Chapter Eighty-Seven: The Seven Sects Unite

The sudden turn of events stunned everyone. They stared at Yue Buqun in disbelief.

No one had expected him to launch a surprise attack on Cloud Crane.

Xie Xun saw what was happening and was about to move, but Ning Zhongze reacted swiftly and darted in front of him. The disciples immediately encircled Xie Xun.

With Xie Xun restrained, the hall erupted in uproar.

"Didn’t Yue Buqun already fall into darkness and join forces with Cloud Crane?"

"Why would he suddenly strike at Cloud Crane?"

"How foolish. It’s obvious he was working with Cloud Crane on purpose, just waiting for a chance to kill him."

Hearing this explanation, everyone finally understood. They had all misunderstood Yue Buqun before, and could not help but feel respect for him.

No one had imagined that Yue Buqun would endure such humiliation for the sake of destroying that scourge, Cloud Crane.

Everyone in the martial world knew that Cloud Crane’s skill had now become extraordinary, and killing him was no easy matter.

This was the only way to achieve the goal.

Dealing with evil and heretical scum required no sense of honor.

Just then, someone spoke again: "I said long ago that Yue Buqun has always borne the reputation of the Gentleman's Sword. There was no way he would sink so low. You still didn’t believe me, but now that the facts are right in front of you, surely you can believe what I said."

Unfortunately, no one paid attention to him now. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the stage.

Cloud Crane sensed the fierce sword aura coming from behind him, and his face darkened with fury.

"Damned it! Yue Buqun, you shameless backstabbing bastard, you dare betray me!"

Left Cold Zen let out a cold laugh. "Blame yourself for trusting others too much. Die!"

True energy surged violently from within him, binding Cloud Crane so tightly that he could not move.

Cloud Crane had no time to argue with Left Cold Zen. The Northern Darkness Divine Skill began to whirl within him, and he turned his gaze toward the man, snarling, "Even if I die, I’ll drag you down with me!"

The words had barely fallen when Left Cold Zen’s expression changed drastically. The true energy in his body suddenly slipped from his control and poured into Cloud Crane like a tidal wave.

"The Star-Sucking Art of Ren Woxing? How is this possible?" he cried in terror.

At this rate, in no more than a moment, Cloud Crane would drain him dry.

Realizing this, Left Cold Zen hurriedly shouted, "Yue Buqun, quickly, kill him!"

His voice was filled with panic.

Yue Buqun was startled upon hearing this. He drove his internal force to its limit, and the momentum of his sword strike grew even faster.

Even now, he did not forget to call out, "Fellow sect masters, I beg you to lend me your strength and help me slay this fiend together!"

He did not even need to remind them. The moment Yue Buqun made his move, they had already reacted, each gathering their strongest blow and striking at Cloud Crane in succession.

Yue Buqun’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he laughed coldly: with the combined force of several sect masters, even if Cloud Crane’s martial arts are unrivaled in the world, he will still be gravely injured!

With that thought, he looked toward Left Cold Zen, whose face was growing ever paler, and the smile at the corner of his mouth deepened.

By then, once Cloud Crane was killed, not only would the humiliation of the Mount Hua Sect be washed away, but Left Cold Zen would also be too badly injured to fight. Who on earth could still be Yue Buqun’s match?

At that time, the position of supreme leader of the seven sects would be rightfully his. He would unify the martial world and raise Mount Hua to heights it had never known before.

Just as the longsword was about to pierce Cloud Crane’s back, Xie Xun below the stage watched anxiously, wanting to intervene. But seeing Ning Zhongze standing before him, he finally gave up the idea of moving.

For Cloud Crane had repeatedly warned him: under no circumstances must a single hair on Ning Zhongze’s head be harmed!

Cloud Crane, you still haven’t helped me avenge my blood debts. You absolutely cannot die. If you do, I will grind your bones to dust.

With that thought, under the wary gazes of the disciples and Ning Zhongze’s guarded stare, he slowly closed his eyes and sat down in the chair.

Ning Zhongze let out a breath of relief and looked back toward the stage.

With the combined attack of the great sect masters, Cloud Crane surely had no path to survival.

As this thought flashed through everyone’s mind, a sudden change erupted!

An extraordinarily powerful surge of true energy burst forth from Cloud Crane’s body, forcibly blocking the attacks of the sect masters.

The smile at the corner of Yue Buqun’s mouth had only just widened before it froze completely on his face.

That true energy was vast and boundless, while he and the other sect masters were nothing more than a small boat in a raging sea.

The waves crashed down, and the danger of capsizing loomed at any moment!

Before the thought could settle, one of the sect masters could not withstand such a terrifying onslaught of true energy. His body was struck flying backward, then crashed heavily to the ground.

Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, staining his face red, and his aura weakened to the extreme.

It was clear he had suffered a grave internal injury.

Yue Buqun looked at Cloud Crane’s back, now only a hair’s breadth away, and a trace of dread surfaced in his eyes.

He had believed he had already thought highly enough of Cloud Crane, which was why he had secretly joined forces with Left Cold Zen and the other sect masters to strike together.

Yet he had still underestimated Cloud Crane’s current martial power.

The longsword in his hand was no more than a fraction away from Cloud Crane’s back.

But that tiny distance felt like an impassable chasm.

No matter how Yue Buqun exhausted his every skill, he could not advance even a single inch.

And in those brief moments, the masters of the major sects were injured one after another and fell to the ground, no longer able to fight.

Only Yue Buqun remained, barely sustaining himself with the profound inner force cultivated through the Violet Dawn Divine Skill.

At this point, Cloud Crane no longer showed the slightest trace of panic. A faint, mocking smile played at the corner of his lips.

"It seems the two of you together are still no match for me."

Even if Left Cold Zen were a fool, he now understood that Cloud Crane had played him for a fool.

His earlier weakness had been deliberate, all for this moment.

Unfortunately, he understood too late. It was already impossible for him to leave.

Cloud Crane’s palm was clamped onto him like a magnet, and no matter what Left Cold Zen did, it was useless.

He could only watch helplessly as Cloud Crane gradually drained away the true energy within him.

Cloud Crane looked at Left Cold Zen with a cold smile. His Northern Darkness Divine Skill was not something as inferior as Ren Woxing’s Star-Sucking Art could compare to.

At the crucial moment, Left Cold Zen had thought of condensing internal force into ice to counter the Star-Sucking Art.

Cloud Crane would not give him that chance.

When one cuts the weeds, one must pull out the roots.

With that thought, killing intent flashed wildly through Cloud Crane’s heart as he drove the Northern Darkness Divine Skill to its absolute limit.

Under Left Cold Zen’s despairing gaze, he sucked clean the true energy the man had spent half his life cultivating.

With the last trace of internal force drawn from his body, Left Cold Zen’s frame collapsed to the ground like a heap of mud.

Cloud Crane felt the powerful true energy surging through his meridians, and a look of satisfaction appeared on his face.

Then he turned around and looked at Yue Buqun before him with amused eyes, the corners of his mouth lifting in a mocking smile.

"Father-in-law, now it is time to settle the score between us."

Cloud Crane said coldly.

As soon as the words fell, the aura around him suddenly surged.

At last Yue Buqun could no longer hold on. His body staggered backward, his chest roiling with violent blood and qi. In the end he spat out a mouthful of blood, his aura fading to weakness.

He raised his head, his face full of shock, his voice turning to terror from the sheer horror of it all.