I Can See Your Combat Power

Chapter 924: Chapter 218: The Maker Holds Power (Extra chapter, please vote~)

“Put away that feigned apology, you don’t think you’re wrong, nor do you agree with what I’ve said. It’s only out of fear of my power, and the need for it, that you’re acting so servile. So, there’s no need for flattery. Just speak, how exactly do you qualify to become the religious leader of the Wilderness?”

Having finished speaking, Tang Luo sat down boldly and said to Jiuta indifferently, “The Xiushi Emperor is the strongest Asura of the Feitian Clan, and I don’t believe that with what you’ve just shown, you have a chance to defeat him. If that’s all there is to it, how could he be considered the strongest of the Feitian in our time, hailed as the Asura King known as ‘Luo Hu’?”

In the world of martial artists, strength ultimately does the talking, not some sappy reunion act of teacher and student, father and son. To overthrow the current powers and rise to the top, Jiuta must demonstrate some truly convincing power. Could it possibly be based on just a few oddballs outside?

“It seems you’ve done your homework before coming, which gives Jiuta even more confidence,” Jiuta replied with a smile, brushing off the wood ash from his body and sitting down.

Jiuta, with a smile, explained, “Perhaps the modest cultivation of Jiuta isn’t worth mentioning in your eyes, but in this generation of the Feitian Clan, there are only two Asura Kings— one is the Xiushi Emperor, and the other is Jiuta himself. Since the temple cannot be without a religious leader for a single day, as soon as the Xiushi Emperor perishes, I am the rightful successor. What do you think, sir?”

“Easy to say,” Tang Luo replied, “but the Xiushi Emperor lives in the royal palace in the city of Nede, in the heart of the Feitian Clan’s stronghold, surrounded by at least thousands of formidable Feitian and over a hundred Asuras. Not to mention, there’s also a Great Zen Master from Buddha’s Country in Nede. How do you plan to kill him?”

...

Although the intelligence he obtained before coming was scant, the most crucial details about Nede were very clear. Despite the decadent lifestyle that had led the Feitian hierarchy into decline, the standing forces of the Feitian Clan were not to be underestimated due to their sheer numbers. Tang Luo didn’t believe that a brash assassination would yield any favorable results. His initial goal was merely to force the Xiushi Emperor, through a show of martial strength, to agree to let him enter the Vita Temple to observe the Asura God Statue.

With a smile, Jiuta elaborated, “The struggle for the religious leader is a one-on-one fight. The arena is the Asura Field within Nede city. I will challenge the Xiushi Emperor in the name of an Asura King, and at that time, he will leave the heavily guarded palace. Jiuta knows what you’re about to say— even in a one-on-one fight, my chances of defeating the Xiushi Emperor don’t exceed thirty percent. But have you heard of the Ancient Blood Tower?”

The mere mention carried an endless chilling threat, causing a shiver to run through Tang Luo behind his mask. “Who would have thought that the steward of the Kraho Temple would have ties to the upstart assassin organization of Zhongzhou? It’s truly eye-opening,” he remarked.

Over the past decade, the most sensational news in Zhongzhou has been the emergence of this assassin organization, seemingly out of thin air. Nobody knew the roots of the Ancient Blood Tower, nor which power was backing it. All that was known was this organization had an unimaginably profound foundation— even ordinary martial artists could improve their combat strength several times over after just two years of training in the Blood Tower, and the myriad secret techniques and methods added a veil of mystery to the organization.

And the claim to fame for the Ancient Blood Tower was the assassination of a Heavenly Patrol Envoy from the An Clan, a battle that shook Zhongzhou and showed just how formidable the assassins of the Ancient Blood Tower could be.

Enraged, the Dutian Heavenly King razed three strongholds of the Ancient Blood Tower, only to find them long deserted, with nothing left behind but a letter from the Tower Master.

No one knew the content of the letter, only that the Great Commander, after reading it, vomited a mouthful of blood and vowed to exterminate the Ancient Blood Tower, root and branch.

