Chapter 99

The Divine Martial Hall (99)

At the entrance of the hall.

The deserted martial hall was tranquil.

Only the light from the hall, which was brightly lit, pushed back the surrounding darkness.

Creak.

The door of the hall opened, and a person walked out.

It was a middle-aged man in his early fifties, exuding a strong sense of masculinity from his thick eyebrows and rugged jawline.

Ban Yuhai, the hall master of the Qingcheng First Martial Hall, stood still at the door for a moment, gazing at the approaching night mist.

Then he slowly took a deep breath.

The cool night air, filling his lungs, felt unusually sweet.

The faint mist climbing silently over the wall gave him a sense of unparalleled comfort as he immersed himself in it.

Ban Yuhai, who had been enjoying the serene night, lowered his head to look at the secret manual in his hand.

'It wasn’t just idle talk.'

The secret manual, which the former hall master had thrown to him, saying it was worth studying.

The sword technique was so obscure that even its title had been erased, making its origin unclear.

Naturally, he was initially skeptical.

Unless it was a masterpiece like the Seventy-Two Breaking Swords, he found it hard to believe that a sword technique without a name could be of any value.

However, his thoughts had changed recently.

After a month of delving into the manual, thinking it was a last-ditch effort, he had seen noticeable progress.

'A formidable man.'

Ban Yuhai’s gaze grew heavy as he thought of the new hall master, who was about to be inaugurated.

When he first appeared, not only Ban Yuhai but also many of the Qingcheng disciples were taken aback.

This was because the Qing disciples, who wore the blue robe, were believed to have all died during the Qingcheng Blood Incident in the past.

The former hall master, Yunshan Zhenren, not only allowed him the daoist name "Shanren" but also treated him with the utmost respect, seating him as the Grand Law Enforcer.

Not long after, a major accident occurred.

The former hall master, Yunshan Zhenren, had become a cripple, falling into the state of demonic possession during a martial arts competition where he was passing on the sect’s ultimate techniques.

Although Shanren, his opponent and senior disciple, urgently treated Yunshan Zhenren with Yun Qi Yao Xiang, once the demonic possession began, it was uncontrollable.

Yunshan Zhenren’s condition worsened over time, and he eventually abandoned his mortal body and ascended to immortality.

However, those who knew the truth understood that it was not a pleasant ascension but a death after suffering from convulsions and high fever for a fortnight.

In any case, the Qingcheng Sect, facing the absence of a hall master, had no other choice.

Naturally, one person was enthroned as the new hall master.

Shanren, who had been Yunshan Zhenren’s opponent and senior disciple, was the only one who possessed the highest level of the blue robe within the Qingcheng Sect.

However, Ban Yuhai knew the truth.

He had been present during the competition.

At the moment Yunshan Zhenren spat blood and fell, their eyes met on the competition stage. In that fleeting moment, Ban Yuhai clearly saw the murderous intent in Shanren’s eyes.

Ban Yuhai instinctively knew.

This was no mere accident.

While the naive daoists who had spent their lives practicing in the mountains might be deceived, he, who had seen all kinds of people, could not be fooled.

However, Ban Yuhai remained silent.

Not only because of his martial arts skills, but also because he lacked the confidence to face his background and mind-reading abilities.

One day, the newly appointed hall master quietly called him.

And handed him the secret manual containing the nameless sword technique.

How could he not know it was to keep him quiet?

'He probably also means to make me work like a dog.'

He was a man with great ambition.

His declaration to restore the Qingcheng Sect, which was barely holding a seat among the Nine Great Sects, and return it to its former glory had excited all the Qingcheng disciples.

The rapid expansion of the secular branches of the Qingcheng Sect, which bore the name of Qingcheng, was also a result of his decisions.

The reason he needed to infiltrate the Dark Dragon Hall and seize the Yanhu Village was also due to this.

Although it troubled him that the Dark Dragon Hall belonged to the White Society, the dice had already been thrown.

There was no turning back now.

And on the other hand, he trusted the hall master.

Or rather, he trusted the hall master’s ambition.

A man with such ambition would not discard someone as useful as himself.

If the Dark Dragon Hall had the White Society behind it, he had the Qingcheng Sect.

'Now, all I can do is wait.'

Just as Ban Yuhai nodded to steady his wavering heart, a loud thunderclap echoed from afar.

"......?"

Ban Yuhai looked puzzled because it was not a day that promised rain.

At that moment.

Bang!

