Chapter 138: Battle of the Dragon and the Tiger

The momentum of the twin-armed fire dragon was fierce in the extreme, and it was on the verge of striking the opponent when a thin veil of light suddenly materialized before them. The Western Regions cultivator felt a slight shock in his heart, gritted his teeth, and increased the power of his arms even further. With a muffled explosion, he struck fiercely against the barrier of light!

The cyan veil of light shook violently. When the fire dragon impacted it, ripples spread across its mirror-smooth surface. The light waves shimmered faintly, while in the distance, Qing Que turned slightly pale, uttering a soft groan. With a bizarre gesture of her hands, the blood-red moon in mid-air trembled and hummed lowly, before its crimson light flashed once more after a long moment, successfully intercepting and blocking the opponent's fire dragon entirely!

Seeing that his attack had achieved nothing, the Western Regions cultivator swung his arms diagonally and flashed down onto the sacrificial altar. Gritting her teeth, Qing Que drifted gracefully to land right in front of Ye Hua.

The Western Regions cultivator shouted furiously, "Step aside! Do not block my way!" Qing Que panted slightly and retorted, "And you, you Western stray dog, what of it?"

"Amitabha! Who would have thought it is Reverend Hotundu of the Gulan Realm! Rather than guarding your commander Mizha, you actually have the leisure to come here!" A gentle chant of the Buddha's name echoed through the air, and as the crowd looked toward the source of the sound, a dozen figures were seen slowly descending from the northern sky above the altar! At their lead was an aged monk with white eyebrows and beard, who smiled faintly in this direction!

Upon spotting the newcomer, Qing Que looked greatly angered: "Old Monk Lingyin! What are you doing here?! What was our agreement from last time?"

"Eh! Big Brother, isn't that... that's Brother Ye!" Behind the old monk, a young man pointed toward the sacrificial altar and shouted in surprise!

"Indeed! Big Brother! It is him! How... how come he is trapped here?" Another tall and thin young man cried out in astonishment. The youth standing at the very front scrutinized the altar carefully, and after a long moment, a look of joy appeared on his face. "True enough! It is indeed him! Who would have thought we would meet here after parting ways at the Taifu Temple in Lesser West Hill!"

The newcomers were none other than the Eight Friends of Peach Blossom Source from Eastern Fairy Origin! Their leader was precisely Lu Yunke! The one who had shouted out first was Tian Liang, who had previously sparred with Ye Hua using the Heart-Sincere Palm at the Capital Martial Hall.

Standing upon the sacrificial altar and witnessing the arrival of yet more uninvited guests, Ye Hua looked closely and felt a jolt in his chest. Among those dozens of people were actually the Eight Friends of Peach Blossom Source whom he had befriended at Lesser West Hill! Was not their leader Lu Yunke? During the great battle at Lesser West Hill, he and his companions had joined forces with them to break out of the battle array! He had conversed happily with Lu Yunke then, feeling a deep sense of regret at not having met him sooner! Never had he expected to encounter them here, and a great wave of joy welled up in his heart!

The Western Regions cultivator was momentarily stunned. Once he clearly identified the newcomers, he laughed heartily and said, "Zen Master Lingyin?!" With that, his figure blurred, the flames on his arms dissipated, and he walked toward the monk Lingyin.

In the distance, the members of the Six Northern Tribes watched the newcomers interrupt the fight, but the young man surnamed Duan wore a deeply displeased expression and let out a heavy, cold snort. Qing Que also appeared highly irritated, sneering coldly, "Since when did Haiguang Temple start mixing with these Western heretics?"

The leading monk pressed his palms together and said, "Daoist Friend Qing Que, pray do not let your anger flare." With that, he raised his voice to call out into the distance, "Might Daoist Friend Xu and Daoist Friend Zhao cease their contest and converse for a moment?"

In the distance, Xu Tieshan and Zhao Sanduo were locked in a fierce battle, each possessing profound and unique skills. To determine a victor between them in a short span was simply impossible! Seeing a group of people suddenly appear in the distance, both felt a startle in their hearts. Without time for close inspection and unable to tell friend from foe, each secretly maintained their guard and remained vigilant.

Hearing someone loudly calling a halt, Xu Tieshan lashed out with several rapid saber strokes, forcing his opponent back. Holding his blade vertically before him, he shouted sternly, "Stop!" Zhao Sanduo, gripping his coiling-dragon iron staff, laughed coldly, "What? Are you admitting defeat?"

