Chapter 488 - A Giant’s Afterglow
Ai Hui was still somewhat alert at the beginning, but after a few consecutive lightning strikes he lost consciousness.
Before the might of Nature, even Masters were as negligible as dust.
Ai Hui’s whole body was charred, as if he was a big piece of charcoal that had just been fished out from the stove. Lightning struck his body continuously, and his body twitched with each blow.
By now, even Le Buleng did not dare to drag him out from within the cloud layer.
Lightning constantly filled the sky and illuminated the earth.
No one was in the mood to train. They abandoned what they were doing and looked toward the dark clouds hanging in the sky as well as the exploding lightning amid those clouds. Shock and worry filled their faces.
The lightning only stopped after an hour.
A coal-colored figure descended from the sky.
Shi Xueman was the first to dash over with a ball of mist in her hands. It rolled out and wrapped itself around Ai Hui.
Lou Lan also sprinted forward, the red glow in his eyes flickering.
Shortly after, he shouted happily, "He’s breathing!"
Dread Division Encampment.
Three people gathered. The atmosphere was very grave.
Nian Tingfeng said expressionlessly, "This is what Madam wants. You two do as you deem fit. No one can force you."
Wan Shenwei and Ximen Caijue remained silent.
After a while, Ximen Caijue spoke up. "What about Le Buleng? Don’t you find his sudden appearance too coincidental?"
Nian Tingfeng answered faintly, "Who knows? What does he have to do with us?"
Wan Shenwei nodded and added in a low voice, "Whether Le Buleng has come for Dai Gang or not, it has nothing to do with us. The three central divisions exist to keep the Grandmasters in check and prevent the Avalon of Five Elements from falling into their control…"
Ximen Caijue interrupted coldly, "What is left of the Avalon of Five Elements?"
Wan Shenwei nodded. What was left of the Avalon of Five Elements?
Ximen Caijue turned around and kept her gaze on Nian Tingfeng. "What are your plans?"
Nian Tingfeng replied straightforwardly, "I’m going to obey Madam’s orders of course. Since things have come to this, we have to make an effort or else how are we going to benefit at all?"
Ximen Caijue commented disdainfully, "How righteous."
Nian Tingfeng remained unmoved. "I’m me and you’re you. Who’s going to force you if you don’t want to listen?"
Ximen Caijue did not refute, keeping her mouth shut instead as her powdery, egg-shaped face fumed. It was a cute sight, but the two men did not find it delightful at all. They were aware of how she could kill without even blinking.
Wan Shenwei broke the silence. "The Dread Division will get ready for a death match."
A look of unswerving determination emerged from his frosty face.
Ximen Caijue said mockingly, "We’re digging our own graves. That woman’s already taken into account that we have no choice but to agree. Terrific. Every generation of the Ye family is terrific."
Nian Tingfeng said suddenly, "You can choose not to go."
A smile appeared on Ximen Caijue’s tender face. "How can I not go? We are all expendable slaves who exist to deal with Grandmasters. We live to sacrifice, and that’s why we’re so strong. If we reject this, the three central divisions will not exist in the future. Rather than having that happen, I’m willing to die at the hands of a Grandmaster."
Nian Tingfeng laughed. "That’s for the best. I’ll report this good news to Madam."
He stood up and walked out of the door without the slightest smile on his face.
The sky outside was dark, no sunlight could be seen, and it felt a little cold. He tightened his grip on his clothes and departed in large strides.
Pearblossom Pavilion.
An Muda knew it was his time to leave.
The bubbling of the elemental energy within his body had become increasingly intense. If this carried on, the Pearblossom Pavilion would be torn apart. He wanted to leave it for his students.
It was the last thing he could save for that little fellow.
He got up from the mat little by little. His movement was very slow, even slower than that of a snail, as if he was moving in slow motion. Yet, no matter how slowly he moved, the energy waves felt by the Pearblossom Pavilion caused it to tremble violently. It was in imminent danger, as if it could crumble into pieces at any time.
He took two whole hours to get up on his feet.
His face was rosy and lively, but lacked the least bit of impatience. Instead, he looked at ease. Focus, to him, was as simple as eating and drinking. It was instinctive.
He was a Grandmaster.
In this world, there were muddleheaded, but lucky fellows who managed to rise to become Masters. However, they weren’t fortunate enough to become a Grandmaster. Grandmasters were supreme. Each was born from a combination of incomparable talent, diligence, and a stroke of luck.
Just as his feet left the praying mat, it shattered into countless grass bits and then to fine powder.
Standing upright, An Muda was as lofty as a mountain. He gazed into the distance, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
How could a Grandmaster die while lying in bed?
He slowly raised his right leg. Very slowly.
It took him eight hours.
His expression remained the same throughout, the faint smile on his face still calm. He walked, step by step, toward the edge of the Pearblossom Pavilion.
No one knew, but Grandmaster An Muda took three days to advance nine steps.
He completed each step in eight hours, his expression never changing. There was confidence, reservation, and tranquility between his brows, as if nothing in the world could shake him.
Indeed, there was nothing left that could stir him up.
