Chapter 31: Who Is the Mantid, and Who Is the Oriole?

When the others saw this, their expressions changed at once. None of them had expected the hunter to become the hunted, with the prey lying in wait behind. Although there were not many from the Nine Calamities Palace, every one of them was an expert. Moreover, the others had fought their way through hordes of demon beasts and were already wounded; their strength had been greatly drained. The Nine Calamities Palace, by contrast, had followed them all the way with no loss at all, clearly lying in ambush with full vigor. With such advantage and disadvantage balancing one another, who could still withstand them?

For a moment, all eyes turned toward the Shushan disciples nearby. Yet by then those disciples had already separated from the group and stood far off to the side. Fang Ding was still unconscious, while Tian Feng, though barely holding on, was plainly at the end of his strength.

“Hmph, why are you still not leaving? Must we personally send you back to the city to revive you for free?”

A disciple of the Nine Calamities Palace sneered.

When they had first seen so many demon beasts, they had already intended to give up. But then they discovered the team led by Tian Feng and, on a whim, had quietly tailed them. They had never imagined the result would be so gratifying. To think the fine fortune of the hunter becoming the hunted had fallen straight into their laps.

On one side stood an unparalleled treasure; on the other, one’s own life. In an instant, everyone hesitated. At last, one figure could endure no longer and turned to rush down into the pit, wanting to seize the jade pearls below. Even if he died, perhaps the treasure would not be lost.

Seeing this, many others moved at once and jumped into the pit.

“Seeking death. Kill them!” The leading disciple of the Nine Calamities Palace roared, drawing a massive hammer and charging at the crowd. The rest of the Nine Calamities Palace disciples, each cloaked in eerie, sinister energy, also summoned their various magical treasures and surged forward to kill.

“Aaaaah! How can this be! Save me!”

At that moment, a scream suddenly rang out from deep within the pit. The man who had been charging fastest had not even touched the jade pearl when his body abruptly swelled.

His joints began to deform, and in the blink of an eye he became a human-shaped balloon that suddenly burst.

With a thunderous pop, flesh and blood flew everywhere. The bizarre scene left many present stunned. Those who had been about to leap into the pit quickly drew back, while the others already below started screaming miserably, only to explode one after another like balloons.

From afar, Zhang Xiao, hidden among broken rocks and debris, could not help but sneer. “Hmph. Those demon beasts wouldn’t even dare jump in, yet these fools aren’t afraid to die.”

On the other side, the disciples of the Nine Calamities Palace were immediately thrilled at the sight, howling with excitement.

So long as these troublesome people were all killed, retrieving the treasure would be as easy as turning over a hand.

“Kill!”

Faced with the Nine Calamities Palace, who had already fought their way before them, the crowd had no choice but to meet them head-on. Unfortunately, most of those present were already at the end of their tether. How could they possibly be the match of the Nine Calamities Palace? In no time at all, they were cut down and scattered in all directions.

“Hahaha, all these treasures are ours from the Nine Calamities Palace now!”

Seeing the crowd broken and fleeing, the leading disciple of the Nine Calamities Palace laughed aloud. Yet at that very moment, a cold voice came from nearby.

“Heh. A fine calculation. Too bad it will not pay out.”

The leading disciple’s expression changed as he turned. Only then did he see that Fang Ding, who had supposedly been unconscious on the ground, had somehow appeared behind him.

Without a second thought, the leading disciple raised the great hammer in his hands and smashed it down at Fang Ding. Dark wraiths coiled around the hammer, accompanied by howls of ghosts and shrieks of demons as it came crashing down.

“Hmph!”

Fang Ding gave a cold snort and swung the bronze ancient sword in his hand from low to high. A flash of blue-red sword light arrived in an instant.

With a sharp clang, sword light and hammer collided.

Though Fang Ding’s strike did not kill the man, it severed the great hammer in the leading disciple’s hands into two halves. A glint of savage light flashed through Fang Ding’s eyes as he vented all the resentment pent up in his heart, his bronze sword tracing out an endless stream of sword techniques.

Wave after wave of sword qi, thin as willow leaves, burst forth from the blade. Do not be deceived by their size: though tiny, they were numerous beyond count and impossible to guard against. The leading disciple of the Nine Calamities Palace had missed his chance with one move, and at once those sword qi wrapped around his body.

“Aah! Aah!”

Screams followed one after another. When the others looked closely, they all felt the hair on their bodies stand on end and their hearts turn cold. The leading disciple of the Nine Calamities Palace was being stripped of his flesh in layers by those fine sword qi, skin peeled away while the flesh remained intact. Before everyone’s eyes, an appalling live flaying was being carried out.

Even more tragic was that the man, after all his flesh had been exposed, was still not dead. He collapsed to the ground, emitting shrieks so dreadful they made the heart tremble.

Meanwhile, Tian Feng and the other Shushan disciples had already encircled the remaining disciples of the Nine Calamities Palace. Tian Feng, who had been heavily injured, was now as spirited as a tiger and a dragon, driving his flying sword to cut down the enemy before him. There was not the slightest sign of injury about him.

“The hunter becomes the hunted!”

Hidden behind shattered stones, Zhang Xiao watched the scene in silence and could not help but laugh coldly.

The cries of agony rang out especially loudly in this tranquil night. The stream that flowed down from the mountain ridge had already been dyed crimson, and at a glance the slopes were strewn with the corpses of beasts and men alike.