Xu Tieshan flew into a rage. "Admitting defeat?! Hmph! Had we fought another hundred bouts, I would surely have severed your head with my blade!" Zhao Sanduo chuckled coldly, "Such empty boasts! It is long rumored that the Six Northern Tribes are filled with arrogant fools utterly devoid of shame. Heh, and so it proves true!"

With a sway of his body, Zhao Sanduo arrived atop the sacrificial altar. Having landed firmly, he addressed the old monk, "I wonder what wind has blown Master Lingyin here?"

Lowering his gaze, the old monk replied, "Amitabha! This place is merely a dozen miles from Haiguang Temple! The heaven-shaking commotion of the Daoist friends' battle just now—let alone Haiguang Temple, even Xiaonanzhan scores of miles to the south, and Wudaojie to the east—must surely be aware of it. My senior abbot specifically dispatched me to investigate. Who would have thought it was Daoist Friend Zhao and Daoist Friend Xu sparring and displaying their martial prowess?"

Zhao Sanduo's eyes flickered as he nodded. "If that is the case, it seems we have disturbed the Master!"

The old monk pressed his palms together. "Daoist Friend Zhao jests." Seeing Xu Tieshan fly down to land upon the altar as well, he continued, "Daoist Friend Xu, it has been a long time, yet your demeanor remains as dashing as ever."

Xu Tieshan's complexion was livid. "Since the Master is here, perhaps you can preside over a matter of justice!"

The old monk gave a soft "oh" and asked, "I wonder what brings all you Daoist friends here? Old Monk was just wondering why the founding masters of the Harmony Sect have always been so reasonable, and the commanders of the Six Northern Tribes are strictly bound by military law, yet today such a bitter conflict has arisen?"

Xu Tieshan pointed a finger at Ye Hua in the center of the altar. "This junior harmed the young lord of our Tiger Commander at Jingji Manor, and furthermore murdered Baleng, the only son of Grand Commander Mizha! Heh, I have come specifically to demand the surrender of this person!"

"Oh?" The old monk turned his gaze toward the Western Regions cultivator and asked with mild surprise, "Hotundu, is this true?"

The Western Regions cultivator nodded. "Commander Mizha is currently grieving beyond measure and has ordered me to apprehend the culprit without fail!"

The old monk turned to look at Ye Hua, who was bound by heavy iron chains, nodded slightly, and then turned away, lowering his head to chant, "Amitabha!"

Ye Hua saw that the old monk's eyes were unusually turbid and was pondering this silently when he suddenly saw a fierce flash of brilliant light erupt within the old monk's eyes before instantly vanishing. Ye Hua felt a sudden chill run through his entire body and was startled. "This old monk is formidable! Is he truly a monk of Haiguang Temple?"

Zhao Sanduo chuckled derisively. "Since that is the case, and your Six Northern Tribes have always claimed to be overwhelmingly mighty, how is it that you cannot even capture a mere Seven Treasures realm disciple, letting him fall into the hands of our Harmony Sect instead? Aren't you all utterly incompetent? Furthermore, this brat has ruined a major undertaking of our Harmony Sect; why on earth would I hand him over to you? Ridiculous!"

Xu Tieshan flew into a fury. "You! Let us exchange a few more blows then!"

Zhao Sanduo sneered, "I would be more than happy to oblige."

The two of them were once more at swords' points, on the verge of coming to blows again over a single disagreement. Secretly, Ye Hua cursed his rotten luck; what past life sins had he committed to provoke both the Six Northern Tribes and the Harmony Sect simultaneously? Casting a glance outward, he saw Lu Yunke looking straight at him and subtly signaling to him with his eyes!

Master Lingyin chanted another Buddha's name. "My Daoist friends, perhaps we might discuss..." Before he could finish, a vast expanse of fiery red clouds drifted slowly over from the distance, obscuring the greater part of the sky. The fire clouds moved seemingly slow yet actually fast, reaching above their heads in the blink of an eye! Seeing such a monstrous and bizarre sight, everyone froze and involuntarily raised their heads to stare!

Qing Que, Xu Tieshan, and the others all released their spiritual awareness, attempting to probe the identity of the newcomer! To their surprise, the moment their spiritual awareness penetrated the fiery red clouds, they found the clouds filled with a rampantly violent demonic power. Their probing awareness was fiercely shredded and mangled before it could even be withdrawn, shattering into nothingness. All of them turned pale and groaned softly, suffering a hidden loss! By the time they recovered their senses, their complexions had undergone a drastic transformation!

