noffsinger Chapter 99 Ambush on Zhao and Fu
Chapter 99 Ambush on Zhao and Fu
Three days later, in a certain area of the inland sea.
An unremarkable gray ship was cutting through the waves and speeding toward Black Reef Island.
Inside the cabin, Zhao Zheng toyed with the teacup in his hand, his face full of a smug smile.
Sitting opposite him was Fu Bai, who was also a special envoy of the Star Palace and served as an elder of the Wonderful Sound Sect.
"Junior Brother Fu, once this batch of materials is sold, the spirit stones we get will be enough to satisfy the Sixth Elder."
Zhao Zheng took a sip of the spiritual tea and let out a long, contented sigh.
But seemingly thinking of some troubles inside the house, he put down his teacup, and his expression gradually darkened.
"It's that bitch Zi Ling, she's been getting increasingly restless lately! I just promoted a few capable subordinates a few days ago, and she immediately found an excuse to get rid of them. I suggested placing people in several of my properties, and she's been obstructing me at every turn. Does she really think that without us, with her mere Foundation Establishment cultivation, she can keep order in front of a Core Formation-level sect like Miaoyin Sect?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Bai chuckled sinisterly:
"Senior Brother Zhao, please calm down. Zi Ling is indeed quite capable, but in the face of absolute power, she is nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Once we hand over these resources to the Star Palace, the Sixth Elder will be pleased and will definitely send more people to support us, and may even give us full authority over sect affairs."
He paused, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes: "By then, as we plant more and more trusted confidants within the sect, we will be able to completely sideline her."
"good!"
A glint of greed and ruthlessness flashed in Zhao Zheng's eyes: "The first thing I'll do then is completely swallow up the Miaoyin Sect. As for Zi Ling... Hmph, such a stunning beauty wouldn't be bad to keep her by my side as a concubine."
The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously let out a burst of unrestrained, lewd laughter.
Their minds were filled with thoughts of how to curry favor with the Sixth Elder and how to annex the Miaoyin Sect, but they were completely unaware that they had already stepped into a carefully woven trap.
Meanwhile, high in the clouds a hundred miles away from the ship.
A streak of crimson-gold light was trailing behind them at a steady pace.
Amidst the escaping light, one is bathed in a spring breeze.
He was wearing sunglasses to shield his face from the intense sunlight and was following the cargo ship ahead at a leisurely pace.
Through Zi Ling, he had completely understood the entire plan for this "using a borrowed knife to kill".
However, when he learned the name of the person in charge of the robbery, his heart was stirred up quite a bit.
"Sun Li..."
Mu Chunfeng's eyes flickered slightly as she pondered to herself.
He clearly remembered the plot of the original work. In the battle on Scorpion Island, Zi Ling gathered a group of Core Formation cultivators and secretly contacted Sun Li, who had defected to Ji Yin Island. She tricked Elders Zhao and Fu, and even tried to lure out the young master of Ji Yin Island, "Wu Chou," who was behind them.
However, man proposes, God disposes. Although Wu Chou appeared, he possessed the possession technique of the Extreme Yin Ancestor, causing Zi Ling's entire plan to fail.
"Ugly... Zhao Zheng..."
Mu Chunfeng silently recited the two names in her heart, her brows slightly furrowed.
Could it be that in the original timeline, Zhao Zheng and Wu Chou colluded during this voyage? Or is it that my intervention, like a butterfly, caused some unknown deviation in the plot?
The original work did not mention Zhao Zheng's early rise to prominence in detail, so he could only speculate.
Mu Chunfeng quickly regained her composure and returned to her usual calm.
If we really run into that evil star Wu Chou this time, we can simply run away.
With his current trump cards, unless a Nascent Soul level expert personally arrives, there aren't many people in the Chaotic Star Sea who can keep him here.
Having made up his mind, he stopped thinking about it and continued to conceal his presence, following far behind.
Half a day later, Black Reef Island.
This is a desolate island covered with black reefs, barren of vegetation, with treacherous terrain, a flat piece of land in the inland sea.
Zhao Zheng and Fu Bai, along with four trusted disciples, had just arrived on the island when they handed over a heavy storage bag to several black market cultivators who had come to deliver the goods.
After scanning the goods with his divine sense and confirming that they were correct, Zhao Zheng put them into his pocket with satisfaction.
Just as they turned to leave and prepare to board the ship to return, a sudden change occurred!
Suddenly, demonic energy surged into the sky from the once calm sea.
Five intense gray malevolent energies emerged like dragons rising from the sea. A gray-black light curtain formed by the malevolent and demonic energies rose up, instantly sealing off the sea area surrounding Black Reef Island and completely cutting off Zhao Zheng and the others' escape route.
"Who goes there?!"
Zhao Zheng was shocked and turned around abruptly.
Fu Bai was also on high alert and immediately summoned a black bone shield.
Amidst the churning demonic energy, a middle-aged man in a gray robe with a sinister face slowly stepped through the air.
Behind him followed four powerful black-clad cultivators, all of whom had reached the Pseudo-Core stage.
"The lackeys of the Star Palace are having a pretty good time as elders in the Myriad Sounds Sect~"
Sun Li looked down at Zhao Zheng, a cruel sneer playing on his lips: "If you know what's good for you, hand over that shipment and all the storage bags you're carrying. Otherwise, this Black Reef Island will be your burial ground today!"
