Chapter 2052: Zhang Xuan and the Clone's Ambush

Leaving the ruins behind, the clone also dropped its verbosity and narcissism.

The strangeness of the Sunken Sky City was beyond imagination.

No wonder so few people entered; the sheer aura of decay alone was more than ordinary people could bear.

With the Eye of Insight and the library, he could foresee many dangers in advance, reducing a lot of trouble. Even so, after advancing less than ten li, he still encountered three attacks and nearly fell into traps twice.

After successfully breaking free and advancing a bit further, he once again sensed a powerful fluctuation of energy not far away.

Exchanging a glance, he and the clone quickly flew forward.

A wide square appeared before them. On the left side stood a woman in splendid attire, wearing a bronze-colored mask. Not far away, an altar floated quietly, with azure flames burning atop it, as if a sacrifice had already begun.

The woman's hair flew wildly, and as her immortal energy surged, the space around her twisted and distorted.

On the right side was the familiar middle-aged man from the Divine Temple, his sword aura surging, his eyes cold and indifferent.

Fuchenzi?

His eyes fell on the ground not far away, where a figure leaned against the ground, chest covered in blood, clearly severely injured. It was Fuchenzi, who had been chasing them earlier.

He had thought the two hadn't encountered each other, but unexpectedly, Fuchenzi was already heavily wounded.

Could this masked woman be Palace Master Du Qingyuan?

He carefully looked at the woman.

The bronze mask, whether part of the sacrificial ritual or something else, made it impossible to discern her features. He could only sense that her immortal energy was vast, giving a feeling of immense power, clearly having reached the Demigod realm.

Among the six major sects, the only woman who had reached this level was Du Qingyuan, so it seemed it must be her.

Daring to obstruct the Divine Temple, could it be that your殿主 also wants to oppose us?

Looking at the severely injured Fuchenzi on the side, the middle-aged man snorted.

Zhang Xuan was slightly puzzled.

Although he hadn't seen the earlier battle, shouldn't the middle-aged man have been no match? How was it that now, allied with Du Qingyuan, Fuchenzi was the one injured?

Could it be... that the middle-aged man had deliberately lost earlier to let Fuchenzi lead the way?

If so, it was indeed possible.

The people of the Divine Temple were always ruthless, stopping at nothing to achieve their goals. It wouldn't be strange for them to do such a thing.

If you could do anything to our殿主, you would have acted long ago, wouldn't you?

Fuchenzi sneered, struggling to look at the bronze-masked woman not far away: "Be careful, Palace Master Du, he has a Demigod-level weapon!"

Palace Master Du did not reply. She turned to look at the middle-aged man, her gaze filled with icy killing intent.

Whoosh!

With a turn of her jade hand, a majestic palm force broke through the air, and a giant palm that seemed to blot out the sky appeared in the sky, pressing down.

The Great Qingcang Palm, not bad!

With a loud laugh, the middle-aged man slid forward like a swimming dragon, while his long sword pierced the air, its tip like a cold gleam.

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

The long sword blocked the palm's attack. The middle-aged man's fingers moved as if playing a zither, and he suddenly grabbed toward the altar not far away.

You're asking for death!

The bronze-masked woman's voice was icy. Without changing her technique, she struck down palm after palm. The surrounding space was torn and twisted by the powerful force, and the entire square seemed about to explode.

Like a bolt of lightning, the middle-aged man moved through the palm forces with ease.

Palace Master Du, why has your strength dropped so much? Could it be because of the sacrifice? Regardless of the reason, in your current state, you are certainly no match for me. Hand over the altar obediently, and I will spare your life and give you a chance to live. Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude!

After blocking a few attacks, the middle-aged man frowned.

Palace Master Du ranked among the top of the six sect masters, with formidable cultivation. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be easy for him to defeat her. But why did her techniques seem fierce on the surface yet actually feel like a hollow show of strength?

Could it be that the sacrifice had drained all her power?

If so, all the better. As long as he successfully obtained the altar, the rewards from the Divine Temple's master would surely elevate his cultivation by a large margin!

Without replying, the bronze-masked woman continued her frenzied attack.

The flames on the altar burned even more brilliantly, as if they might at any moment connect with the heavens and transmit a message to the gods.

Since you don't know what's good for you, don't blame me for being rude...

Seeing that she fought more fiercely with no intention of surrendering, the middle-aged man suddenly raised his palm.

Whoosh!

A weapon resembling a halberd appeared before him. With a slight turn, it thrust straight toward Palace Master Du.

Woo-woo-woo!

As soon as the halberd appeared, a huge crack formed in the air. Infused with Demigod power, the halberd's tip surged with chilling energy, like a weapon that could destroy the world. Anything it touched would easily turn to ash.

A Demigod-level weapon?

Zhang Xuan's pupils contracted.

This halberd seemed to have reached the Demigod realm; otherwise, it wouldn't possess such power.

The iron chain in his own hand was also at the same level, but its offensive capability and power were clearly far inferior. It seemed that even among Demigod-level weapons, there were significant differences.

Feeling this power, the bronze-masked woman lost her previous composure. Her eyes narrowed, and she suddenly looked up at the altar not far away.

