Chapter 2780: Stealing Treasure
Zu An had secretly taken a look.
The person who was conversing with Cult Leader Shi was a middle-aged man. He was likely the Ming Cultâs Radiant Left Envoy, judging from his position earlier in the main hall.
I think his family name is Yi or something.
In the organization, the Radiant Left Envoy was second only to the cult leader. It made sense for Cult Leader Shi to bring him into this secret tunnel.
But who could the other person be?
Cult Leader Shi and Left Envoy Yi were astounded as well. âWho is it?â
Several figures stepped in.
Zu An glanced at Isabella. The intruders were the Persians who had escorted her here.
Isabella was stunned as well. She had no idea what those Persians were doing here, but regardless, it was bad news for her. Whether those Persians succeeded or not, it would put her in a spot, especially since she had to settle down here.
âTreasure Tree King, the Three Envoys of Wind, Cloud, and Moon, what are you doing here?â Cult Leader Shiâs eyes were cold. It wasn't a joke that anyone who barged into the secret tunnel without the cult leaderâs permission would be executed.
Zu An eyed the Persians. The Three Envoys of Wind, Cloud, and Moon were two men and one woman. The two men had vicious eyes, whereas the woman wore a veil and had a figure that was more voluptuous than the women of the Central Plains.
Since their ages donât match, they canât be the same Three Envoys of Wind, Cloud, and Moon in âHeavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber'. They must have always been two men and one woman.
âWe would never have known about your secret ploy against us if we hadnât come here,â the Treasure Tree King sneered in halting Chinese.
Left Envoy Yi roared in anger, âDonât you know that those who barge into the forbidden area will be executed without mercy?â
The Three Envoys of Wind, Cloud, and Moon suddenly launched an attack.
Left Envoy Yi was a top expert; he couldnât have climbed to his current position otherwise.
He quickly defended himself, but the three envoys used unorthodox martial arts that were hard to read, and their teamwork was impeccable. One swept his legs. One grabbed his hand. One attacked his acupoints. There was no chance for him to counterattack at all.
It didnât take long for the three envoys to defeat Left Envoy Yi. It happened so abruptly that Cult Leader Shi couldnât make it in time to support him.
Left Envoy Yi felt so ashamed that he would have dug a hole and buried himself on the spot. He had always been proud of his strength, believing himself to only be second to Cult Leader Shi in the Ming Cult. Yet he was swiftly curbed by these enemies.
He felt icy-cold inner energy gush into his acupoints, assaulting him with excruciating pain and preventing him from channeling his inner energy.
Zu An clearly saw what had happened. The Three Envoys of Wind, Cloud, and Moonâs martial arts were so unorthodox that they could easily curb most enemies unless one was significantly stronger than them.
Cult Leader Shiâs expression turned grim. He was shocked by the three envoysâ martial arts as well. âWhat do you mean by this?â
The Treasure Tree King laughed. âCult Leader Shi, weâre doing this out of self-defense, lest you join forces to kill us. You donât have to worry about Left Envoy Yiâs safety. All you have to do is to defect to the Mongols. Thatâd make you my superior in the future. I wouldnât dare offend you.â
Cult Leader Shiâs expression darkened. âI believe I made myself clear earlier.â
âYouâre putting me in a difficult spot.â The Treasure Tree King shook his head. âThere are voices in the headquarters who want to slowly advance our goals and buy time for the holy maiden to find the Great Cosmic Shift, but I donât see the need to play the long game here.â
Zu An and Isabella exchanged looks.
Looks like there are diverging opinions in the Persian Ming Cult. The Treasure Tree King might be a supporter of another holy maiden, and heâs doing this to foil Isabellaâs mission.
Cult Leader Shi harrumphed. âI knew you harbored ulterior motives. I should have made a move earlier.â
He secretly retreated while lamenting. This was the Central Plains Ming Cult, his home turf. No matter how powerful the Treasure Tree King and the Three Envoys of Wind, Cloud, and Moon were, they would be doomed with everyone charging at them at once.
The only problem was that the other cult members were forbidden from stepping into the secret tunnel. If he died here, no one would find him for a long time.
But the Persians saw through his intention. The Three Envoys of Wind, Cloud, and Moon quickly spread out to block his path of retreat.
