Urban Martial Saint

Upon hearing a sound, everyone became vigilant. Any creature that appears in this cave now, regardless of its origin, is an enemy rather than a friend to them, and a confrontation is inevitable upon encounter.

The cold and stern old man listened for a moment, then sighed in relief, waving his hand, ”Alright, the sound has moved away from us and isn’t coming this way.”

”Oh?” Zhou Changjin looked at the stone corridor over there in surprise, puzzled, ”They didn’t come in? What’s going on? Could it be that those people from the Wanyan Family have already left?”

Upon hearing this, the faces of several foreigners changed, especially the two old men, who immediately frowned. They exchanged glances, and the red-robed old man said in a deep voice, ”Lord Sak, I’ll leave this to you. I’ll take two people out to have a look.”

As soon as the red-robed old man finished speaking, without waiting for the cold and stern old man to respond, he took two people and rushed out along the path. The cold and stern old man didn’t say anything either, just turned to look at Zhou Changjin, signaling him to continue to the location with seven crossroads.

Zhou Changjin dared not delay and hurriedly led the remaining people to the seven crossroads. The path was not long, and they soon reached the location with the seven crossroads.

These seven crossroads were exactly the same as when Ye Qing saw them last, without any change. However, after Wen’er spoke about the situation of these crossroads, Ye Qing became even more alert upon seeing them again. Each of these seven crossroads had mechanisms making it impossible for people to pass through, particularly the one that supposedly makes people age, which, if as eerie as Wen’er described, is extremely strange.

”Lord, this is it.” Zhou Changjin pointed at the seven crossroads and said, ”Passing through them will lead to the tomb of Master Duwang. However, these seven crossroads are full of mechanisms, we tried several times earlier, losing forty or fifty people, yet couldn’t get through.”

The cold and stern old man stared at the seven crossroads, his expression changing rapidly, leaving his thoughts unknown. Suddenly, a gleam flashed in his eyes as he glanced toward one of the passages. Before Zhou Changjin could react, the cold and stern old man had already rushed to that exit. His speed was simply astonishing!

Ye Qing had previously seen these people in action in Humeng City and naturally knew that these lords prioritized speed, which was just slightly slower than Carefree Movement and Crossing the River with a Reed.

Zhou Changjin didn’t expect the cold and stern old man’s speed to be so quick, and was startled when he saw him dash to the crossroads. Then he immediately wanted to praise him, but the cold and stern old man anticipated his intention and glared at him just as he was about to speak, making a gesture for silence. Zhou Changjin swallowed back his words, not daring to utter them.

The cold and stern old man stood at the crossroads entrance, not entering, but bending over in the darkness, eyes fixed on the exit as if awaiting something. Everyone watched him in disbelief, especially Zhou Changjin, who thought the old man would go in directly, but instead he stood still.

Less than two minutes later, light footsteps sounded from within the crossroads. Zhou Changjin and the others outside turned pale, finally understanding why the cold and stern old man dashed to the crossroads yet did not enter. It seemed he had heard movement inside and was waiting at the entrance to ambush anyone coming out.

As the sound inside got closer, everyone held their breath, not daring to make any noise, fearing they might alarm the person coming out from inside. The cold and stern old man was crouched at the entrance, as if he didn’t exist.

The person inside seemed unaware, still moving toward the exit, the footsteps drawing nearer. Finally, someone emerged, and before they could react, the cold and stern old man jumped up, grabbed their neck, and lifted them up. The person couldn’t even manage a cry before being used as a weapon to smash into the second person emerging.

The second person was even more bewildered, suddenly seeing someone being smashed toward them, quickly raising hands to block. But as the person hit them, their arms were unavoidably broken, and they flew backward into the cave as if struck by a speeding truck.

Shouts erupted inside the cave, indicating many were hit. The first person was thrown to the ground by the cold and stern old man, dead from the collision.

Listening to the shouts from the cave, a cold smile flickered across the cold and stern old man’s face. He charged into the cave, prepared to massacre inside. However, just as he rushed in, he suddenly retreated. Immediately, an old man charged out, throwing a heavy punch at the cold and stern old man.

