Nightfall

At the foot of Tianqi Mountain, two Devil’s Doctrine strongmen were confronting each other. On the distant snow cliff, the Sword Wayfarer of the Haotian Taoism sect was drifting near. Compared with these truly amazing people, Ning Que was naturally a nobody. Although he now was a World Wayfarer of the Academy, the only qualified person to speak on behalf of the Academy at this time was the Eldest Brother, who was silently standing beside him. Therefore, no one paid attention to him and just treated him as a passer-by.

Ning Que did not feel disappointed about being ignored. Instead, he was happy that he was forgotten by all the people present. Only in this way could he attentively look at the middle-aged man without worrying about being discovered by the others.

He looked at the middle-aged man’s thick dark brows and grim eyes. Though there was no change in his face, he gradually clenched his hands, which had been put behind his back. He felt somewhat thirsty and wanted to drink some bloody water.

His life was directly changed by the middle-aged man named Xia Hou. Because of this man, his happy family had been destroyed and he had lived in a dark world that was like hell for many years.

Revenge is the most primitive and most instinctual emotion of mankind. Of course, Ning Que also had this kind of emotion. Since he knew the man’s name and identity, he had secretly investigated and watched this man for many years. So he was very familiar with this man, including his most unremarkable facial features and habits.

But today was the first time for him to see this man.

Though Tang was such a powerful World Wayfarer of the Devil’s Doctrine and had launched a strong attack, Tang had still failed to kill the man on the spot. After seeing this fierce battle, Ning Que finally had a clear knowledge of Xia Hou’s power. He soberly realized that he still had a long way to go if he wanted to get his revenge.

However, he did not feel scared or frustrated in his heart. Instead, he became more confident and calm and was firmly convinced that he would be able to kill the man one day— no matter how powerful Xia Hou was, Xia Hou still did not attack the Eldest Brother. Even if he could not reach the state of the Eldest Brother, he was bound to have infinite possibilities as long as he was in the Academy.

…

…

Tang looked blankly at Xia Hou and said, “While you were in Tuyang City, I really didn’t know how to kill you. But, since you left Tuyang City and hid in the Hulan Sea trying to kill people and grab the Tomes of Arcane, how could I miss this opportunity to kill you? You’ve probably already forgotten that you were not the only survivor of the Enlightenment Doctrine during those years.”

Xia Hou said, “Many people want to kill me.”

Tang said, “No one has a more justified reason than I do, because I will kill you for the sect.”

Xia Hou said, “But you weren’t able to kill me.”

Tang said, “The cultivation of the Enlightenment Doctrine focuses on the fearlessness in the world. The Desolate tribe never fears any strong enemy. You dared not to hit that punch before. It shows that you’re old and useless.”

He looked at Xia Hou and continued to say indifferently, “Even if I can’t kill you on the spot today, at least I know something… The man who was the most powerful one in the Enlightenment Doctrine has now turned into a timid loser hidden in armor. How many days do you think that such a person can survive after being hit by my fist?”

Xia Hou kept silent for a moment and looked at Tang, saying with slight mockery, “You just finished controlling your breath?”

Tang said, “You too. It will take Ye Su some time to arrive here.”

“Very good.”

Xia Hou reached out his hand to tear off his tattered coat with countless holes in it and revealed bright dark armor inside. Numerous black Fu characters were engraved on the armor pieces, showing a chilling and strong sense.

Ning Que stood beside the Eldest Brother and noticed that the aura of Xia Hou’s body suddenly rose again after Xia Hou showed the armor. He could not help feeling slightly afraid. He looked at the Fu characters on the bright armor and guessed it was the strong armor designed by Professor Huang He and built by two Senior Brothers in the back of the mountain.

Tang silently looked at Xia Hou’s armor and suddenly reached his hand out into the air, holding a blood-color huge blade.

The blade had been handed to him by Tang Xiaotang.

Tang said, “I didn’t want to use this blade, for a timid traitor like you is not worthy of it. Since you wear the Academy’s armor, it’ll be disrespectful if I don’t use it.”

Xia Hou looked at this huge crimson blade and naturally remembered a lot of things from many years ago. He said in a slightly husky voice. “I didn’t expect that he had abandoned everything and actually left this knife to you for the Twenty-Three-year Cicada Cultivation.”

After Tang had controlled his breath, he did not speak anymore. He suddenly started running toward his opponent like there were burning red flames spewing from his calves, and then slammed his hill-like body into him at a terrifying speed.

The two Devil’s Doctrine strongmen were too familiar with each other’s cultivating skills and fighting methods. Because of this familiarity, they could not use any means to lure or dodge each other. They could only hit each other, just as they had used their bell-like punches in the beginning.

This battle was not as horrible as the previous one.

The two men separated quickly every time they hit each other. But this kind of fighting was even more dangerous.

When the sand fell to the ground, Tang’s left shoulder seemed to have collapsed in, and his blood flowed out.

A very deep gouge appeared in Xia Hou’s armor. The complicated Fu characters were no longer bright, but became extremely bleak. The armor seemed as if had been put in a warehouse for hundreds of years and was about to fall to pieces.

Xia Hou slowly squinted and used his right hand to caress the cold iron box on his waist. His fingers wiped away the rust on it.

As one of few Devil’s Doctrine strongmen alive in the world, Tang was very aware of how powerful this traitor was. He was not sure that anyone could defeat his opponent, except for his teacher in the Front Gate who had disappeared many years ago.

After losing the armor, Xia Hou might once again become the Enlightenment Doctrine strongmen who had been well-known in the Wilderness during those years. At this moment of life and death, Xia Hou, who was determined to use up all his energy and strength, was even more dangerous than before.