If I die, we all die!

With a roar, she grabbed at the air.

Whoosh!

The altar appeared before her, the azure flames burning fiercely.

It seemed that if the halberd wanted to kill Palace Master Du, it would first shatter the altar.

The Divine Temple's master wanted the altar. Once destroyed, it would be useless, so he couldn't allow that to happen. The middle-aged man raised his hand, stopping the halberd in midair, and narrowed his eyes: "You're asking for death!"

If I die, I will destroy the altar first. Even if it means betraying my ancestors, it's better than falling into the hands of your Divine Temple. If you want to fight, come on!

The bronze-masked woman gritted her teeth.

His strength was greater than hers, and with a Demigod-level offensive weapon, she couldn't withstand it. Since that was the case... she might as well die together.

Since he wanted the altar, he would be cautious about damaging it, which should make things safer.

As she tried, it indeed worked.

Hmph!

Clenching his fists, the middle-aged man's face turned ashen. After a moment, he raised an eyebrow: "Then... I'll kill him first!"

Boom!

The halberd thrust straight toward Fuchenzi, who lay on the ground.

His face pale, Fuchenzi tried to resist but found his injuries too severe to move. A look of determination appeared in his eyes as he turned and shouted.

Palace Master Du, you should go. With the altar in hand, he won't dare to push too hard. Don't worry about me...

The bronze-masked woman frowned, then moved to block in front of Fuchenzi with the altar: "If you don't want to destroy the altar, keep attacking..."

Whoosh!

The halberd stopped in midair.

You...

The middle-aged man was about to explode with rage. The power on the halberd rampaged, sending waves of air rolling and creating huge cracks on the ground.

Bang!

Just then, the bronze-masked woman, who was controlling the altar, suddenly turned deathly pale. A mouthful of blood spurted out, and she stumbled forward, crashing heavily to the ground.

Full of disbelief, she quickly turned her head and saw that Fuchenzi, who had been severely injured and seemingly on the verge of death, stood up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, showing no sign of injury.

Palace Master Du, I apologize. The altar is in your hands, and we cannot allow it to be damaged, so we had to use this method.

Fuchenzi grabbed lightly, and the altar, still burning on the surface, was caught and lost its power to resist.

Earlier, when Palace Master Du's power was strong, it would have been impossible to seize it by force. Now that she was severely injured and had lost control of the altar, he directly stored it into his storage ring.

When did the Tongshen Hall also submit to the Divine Temple?

Palace Master Du clenched her fists.

Clearly, she had never dreamed that Fuchenzi, who had just risked his life to save her, was actually in league with the Divine Temple, and that everything he had done was just an act!

Zhang Xuan, hiding on the side, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Earlier, he had found it strange that since the middle-aged man was so powerful, how could Fuchenzi have easily defeated him? It turned out the two were in cahoots!

This also explained why, as soon as Fuchenzi left the Zhuxing Palace, the middle-aged man had pursued him and hadn't been discovered all along...

The two had played a duet to deceive the Great Elder and the others, learn of Palace Master Du's whereabouts, and then track her down!

Truly a clever scheme, a cunning mind!

The altar is in hand, now kill the person.

The middle-aged man snorted.

Mm.

Fuchenzi nodded. Just as he was about to gather power in his palm and strike at Palace Master Du, hurried footsteps sounded.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Two figures appeared in the square.

They were Zhang Xuan and the clone, disguised as peak Immortal Lord youths.

Did you eliminate the one who was tailing us?

Seeing them approach, the middle-aged man frowned.

That person was very cunning and sensed the danger in advance, so he escaped...

Zhang Xuan said awkwardly.

Escaped?

Frowning, the middle-aged man was displeased.

If I'm not mistaken, it should be the new sect master of the Seven Stars Tower. He won't be so easy to kill...

Fuchenzi shook his head.

Seven Stars Tower?

The middle-aged man frowned.

Mm, this person, along with Sect Master Zheng Yang and Sect Master Zhang Xuan, rose to power too strangely. I have investigated them specifically, but for now, there's no information.

Fuchenzi's expression was grave: "But don't worry. Take the altar back first; others will handle this matter."

Mm.

The middle-aged man nodded, said no more, glanced at Palace Master Du, and turned around: "Kill her."

Alright!

Fuchenzi responded. Just as he was about to speak, the two peak Immortal Lord youths approached: "Let us do it. We failed to catch that Sect Master Liu Yang earlier; killing him will count as atonement..."

With that, Zhang Xuan walked up to the injured Palace Master Du, while the clone stood not far from the middle-aged man.

Alright.

The middle-aged man, suspecting nothing, nodded. Just as he was about to turn and leave, the clone and Zhang Xuan struck simultaneously.

Whoosh!

Two sharp sword energies appeared abruptly, striking the backs of the middle-aged man and Fuchenzi at the same moment.

Zhang Xuan and the clone had launched a sneak attack. The two had no defense, and in one blow, their bodies were pierced, leaving huge bloody holes. You... Having always thought about ambushing others, they never expected to be ambushed by their own subordinates. The middle-aged man and Fuchenzi's faces instantly turned pale, full of disbelief.