Chapter 333
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On Piaomiao Peak, there were only the old training grounds where disciples of the Piaomiao Sect once practiced their martial arts-there weren’t any buildings or structures left. The sect had evacuated in such haste that not even chairs or other belongings were taken. Ou Peng glanced around, then casually sat down on a boulder, closed his eyes, and began to regulate his breathing.
Before long, several more disciples hurried up from the foot of the mountain, repeatedly reporting the results of the battle. All news of the Piaomiao Sect’s forces being steadily pushed back.
Ou Peng could no longer sit still. He stood up, walked to the front of the mountain, and craned his neck to look down. Piaomiao Peak wasn’t very tall; though he couldn’t make out every detail from above, he could still discern the general outcome of the fighting.
The masked members of the Heaven’s Way Alliance had already advanced their lines to behind the meeting hall. The Piaomiao Sect disciples fought desperately to resist, but with every step they retreated, both Heaven’s Way Alliance and Piaomiao Sect disciples fell. The plaza in front of the main hall was now littered with corpses. Ou Peng sighed, then turned and called out: “Great Sister Qin, where are you?”
“Sect Master, I am here.”
Ou Peng said: “Take half of the female disciples from Mingcui Hall down the mountain to reinforce Chengyue and the others. Tell them to form up at the foot of Piaomiao Peak and make flexible use of the terrain to hold off the enemy. Also, assess the situation, if it truly becomes untenable, retreat back up the mountain.”
“Yes, Sect Master.”
Having received her orders, Great Sister Qin led Changge and the other disciples swiftly descending the mountain.
The elite disciples defending below, upon seeing the female disciples of Mingcui Hall coming to their aid, were immediately reinvigorated. Together, they managed to hold the Heaven’s Way Alliance’s forces at the base of Piaomiao Peak.
The clashes between sects were far more brutal than the personal vendettas and duels of the jianghu.
In just this brief moment, many Piaomiao Sect disciples and Heaven’s Way Alliance members had already lost their lives. On the Piaomiao Sect’s side, although they still had experts like Zhang Chengyue, Wen Wenhai, and Lu Mingyue leading the defense, most of the ordinary disciples had long since perished under blade and sword. Even the specially trained elite disciples had suffered heavy losses, and many of the survivors were wounded but continued to fight on.
From his vantage point high on the mountain, Ou Peng saw that the situation had stabilized somewhat. He let out a sigh, then turned to look toward the rear of the mountain. By chance, he caught a glimpse of Pingyang City in the distance, its entirety laid out before him. His heart tightened with sorrow. He recalled how, in his youth, he and his junior brothers would often come here after evening training to gaze at the city lights. Decades had passed in the blink of an eye; it all felt like just last night. Now, he and his brothers were separated by life and death, such are the unpredictable turns of fate and the inscrutable workings of Heaven.
Behind the mountain, all was calm; there was hardly any fighting to be seen. It seemed clear that the Heaven’s Way Alliance was focusing its main assault on the front of the Piaomiao Sect, with the rear guarded only to prevent disciples from escaping. Ou Peng surmised that, by now, Hu Yunyi should have already led a group of disciples through the secret tunnel-perhaps they might be lucky enough to evade the enemy’s notice.
But just as this thought crossed his mind, he saw a disturbance in the distance behind the mountain. The faint sounds of clashing blades reached his ears, and flashes of reflected light could be seen. Judging by the direction, wasn’t that precisely where the secret tunnel exited?
Could it be that the Heaven’s Way Alliance actually knows about the Piaomiao Sect’s secret tunnel exit?
But before Ou Peng could think further, another signal arrow shot up from the direction of the tunnel.
Ou Peng was greatly alarmed and hurried to the front of the mountain. Looking down, he saw, far off in the direction of Pingyang City, numerous indistinct figures darting toward them like projectiles. From one of these figures came a long, resonant howl that echoed in all directions, clearly displaying profound inner strength.
Hearing this howl, Ou Peng’s eyes flashed with a fierce light, and an astonishing murderous aura erupted from him. At the same time, he gathered his qi in his dantian, a purple hue flickering across his face, and he too let out a sky-shaking howl, no less powerful than the first.
After the two howls, in just a brief moment, those shadowy figures had drawn much closer. The four or five leading figures were about to reach the main road to Piaomiao Manor, their swift movements marking them as masters of exceptional lightness skill. Seeing this, Ou Peng’s heart settled somewhat.
The one who had howled earlier was, without doubt, Zhang San, the leader of the Heaven’s Way Alliance, and those behind him must be the vice leaders. Now that the main actors had arrived, the final confrontation was about to begin, everything would soon be decided.
Before long, Zhang San and his group arrived at the gates of Piaomiao Manor.
Zhang San, a yellow-faced elder in plain hemp robes, did not rush in. Instead, he paused beneath the archway, fixing his gaze for a long time on the imposing characters above the gate. Only then did he wave his hand, leading the four vice leaders behind him as they flashed into Piaomiao Manor.
From the moment Zhang San’s howl rang out, the Heaven’s Way Alliance’s assault intensified, and casualties on both sides quickly mounted. Some fought in single combat, others in groups; Zhang San frowned slightly at the sight, then sped up, passing straight through the fierce melee, ignoring even those Heaven’s Way Alliance disciples who were still struggling.
This was a battle of soldiers against soldiers and generals against generals. Ou Peng would not draw his sword here, and Zhang San, even less so.
