Urban Martial Saint

The people of the Church were clearly not a match for the Japanese ninjas, but they had no intention of engaging in a prolonged battle. As they fought, they gradually retreated and had already retreated to the other side of the cave.

The Great Lord’s strength hadn’t recovered, so he did not join the battle and was being protected by a few members of the Church. Meanwhile, these people beside him were whispering in English with him.

”Great Lord, are you sure we should enter this cave?” a man asked in a low voice, his voice so soft that only those nearby could hear. Ye Qing, standing two or three miles away, certainly could not hear a thing.

The Great Lord said in a deep voice, ”There’s no other choice left now. I forcibly used the ancestor’s power, and my strength won’t recover for quite some time. If we keep fighting like this, we’ll definitely be killed by these despicable Japanese. So, we can only take a chance!”

”But, is what’s inside this cave really what the Church’s predecessors speculated?” another man asked in a low voice. ”If we’re wrong, the Japanese ninjas won’t even need to act; we might die inside ourselves!”

The Great Lord fell silent for a moment, then said softly, ”The Church’s ancestors said that during the time of Guiguzi, several sacred ancestors guarding Huaxia vanished in succession, most likely dealt with by Guiguzi. Guiguzi was skilled in Taoist Formation, so it’s very likely he hid these ancestors. We’ve been vying for the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master not only to find clues about these ancestors but also because some even suspect that these ancestors might be trapped inside his tomb, suppressed by Guiguzi’s own body. And earlier, didn’t you see King Raph? So, I suspect the predecessors’ speculations are correct, and these ancestors might indeed be imprisoned in this tomb. The other caves might well house our ancestors!”

The Church’s people were clearly pondering this, and one of them said softly, ”But even if the ancestors are truly inside, what use is that? They’ve been suppressed, and with our power, what can we possibly change?”

”Don’t forget, I possess a portion of Dracula’s blood. Although I’m unable to use this power now, if this blood is sprinkled on a vampire ancestor, it could awaken their power, possibly breaking the suppression!” The Great Lord took a deep breath and said in a low voice, ”The grudges between the Church and Huaxia’s martial artists from ancient times to present must be concluded in this era. Huaxia’s Martial Path is already decayed. If an ancestor could escape, Huaxia’s Martial Path would surely be annihilated, and our dream of the Church ruling the world could finally be realized. If we can help an ancestor escape, we’d be the greatest heroes of the Church!”

These words ignited the Church members’ passion, and coupled with the unfavorable situation against the Japanese ninjas, they felt compelled to take a chance.

Despite hearing the Church members talking, the Japanese ninjas didn’t understand English, so naturally, they didn’t comprehend what was being discussed. They assumed the Church members were plotting against them. However, the Great Elder was not overly concerned, believing that in the cave, strength was the ultimate authority. The Church’s people lacked the strength, so what could they possibly do?

The only one who could understand English, Ye Qing, was still standing on the other side of the cave, so he hadn’t heard the conversation. It was at this time that the Church members slowly moved toward an entrance of one of the caves, seemingly intending to enter.

Ye Qing was observing the other cave entrances nearby when he noticed the Church members heading toward one of the doors, leaving him a bit puzzled. The Church members were obviously no match for the Japanese ninjas, so why were they heading toward that door? Could it be that they had some kind of trap behind that door?

This thought had just crossed his mind when Ye Qing recalled seeing King Raph earlier, and a realization hit. As Ye Qing had speculated, behind the five doors of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Formation, there were surely strange existences similar to King Raph. Moreover, it seemed the Church had some kind of connection with these existences. In this context, could it be that the Church intended to lead the Japanese ninjas to something like King Raph?

Thinking of this, Ye Qing was taken aback. After the Buddha’s Relic had been taken, King Raph lost control and could even move. If the Church finds another similar statue, and even if they don’t take the Buddha’s Relic right away, making that statue move would be terrifying. It’s not just about the Japanese ninjas being killed, but should such an existence break out of the cave and enter Huaxia, what kind of scene would it be?

It’s undeniable, just King Raph entering Huaxia would result in a bloody massacre. Those werewolves seemed to have an inherent enmity with humans, and once inside Huaxia, who knew how many lives would be lost to the fangs of wolves!

