Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 127

It must be said that those various martial arts sects had not been having an easy time lately.

They never imagined how a “Si Xiaoxiao” could have suddenly emerged.

Initially, they believed that Si Xiaoxiao, who had supposedly succumbed to inner demons, was not long for this world. They reasoned that her ability to sweep through the major sects, fighting several people in succession and retreating unscathed, was due to only two reasons: first, seeing she was but a woman, the old monsters of those sects had not bothered to act; second, she had over-exhausted her potential, merely catching the “prodigies” of the younger generation off guard.

Yet this “jumping clown,” far from withering away as they predicted, had instead integrated the Hehuan Sect and the Hidden Sword Villa—factions that should have been wary of one another with scattered, dwindling remains—with the force of a thunderbolt!

She had even stormed the Jiangshan Ship and killed the leader of the Zhenhu Sect. How could a bunch of stakeholders in these interests sit still?

Thus, the major “righteous” sects resolved to launch a siege.

It was early autumn, and the mountain wind already carried a chill. Atop Mount Wudang, usually shrouded in immortal mist, a heavy, murderous atmosphere permeated the air today as the geniuses of various sects gathered in the Great Hall.

At the front of the hall, several rows of red sandalwood chairs were set. Seated in the center was a middle-aged Taoist in a black robe and a purple-gold crown, his face gaunt and his long beard hanging to his chest.

To his left and right were figures who could cause an earthquake in the martial arts world with a single stomp: the First Seat of the Shaolin Bodhidharma Academy, the Sect Leader of Emei, the Sect Leader of Kongtong, the Sect Leader of Qingcheng, as well as numerous heads of aristocratic families and leaders of powerful gangs.

Unfortunately, this “grand occasion” was not for celebration, but for the encirclement and suppression of a so-called “demoness.”

“Daoist! Today you must uphold justice for my son! That Si Xiaoxiao has gone too far!” A middle-aged man dressed in a scholar’s robe, looking refined and gentle, suddenly slammed the tea table beside him, causing the lid of a high-quality purple clay teapot to jump.

He was so angry his beard fluttered and his eyes bulged: “My son merely took a lowly concubine—what crime is that? How could that demoness justify destroying his family line?”

When Si Xiaoxiao had fought her way through the sects that day, she hadn’t killed everyone; she had arrived with a stack of indictments, which led to this opening complaint.

Beside him, a burly, muscular man in short-sleeved attire shouted in a voice like a booming bell: “My sect kindly took in baby girls; it should have been their honor to sacrifice themselves for the sect!! A mere woman! To know kindness but not repay it! She is truly a poisonous woman!”

The Sect Leader of the Kongtong Sect snorted coldly, his knuckles turning white from clenching, his gaze cold and calculating: “She only dared to commit such violence because the elders of each family were in seclusion and unable to act! If our generation strikes with full force, how could we allow her to be so arrogant?!”

An elder in his sect, unable to bear seeing the young talents injured, had moved against Si Xiaoxiao only to be defeated and left bedridden with heavy injuries. This was a massive blow to the leader’s prestige, and this time, he was determined to personally seek revenge.

“She is a mere woman, yet her progress in martial arts is so rapid; it must have been stolen from her father and brother. It is regrettable that my Brother Si, out of fatherly affection, failed to strike with full force…” The Sect Leader of the Qingcheng Sect interjected sinisterly, his tone carrying a hint of undetectable greed: “This elimination of evil is naturally to avenge my brother! It is only right that the secret manuals of the Hidden Sword Villa return to the orthodox martial arts world! We shall study them together to ensure they don’t fall into the hands of those with crooked hearts again!”

As soon as these words were spoken, strange glints flashed in the eyes of many present, as they silently calculated how much profit could be gained from this venture.

