Chapter 137
Chapter 137: Do Not Touch Fallen God Peak
Half an incense stick later.
On a stone-paved street, now battered and scattered with debris, Qin Hao took a broken jade pendant from Sha Wen Shan’s trembling hand. The pendant was roughly the size of a palm, damaged and incomplete.
“Why would your White Sand Gang go to such lengths to get this?” Qin Hao asked, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Sha Wen Shan’s pale, lifeless face.
Hearing this, Sha Wen Shan coughed violently, pain surging through his chest from Cao Gao Shan’s devastating strike. Blood spurted from his mouth, yet he managed to gasp out a response, “It’s… Alliance Under Heaven that ordered us to find it. I know nothing more than that.”
At those words, Shangguan Qing Qing lifted an eyebrow, glancing sidelong at the young man in white. Understanding filled her voice, “Ah, so the powerful backer behind your arrogance is none other than Alliance Under Heaven, one of the Four Great Sects in the Great Li Martial World. No wonder you’re so bold.”
The young man in white stayed silent, though his eyes flickered coldly.
Their lives now rested in Qin Hao’s hands. Revealing their powerful backing might force the enemy into retreat. Yet, acting too arrogantly might backfire horribly. His mind spun with secret plans—[If we can just survive today, I swear we will repay this humiliation a hundredfold!]
Meanwhile, Qin Hao’s expression shifted slightly as he turned to Sun Shao standing nearby.
“Has your Spear-Breaking Sect also joined Alliance Under Heaven?” Qin Hao asked pointedly.
Sun Shao, gripping his long spear, didn’t deny it. He nodded calmly, answering, “Alliance Under Heaven has influence in every state across the Great Li Martial World. Its leader is a revered martial dao master, admired by countless martial artists. Now, Alliance Under Heaven graciously invites all sects to set aside their differences, aiming to usher in a new golden age for the Martial World. Naturally, our Spear-Breaking Sect eagerly supports the alliance leader’s noble vision.”
Qin Hao remained silent, thoughtful. After a moment, he turned toward Shangguan Qing Qing beside him, exhaling softly, “Junior sister, their backing is incredibly powerful. Alliance Under Heaven is massive. Our Heavenly River Blade Sect truly cannot stand against them.”
Hearing this, Shangguan Qing Qing frowned slightly, turning to speak. However, before she could utter a word, Qin Hao suddenly lunged from his position, wielding his broad blade fiercely toward Sun Shao with the force of heavenly thunder.
Sun Shao, initially relieved by Qin Hao’s seemingly cautious words, hadn’t expected this sudden lethal strike. His face contorted in shock and fear.
“Fool! You’re bringing doom upon your Heavenly River Blade Sect!”
But Qin Hao merely smirked coldly, his blade blazing with murderous intent.
“I don’t care about that! First, I’ll avenge our junior brothers and sisters!”
His broad blade descended with earth-shattering force. Sun Shao grimly prepared to counter, yet at that critical moment, Cao Gao Shan’s expression shifted slightly. An immense, domineering Blade Qi surged forth, pressing down heavily on Sun Shao, immobilizing him completely.
Horror filled Sun Shao’s face, and in the next instant, a flash of blade-light passed. Sun Shao was cleaved in two, his terrified expression forever frozen.
The young man in white stared, momentarily stunned, then turned and fled without hesitation, carrying Sha Wen Shan on his back.
But Qin Hao wasn’t about to let them go. Tossing aside Sun Shao’s bleeding corpse, he swiftly chased after them.
“You… you went back on your word!” Sha Wen Shan shouted angrily, his voice trembling in fear and fury as he turned his head back toward Qin Hao.
“Honor depends on who you’re dealing with!” Qin Hao replied ruthlessly, unleashing his full strength without hesitation, determined to cut them down.
Before long, Qin Hao returned along the battered street, carrying Sha Wen Shan and the young man’s severed heads. He proceeded to decapitate Sun Shao and the other two middle-aged men lying in a nearby pit.
“These heads should be enough to honor our junior brothers and sisters,” Qin Hao murmured, gathering them together. Only then did he respectfully bow again to Cao Gao Shan in gratitude.
Cao Gao Shan merely narrowed his eyes slightly, waving dismissively. Seeing his part was done, he turned away toward the inn.
By then, Shangguan Qing Qing, who had finished dispatching the remaining White Sand Gang members, approached Qin Hao. She patted his shoulder warmly.
“You really startled me just now. Now that’s the senior brother I know! Since when do we of Heavenly River Blade Sect fear death?”