This thought left Ye Qing reluctant to hesitate, so he quickly followed them. By the time he rushed over, both the Japanese ninjas and the Church members had entered that door. Since this wasn’t the Death Gate, Ye Qing dashed inside without any concern. Hearing the sounds of combat in the distance, Ye Qing followed them and entered another spacious cave.

Truthfully, this cave was much larger than the one where King Raph was. The cave’s situation was quite similar to that of King Raph’s cave, with a colossal sculpture present, but this sculpture was of a Birdman.

Indeed, it was a Birdman, with human-like hands, feet, body, and face. However, it had two pairs of wings on its back, much like a bird, spread wide, as if ready to soar. Yet, a golden-glowing orb above its head was pressing down on it, preventing it from flying.

Everything resembled the situation in King Raph’s cave. Ye Qing was almost certain that if he removed the orb above the Birdman’s head, this sculpture would surely come to life and move. This Birdman surely had some inseparable connection with the Church.

Before Ye Qing could delve into his thoughts, the Church members were already clamoring. The loudest among them was the Great Lord, whose face changed upon seeing the Birdman, exclaiming in anger, ”Damn it, why is it part of the Church of the Light?”

Just as the Great Lord said this, he saw Ye Qing walking in from behind, causing him to abruptly stop his words. He knew Ye Qing understood English, so he refrained from speaking further, fearing Ye Qing might discover their secrets. Inwardly, he was shouting in frustration. Seeing this Birdman sculpture confirmed his suspicions were correct, but the problem was, this Birdman belonged to the Church of the Light, not their faction. Even with Dracula’s Blood, he couldn’t awaken this Birdman.

However, by hearing just that one line from the Great Lord, Ye Qing had practically guessed the Church’s intentions. It turned out they really did come for this sculpture, but for some unknown reason, things hadn’t gone as planned, prompting their angry shouts.

Since events hadn’t unfolded as the Church anticipated, Ye Qing didn’t need to worry much. While the Church members clashed with the Japanese ninjas, Ye Qing maneuvered directly beneath the Birdman sculpture.

Staring at the Birdman sculpture for a while, Ye Qing realized something that confirmed his suspicions: the eyes of this Birdman sculpture, like King Raph’s, were also alive. This meant, as Ye Qing had predicted, if he dislodged the Buddha’s Relic atop its head, the Birdman sculpture would undoubtedly revive.

The unexpected turn of events in this cave was too much for Ye Qing to fathom, so he didn’t even try to ponder further. With things at such a pass, since this Birdman sculpture was related to the Church, he couldn’t spare it under any circumstances. Moreover, Guiguzi had suppressed it here for a reason, indicating it wasn’t something good, and eliminating it was the best course of action.

With this mindset, Ye Qing drew the Tianzhu Sword, rushed to the Birdman sculpture, and swung the sword toward the Birdman’s wings.

Much like before, the sword’s strike clearly met some form of resistance. But soon, the three powers within Ye Qing poured into the Tianzhu Sword, slicing through the Birdman sculpture’s wings.

From a distance, the Church members gasped in shock at the sight. Especially the Great Lord, who was most knowledgeable about the Church’s history and well aware of the Birdman’s power. The fact that Ye Qing could chop the Birdman sculpture’s wings was utterly shocking. What kind of sword did Ye Qing wield to possess such might?

The Great Lord had seen this Tianzhu Sword before, but he was unaware that it was the Tianzhu Sword, nor did he know its origins. However, he clearly understood that with Ye Qing’s strength, unless wielding the Xuanyuan Sword, it would be impossible to shatter the Birdman sculpture. And since Ye Qing’s weapon was clearly not the Xuanyuan Sword, the sole explanation was that Ye Qing had harnessed the power of the Buddha’s Relic!

This thought made the Great Lord’s eyes blaze with fury as he looked at Ye Qing. Though the Birdman wasn’t of their kind, it was nevertheless a part of the Church, and now Ye Qing had shattered it. His anger could well be imagined. Moreover, the critical issue was Ye Qing had used the Buddha’s Relic, which was something they desperately needed. If he could seize the Buddha’s Relic from Ye Qing, he would have something to report back with!

But given the current situation, could he possibly take the Buddha’s Relic from Ye Qing’s hands?

The Great Lord wasn’t foolish. He knew the Birdman sculpture no longer served any purpose for them, and lingering here was tantamount to courting death. So, he made a decisive call, shouting, ”Retreat!”