Chapter 288 - 263: The Big Event 500 Years Ago_1

The gloomy middle-aged man pushed his speed to the extreme, scampering forward dozens of miles in an instant. Both Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo could only stand by and sigh, unable to catch up.

After the gloomy middle-aged man escaped, Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo also dared not stay, so they ran towards the direction of Shanyang City.

On the way, Lu Yan inadvertently glanced at Yinuo’s hands a few times, realizing that her hands had returned to normal, as white as jade.

"Are you also curious about why I can use the Asura Hand?"

Apparently, Yinuo saw what Lu Yan was thinking and took the initiative to speak up.

Lu Yan nodded.

Indeed, he was very curious.

He was no longer the naive young man who had just entered life’s arena, ignorant of everything.

He had long since researched and learned about the origins of the Asura Hand.

It could be said that the Asura Hand’s fame and characteristics were well-known.

Because the Asura Hand originated from the Asura Sect.

An enormous sect that nearly swept across half of the Da Chu Dynasty five hundred years ago.

Five hundred years ago, two major events that affected the fate of the Da Chu had happened.

The first one was the Rebellion of the Eighth Prince.

At the beginning of Da Chu’s founding, the Great Ancestor Emperor granted large amounts of land to various feudal lords. Each of these feudal lords held their territory, recruited military forces, and talent, much like a country within a country. As time passed, some of their realms became more powerful, causing suspicion within the Da Chu Emperor.

Five hundred years ago, then Da Chu Emperor attempted to weaken the feudal lords and eventually abolish them completely.

But due to his eagerness for quick results, it led to eight of the strongest feudal lords rebelling.

This rebellion lasted for several decades. Although it was successfully suppressed in the end, the strength of the Da Chu swiftly declined.

At this time, the Asura Sect took advantage of the situation and rose to power. In a few short years, they had swept across more than half of the twenty-six states.

No one knew the origins of the Asura Sect. It seemed to have appeared out of thin air, but their strength was phenomenal and filled with top martial arts experts of the time.

There were several famous martial arts techniques in the Asura Sect, all with devastating power.

The Asura Hand was one of them.

Although the Da Chu Dynasty later gathered various forces to eliminate the Asura Sect, since then, the power of the Da Chu Dynasty greatly declined. Many central military corps of the royal family were annihilated or crippled, and they no longer had the power to command the seventy-two states.

Many powerful feudal lords, military lords, and sects declared themselves independent and no longer took orders from the royal family of Da Chu.

All this marked the start of a era of war amongst the feudal lords, and the chaos continues to this day, nearly five centuries later.

Although Lu Yan was curious about Yinuo’s secrets, he never asked since she did not bring it up.

Everyone has secrets.

As did he had secrets, and Yinuo must have known them. Otherwise, how could a son of a refugee rise so quickly?

But Yinuo also never asked him.

"You must have heard of the Asura Sect, but I am not one of them. One of my elders accidentally learned the technique of the Asura Hand and handed it down to me."

"But because of the notorious reputation of the Asura Hand, I usually do not use it unless it’s critical."

"As for my origins, now is not the time to tell you. When the time is right, I will let you know by then."

Shen Yinuo explained.

Lu Yan nodded, refrained from asking further, and changed the subject. "We’ve been running nearly a thousand miles through the night, how did the assassins from the Dark Moon organization find us?"

They not only ran through mountains and forests but also changed their direction several times. Even so, they were still caught up. It was far from common.

"Do you remember the True Body Realm assassin who we killed? Before he died, he burst into a cloud of blood mist. If I’m not mistaken, that should be ’Bloodkill.’

Shen Yinuo said.

"Bloodkill?"

"Yes, it’s a special method of cultivation. Before they die, they turn their blood into Bloodkill, which can pollute nearby creatures. Once contaminated, they can be found via special methods, even if they escape thousands of miles away."

"Not only do assassins cultivate this method, but many core disciples of influential forces also practice such techniques for an additional layer of safety, so as to make others hesitate before striking."

Shen Yinuo explained.

"Is there a way to remove it?"

Lu Yan asked.

"Bloodkill permeates the body, blending with the blood, making it very difficult to remove. However, there are mystical martial pills that can remove Bloodkill. Unfortunately, I don’t have any, and I don’t have the ability to prepare one."

"You can only let it dissipate by itself. The Bloodkill of the First Refinement of True Body, as I estimate, can last at most three months. After three months, it will dissipate on its own."

Shen Yinuo said.

"Three months."

Lu Yan furrowed his brows.

In other words, they could be hunted down at any time within these three months.

They must reach Shanyang City as soon as possible.

...

In Xuanhuo City, cries of battle shook the heavens.

The Shengxuan Sect caught the King Ming’s forces off guard, assassinating the high-ranking officials of Mansion of King Ming first. Most of the martial masters were killed, and a few injured fled. With the lack of high-level commanders and troops, the army of King Ming resisted stubbornly, but the gap was too large, and they were quickly broken through. Over twenty thousand troops of King Ming were either killed or fled in the chaos.

In a grand hall of Xuanhuo City, a gloomy man kneeled on one knee, reporting to a high official of the Shengxuan Sect.

This official was one of the six elders of the Shengxuan Sect, a being of the Primordial Spirit Realm. It was also him who infiltrated the city earlier and ambushed a division commander of the military forces of King Ming.