But a decade had passed, and the reputable intelligence organization backed by a holy land still hadn’t found a way to deal with a mere assassination group. They had suffered numerous defeats, causing the Ancient Blood Tower’s fame to rise and even hint at becoming the world’s leading assassin organization.

The Buddha’s Country in Zhongzhou and the An Clan were as closely related as branches of the same tree, yet the Feitian Clan, a branch of Zen, was actually conspiring with the Ancient Blood Tower—an utterly surprising revelation to Tang Luo.

“During the upcoming Asura tournament, the strong from the Ancient Blood Tower will seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack. However, Jiuta is all too aware of the Xiushi Emperor’s cultivation level. Even if the strong from the Blood Tower make their move, it will be difficult to kill him with a single strike. Therefore, Jiuta still needs a top-tier powerhouse to ensure that nothing goes amiss!” Jiuta looked intently at Tang Luo, adding seriously, “Sir, you are the top-tier powerhouse Jiuta has been waiting for, for ten years!”

The idea of a Buddhist colluding with an assassin was already laughable, but to have him join an assassination plot? Tang Luo leaned back in his chair, his eyes full of incredulity, as if he had just met a madman: “What makes you think that I, with the Blood Fiend in my body, would agree to such an absurd request?”

“Because this is the only way for you to see the Asura God Statue,” Jiuta said with a smile. “The Xiushi Emperor is the most powerful and the most proud and jealous of the Asura kings. Jiuta can sense the Blood Fiend within you, and so can the Xiushi Emperor.”

“How many dazzling members of the Feitian lineage from the Xiushi family were stopped dead at the step of spiritualizing their physical bodies by the Blood Fiend, unable to advance a single inch, dying with resentment? For the Xiushi lineage, there is nothing more delightful than watching top martial artists become unable to spiritualize their bodies due to the deep-seated Blood Fiend. It is the Feitian’s hatred for martial artists.”

“With your strength, since you have found your way to the Wilderness, it indicates that other methods are ineffective against the deeply rooted Blood Fiend in your body. Your decision to change your appearance shows that if the situation is not remediable, you are ready to resort to force. Now you understand why Jiuta is so sure you’ll accept this proposal.”

Misunderstandings in the world often start with “I thought”, and Tang Luo certainly wasn’t going to explain that his reason for changing appearance and identity was mainly to avoid implicating his family.

Indeed, every last one of the Feitian from the Xiushi family who died did not die unjustly. Whether Jiuta or the Xiushi Emperor dies, it wouldn’t make the slightest difference to the future of the Wilderness. But this didn’t mean that Tang Luo would let himself be blackmailed by Jiuta to become a puppet for a hypocritical charlatan.

“Since you’ve put forth your demands and suggestions, let me make one too!” Tang Luo, his head adorned with the Gou Chen Mask, slowly rose to his feet and spoke calmly, “Lead me into the Neidevita Temple, and I won’t kill you, allowing your grand ambitions a chance to unfold.”

Thirty-five Fallen Imperial Magnetic Beads “whooshed” open, forming a vast electrical net behind the tall, thin man in the Star Robe, making Tang Luo look like a devil.

Jiuta’s expression finally darkened. He had not expected Tang Luo to turn hostile so quickly and was even more surprised that the other party was not intimidated by blackmail: “Aren’t you afraid of making an enemy of the saint and losing your opportunity to enter the Neidevita Temple forever?”

“Big words aside, in Neide it’s only the Xiushi Emperor and the Great Zen Master that deserve caution from me, but even that is merely about exerting extra effort,” Tang Luo, clad in the Star Robe, slowly clenched his fist, the rumbling sound from his muscles and bones revealing his identity as a master of martial arts: “But there’s no Great Zen Master here, and this is also where the Divine Array’s defenses are weakest. We’re just a few yards apart—believe it or not, I could kill you with just three punches!”