaven realm. Such capability was hardly regarded by Ling Xiaozui and group, but she was indeed an ace cultivator.
Ji Lingxi smiled and said lightly, "Even if I go out, I wouldn't be able to say much, I'd only embarrass myself… These people outside, are they all top-notch super experts?"
"Indeed they are. Two of them are the legendary Dugu Chou and Ling Xiaozui. The third one is the Phantom Physician God of Wine, Feng Xiange, while the last one is more mysterious; he seems to have a strong background," Yun Yang provided a simple introduction.
After all, they would all be staying in the same residence and were bound to bump into each other. He should give an advance reminder lest there were misunderstandings that stemmed from unhappy meetings.
"I knew they were exceptional guests." Ji Lingxi smiled faintly and said, "Alright, now that there are four of them here, you can finally sleep without worries. You haven't rested well for so long, hurry up and sleep now that you have the chance to do so."
Ji Lingxi grinned and went out after she finished talking.
Yun Yang had wanted to make a humorous reply, but the sleepiness that threatened to take over him was hard to fight against. He took off his shoes quickly and passed out on the bed.
Just as Ji Lingxi had mentioned, his fatigue had reached its limit. Since surviving the battle in Tianxuan Cliff, anxiety had always filled his heart for the past two years; he dared not even shut his eyes entirely when he slept, how could he ever have a moment of peaceful slumber? Finally assured this time, he could not fight the exhaustion and wanted only to sleep.
It caused him to overlook Ji Lingxi's odd behavior that was in contrast with her usual self.
Under normal circumstances, an uproar would be triggered, no matter where experts like Dugu Chou and Ling Xiaozui appeared. Any cultivator who achieved a certain standard in their cultivation base would not be saved from being stirred and would yearn to see them.
What was more, the experts were right in the comfort of their homes and were staying in the same yard. The stirring should have been much stronger!
Ji Lingxi, who was an ace cultivator, should have been no exception to this, but she had not shown much reaction when she heard Yun Yang mention the few names earlier. It was as if she had only heard a few very ordinary names.
That was all there was to it.
It was terribly peculiar indeed.
Ji Lingxi stepped out of Yun Yang's room. Walking back and arriving under the tree, she halted her steps to look back.
Yun Yang's room was dark and faint snores came from within. With his current cultivation base, the only explanation to the snores was that he was truly, deeply asleep, physically and mentally!
Ji Lingxi sighed softly and sat in the pavilion. As she looked around, there was a sense of perplexity tinging her expression; there was also frustration that looked like she could not understand something and could hardly make a choice.
"I don't get it…"
A soft, lonely sigh echoed in the nightfall.
Two days passed quietly. The peace remained until the third night… A loud boom could be heard from somewhere along the outskirts of the city's western sector. It was the sound of a large door being crushed.
A drawn-out howl shook the sky – "Four Seasons Tower's men, come out and die!"
The assassins finally began to act, their sights pointed directly at the Four Seasons Tower.
While these days had looked peaceful without any ripples or disturbances, the Four Seasons Tower had never stopped carrying out their operations. To Snow, Frost, and Sword, there was no need to fear anyone who came. Their rationality had been washed away by grudge and resentment.
'The mighty ones in Tiantang City? They don't matter!'
'Nothing can be more important than seeking revenge for my brothers!'
In addition, Dugu Chou had never shown any signs of friendship with the Four Seasons Tower. He was even collaborating with Ling Xiaozui. Naturally, he was the Four Seasons Tower's enemy as well. Snow, Frost, and Sword would be stupid if they did not intensify their operations.
They instructed the two to three hundred people from the Four Seasons Tower to scout for news and information about the assassins from every available direction. Once they received any news, they were to ambush and annihilate the target without hesitation and restraint. There was only one word to their entire operation – kill!
It had only been two to three days but there were as many as about eighty people from the Hall of Crimson Blade and The Merciless Tower who had been killed, both inside and beyond the city. The number of martial world killers who were killed by the Four Seasons Tower was countless; these were the ones who did not belong to the two organizations and had come solely for the summons of the Dictum of Death.
The Four Seasons Tower's men in Tiantang City acted in a group of a dozen men each time they struck. Their targets were usually one or two killers who were left out, thus their operations had always been successful.
On the other hand, the Hall of Crimson Blade's head, Hong Zhan, and The Merciless Tower's Hen Bieli dared not act recklessly and missed their opportunity due to their apprehension for the mysteriously powerful one. It earned the Four Seasons Tower the chance to break them, one after another. The sufferable loss then significantly reduced the reputation of the Dictum of Death.
