Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 230: Chapter 164: Intelligence Boost! Advent of the Vicious Being

Wan Ze’s expression changed slightly. He strode to the doorway, crouched behind a broken wall, and peered into the distance.

Beneath the Red Moon, a distant mountain was shrouded in a mass of darkness.

The darkness seemed like a living thing, roiling with what looked like countless tentacles.

Within the black mist, blinding flashes of light flickered, accompanied by rumbling tremors—a shocking sight.

...

”In the mountains... someone’s fighting!”

Wan Ze narrowed his eyes, about to take a closer look.

SWISH!

The sound of something cutting through the air came from behind him.

Wan Ze spun around abruptly.

The Broken Sword had appeared from nowhere, furtively hiding behind the doorframe. It revealed only half its blade as it peeked at the distant, darkness-shrouded mountain.

It looked just like a child hiding around a corner to watch the commotion.

Suddenly, a hand reached for it.

The Broken Sword seemed to sense it. Its pommel flicked up, and it dodged with a SWISH. Then it turned, ”staring” at Wan Ze in disbelief.

The blade trembled, shaking with anger.

’I saved this bastard last time!’

’And he dares to ambush me?!’

The Broken Sword shot into the air with a SWISH, its tip pointing at Wan Ze. It bobbed up and down frantically as if cussing him out... ’You ungrateful thing! Have you no conscience?!’

Wan Ze failed to grab it but didn’t feel awkward at all. He just pointed at the distant mountain.

”It’s not safe over there. Hide with me. Of course, you could also hide in my arms.”

The Broken Sword froze.

’Did I misunderstand him?’

But it was extremely wary. After a moment’s hesitation, it still didn’t approach.

Instead, it zipped over to the wall and scraped furiously, sending charred dust falling. It left a line of crooked characters: [My master told me to.]

Huh? It suddenly paused.

It couldn’t remember how to write the next word.

It remained frozen, the blade trembling slightly as if wracking its nonexistent brain.

”Told you to do what?” Wan Ze asked.

The Broken Sword quivered with urgency and scraped out another line:

[Body. Retr—(crossed out) Ret...]

Wan Ze stared at the jumble of nonsensical symbols for a second, then realization dawned.

”Retrieve the body? I know. It’ll be soon.”

He paused, his gaze falling upon the mountain shrouded in darkness. He patted the wooden stump beside him. ”We’re friends of a sort, aren’t we? Care to come have a seat?”

The Broken Sword retreated even farther.

Wan Ze: ”...”

’This little thing is hard to fool.’

The Broken Sword was about to leave when it suddenly flew back and quickly wrote on the wall:

[Danger. Don’t mo—]

It got stuck again.

It couldn’t finish the word.

But Wan Ze was in no mood to laugh. He followed the Broken Sword’s direction and looked toward the distant mountain, his brow furrowed.

”What in the world is happening in those mountains? Right, where’s your master? Could she be the one fighting?”

The Broken Sword dipped its tip.

”It really is her? Should I lend a hand?” Wan Ze held out his hand and casually flexed his wrist. ”My Swordsmanship is pretty strong, you know...”

He stepped forward.

He postured as if about to reach out.

Suddenly!

The Broken Sword shuddered violently!

A streak of golden light shot through the air from the distance and sank into its blade!

The Broken Sword went rigid with a SWISH, then shot off toward the mountains with a WHOOSH!

Wan Ze’s hand froze in midair.

’So close!!!!!’

The next second—

An incomparably brilliant beam of sword light rose from the mountains!

The radiance of the sword light was so immense it illuminated half the sky!

All the light of the Red Moon was suppressed. The only thing left between heaven and earth was that blinding white light. The sword beam fell, cleaving through the darkness and striking the mountain shrouded in black mist!

BOOM!!!

The entire mountain forest trembled!

Wan Ze stood at the entrance of the ruined temple, watching that world-splitting sword light, and sucked in a sharp breath.

’I still underestimated her Swordsmanship.’

’Okay, never mind.’

He took a deep breath, wanting to leave... but he didn’t.

He activated the Taiyin Breathing Technique and took two deep gulps of Moonlight.

Phase Spirit Yin triggered a frenzied tide of Moonlight.

The entire temple filled with Moonlight, which formed a massive vortex.

Just as Wan Ze was immersing himself in his Cultivation, he was startled awake.

「At the same time.」

The battle in the mountains suddenly stopped.

A terrifying Perception surged forth like a tide, rapidly sweeping across the entire mountain forest, across the ruined temple...

It was this ”lock-on” that had startled him.

The opponent’s undisguised presence made him feel as powerless as if he were facing the heavens and the earth themselves.

His expression changed.

He decisively severed the connection to his Spiritual Form!

...

BOOM!!!

The empty, ruined temple shook violently, as if seized by a giant, invisible hand.

As it teetered on the verge of collapse, a massive black shadow charged over from the distance, filled with rage!

”Which rat dares to spy on this monarch!”

The voice boomed like a clap of thunder, shaking the temple tiles until they rattled.

The True Monarch Statue watched helplessly as its ruined temple was about to be torn down by the villain, and it was filled with uncontrollable rage.

...

The Broken Sword hesitated, looking at the Female Sword Immortal.

The Female Sword Immortal tilted her head.

The Broken Sword wrote on the ground: [It’s him.]

The indifferent expression on the Female Sword Immortal’s face gradually came to life.

’He can’t die yet!’

She decisively gripped her sword and executed a Pulling Slash!

And at that very moment,

the Faceless True Monarch Statue charged out from the front of the black shadow. The twenty-foot-tall stone statue carried a heaven-shaking momentum as it threw a punch.

One from the front, one from behind.

This was the first, and so far, only time the Female Sword Immortal and the True Monarch Statue had joined forces.

BOOM!!!

The black shadow let out a blood-curdling howl.

Blood splattered, drenching the scorched earth. The blood was black as ink, and it sizzled where it landed, corroding craters into the ground.

The Female Sword Immortal sheathed her sword and stood still.

The True Monarch Statue hovered in midair.

The black shadow staggered back, drenched in blood. It stared viciously at the two bastards who had appeared out of nowhere, then quickly turned and vanished into the darkness once more.

The mountain forest fell silent again.

The red moonlight shone down quietly.

The True Monarch Statue silently looked toward the Female Sword Immortal, wary and perplexed. After a moment of silence, it clasped its fists in a salute.

However, the Female Sword Immortal didn’t even spare it a glance.

She ”gazed” toward the now-empty ruined temple...

The Broken Sword, meanwhile, was furiously writing on the ground: [That little bastard ran off on his own! He has no loyalty at all!]