Urban Martial Saint

”So the Undying Senior was blocked at the Gate of the Dead by Wuji for a hundred years.” Wanyan Hongsheng sighed softly and said, ”No wonder the Undying Senior vanished suddenly at the height of his fame back then. I never thought, Wuji was so committed that he stayed at the Gate of the Dead for a hundred years to stop the Undying Senior.”

”Hmph, with Wuji’s strength, killing me is impossible. There was a reason he blocked me at the Gate of the Dead!” The Immortal Lord said coldly, ”It’s quite embarrassing to talk about this. Back then, I obtained the Tianzhu Sword from the Gate of the Dead, intending to compete for entry into the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates. Unexpectedly, the Tianzhu Sword requires the Tianzhu Sword Technique to be fully wielded. I couldn’t use it once I got it, and forcing its use would backfire from the power within the Tianzhu Sword. With no other choice, I returned to the Gate of the Dead to look for that Tianzhu Sword Technique. But upon returning to the Gate of the Dead, Wuji blocked me. The Tianzhu Sword couldn’t be used in my hands, whereas Wuji could utilize some of its wonders. Wuji combined with the Tianzhu Sword had the edge over me, resulting in me being blocked at the Gate of the Dead for a century.”

Upon hearing these details from the Immortal Lord, Wanyan Hongsheng suddenly realized. No wonder the Immortal Lord was only a flash in the pan after obtaining the Tianzhu Sword and never appeared again. It turned out he returned to the Gate of the Dead after obtaining it to seek the Tianzhu Sword Technique and was suppressed by Wuji, never stepping out again. If not for Du Canglang leading Ye Qing and the others to find the Gate of the Dead and inadvertently opening their hidden chamber, the Immortal Lord might still be trapped inside.

”So the Tianzhu Sword is now in Wuji’s hands.” Wanyan Hongsheng raised his head, looking at the distant mountains, and said solemnly, ”Wuji, the top master of the Taoist Sect today, is extremely powerful. Would we be no match against him going after the sword then!”

”Ah, you don’t need to worry about that.” The Immortal Lord replied, ”I was inside the Gate of the Dead for a hundred years; Wuji was locked inside as well. In those hundred years, my cultivation power nearly depleted, and Wuji is the same; now he’s just an empty shell. Of course, with the Tianzhu Sword in hand, he is not to be underestimated. But we have the Great Necromancer of the Corpse Ghost Dragon on our side. If it were just a few of you, I’d never let you take the risk. But now, with the Great Necromancer of the Corpse Ghost Dragon, dealing with Wuji lacks power is effortless. Furthermore, on the mountain, there’s the Tianzhu Sword and that Ye Qing. If we miss this chance and let Wuji regain his strength, taking back the Tianzhu Sword would be impossible. Letting Wuji with the Tianzhu Sword out would become a formidable enemy for us!”

The Immortal Lord’s words were deeply acknowledged by Wanyan Hongsheng. Wuji is the top Taoist master, significantly strong and would alter the world’s dynamics. With Wuji around, Wanyan Family’s chances at the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates would decrease. The Wanyan Family must figure out how to counteract this situation. So dealing with Wuji before he regains strength would indeed benefit the Wanyan Family. Moreover, the mountain holds the Tianzhu Sword and Ye Qing, both crucial goals for the family, and they surely wouldn’t miss this opportunity.

”The Undying Senior speaks wisely.” Wanyan Hongsheng nodded and said, ”If that’s the case, we’ll rely on the Undying Senior to lead the way.”

”Alright!” The Immortal Lord was delighted, waving his hand directly and said, ”Follow me up the mountain, perhaps we’ll encounter Wuji and them midway.”

Wanyan Hongsheng nodded, returned, reassured the Corpse Ghost Dragon, letting it re-enter the coffin, then covered it up. Only then did the group continue along the mountain road. Despite the coffin’s weight and the rugged path, the pallbearers were top-level masters, carrying it with ease.

The Immortal Lord observed the Wanyan Family’s situation and marveled internally. The family had dispatched around ten individuals, including six or seven peak-level masters, with the rest being top-level masters, showing the family’s strength. With such prowess, dominating the world wasn’t a daunting task.

The Wanyan Family indeed deployed substantial resources to seize the Tianzhu Sword and Ye Qing. Knowing Du Canglang ascended Mount Duwang, with Wanyan Family aware of his strength, they sent numerous masters and even the Corpse Ghost Dragon to ensure the complete defeat of Du Canglang, capturing Ye Qing and the Tianzhu Sword.