The Piaomiao Sect disciples paid no heed to the newcomers. Though they held a slight advantage, they had no energy to spare for anyone else, much less the leader of another faction.
Only as they ascended the mountain did a few low-ranking disciples, weapons in hand, attempt to attack these Heaven’s Way Alliance leaders. Yet before their weapons could even get close, the figures had already vanished; the gap in strength was simply too great. Fortunately, these elders were not the type to stoop to their level; they simply dodged the attacks and moved on, without retaliating in the slightest.
At the summit of Piaomiao Peak, Liu Qingyang-known as Old Fifth Liu-stood tall and proud, wielding two broad axes. Seeing Zhang San approach, he shouted: “Old Zhang, take a taste of your grandpa’s axe!”
With that, he swung his arms, bringing the wheel-sized axes down in a mighty blow. Though it was just a single strike, the force behind it was fierce and the technique profound, covering every angle above Zhang San’s head, leaving him with no way to dodge or evade.
This move from Liu Qingyang was indeed a bit overbearing. Not only did he hold the high ground and initiative, but Zhang San was still climbing, clearly at a disadvantage. In truth, even if Zhang San could have stopped and avoided the blow, he could not allow himself to do so.
Who was Zhang San? The leader of the Heaven’s Way Alliance, whose mere unseen howl could shake the entire battlefield. Now that he had just shown himself, could he allow himself to be suppressed right from the start?
As expected of a supreme master of the Jianghu, Zhang San showed no sign of panic as the axes descended. He laughed and said: “Sect Master Ou, is this how your Piaomiao Sect treats its guests?”
Amidst his laughter, he did not slow his advance. He stretched out his fan-like right hand, and with lightning speed, timed it perfectly to slap the axe aside. A muffled clang rang out, as if the axe had struck a wooden board. Old Fifth Liu’s massive axe was knocked askew by Zhang San’s single palm. Furious, Old Fifth Liu, unsteady on his feet, raised his other axe to strike again. But by then, Zhang San had already leapt to the summit, let out a cold chuckle, and struck toward Old Fifth Liu’s chest with a palm. If this mighty Great Qiankun Palm landed, would Old Fifth Liu not end up like his two fallen brothers?
Though reckless, Old Fifth Liu was a veteran of life-and-death struggles. He quickly brought his axe up to block his chest. Zhang San did not change his move, striking the axe head-on. Another dull thud sounded, and a tremendous force shot through Old Fifth Liu’s arms. Already unsteady, he was sent flying backward by Zhang San’s blow. At that moment, a dark figure flashed forward, using a sword scabbard to steady Old Fifth Liu and dissipate his backward momentum. Only then did Old Fifth Liu’s burly frame land safely, and beside him stood the tall, slender Li Jian.
Liu Qingyang instinctively glanced at his axes and gasped. On the iron heads of both axes were clearly visible palm prints of varying depth!
Zhang San no longer spared Liu Qingyang a glance. He looked up at Ou Peng, who stood coldly at a distance. Their gazes met in midair, both men’s eyes flickering almost imperceptibly. Zhang San laughed and said: “Sect Master Ou, is this how you treat your guests?”
Ou Peng remained cold as he spoke: “When friends arrive, we offer fine wine; when wolves come, we draw our hunting blades. Does my Piaomiao Sect really need to sweep the mats and welcome the Heaven’s Way Alliance as honored guests?”
Zhang San merely chuckled without replying.
At this, a lean elder nearby spoke out in a clear voice: “Since ancient times, the Jianghu has always been a place where the weak are prey to the strong, and only the fittest survive. Your Piaomiao Sect has been in decline for a long time, perhaps it’s time for Piaomiao Peak to change hands.”
Ou Peng shot the elder a sidelong glance and said: “So it’s the Heaven’s Way Alliance’s First Vice Leader, Elder Chai. Truly, every word rings with truth. In the Jianghu, it’s always strength that speaks. From the sound of it, Elder Chai intends to decide the fate of our Piaomiao Sect today?”
Elder Chai, Chai Qingrong, replied proudly: “That is exactly my intention.”
“To speak, one must have the strength to back it up. I, Li, am not talented, but I’d like to see if Elder Chai has the ability to join this conversation.” The cold voice came from Li Jian, dressed in black.
Chai Qingrong drew his longsword from his waist and sneered: “I’ve long heard of the famed Seven Swords of Piaomiao, but never witnessed them myself. Today is the perfect opportunity. Why not let me broaden my horizons?”
“As you wish, no need for pleasantries.” With that, Li Jian discarded his scabbard and thrust his sword forward.
Seeing this, Chai Qingrong laughed angrily, “Good, good, good-the river’s waves push ever forward.” He too thrust his sword.
The two immediately engaged in combat.
Liu Qingyang, seeing this, hefted his axes and shouted: “Which one of you youngsters dares to come fight your grandpa?”
The vice leaders of the Heaven’s Way Alliance looked at each other, none wanting to step forward, after all, whoever did would have to call him grandpa.
After a moment, a burly, black-faced man reluctantly stepped out, wielding a bronze staff, and bellowed thunderously: “Don’t try to get the upper hand with your mouth! Let Grandpa Mi teach you a lesson!”
Old Fifth Liu looked over and saw it was Mi Kong, the Fifth Vice Leader of the Heaven’s Way Alliance. He sneered: “So it’s you-Mi Kong, who fought me to a draw a few years back? Come, come, let’s see if you’ve improved any since then!”