A deafening explosion came from right next to him, and Ban Yuhai was so startled that he collapsed on the spot.

However, the explosion did not end there.

Boom!

Three consecutive shocks shook the entire building, and dust rained down from the swaying hall. Ban Yuhai hastily retreated, covered in the dust.

He was completely bewildered by the unexpected situation.

At first, he thought it might have been lightning, but it was not.

Ban Yuhai’s gaze turned to the source of the explosion, and his face paled.

A sword was embedded vertically in the pillar of the hall.

Not just the sword, but the entire scabbard was deeply embedded.

"......!"

Ban Yuhai was dumbfounded.

He could also embed a sword in a pillar, but the scabbard, not the sharp blade, had penetrated the wood.

'Who could it be?'

There were only a handful of people in the current martial world who could display such prowess.

If it had been aimed at him instead of the pillar?

The mere thought made him break out in a cold sweat.

While Ban Yuhai was still in a state of confusion, the disciples of the martial hall, startled by the unexpected noise, rushed out.

"Master!"

"Are you alright?"

"What is this......?"

Ban Yuhai raised his hand to calm the disciples.

Fortunately, the person who threw the sword did not seem to have any further intention of attacking.

Ban Yuhai cautiously approached the pillar where the scabbard was embedded.

At that moment, his eyes widened in shock.

The sword embedded in the pillar belonged to the disciples he had dispatched to monitor the Dark Dragon Hall.

Moreover, the sword was drenched in blood.

Ban Yuhai realized that something had gone terribly wrong with his disciples.

Looking around, Ban Yuhai shouted.

"All disciples, draw your swords!"

Although the Three Talents Sword Formation was considered a third-rate technique, the difference between having it and not having it was stark.

Especially in a situation like this, where the mist obstructed their vision, there was no more effective means than a sword formation.

Each disciple, taking charge of the Heaven, Earth, and Man positions, began to form the Three Talents Sword Formation in groups of three.

The Dark Dragon Hall’s martial artists quickly became disoriented by the coordinated attacks of the secular disciples.

Before long, they were at a disadvantage.

Seeing his subordinates fall and scream, Guo Yan’s eyes flared with anger.

He had to turn the tide somehow.

Judging that taking the leader’s head would be the most effective, Guo Yan immediately launched himself at Ban Yuhai.

"Die!"

Guo Yan, who had closed the distance in an instant, swung his hook-like hand.

It was his unique technique, the Dark Dragon Claw, capable of leaving a mark on stone.

Ban Yuhai hastily raised his sword to block the black hand that was charging at him.

However......

Clang!

The sword broke in the middle, powerless against the attack, and Ban Yuhai’s eyes filled with despair.

Then, a sudden realization flashed through his mind.

"Ah!"

Guo Yan, who had lunged forward to break Ban Yuhai’s neck, was startled and retreated.

A chilling sword aura had unexpectedly pierced his throat.

Although Guo Yan quickly retreated, a large chunk of flesh had been torn from his neck, and hot blood gushed out.

"Damn it!"

Seeing Guo Yan curse, Ban Yuhai finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had saved his life thanks to the secret technique he had recently mastered from the manual.

Poison began to fill Guo Yan’s eyes.

The amount of blood loss from the severed carotid artery was severe. If this continued, he would collapse before he could even fight properly. The surrounding situation was equally dire.

The initial intense battle had already tilted completely in favor of the Qingcheng secular martial hall.

"Hah."

Ban Yuhai let out a maniacal laugh.

With the situation as it was, what was there to hesitate about?

Even if he died, he intended to take everyone in this place with him.

"Hahahaha. Let’s all die together!"

"Be careful!"

Ban Yuhai, who had belatedly recalled Guo Yan’s nickname, "Poison Salt Demon," shouted to his disciples.

But it was too late.

Guo Yan had already begun to scatter poison salt in all directions.

Unlike Ban Yuhai, who had noticed and retreated to a safe distance, the disciples were in the worst possible situation.

Sizzle.

The poison salt burned through the disciples’ clothes, emitting smoke.

Soon, anguished screams echoed throughout the hall.

"Ah!"

"Ugh!"

Not only the Qingcheng First Hall’s disciples but also the Dark Dragon Hall’s martial artists, who were still gasping for breath, began to turn black in their faces and hands. They soon died.

It was a scene of corpses piled high and blood flowing like a sea.

Ban Yuhai’s eyes darkened at the horrific sight before him.