Then she sighed gently.
“But I’ll leave the cleanup to you, senior brother. After I’ve had my tea, let’s go together and wipe out the White Sand Gang.”
With that, her expression brightened joyfully, and she quickly made her way toward the inn.
Seeing this, Qin Hao hurried after her.
“Junior sister, let me go with you. I should thank our benefactor personally.”
…
Inside the inn’s second floor, silence reigned.
Several patrons had glimpsed the fierce exchange through cracks in the windows, especially Cao Gao Shan’s overwhelming power and the deaths of the White Sand Gang leader and his men. Each person now sat rigidly, fearful and silent, occasionally glancing nervously toward Li Mu Sheng’s table with reverence and apprehension.
Cao Gao Shan calmly recounted the recent events to Hu Rui An and Li Mu Sheng. Although they were here primarily to confront Fallen God Peak, another of the Four Great Sects, and cared little for Alliance Under Heaven, caution remained advisable.
After Cao Gao Shan finished speaking, Li Mu Sheng appeared indifferent, not particularly interested.
But Hu Rui An reflected briefly, speaking softly, “Alliance Under Heaven has been absorbing many sects in recent years, growing immensely powerful. This is certainly not good news for the imperial court.”
Standing quietly by, Wu Shang nodded slightly, adding, “I heard that Alliance Under Heaven freely distributes rare and powerful martial arts techniques to win over weaker sects. This strategy earns them widespread praise in the Martial World, though their true intentions may be quite dangerous.”
Hu Rui An sighed lightly, shaking his head without further comment.
Just then, Shangguan Qing Qing and Qin Hao swiftly ascended to the second floor. She quickly surveyed the room, then hurried joyfully to Li Mu Sheng’s side, whispering excitedly, “Your Highness, you’ve left Shang Yang City to travel here—is this a secret inspection?”
Li Mu Sheng glanced at her, shrugging lightly.
“It seems obvious, doesn’t it, Lady Qing Qing? You’ve guessed correctly.”
Immediately, he gestured for her to sit at the table and poured her a cup of warm tea.
But at this moment, Qin Hao, who stood behind, revealed a strange look on his face. He quietly tugged Shangguan Qing Qing’s sleeve, urgently asking through Qi transmission, “Junior Sister, could this benefactor perhaps be one of the princes from the Great Li Dynasty?”
Hearing this, Shangguan Qing Qing gave a slight nod but solemnly reminded him through the Qi thread, “Judging from Your Highness and his companions’ attire, they’re clearly traveling secretly. Senior Brother, you must never spread word of this, or don’t blame me if I forget the bond between Senior Brother and sister.”
“Rest assured, Junior Sister, I’m not such a person. However, there is indeed something extremely important I need to convey to the Great Li Court.”
Hearing this, Shangguan Qing Qing instantly furrowed her brows and asked suspiciously, “What matter? Why haven’t I heard anything about it?”
“Well…it’s a long story…”
Meanwhile, at the table, Hu Rui An and the others all turned their gazes toward Shangguan Qing Qing and Qin Hao, their eyes filled with curiosity.
At that moment, Li Mu Sheng cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows slightly, saying, “Young Lady Qing Qing, isn’t it a bit impolite to secretly whisper behind someone’s back?”
“Huh?”
Shangguan Qing Qing was startled and quickly waved her hands, saying hastily, “Not me! How could I possibly speak ill of the greatest hero under heaven?”
As she spoke, she pointed a finger toward Qin Hao behind her, shifting all blame onto him. “It was this Senior Brother of mine who said he had something extremely important to tell you.”
Upon hearing this, Hu Rui An, Murong Xiao Ya, and the others shifted their gazes thoughtfully from Li Mu Sheng to Qin Hao, looking at him with growing suspicion.
Feeling awkward, Qin Hao quickly offered a polite salute to Li Mu Sheng and sincerely said, “Earlier, thank you, Benefactor, for your generous aid. You saved my life and helped my Junior Brother and Sister gain revenge. Such grace is truly beyond repayment.”
Li Mu Sheng casually waved off the thanks, unconcerned. However, he asked curiously, “What important matter did you want to tell us?”
At that, Qin Hao swiftly drew out half of a jade pendant from his robes and respectfully presented it with both hands to Li Mu Sheng. “This jade pendant was retrieved from the White Sand Gang leader, but actually, it originally belonged to one of my Junior Brothers.”
