Great Li Martial God

Hearing that the large black cat had gone missing, Hu Rui’an was not particularly worried, saying, ”Miss Murong, there is no need to be overly concerned. That cat is a little unusual. It most likely left on its own. It should be fine.”

Murong Xiaoya’s expression became thoughtful. The large black cat did indeed seem extremely sharp and clever in its manner.

It was entirely possible that, sensing the imminent great battle between the Tianjin Guards and Falling God Peak, it had slipped away ahead of time.

”I will search a while longer. If I truly cannot find it, I will have no choice but to let it go for now.”

Murong Xiaoya bowed lightly toward the two of them and then walked back into the trees.

And at that very moment, the sky in the distance suddenly brightened as a silver flame rose up in the night.

Even across the great distance between them, that brilliant silver light was clearly visible.

Both Hu Rui’an and Fu Qiwen saw it, and Fu Qiwen furrowed his brow slightly, saying, ”If I am not mistaken, that should be in the direction of Hundred Refinements Peak. This flame signal is unusual and does not belong to the Tianjin Guards. It is likely from Falling God Peak itself. Could something have happened at Hundred Refinements Peak?”

Hearing this, a thoughtful look crossed Hu Rui’an’s face, and then his expression shifted, saying, ”Commander, surely you have not forgotten that the Eighth Prince went toward Hundred Refinements Peak. The way things look, His Highness has clearly begun to act.”

Fu Qiwen turned and looked at Hu Rui’an, and found the man perfectly composed, entirely calm.Even knowing that Li Musheng was making his move at Hundred Refinements Peak, he seemed not the least bit worried.

”Rui’an, we have been colleagues for how many years now. Somehow I feel that your confidence in the Eighth Prince is a level above your confidence in me.”

Fu Qiwen said this suddenly, and his eyes clearly held a peculiar quality.

The other man had said before that Li Musheng’s martial cultivation matched or exceeded his own.

But he had not given it much thought at the time, because Hu Rui’an had never seen him truly make his move, and had no real understanding of the depth of strength possessed by the man who commanded the Great Li Tianjin Guards.

In his view, not knowing was no fault.

But now, seeing this deputy of his express such reverence toward a prince of barely twenty years, to the point of eclipsing his own standing in this subordinate’s heart, he could not help but feel a slight stir in his chest.

Hearing Fu Qiwen put the question this way, Hu Rui’an, well-versed as he was in the ways of officialdom, immediately broke into a diplomatic smile and smoothed it over with some carefully noncommittal words.

Even if he privately found Li Musheng more reassuring, he could hardly say so to his old superior’s face. That would have been remarkably poor judgment.

Of course, there was no way such a response could escape the perceptive Fu Qiwen’s notice, though he said nothing further about it and only thought privately that once he personally brought down Star Control Peak, this old subordinate of his would form his own opinion and understand his true strength.

”This signal does not look ordinary. If the other peaks of Falling God Peak see it, they will likely move to support Hundred Refinements Peak. I can only hope His Highness is able to retreat safely.”

At that point Fu Qiwen turned his head and looked quietly in the direction of Hundred Refinements Peak.

He had no people to spare to support Li Musheng right now, and could only hope that what Hu Rui’an had said before was true, and that the man could handle things on his own.

Hearing this, Hu Rui’an also looked up at the sky, saying with a thoughtful expression, ”I have heard that Zheng Yunfeng has mastered the true intent of his martial fist art. If he and His Highness were to face each other, I wonder which of them would have the greater command of the fist path.”

Not one of Falling God Peak’s nine Peak Masters was anything less than a peak martial artist of the martial world, and every one of them had reached the first tier of the Heaven-Human realm.

A person’s reputation travels ahead of them. The nine Peak Masters were renowned throughout the martial world, and even with Hu Rui’an’s heart on Li Musheng’s side, he could not help but feel some degree of unease.

At that point Fu Qiwen stood with his hands clasped behind his back, and with a calm expression said, ”In his youth, Zheng Yunfeng roamed the martial world on the strength of his Hundred Peaks Divine Fist, and his talent in the fist path was extraordinary. Since reaching the Heaven-Human realm, he has studied every fist manual in the world, discarded the dross, absorbed the essence, and fused it all into a personal understanding of fist path true intent that is entirely his own.”

”It would be fair to say that across the entire martial world of the Five Dynasties, those who could be spoken of in the same breath as him when it comes to the fist path number fewer than the fingers of two hands. Those who can surpass him, besides the Fist Saint of the Great Xuan, I cannot think of another.”

After saying this, Fu Qiwen turned to look at Hu Rui’an, saying, ”But if I were the one facing him, I have confidence I could defeat him within a hundred and fifty moves.”

...

In a mountain woodland cavern somewhere within Falling God Peak’s territory.

Two men and two women sat cross-legged before a burning fire. The full-figured woman Lin Tang and the woman in a homespun skirt both had their eyes closed in meditation.

The elderly man with grey-white hair and deeply carved brow lines, and the lean-framed down-and-out scholar, kept watch at the sides.

After a while, Lin Tang slowly opened her eyes, and at the sight of it, the scholar Sui Zhen immediately asked, ”Were you able to find Momo?”

Hearing this, Lin Tang furrowed her brow and gave a slight shake of her head.