The Taoist sitting in the primary seat slowly opened his half-closed eyes. His gaze swept across the hall, his voice peaceful yet carrying an unquestionable authority: “What the sect leaders say is reasonable. The woman Si Xiaoxiao acts willfully and has committed deep slaughters, shaking the foundations of the world. She has indeed fallen into the demonic path, and heaven and earth cannot tolerate her.”

He paused and continued: “Our righteous martial arts path is connected by branches and roots; how can we sit by and watch the demonic flames grow arrogant? Gathering at Wudang today is to settle a plan, to gather our strength, and to ensure this demon and her cronies are wiped out in one fell swoop, returning a bright and clear sky to the martial arts world!”

“The Master is right!” “Eradicate the demoness! Restore our clarity!” “Justice will prevail!”

A chorus of agreement erupted below, the crowd impassioned as if Si Xiaoxiao were already a turtle in a jar, merely waiting for them to reach out and seize her.

However, just as this “unity of will” and the atmosphere reached its climax—

“Heh… A fine ‘bright and clear sky’ indeed! A fine group of ‘paragons of righteousness’!”

A voice—arrogant, unbridled, yet filled with endless mockery and killing intent—sounded above the hall like a phantom, without any warning!

The voice wasn’t loud, yet it entered the ears of everyone present clearly, like a sudden clap of thunder!

Countless gazes turned upward in horror!

There, at the highest point of the towering hall, atop the sacred and majestic flying eaves of the coiled dragon, two figures stood quietly at some unknown moment. Their robes fluttered in the whistling mountain wind, appearing like immortals descending to the world, or perhaps demon lords bringing calamity.

The one in front stood tall and straight, dressed in a red robe as vibrant as fire, her long hair simply tied with a jade hairpin. Her face was extraordinarily beautiful. She stood with her hands behind her back, her gaze like two physical ice picks sweeping over the “venerables of the martial arts world” below, her lips curled in a faint, extremely contemptuous sneer.

Her gaze, sharp as a blade, swept over the man in the scholar’s robe, the burly man, and the leaders of the Kongtong and Qingcheng sects, scolding them into the dirt.

“Do you know that your son’s ‘concubine’ was kidnapped? And you—your mother worked hard to give you life, yet you watched your father sell her away; why don’t I see you killing your father to repay the grace of your mother’s birth? As for you two, you are even more ridiculous: one couldn’t beat me, and the other says my father let me win. Why are you both so eager to become eunuchs?!”

Every word pierced the heart; every sentence drew blood!

The faces of those named turned pale instantly, then flushed red as blood. They trembled with rage, wanting to retort, but were rendered speechless by the chill in her gaze and the sharp reality of her words.

“You… Si Xiaoxiao! You dare to trespass on the sacred ground of Wudang!” Seeing Si Xiaoxiao’s overwhelming momentum, the old Taoist could no longer tolerate her shouting. His expression changed violently as he stood up abruptly, his wide Taoist sleeves moving without wind—his aura was terrifying.

He was, after all, an old monster who had practiced martial arts for many years; his internal power was indeed exceptionally profound.

“Sacred ground?” Si Xiaoxiao sneered, her voice full of irony: “A place that hides filth and harbors such petty, grasping people deserves to be called a sacred ground? I came today merely to see which hypocrites were here discussing how to carve up my belongings and how to stifle the path of survival for women!”

Her gaze was like lightning, shooting straight at the lead Taoist: “Old ox-nose, didn’t you just say you wanted to ‘return a bright and clear sky to the martial arts world’? In my view, this Mount Wudang is quite filthy. Why don’t I… give it a cleaning!”

Before her voice had even faded, the moon-white figure behind her moved!

Li Ting’s figure was like a ghost. The crowd only felt a blur before their eyes as she vanished from the eaves. In the next instant, a bone-chilling sword light, like a falling crescent moon from the nine heavens—carrying a desolate beauty and a coldness that could freeze all things—ignored the distance of space and struck directly at the primary seat where Master Qingxu sat!

“Sect Leader, watch out!” “Demoness, how dare you!” “Quickly, form the formation!”

