"They are here," Wu Jiahui said with a dark expression. As I chatted with the man in black, I turned my head toward the main entrance.
What met my eyes was still the rusty, battered iron gate. There was no one in sight.
"Xiao Wu, are you tired? Why don't you take a break and stop being so tense?"
Ignoring me, Wu Jiahui kept her eyes glued to the gate.
"Since you're already here, why bother hiding? That hardly befits the Wanfo Sect."
Worried that the smoke might have addled her nerves—though we were both wearing gas masks, a faint odor still lingered—I reached out to check if she had a fever. Before my hand could touch her forehead, she swatted my reaching paw away with a sharp slap.
Just as I was about to speak, an old monk stepped into my field of vision.
"Ha! As expected of the Deputy Pavilion Master of Yayue Pavilion. Seeing you today proves your reputation is well deserved. To think a mere Tier 6 Martial Artist could detect this old monk—I must say, you truly are a genius. If you were allowed to grow, you would undoubtedly rank among the top powerhouses of the Human Realm. Unfortunately, today you have crossed paths with this old monk, and you are destined to perish here."
"Hmph, you old bald donkey! You should have stayed safely in the Wanfo Sect instead of daring to come here and spout such brazen nonsense. Do you really think this young lady came unprepared? You greatly underestimate me, and you wildly overestimate yourself. Who lives and who dies today remains to be seen."
The old monk did not grow angry. He merely swept a casual glance around before his gaze finally locked onto me. Instantly, the hairs on my body stood on end as I felt as though I were being targeted by a ferocious beast.
Unintimidated, I glared right back at him.
"Old bald donkey, stop staring at me with those lecherous dog eyes, or this young master will gouge them out and feed them to the dogs!"
Displaying remarkable restraint, the old monk held his temper and simply said,
"You must be that reincarnated demon! Decent talent and plenty of nerve. It has been a long time since anyone dared speak to this old monk in that tone. I didn't expect to run into two such people today."
"If you want him dead, you aren't qualified. You'll have to get past me first," Wu Jiahui said, every word weighted with steel.
I looked at Wu Jiahui with gratitude. Meeting her was my greatest fortune; without her, I didn't know how many times I would have already died.
Fixing his gaze on Wu Jiahui, the old monk sneered, "Hmph, ignorant and suicidal bitch! This old monk will give you one more chance: hand him over, and I will spare your life. Otherwise, I will kill you first, and then him."
"Ridiculous! Old bald donkey, the humiliation of today is a debt this young master will repay a hundredfold in the future. You had better scrub your neck clean and wait for this young master to come take your head—or rather, your dog's head!"
Hearing the old monk threaten Wu Jiahui filled me with a blazing fury, making me yearn to tear him apart and scatter his ashes. I hated my own weakness, hated that I was being used to threaten the person I cared about most without even possessing the slightest ability to protect myself.
I had asked Wu Jiahui earlier why we didn't just run. Wouldn't they fail to catch us if we fled? Why did we have to stay and fight? It turned out they had planted explosives along our only possible route of escape. If we ran, innocent lives would inevitably be implicated. These ruthless madmen had exhausted every possible means just to kill me.
Enraged by my words, the old monk barked furiously, "Audacious brat! You had better pray you survive today! This old monk will make sure you die a thorough, irrevocable death."
Fixing a cold stare on the old monk, Wu Jiahui kept stalling for time. Every extra moment bought us a shred of hope.
"Old bald donkey, is that Fortune Teller from Tianfo Temple with you? Drag him out here and let this young lady see who has the guts to make an enemy of Yayue Pavilion!"
The old monk laughed out loud. "As expected, nothing escapes your notice. If you weren't a woman, I'd almost think you were the reincarnation of the Victorious Fighting Buddha. Indeed, that scoundrel is with this old monk, but he has already slipped away. If you want him dead, you can go chase him right now."
Naturally, the old monk knew Wu Jiahui wouldn't abandon me to hunt down the mysterious Fortune Teller, nor did he harbor any such illusions—he was simply trying to nauseate Wu Jiahui.
Without a word, Wu Jiahui kept her unblinking eyes locked onto the old monk, guarding against any sudden attack.
"Hmph, Zhao Jingyou, you've done well for yourself. Having betrayed the Buddha, you won't leave this place alive today either. This old monk will purge the sect in your master's name."
Standing to the side, Zhao Jingyou's face turned ashen. He lowered his head and remained silent—not because he didn't want to retort, but because he dared not. Knowing full well all the preparations Wu Jiahui had made, he certainly didn't dare act rashly. Besides, he was in love with Wu Jiahui and had no desire to give her up, even if it meant dying alongside her today.
What the old monk did not know was that a Tier 6 peak Martial Artist was still hiding in the shadows. This was Wu Jiahui's trump card. Relying solely on her Tier 6 strength was nowhere near enough to match the enemy; adding one more person wouldn't change the odds, but it would at least buy us a significant amount of time.
A young monk standing beside the old monk chimed in with a sinister tone, "Master, let's strike! Let's settle this quickly. They are just buying time—they definitely have reinforcements. If we wait until their backup arrives, all our efforts will go to waste."
With a backhanded slap, the old monk struck the young monk so hard that stars danced before his eyes.
"Does this master not know they are stalling? Do I need you to remind me? Get out of my sight!"
Nursing his grievances without the courage to voice them, the young monk lowered his head in silence, his eyes burning with resentment.
"Attack!" At the old monk's command, more than thirty monks charged forward brandishing broadswords.
The men in black and the other Cultivators who had arrived to reinforce us let out battle cries, drawing their various weapons to charge into the fray and engage the enemy. Though our side was generally weaker in overall strength, we had greater numbers—over forty people in total.
Zhao Jingyou also drew his long saber to help. Catching sight of Zhao Jingyou—who had just slain two Tier 4 monks—the old monk flew into a rage. "Zhao Jingyou, you scum! You don't even spare your own people! Traitor, motherfucker, watch this old monk use you as a sacrifice for my blade!"
With that, the old monk lunged at Zhao Jingyou with his broadsword. How could Wu Jiahui let him have his way? She drew an exquisite longsword and blocked the old monk's assault.
Clang! The sound of colliding metal rang out. Wu Jiahui was knocked back repeatedly, the skin between her thumb and forefinger splitting open to ooze trickles of blood. Her slender fingers were stained crimson, a sight that tugged painfully at the heart. The old monk, by contrast, merely took a single step back and remained completely unharmed.
Exhaling a breath of stale air, Wu Jiahui gritted her teeth against the sharp pain, gripped her sword hilt tightly, and stared unmovingly at the old monk.
The old monk was secretly startled. Although he had only used seventy percent of his strength, it was still more than a Tier 6 Mid Stage Martial Artist should have been able to block.
"You certainly have some skill, managing to block seventy percent of my power. Not bad. But you are still going to die today."
"Hmph, old bald donkey, don't celebrate too early. Even if I can't kill you, there are plenty of people who can."
"Old man, if she alone can't stop you, what about with me?"
A young man strode forward carrying a long spear on his back.
"Senior Sister, are you alright? There was a traffic jam on the way here, so I had to walk."
Wu Jiahui shook her head. "I won't die."
"You?" Recognizing the newcomer, the old monk's expression froze in shock.