Chapter 517: The War is About to Begin
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“B*stard!”
Lin Kuang punched the ground forcefully but could not release the frustration in his chest.
“Hurmph, I’ll let you all off for now. I want to see how long you all can last!” Zhu Lanhuo looked at the depths of the Snow Storm Stratagem and narrowed his eyes slightly. The stratagem had been depleted of half its power right now, but they would still be affected. It was meaningless for them to continue their pursuit.
Anyway, it would not take long for the Stratagem Destroying Flags to break down the stratagem. Then they could simply enter then and kill everyone in Intentionless Sect. They had already waited for half a month. One more day would not matter.
Tomorrow would be the day when Intentionless Sect was destroyed!
Mo Wen and Chen Zikuang flew into the Snow Storm Stratagem. There was a hint of worry in Chen Zikuang’s eyes. Intentionless Sect did not have much power to depend on even with the addition of Mo Wen. It was almost impossible to stop two martial artists in the Golden Elixir realm. Now that the Snow Storm Stratagem had encountered issues, it was more trouble on top of an already troublesome situation for Intentionless Sect.
Judging by the current situation, the Snow Storm Stratagem would be completely broken through in a day’s time. Then, Intentionless Sect would be unable to stop the Sacred Fire Sect when they attacked.
Furthermore, the Old Master was still recovering from his injuries. Chen Zikaung feared that he would not be completely healed in just a day’s time. Such an estimate was too far removed from Chen Zikuang’s initial expectation of one week. He had also not expected that the Sacred Flame Sect would suddenly increase the pace of their attack.
“Deputy Sect Leader Chen, I fear that the Snow Storm Stratagem would not last more than a day. If I take control, it might last about two days.” Mo Wen looked at Chen Zikuang. He knew what Chen Zikuang was worried about. The Sacred Flame Sect had the Stratagem Destroying Flags, so it was indeed true that the Snow Storm Stratagem would be hard to maintain. Even if he acted, Mo Wen feared that he could not do much either. At most, he would only be able to hold the stratagem for a longer period of time.
“You can make the Snow Storm Stratagem last two days? Do you have knowledge of stratagem techniques?” Chen Zikuang asked Mo Wen in surprise. He had not expected Mo Wen to know about stratagem techniques. He had already been amazed to discover Mo Wen’s knowledge of alchemic arts and his ability to make such high-level panacea. He believed that even the Alchemist at Huatian Palace could not be as good as Mo Wen.
Now that Mo Wen had said he understood stratagem techniques, Chen Zikuang suspected that there was nothing Mo Wen did not know about.
“I know a little.” Mo Wen nodded his head slightly. Stratagems were dead while people are alive. The effects of the stratagem would be different when controlled by different people.
“All right, I’ll switch you with Elder Sun and have you control the Snow Storm Stratagem.”
Chen Zikuang did not think twice before nodding. The more experiences he shared with Mo Wen, the more he trusted him. This youth seemed to be confident once he decided to do something. Otherwise, he would not speak so casually.
Mo Wen and Chen Zikuang returned to Mindfulness Hall. When Chen Zikuang raised the matter of Mo Wen controlling the Snow Storm Stratagem, several elders stood up and objected. The Snow Storm Stratagem was where the life of the Intentionless Sect was. It was no game. How could they let a youth try randomly?
Elder Sun, who had always been the one to control the stratagem, was particularly fierce as he scolded Mo Wen for causing trouble. Mo Wen had simply studied stratagem techniques for a year and had merely scratched the surface. If Mo Wen could now control the stratagem successfully, then wouldn’t Elder Sun, who had studied the way of stratagem techniques, be seen as less skillful than a youth?
However, Chen Zikuang was decisive. He ignored the objections of the masses and insisted on handing the control of the Snow Storm Stratagem to Mo Wen. All he could do now was put his faith in Mo Wen. Otherwise, the end result would be the same and Intentionless Sect would be defeated. If Chen Zikuang was not brave now and did not task a risk, how would they be able to get through the difficulties before them?
Mo Wen had no interest in arguing with the elders of Intentionless Sect. He followed Chen Zikuang and entered the depths of the Mindfulness Hall. There was a little square inside, and on the square were 10 flags waving in the air.
“Mo Wen, that is the foundation of the Snow Storm Stratagem. Everything depends on you,” Chen Zikuang said solemnly as he handed the stratagem board to Mo Wen. He had ignored the objections of many and determinedly supported Mo Wen taking control of the stratagem. There was naturally some pressure on him. Should there be any issues, then Chen Zikuang would have to take responsibility.
“Relax. It is just a basic stratagem technique. I can handle it easily.” Mo Wen smiled and accepted the stratagem board. He moved quickly and appeared in the middle of the stratagem. He sat cross-legged, holding the stratagem board in his hands. Then, he immersed his mind in the stratagem.
Chen Zikuang’s expression was rather unnatural. Mo Wen was not old, but he seemed so confident. He had said that the Snow Storm Stratagem was only a basic stratagem yet the ancestors of the Intentionless Sect had sacrificed a lot to get it.
The other sects in the Green Ancient Mystery Dimension might have sect-protecting stratagems. But there were few stratagems that were comparable to the Snow Storm Stratagem. It was unlikely that the Sacred Flame Sect would have a stratagem stronger than the Snow Storm Stratagem. So why did it seem so ordinary in Mo Wen’s eyes?
