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Chapter 108: Chapter 105: Assault
Heavenly Grass Pavilion.
An influence that was by no means inferior to the Heavenly Gang Sect or the Fengyun Meeting.
In its ranks were not only three Refining God Immortals like Zuo Bu’er, Dong Hanxue, and You Chang, but also thirty to forty Hugging Pill Elders.
Even though their forces had taken some damage due to Gu Jinlai’s surprise attack previously, but...
As the largest elixir supplier in Star State, what they were least short of was elixirs.
They threw out elixirs by the handful, attracting numerous Hugging Pill Masters to join them. They not only recovered the losses suffered during Gu Jinlai’s assassination attempt, they had even grown stronger than before.
It was now midday, with the Great Sun high in the sky.
The defense within the Heavenly Grass Pavilion was extremely strict.
Left side Venerable Daoist Zuo Bu’er from Refining God Realm personally inspected the sect’s defenses and, seeing that nothing was amiss, finally returned to the main hall.
In the main hall, Pavilion Master You Chang of Heavenly Grass Pavilion was reviewing report after report.
These reports detailed the information of each top-notch expert under Gu Jinlai’s command.
Su Nanxing, Gu Changfeng, Gu Chifeng, and Gu Luochen were all included in them.
"Pavilion Master."
Zuo Bu’er greeted and glanced at the books on his desk, "Are you studying how to deal with Gu Jinlai again?"
"Although Sword Master Xue He has promised to personally shoot and kill Gu Jinlai, we still need to deal with his subordinates," You Chang said, letting out a sigh, "This Gu Jinlai has an abundance of capable subordinates. When he first arrived at Starlight City, he had but two or three cats and kittens, and now in less than a year, he has more than ten Hugging Pill or similar powerful individuals. Add to that his disciple Su Nanxing achieving Refining God, and himself... creating a Spiritual Artifact capable of rivaling Divinity Transformation, it’s truly..."
At this point, he said bitterly, "Bai Yang, he really deserves to die!"
"What’s done is done, talking more is useless."
Zuo Bu’er was never someone who blamed heaven and others; he believed that one should never regret what one has done.
Because regretting is meaningless.
"With the growing power of Gu Jinlai, he will definitely not let us off easily. Now that Sword Master Xue He is willing to take action for us... No matter what Sword Master Xue He’s intentions are, as long as we can kill Gu Jinlai and rid ourselves of this major threat, we in Heavenly Grass Pavilion cannot miss this opportunity," Zuo Bu’er said.
"All our experts have assembled within the pavilion, we just wait for Gu Jinlai to fall into our trap," You Chang mentioned, his brow furrowed slightly, "We’re choking him on the issue of acquiring Primordial Spirit Pills, even going so far as to actively purchase a large number of Primordial Spirit Pills as bait. But, it seems Gu Jinlai has noticed something. After arriving outside Starlight City, he has remained indifferent for several days..."
"He’s probably just being cautious," Zuo Bu’er speculated for a moment, "We ourselves didn’t expect Sword Master Xue He to be willing to offend a man possessing a treasure capable of rivaling Divinity Transformation for our Heavenly Grass Pavilion, let alone Gu Jinlai. It’s just our sudden provocation against him that has made him wary, so he is extremely cautious."
Having said that, he stated firmly, "After several days of investigation and probing, I’m certain that he will soon make his move. We just need to be fully alert and wait for Gu Jinlai to fall into our trap."
You Chang nodded upon hearing this.
He was about to speak when a figure hurried over.
It was none other than another Refining God Immortal, Dong Hanxue.
"He’s here."
She said urgently, "Gu Jinlai has already entered the city and is heading straight for our Heavenly Grass Pavilion!"
"He’s finally come!"
You Chang immediately stood up, "Prepare for battle!"
He turned to Dong Hanxue and Zuo Bu’er, "He does not have the Refining God Immortal Su Nanxing by his side. To ensure Sword Master Xue He can deliver a killing blow with one strike, the three of us must do our utmost to entangle him and create an opportunity for Sword Master Xue He."