“Third Senior Brother, all the people from the Nine Calamities Palace have been killed. As for those who were following us, they are either dead or have fled. It was entirely thanks to Senior Brother’s flawless foresight and ingenious plan that we gained such a rich harvest this time. The treasure below, with three tenths of it going to Senior Brother, is only as it should be.”

Tian Feng walked up beside Fang Ding and smiled.

Fang Ding naturally accepted the flattery without a trace of embarrassment. There were only eight of them Shushan disciples in total, including him, so of course he would take the lion’s share.

“Senior Brother, how are we supposed to take the treasure? That beam of light seems impossible to enter.”

Looking at the silvery moonlight within the pit, as vast as a silver river, Tian Feng and the others naturally did not dare leap down themselves after the lesson from those before them.

“Hmph. Such a small matter will not trouble me.”

Fang Ding waved a hand, sending a vast surge of spiritual energy from his palm toward the ten jade pearls below. He was, of course, utterly confident in his own power. Yet for some reason, no matter how forcefully he tried, he could not move the pearls even a fraction.

Fang Ding’s expression darkened. Not only was his face grim, he had never expected the treasure to be so difficult to seize.

Seeing him fail, the other Shushan disciples moved as well. Some summoned their magical treasures, others used secret arts, but none could pull the ten jade pearls out of the pit. Just as everyone was at a loss, one disciple suddenly slapped his forehead and exclaimed, “How could I have forgotten this?”

With that, he took from his storage pouch two silver spheres the size of fists. Seeing everyone’s gaze fall on him, he hurriedly explained:

“Brothers, these two silver spheres were invented by that eccentric genius of Shushan. They do not have much power, but they can generate tremendous impact. I thought they were fun at the time, so I asked him for two. I never imagined they would come in handy today.”

“Oh? You mean that genius named Zhou Fang?”

Zhou Fang was also quite famous in Shushan, though not for his strength, but for his inventions. It was said that before the great transformation of the world, Zhou Fang had been a scientist. Afterward, he entered Shushan and from then on turned the sect upside down. Especially for the disciples who shared a residence with him, none dared cultivate in their own cave dwellings, for every so often a muffled explosion would come from Zhou Fang’s place.

Who could keep a calm mind for cultivation then? If, at a critical moment, an explosion erupted from Zhou Fang’s cave dwelling, one might be startled into falling into devilish madness.

Once, even the sect leader, White Jade True Person, had been alarmed and came personally to investigate. Later, after White Jade True Person retired, Song Qing took over as sect leader and assigned Zhou Fang his own mountain, so as not to disturb the other disciples.

Although Zhou Fang was not strong and was not especially likable, the things he produced were always in great demand within Shushan.

That was also why no one dared to provoke him.

Hearing that the two silver spheres had been made by Zhou Fang, everyone grew curious. After the disciple tossed both spheres into the pit and formed a hand seal with his fingers, a violent shaking suddenly erupted from below.

With a deafening boom like thunder from the heavens, the pit roared. Immediately after, a visible surge of fierce shockwave rose from below.

Fang Ding and the others were shocked and delighted. What delighted them was that the ten jade pearls were slowly rising under the force of the blast. What shocked them was that the power of the shockwave was simply too great, forcing Fang Ding and the others to retreat in haste.

Whoosh!

The ten silver-bright jade pearls were instantly blasted out of the pit. Seeing this, Fang Ding and the others naturally leaped forward to seize them. Zhang Xiao, who had been lying in wait nearby, would certainly not miss such an opportunity.

His body shook violently as he burst out from the rubble.

“Bold thief!”

Seeing someone suddenly snatch the treasure from under their noses, Fang Ding and the others were instantly enraged. They drew their bronze ancient swords and struck with full force, unleashing a streak of blue-red sword light.

Yet as the sword light came slashing in, Zhang Xiao did not dodge or evade. Instead, a great five-colored banner suddenly appeared around him and blocked the attack. Taking advantage of that brief opening, he spun through the air and in a flash stored all ten jade pearls into his bone ring.

Seeing Zhang Xiao take all ten jade pearls, the Shushan disciples were filled with both shock and fury. In an instant, all manner of magical treasures rained down upon him.

“Hmph. Mere sparks.”

With a cold laugh, Zhang Xiao summoned his Crystal Demon-Subduing Staff. The long staff flickered and tapped through the air, conjuring layer upon layer of lotus-like staff shadows that warded off each incoming magical treasure one by one.

“It is you!”

At that moment, Fang Ding and Tian Feng both cried out in alarm as they recognized Zhang Xiao’s face.

When enemies meet, their eyes blaze with fury. Need not even mention Tian Feng; even between Fang Ding and Zhang Xiao there was nearly a grudge deep enough to last a lifetime. Had Zhang Xiao not snatched the strange fire from him at the auction, Fang Ding would probably already have hidden away somewhere by now, using secret arts to force a breakthrough into the Nascent Soul stage.

And now, with this treasure hunt...

Fang Ding had calculated everything, yet never imagined that he, who had thought himself the fisherman with the bird in his grasp, would at some unknown point become the mantis. All his schemes had only ended up serving Zhang Xiao.

At the thought of this, a ferocious glint flashed in Fang Ding’s eyes.

His bronze ancient sword slashed out a sword qi ten zhang long, cleaving toward Zhang Xiao. At the same time, Tian Feng and the others were equally unceremonious. They called out to the other six Shushan juniors and sent their magical treasures hurtling at Zhang Xiao.

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