Chapter 82: Earthquake and Mountain Shaking

To prevent the disciples of the Breaking Water Gate from escaping and alerting other enemies, Han Li had to act personally. Using both the Misty Steps and Wind Control Art simultaneously, he effortlessly eliminated all adversaries in a mere instant. This left Li Feiyu, who had been poised to continue fighting, utterly stunned. It was then that Li Feiyu truly understood Han Li's formidable power.

Regaining his composure, Li Feiyu assumed Han Li's astonishing combat prowess was solely a result of practicing the Blink Sword Art.

This thought nearly drove him to distraction on the spot, and he immediately contemplated crippling his own cultivation to switch to the Blink Sword Art. Fortunately, his lingering rationality reminded him that, given both the time and his innate aptitude, such a change was no longer feasible for him.

Consequently, for the remainder of their journey, Li Feiyu incessantly expressed his envy to Han Li, lamenting that Han Li had incredibly "struck gold" by mastering such a formidable unique skill.

Han Li, however, chose to ignore his increasingly resentful friend. Instead, he began to mercilessly eliminate the enemies they encountered along the way, no longer bothering to conceal his true strength.

Before Han Li's uncanny movements, all enemies proved utterly fragile, unable to withstand even a single move before perishing. This included several high-ranking experts.

In this manner, with Han Li's impressive display of power, the two easily reached Elder Li's residence and met Ma Rong. It was from Ma Rong that they learned Elder Li and Zhang Xiuer had already ascended Sunset Peak.

Upon hearing this grim news, Li Feiyu's face turned ashen.

He knew all too well that Sunset Peak was currently nothing short of a perilous death trap. Zhang Xiuer's departure there was akin to stepping with one foot into the gates of hell.

Feeling helpless, the two briefly conferred before leaving Elder Li's residence and hurrying back towards Sunset Peak. Just before their departure, a minor incident arose.

The repulsive fat man, a confidant of Master Wang, unexpectedly produced a token and, in a commanding tone, threatened them to remain, warning that disobedience would result in disciplinary action according to the sect's rules.

Li Feiyu was now consumed by anxiety, his sole concern being Zhang Xiuer's safety. He cared nothing for sect rules. With a swift palm strike, he knocked the verbose fat man unconscious to the ground, then ordered the man's subordinates to continue protecting the people present. He and Han Li then strode off without looking back.

Upon reaching the vicinity of Sunset Peak, the sheer number of enemies startled them. Realizing that a frontal assault was out of the question, they later devised an ingenious plan.

They knocked out two Breaking Water Gate disciples, changed into their clothes, and then, under the cover of night and general chaos, secretly blended into the crowd assaulting the mountain. They easily ascended Sunset Peak with the flow of people and overheard Master Wang's current remarks. As for Qu Hun, due to his conspicuously large build, he was left in a hidden spot at the foot of the mountain.

Upon hearing that Sunset Peak might possess such a devastating "mutual destruction" trump card, Li Feiyu couldn't contain his unease and began incessantly questioning Han Li, hoping his friend could offer some reassurance.

"Don't concern yourself with whether that's true or false," Han Li finally whispered in response. "Our top priority now is to quickly get into the main hall, reunite with your sweetheart, and then quietly slip down the mountain. Regardless of the truth, it's far too dangerous to remain here!"

"That's certainly true," Li Feiyu muttered, looking down with a troubled expression. "But how can we possibly sneak in under everyone's watchful eyes?"

"Sigh! We'll just have to wait and see if any opportunity presents itself," Han Li replied, equally at a loss.

As the two stood anxiously hidden behind the crowd, the ground beneath their feet suddenly began to tremble. It started subtly but quickly intensified, causing many people to lose their balance and fall. Numerous rocks also tumbled down the mountainside as the peak vibrated.

"Oh no, the mountain is collapsing! That Wang fellow wants to drag us all down with him!" someone recklessly shouted amidst the panicked crowd.

Hearing this, most people became even more terrified. Some even disregarded Wang Juechu's previous warnings, scrambling towards the exits in an attempt to escape what they believed to be a collapsing mountain.

"Rumble!" A tremendous sound of collapsing reverberated, and the ground simultaneously began to shake even more violently.

Upon hearing this deafening roar, everyone assumed it signaled the mountain's collapse and fell into despair. By then, it was likely too late to escape the area.

Meanwhile, Jia Tianlong was a mix of shock and rage. Though still surrounded by his loyal Iron Guards, he felt utterly bewildered and unsure of how to proceed.

He instinctively turned his gaze to the Golden Light Venerable, his supposed pillar of support, but a bitter smile formed on his lips as he clearly saw the other's panicked expression.

It turned out even the Venerable could barely protect himself!

Jia Tianlong instantly lost a good deal of his previous admiration for the man.

"Heh heh! I thought the Wild Wolf Gang members were all fearless heroes. Turns out they're just a disorganized rabble!" At that moment, Wang Juechu's mocking words suddenly echoed. Despite the chaos on the mountain, his voice clearly reached every ear, a testament to the purity of his cultivation.

As he spoke, the ground's trembling miraculously ceased. It was as if the entire mountain had instantly calmed its fury and returned to stillness.

Only then did people realize that the stone hall they had been observing had vanished without a trace, leaving behind an astonishing hole several acres in size. Some bolder individuals took a couple of steps forward, stood at the edge, and peered in, involuntarily drawing a sharp breath. The massive hole was pitch black, its bottom completely indiscernible, only known to be unfathomably deep.

"Gang Leader Jia," Wang Juechu asked coldly, "does this evidence prove my words?"

Jia Tianlong's face was somewhat ashen. He didn't reply immediately, instead scanning his surroundings.

He observed that everyone on his side appeared deeply shaken. This wasn't limited to ordinary gang members or those from other associations; even his personal Iron Guards wore distinctly grim expressions.

Seeing this, Jia Tianlong realized that his objective of completely annihilating the Seven Mysteries Sect tonight was unattainable. It seemed their only recourse was to retreat first and then strategize for the long term.

"What conditions do you have? You may state them," he said, turning back with a strong hint of resentment and a slight gnashing of teeth. "However, you should also be aware that even after all this, we are merely at a stalemate on the battlefield. Don't push your luck too far!"