Dong Hanxue nodded, "The fearsome part about Gu Jinlai’s group is their Chain Fire Guns. However, these weapons do not perform well in complex environments. Moreover, we at the Heavenly Grass Pavilion have made many arrangements in recent days, building thick walls and forging iron gates, especially to protect against the Chain Fire Guns. Together with our superior numbers, we will ensure he cannot return."
The three Refining God Immortals quickly exited the hall.
In an instant, the entire Heavenly Grass Pavilion sprang into action at great speed.
By this time, a large number of troops had already gathered inside and outside of Starlight City.
The fact that Gu Jinlai led a hundred people into the city was instantly known by many forces and reported to those in power.
...
Jiang Family.
One of the Four Great Families.
With the Divinity Transformation aged Patriarch Jiang Ruhai and four great Refining God Immortals, it was a gathering of talents, with an illustrious reputation.
At this moment, Jiang Tianming, one of the four great Refining God Immortals of the Jiang Family and the Family Head, was looking at this message with another Divinity Transformation individual, Jiang Lichou.
"It has finally decided to move against the Heavenly Grass Pavilion," Jiang Tianming said.
"The Demon Sect is known for acting on impulse and for taking revenge quickly, especially since Gu Jinlai now has the confidence to uproot the Heavenly Grass Pavilion," Jiang Lichou said as if it was to be expected.
"Come to think of it, Gu Jinlai had some connections with our Jiang Family at the beginning. Unfortunately, we didn’t handle it properly. Otherwise, if we could have brought him into the Jiang Family, he would have been a strong ally," Jiang Tianming expressed some regret.
Jiang Lichou knew that their elder brother was referring to Jiang Xiyu’s incident with Gu Jinlai.
"I indeed made a mistake there. I didn’t expect Gu Jinlai to be so unyielding. When we hinted in secret for the Heavenly Grass Pavilion to suppress him, he chose to fight to the end rather than seek help from our Jiang Family..." Jiang Lichou admitted his fault honestly, "But from this incident, it’s clear to see that he is not one to easily submit to others. If our Jiang Family truly brought him in, it might have added trouble instead."
"What’s done is done, indeed there’s no use talking about it now," Jiang Tianming said, not dwelling on the topic, "The only thing I don’t understand is why the Heavenly Grass Pavilion, knowing Gu Jinlai’s strength, dared to provoke him. Could it be that... he’s colluded with the Meteor Star Guard, and got on the same path as Minister Su?"
As he pondered, he added, "If anyone in Starlight City is eager to kill Gu Jinlai quickly, it must be none other than that Minister Su, right?"
"Recently, I’ve had this feeling that something is off with the situation in Starlight City. The Meteor Star Guard... too quiet. They showed no response to the death of Zhang Luu nor to the loss of Baihe City... This feeling reminds me of the calm before a storm."
Jiang Lichou said.
Jiang Tianming shared this worry, but...
they didn’t know where this crisis originated from.
For now, aside from instructing their clan members to be cautious in their speech and conduct, they had no other choice.
...
Outside the Heavenly Grass Pavilion, Gu Chifeng, Gu Luochen, and over a hundred others led a rapid charge.
"You Chang, it’s time for Heavenly Grass Pavilion to repay its debt to me. I have a written IOU from Bai Yang, your Vice Pavilion Master, with black on white, concrete evidence. Back in the day, you relied on the power of your sect to bully me and swallow my goods. This is known to all in Starlight City. If you don’t provide a satisfactory answer now, don’t blame us for showing no mercy," Gu Jinlai spoke loudly upon arrival at Heavenly Grass Pavilion, seizing the moral high ground first.
"Owing money? Gu Jinlai, you killed our Vice Pavilion Master, slaughtered dozens of our pavilion’s disciples, and even set fire to our Seven Treasures Pavilion. The multitude of losses is immeasurable, not even hundreds of thousands can cover it. Yet you have the audacity to come to Heavenly Grass Pavilion to demand compensation?"
From within the Heavenly Grass Pavilion, Pavilion Master You Chang appeared.