"Elder, both of them have the cultivation level of Master Level, one of the Fifth-level Master and the other of the Sixth-level Master. Yet their strength is astonishingly strong. They must be prodigies secretly nurtured by King Ming, stronger than Chu Hongye, Shang Wuyang, Mo Wenzhuo, and not less capable than Wang Tianyu. If we could kill them, it would be like gouging out a piece of King Ming’s flesh."

The gloomy middle-aged man reported.

"They are that strong? Even you, at the Second Refinement, were injured and forced to retreat?"

The elder of the Shengxuan Sect spoke coldly.

"Every word I said is true. If there’s a shred of falsehood, I’m willing to suffer a thousand cuts."

The gloomy middle-aged man hurriedly swore.

"Blood Moon."

The Elder of the Shengxuan Sect spoke, and a figure quietly appeared in the grand hall, wearing a blood-red robe, kneeling on one knee.

"Blood Moon, you will be responsible for those two. Bring me their heads."

The Elder of the Shengxuan Sect commanded.

"Yes."

Blood Moon bowed and responded, "As Yinyue has mentioned, those two seem to be heading toward Shanyang City or Taekang City. Now, both cities should have fallen into our hands. Their journey will be like throwing themselves into the net. I will immediately send someone riding an alien beast to chase them and play cat and mouse."

"Hmm. Go, do it. Yinyue, you go too, make up for your previous slip."

The Elder of the Shengxuan Sect waved his hand.

"Yes."

Blood Moon and Yinyue saluted and briskly walked out.

...

Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo traveled extremely fast, and by day and night, they were near to Shanyang City.

But the two did not head for Shanyang City immediately.

On the way, they analyzed the situation and unanimously believed that since the Shengxuan Sect has chosen to start a full-scale war, they must have been planning for a long time, and it’s very likely that they wouldn’t just attack Xuanhuo City alone.

They might also simultaneously attack Shanyang City or other cities to surround the two Honorable Feudal Lords.

This was the most favorable tactic for the Shengxuan Sect.

If they could think of it, there is no reason the senior officials of the Shengxuan Sect couldn’t.

Therefore, Shanyang City might not be safe at the moment.

At a peak about ten miles away from Shanyang City, Lu Yan and Yinuo looked at Shanyang City from afar.

People can see the bustling crowd and the military on the city wall dressed in armor, quite evidently the standard battle armor of the Mansion of King Ming.

And on the city wall, flags were fluttering, clearly the flags of the Mansion of King Ming.

But the two were still not at ease.

Who knew if this was a deliberate trap to bait the experts from the Mansion of King Ming?

"Let me probe a bit."

After Lu Yan finished speaking, a light shadow flashed on his body, and a Martial Arts Avatar appeared. Lu Yan took out a black robe from the Sumi Mustard Seed Bag and put it on the avatar.

Shen Yinuo looked surprised and stared at the Martial Arts Avatar.

Without explanation, Lu Yan’s Martial Arts Avatar flashed and headed toward the foot of the peak. After descending the peak, it headed decisively for Shanyang City.

When the Martial Arts Avatar was about eight miles away from Shanyang City, it suddenly stopped.

That’s because it felt several killing intents enveloping it.

It scanned around but didn’t see a single figure.

"As I thought, something is wrong. Shanyang City has indeed fallen, and there are people here waiting for their prey."

Lu Yan pondered, slowly retreating, then turned and ran.

In the shadows, several figures lay low, blending in with the surrounding environment, almost indistinguishable.

"Are we letting this man go?"

Someone whispered.

"Judging from Bloodkill’s reaction, it’s not him. If we act rashly, we might alarm the snake."

Another person said.

"According to Bloodkill’s reaction, those two have also arrived nearby. Let’s wait a little longer."

Added another person.

On the peak, Lu Yan looked gloomy and said, "Shanyang City really has fallen. There are assassins lurking around. We should not stay here for long. Let’s go, we will bypass Shanyang City and head directly for Mingzhou."

The two quickly descended the peak, met up with the Martial Arts Avatar not long afterward, which then turned into a beam of light and disappeared into Lu Yan’s body.

The two left Shanyang City and headed into the distance.

The hidden assassins instantly sensed something.

"Damn, the distance between us and Bloodkill is increasing. They must have discovered something and are trying to escape."

"No more waiting. Chase."

Several figures emerged from the shadows and sped to pursue Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo.

Seven days later.

In a desolate forest, two figures appeared. It was Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo.

What was different was that both of them were covered in blood, and each of them had several wounds on their bodies.

Especially Shen Yinuo, her pretty face was pale, and her breath was weak.

During these seven days, they had gone through three bloody battles, especially the last one, which was extremely dangerous and they almost lost their lives.

In the end, Shen Yinuo fought desperately, and with Lu Yan continually exploding several of his Martial Arts Avatars, they narrowly managed to shake off their pursuers.

"We can’t go on like this, no matter how we run, they can always lock onto us. We won’t even be able to escape Xuanzhou before we die in their hands."

Lu Yan said, his face solemn, thinking of a strategy.

But he found that there was no plan that could work.

"I know of a place not far from here. If we can get there, we should be able to temporarily fend off the pursuit of the Shengxuan Sect."

Shen Yinuo said.

"Where?"

"A place where treasures are hidden. According to the clues I obtained, it might have been left by the Dagu Dynasty."

Shen Yinuo said.

"If there’s a glimmer of hope, we must give it a try. Let’s go."

"Head north."