However, these two people were experienced players of the martial world. They reacted instantly. Knowing that it was not clever to stay passive and continue to be attacked; they decisively acted immediately with determination.
The Dictum of Death was used again, gathering the world's assassins outside of the city's south gate to come up with the grand plan on the next midnight. The grand plan was none other than assembling forces and hitting back at the Four Seasons Tower.
The assassins of the world had gathered; if they did not do something momentous, how could the Dictum of Death live up to its reputation?
On the same night, Hall of Crimson Blade and The Merciless Tower, that were the operation's initiators, contributed a large majority of their experts. In addition to the independent killers who moved in secret, there were more than five hundred people who joined this battle.
"We shall destroy the Four Seasons Tower's forces in Tiantang City with this wave of annihilation!"
"No mercy! No lives pardoned!"
To ensure the success of this operation, Hong Zhan of the Hall of Crimson Blade and Hen Bieli of The Merciless Tower had even jointly issued an invitation to the Concourse of the Underworld. The Head of The Merciless Tower, Hen Bieli, had personally passed an apology letter, apologizing for their harsh response towards Concourse of the Underworld's amiability previously; he had even promised to be in the Concourse of the Underworld's favor debt and to requite it one day.
The Concourse of the Underworld's King Qinguang had gone to discuss this with Yun Yang once he saw it.
"Just spread the wraith by then, it will mean that Concourse of the Underworld has joined the fray."
Yun Yang said, "However, don't reveal yourselves. We won't join in the 'fun' at such a chaotic time. As long as the wraith covers a large enough vicinity, who would dare to say that Concourse of the Underworld didn't do its part?"
First Court King Qinguang chuckled, very pleased. "We would like to watch the parade, especially if it means we get to watch the fights from aside…"
Yun Yang rolled his eyes, actually speechless. Still, he had underestimated the ten Yama Kings' interest and excitement to be an audience.
That night, the wraith was thick and threatening. All ten court of kings had actually gone together, forming an indiscreet group of observers.
Yun Yang, who also wanted to be a spectator to the battle, almost fumed with anger.
'Is there a need for so many people to come together to watch something? Do all of you know how much a risk is to be taken to watch this spectacle?'
'If one or two came, we could flee instantly if the situation goes bad. However, all of you have come… how confident! If something were to happen, as long as one of you were reluctant to leave, every one of you will definitely join in the battle!'
'It would be terribly exasperating if we, the audience, were to become participants in this battle…'
'You have to know that the Four Seasons Tower's combat power isn't limited only to what they have right now. Mr. Nian and another pinnacle expert are watching from the sidelines. If they feel the need to intervene in this fight, do you think our future will be bright?'
In spite of the incessant warnings, the ten kings had come. Yun Yang had no choice but to react spontaneously.
The audience included King Yun of Yutang, Marquis Yun, himself. There were also numerous experts who thought to lurk in the dark to watch this battle. After all, everyone had the intention of hopping on for a free ride if the grand assembly of the world's killers could actually take a stab at the Four Seasons Tower's arrogance.
…
However, this spectacle shook Yun Yang once again.
The solid capability of the Four Seasons Tower's combat force and the bizarre ingenuity of the killers' tactics opened everyone's eyes to a whole new world.
Their reputation was well-earned indeed!
…
The Four Seasons Tower's countermeasure was clear – the Four Seasons Tower's reputation must not fall! We shall never retreat! One to come, one to kill, two to come, a pair to kill!
It was blatant and overt.
A large house was divided into north, south, east, and west. Three experts were arranged to guard in the dark in each direction. These three people had no other responsibility except to beat back the enemy who came to their side. When these three people died, got tired, or were injured, the Four Seasons Tower would produce another trio to take their place.
This was a brazen act, saying, "No matter how many of your men come, these men of mine will take them down!"
As for the assassins, they had ample tricks as well; there were only things one could not think of, there was nothing they could not do or would not have done.
The one to raise the curtain of this battle, to crush the door open first, was The Merciless Tower's Hen Bieli.
With a palm strike, the door was blasted open.
However, the strike meant nothing. It was only an announcement of battle, a beginning of the fight. After all, those who joined the battle were proficient experts who would take the front door down…
Wind billowed, dust curled lazily into the air. There were a few wilted leaves that twirled in the air before they slowly landed on the ground.
It was quiet all around.
There was only the gray wraith that drifted in the night sky, spreading itself everywhere.
As the dried leaves landed on the ground, countless icy blades shot out from them with deadly precision.