673 Retribution Is Here (1/2)
”We'll reach Tiantang City in another hundred and seventy miles.”
There was a troop of men and horses, approximately a hundred of them. All of them wore hemp gowns and high hats. One of them cried aloud while whipping his horse.
”There's no need to be so rushed then. While the dragon hide treasure map has emerged, there'll be no verdict until hundreds and thousands of lives are sacrificed.”
A wizened old man spoke, ”Let everyone take a break first and prepare themselves. We'll observe the situation when we enter the city later – do not feed our impulses nor step right into the battleground and attract too much attention.”
”Yes, Grand Elder.”
”This is spoken from experience. Reckless impulsiveness will only cause irreversible consequences.”
”There's a stop right in front. We can freshen up there.”
”Great!”
The troops quickened their pace, galloping forward.
When they were a few hundred feet away from the said stop, clouds in the sky stirred. A gale came sweeping in without warning. As the gale unleashed itself, the dust and debris on the road joined the party. It was like a smoke screen had been tossed towards the hemp-gowned troop.
A straw shows where the wind blows – proficient cultivators could naturally sense an incoming threat. Witnessing the unusual wind, the Ma-i Sect halted themselves uniformly. Their expressions were grim as their gazes scanned and flitted around.
Everyone knew that the sudden gale was not an act of nature.
”Which friend has come? What advice do you have for us?” The sunken eyes of the Ma-i Sect's Grand Elder were gleaming brightly; he spoke in a low voice, ”Since you've come, do step forward to grant us advice. This sect awaits with eager ears.”
The gale remained strong, while the surroundings were dead silent.
Sand and stones were still bring swept into the air and it seemed that the intensity of the storm was only growing more severe. The sky dimmed, blades of grass were being bent, but no one answered.
The Grand Elder looked offended as he cried out, ”Into formations, focus on your defense!”
If there were no malicious intentions, the culprit would have made themselves known after the slight commotion. Since the other party had not responded to the invitation and showed themselves, they almost certainly were harboring ill intentions.
There was no doubt that they stood on opposing sides!
With a soft swoosh, twenty-eight people from the Ma-i Sect brandished their glittering gold hooks before dispersing instantly to their positions in an orderly fashion. It was evident that their cooperation was tacit. The rest of the people stayed inside the first line of defense, forming smaller groups of nine and was ready to strike anytime, to attack their enemy or rescue their comrades.
In the center stood the Grand Elder, the Ma-i's sect leader, and another three Elders. Five of them were responsible for strategizing in the middle, preventing an ambush, or countering with their remarkable skill to ensure a complete defense.
The outer large formation and inner smaller formations were securely connected to each other, interwoven in and out. It was the formation that had the Ma-i Sect commanding reverence in the martial world for years – Deva of the Hundred and Eight Constellations Formation.
Following the completion of the Ma-i Sect's formation, the already raging gale continued to pick up momentum. The brimming killing intent thickened gradually like it was about to condense into something solid.
The Grand Elder looked surprised despite the grimness he wore.
”Who are you? Such skill you possess, yet you hide – is this how a master should be? Since you intend to target this sect, why shy away from showing yourself and fighting properly?”
Before the Grand Elder's words echoed in the air, a distant laughter rang from within the gale. Then, a voice came up within the wind; it floated with the whistling gale, rising and falling with it, and could be heard from both near and far.