novelapdf Chapter 26 The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, But Who Is the Oriole?
Chapter 26 The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, But Who Is the Oriole?
The atmosphere in the study instantly plummeted to freezing point.
Zhao Wuji's powerful aura, at the eighth level of the Acquired Realm, was like an invisible mountain, pressing down on Yang Qian.
He felt his bones groaning under the strain, and his blood and qi churning violently, as if they were about to burst out of his body at any moment.
He knew that the gap in strength between himself and Zhao Wuji was too great, so great that it could not be bridged by bluffing or a precious sword.
"Senior brother!"
When Sun Xiaohong saw Zhao Wuji appear, she was initially delighted, but then her expression changed slightly as if she had thought of something.
She quickly spoke up:
"Senior brother, don't be impulsive! Something's fishy about this!"
Although she was also quite shocked by Yang Qian's sword strike, she was a shrewd and calculating woman and quickly calmed down.
She didn't believe Yang Qian truly possessed the strength to kill a Grandmaster; there must be some trickery involved!
What she was more worried about was that Zhao Wuji, that brute, would kill Yang Qian in a fit of rage.
In that case, the secret of Lin Yichen's death, and the even greater secret that might exist within him, will be forever lost to the sea.
"Strange?"
Zhao Wuji snorted coldly, his tiger-like eyes fixed intently on Yang Qian.
"All I see is this reckless brat daring to point a sword at you! For that alone, he deserves to die a thousand times over!"
He didn't like Sun Xiaohong to begin with, and seeing that she actually wanted to speak up for this kid only fueled his anger.
"Kid, I'm giving you one last chance."
Zhao Wuji walked towards Yang Qian step by step, and with each step he took, his aura grew stronger.
"Immediately put down your sword, kneel down, kowtow to my junior sister, and apologize!"
"Then, hand over everything you got from Lin Yichen!"
"Otherwise, not only will you die today, but you'll die a horrible death!"
His words were filled with an unquestionable domineering air.
In his view, it was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut for a nut, especially for a master at the eighth level of the Acquired Realm to personally deal with a kid who hadn't even reached the Acquired Realm.
The other party had no choice but to obey.
However, Yang Qian's reaction once again surprised everyone.
Faced with Zhao Wuji's overwhelming aura, he showed no fear whatsoever; instead, he... smiled.
A strange and mocking smile slowly crept onto his lips.
"Zhao Wuji, is that right?"
He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching the ears of everyone present.
"Do you think you're something special just because you've reached the eighth level of the Acquired Realm?"
"Do you think you've got me figured out?"
Zhao Wuji suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He looked at Yang Qian with some suspicion and uncertainty.
Has this kid gone mad?
How dare you speak to yourself in such a tone when you're about to die?
Where does his confidence come from?
"What do you mean?"
Zhao Wuji asked in a deep voice.
"It doesn't mean anything."
Yang Qian's smile widened.
"I just want to tell you that the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."
"Do you think you're the last bird to sing?"
No, you're wrong.
Yang Qian's gaze slowly passed over Zhao Wuji and landed on the dark, empty corridor behind him.
"You're nothing more than another self-righteous praying mantis."
What?!
Upon hearing this, Zhao Wuji, Sun Xiaohong, and Li Mu all had their expressions change drastically!
Almost instinctively, they turned around abruptly and looked behind them!
The corridor was empty, deathly silent.
There was nothing but flickering lights and tree shadows swaying in the wind.
"Playing tricks!"
Zhao Wuji immediately realized that he had been tricked!
He flew into a rage and turned around to slap Yang Qian, the brat who dared to play tricks on him, to death!
However, in that very instant he turned around!
A sudden change has occurred!
A black, ghostly figure appeared behind them without warning!
The figure seemed to have always been standing there, blending into the darkness.
If he hadn't shown himself, no one would have noticed his presence!
He was an old man who was blind in one eye.
He was wearing a tattered Taoist robe and holding a black bamboo cane in his hand.
He looked ordinary, like any other fortune teller who roamed the streets.
But the moment he appeared, an aura ten times more terrifying and colder than Zhao Wuji instantly enveloped the entire courtyard!