Witnessing this, Zhou Changjin and the others gasped. The cold and stern old man’s power rivaled a Peak Master, yet he was forced out by someone, which meant the attacker must have comparable strength. So, among those crossing from the crossroads, there were Peak Masters!

As everyone was horrified, the cold and stern old man had already engaged in battle with the person. Both were formidable, exchanging attacks swiftly, swapping over ten moves. In this moment, Zhou Changjin finally saw the person who emerged, exclaiming, ”It’s someone from the Wanyan Family! It’s someone from the Wanyan Family!”

”Zhou Changjin!” The older man frowned, glaring at Zhou Changjin, and said harshly, ”You’re bold to come back, ready to die. This time, there’s no chance you’ll survive!”

Zhou Changjin had suffered under this old man’s hands before, and seeing him again naturally made him wary. But remembering he had two Peak Masters, he felt reassured.

”Old geezer, scare me not. With the Archbishop and the Lord here, it’s you who should die!” Zhou Changjin retorted coldly.

”Archbishop? Lord?” The old man’s expression changed. Being from the Wanyan Family, he knew the Western Church people very well. He understood that those referred to as Archbishop and Lord were Peak Masters. If two peak masters really arrived from the Western Church, this battle would be tough.

”What? Frightened?” Zhou Changjin scoffed, ”Old fellow, how you chased us earlier, this time we’ll double it back. Dare to oppose us, and I’ll watch how you die!”

Just then, the cold and stern old man suddenly shouted, ”These are Wanyan Family members? Then who did the Archbishop pursue earlier?”

The cold and stern old man spoke in a foreign language, which the Wanyan Family members did not understand, oblivious to what he said. But Zhou Changjin’s face changed; indeed, if Wanyan Family members were here, what was happening outside? Who was the red-robed Archbishop pursuing?

The Wanyan Family elder did not know what they were saying but, seeing their expressions and no one in red, he basically understood.

”Hmph, Zhou Changjin, trying to scare me?” The Wanyan Family elder said coldly, ”Bring that Archbishop out to show me. There’s just one Lord, yet daring to contend with our Wanyan Family, truly seeking death!”

The Wanyan Family elder waved his hand, shouting, ”Attack, kill them all!”

The Wanyan Family members had long been eager, and upon hearing his words, immediately hurled themselves at Zhou Changjin’s group, engaging in battle.

Zhou Changjin’s numbers were considerable, but the Wanyan Family had even more, not only suppressing them in number but with their superior strength. This meant Zhou Changjin’s group was falling behind.

The Lord, seeing his group getting beaten without recourse, felt anxious. Yet the Wanyan Family elder’s strength matched his, making it difficult to aid his side, leaving him frustratedly shouting.

Ye Qing and Wen’er, standing at the back, retreated quietly when the chaos ensued, intending to seize the chance to escape. However, before they got far, a Wanyan Family member spotted them.

”Where do you think you’re going!” The person shouted, rushing toward Ye Qing and Wen’er, attacking Ye Qing.

Ye Qing, lacking Inner Strength, couldn’t match this person. Seeing the aggressive approach, he sidestepped quickly. But the person didn’t relent, grabbed Ye Qing’s clothes and just as he was about to attack, he glanced at Ye Qing’s face. He was stunned, and then his face changed, exclaiming, ”You... you are Ye Qing?”

Ye Qing nearly vomited blood, wondering why everyone knew him. Being recognized by Wanyan Family was more dangerous than by Zhou Changjin. Zhou Changjin wanted only the Buddha’s Relic, but Wanyan Family desired his life; Ye Qing had ruined their ancestral grave.

Furthermore, his identification by Wanyan Family was no accident. Ye Qing’s deeds had made him their prime enemy, familiar with his appearance through photos. Thus, the person immediately recognized him.

Upon hearing Ye Qing’s name, the battling Wanyan Family members simultaneously turned to him, including the elder, staring in astonishment at him.