120 The Cause of the Shura Pass World

The torrential rain blurred the expressions of the opposing sides, yet the escalating bloodlust between them grew ever more intense with each passing moment.

"Kill!" Pingshi brought his hand down. The circle of Daoists surrounding them immediately drew their weapons and charged at Guan Shiyin and his men.

"Brothers, attack!" Guan Shiyin flung his bamboo hat, using it as a hidden weapon against the first charging Daoist. With his other hand, he snapped his sword from its sheath and lunged straight toward Pingshi.

He knew for certain that the plan at the Imperial Palace must have failed, but his side still held control of the city gate tower. This struggle for the Qitian Daoist Temple was the most critical juncture in determining which side would gain the upper hand in the battles to come. If he secured the temple, he could surround the entire capital city, leaving the Crown Prince’s faction trapped within the palace. But if Pingshi took the temple, the gate tower—held only by Jietang—would likely not hold for long. They would then be caught in a pincer attack with no hope of recovery. And as for Fang Rulai, who was still inside the city...

He could not afford to think about that now. He could not lose this fight!

Sword energy surged like a rainbow; bloodlust paved the way. Every strike was lethal; every blade was stained crimson.

The rain and mist turned into a crimson haze, making it impossible to distinguish the heads from the bodies of the Daoists closing in on him. Very well, then he would not look! His men had been skillfully separated from him by these Daoists, which was just as well; he no longer had to worry about harming his own brothers.

Guan Shiyin closed his eyes with grim resolve.

He had practiced martial arts in secret since childhood, rarely showing his skills to avoid attention. Pingcheng was the first time he had fought with such liberation. Fang Rulai loved that ferocity, and so did he. He was a man! He had been forced to dress as a woman since he was young, a source of constant frustration, and he had been forced to hold back in every fight. He had endured enough!

Now that the standoff had moved from the shadows into the light, he no longer had to pretend.

It felt magnificent!

He pushed his internal energy to its absolute limit, heedless of the strain. With Pingshi’s position burned into his mind, he ignored the incoming blades and energy blasts, charging straight ahead.

A sword thrust from his left; he leaned back, dodging it. His left hand rose, snaking out like a viper to coil around the man’s arm. He followed the limb up to the neck—and squeezed. *Crack!* The sound of the neck bone snapping pierced through the roar of the rain. He didn't care about the collapsing body; his left arm shot out, snatched the man's longsword, and returned in a flash.

A blade wind attacked from behind. He tilted his head, twisting his left hand to launch the stolen sword like an arrow. The sound of steel piercing flesh silenced the attacker.

He bounded forward three steps, meeting a sword and saber simultaneously. A bloodthirsty grin curled his lips. He spun his sword, shifting to a reverse grip. With a push from his toes, he vaulted into the air, twisting his body horizontally. His opponents, caught off guard by his supernatural lightness skill, faltered for a heartbeat. In that instant, Guan Shiyin’s reverse-held blade flashed. Two more bodies fell to the ground.

*Boom—!* Thunder roared, and lightning rent the sky.

In the cold, harsh light of the flash, the Daoists facing Guan Shiyin retreated three steps in unison. Covered in blood, Guan Shiyin appeared like an Asura incarnate!

"Shoot him! Shoot him now!" Kongkongzi shrieked from behind Pingshi. He was the apple of the Crown Prince's eye; he could not die here.

"No shooting!" Pingshi roared, grabbing Kongkongzi by the collar and dragging him to the front. "Do not treat the men dying for you as if they are worthless! A single order of yours could result in friendly fire! I have spent over a decade raising these men in secret, not to see them die by your arrows!"

Kongkongzi clawed at Pingshi’s hand, his face flushing purple, but he couldn't break the grip. "Let go! You are no longer the Imperial Uncle! How dare you show me such disrespect! Once I return to the palace, I will report this to the Crown Prince and see that you are ruined!"

When Kongkongzi had gained the Crown Prince's favor, Pingshi had already been in Pingcheng. He only knew that the Crown Prince’s contact in Pingcheng was a man named Pingshi, and he had only just learned from Guan Shiyin that this man was the former Imperial Uncle. But so what? The Ji family had been wiped out over a decade ago. Did he dare show his face openly?

He, on the other hand, was the Crown Prince's most favored courtier!

Kongkongzi’s expression grew even more arrogant. "If you let go now, it is not too late. For the sake of our shared service to the Prince, I will show mercy and spare your life."

Pingshi’s rage suddenly vanished, replaced by a cold, mirthless smile. "Oh."

Kongkongzi assumed he was afraid and relaxed his grip on Pingshi’s fingers. "That is better. Now, let go and focus on the enemy. Why don't you fight him yourself? You are... wait, what are you doing?"

Before he could finish, Pingshi held him by the collar with one hand and grabbed his knees with the other, hoisting him horizontally above his head.

