Chapter 279 - 159: Dark Tide

Night descended, and the moon, like a fox’s eye, gazed indifferently upon the world. Stars hung in the sky, scattering their faint light over the land.

In the southwestern quarter of Guangping City, not far from the city center, stood an immense estate. A plaque above the gate bore the words "Yue Mansion," written in flamboyant calligraphy. Inside, pavilions and towers stood in dense clusters around a spacious training ground and various great halls. Any ordinary person could tell at a glance that this was no common place.

Yet, at this moment, the vast estate was unnervingly silent and deserted. Several figures suddenly appeared before the mansion. An old man with a goatee, dressed in ornate brocade robes, gazed at the empty scene within and could not help but speak.

"Don’t tell me it’s just as Zhen’an said? Has the Yue Family truly joined the All Living Beings Sect?"

At his words, everyone frowned. The All Living Beings Sect was the primary enemy of the Great Yuan; joining them was tantamount to rebellion. ’How could the Yue Family be so foolish? Can’t they even grasp something so basic? Or did the All Living Beings Sect offer them some treasure they couldn’t refuse?’ Speculation ran wild among the group.

Soon, one of the men spoke. It was Wang Zhen’an, a middle-aged man in a black robe with a longsword on his back and eyes as sharp as a hawk’s. "Let’s go inside and take a look."

At his words, the others ceased their speculation. The old man with the goatee added, "Then we’ll do as Zhen’an says. Let’s go have a look."

The group then stepped inside. Wang Zhen’an’s gaze swept across the courtyard. The furnishings looked brand new, as if they had never been used. ’Truly strange,’ he thought.

「Meanwhile」

Just as Wang Zhen’an and his men stepped into the Yue Family Mansion, thousands of miles away, deep within a range of overlapping, jagged mountains, towering cliffs shot up to pierce the clouds. The ravines between them were bottomless chasms, appearing all the more profound and terrifying under the night sky. And within a dim cave somewhere in these mountains...

DRIP! DRIP!

Inside the deep cave, droplets of water clinging to the rock wall would occasionally fall, shattering on the ground with a crisp sound.

"So... they’ve finally entered." A sinister voice echoed from the darkness. A crimson light flashed in the speaker’s eyes as a terrifying True Yuan aura pulsed from his body, making him seem all the more dreadful and terrifying in the gloom.

"Everything... is proceeding according to plan. In the end, Guangping City will belong to my Yue Family."

"It’s just a pity about Hongshan..." the man murmured to himself in the darkness.

Suddenly,

"Yue Zhentian, face your death!"

A mighty, resonant voice shattered the silent darkness, reverberating across the heavens.

An instant later, outside the mountain, a terrifying, thousand-zhang Palm Seal formed of pale blue True Yuan blotted out the sky. It crushed the very air as it smashed down with terrifying force toward the peak where the man was located!

Yue Zhentian’s pupils constricted. A look of stunned disbelief crossed his face. ’Who is it?’

The next moment, his figure flickered like a phantom and vanished.

BOOM!

The terrifying Palm Seal of pale blue True Yuan crashed down like a tidal wave, instantly shattering the mountain. Massive boulders tumbled into the abyss as dust and debris choked the air. The sound of the impact ripped through the silent night like a clap of thunder, echoing to the heavens.

Hovering in mid-air was Yue Zhentian. He was clad in a black Profound Robe, with a powerful Physique and a Square Face. A crimson light glinted in his eyes as he slowly spat out a few icy words: "It’s you, Lin Xuance!"

Facing him in mid-air was Lin Xuance, a middle-aged man in a white Daoist Robe, a longsword strapped to his back, his eyes as sharp as a hawk’s. He spoke first. "I never expected you to flee to a place like this." Then, with a sigh that spoke of his long and difficult search, Lin Ce added, "You were truly hard to find!"

Then his tone shifted, becoming icy and filled with intense killing intent. "But this time, it will be your last."

"Heh. I’ll admit, I’m surprised you managed to find me here," Yue Zhentian replied, clasping his hands behind his back, his expression serene.

’Lin Xuance... a top expert from the Guangping City Government. His Sword Technique is peerless and incisive, and he is also proficient in Water and Fire Techniques and Martial Techniques. His Cultivation has reached the True Martial Sixth Layer Early Stage. The man is terrifyingly strong.’

’But to deal with me,’ Yue Zhentian thought, ’he’s still not quite enough.’

A smirk touched the corners of Yue Zhentian’s lips. "Just you?!"

Lin Ce did not respond, his expression as calm as still water. But then, the corners of his lips curled into a smile. "That’s right. Just me!" He stamped a foot forward, and the full power of his True Martial Sixth Layer Cultivation erupted. A majestic torrent of True Yuan blasted out into the surroundings, causing the massive ancient trees below to tremble violently.

Immediately, terrifying flames erupted around Lin Ce, instantly enveloping the sky in a thousand-zhang radius. The moment they appeared, the air temperature skyrocketed, as if the world itself were being burned and refined in a great furnace.

An instant later, Lin Ce stomped hard on the air, sending out ripples like waves on water. His figure shot forward like a bolt of crimson lightning, tearing through the dark night sky. He clenched his hand into a fist, wreathed in terrifying flames.

He threw a single punch. The surrounding flames instantly condensed into a massive, thousand-zhang Fiery Flame Fist Seal that crushed the air before it, hurtling toward Yue Zhentian like a blazing sun bent on annihilation!

"Interesting. Worthy of your title as a top expert of Guangping City! Truly remarkable," Yue Zhentian commented with a hint of admiration, but then his eyes narrowed.

He watched the approaching Fist Seal, which blazed like a miniature sun. In the next instant, a terrifying, blood-red aura erupted from his body as he unleashed the full might of his own Cultivation—True Martial Sixth Layer Early Stage.