"Peak of the mid-stage Core Formation realm?!"
Zhao Zheng felt the undisguised, powerful spiritual pressure emanating from the other party, and his face instantly turned ashen.
He laughed in fury: "Where did this rogue cultivator come from, daring to plot against the people of my Star Palace? Do you know what the consequences are for offending the Star Palace!"
"Star Palace? I'm not even afraid of Extreme Yin Island, why would I be afraid of you two good-for-nothings who are just borrowing power?"
Sun Li snorted coldly, too lazy to waste words. He made a hand seal, and the demonic energy around him instantly transformed into several gray pythons, each over ten feet long, which roared and pounced on Zhao Zheng.
"Junior Brother Fu, form a defensive formation! You four, protect the flanks!"
Zhao Zheng shouted and slapped his storage bag, and a golden, three-legged cauldron came out with a whoosh.
He suddenly activated his magic incantation, and the mouth of the golden cauldron shone brightly, spewing out several thick golden beams of magic light to meet the demonic python.
This golden cauldron magic weapon combines offense and defense; wherever its magical light passed, it actually forced the demonic energy back several feet.
Seeing the sharp light emanating from the golden cauldron, Sun Li's eyes flashed with surprise. He then formed a hand seal, and a black demon banner appeared out of thin air, growing wildly in the wind and whipping up a whistling gust of yin wind as it flew away.
At the same time, Sun Li's four disciples who were at the false core stage also dispersed in perfect unison, occupying four positions and summoning a set of magical artifacts to form a fierce array.
Just as Zhao Zheng's four trusted disciples were about to step forward to help, they were swept away by the edge of the baleful energy array.
"ah--!"
Several shrill screams rang out. Four trusted disciples, whose cultivation was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, were instantly shredded into blood mist by the violent gray evil energy before they could even activate their magic weapons. Their souls and spirits were completely destroyed.
"You dare, you devil!" Zhao Zheng's eyes were bloodshot, and he wanted to retaliate, but Sun Li's attack had already arrived.
The eerie winds transformed into hideous black skulls, emitting piercing howls as they lunged fiercely at Zhao Zheng.
He had no choice but to activate the golden cauldron in front of him once more, shooting out beams of golden light to desperately resist.
"Bang bang bang!"
The booming sounds of attacks and magical artifacts colliding echoed across the sky above Black Reef Island, filled with spiritual light and churning demonic energy.
Zhao Zheng grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed. This gray-robed cultivator was not only far more powerful than himself, but his demonic arts were also incredibly bizarre.
The gray demonic energy possessed an extremely strong corrosive power, gradually eroding the magical light emitted from the golden cauldron.
"We can't fight him head-on; we have to stall him!"
Zhao Zheng's mind raced. Seeing that he couldn't break through after a long attack, he immediately changed his strategy and spat out a small Seven-Star Treasure Bottle.
This Seven Star Treasure Bottle is his natal magic weapon, possessing astonishing defensive capabilities.
After the bottle flew out, it spun around and instantly grew to a size of ten feet, hovering above the head.
As Zhao Zheng frantically activated his magic, the treasure bottle unleashed a dazzling curtain of starlight, like an inverted star bowl, completely protecting him.
No matter how much Sun Li's demonic energy eroded it, the starlight barrier only rippled and actually blocked all of Sun Li's killing moves.
On the other hand, Fu Bai's situation was rather tragic.
Although he was a cultivator in the early stage of Core Formation, the four pseudo-Core Formation cultivators opposite him not only cooperated well, but also set up a series of evil formations using a set of magic artifacts.
The four of them were connected by their auras, and the formation continued to generate energy, which suppressed Fu Bai's cultivation level, making it impossible for his Core Formation stage magic power to circulate smoothly.
Under the relentless bombardment of the four beams of malevolent energy and the strangulation of the array, the black bone shield that Fu Bai had summoned was covered with spiderweb-like cracks, its spiritual light dimmed, and it looked like it was about to give way.
"Damn it! How could there be such a demonic thug near Tianxing City!"
Zhao Zheng, hiding in the starlight curtain, caught a glimpse of Fu Bai in peril out of the corner of his eye, and his heart immediately filled with anxiety.
He knew that although he could barely hold on with his natal magic treasure, the Seven Star Bottle, once Fu Bai was defeated and died, the four pseudo-core cultivators would be free to join forces with Sun Li, and his tortoise shell would definitely not last long!
Upon realizing this, Zhao Zheng could no longer care about the heartache. He frantically urged his magic power to maintain the light screen while secretly crushing a precious high-level communication talisman under the cover of his sleeve, attempting to seek help from his colleagues in the Star Palace of Tianxing City.
However, the tiny golden light that the sound transmission talisman had just risen was instantly shattered by the demonic energy barrier set up by Sun Li before it could travel far, turning into specks of spiritual light that dissipated in mid-air.
No one to turn to for help!
A sense of despair began to spread in the hearts of Zhao Zheng and Fu Bai.
Behind a hidden reef several miles from the battlefield, Mu Chunfeng hovered quietly in mid-air, observing everything with a cold eye.
"No, it's not quite there yet. Let me add some ingredients for you."
He looked at Zhao Zheng, who was not seriously injured, in the distance, and a faint purple light slowly appeared in his eyes.