Chapter 174: Chapter 174: Advent of the Black Lotus

A deafening cheer erupted from the crowd.

For a while now, the local martial arts halls of Black Stone City had been suppressed and looked down upon by Overseas Dragons from the Flying Fish Martial Arts Hall.

And they had been completely unable to fight back.

Ding Mianyue alone had swept through more than a dozen martial arts halls, and the so-called first-rate halls had all just tucked their heads in like cowards.

As long as she didn’t come for them, they remained silent.

Before the Yuan Lantern Festival, even the Martial Artists of Black Stone City felt their home was just a small county town, no match for the experts from the County Mansion.

Perhaps once the Yuan Lantern Festival was over, many apprentices would have flocked to factions like the Flying Fish Martial Arts Hall.

But now, a prodigy named Su Yu had burst onto the scene!

The prodigy from Liangzhou Prefecture, Ding Mianyue, who had swept through Black Stone City undefeated, had actually been defeated by Su Yu!

"The number one genius of Black Stone City! Su Yu!"

It’s unclear who started it, but soon Su Yu’s name swept through the entire venue like a tsunami.

In the White Ape Martial Arts Hall’s camp.

"HAHAHAHA! Truly my successor! Before the Yuan Lantern Festival, you said you wanted to make a name for the White Ape Martial Arts Hall. I was so worried, but it seems I was just being short-sighted! From now on, who in Black Stone City won’t know the name Su Yu? Who won’t know the White Ape Martial Arts Hall?"

Qin Fangqiong’s old face was flushed with excitement, his eyes filled with unconcealable pride. "This apprentice... I made the right choice taking him in!"

In the Flying Fish Martial Arts Hall’s camp.

Hall Master Ding Yi looked at Su Yu on the stage. He wasn’t furious; instead, he sighed softly, a trace of admiration flashing in his eyes. ’A fine seedling! His saber intent is pure, his temperament steady. I never thought this tiny Black Stone City actually had a dragon hiding in the abyss. Mianyue’s loss was fair. Even on Liangzhou’s Hidden Dragon Rankings, this boy would be enough to place in the top fifty.’

On the fighting stage.

Su Yu flicked his wrist, sheathing the Mo Yuan Saber. The intimidating pressure he exuded dissipated with the movement.

His expression was calm. He gave Ding Mianyue a slight bow with his hands clasped. "Thank you for the match."

Ding Mianyue’s face was pale. She bit her lip hard, her eyes filled with indignation and shame. She wanted to say something but had no retort.

In the end, her skills were simply inferior!

"You won."

She forced out the two words and walked down from the stage. The light from the lanterns in the night cast a shadow over her.

Just as Ding Mianyue stepped off the stage, two people from the crowd in the darkness came forward attentively, each holding one of her Water-Splitting Emei Needles.

Ding Mianyue was just about to reach out and take them.

The next moment, everything changed!

The two inconspicuous figures erupted without warning in the darkness!

The Qi and Blood in their bodies suddenly flared, exploding like a thunderclap. Their speed was appalling!

One, holding a dagger, lunged like a venomous snake toward the defenseless Ding Mianyue!

The other, wielding two short spikes, moved like a phantom, transforming into an afterimage as they rushed the stage, aiming straight for Su Yu’s face!

The killing intent came too quickly, too suddenly!

The surrounding crowd, still in the midst of their cheering, couldn’t react at all.

"Watch out!" Ding Yi’s eyes looked ready to split from their sockets. His body moved as fast as a swimming dragon, rushing toward Ding Mianyue.

But the attacker was powerful. The explosion of his Qi and Blood clearly surpassed the limits of the Skin Tempering Realm. His first move was a killing blow!

Ding Mianyue felt a bone-deep chill wash over her. She tried to dodge but found the opponent’s aura had already locked down all her escape routes.

Danger!

At this moment, she felt like prey targeted by a vicious beast. She could only rely on her years of Martial Arts experience to forcibly twist her body in an attempt to dodge!

However, the attacker was simply too strong—definitely an expert at the Flesh Refining Realm!

SCHLICK!

The sound of the blade sinking into flesh was clearly audible.

Although Ding Mianyue’s instincts allowed her to deflect the assassin’s dagger by an inch, it still viciously sliced open the side of her throat, sending blood spurting!

Ding Mianyue’s face was a mask of horror, indignation, and regret as her body went limp and collapsed.

At the same time, on the stage.

The assassin targeting Su Yu was just as shockingly fast, his attack terrifyingly powerful!

Fortunately, the moment he erupted, Su Yu’s Five Senses Divine had already caught the faint sound of an abnormally fast heartbeat.

Su Yu’s scalp tingled. Without a second thought, he instantly activated the Seven Fiends Thunder Collapse Step!

BOOM!

The ground beneath his feet shattered as he shifted several feet to the side in the nick of time.

RIP!

The sharp spike grazed past his waist, slicing through his tough brocade robes. If he hadn’t been fast enough, that strike would have pierced his body!

"How dare you!"

On the high platform, Pang Xuan, who had been sitting as still as a mountain, shot to his feet.

