Chapter: 910 (1/2)

AST 910 – The Strength of the Sky Prison Sect, Balancing Act on a Tightrope

“Why is that?” Qing Shui was puzzled.

“Within my Mu Clan, the one you have the deepest relationship with is that girl who calls herself Mu Qing. The smartest choice for you would be to take her away. Given your abilities, it shouldn’t be too hard,” the Elder laughed.

Without external circumstances, leaving with Mu Qing would be easy for Qing Shui. He could take her away with two consecutive Nine Continents Steps, and then escape with her on the Fire Bird. There would be no opportunity for the Sky Prison Sect to chase.

However, he could not comprehend why the Elder would say such a thing.

“I could easily take Mu Qing and leave, but would she willingly come with me?” Qing Shui smiled towards the Elder.

“Hah, you aren’t ruthless enough and too indecisive. Hesitating when a snap decision is required will invariably lead to trouble. If you cannot change this habit of yours, even with your formidable strength, this could still end disastrously,” the Elder sighed while looking at Qing Shui.

Qing Shui could not understand why the Elder sighed. Why would the Elder say these things? As a member of the Mu Clan, did he really wish for Qing Shui to leave?

“Elder, do you not wish for the Mu Clan to become stronger?” Qing Shui turned around and asked.

“Of course I do, but getting stronger isn’t child’s play. You are one of the most talented people I have seen in my life. The truth is, I do not want to see you die. I want to see your growth and achievements in the next ten, fifty, and hundred years. Unfortunately, there is no hope now.” The Elder stopped, as if he felt pity towards the situation.

This feeling was understandable. An elder who loved martial arts saw an exceptionally talented prodigy at the tail end of his life. It was normal and understandable that he would be fond of this talent. It was just like seeing a beautiful flower bud; most people would want to see it in full bloom. If just a flower bud was already so beautiful, it would be even more alluring when it was in full bloom.

If not for having some psychological abnormality or some compelling reason, nobody would ruthlessly destroy the blossom. One reason would be if the flower was a beauty but the heart was as malicious as a snake or a scorpion…

“Alright, we seem to have talked too much about the distant future. Let’s talk about the matter with the Sky Prison Sect today.” The Elder looked at Qing Shui and laughed.

“Sure, I had the same thought. Please, if you can provide me with some pointers on what to do.” Qing Shui was not overly confident either. He relied on the fact that he had formations, the Nine Palace Steps and tamed beasts.

Right now, the members of Mu Clan with the Duality Minutest Formation should be at least stronger than the Sky Prison Sect in their formation. Other than this, there’s really no other advantage.

With the addition of the Elder, Qing Shui seemed to have gained a pillar of support.

“You critically injured the Sky Prison’s Old Fifth, so there will be no peaceful settlement in this case. This will be a battle to the death. Their goal is our complete annihilation. This is the usual style of the Sky Prison Sect. With their strength, I can only say that we are walking on a tightrope between two deep cliffs.”

“Elder, how many martial artists with similar strength to you are in the Sky Prison Sect?” Qing Shui asked out of curiosity.

“The Sky Prison Sect has eight Masters. The Sky Prison’s Old Fifth was the weakest one. There are several whose strength is only slightly more than his. However, the Sky Prison Sect has three Heads: the First, Second, and Third of the eight Masters. They are the martial artists with the same strength as me,” the Elder said while looking at Qing Shui.

Qing Shui was not surprised. Having three formidable martial artists like that was not strange. Qing Shui felt that they were not the only ones he had to pay attention to, so he remained silent and continued to listen to the Elder. To know thyself was to know thy enemy. That was the way to emerge victorious in every battle. The more intel he had before the battle with the Sky Prison Sect, the more he would know about his opponent.

“The eight Masters of Sky Prison Sect are as close as brothers; furthermore, they have two Elders above them. Their strengths are at least fifteen hundred stars. Their abilities in terms of formations and the Sky Prison Sabre are frightening.” The Elder said, helplessly.

Listening to this, Qing Shui felt shocked. The Sky Prison Sect was undoubtedly a Super Sect, the top of a hundred thousand elites. Hearing about their strength, made Qing Shui’s scalp tingled.

“I’m not sure if those two old farts will come or not.” Qing Shui thought in his mind. If those two did not come, then the situation would be manageable. If they did come, it would be devastating to the Mu Clan if their formation broke.

The Elder seemed to have seen through Qing Shui’s thoughts. He smiled and said, “The Sky Prison Sect’s two old beasts will not come unless you annihilate the entire Sky Prison Sect. Otherwise, they won’t interfere in such a small matter.”

“Elder, you know the things I placed in the Mu Clan. With your strength, how long would the formation hold you back?” Qing Shui asked after much thought.

“If there were no obstacles, I’d be able to break through it in fifteen minutes. In any shorter timeframe, it would be too difficult,” the Elder said after thinking for a bit.

This was bad news for Qing Shui, since the Mu Clan’s Elder did not have any previous knowledge of formations. However, the Sky Prison Sect was different. They were well versed in several formations. Unfortunately, Qing Shui had not been successful with the Nine Palace Eight Trigrams Formation, otherwise he would be confident enough to fend off all of them.

“I can help you hold off one without too much difficulty, but that’s only one of them. For the rest , you must think of some other method. Other than the Masters of Sky Prison Sect, the rest are not a problem to worry about. If they retreat to their formation to save themselves, then you should be careful. Rumor has it that it is a formation within a formation.” The Elder said after a bit of hesitation.

“Formation within a formation?”

“Yes!”