Flying Flowers streaked across the sky, soaring between the mountains and rivers.
"Captain, isn't what we're doing a bit… improper?"
"What does it matter? No one will say anything anyway."
"But, but they'll think it in their hearts, won't they?"
"So what if they think it? Can they control us? How about we do it again?"
"Don't…"
"What, you don't like it? Then I'll find someone else to do it with."
"...Captain, don't you think our conversation sounds strange? People will misunderstand!"
Zhou Ming and Qin Wumeng stood on a giant red flower petal, looking down at the magnificent and infinitely beautiful scenery of the mountains and rivers below.
After a brief discussion at the inn, everyone decided that the two members of the Fang Yuan Team would go ahead to Yunhe Temple, while the Yuanzheng Team would take the new Reincarnators and Shangguan Nianci and travel at a slower pace.
"What, are you still worried that we might disrupt the new Reincarnators' normal mission plot?"
Zhou Ming conversed with his only teammate and couldn't help but smile, finding that she still hadn't resolved her inner conflict.
Qin Wumeng always felt that the process of the new Reincarnators interacting with Shangguan Nianci and searching for Shangguan Wuji should have been an important plotline, an opportunity given by the Main God Space for new Reincarnators to gain a large number of reward points and combat experience.
Now, this important plotline had been forcibly interfered with and directly erased by the veterans. The battles and gains the new Reincarnators might have encountered along the way were all reduced to zero. Was this not a bit unfair to the new Reincarnators?
"Your mindset hasn't changed yet. We are Reincarnators. Whether for you, for me, or for the new Reincarnators, the Main God Space never lacks opportunities. Staying alive is the most important thing."
"It's alright, watch patiently, this plot world will make you understand."
Zhou Ming didn't explain much; such things didn't require much explanation. Those who understood would naturally understand, and those who didn't wouldn't understand no matter how much was said.
"Yunhe Temple is just ahead."
Looking down, Zhou Ming saw the mountain temple and immediately controlled the Flying Flower to descend.
However, before he could land, the roof of the largest main hall in the center of the temple suddenly broke open, forming a giant palm print shape.
At the same time, a powerful Qi surged straight into the sky, directly colliding with the descending Flying Flower.
Zhou Ming drew his Saber and struck down, activating the Blade King Gu. Saber Qi cascaded like a waterfall, sweeping away the palm's Qi with a single strike. His gaze penetrated the broken hole and looked into the great hall.
"Another expert has arrived! Hahahaha!"
He saw a tall, nine-foot-tall, filthy strong man, like a black iron tower, open his palm-fan-like hands and laugh wildly, striking a Great Master.
The Great Master was thin and short, his head not even as big as the strong man's palm, yet he faced the strong man without fear, neither dodging nor evading, taking the palm strike with his head.
Clang!
Like the resounding toll of a temple bell, the walls of the great hall vibrated. The Great Master stood motionless, but the strong man stumbled back three steps, leaving three deep footprints on the ground.
"Good! What a 'Unmoving King of Light Golden Bell Shield'!"
The strong man laughed heartily, charging forward and slamming into the Great Master with a 'mountain-leaning' strike.
The Great Master sighed softly, his face filled with compassion. He raised his right hand, making a 'pinching flower' gesture with his fingers, and pressed it towards the strong man's chest.
With this press, a strong wind erupted in the great hall. The surrounding air was rapidly drawn in, all converging on the Great Master's pinching fingers, transforming into an incredibly powerful point of attack.
Both of them neither dodged nor evaded, appearing to be fighting to the death, simultaneously crashing into each other.
But at this moment, the Great Master's expression suddenly changed. A hint of sorrow appeared in his compassionate eyes.
His state of mind was broken, immediately causing his technique to fail. The extreme condensation of power in his 'pinching flower' gesture became uncontrollable and scattered, its power instantly dropping by fifty percent.
Meanwhile, the filthy strong man had already lunged forward, a fierce killing intent rising on his savagely grinning face. He clasped his hands together and violently smashed them down towards the Great Master.
Unable to dodge or block, the Great Master's heart already envisioned himself being struck by this punch and suffering severe injuries. A flicker of panic flashed in his eyes, but it immediately turned into sorrow, then settled into a calm acceptance of life and death.
"Amitabha," the Great Master silently recited in his heart.
Thud!
The strong man's fists came down, but they didn't hit the Great Master.
Between the two, a flower made of golden iron abruptly appeared, perfectly shielding the Great Master and fully absorbing the strong man's punch. Only the floor tiles beneath were crushed, sinking several inches into the ground.
"What!" The strong man was startled, then heard a woman's scream behind him.
He whipped his head around and saw a woman sprawled on the ground, a bloom of blood bursting from her chest.
A young Great Master lay beside her, his grey monk's robe stained red with blood. His neck looked as if it had been torn open by a wild beast, a gory mess, and his wide-open eyes had long lost their luster.
"Xue Ji, how dare you interfere with my business!"
The strong man wasn't stupid and immediately understood what had just happened. He roared in anger, then turned to the Great Master still encased in the iron flower and said, "I didn't tell her to do it! Come out and let's fight again!"
"To attack someone's family and friends to distract and defeat him, that indeed doesn't sound like something someone whose brain is merely decorative would come up with."
Zhou Ming descended from the air, extended a hand, and the giant iron flower transformed into an Iron Shell Flower Gu, flying back to him.
