The Reticent Blade-Chapter 119 - Twilight Before Daybreak

Bang!!!

The two fingers blasted the withered palm, producing a tremendous sound that stirred a massive shockwave in the air.

The small figure of the sect leader was thrown back by the impact, tumbling in the air before landing. He was forced to retreat a few steps to regain his balance.

Gasping for breath, the sect leader looked up in disbelief at Forsaken Phoenix Tang Jinnian not far away. The sect leader's right arm was a bloody mess, having been completely blown apart from the elbow down, and his empty blood-stained sleeve billowed in the wind.

Tang Jinnian stood on the fractured ground with his hands behind his back. Slowly exhaling a breath of turbid air, he quietly observed the injured sect leader.

The disciples of Five Gods Summit were finally able to open their eyes after the tremendous shockwave passed, only to see the old dwarf, their sect leader, missing an arm. In a furor of shock and anger, they began to chatter among themselves.

"The sect leader is injured!"

"Senior Brother sect leader!"

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"Everyone, charge! Capture the intruder!"

Although they were furious that their sect leader had suffered such an injury, they were equally appalled that this intruder was able to match their sect leader's martial prowess. It seemed that even without his deadly puppets, the intruder was not to be trifled with.

Seeing the outcome of the clash, the Five Gods Summit disciples knew that their sect leader was outclassed and that it would be difficult to capture this person alone. They commanded the animated corpses nearby, planning to rush in together to assist the sect leader.

"Step back!" The sect leader raised his left arm, stopping the eager disciples. His gaze was still fixed on Tang Jinnian. "This person is full of tricks. His puppet is elusive, and he has yet to bring it out yet. He could be plotting something, so keep your distance. Don’t lose your lives for nothing."

When they heard this, the others remembered the earlier explosion and felt a chill run down their spines. They quickly halted their steps and retreated to a safer distance.

"Heh." Tang Jinnian let out a cold laugh and took a deep puff from his pipe. He appeared to relish the moment. "Old man, do you still want to fight me?" He pointed at the sect leader’s severed arm, making his meaning clear.

"A wound like this is nothing," the sect leader huffed coldly, "One hand is more than enough to deal with you. I underestimated you before..."

Before he could finish speaking, the sound of fighting came from a room on the second floor of the main hall, the chaotic sounds of a fight breaking out echoed clearly in the ominously quiet mountaintop.

Some disciples of Five Gods Summit began whispering amongst themselves.

"That sounds like it came from the Third Elder’s room."

"The Third Elder was heavily injured and unconscious. One of our junior brothers just brought him back to his room..."

The sect leader's expression changed, turning to rebuke the disciples standing at a distance. "What’s going on?! Why aren’t you going to check it out?!"

"Senior Brother sect leader." An elder stepped forward from the crowd. " Third Junior Brother seems to have run into trouble. I will lead people up right away."

The small sect leader's eyes reddened. Everything that had happened tonight was far beyond his expectations. Despite doing his best to maintain his composure, some of his anxiety still leaked through.

"Then hurry and go!" the sect leader spat through clenched teeth, keeping his gaze fixed firmly on Tang Jinnian.

At this moment, Tang Jinnian was also looking toward the direction of the noise in the main hall. He knew it must be Flowerless Butterfly sneaking in, but it didn't quite make sense. With her stealth skills, how could she be easily discovered? Moreover, there was only a half-dead elder inside the hall.

"Hey, you brat!" the sect leader shouted furiously when he noticed his opponent ignoring him.

The sect leader was trembling with anger, his face flushed and the veins on his forehead throbbed.

"Hmm?" Tang Jinnian tilted his head.

"I initially appreciated your talent. I said that as long as you were willing to hand over the method to refine the puppets, I would spare your life." The sect leader's voice trembled, his anger no longer suppressed. He tore off the robe that enveloped him, revealing his bare upper body, his eyes blazing with rage. "Now I've changed my mind. I will turn you into an animated corpse."

"Really?" Tang Jinnian raised his eyebrows.

The sect leader raised his remaining arm. "Disciples of Five Gods Summit! Where is the animated corpse army?!"

"Here!" The disciples of Five Gods Summit stepped forward in unison, and shadowy figures began to emerge from the darkness, encircling Tang Jinnian.

Tang Jinnian turned to glance at the direction of the main hall, and when he turned back, his expression had grown severe.

"Then let's see... Do you really think that many ants can kill an elephant?"

"What I want to see is..." The sect leader slowly walked towards Tang Jinnian, his tone grim. "What gave you the confidence to act recklessly in the Five Gods Summit?!"

"How can you possibly survive today?!" The sect leader's roar seemed to signal a charge, and dozens of animated corpses surged towards Tang Jinnian under the control of the disciples of Five Gods Summit!

It was always darkest before dawn, and the area was suddenly filled with a mob of shadowy figures. The Five Gods Summit's disciples were unaffected due to their night vision, but Tang Jinnian found it quite difficult to see what was going on. The incoming chaos put him at a significant disadvantage.

Tang Jinnian frowned, dodging two attacking animated corpses. He sought a less crowded area in the darkness to break through, but unexpectedly, just a couple of steps out, he suddenly found his way blocked. Looking down, he saw several dried hands extending from the soil, firmly gripping his ankle.

Tang Jinnian had no time to deal with the dried hands clamping down on his feet, so he quickly ducked a powerful blow from above. Exerting himself, he broke his legs free during this hectic moment. He then immediately rolled on the ground and swept a leg to knock down several animated corpses and disciples.

After clearing a small area around him, Tang Jinnian finally stood up. For the time being, he was still surrounded, but there were no more attackers going for him.

The sect leader parted the crowd, approached Tang Jinnian, and asked, "What's wrong? Aren't you planning to summon your puppets? If you don't, you will die before you have the chance to use them."

Tang Jinnian glanced toward the dark eastern horizon.

"Daybreak is almost upon us..."

"What did you say?" The sect leader thought that he must have misheard the intruder's final words.

Tang Jinnian pulled out his gold-threaded glove and put it back on his right hand. He looked at the sect leader who was approaching him.

"I already promised... The Five Gods Summit won't survive the night. Look... it's nearly the crack of dawn."

Tang Jinnian's posturing greatly provoked the sect leader.

"He's insane! Kill him!"

Bang!

Just as the sect leader finished speaking, the door of the distant hall was suddenly flung open and a slender figure rushed toward them. Disciples of Five Gods Summit poured out from within, relentlessly pursuing her.

One pursuing disciple shouted loudly, "Quick! Catch her! She stole the Soul Locking Sunflower!"

The sect leader's expression changed dramatically. "What?!"

The person was indeed Rao Shuang, and while she sprinted desperately, she hollered, "Forsaken Phoenix! Hurry and think of a way out! I'm not ready to die here!"