Legend Management Bureau Chapter 76

[ … words ]

Zhang Qian felt somewhat embarrassed after being directly confronted by Zhan Qisheng. However, since the man’s cultivation base was far higher than his own, he naturally did not dare to say a word.

“Xiao Qi!” Du Yu hurriedly called out. “Things just got complicated! Guess who showed up?! It’s Zhan Qisheng!”

Du Yu shouted in his mind for quite a while, but he found absolutely no response from Xiao Qi’s end.

‘Strange…’ Du Yu thought, his heart sinking. ‘Does Zhan Qisheng’s mere presence sever my connection with the Legend Administration Bureau?’ He knew things were looking grim; his only backer was now gone.

“Hm?”

Zhan Qisheng frowned slightly, sensing something amiss. It felt as though someone in the area was using a cross-temporal sound transmission technique. Very few people were capable of utilizing such a unique spell. Could it be…

He glanced around and quickly spotted Du Yu hiding behind the steps.

“Oh?” His expression shifted as he spoke. “You are here as well?”

Du Yu never expected to be discovered so quickly. Giving a dry chuckle, he slowly stepped out from behind the stairs.

Zhan Qisheng looked at Du Yu with a conflicted expression before stating, “You are in luck today. I will not take your life. Leave at once.”

Zhang Jian had just shown a trace of joy, assuming Du Yu knew this immortal. However, hearing the immortal’s words instantly felt like a basin of freezing water had been poured over his head.

“Leave?” Du Yu turned his head to look at Zhang Jian, then glanced around at the wounded brothers within the stronghold. Fleeing was definitely the best option right now, but doing so would mean the legend would come to an abrupt end.

“Zhan Qisheng,” Du Yu began. “I remember you once solemnly vowing to me that everyone’s choices must be respected. But what are you doing now? Not only have you killed many people who were never meant to die, but you’re also going to kill Zhang Jian without any explanation?”

Zhan Qisheng’s expression changed upon hearing Du Yu’s words. As if he had known Du Yu would ask this, he involuntarily lowered his head and replied, “My actions this time do indeed go against my morals, but I have no other choice.”

“Let’s make a deal and both take a step back.” Du Yu truly had no other options left. At least Zhan Qisheng was still willing to talk; if the man had just started a massacre without a word, this matter would likely already be over.

“Take a step back?”

“Exactly. Your goal is to seize the stronghold, and my goal is to keep Zhang Jian alive. Our objectives don’t conflict. I’ll take Zhang Jian away, and you all can continue your grand endeavor of unification,” Du Yu proposed. “I promise you, Zhang Jian and I will never return to the Zhang Family Stronghold in the future.”

Zhan Qisheng let out a faint sigh. “I believe you might have misunderstood. My objective is not to seize the stronghold, but to take Zhang Jian’s life.”

“This…” Du Yu gritted his teeth. “Is it absolutely necessary?!”

“It is. If we are truly to both take a step back, I can allow the remaining people in the stronghold to leave. I only need Zhang Jian to stay here.”

“True Immortal! How can we allow that?!” Zhang Qian suddenly interjected. “If we let that massive group of people go, who knows when they might come back to kill us! We must pull out the weeds by the roots!”

Zhan Qisheng waved his hand impatiently, sending out a blast of palm wind that directly blasted Zhang Qian flying through the air.

“Is it your turn to speak?”

Du Yu swallowed hard and looked at Zhan Qisheng. “Zhan Qisheng, you should know that I can’t back down here.”

“I do. That is why I want to give you a chance to abandon this legend and leave here alive.”

“Hold on!” Zhang Jian suddenly shouted.

Du Yu and Zhan Qisheng froze, both turning to look at him simultaneously.

“Just now, this True Immortal said he could let the brothers in the stronghold and Brother Zhang Zhen leave. I accept this condition.” Zhang Jian slowly nodded. “I will stay here. I will trade my own life for theirs.”

“No!” Du Yu whispered to Zhang Jian. “Chief, you might not know why I’m even here. If you die, my existence will lose all meaning!”

“No, your existence still has meaning.” Zhang Jian turned back to Du Yu. “The heavens allowed you to appear so you could take my place and lead our brothers to survive.”

“You…” Du Yu was momentarily at a loss for words. It seemed this Zhang Jian had completely resolved to sacrifice his own life.

“Son of a bitch…” Zhang Qian stood up from a distance, cursing profusely while dusting off his clothes. “No one is leaving today! Attack them!”

As soon as his voice fell, numerous bandits sprang into action. They channeled their respective spells and launched attacks at the people around them. These men were clearly Zhang Qian’s subordinates; they had prepared for this ambush well in advance. Not only was every strike a lethal move, but they had also readied pills and talismans ahead of time. Zhang Jian’s people were not so fortunate. Unorganized and unprepared, they could only dodge frantically while attempting to fight back.

In an instant, the flashing lights of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth elemental spells rippled everywhere. Aside from the four people standing in the center, everyone else was embroiled in a chaotic brawl.

“Zhan Qisheng, you should be able to see it, right? Zhang Jian is far more righteous than Zhang Qian, and much better suited to lead this stronghold,” Du Yu stated. “Your appearance won’t just take Zhang Jian’s life; it will doom the lives of everyone in this stronghold.”

“Saying more is useless. I cannot retreat today.” Zhan Qisheng shook his head, his entire body slowly levitating into the air.

“Crap…” Du Yu muttered, watching the negotiations fail. Stirred up by Zhang Qian, the situation was already spiraling toward the worst possible outcome.

“Chief!” Du Yu hurriedly called out to Zhang Jian. “You absolutely cannot die here. Run first! After you leave, I’ll figure out a way to slip away too!”

