Chapter 154: A Gentleman Is Not A Vessel

Chapter 154: A Gentleman is Not a Vessel

Watching the peerless woman arrive as if treading on moonlight—a being who would very likely be chosen as the world's finest beauty if anyone were to rank them—Maitreya, who was usually extremely lecherous, felt not a single sliver of desire, but rather a profound sense of vexation.

How the fuck did you get here!

When an opponent is strong to a certain degree, what you care about is no longer appearance, but life, death, success, and failure.

Maitreya had arrived long ago but had not wanted to appear too early, lest the people of Gusu realize prematurely that the Maitreya Sect was involved. He had only intended to wait until the Baleful Qi of the Tang Family soared into the skies, and the enraged populace of Gusu tore the Tang Family down, before coming to clean up the situation, claim the spoils of victory, and facilitate his future rule.

Thus, he had remained hidden and waited for so long, never expecting that the Lu Family’s operation would inexplicably drop the chain just as it was on the verge of success, and the pool would stop moving!

Even more infuriating was that the army, whose discipline was usually so lax and indolent that its generals lodged in brothels, had somehow had its commander dragged out from some familiar bed by Tang Buqi; the commander had actually gone back to rally the troops and charged into the city, catching the Maitreya Sect’s plans completely off guard.

This hastily scrambled, ragtag army was not particularly effective, but then, his Maitreya Sect did not possess much strength in Gusu either!

Seeing that everything was about to fall into utter chaos, Maitreya made a decisive judgment, immediately hurling out the treasure of Baleful Qi he had just obtained and hadn't even warmed yet, drawing the Baleful Qi from below upward, which indeed succeeded in one fell swoop.

But who could have imagined that with just this slight delay, Tang Wanzhuang would actually arrive!

Maitreya’s strength, which was originally supposed to suppress all and could easily resolve any turn of events, suddenly met someone who could rival it.

The capital was ten thousand li away from here; Tang Wanzhuang could only have sensitively realized the crisis in Gusu many days ago, the moment she first learned of the upheaval in Yangzhou. She must have rushed over in hot haste across the vast distance, without even waiting for her subordinates, because no subordinate could travel faster than her.

Just like at the Luo Family Manor back then, she managed to arrive at the critical juncture every single time; had she tarried even for a single meal before setting off, she would likely have been too late.

Maitreya could not help but feel a wave of exhaustion; with this woman entrenched in a vital department of the imperial court, everyone's affairs were indeed difficult to conduct, and presumably, the Vermilion Bird who went to kill Luo Zhenwu back then would share the same sentiment. It was only that Luo Zhenwu had been slain back then by a brat who had popped out of nowhere, and today, that same brat seemed to be standing on Tang Wanzhuang’s side.

That kid seems to be in Gusu right now as well... In today's situation, could the turning point of victory or defeat hinge upon him too?

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Maitreya’s hands did not stop; seeing Tang Wanzhuang approaching with her sword drawn under the moonlight, Maitreya charged forward with his blade, launching a proactive attack!

Tang Wanzhuang’s illness had never fully healed, and after traveling ten thousand li in such a manner, she was bound to not be in her peak state; launching a rapid offensive to deny her any breathing room was precisely the most correct choice!

Spring waters gently sprinkled, secret fragrances floated.

Buddhist light blazed brilliantly, lotuses bloomed from the void.

The clash between the third and fifth ranks of the Earth Board erupted above the Tang Family estate. No longer the farcical, probing exchange of blows by the ancient sword lake, this was a contest of life and death!

—Of the two Grandmasters of the demonic sects, Vermilion Bird was fourth and Maitreya was fifth; from this, one could roughly discern the reason why Tang Wanzhuang was so anxious to break through. If she did not achieve a swift breakthrough, she did not know if she would be able to suppress these two. Even so, there was still a Xuanwu whose true identity was unknown to anyone sitting at second, and a thief who gave everyone a headache sitting high at first.

Leaving aside those on the Heaven Board... among the top five of the Earth Board, four were wanted criminals; how difficult must the affairs of this Demon Suppression Bureau be...

Tang Wanzhuang had been third on the Earth Board before her breakthrough, and now, having forced a breakthrough but injuring her lung meridian, whether her current strength was higher or lower than before was something no one could clearly gauge. Therefore, both Vermilion Bird and Maitreya had previously avoided fighting her whenever possible, being extremely wary of this invalid.

Now, they could no longer look on

As soon as he landed, the man set the girl in his arms aside, took off the huge broadsword from his back, and slashed wildly at the sword shadow: "There's a guy who's been shaking and shaking endlessly, just wants to arm-wrestle you. It's best that you've condensed into a sword form... Can't beat the Sword Emperor, but can't beat you either?"