Then, Qin Hao sighed deeply and began to recount what had happened:
Shangguan Qing Qing had left the Heavenly River Blade Sect to catch a notorious criminal who harmed her Junior Sister, but afterward, there was no further news of her whereabouts. Concerned, their Master sent Qin Hao to track her down. A few days earlier, Qin Hao stumbled upon a distress mark left by disciples of their sect. Following the marks, he found a Junior Brother who had been gravely injured.
Seeing his fellow sect member treated so brutally, Qin Hao was enraged. Yet by the time he found him, that Junior Brother was already near death. From the dying disciple’s last words, Qin Hao discovered the whole truth of the situation.
“My Junior Brother and a few other Senior Brothers and Sisters encountered a messenger being pursued on their way to Jing Province. They tried to help out of kindness, but instead, they themselves were caught in disaster.”
A sorrowful expression crossed Qin Hao’s face as he glanced at the jade pendant in Li Mu Sheng’s hand. “My Junior Brother learned from that messenger’s dying words that he had an extremely crucial message for the Great Li Court.”
Qin Hao looked earnestly at Li Mu Sheng, saying, “Although I don’t fully know the details, the messenger was desperate to deliver this message, even at the cost of his life: ‘Whatever happens, do not attack Fallen God Peak!'”
The moment these words left his mouth, Hu Rui An and the others frowned deeply.
Then Hu Rui An raised his gaze toward Qin Hao, asking gravely, “Do you know who that messenger was? And why he would send such a message?”
After pondering for a moment, Qin Hao shook his head. “The messenger only said he was a secret informant planted by the Great Li Court in the Martial World. Whether from Six Gates, Heavenly Brocade Guard, or Shadow Spy Division, I do not know.”
Then Qin Hao added, “However, this half of the jade pendant originally came from the messenger and was entrusted to my Junior Brother, only later taken by the White Sand Gang. Perhaps the information he wanted to convey is connected to this.”
Upon hearing this, everyone’s eyes immediately shifted to the jade pendant in Li Mu Sheng’s hand.
Seeing their curiosity, Li Mu Sheng handed the jade pendant over to Hu Rui An to examine more closely. In truth, he himself was quite intrigued by the messenger’s words. After all, they were currently on their way to eradicate Fallen God Peak, and this sudden message certainly caught him off guard.
At this time, Hu Rui An carefully took the jade pendant from Li Mu Sheng, studying it closely. The pendant appeared plain and ordinary, etched only with simple landscapes, its material not particularly precious.
Yet after a moment, Hu Rui An released a crimson-hot Qi, gently sweeping it across the jade pendant’s surface. Martial Qi glowed faintly in his eyes as he continued staring at the pendant.
A short while later, Hu Rui An’s expression visibly darkened.
He lifted his eyes toward Li Mu Sheng, and suddenly, a barrier of invisible Qi expanded from him, blocking Shangguan Qing Qing, Qin Hao, and the others in the inn completely from hearing their conversation.
Shangguan Qing Qing and Qin Hao naturally sensed this, causing Qin Hao’s face to pale with shock. He quickly transmitted a Qi whisper to Shangguan Qing Qing, saying urgently, “This Senior is actually a Heavenly Union Expert! The Martial Qi he showed just now seemed even more formidable than Master’s.”
Shangguan Qing Qing gave him a quick glance and replied scornfully, “Senior Brother, could you please act with some dignity? The greatest hero under heaven stands before us. What’s so impressive about a mere Heavenly Union Expert?”
Qin Hao frowned deeply, eyeing his Junior Sister skeptically. “Junior Sister, it’s true this Your Highness saved our lives, and we must show our gratitude, but…why do you keep saying he’s the greatest hero under heaven? He’s so young, and there’s not even a trace of Martial Qi around him.”
Hearing this, Shangguan Qing Qing’s proud face revealed clear disdain. “Senior Brother, until now, I never imagined your vision could be this narrow!”
Qin Hao: […]
Meanwhile, after forming the Qi barrier, Hu Rui An looked solemnly at Li Mu Sheng and said, “Your Highness, this jade pendant has an extremely detailed map of Fallen God Peak, complete with precise markings about their inner defenses. Though it’s only half, I am certain this item is a profound secret.”
Hearing this, Li Mu Sheng glanced at the jade pendant, raising his eyebrows thoughtfully. “Then does this mean that messenger belonged to the Heavenly Brocade Guard?”
Hu Rui An shook his head. “Probably not. Although I recognize the method for deciphering the pendant’s information, such techniques are also used by other Great Li agencies.”
He continued gravely, “Moreover, the map detailed on this jade pendant has notable differences from the secret defense map we’ve acquired in our preparations against Fallen God Peak.”