The hall fell into chaos. Cries of alarm, angry roars, and the sound of weapons being unsheathed rang out in a jumble.

The Master was, after all, a titan of the martial arts world. Though startled, he was not panicked. The pure Taiji profound energy within his body was instantly pushed to its peak. He crossed his palms, tracing a perfectly round Taiji Qi energy, intending to meet this earth-shattering sword strike head-on!

He was confident that with his sixty years of pure internal power, even if this demoness’s sword technique was bizarre, she could not hope to easily break through his defense.

However—

“Screech—!”

A slight, yet tooth-grating sound of tearing rang out.

That Taiji Qi energy, which seemed indestructible and imbued with the profound principles of heaven and earth, was sliced effortlessly down the middle by that cold, crescent-like sword light—just like a hot knife through butter!

The sword light did not slow down in the slightest. It pierced the core of the energy with absolute precision and, under the incredulous, horrified gaze of Master Qingxu, flashed past in an instant!

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Master Qingxu remained frozen in place, his palms still pushed forward. The fury on his face had not yet faded, but his pupils were rapidly dilating. A hairline-thin red streak slowly spread downward from the center of his brow, passing over the bridge of his nose, his lips, his chin… Finally, his entire body began to slide apart along that bloodline to both sides!

Thump! Thump!

The two halves of the corpse hit the ground. Blood and organs spilled everywhere, instantly turning the solemn front of the Zhenwu Great Hall into a gory, eye-popping mess!

The Sect Leader and True Master of the Wudang Sect was, incredibly, killed on the spot!

One move!

Just one single move!

And it wasn’t even Si Xiaoxiao herself who struck! It was the other unknown figure beside her!

This Wudang Sect Leader, hailed as one of the towering pillars of the righteous path, had failed to put up even a semblance of a decent fight before his body was split asunder, dying a most miserable death!

The entire venue fell into a dead silence!

You could hear a pin drop!

Everyone was stunned by this terrifyingly exquisite and utterly ruthless scene.

Fear, like a cold snake, instantly coiled around everyone’s hearts, making them afraid to even draw a breath.

Li Ting slowly returned her sword to its scabbard, her movements elegant and composed, as if she had just casually brushed away a fallen leaf.

She didn’t spare a single glance at the corpse on the ground. Her gaze swept once more over the pale, trembling “heroes of the righteous path.” The indifference and contempt in her eyes were more lethal than any words could ever be.

Si Xiaoxiao’s voice rang out again, breaking the suffocating silence with a chilling, declarative tone:

“Give the world to men, and you bring nothing but hunger and war. Therefore, the world rightfully belongs to women! It’s high time the heavens changed!”

Leaving behind this declaration of war—thick with the scent of blood and slaughter—Si Xiaoxiao and Li Ting ignored the panicked, chaotic crowd below. With a flicker of their figures, they vanished into the shadows like ghosts. Within a few leaps, the two of them, hand in hand, disappeared into the vast sea of clouds and dense forests of Mount Wudang.

They left behind only the stench of blood, the split corpse of the Wudang Master, and a group of “righteous heroes” who, just moments ago, were high-spirited but were now scared out of their wits.

Of course, every stylish exit comes with a price.

Just after leaving Wudang, the once-unbridled Si Xiaoxiao suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. She nearly lost her footing and pitched forward.

Li Ting was quick to support her, her fingertips pressing against Si Xiaoxiao’s pulse point, her expression growing increasingly solemn.

Yet, Si Xiaoxiao looked up as if nothing were wrong, smiling at Li Ting with a relaxed expression: “So, how was it? Was my expression just now cool or what?”

“I think you’re an idiot! Clearly… clearly…” Li Ting’s voice actually choked up for a moment.

If she had known… if she had only known, she shouldn’t have agreed…

Why was it Li Ting who struck the blow, but Si Xiaoxiao who was coughing up blood? For that, we need to turn the clock back ten-odd hours.

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