Chapter 775
Chapter 775
A day passed. Shen Lang and Jin Mulan remained alone atop the cliff, while his fleet, Li Qianqiu, and all the other masters stayed over twenty li away at sea.
*Xue Che! It’s just me and Jin Mulan here. You have four Grandmasters and a dozen top experts by your side. Don’t you have the courage to come? Don’t you have the courage to kill me? If you don’t show up soon, I’m leaving.*
Though his goal was to lure Xue Che, being isolated on the cliff was incredibly boring for Shen Lang and Mulan. Besides, the place was too small and completely exposed. It was impossible to do anything in private, and Shen Lang certainly didn’t want others to see Mulan’s body.
This cliff top, less than ten square meters, was truly desolate. After seventeen hours, someone finally arrived. A Grandmaster swiftly scaled the cliff, followed by a second, a third, and a fourth—all the Grandmasters who had been with Xue Che appeared. They climbed to the peak and surrounded Shen Lang and Jin Mulan. After confirming there were no ambushes or dangers, and that Shen Lang’s fleet, Li Qianqiu, and Big Dummy were still twenty li away, the four Grandmasters sent a signal.
A short while later, Xue Che finally appeared. He, too, was a Grandmaster and quickly scaled the cliff to the top. Leading the other Grandmasters, Xue Che cornered Shen Lang and Jin Mulan on the narrow peak, leaving them completely isolated. The time had come to deliver the final blow!
***
The stone cliff top was barely a dozen square meters, its surface uneven with varying heights. The four Grandmasters each took a corner, while Xue Che stared at Shen Lang and Jin Mulan with a complex expression.
*What are those two wearing? It looks a little strange...*
Xue Che spoke.
“Su Nan said he deeply regretted making an enemy of you. He said if he could turn back time, he would never have touched the Jin Clan or you.”
Su Nan had indeed thought so, if only he could go back in time. If not for Shen Lang, Su Nan’s rebellion would have been a resounding success. The Su and Qiang clans would have already merged, and he might have even devoured the State of Qiang through his schemes.
“I’ve ended up just as wretched as Su Nan. Just as his clan was annihilated, my Xue Clan is nearly all dead. Su Nan was able to escape by sacrificing his clan, but the deaths of my family members have become meaningless.”
Shen Lang said.
“In a way, you killed the Xue Clan.”
“No, they died because of you. But let’s get back to the point. Su Nan regretted making an enemy of you, but I will never regret it. One cannot live life afraid of making enemies, unable to do anything. Life is a process of constantly triumphing over one’s enemies. I deeply admire those words you once said: ‘One should have no enemies under the heavens.’”
Shen Lang offered a faint smile.
“I know you’ve set a trap on this mountaintop, using yourself as bait to lure me in. You even sent Li Qianqiu and all your masters twenty li away to put us at ease.”
Not only that, but as if concerned that Xue Che’s side might not see them, Li Qianqiu, Big Dummy, and all of Shen Lang’s masters had been standing on the deck, enduring the sea breeze the entire time.
“I hesitated for a very, very long time. After all, I knew this was your trap. But in the end, I came.”
“Isn’t it because you have nothing left but me? Who are you going to take me to for a reward? What value do I have?”
Xue Che said nothing. Even as things had come to this, he kept his mouth tightly shut.
“Now that your fleet and Raging Tide City are finished, what will you use to make a comeback? You’re not a patient man; like me, you’re eager for immediate success. The Xue Clan’s trade routes in the South Sea and the Riptide Archipelago were all foundations laid by your father and ancestors. You used cunning schemes to rapidly advance your family’s enterprise, causing its power to explode. But you don’t like laying foundations. Su Nan has the patience to rebuild his clan, but you do not. What do you plan to do by capturing me? What great allure do I possess that you would come to capture me, knowing full well this is a trap?”
Once again, Xue Che acted as if he hadn't heard Shen Lang’s question and did not answer.
“A trap? I’ve thought it over many times. What kind of trap could you have set on this mountaintop? First, explosives? You blew up the mine tunnels and flooded them with seawater to drown Qiu Tianwei’s thirty-thousand-strong army. You also blew up and damaged the West Gate of the capital.”
“You know everything.”
“There are no secrets in this world. But the things you make are of mediocre power. To blow up the West Gate, you used several thousand catties of explosives, yet you only managed to damage it slightly. An explosive of that power would be useless on this mountaintop.”
That remark hit a sore spot for Shen Lang. The gunpowder’s potency was so weak that he had to use over a thousand catties every time he wanted to blow something up.
“Second, the Gu worms from Wu Daozi? Neurotoxins? You’ve used the Gu worm poison extracted from Xue Yin’s body many times. But you shouldn’t forget my relationship with Fudao Mountain. Everything you have, I have as well, and I even have things you don’t. Therefore, anything related to Gu worms will never be able to harm me.”
Shen Lang had to admit that was true.
“Third, a terrifying hallucinogen? One whiff and a person enters a state of psychosis. You’ve used that more than once. Fourth, the Nightmare Stone. The gem you obtained from His Majesty, the King of Yue, can launch a fatal attack on a person’s brain and nerves. But it has to be held close to the body to be effective. Fifth, a natural disaster? Will an earthquake strike, or will lightning fall from the sky?”
Shen Lang was amazed.
*Xue Che is truly a suspicious man. He’s considered almost every possibility.*
“You were able to predict the great tsunami last time. Therefore, I believe you might also know in advance when lightning will strike. But on this mountaintop, the lightning would have to strike only us, killing us while you manage to avoid it...”
