Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 968: Gathering of the Seven Stars

Due to the instinctive retreat of the group of daoist priests, there was no longer any obstacle between Xiao Longnu and Yin Zhiping. Remembering the despicable tactics he and Zhao Zhijing had employed, Xiao Longnu’s expression turned cold as she raised her sword and pointed it at his chest.

“Why don’t you resist?” Xiao Longnu frowned.

Yin Zhiping gave a bitter smile and said, “Longnu, I truly… truly owe you an apology. My sins are unforgivable. If dying by your sword can absolve my crimes, I would welcome it.”

Ever since he met Xiao Longnu, he had become infatuated, dreaming of her day and night. Later, incited by Zhao Zhijing, he foolishly went to drng Xiao Longnu, and afterward, he regretted it deeply, feeling as if he had desecrated his dream lover. He was filled with shame and anger, and had it not been for the heavy expectations of his master, he might have ended his own l!fe long ago.

Xiao Longnu was taken aback; she had not expected him to be so eager for death. Having never killed anyone before, she hesitated at this moment.

“Master, you mustn’t!” Seeing Yin Zhiping’s willing demeanor, Li Zhichang, Wang Zhitian, and others grew anxious. Although Zhang Zhiguang, Shen Zhifan, and the others also appeared worried on the surface, they were secretly delighted, hoping Xiao Longnu would strike quickly.

“You don’t need to say more!” Yin Zhiping waved his hand at them. As the leader, he commanded authority; the other daoist priests, though confused, dared not disobey his orders and had to stop.

Yin Zhiping turned back, gazing at the unparalleled beauty of the girl before him, a hint of obsession flashing in his eyes. “Longnu, I have only one wish before I die: I hope you can forgive me.”

“Speak,” Xiao Longnu replied indifferently.

“I know I have sinned deeply and have wronged you. My only request is to hear you personally forgive me before I die, so that I may rest in peace in the underworld,” Yin Zhiping said with immense sorrow, filling the Hall of the Three Pure Ones with a heavy atmosphere of grief.

Xiao Longnu was stunned, suddenly recalling the conversation she had overheard between him and Zhao Zhijing. A thought flashed through her mind: ‘Guo’er is so deeply in love with me and has vowed never to change his heart. But he suddenly decided to marry Guo girl, abandoning me without a second thought. He must have learned that I was almost sullied by this scoundrel and grew disgusted.’

Her thoughts were simple; although she had been following Yin Zhiping and Zhao Zhijing, she had never considered this matter. Suddenly reminded by Yin Zhiping’s words, her pity turned to hatred, and her anger intensified: “How can you expect me to forgive you!”

With a firm bite of her teeth, her right hand thrust the sword towards his chest, but having never killed anyone before, she hesitated as the sword approached him, despite her heart being filled with rage and sorrow.

Hearing that she was unwilling to forgive him, Yin Zhiping’s eyes dimmed, and despair washed over him. He simply leaned forward, meeting the sword’s tip, and the blade pierced through his chest.

“Master!” Witnessing this, all the daoist priests in the hall were left dumbfounded.

“Zhiping!” A furious roar suddenly came from the back of the hall, and everyone turned to see five daoists rushing out from behind the statues of the Three Pure Ones. It was Qiu Chuji, Liu Chuxuan, and the other five disciples of Quanzhen. It turned out that Song Defang had quietly slipped away to find the masters who were in seclusion in the Yuxu Cave on the back mountain.

Li Zhichang, Wang Zhitian, and the others were overjoyed at this sight, feeling a surge of confidence, and they choked out, “Master!” as they rushed forward.

Qiu Chuji had just arrived and witnessed his beloved disciple die unjustly. His heart felt as if it were being cut by a knife. He immediately leaped forward, his left hand sweeping across Xiao Longnu’s wrist while his right palm struck directly at her face.