The fire clouds drifted lazily above the heads of the crowd and came to a halt, slowly swirling to envelop the entire sacrificial altar. Zhao Sanduo and the others experienced a massive shift in expression and shouted in deep voices, "Which senior master graces us with their presence? If this junior has committed any offense, I pray you will forgive me!"

The fire clouds paused slightly, and then a crisp, silver-bell-like laugh rang out. "Heh, no offense taken! It's just that seeing the lively commotion here, I came over to take a look. What, is the fight already over? Alas, I've arrived a few moments too late! Oh? How amusing, to have someone locked up like that on a stone platform!"

Ye Hua was startled, realizing that the person within the fire clouds was referring to him. He smiled bitterly inwardly, *You might find it amusing, but I don't find it the least bit amusing! Judging by your crisp and youthful voice, could you perhaps be a little girl?*

Xu Tieshan and the others exchanged bewildered glances, realizing that the commotion of the previous fight had indeed been too immense, truly alerting numerous people. Fearing that in another moment the crowd would only grow larger, their premonition came true as a rushing wind echoed from afar, and several streaks of cyan light lanced through the air. As the cyan light converged, several figures appeared. The leader was also quite elderly, closely followed by a young man clad in plain cyan robes who possessed a robust and sturdy build.

Upon seeing the newcomers, Ye Hua nearly cried out aloud. That young man was none other than Brother Zhou of the Awakening Hall! He never imagined that tonight's coincidences would be so bizarre, bringing together so many enemies and old acquaintances! This was truly the height of strangeness!

The youth surnamed Zhou glanced at the stone platform, looked instantly startled, and then shouted furiously, "Your Harmony Sect goes too far! Release Brother Ye immediately!" He then turned to the old man beside him and said, "Uncle Liu, the person imprisoned on the stone platform is the very one who saved Junior Sister Liu! Sure enough, he has fallen into the hands of the Harmony Sect..."

A sharp glint flashed in the old man's eyes. With a slight wave of his hand, he stopped the youth from speaking further, raised his head to gaze at the fire clouds in the sky, and stepped forward, completely ignoring the various factions present!

When Zhao Sanduo and Qing Que saw who had arrived, their complexions turned pale and their hearts sank, knowing that tonight was bound to turn sour. Sure enough, the old man surnamed Liu walked slowly up onto the stone platform, his expression freezing as he fixed his cold gaze on Zhao Sanduo. "You have immense audacity! Your Shaliu Village and Meihua Sect actually dared to ambush disciples of our Awakening Hall! What, do you still wish to claim my daughter's life as well? Heh! I wonder if this was decreed by the Old Ghost of Red Lamp?!"

Zhao Sanduo's body trembled as he stammered, "This junior... this junior truly did not know it was your senior... your esteemed daughter! Shaliu Village merely... merely wished to invite your honored hall to be guests at our estate! I beg... for your forgiveness!"

The old man surnamed Liu gave a cold, mocking laugh. "If not out of respect for your grandmaster, I would level your Meihua Sect with a single sword stroke! Among the dozens of allied sects under the Harmony Sect, you are indeed the most promising! Heh, one of these days, I shall personally go seek out that Old Ghost of Red Lamp to have a proper discussion!"

Sweat poured down Zhao Sanduo's face in streams. He hastily bowed his head and pleaded, "Please restrain your senior anger! Even if you gave me a hundred guts, I... I would never dare... to offend the name of the Sun and Moon Divine League by even a fraction!"

The old man's expression grew icy once more. "I see your guts are exceedingly large! Wasn't the savior of our Awakening Hall imprisoned right here by you?"

Zhao Sanduo's face turned completely bloodless as he lowered his head. "Yes..."

The fire clouds in the sky spun in a dizzying circle, and the voice within chuckled, "Interesting! So this person is the key! Heh, then play along with me!"

With those words, a flash of bright light burst from the fire clouds, and two pillars of wind abruptly lanced out, sweeping directly toward the stone platform! Seeing the wind pillars descending upon them, Qing Que, Xu Tieshan, and the others all changed color, their figures flashing outward to scatter in all directions!

However, the old man surnamed Liu let out a cold snort from his nose. "Where do mystical cultivators come from!" Encircling his right palm, he suddenly struck forward. A greenish Taiji diagram flashed into existence, rapidly expanding as it met the two oncoming wind pillars. Just as the wind pillars were about to crash into the Taiji diagram, they suddenly dissipated, transforming into multiple vortexes of wind that deftly evaded the diagram and shot straight toward Ye Hua!