“Sir, how many times has our stronghold been attacked since its founding?” Wasting no more breath, Zhang Jian slowly began to channel his spiritual energy. “Have you ever seen me flee even once?”

“This time is different!” Du Yu was incredibly anxious. If a fight really broke out, there was absolutely no way these ordinary cultivators could defeat Zhan Qisheng.

“Sir, the stronghold has suffered a disaster, and countless brothers have been killed or wounded. There is no reason for me, Zhang Jian, to run away. I will fight back to the bitter end.”

“Zhang Jian!” Zhang Qian slowly walked over, sneering. “Have you been scared stupid? You practice water-attribute spells. It’s not raining right now, and there are no rivers nearby. How exactly do you plan to fight?”

“It’s a pity you’ve never been on a battlefield,” Zhang Jian replied coldly. “The water-attribute cultivators in King Wu’s army were extraordinarily powerful, regardless of where they fought. That was because they found water that could be seen everywhere. I managed to learn a trick or two from them because of it.”

“What?!” Zhang Qian shot Zhang Jian a look of pure disbelief.

With a surge of Zhang Jian’s energy, the blood flowing all around them suddenly levitated into the air, gathering directly into his hands. Over a hundred people had already lost their lives since the battle began. In this moment, their blood had become the optimal weapon for a water-attribute cultivator.

The sea of blood churned like crashing waves over Zhang Jian’s palms, shifting forms rapidly—one moment it morphed into ferocious beasts, the next it crystallized into sharp blades.

“If I hadn’t witnessed the living hell of a battlefield with my own eyes, I would never have thought of this technique.” With those cold words, Zhang Jian suddenly waved his hand forward. The massive wave of blood transformed into a crimson dragon, roaring as it charged straight toward Zhang Qian.

“Since when did you possess such a cultivation base?!” Zhang Qian’s expression twisted in alarm. He had trained bitterly every single day over the past year, fully believing he could finally rival Zhang Jian. He never expected Zhang Jian’s progress to be so rapid.

It seemed that fighting and struggling for survival on the battlefield every day was much more effective for one’s growth than sitting in quiet meditation.

Not daring to overthink it, he hurriedly threw his arms up. A towering tree sprouted out of thin air from the ground, forcefully blocking the howling blood dragon.

“Zhang Jian! I practice a wood-attribute cultivation method! According to the principles of mutual restraint among the five elements, your blood dragon still lacks the power to hurt me!”

Zhang Qian chanted another incantation, and numerous vines whipped out from the massive tree, bypassing the blood dragon and lunging straight for Zhang Jian.

“Insignificant parlor tricks!”

Zhang Jian completely ignored the vines, instead increasing the power in his hands. The blood dragon’s body instantly emitted billowing clouds of hot steam. The very moment the vines ensnared Zhang Jian, the blood dragon smashed right through the towering tree and completely engulfed Zhang Qian.

Seeing the situation turn dire, Zhang Qian cried out in alarm. He frantically formed a few hand seals, causing his skin to turn as rough and tough as tree bark. The colossal blood dragon sent him flying back over thirty meters, yet it failed to inflict any substantial damage.

Looking back at Zhang Jian, the vines from earlier were lined with barbs, which had now deeply pierced into his flesh.

The two men had exchanged a few brief moves, and neither had managed to gain the upper hand.

Watching this scene, an idea couldn’t help but form in Du Yu’s mind… As long as Zhang Jian could defeat Zhang Qian, and he could manage to stall Zhan Qisheng… they might just have a chance in this fight!

“You don’t honestly think there is hope, do you?” Zhan Qisheng asked Du Yu coldly. “If I have given you that illusion, I apologize in advance.”

As he spoke, a massive tornado erupted around Zhan Qisheng. The surrounding weapons, tables, and chairs danced in the wind like weightless scraps of paper. With a mere wave of his hand, a barrage of weaponry and furniture hurtled toward Du Yu. Du Yu’s eyes grew cold, and he instantly vanished from where he stood.

“Oh?”

Seeing his attack hit nothing but air, Zhan Qisheng felt somewhat surprised.

“I forgot that you are, after all, an Operator. The Legend Administration Bureau has surely expended great effort to cultivate you. You are no longer the person you used to be.”

Hesitating no longer, Zhan Qisheng waved both hands. The entire tornado swept up everything in its path, slowly advancing toward Du Yu. With every few meters it closed in, the tornado expanded in size. This area of effect was absolutely impossible to evade with mere movement techniques. Du Yu could only curse the fact that he was unable to fly.

The tornado was like a pillar holding up the heavens, tearing up all the tiles across the entire plaza. Accompanied by a series of deafening roars, it evolved into a full-blown natural disaster.

“Crap… There’s no way to dodge…” Du Yu looked left and right, but there was nowhere safe to stand.

In the nick of time, Du Yu suddenly felt a tremor at his waist. Immediately following a flash of green light, a delicate figure materialized.

“Step aside, let me handle this!”

The young girl clad in green swept her hands out. It was as if a turbulent current had manifested within the clockwise-spinning tornado, directly forcing its rotation speed to drop.

She offered a faint smile, then surged her magical power. Thrusting both palms toward the tornado, she roared, “Break!”

The massive tornado suddenly began to tremble. It was as if another opposing force had surged upstream against it from the inside. Trembling fiercely, it violently detonated just a second later, sending a massive shockwave of wind blasting outwards in every direction.

“Hahahahaha!” Yingning burst into joyous laughter. “Little Zhan, it looks like your cultivation has improved again!”

Zhan Qisheng stared blankly at the young girl before him. “Yingning?!”