Kongkongzi’s face turned as white as a corpse. "Y-you..." He couldn't even finish his sentence, as Pingshi’s crouch made his intentions terrifyingly clear.

He was going to...

*Whoosh!* Pingshi exerted his strength and hurled Kongkongzi forward—directly into the path of the oncoming Guan Shiyin.

Kongkongzi flailed in mid-air. "Save me! Save me! If the Crown Prince finds out you stood by and watched, none of you will survive!"

Pingshi clapped his hands. "Did you all see anything?"

The Daoists answered in unison, "No! We saw nothing!" They had long held grudges against being suppressed by a effeminate sycophant. What was that? He had ordered the archers to fire regardless of their lives just to protect himself? To hell with him; he should have died long ago!

"Hey, you..." Kongkongzi tried to plead, but it was too late.

Guan Shiyin had arrived.

With a brutal downward slash, Kongkongzi watched in horror as his lower half hit the ground first. In his final moment, he heard Pingshi’s voice: "Daoist Kongkongzi has died at the hands of the enemy for the sake of the Crown Prince! Everyone, avenge him! Kill!"

Whether anyone echoed the call or actually rushed forward to avenge him, he no longer knew.

Guan Shiyin, eyes still closed, stepped over his chest without feeling a thing.

The heavy rain poured on, the blood on the ground nearly swallowing their feet. Yet, Guan Shiyin’s march forward did not slow for a second.

Pingshi waved away the attendant holding his umbrella and commanded, "Bring me my blade!"

The attendant presented his custom weapon. Pingshi gripped it and lunged toward Guan Shiyin without hesitation. "I want to see just how well you can fight!"

The two experts clashed in mid-air. The soldiers below could not even track their movements. They only felt a shockwave as two beams of white light collided, followed by the dull thud of internal energy clashing and the sharp, piercing ring of weapons meeting. Then, the two lights parted with a *clack*.

A rattle followed as broken blades hit the ground.

Pingshi landed on the steps, swaying backward. Just as Banxia and the others thought he would fall, he steadied himself.

Guan Shiyin landed on the plaza, sliding back three steps before Banxia rushed forward to steady him.

"Master, are you..." Banxia asked, voice laced with worry.

*Blegh!* Guan Shiyin spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Master!" "Brother Guan!" The group swarmed around him. "Are you alright? You..."

Guan Shiyin wiped the blood from his mouth and waved them off. "Don't worry. Better to spit this blood out than let it fester inside."

Guan Shiyin finally opened his eyes, locking them onto Pingshi. "Is that right, Imperial Uncle Ji, who cares so much about his reputation in the Yaotian Kingdom?" If he had kept that blood inside, it would have been a grave internal injury.

Pingshi struggled to steady his ragged breathing and gathered his energy, leaping up once more. "Whether I am alright or not, you will have to find out for yourself!"

"Very well, I shall face you this time!" Banxia drew his sword to step in.

But Guan Shiyin was faster. "Forget about this side! Seize the temple while you can!"

He had already calculated the strength of the Qitian Daoist Temple; had it not been for the surprise appearance of Pingshi, he would have razed the place to the ground by now. But it didn't matter. If he could take down Pingshi, Banxia and the others would be more than enough to crush the remaining Daoists.

Guan Shiyin and Pingshi clashed in the air again.

Banxia obeyed, raising his sword and leading the charge into the enemy ranks.

The rain fell like a waterfall, and the sky grew darker. By the flashes of lightning, the combatants could see that with each passing moment, their numbers were dwindling.

But no one dared retreat. In such a situation, the only way to survive was to attack with even greater ferocity. Otherwise, the moment a hint of retreat took root, one would likely fall to a single strike.

Pingshi was no exception.

Guan Shiyin fought with increasing vigor, showing no signs of exhaustion. But Pingshi, with that blood trapped in his chest, felt a sharp pain every time he exerted his internal energy. He could endure it a few times, but as time passed, the frequency of the pain grew. Being older than Guan Shiyin, he was forced to retreat step by step, even against his will.

Once the retreat began, the collapse was inevitable.

Banxia’s men grew bolder, while the number of Daoists plummeted.

The tide had clearly turned.

Pingshi’s eyes darted around, a new plan forming. He could not die; if he died, there would be no chance of a comeback!

When Guan Shiyin launched a flying kick, Pingshi did not block. Instead, he kicked out to meet the sole of Guan’s foot.

*Bang!* Their feet collided. Pingshi instantly cut his energy, and like a kite with a broken string, he was sent flying backward by the force of Guan Shiyin’s blow.

"Pursue!" Banxia shouted, but Guan Shiyin, having landed, stopped him.

"More important than that, we must return to help Jietang secure the city gate tower!" Guan Shiyin suppressed the urge to spit more blood and looked toward the city.

*My lady, whatever has happened to you, you must wait for me!*