Chapter 90: Truth
Loud rumbling could be heard as the demonic cult army approached. Thousands of horses galloped and the ground trembled.
Facing the huge army, the five heavenly talents had a calm and relaxed expression on their faces. It was a great contrast to the nervous and tense looks of those around them.
"Heroine Zhou Qian, what do you think these fools from the demonic cults are up to? Are they really thinking of invading the city?" Qingcheng's Li Donglin asked Emei's Zhou Qian with a smiling face.
"Hmph!" Zhou Qian coldly snorted and looked at the army with disdain before replying with a murderous aura: "No matter what they are planning, if they really attack the city, I will simply cut them down."
Li Donglin was taken aback by her answer and realized that he was asking the wrong person. As an exclusively female sect, Emei was filled with crazy women who were always eager to fight and kill their enemies, and they were well-known among the major sects for their behavior.
Laughing bitterly, Li Donglin looked towards Priest Qiankun and asked: "Priest Qiankun, what do you think the demonic cults came here for?"
"This humble priest thinks that the demonic cults must be up to something, it is definitely not as simple as attacking Lanzhou City. Lanzhou City is merely a place for the talents from both factions to hone their skills and garner experience, besides that, it has little value. Having made so much noise and trouble recently such that everyone knows it, they must be after something significant." Priest Qiankun bowed as he replied.
Feeling that Priest Qiankun has similar thoughts to himself, Li Donglin immediately acted friendly towards him and continued: "Priest Qiankun, you are right. I think the same way as well, these fools must be after something."
In front of the approaching army, the two heavenly talents chatted away happily.
Many people were secretly shocked by their temperament and guts, and they were filled with admiration.
Very soon, Linghu Feng and Monk Juexing also joined in the conversation, and even the cold and murderous Zhou Qian also chipped in a word or two.
The walls of the city were filled with the chatter and laughter of the five heavenly talents, and it was evident that they had paid no heed to the huge demonic cult army.
"Senior Brother Lin Yi, they are sure having a good time." Yun Taizi, Mo Yu, and Lu Buping whispered to Lin Yi.
Turning his head to look at them, he saw envious looks on their faces. It seemed that they desired to become one of the heavenly talents as well. Even the little nun who had been constantly depressed so far also had an eager expression on her face.
Smiling slightly, Lin Yi asked: "You people also wish to become one of them?"
The three of them nodded their heads involuntarily before realizing it and seeing the look of amusement on Lin Yi's face, their faces reddened and they replied in embarrassment: "We're just thinking about it, how can we possibly become one of them simply because we wish for it?"
They had spent a good amount of time in Jianghu already, and they were well aware of their mediocre potential. Yiqian also sighed upon hearing their words.
"There's no need to envy them. Just continue to work hard and one day you might be the same as them or even better!" Lin Yi encouraged them with a smile.
"Is that true, Senior Brother Lin Yi?" Their eyes lit up and they asked excitedly.
"Of course, as long as you work hard enough!" Lin Yi replied with certainty.
They were instantly filled with fighting spirit when they heard his answer, and even the little nun brightened up greatly.
"Work hard, as long as you work hard, nothing is impossible!"
With a laugh, Lin Yi turned his gaze towards the five heavenly talents.
In his previous life, these five people were all famous characters, and they all eventually became peak experts possessing peerless martial arts.
Monk Juexing, Priest Qiankun, Zhou Qian, and Li Donglin. These four were the chief disciples of four major sects, the successors of their respective sect masters. They certainly inherited the peerless martial arts of their own sects since a long time ago, the only thing unknown was whether they had successfully learned the skills by now.
Lin Yi laughed in his heart and wondered who in the demonic faction would be so audacious as to come to Lanzhou City even after knowing that five heavenly talents had gathered here along with a hundred second-rate experts.
If they attacked the city, they would surely suffer great casualties.
They were certainly no fools, so why would they pay such a great price just to acquire Lanzhou City, a somewhat useless location.
If their aim was to kill the talents from the righteous faction in the city, it also did not make sense. With the presence of a hundred second-rate experts, even if the righteous faction were to lose, it would still give sufficient time for the talents to escape.
