Chapter 54: Lan Lechuan

“Did you say... that the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is named Li Miao?”

“He’s here now, right here at your Mount Tai Sect?”

In the quiet chamber, a middle-aged man asked.

“Yes, he’s been here for some days now,” Zuo Lishan replied.

“I fought him that night and suffered a crushing defeat.”

“His martial arts are no longer ordinary. If not for the Gu worms and the divine arts of your sect, I would not even have had the courage to fight back.”

Zuo Lishan’s appearance had returned to normal; the ear torn off by Li Miao and the broken left hand had healed. Yet his face was twisted, his body exuded a foul stench, and his eyes were bloodshot, making him look like a mad dog.

Over the past days, he had secretly harmed several disciples of the Mount Tai Sect, feasting on flesh imbued with true energy to restore his body.

Cannibalism, progress in sinister arts, and the blow to his psyche after Li Miao’s defeat—these three factors drove Zuo Lishan ever deeper into madness.

Already, a glance at his appearance revealed something amiss, so he dared not show himself to outsiders, leaving Liu Baiyun to stir chaos throughout the Mount Tai Sect.

At this rate, the Five Mountains Alliance would surely fall apart.

No Alliance, no bargaining chips with the Ming Cult, no access to the remaining Gu worms. Without the worms, he could not defeat Li Miao, and so he watched his death draw nearer with each passing day.

Helpless, Zuo Lishan had no choice but to seek aid from the Ming Cult ahead of time, requesting they send a master and bring the remaining Gu worms.

The middle-aged man was the one sent by the Ming Cult with the worms.

He was the Left Envoy of the Ming Cult, Lan Lechuan.

He was over fifty, his appearance unremarkable except for his eyes and brows, sharp as if carved with a knife, intimidating all who looked upon him.

“But that night, I did manage to wound him!” Zuo Lishan chuckled darkly.

“It was only because I switched cultivation techniques too quickly, and the Gu worms were insufficient to refine my whole body, leaving my sword skills unable to merge with the foreign true energy. That is why I lost.”

“With the worms, with the worms...” Zuo Lishan gently stroked his chest. “I will not lose to him again...”

“As long as I kill him, I shall be—number one in the world!”

Lan Lechuan frowned at Zuo Lishan, shaking his head inwardly, thinking, “In the end—not fit for great purpose.”

“Still, a half-madman of supreme skill can be put to some use.”

The Ming Cult had never placed their hopes on Zuo Lishan or on the Mount Tai Sect.

A madman has no value as an ally.

Zuo Lishan did not notice Lan Lechuan’s thoughts.

He was still immersed in the joy of finally obtaining the remaining Gu worms, patching the flaws in his body, and truly becoming one above all others.

“Tonight, tonight.”

“Left Envoy Lan, tonight I will kill that commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”

“Then, the Five Mountains Sword Sects will be yours. You still have the remaining Gu worms; trade them all to me.”

Zuo Lishan stroked his sword hilt, baring teeth slick with saliva in a grotesque grin at Lan Lechuan.

“Very well, Sect Master Zuo. As you say,” Lan Lechuan said with a smile.

“You go kill him; before the Alliance, the court won’t have time to send a large army. A hundred or so guards can be handled by my Ming Cult. After the Alliance... with your martial arts, you can roam the world at will.”

“As for the aftermath with the Five Mountains Sword Sects, my Ming Cult will take care of it. You need not worry.”

“Good!” Zuo Lishan let out a shrill, broken scream.

“Just wait for tonight, just tonight... the head of that commander will be my gift to welcome Left Envoy Lan...”

“How is time passing so slowly? I want to kill him now...”

“Should I go now? The back mountain is deserted; after killing him, throw him in the woods, or... I could just eat him... the new worms need blood, it’s perfect, perfect.”

“Hehehe...”

Lan Lechuan frowned, about to speak.

“Sect Master Zuo, you—”

Boom!!!

The chamber’s outer wall collapsed with a thunderous crash, wood splinters flying, shards of stone raining onto the two.

Lan Lechuan struck the air before him, his immense true energy forming a handprint that blocked the incoming debris.

Zuo Lishan did not dodge, letting the stones strike his body, yet not a mark was left.

“No need to wait for tonight, Sect Master Zuo. Seems we had the same idea.”

Through swirling dust, Li Miao strode in.

With a flick of his hand, he tossed a Mount Tai disciple he had grabbed along the way onto the ground.

The disciple struggled to raise his head, intending to apologize to Zuo Lishan for revealing his whereabouts, but upon seeing his ghastly appearance, froze and could not speak.

Li Miao, however, noticed Lan Lechuan, and frowned. “Left Envoy Lan, so it’s you?”

Lan Lechuan also looked at Li Miao, forcing the words through clenched teeth. “Li. Miao.”

“You dared to leave the capital.”

Years ago, Li Miao had personally crushed the Ming Cult’s resistance, slaughtering nearly all its top fighters, and it had taken fifteen years for the cult to recover.

Such a blood feud, Lan Lechuan naturally harbored a murderous grudge against Li Miao. In those fifteen years, Lan Lechuan had once entered the capital, where the two met.

When enemies meet, their eyes blaze with fury.

Now, with both sides resolved to kill, there was no need for words. In the world of martial arts, grudges are washed away with blood.

Li Miao advanced, his figure flickering, and in an instant stood before Zuo Lishan.

He raised his hand and struck toward Zuo Lishan’s chest.

“Well done!”

Zuo Lishan cried out, thrusting his sword at Li Miao’s chest.

He believed he had found the way to defeat Li Miao: his own techniques were not as refined, but his body was far tougher!

Now, with the worms replenished, his body was stronger than ever.

You strike me with a palm, I stab you with my sword! With Lan Lechuan beside me, let’s see who dies first!

Lan Lechuan was not idle; he pointed at the air near Li Miao’s ribs, sending a sharp burst of true energy straight at him.

Li Miao merely smiled. His left hand turned a dark blue-black, and he punched at the sharp true energy Lan Lechuan sent.

Meanwhile, his other hand continued toward Zuo Lishan’s chest!

Bang!!!

Clang—

The sounds intertwined and exploded, shaking the ears of the captured Mount Tai disciple until they bled.

Step—step—step—

Zuo Lishan retreated wildly, barely steadying himself, blood streaming from his seven orifices.

A palm mark an inch deep was etched into his chest! If it were anyone else, death would have been instant!

Lan Lechuan looked at Li Miao’s fist, which bore only a slight tear in the skin—barely a scratch.

Moreover, wisps of smoke curled from the wound, which healed visibly before their eyes!

“You! That night you didn’t use your full strength!”

Zuo Lishan’s eyes widened in disbelief as he shouted madly at Li Miao.

Lan Lechuan, too, stared at Li Miao. “With your talent... you’ve chosen this path?”

“You’ve lost your mind in Shuntian Prefecture?”