When he moved, it was with the force of a thunderbolt!

RUMBLE!

The entire viewing platform collapsed in an instant. Countless lanterns went out, and the night grew several shades darker.

Pang Xuan’s figure appeared on the stage as if by teleportation. There were no flashy moves; he simply threw a punch.

But his punch carried a terrifying aura lock, and his overflowing Qi and Blood coalesced into a giant, blood-red phantom fist!

The Profound Bone Realm!

Flesh Refining, Tendon Forging, Profound Bone—with each new realm, one’s power increased exponentially!

The Flesh Refining Realm expert who had attacked Su Yu didn’t even have time to turn around before he was enveloped by the wind from the punch.

BOOM!!!

A horrifyingly gruesome explosion rang out.

The man didn’t even have time to scream. Like a watermelon struck by a siege hammer, his entire body exploded in mid-air into a shower of blood mist and minced flesh!

Not even bones remained!

At almost the exact same time.

Ding Yi’s figure also arrived in front of Ding Mianyue. He slammed his palm into the back of the Death Warrior who had stabbed her.

CRACK!

The Death Warrior’s spine shattered. His body then broke apart into dozens of bloody chunks in mid-air, scattering everywhere.

After killing the assassin, Ding Yi’s face was ashen. He quickly pulled a medicinal pill from his robes. The moment he took it out, a rich medicinal aroma filled the air. A few people nearby felt as if every cell in their bodies was trembling with desire.

Ding Yi immediately fed it to his daughter. Ding Mianyue, who had been on the verge of death, experienced a final burst of vitality, allowing her to cling to a single thread of life.

"The Black Lotus descends! The masses will rise! Mother of Non-Birth, Vacuum Home!"

Just then, several more figures in the darkened crowd shot up, screaming fanatically.

RUMMMBLE—

Following those frenzied roars, the once-clear night sky seemed to be torn apart by an invisible giant hand. Rolling dark clouds poured down like ink, and muffled thunder rumbled deep within them, making the very ground tremble.

A fierce wind suddenly rose, carrying a bone-chilling cold. It blew the countless lanterns hanging on both sides of the street askew, even ripping them from their ropes and flinging them high into the air to dance wildly.

Black Stone Avenue, once as bright as day, was instantly swallowed by endless darkness.

WHOOSH—

Immediately after, a ghastly white bolt of lightning tore across the sky, illuminating the panicked crowd and their terrified expressions on the ground.

Raindrops the size of beans began to pour down, instantly extinguishing the city’s lights.

"Aah! Murder!"

"Run! It’s the Black Lotus Sect!"

The crowd completely erupted into chaos as panic spread like a plague. The common folk screamed and fled in all directions, pushing and trampling one another. Their cries and curses were instantly drowned out by the roar of the downpour.

Chaos was the perfect cover for slaughter.

In the darkness, the hidden Black Lotus Sect cultists once again bared their fangs under the cover of the rain. They mingled with the fleeing crowd, their blades aimed specifically at the martial arts hall disciples and Security Guards trying to maintain order.

"Hmph! A bunch of gutter rats dare to act so presumptuously before me!"

On the stage, Pang Xuan’s Qi and Blood surged. Strangely, as the torrential rain poured down from the sky, it was deflected by an invisible wall of energy three feet around his body, creating a perfectly dry vacuum.

Such was the might of the Profound Bone Realm that not a drop of rain could touch him!

"Public Security Bureau, hear my command! Seal all four exits of the street! Everyone, get down on the ground with your hands on your heads! Anyone who runs will be killed without mercy!"

Pang Xuan’s voice, infused with powerful Inner Strength, was like rolling thunder. It overpowered the sound of the storm and exploded in everyone’s eardrums.

The terrifying pressure from a superior expert made the panicked crowd’s legs go weak, and they instinctively dropped to the ground, hands on their heads.

Once the crowd crouched down, the Black Lotus Sect cultists who were still standing or holding blades with murderous intent instantly stood out like cranes among chickens, with nowhere to hide!

"Kill!"

Ye Xiaohong, the head of the four Commanders, was the first to act. His figure moved like lightning, shattering sheets of rain. His long saber, illuminated by a flash of lightning, drew a grim, cold arc, instantly dicing two Skin Tempering Realm Black Lotus Sect cultists into four pieces.

The other Commanders immediately led their men to join the fray, continuously cutting down the Black Lotus Sect cultists.

The various martial arts halls and other factions gathered around the stage, lending their aid.

After escaping the immediate danger, Su Yu immediately regrouped with Master Qin and the others, finally feeling a sense of relief.

His gaze swept over the torrential rain in the night, the Black Lotus Sect cultists fighting everywhere. He listened to the crisp patter of raindrops on roof tiles, the dull thud on muddy ground, the clang against blades...

’This rain isn’t right!’

The sudden downpour, the fierce wind... no matter how he looked at it, it seemed to be the work of the Black Lotus Sect!

At the same time, this thought sent a jolt of shock through him. ’If this is truly man-made, then the ability to influence the weather... the power in this world is truly astounding!’