However, Tang had silently waited in the Cold Region of the Far North for more than ten years and finally had the opportunity to go southward and kill this traitor. He certainly did not want to miss this opportunity. So, he gripped the hilt and tried to launch a second attack.

However, his second attack did not succeed.

Because a wooden Taoist Sword pierced through the air and fell down on the solid ground between them after a slamming sound, the sword’s end slightly swayed and trembled, emitting a buzzing sound.

An extremely lonely and grim aura spread in all directions along with the wooden sword, as though it was not a wooden sword, but an old tree that had lived in the Wilderness for many years and might collapse at any moment.

Looking at the wooden sword, Tang slightly frowned and found that the proud and lonely guy had gotten down from the Snow-capped Peak faster than he had imagined. He could not help wondering what had happened. That guy, who was already standing at the peak of five cultivation states, actually had reached a little further in cultivation within a short time.

He looked at the wooden sword as lonely and grim as an old tree and knew that he lost the opportunity to fight with Xia Hou today, for he had a slight miscalculation of that person’s speed. After a brief silence, he handed the blade to his sister behind him.

Tang Xiaotang took the blade and no one could see where she had put it.

Xia Hou indifferently glanced at Tang Xiaotang and slowly released the aura on his body that was as cold as rust and as hot as molten steel. And then, he silently retreated more than 100 feet.

He retreated to offer up some space.

There were very few people in the world who were qualified to make Xia Hou give way to them. But today, there were several qualified people at the foot of the mountain in the northern Hulan Sea.

Ye Su suddenly stood next to the wooden sword, his plain light-colored shirt floating in the cold wind.

He took the wooden sword out from the ground and put it behind his body. The lonely and grim aura of the wooden sword seemingly returned to him, making his body turn into a lonely old tree.

…

…

This was the first time that Ning Que had seen Ye Su, the successor of the Zhishou Abbey.

At this time, he did not know his identity, but he guessed that he was certainly a great man.

Many years later, before that battle of life and death, he mentioned this encounter at the foot of Tianqi Mountain to Ye Su. But Ye Su did not have any impression of Ning Que at that time. Ning Que, however, could not forget it.

I’ve never seen such a lonely person. It’s as if he didn’t live in this world but in another world. And he seems to have been dead for many years, though he’s alive now. More accurately, in my eyes, he seems to be living as well as dead. What a poor man!

…

…

Ye Su did not know that a guy, whom he treated as a passer-by, was feeling sympathy and pity for him at this time. Ye Su could only see that scholar who wore old cotton shoes and seemed to have no sense of presence.

After a short moment of silence, he thought of something and then calmly said to the one opposite, “Nice to meet you, Mr. First.”

The Eldest Brother replied, “Nice to meet you.”

Ye Su turned around and looked at that iron box held in the hands of Xia Hou.

Tang also looked at that iron box.

All the people except for Ye Hongyu looked at the box, for she looked at Ye Su with a complicated expression.

Even the Eldest Brother also looked at the box. But there was not any intention to steal it in his calm and gentle gaze, only a sense of weird curiosity.

Ye Su suddenly said, “Congratulations, Elder Xia, for recapturing the Tomes of Arcane on behalf of the Taoist sect!”

Tang said, “The people in the Taoist sect are as shameless as they were many years ago.”

At this time, Xia Hou said indifferently, “This matter has nothing to do with the Taoist sect.”

Upon hearing this reply, Ye Su kept silent.

In the Tang Empire, the emperor was suspicious of Xia Hou. Besides, Xia Hou rushed into the Wilderness and snatched the Tomes of Arcane, intending to kill the guy sent by the Academy. He would not be able to explain it to the government in Chang’an City afterward. At this time, Xia Hou was surrounded by the others in the Hulan Sea. If he wanted to keep his own reputation and rights, he had to claim his identity as the visiting professor of the Divine Hall.

Ye Su’s congratulations were to give him a chance to do so. All he needed to do was to exchange the Tomes of Arcane for it, but Xia Hou did not accept this offer.

Ye Su understood why Xia Hou was reluctant to accept it. As a general of the Tang Empire, Xia Hou had to be determined to be completely separated from those experiences in the past. And Xia Hou thought that he still stood a chance under the complicated situation in the Hulan Sea. Most importantly, Mr. First of the Academy still had not shown his attitude.

After returning from the South Sea, the Great Divine Priest of Relation made a prediction that the “Ming” Handscroll of the Tomes of Arcane would appear in the Wilderness. Everyone in the world believed this, especially Ye Su, who knew that this was definitely the conclusion of the abbey dean.

Because of this prediction, all nations had dispatched people into the Wilderness and tried to enter the Front Gate of the Devil’s Doctrine. Ning Que and the others had succeeded in entering the gate. But those who were truly qualified to snatch the Tomes of Arcane had been watching in secret.

The Tomes of Arcane were cicadas.

The younger generation, including Ning Que, were mantises.

Xia Hou was an oriole.

Tang and Ye Su were hunters.

The Eldest Brother was not involved in it. In his words, he was just a passer-by.

However, when he passed by the shore of the Hulan Sea, there was no longer any story about the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

So everyone looked toward that very ordinary scholar.

The Eldest Brother asked Ning Que, “Do you want that iron box?”

Ning Que shook his head.

Upon hearing the answer, the Eldest Brother did not hesitate and looked at the others, saying softly, “You do what you want. We were just passing by and we must hurry back to Chang’an now. Goodbye.”