âDoes the great Cult Leader Shi plan to escape like a downtrodden dog?â the Treasure Tree King sneered.
Cult Leader Shi harrumphed.
All of a sudden, he lunged at the veiled woman. He was planning to take down the weakest Radiant Moon Envoy as quickly as possible to unravel the Three Envoys of Wind, Cloud, and Moonâs collaboration formation.
But the Radiant Moon envoy was guarded against his assault. She dodged his attack with an unorthodox movement skill while scoffing, âTsk tsk tsk. Is Cult Leader Shi interested in me? But Iâm not sure if an old man like you has the stamina to take me on.â
Cult Leader Shiâs face darkened, and his attacks became even more ferocious. Faced with great pressure, the Radiant Moon Envoy couldnât maintain her smile anymore.
The Flowing Cloud Envoy and the Profound Wind Envoy quickly reinforced her. The three envoys had been working together for such a long time that they could read each otherâs intentions. Their teamwork was impeccable.
Cult Leader Shi was able to stand his ground despite simultaneously fighting three opponents, though.
âIs that the legendary Great Cosmic Shift? Itâs unfathomable indeed.â The Wind, Cloud, and Moon Envoys keenly sensed their inner energies being directed against their own comrades, which made it seem as if they were fighting among themselves instead.
Cult Leader Shi harrumphed.
Their martial arts are too unorthodox. I canât read their moves. Somehow, they're always able to dodge my attacks from unbelievable angles, causing my fatal blows to miss. And that Treasure Tree King is eyeing me like a hawk from the side.
As the fight dragged on, he grew increasingly agitated.
Meanwhile, Zu An watched the battle with a frown.
Cult Leader Shi is in a terrible position, but for some reason, the only top martial art he's using is the Great Cosmic Shift. His other moves are strong in their own right, but they arenât top-notch.
Why isnât he using the Nine Heavens Palm? Thatâs the move that skyrocketed Cult Leader Yang Dingtian to the top of the martial world in the futureâthough he failed to best Zhang Sanfeng.
Even the head of the Shaolin Templeâs Three Elders lost an eye to the Nine Heavens Palm! His two juniors spent decades developing the Vajra Evil Subduing Ring, but they dared not confront Yang Dingtian to avenge their senior.
So, why is Cult Leader Shi not using the Nine Heavens Palm? Does he plan on catching the Treasure Tree King by surprise?
But Zu An soon rejected that conjecture.
The Treasure Tree King found an opening and hurled his fist into Cult Leader Shiâs back.
Cult Leader Shi had planned to use Great Cosmic Shift to transfer the force behind the fist to the Three Envoys of Wind, Cloud, and Moon, but he found himself unable to move. The four Persians took advantage of that opening to strike Cult Leader Shiâs acupoint.
Pu!
Cult Leader Shi spat blood. He crumpled to the ground, unable to fight anymore.
âCult leader!â Left Envoy Shi was enraged, but he was unable to do anything about it.
Sensing Cult Leader Shiâs confusion, the Treasure Tree King explained with a smile, âGreat Cosmic Shift originates from our Persian headquarters. We might have lost the main manual, but we still have texts to understand its unique traits. You have only reached the third layer of Great Cosmic Shift; thereâs no way you could have transferred my attack.â
Cult Leader Shiâs face turned pale.
To think that Iâd die here due to a moment of carelessness.
âI reckon heâs carrying the Great Cosmic Shift manual with him. Radiant Moon Envoy, search his body.â The Treasure Tree King was worried Cult Leader Shi had a final ace up his sleeve and dared not risk his life.
âYes!â The Radiant Moon Envoy rushed forward to search Cult Leader Shiâs body. âOh? I didnât expect someone as old as you to have a decent figure.â
Soon, her eyes lit up. She lifted a piece of lambskin and exclaimed, âFound it!â
The Treasure Tree King was overjoyed. He was about to take it when a shadow flashed across the room and snatched the lambskin.
Only then did the crowd realize there was another young man in the room.
âWho are you?!â the Treasure Tree King roared in anger.
Does the Central Plains Ming Cult still have other hidden experts? He must have been hiding here for some time now, but to think that none of us noticed him!
Cult Leader Shi and Left Envoy Yi traded perplexed looks.
That guy isnât a member of our Ming Cult. What is he doing in the secret tunnel?
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