Chapter 410: Two Worlds of Water and Fire

Chapter 410: The Two Extremes of Water and Fire

Tang Wanzhuang deliberately waited until Fazhen sent someone to notify Maitreya before making her move.

As she struck, a group of people had already quietly followed the messenger monk, heading straight for Mount Kuaiji.

The secret realm was indeed hidden within the mountain.

At this moment, Zhao Changhe had to admire Tang Buqi's unexpected swift counterattack, which no one had anticipated.

Originally, the plan had envisioned a very troublesome infiltration—how to find the secret realm amidst tight security once inside was something they could only handle step by step without any prearranged strategy. But with this twist, that step suddenly became very simple: just follow quietly.

In Kuaiji, without the gaze of gods and buddhas, it was indeed the feeble city defense that Zhu Huan and his ilk believed they could easily take—full of loopholes, with people in panic and chaos. For now, setting aside the external battle, their infiltration was like entering an unguarded land.

The main road to Mount Kuaiji appeared heavily guarded, but it was as good as nonexistent before a group of Heaven and Earth Ranking experts.

The messenger urgently reported to the guards: "Quickly inform the Buddha! Tang Buqi's army is pressing in from three sides, all within less than ten li!"

Of course, it wasn't that the city was only discovered when the army was at the gates. The Maitreya defenders, though incompetent, were not that bad; reacting only when the enemy was within ten li was already extremely pathetic. But a distance of ten li essentially meant a siege—at least these three sides were cut off, leaving only the southern gate open.

The guards were dumbfounded and rushed into the mountain at full speed, unaware that a few ethereal shadows were following them all the way under the dusk tree shadows.

"Buddha! Buddha! Tang Buqi has attacked!"

A sky-shaking fury erupted from within the mountain, almost materializing, shaking the tree shadows around.

"That brat Tang, how dare he bully me so! Once I recover, I will slaughter the Tang family of Gusu, turning every man and woman into cauldrons!"

"Boom!" Rocks on the mountaintop shattered, and a golden light burst forth from the rubble.

It seemed majestic, but the Maitreya within the golden light was still fastening his belt, having not even begun the dual cultivation treatment.

Perhaps nothing else could match this—Tang Buqi remained the most professional at this sort of thing.

"Buddha! Buddha!" Another messenger stumbled over: "Tang Wanzhuang has entered the city directly! Fazhen Buddha is in danger!"

"Tang Wanzhuang? Alone?"

"Yes, alone! Fazhen Buddha cannot hold out!"

"Excellent!" Maitreya stamped his foot, and the golden light shot like a meteor chasing the moon, straight toward the city's council hall.

Upon arriving at the council hall, he saw corpses strewn everywhere—it was too late.

The surrounding guards and Fazhen's personal attendants were all dead. The last thing Maitreya saw was Tang Wanzhuang's sword lightly slicing across Fazhen's neck.

She alone had slaughtered the entire city's guard.

Fazhen had not even managed to issue a single order for city defense arrangements.

Yet Maitreya still had to admit that this woman was breathtakingly beautiful, even amidst a sea of blood, as if walking on water.

Such an enemy—Maitreya's greatest desire was to capture her and toy with her at will. The blood in his heart seemed to boil, burning until it nearly exploded.

"Tang Wanzhuang!" Maitreya landed heavily in the hall, laughing instead of raging: "I never thought you'd dare come to die yourself... Do you think killing my soldiers will break the city? Is this the wisdom of the First Seat, Tang? Hahaha..."

Tang Wanzhuang turned to look at him and said softly, "Has your injury healed?"

This tone, like that of an old friend, caught Maitreya off guard. He sneered, "What do you think?"

"I think it hasn't healed. You forcibly suppressed it with some secret technique just now, and perhaps even enhanced it a little... But that doesn't matter." Tang Wanzhuang's gaze passed over him, looking vaguely toward the distant, faintly visible mountain: "Do you know why I am here alone?"

A foreboding feeling rose in Maitreya's heart. He stared at her coldly, saying nothing.

"You heard I was here, and alone... Your first instinct was only to capture me, overriding all other thoughts... Thus, I could lure you out of the secret realm, avoiding a fight inside where there might be more unknown difficulties."

"The secret realm..." Maitreya paused gravely, then sneered: "Even if you know there's a Buddha inside, what of it? You can't even enter, and if you do, you're seeking death!"