In mid-air, the Flying Flower slowly descended. On the flower, Qin Wumeng stood with her gun still pointed at the woman lying on the ground, bleeding profusely.
"Great Master." Zhou Ming bowed slightly to the Great Master beside him. "Unfortunately, we were still a step too late and couldn't save your esteemed disciple."
"Amitabha." The Great Master chanted a Buddhist name, slowly closed his eyes, and two lines of murky tears flowed from the corners of his eyes.
"When Huizhen was three years old, this old monk found him in a pit of corpses and brought him back to the temple to raise him for five years. Perhaps, these five years were the Karma this old monk accumulated over so many years, extending Huizhen's life!"
When he reopened his eyes, not a trace of compassion remained in the Great Master's eyes, only thick killing intent and an eerie, blood-red hue.
"From this day forward, this old monk's decades of Spell Cultivator practice are gone! Gone!"
Crack!
Under the clear sky, a thunderclap exploded. A three-meter-tall blood-red shadow appeared behind the Great Master, somewhat resembling the Buddha statue seated in the great hall, yet it was sinister, eerie, rich with the smell of blood, and radiating an ominous Qi.
"King of the North Town Fist, you want to challenge this old monk to a fight? Good, this old monk will grant you your wish today!"
"Today, you and I will not only determine who is superior, but also who lives and who dies!"
The Great Master's originally compassionate and peaceful face completely transformed into a crazed smile, like a demon from Hell. He clenched his fists and raised his arms, his blood-red shadow mirroring his movements. One large and one small fist simultaneously smashed towards the filthy strong man.
"Ah ah ah!" The strong man's hair stood on end, his Qi erupting. Daring not to be careless, he raised both fists and swung them out, meeting the Great Master's unparalleled punch head-on.
"Falling into the Demonic Dao on the spot? How did this plot take such a dramatic turn?" Zhou Ming muttered, jumping onto the recently descended Flying Flower Gu, controlling it to quickly ascend.
Rumble!
As soon as the Flying Flower Gu rose into the air, the great hall below collapsed with a roar!
A mighty roar, like a tiger's and a Dragon's, exploded across the sky, shaking the four directions.
"Old Great Master, since you forced me to use my True Martial Extreme Body, then today, we must determine who lives and who dies!"
The strong man's furious shouts echoed, and the colossal rumbling below, like a landslide and an earthquake, intensified.
Zhou Ming looked down and saw the entire temple collapsing everywhere. Bricks, tiles, and rubble flew in all directions. Thick stone pillars shattered, and Buddha statues were smashed. The enormous commotion was like a thousand elephants rampaging, recklessly crashing into everything. Dust billowed, and sounds rumbled.
"This, this kind of destructive power!" Qin Wumeng's face was a little pale, deeply doubting whether she could survive such an expert's attack.
Although Zhou Ming had already warned her that this was likely a high-martial world, witnessing this battle firsthand, she realized she had thought too simply.
The level of individual martial power in this world had exceeded her estimation and made her deeply pessimistic about completing the main mission.
Qin Wumeng subconsciously looked at Zhou Ming, only to see him observing the battle intently, without the slightest hint of worry on his face.
Her own heart couldn't help but settle down considerably, and she asked, "Captain, aren't we going to help?"
"No need, it's almost over." Zhou Ming watched with great interest, casually replying, "The Great Master's power increased by thirty percent after falling into the Demonic Dao. That so-called King of the North Town Fist was already no match for him, let alone now that they're fighting for their lives."
As if to prove Zhou Ming's words correct, no sooner had he spoken than a tall figure suddenly flew out of the rolling dust, crashing into the rocks outside the temple.
Another slender figure followed closely, rushing out of the dust and crashing into the rocks. His arms danced, fists continuously striking. Fists furiously smashed onto the strong man's body, a dense, dull sound like machine gun fire never ceasing for a full three minutes before stopping.
"Let's go, let's go down and talk to the Great Master." Zhou Ming controlled the Flying Flower to slowly descend.
As the dust gradually dispersed, Qin Wumeng gasped, watching the once-intact temple now transformed into a ruin. The ground was covered in large craters, as if blasted by explosives, the largest pit being four or five meters deep. The devastation was comparable to a battlefield after modern warfare.
Crash!
The sound of crumbling rocks echoed. The Great Master, clutching the strong man's bloodied, unrecognizable head like a mass of mangled flesh, dragged the massive body out of the cave he had smashed open, step by step.
The blood and shattered flesh on him made the blood-red shadow behind him seem even clearer. Coupled with his sinister and eerie smile, it made the Great Master appear like a demon, striking awe into people's hearts.
Qin Wumeng met the Great Master's empty, cold eyes, her heart trembling with fear, but Zhou Ming seemed unaffected. With a normal expression, he stepped forward, bowing to the Great Master as before.
"Great Master, I am Zhou Ming, and this is my companion, Qin Wumeng. We have come to find you because we wish to inquire about something."
"You also want to know where Shangguan Wuji is?" The Great Master roughly flung the unrecognizable corpse to the ground, then bared his teeth in a smile.
"Defeat me, and I will tell you."
"Indeed, the best way to communicate with someone who has fallen into the Demonic Dao is to fight." Zhou Ming sighed softly, shaking the Saber in his hand.
"Saber and sword have no eyes, Great Master, forgive my rudeness!"