Several people looked up at the sky, which was clear and cloudless. Would it be difficult for lightning to strike in such weather? At the very least, there should be a few dark clouds for lightning to form.
“I have truly considered every possibility and have come to the conclusion that I can evade every trap you’ve set. The key question is whether you and Jin Mulan can use a large-scale weapon of mass destruction on this mountaintop, but if you do, you two will find it difficult to escape as well.”
Xue Che took a long breath and continued, “This mountaintop is about a hundred zhang high, so even if you two had wings, you couldn’t escape. Jin Mulan’s martial arts are not high, but she is surprisingly agile. However, on our side, including myself, there are five Grandmasters. She would have trouble protecting even herself, let alone you. Therefore, it would be as easy as flipping our hands for the five of us to kill you both.”
Was that true? Probably. Though Mulan’s martial arts were formidable, she was likely no match for five Grandmasters. Xue Che said.
“Shen Lang, tell me. What is the trap you’ve prepared? Did I guess correctly?”
“You did.”
Xue Che was right. To date, Shen Lang had indeed only used those few methods.
“Then I will make my move. Don’t worry. I won’t defile Jin Mulan; I will slice her into pieces.”
As soon as Xue Che finished speaking, he slowly drew his sword, and the other four Grandmasters drew theirs as well.
*Boom!*
Suddenly, an explosion erupted on the mountaintop, and white smoke billowed out. Xue Che and the four Grandmasters immediately dodged away, holding their breath. They had already donned gas masks made by Fudao Mountain and were covered from head to toe, with not a single gap for wind to enter. Then, Shen Lang launched his second attack.
*Poof.*
Another weak, fart-like explosion sounded, and the mountaintop was filled with green, blue, and purple mist. It was three different types of Gu worms. Despite the Gu worm attack, Xue Che and the five Grandmasters remained unharmed. As he had said, Xue Che possessed all the Gu worms Shen Lang had, and even some he did not. Next, Shen Lang launched his third attack.
*Boom, boom, boom.*
Thermite flames erupted from several corners of the mountaintop, spraying sparks in all directions. For a moment, the explosions looked like a fireworks display. Seeing fireworks on a mountaintop in broad daylight was quite a sight. Xue Che and the five Grandmasters still did not move. Their clothes and bodies could not block the thermite flames, but they could use their internal energy and vital force to repel them.
“Is there more?”
Xue Che asked, and Shen Lang replied.
“There is!”
*Boom, boom, boom.*
Another round of smoke erupted, this time a neurotoxin. This, too, was a neurotoxin extracted from the Gu worms of Fudao Mountain that had been in Xue Yin’s body, but this time the quantity was unprecedented. However, once again, Xue Che and the five were unharmed. They were also immune to this neurotoxin.
“Is there still more? If you’ve used all your tricks, then it’s our turn to kill you.”
Shen Lang said bitterly.
“There’s one more thing.”
“Then I’ll wait.”
Shen Lang was like a magician. The attacks he had just unleashed were all like a magic show, completely unable to harm anyone. It was because his opponents were too strong. There were five Grandmasters, all of whom had close ties to Fudao Mountain.
Shen Lang took a deep breath, and in an instant, a surprisingly beautiful scene unfolded. Countless butterflies danced toward the five Grandmasters, an incredibly vibrant display. However, these were all venom-spitting butterflies gifted by Wu Daozi. The Grandmasters brandished their sharp swords, performing a sword dance, and in the next moment, the poison-spewing butterflies all plummeted to their gruesome deaths. In just a few seconds, every last one was dead.
“Shen Lang, do you have any other tricks up your sleeve? So far, you have been a great disappointment. Even a fart would have caused more of a stir.”
Shen Lang gave a bitter smile.
“I don’t.”
“Then it’s our turn to kill you. On this tiny mountaintop, you’ll find it hard to escape.”
“Come on, then! Though it’s not true that it’s hard to escape.”
“Aaargh! Die, die!”
Xue Che roared furiously. He and the four Grandmasters unleashed all their internal energy and charged at Shen Lang and Jin Mulan.
*The mountaintop is this small, Shen Lang. Are you going to escape into the sky? Or jump down the mountain? From a height of a hundred zhang, anyone who falls will surely die, unless they can cling to the middle of the cliff. But even if you do that, we can easily chase you down and kill you. Die, die! Shen Lang, Jin Mulan. We’ll mince you both and cook you into a soup. After killing you two, I will go to the Jin Clan and slaughter every last one of you. I will exterminate your Jin Clan. Die!*
With astonishing momentum, the five Grandmasters instantly reached the spot where Shen Lang and Mulan stood. Five swords, radiating a terrifying killing intent, swung down as if to dice the two of them. At that very moment, Jin Mulan wrapped her arms around Shen Lang and, with a powerful leap, jumped off the mountaintop.
*Do you think you can survive by jumping off the mountaintop? Unless you can cling to the middle of this cliff, you have no choice but to die, do you? Unless you can fly! But no one in this world can fly! Not the people of Fudao Mountain, nor the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion, nor even those from Sky-Scrying Tower or White Jade Capital can fly through the sky.*
But in the next moment, Xue Che and the Grandmasters were utterly stunned. Shen Lang and Jin Mulan were actually flying. They had jumped off the cliff at an incredible speed, but instead of falling, they soared into the sky and then glided slowly downward.