So what were they up to?
Lin Yi was unable to figure it out and he stopped thinking about it. As long as he continued to watch how the events unfurl, he would eventually get his answer.
At this moment, the army halted.
The loud rumbling instantly stopped, and the army was now five hundred meters from the city.
Everyone's attention was attracted by this action, and the five heavenly talents also stopped talking and focused their gazes on the army.
In the center of the army, a path several meters wide suddenly opened up and a golden sedan carried by sixteen men slowly made its way forward.
"A golden sedan, and even carried by sixteen men. It is either a Ming Cult elder who is a first-rate expert or someone in Ming Cult with extremely high status. Who is it exactly?" The people in Lanzhou City started talking about it.
Suddenly, a figure in black appeared on the golden sedan.
Spotting the figure, the five heavenly talents' expressions turned serious and their eyes were filled with apprehension.
"It's Ao Tianjiao! The young master of Ming Cult, the top heavenly talent in the demonic faction!" The people shouted out in surprise.
The great name of the top heavenly talent Ao Tianjiao had long reached the ears of everyone in the righteous faction.
Dressed in a black robe, his eyebrows parted like two swords, and his eyes deep and unfathomable like stars.
When he stood up, it was as if he was the center of the world.
Possessing an overbearing aura of one who lorded over everything under the heavens!
A great commotion was raised when they recognized his identity.
Ao Tianjiao!
Lin Yi's expression shook and he gasped in surprise as well.
In his previous life, Ao Tianjiao was literally the bringer of an era.
The era of chaos could be said to be brought about due to him, and the entire era was his stage.
He was so well-known among the players that there was no one who did not know of him.
Being the top heavenly talent of Ming Cult as well as the demonic faction, he possessed a shocking amount of talent.
After becoming the Cult Master of Ming Cult and mastering the two peerless martial arts Nine Yang Divine Skill and Great Shift of Heaven and Earth, he became a peak expert and was considered the top expert in the entire Jianghu.
Many other experts who also possessed peerless martial arts were not a match for him, and he had never suffered a defeat!
He was a true great devil, a shining example for those in the demonic faction.
Cruel, ruthless, and killing as he pleased.
Countless sects and factions were massacred by him during the era of chaos. Even the destruction of Huashan had been caused by him.
At that time, he was already a first-rate expert. Even though Linghu Feng possessed Violet Mist Divine Skill and Nine Swords of Dugu and was also a first-rate expert, he was defeated by Ao Tianjiao in battle as well.
Because of Ao Tianjiao, the demonic faction ushered in their most glorious period of existence.
Looking at Ao Tianjiao, then looking at the five heavenly talents, Lin Yi's doubts in his heart were all cleared.
In his previous life, it was rumored that before becoming a first-rate expert, what Ao Tianjiao liked most was to challenge the heavenly talents from various sects.
Having a ruthless personality, his challenges involved a fight to the death.
Many heavenly talents from the demonic faction were also killed by him, not to mention the those from the righteous faction. A defeat to him meant death.
The title of challenge maniac was actually much more suited to Ao Tianjiao.
"For the sake of challenging the five heavenly talents, Ao Tianjiao actually sent countless subordinates to their death by creating chaos in various territories controlled by major sects. After attracting the attention of the experts in the major sects, he then sent the second-rate expert Old Demon Xu to Lanzhou City and let everyone think that his aim was to slaughter the talents from the righteous faction in the city. Everyone was wrong, his aim has always been to lure the heavenly talents to Lanzhou City!"
"The righteous faction has been led by their noses and played around in his palms all along! Who said that Ao Tianjiao was a simpleminded brute? Hmph, this man is truly the future pillar of the demonic faction, and his intelligence is extraordinary!"
After figuring out what happened, even Lin Yi started to admire Ao Tianjiao.
This man was the classic example of one who could resort to any means to achieve his aims.
Sacrificing countless subordinates meant nothing to him.
Even it was Lin Yi, he would never be able to sacrifice so many people just to be able to fight other heavenly talents.
Right now, everything he did had been for the sake of self-preservation.
He still had a long way to go before becoming someone like Ao Tianjiao.