Chapter 17: Spitting Blood
In the daytime, the sky was clear and boundless; but with the arrival of night came howling winds and torrential rain. The summer heat was unrelenting—the heavy rain battered the banana leaves, and the blooming lotus flowers were bent and broken. In a secluded residence of the capital, dozens of figures stood motionless in the downpour, the atmosphere thick with menace.
Suddenly, a figure dropped from the sky, sending water splashing in all directions. With a thunderous roar, a bolt of lightning tore through the night, illuminating the group.
...
Li Mu had intended to meditate in his dormitory to restore his mental energy and then immediately begin crafting cards. Yet, as he sat cross-legged on his bed, preparing to cultivate, he could not help but fall asleep.
Seeing this, Taibai was instantly reminded of the brass bells used by exorcist mentors in ghost films, and he inwardly cursed that something was amiss.
The murmurs below made Fu Yunxi seethe with anger. She placed her chopsticks down with elegant poise, rose gracefully, and said, "Yunxi's skill with the zither cannot compare to the princess's; it is the princess who flatters me." Her expression and bearing were flawless, leaving not a trace of foolishness.
She had been perplexed for days. The snow lotus was without a shadow, yet she could touch and feel it. If it were a phantom, she would have seen through it at once. But no matter how she looked, she could not see it as an illusion. Why then, she wondered, did none of the icicles reflect its image?
Xiao Tu seemed unable to tolerate the arrogant bully who preyed on the weak and showed no regard for life. Furious, he shouted out. Although his inner energy had yet to reach the lethal threshold, revealing all of it—being at the peak of mastery—was enough to startle his opponent into submission.
"Perhaps, but this is not something we should concern ourselves with," Haotian said as he slowly rose to his feet, and at that moment, the Eighteen Judges all withdrew.
"Then, young lady, since they are the ones causing trouble, turn them over to us. We will deal with them," the two soldiers said, exchanging glances.
"This is Bluewater City. Back in the day, these mountain regions were home to minority tribes. Do you think the number of mountain folk who died fighting the emperors of past dynasties would be small?" Mu Youhan interjected.
If Tao Yuan and Zou Wei knew what Qin Tian was thinking, who knows if they would cough up blood in anger—he hadn’t even performed yet, and already he was being looked down upon.
At that instant, the two were plunged into utter despair, convinced the secret passage was about to collapse. But to their great astonishment, a shaft of sunlight pierced the darkness, and the massive boulder above them slowly shifted aside.
"For the next half month, I will be in seclusion. No one is to disturb me. During this time, you have one task to accomplish," the Master said lightly, rocking his chair back and forth.
"I hope everything will proceed smoothly," Fu Xueyao thought to herself, waiting anxiously by the side for the outcome.
Earlier, that terrifying warning in her dream—she no longer wished to recall it. So much turmoil in the sea of suffering; she wanted only to savor this fleeting moment of peace and happiness.
As soon as these words were spoken, Xuanyuan Xiao furrowed his brow, restraining the storm of emotions within. He recalled meeting Yang Jian on the Isle of Savage Beasts, where Yang had said he was gathering materials to save Gu Xueqin—it seemed it was all for this "Illusory Dragon Rainbow Pill."
At that moment, Han Shan crushed the skull of the last Qishan tribesman, and with Han E and Yaju, returned to Xuanyuan Xiao's side.
"How strange and urgent this is!" Qingqing fretted. "Could it be some mountain spirit or tree demon playing tricks on us? How can a person just vanish into thin air?" she wondered, glancing sideways in thought.
"Mopeng is a descendant of the Divine Beast, the Golden Roc, with pure bloodline and, coincidentally, possesses the Divine Crystal attribute. It’s a perfect fit," Hao Zhu explained, but with his limited strength, Shaohao could not comprehend.
Later, among the Yaba demon tribe, several incidents occurred where clansmen fought and slaughtered each other. Han Shan immediately sensed something was wrong, and after investigating with Han E, they finally discovered that everything stemmed from that monstrous clock.
The headquarters of the Taekwondo Alliance was in complete chaos, especially after news of Grandmaster Jiang Xinxuan's defeat reached the Experts' Council. The confidence of all the black belt instructors plummeted to rock bottom.