Almost as he spoke, the guards outside the secret realm on Mount Kuaiji lay dead in heaps. Ying Wu pressed his hand against a rock, revealing a confident smile: "When it comes to cracking the secret realm's mystery and finding a way in, I dare say no one is better than me. Break!"

"Boom!" Golden light burst from the mountain, like a lotus blooming.

Maitreya turned in horror: "Who broke the secret realm!"

He was about to rush back in a panic, but Tang Wanzhuang had already blocked his way with her sword.

Tang Wanzhuang shook her head gently: "As the leader of a faction, your vision may be the lowest I've ever seen. Changhe has always wondered why you dared to be the first to raise the banner of rebellion, racking his brains... Actually, many things aren't that complicated. It's simply because your level is just that low. That a faction leader must have great wisdom is a misunderstanding of the world, and even Changhe couldn't escape it."

Maitreya was furious. He laughed angrily: "Zhao Changhe? Them entering the secret realm? Ha... haha..."

Tang Wanzhuang looked at him as if he were an idiot.

Even Maitreya's laughter grew hollow. He grimly stopped laughing: "You're very clever, but have you considered that by using yourself as bait, the bait might be eaten? Let's see—if you die here, will all your schemes have any meaning?"

"Whoosh!" The monk's blade suddenly cut through the space of several zhang, straight for Tang Wanzhuang's snow-white neck.

"Clang!" The two old rivals, who had fought four times in the past year, clashed once more at Kuaiji.

This time, Tang Wanzhuang parried the blade and drifted back several zhang, clearly unable to withstand Maitreya's current power. His strength had surpassed the norm, reaching the level of the final moment at the Battle of Xiangyang.

Maitreya laughed wildly: "Hahaha! You've calculated everything, but strength falls short—what use is it?"

Before he finished, a cold sigh came from behind: "Indeed, outside the secret realm, you're just this... I wanted to see if you could force her to unlock the third secret vault with one strike, but you can't even do that. Truly useless."

Maitreya turned in shock.

A graceful figure stood on the wall behind him—a firebird mask, a crimson sacrificial robe, the evening glow in the sky like heavenly fire sweeping across the horizon.

The Four Symbols Sect, Vermilion Bird.

Tang Wanzhuang pursed her lips.

Maitreya was incredulous: "Vermilion Bird! Have you been recruited by the court?"

"Actually, both Cui and Yang wanted this task of helping this sickly, scheming woman, but in the end, I snatched it." Vermilion Bird said lazily, "It has nothing to do with recruitment. It's simply because since you're destined to fail, it's better to let this sickly woman owe me a favor..."

Saying this, Vermilion Bird crossed her arms and said to Tang Wanzhuang, "Hey, beg me."

Tang Wanzhuang really wanted to tell her: Esteemed One, you wouldn't want others to know about your kept lover, would you?

But with important matters at hand, her sense of responsibility outweighed the urge to bicker. She sighed calmly: "Please, Esteemed One, help me. Wanzhuang will surely repay you."

Hadn't that night when you were satisfied and glowing with vitality counted as advance repayment? At worst, I'll waive the future daughter-in-law's tea ceremony.

Vermilion Bird had no idea what Tang Wanzhuang was thinking in her little world. Hearing her "humble" "request," Vermilion Bird felt an immense satisfaction, like a man's most intense moment with his toes curled.

A sky-covering firebird apparition appeared in the sky, and scorching flames crashed into Maitreya's protective golden light: "Since you ask so nicely, I'll reluctantly teach you how to fight... Watch closely and learn well."

Tang Wanzhuang had no mood for verbal sparring. At the same time, azure waves rose, and a continuous rain of sword light fell upon Maitreya.

Caught between water and fire, Maitreya felt as if in a dream.

This was not the pleasure of ice and fire—it was deadly. No one in the world could ever enjoy such water and fire.

Tang Wanzhuang and Vermilion Bird joining forces... This was a scene even the world could not dream of.

Even dreaming was one thing, but the most tragic part was that this Vermilion Bird was no longer ranked fourth on the Earth Ranking with a second secret vault.

She had reached the third secret vault, already at the threshold of the Heavenly Gate!

And added to that was Tang Wanzhuang, who was already pseudo-third and could truly unlock the third at any moment!

In this world, besides Xia Longyuan, who else could withstand this?