Following the mountain path, the Wanyan Family’s pace couldn’t match the solitary Immortal Lord’s. However, their clear objective saved them from diverting, reaching the Gate of the Dead in a day’s time.

The stele at the gorge entrance wasn’t blocking the path anymore, having been pushed aside by Du Canglang, allowing unobstructed entry into the Gate of the Dead. Inside, instead of encountering anybody, they found Du Canglang and Wen’er had taken another route, bypassing them; meanwhile, Wuji and Ye Qing were retreating deeper into the woods, planning departure from another direction, avoiding any encounters on the way.

Entering the mountain gate, they were immediately confronted with the sight of a dozen corpses, the majority belonging to Wanyan Family members. These individuals had been slain by the Immortal Lord, who used the Undying Solemn Soul to absorb their power, leaving clear traces of his handiwork on them, recognizable at a glance by Wanyan Hongsheng.

Seeing so many slain family members by the Immortal Lord made Wanyan Hongsheng furious yet his expression remained stoic. Slowly, he inspected every nook of the Gate of the Dead, confirming there were no valuable items, ultimately deciding not to linger.

”Undying Senior, it seems we arrived a bit late. Wuji and Ye Qing aren’t here; they probably already left!” Wanyan Hongsheng remarked to the Immortal Lord.

The Immortal Lord frowned. His intention was to kill Wuji, avenging a century of suppression. Finding nobody only amplified his frustration. The key issue was neither the Tianzhu Sword nor Ye Qing were present, leaving him feeling like it was all in vain.

”That old immortal Wuji, how fast he fled. Should I find him someday, I will kill him with my own hands!” The Immortal Lord declared vehemently, swearing vengeance against Wuji.

Wanyan Hongsheng glanced at him, staying composed, ”Undying Senior, since Wuji and Ye Qing aren’t here, we shouldn’t linger either. Undying Senior, you’ve exhausted your cultivation; come back to Northern Desert with us first. We can help restore your strength, then dealing with Wuji won’t be difficult. Once Wuji emerges in the world, finding his whereabouts won’t be hard. Once you recover your strength, dealing with Wuji will be a viable plan!”

The Immortal Lord nodded slowly, prepared to respond when he suddenly heard faint footsteps. Frowning, he turned toward the gorge entrance and said sternly, ”Someone’s coming!”

”Someone’s coming?” Wanyan Hongsheng turned to look, seeing nothing, nor did he hear anything, and queried curiously, ”Is Wuji returning?”

”No!” The Immortal Lord instantly shook his head, ”With Wuji’s prowess, footsteps wouldn’t be so heavy. The approaching ones’ strength should be considerable, perhaps peak masters or many of them!”

”Many peak masters?” Wanyan Hongsheng’s expression changed, the term ’many’ felt quite alarming. In the world today, where are there many peak masters? Except for the Wanyan Family, others couldn’t make such a claim!

While Wanyan Hongsheng was stunned, he finally heard distant footsteps, matching the Immortal Lord’s description, and they were numerous. Much later, these footsteps had circled the gorge entrance, entering within.

Wanyan Hongsheng observed clearly, sixteen people approximately emerged from the gorge entrance. Among them, old men in red robes were joined by those in black. With queer attire, yet Wanyan Hongsheng could identify them as Western Church members. The red-robed elders were likely the Red-robed Archbishops; those in black robes were likely Lords of first rank!

Though not fully knowledgeable about the Western Church, Wanyan Hongsheng understood it was the biggest organization in the West, boasting formidable strength comparable to the martial artists of Huaxia. The number of experts in the church was thus significant. However, Huaxia and the Western Church interacted rarely, no interference, yet the church harbored aspirations towards Huaxia. Whenever Heaven, Earth, and Man Gates opened, church representatives would join the fray, albeit in small numbers, in contrast to such gatherings of powerful figures.

As Wanyan Hongsheng eyed church members, they noticed him too, halting at the gorge entrance. Evidently, they harbored resentment towards Wanyan Hongsheng’s group.

Understandably, as the church associates with Zhou Changjin prepared to enter the Tomb of the Duwang Sect Master, Wanyan Family’s presence caused a conflict in these affairs. Their encounter now couldn’t possibly be peaceful.