Then Lin Yuer also opened her eyes, though she had no good news to bring either, having likewise been unable to locate their youngest sister.

The elderly man Wu Yong, his body wrapped in coarse brown cloth and the lines on his brow as deep as if carved by a blade, tapped his wooden staff, saying, ”The order has sent word back. They will dispatch every person of divine nature in Lan Province to act while the Great Li Tianjin Guards is attacking Falling God Peak. But right now we lack critical intelligence about the state of the battle between the two sides, and we have no way of guiding everyone in infiltrating Falling God Peak.”

Hearing this, Lin Yuer raised an eyebrow, saying, ”Do not worry. With me and Elder Sister here, gathering intelligence will pose no problem. Even without Momo it makes little difference.”

The down-and-out scholar Sui Zhen gave a nod, saying, ”Momo is too unpredictable. In truth we never counted on her for anything in particular.”

”Still, she is following that prince after all. If we could have her assistance, things would naturally be more reliable.”

At that, the elderly man Wu Yong shook his head, let out a sigh, and said, ”You are all still thinking too simply. What we are facing is Falling God Peak. Without sufficient certainty, barging into Falling God Peak recklessly is no different from seeking death.”

”Everything depends on how much damage the Great Li Tianjin Guards can actually inflict on Falling God Peak. If they cannot strike deep enough to draw real blood, those old presences on the main peak will not leave, and the others from the order are no fools. They would never risk their lives to enter Falling God Peak.”

At those words, the other three said nothing. The news that the Great Li Tianjin Guards was moving against Falling God Peak had come to them suddenly and unexpectedly.

The number of people the order could deploy was extremely limited, and so their action against Falling God Peak at this time was like walking a tightrope. Whether they could succeed depended entirely on the Great Li Tianjin Guards.

This also made intelligence absolutely critical. They could not afford to misread the situation, because a single wrong step could very likely mean the total annihilation of everyone they had brought.

”We move one step at a time. Once we have advanced deep enough and come within a suitable range, I will use my ability to inhabit Falling God Peak disciples, and can command real-time intelligence from that point on.”

The full-figured woman Lin Tang said in a steady voice, and Lin Yuer also gave a nod, saying, ”The forest is full of birds and animals, and that is my element. I can also use them to observe the state of the battle between the Great Li Tianjin Guards and Falling God Peak.”

Hearing this, the elderly man Wu Yong and the scholar Sui Zhen exchanged a glance and gave a slight nod, saying, ”That is the best we can do for now. But if things cannot be made to work, we must withdraw immediately and without delay.”

In truth, they had no great expectations of the Great Li Tianjin Guards. Moving at all was only because they saw an opportunity in troubled waters. They had no intention of fighting Falling God Peak to the death.

Of course, they also did not have the ability to do that.

Right at that moment, a faint rustling of grass and leaves came from outside the cavern, followed by a meow outside the entrance.

”Little Sister is back.”

The full-figured woman Lin Tang was the first to react, and immediately looked toward the cavern entrance.

A large cat with pitch-black fur came padding in, its green eyes glowing.

The large cat looked over everyone in the cavern, rolled its eyes, then crouched down between Lin Tang and Lin Yuer.

Seeing this, all four of them showed expressions of relief, and Lin Tang looked at the large black cat beside her, asking urgently, ”Little Sister, is there any news from the prince’s side? When does the Great Li Tianjin Guards plan to act, and from which directions?”

The other three also fixed their eyes on the cat before them. The large black cat, however, said nothing at all.

It sat before the fire and warmed itself for a while, then swept a look around the group, stood up, and walked toward the exit of the cavern.

”What is it doing...”

The scholar Sui Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly. Lin Yuer’s expression shifted, and she quickly got to her feet, saying, ”Little Sister is telling us to follow her. She wants to lead the way.”

The full-figured woman Lin Tang also stood up at once, and together with Lin Yuer she asked nothing more and walked out of the cavern, clearly intending to follow the cat.

The elderly man Wu Yong and the scholar Sui Zhen exchanged a glance, hesitated for a brief moment, then ultimately followed as well.

”Where is it taking us?”

The four of them followed one after another through the trees in the night, and the path the large black cat took was very secluded, with brambles and undergrowth everywhere. It posed no real obstacle for the four of them, but it still made for something of a nuisance.

The large black cat, however, just kept its head down and pressed forward without any sign of responding.

At that point the elderly man Wu Yong suddenly raised his head and looked toward the sky ahead. A brilliantly blazing silver flame had risen into the night sky.

”Is that a signal from Falling God Peak?”

Wu Yong furrowed his brow. And he also noticed that the direction they were currently heading was the same direction as that silver flame signal.

The other three had naturally noticed the same thing, and all of them let an involuntary flash of puzzlement and uncertainty cross their faces.

”Meow!”

At the same time, the large black cat ahead looked up at the night sky for a moment, then turned its head and called out to the group behind it, before suddenly picking up speed and bolting forward.

The full-figured woman Lin Tang was the first to understand, and said in a low voice, ”Little Sister is telling us to hurry. Otherwise it will be too late.”

...

Outside Hundred Refinements City, the night was deep and utterly silent.

The hemp-robed elderly man, hidden in the shadows of the mountain woodland, suddenly raised his head and looked toward the far end of the road outside the city.

In an instant, something seized his entire being, ”They have come.”