Reaching the edge of the Pearblossom Pavilion, he looked far into the empty sky, and the corner of his mouth once again curved up. He was like a playful child who had thought of an interesting idea.
He raised his leg, but not at a snail’s pace.
He did it at a normal speed.
A sudden clap of thunder exploded somewhere high in the sky, where the metal wind was bitingly cold. The metal wind, which had been blowing in another direction at a high speed, suddenly became like a disordered shoal of fish.
The next moment, however, they halted as if a spell had been casted on them.
High up in the sky, the metal wind that spanned a radius of about three miles stopped moving all of a sudden, as if it was a frozen brick of air.
An Muda took a step.
One step was equivalent to a few miles.
His dark blue cloth shoes landed on air.
Boom!
A dull thunderclap rolled from far away.
The frozen metal wind within a several mile radius shattered in an instant as an astonishing force sprinted toward them. The dazzling rays were like waterfalls of light that poured down in torrents, pierced through the metal wind below, and penetrated through the cloud layers before finally landing on an uninhabited mountain peak.
The precipitous mountain peak flattened like a piece of dough, losing half of its height. The initially pointed mountain peak vanished, and all that remained was a giant footprint that stretched over one and a half miles.
Boom, boom, boom!
It was as if a giant was trudging overhead.
Such a huge movement shook the whole world.
Dai Gang shut his eyes, relishing in the abundant wood elemental energy and listening to Hai Qing’s report.
"Mingxiu feels differently toward Ai Hui. She’d practically sent over all of her savings to him. These siblings are something different. That Needle-Subduing Peak loom was made by Ai Hui. I sneaked in to carefully study it. It’s really not simple. Ai Hui is indeed in possession of Wang Shouchuan’s teachings, and Wang Shouchuan had found a good student. If we could popularize the Needle-Subduing Peak, it would be very beneficial for us."
Dai Gang opened his eyes and broke into a smile. "Don’t be rash. I’m only left with one disciple. Mingqiu is strongly against my views and refuses to come back, while Huanghun is mingling with those from the Central Pine Faction."
Although Hai Qing could call himself a student in front of Dai Gang, he was only an attendant and not a proper disciple. Quan Minglong was a disciple in name. hence not comparable to Luchen and the other two.
Qing Hai smiled. "I know the severity of the situation. Mingxiu’s affairs concern Brother Lu Chen and the whole of Lu family, so it’s of great importance. Right, Brother Lu Chen has found a Master named Mu Lei, a student of Fei Yuan."
A nostalgic look appeared on Dai Gang’s face. "Fei Yuan was a decent guy, but he was too soft-hearted. I haven’t heard of Mu Lei. He probably lags far behind his teacher."
Hai Qing nodded. "That’s right. Uncle Yu from the Lu residence went over, too. The Lu Residence thinks highly of Ai Hui. Mingxiu might have secretly contacted the Duanmu family since they requested for Mu Lei to hand a wooden case over to Huanghun. I’m not sure what was inside."
Dai Gang waved his hand. "You don’t have to be so thorough. Whether it’s the Duanmu or the Lu family, they clearly know that I’m the only one who has what they need. It’s a one for all, all for one situation between them and me."
Qing Hai responded respectfully, "Yes."
He added, "There’s one more piece of news. Le Buleng has showed himself. He’s with Ai Hui’s faction."
Dang Gang smiled. "Must be an opponent arranged by that old fellow An Muda. It has been so many years, old friend. I wonder how much he has progressed. Hope he doesn’t let me down."
Qing Hai wanted to remind his master to take note of Ai Hui since Ai Hui was involved in many affairs. He’d always felt that Ai Hui was very dangerous, but realizing that his master might have other opinions, Qing Hai kept mum.
He had lived with his master for way too long and was quite familiar with his temper.
Recalling something, Dai Gang asked in a low voice, "How’s our combat division doing? Can it endure a battle? Lu Feng is the division leader of the new Deathgrass Division. How is he?"
Qing Hai replied, "Above average talent and passion, but very meticulous and diligent at work. The Deathgrass Division is no longer like it was in the past, but still better than before. They are worth nurturing."
Dai Gang asked, "Is he the Lu Residence’s adopted son?"
"Yes."
Dai Gang nodded. "Since he’s worth nurturing and is a foster brother to Chen’er, we have to train his guts. Currently, I’m supporting the top, but they can’t embarrass me either. They can’t expect me to wipe the a** of any random fellow that they bring to me."
Dai Gang was half mocking and half joking, but Qing Hai inwardly shuddered nevertheless. He said in a low voice, "I’ll get to it now."
"We must train not just him, but also the backbone below him. Master’s Glory isn’t a bad program. Promoting Masters and not Grandmasters. We can learn from that. Lu Feng is Chen’er’s foster brother, so I shall accept him as a disciple in name…"
Dai Gang stopped suddenly.
Seeing that his master had been quiet for quite some time, Qing Hai quickly looked toward him.
Dai Gang sat motionlessly like a clay figurine, the expression on his face strange. He appeared to be laughing, but also grieving, sentimental, and lonely.
"An Muda is dying."