However, as he made his appearance, dozens of people were seen pushing about ten steel-constructed vehicles forward.
The vehicles were shaped like multi-barrel rocket launchers.
What was different, though, was that instead of rockets, these vehicles fired arrows—each one a meter long and forged from refined iron.
Each vehicle could shoot fifty arrows in a single volley, and ten such vehicles could unleash a torrential downpour of arrows. Even an army clad in heavy armor could be directly shot dead under such a barrage.
"I was curious. Heavenly Grass Pavilion dares to provoke me. Is it because of these arrow carts?"
Gu Jinlai’s intention was to strike Heavenly Grass Pavilion in a lightning raid, take what was hidden there, then retreat swiftly.
He immediately gestured with a wave of his hand, "Since you of Heavenly Grass Pavilion refuse to see reason, you can’t blame us for what comes next."
The next moment, dozens of Demon God Warriors behind him threw simultaneously.
Spheres filled with gunpowder and steel balls were hurled with tremendous force.
"Fire! Release the arrows!"
There, You Chang also shouted his orders loudly.
But their arrow carts needed to adjust their aim, and ultimately they were not as fast to act as the Demon God Warriors behind Gu Jinlai with their homemade "Hand Grenades."
"Boom, boom, boom!"
Accompanied by a deafening roar that echoed through half of Starlight City, intense flames mixed with billowing smoke exploded above the grounds of Heavenly Grass Pavilion.
The violent shockwave swept through, shattering all the glass and porcelain within hundreds of meters.
Carts close to the explosions were directly deformed by the blast.
The Heavenly Grass Pavilion disciples operating the arrow carts, those who had not cultivated True Qi, were blown apart on the spot. Even those with manifested True Qi suffered internal damage from the concussion.
"Quick battle, quick decision!"
Gu Jinlai commanded.
Beside him, besides Gu Chifeng, ten heavily armored masters lifted their "Thunder" Gatling Guns. They leaped up to take the high ground, aiming into the interior of Heavenly Grass Pavilion, and the next moment...
The triggers were pulled.
"Dada dada!"
The perimeter of Heavenly Grass Pavilion, already engulfed in flames, smoke, and dust, resounded with nearly continuous gunfire.
Ten pieces of the rumored Slaughter Weapons opened fire together, as if countless streaks of firelight sprayed forth, instantly whipping up a ghastly slaughter within the pavilion.
Although the people of Heavenly Grass Pavilion had anticipated the ferocity of the chain fire guns and had prepared numerous defensive structures...
These defenses could hold off bullets and arrows without issue, but faced with the "Thunder" Gatling Guns that could penetrate even walls, they were almost useless.
Within moments, dozens to hundreds of Heavenly Grass Pavilion disciples lay in pools of blood.
This scene immediately inflamed You Chang’s eyes.
"Gu Jinlai!"
In the midst of the smoke and dust, he roared, hurtling forward like a loosed arrow.
But before he could get close to Gu Jinlai, Gu Chifeng, who was manning the Red Defense Cannon, pressed the firing button.
The Red Close Defense Cannon, which had been turned into a Spiritual Artifact by the Co-spirit method, quickly locked onto the closest Refining God Immortal. With the fire control system activated, the next moment...
"Zzz zzz zzz!"
A barrage of gunfire, several times denser than that of the "Thunder" Gatling Gun, rang out.
Intense flames spat from the tip of the close defense cannon.
However, upon hearing the gunfire, though You Chang felt a surge of fear, it was outweighed by a sense of elation.
What did the Sword Master Xue He fear? He feared precisely the Slaughter Spiritual Artifact in Gu Jinlai’s possession that could counter the Divinity Transformation Flying Sword.
Now that he was drawing the fire of this murderous Spiritual Artifact, didn’t it mean...
You Chang looked through the dust and smoke towards Gu Jinlai, seemingly eager to witness him being pierced by the flying sword, shattered in an instant.
But the next second...
Gu Jinlai had already lifted the canvas covering on a cart.
Two devices, identical to that murderous artifact, came into view.
Suddenly...
His eyes filled with anticipation froze.