Qiu Chuji’s martial arts were the best among the Seven Disciples of Quanzhen, and in this moment of urgency, his palm strike was incredibly powerful. Xiao Longnu, caught off guard, had her wrist brushed, causing her sword to slip from her grip.

She quickly regained her senses and, before the sword hit the ground, reached out to catch it, then thrust it forward, aiming at Qiu Chuji’s chest.

At that moment, Yin Zhiping cried out and collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from his wound. 

Xiao Longnu had pulled the sword from his body while simultaneously stabbing towards Qiu Chuji’s abdomen.

With this, the two swords combined their power, greatly increasing their might. Although Qiu Chuji’s martial arts were profound, within three moves, he was already in a flurry. Wang Chuyi saw the situation was not right and rushed in to assist, while the other disciples, having witnessed Xiao Longnu’s exquisite swordplay, did not dare to be careless and all joined the fray.

Song Qingshu walked over to Ouyang Feng with a strange expression. “It seems we won’t need to intervene,” he said, fully aware of Xiao Longnu’s martial prowess. With her ability to fight against multiple opponents and the combination of her two swords, she posed no danger to the Seven Disciples of Quanzhen.

Ouyang Feng also had a peculiar look on his face. “I didn’t expect the esteemed Quanzhen Sect to be challenged by a frail girl.”

In a battle among masters, every move was a matter of life and death, and no one dared to slack off. Thus, although Qiu Chuji and the others noticed Ouyang Feng, Qiu Qianren, and the others watching closely, they felt the situation in the hall was strange and hard to decipher. But now that they had engaged in battle, there was no time to inquire further.

Unfortunately, the five disciples of Quanzhen had just emerged from the Cognition Cave and, seeing Yin Zhiping stabbed, they hurriedly acted without carrying any weapons. Facing Xiao Longnu’s extraordinary sword techniques, they were at a disadvantage.

In an instant, Hao Datong and Liu Chuxuan were both struck by swords. They were concerned for their brother’s safety and refused to retreat, but then with a sound, Sun Bu’er was also hit by a sword on his shoulder.

The disciples of Quanzhen, seeing their master in danger, could not help but cry out in alarm.

Li Zhichang shouted, “Quick, bring weapons!” At this moment, the five disciples were unleashing their palm techniques, and the other disciples could not approach, so they could only throw swords one by one.

Xiao Longnu quickly swung her sword to deflect each sword thrown at her, sending them flying away. The longer swords were ineffective against her shorter reach, and the five disciples could not manage to grab a single weapon. Suddenly, with a clang, Xiao Longnu’s left-hand sword caught a flying sword, and she abruptly sent it back. Wang Chuyi was caught off guard and was struck in the corner of his left eye by this sword, resulting in four of the five disciples of Quanzhen being injured, and the outcome was clear.

Li Zhichang, Wang Zhitian, and the others were already filled with anger over Yin Zhiping’s death. Now, seeing their masters in peril, they no longer cared about wulin rules, and they all raised their swords and charged forward.

Song Qingshu frowned, while Ouyang Feng sneered repeatedly. “The disciples of Wang Chongyang truly are getting worse with each generation; they need both master and disciples to take on a little girl.”

Li Zhichang and the others felt their faces heat up, but as this matter concerned the survival of the Quanzhen Sect, they could not afford to care about such things. They pretended not to hear and continued charging forward with their swords raised.

Although their martial arts were far inferior to the five disciples of Quanzhen, they had weapons in hand, and as they rushed forward, they coordinated to activate the Heavenly Big Dipper Formation, making their situation appear much better than that of the five disciples of Quanzhen.

With the help of the other disciples, the five disciples of Quanzhen quickly broke free from the threat of Xiao Longnu’s dual swords. The five of them shouted in unison, standing shoulder to shoulder, either striking with their right palms or left palms, merging their powers into one, finally unleashing the ultimate move they had developed during their recent seclusion—”Gathering of the Seven Stars.”

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