"Grandmaster...Grandmaster?!"
Zhao Wuji's body stiffened abruptly!
The anger on his face instantly turned into endless horror and fear!
He could clearly feel that aura locking onto him!
Faced with that aura, his eighth-level acquired cultivation was as laughable and powerless as a three-year-old child!
Sun Xiaohong and Li Mu were so frightened that they were paralyzed and could not even stand up!
They never imagined that such a terrifying Grandmaster-level expert was hidden in this small town of Qixia and this inconspicuous mansion!
Moreover, judging from what Yang Qian just said, this grandmaster seems to have arrived a long time ago!
He watched them put on this self-righteous farce as if it were a play!
In an instant, all three of them were completely soaked in cold sweat!
They finally understood what Yang Qian meant by what he had just said.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!
They thought they were the orioles, unaware that a real falcon was watching them from a higher vantage point!
Yang Qian, the seemingly weakest "cicada," knew about everyone's existence from the very beginning!
He's using them to check and balance each other! He's... using someone else to do his dirty work!
Having figured this out, Sun Xiaohong's gaze towards Yang Qian completely changed.
It was no longer curiosity, no longer amusement, but a deep, soul-deep...fear!
This boy is terrifying!
His scheming and cunning are simply inhuman!
"Who...who are you?"
The blind old man ignored the three terrified disciples of the Blazing Fire Sect.
His one remaining cloudy eye stared intently at Yang Qian, and he asked the same question as Sun Xiaohong in a hoarse voice.
Who I am is not important.
Yang Qian smiled.
This time, his smile was genuine.
Because he knew he had made the right bet once again.
The reason he dared to provoke Zhao Wuji so confidently was because he had already seen the presence of this blind old man.
After he upgraded the Seven Limits of Devouring Heaven and Destroying Earth to the Shattering Mountain Realm and his strength soared to the sixth level of the Acquired Realm, his perception ability also received a tremendous boost.
He could clearly sense every single fluctuation of energy within a radius of 100 meters.
The moment Sun Xiaohong stepped into his study, he sensed three extremely subtle yet exceptionally powerful auras lurking on the other side of the courtyard.
One belonged to Zhao Wuji of the Blazing Fire Sect, another to the sinister young man Li Mu, and the last, the most powerful and the one that made his heart tremble the most, belonged to this blind old man!
He immediately realized that the blind old man was the same person as the mysterious fortune teller he had noticed in town before!
He's the real big fish tonight!
So Yang Qian decided to play along.
He deliberately used the Autumn Water Sword to clash with Sun Xiaohong, creating the illusion that he had exhausted his internal energy, and then used words to provoke Zhao Wuji into making a move.
What he needed to do was to make the people of the Blazing Fire Sect confront this blind old man!
Let them fight like dogs!
Meanwhile, he could take the opportunity to recover his strength and then reap the benefits!
"Hand over the items."
The blind old man didn't waste any more words; he stretched out a hand that was as dry and withered as a chicken claw.
"I can make your death quicker."
His goal was clear and he only had one thing in mind from beginning to end: the mysterious human skin on Yang Qian's body that recorded the "Seven Limits of Devouring Heaven and Destroying Earth"!
"Senior, I will present you with what you requested!"
Before Yang Qian could speak, Sun Xiaohong suddenly screamed and threw the Heavenly Sword Sect token in her hand at the blind old man!
She actually tried to shift the blame to someone else!
She wanted the blind old man to believe that Yang Qian only had the Autumn Water Sword, while she had the Heavenly Sword Sect's token, thus diverting his attention to her and giving herself a chance to survive!
What a vicious woman!
However, the blind old man didn't even glance at the flying token; he simply waved his sleeve casually.
"Bang!"
An invisible force struck the token instantly.
The token exploded into dust in mid-air!
"puff!"
Sun Xiaohong was also struck hard, spitting out a mouthful of blood, her face instantly turning ashen white.
"Noisy."
The blind old man coldly uttered two words.
Then his cloudy single eye turned to Yang Qian again.
"My patience is limited."