Outside, in the Snow Storm Stratagem, the gradually weakening wind suddenly stirred violently. Then, there was a large gust of wind, and a white tornado rose steeply , causing snow to fly up into the sky.
The force of the wind and snow that had been subdued suddenly recovered and continued to escalate. The area which was free from snow had been expanding but now began to shrink slowly.
The startling change immediately caught the attention of those in both Intentionless Sect and Sacred Flame Sect. In the Mindfulness Hall, a group of people rushed out and looked at the strengthening Snow Storm Stratagem. There was surprise and joy in everyone’s eyes. The Sect Protecting Stratagem showed signs of recovering. The sect members began to chatter jubilantly.
“What’s happening? Why would the Snow Storm Stratagem undergo such a large change?”
“This is great! The power of the wind and the snow has been restored. Push more and quickly restore it to its previous condition.”
“Thank heavens. I hope that the Snow Storm Stratagem will protect our sect forever.”
To those from Intentionless Sect, the strengthening of the Snow Storm Stratagem was an enormously pleasant surprise. To those in the Sacred Flame Sect, the effect was completely different.
“What’s going on? Why is the Snow Storm Stratagem recovering?”
“It can’t be! We have already used our sect’s treasure, the Stratagem Destroying Flags. We can’t possibly have failed to get rid of a mere Snow Storm Stratagem, surely?”
“Damn it, what’s the matter!”
Those from the Sacred Flame Sect who had looked pleased were now all yelling in shock.
Zhu Lanhuo’s expression was ugly. He had still been hoping that he would be able to destroy Intentionless Sect’s Snow Storm Stratagem immediately and then charge into the sect. Instead, in the blink of an eye Intentionless Sect had slapped them in the face.
“What’s the matter?” Zhu Lanhuo asked coldly.
“Intentionless Sect probably used some method to strengthen the Snow Storm Strategem,” An elder who was dressed in white and wielding the Stratagem Destroying Flags said. He had at first been very successful in destroying the Snow Storm Stratagem. But it seemed that there was now an expert going against him. He had met a great obstruction and the process of destroying the Snow Storm Stratagem had slowed down significantly.
“The Intentionless Sect is indeed quite capable,” Zhu Lanhuo said gloomily.
“Don’t worry Sect Leader. The Stratagem Destroying Flags are precious objects, especially when used against stratagem techniques. Even though the power of the Snow Storm Stratagem is rising again, it will continue to be destroyed. However, it seems that it might be difficult to completely destroy the stratagem in just a day,” the Elder in white said.
He was the Stratagem Wielding Master of the Sacred Flame Sect and clearly understood the current situation. With the interference of the Stratagem Destroying Flags, the Snow Storm Stratagem was just struggling on the brink of death and would not be able to return to its original state.
“How long?” Li Zhuoying asked with a frown. They could not wait at this point in time. The longer they waited, the more variables there were.
“Two or three days.” The elder in white groaned. Actually, he dared not give any guarantees. After all, there could well be thousands of changes on the battleground. Intentionless Sect might have other tricks up their sleeve.
“Try your best to destroy the stratagem within two days. We can’t drag this out,” Zhu Lanhuo said blandly, glancing at Li Zhuoying. They could still afford to wait two days.
“Your subordinate knows and understands.” The elder in white nodded and immediately gathered a team to launch the power of the Stratagem Destroying Flags fully.
After the power of the Snow Storm Stratagem increased for a period of time, it stopped moving. The void paused for half an hour and then slowly started to spread. However, the rate of the widening was largely reduced when compared to before.
On the other side, Chen Zikuang’s gaze swept over the people of Intentionless Sect. Then, he said blandly, “If you all were to control the Snow Storm Stratagem, do you all have the ability to hold the Sacred Flame Sect back for two days?”
The elders of the Intentionless Sect were all silent. They now knew that the change in the Snow Storm Stratagem was because of the youth called Mo Wen.
The elders who had objected to Mo Wen taking over earlier all looked awkward, especially Elder Sun. He smiled bitterly, looking a little ashamed.
They had nothing against Mo Wen but had simply thought that he would not be able to take on the task of wielding the Snow Storm Stratagem. After all, he was just a young man. Even if had some understanding of Stratagem techniques, how deep could his understanding be? As such, they had opposed the idea of him taking control of the stratagem.
In the crowd, only Xia Kunqian and Mu Liao were calm because the two of them understood Mo Wen. They were not surprised by Chen Zikuang’s decision and were instead filled with anticipation. Indeed, the youth had surprised them again.
Even though the Snow Storm Stratagem had recovered a little, it could still not hold up against the Stratagem Destroying Flags, which was a type of precious object used especially against stratagem techniques. The Snow Storm Stratagem was still shrinking and the power of the wind and snow was getting weaker and weaker. It would be destroyed sooner or later. It was just a matter of whether the time it had left was long or short.
The one day time period was about to end. Everyone in Intentionless Sect was working hard to recuperate and build up energy. It was because they all knew that a terrible war would happen soon.
As for the Sacred Flame Sect, they were sharpening their knives. They cultivated and recuperated, waiting for the Snow Storm Stratagem to be destroyed. Then, they would charge into the Intentionless Sect.
Mo Wen, however, chose to leave the Mindfulness Hall at this critical time and headed to Chen Wuhui’s room.