The old man surnamed Liu furrowed his brows slightly, formed a hand seal, and shouted in a low voice, "Hurry!"

The Taiji diagram ahead abruptly spun, and the black and white Taiji fish within seemed to spring to life. Anyone in the distance who merely glanced at it felt their vision darken, their spiritual awareness plunging into dizziness as if they had been cast into a world of a white-bottomed and black-toled Taiji universe!

The person within the fire clouds let out an amused laugh. "The Universe World!" Then, with a light sigh, she said, "Why must you old man oppose me? Heh! What, do you want the person on that stone pillar as well? Then I shall leave him to you!"

With a wave of her hand, the wind pillars vanished into thin air! The old man surnamed Liu let out a cold hmph, thinking to himself, *You know what's good for you.* With a twist of his hands, the Taiji universe diagram in mid-air also dissipated.

Yet, a giggle burst from the red clouds. "Why is an old man like you so easily trusting? You've fallen for it, heh, this person still belongs to me!"

Before her voice had even faded, two wind claws suddenly extended from a mere yard away in front of Ye Hua!

Seeing this, the old man surnamed Liu did not appear surprised. With a cold smile and a point of his finger, two wisps of black and white flame materialized right before the wind claws. With a gentle flick, the wind claws were instantly ignited, transforming into two strange black and white flames that slowly burned away into nothingness!

The old man surnamed Liu said, "Did you really think I wouldn't notice the hidden reserve force you left behind?"

The person in the fire clouds chuckled, "Very well! Look!"

The old man surnamed Liu furrowed his brow and whipped his head around, only to see another wind pillar swiftly revolving and appearing directly above Ye Hua's head! It was precisely the second stream of wind energy that the person within the fire clouds had covertly concealed!

Even with the old man surnamed Liu's profound cultivation, he had failed to detect it in time due to a momentary lapse in attention. Realizing he was too late to save him, the old man grew furious. "Such cunning and craftiness!"

Shouting loudly, he pointed his hands forward, and a streak of silver light instantly shot toward the red clouds in mid-air—a brilliant and supreme tactic of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao!

The person within the fire clouds paid it no mind, chuckling lightly as the wind pillar plunging toward the sacrificial altar prepared to seize the young man. Since everyone else was fighting over this person, he must undoubtedly be a treasure of great value! Just as she was thinking this, a resounding "dong" echoed through the air. Though the sound was not exceptionally loud, everyone who heard it felt a violent tremor in their hearts, their spiritual awareness momentarily blanking out, while some even grew weak at the knees and nearly collapsed!

The complexions of everyone present transformed in terror as they raised their heads to look. Beneath the red clouds in the sky, a small bronze tripod was floating at some unknown moment. It had twin upright ears slightly flared, a round base with beast-hoof feet, and its exterior was adorned with depictions of mountains, rivers, sun, moon, and divine spirits. Its entire body was a deep, dark jade-green, and for some inexplicable reason, it seemed to faintly emit the murmurs of an ancient incantation!

The person within the fire clouds was evidently jolted by the deep "dong" sound, causing the wind pillar shooting toward Ye Hua to tilt and miss by several feet! Terrified beyond measure, the people present stared fixedly at the huge bronze tripod.

The person within the fire clouds sounded somewhat angered. "Old man, what kind of magical treasure is this?"

The old man surnamed Liu was also staring at the small bronze tripod, his heart churning with stormy waves while his eyes were filled with confusion. He muttered, "This... this aura, why does it feel somewhat familiar? Have I seen it somewhere before?"

The red clouds in the sky suddenly contracted and slowly dissipated, revealing a maiden dressed in exotic attire, sitting atop a fire Qilin. Her feet were bare, with smooth arches, lustrous and tender skin, and white soles like frost. Her form was graceful and refined, her heels flat and toes gathered, resembling delicate spring scallions. Everyone could not help feeling their hearts flutter; they had never imagined such an enchanting, jade-faced, fragrant, and exquisitely alluring beauty could exist, a peerless sight never witnessed before.

Yet the maiden seemed entirely oblivious to this. After seating herself, she merely cast amorous, flowing glances with her starlit eyes at the crowd, offered a charming smile, and languidly waved a delicate arm. "What is the origin of this little tripod? It is rather formidable!"

The old man surnamed Liu closed his eyes in deep thought for a long moment. Finally, as if recalling something, he snapped his eyes open, his face displaying a look of utter shock. "Could... could this be one of the Nine Cauldrons of Ancient Xia?!"