Martial Peak
chapter-4846

Other than the seven major Sects, countless people in the world were resentful of White Lotus Sect. Under their reign of terror, innumerable people lost their friends and family.

That was why more and more people gathered around Lin Tai Dou.

Since White Lotus Sect now ruled over the world, they had no more rivals left. The Sect’s leaders all indulged in an extravagant life, and even the White Lotus Matriarch had put down her guard.

It wasn’t until half a year later when Righteous Union, led by Lin Tai Dou, rose into the light that the White Lotus Matriarch was alerted.

However, she still wasn’t bothered by it; after all, Grand Qi Temple and the seven major Sects had been destroyed by White Lotus Sect, so how was Righteous Union supposed to last long?

Nevertheless, every time White Lotus Sect clashed with Righteous Union, they would always suffer a loss. More and more disciples were killed, and even several Hall Masters lost their lives within half a year.

It was only then that the White Lotus Matriarch woke up to reality and became wary of the newly founded Righteous Union. She ordered some powerful subordinates to find out the whereabouts of those from Righteous Union and kill them ruthlessly.

Nonetheless, Righteous Union was different from Grand Qi Temple or the seven major Sects.

When White Lotus Sect was going up against Grand Qi Temple and the seven major Sects in the past, they were in the dark while the latter was exposed under sunlight, but it was the other way round now.

After destroying Grand Qi Temple, those from White Lotus Sect had their own Headquarters now, but they also exposed themselves to the public.

On the other hand, those from Righteous Union remained hidden since their founding.

Furthermore, Lin Tai Dou was a powerful and charismatic Union Master. Every time those from Righteous Union launched an attack, they would bring huge trouble to White Lotus Sect. It had also earned Lin Tai Dou unrivalled reputation and influence.

In just five years, Righteous Union became increasingly powerful instead of being destroyed by White Lotus Sect.

Although they were still unable to go up against White Lotus Sect in a frontal clash, they were strong enough to not be simply wiped out. There were even times when they were able to pose serious threats to White Lotus Sect.

Certainly, the White Lotus Matriarch wouldn’t allow an opposing power to rise in her territory. She initially thought that she had pulled off a feat that the previous Sect Masters had never been able to achieve after destroying Grand Battle Sect. Now, it seemed that she could not achieve her goal before she destroyed Righteous Union.

Upon realising the dangerous situation she was in, the White Lotus Matriarch stopped being decadent and focused on fighting against Righteous Union.

She had never expected that it would be so hard to deal with this new foe though.

By the tenth year, Righteous Union was already as powerful as Grand Qi Temple was back then. There were victories and losses on both sides as Righteous Union and White Lotus Sect clashed with one another.

This made the White Lotus Matriarch infuriated as she felt regretful of what she failed to do after destroying Grand Battle Sect.

If she had paid more attention to Lin Tai Dou and ordered her subordinates to hunt down and kill him at all cost, all of this wouldn’t have happened.

However, there was no use crying over spilled milk. Her negligence in the past had caused her to be in so much trouble now. Regardless of how furious she was, she had to deal with it.

Over the next ten years, the entire world was dragged into the battle between the righteous and wicked paths.

All cultivators would either have to join White Lotus Sect or Righteous Union, there wasn’t a third option, nor could they steer clear of the fight. The battles between both sides could be seen everywhere on this continent.

The White Lotus Matriarch’s days were numbered as she was now old and frail. Her dark hair had turned grey, and her face was full of wrinkles.

She could feel that she wouldn’t live for much longer. When she was young, she suffered a lot of injuries when fighting against Grand Qi Temple, and these dark injuries had started affecting her health as she became older.

Perhaps she would slumber off one night and not see the sun the next morning.

However, she hadn’t managed to obtain total dominance over the wicked and righteous paths. Her victory more than ten years ago was nothing more than an illusion. She would never be able to rest in peace before destroying Lin Tai Dou and Righteous Union.

Therefore, she did whatever it took to crush her last remaining foe.

In just one year, more than half of the cultivators from both White Lotus Sect and Righteous Union were killed. Every battle was significantly more intense than the ones in the past decades.

Eventually, the White Lotus Matriarch’s wish was granted. The White Lotus Sect’s army managed to trap those from Righteous Union inside Crimson Wind Canyon.

Crimson Wind Canyon was a natural canyon where the wide path could accommodate dozens of horses while the narrow spots would only allow several people to pass by at once.

The sides of the canyon were tall precipices.

With both sides of Crimson Wind Canyon blocked, those from Righteous Union had practically fallen into a death trap.

Yang Kai was the biggest contributor in successfully blocking them here. It was thanks to his skills in mobilising soldiers that they managed to lure the enemy to this place after just three months of battle. During that period of time, they fought with those from Righteous Union multiple times and almost failed their mission on numerous occasions. Fortunately, they succeeded in the end.

The final battle was right before their eyes. The well-prepared White Lotus Sect disciples stormed into Crimson Wind Canyon from both sides as both parties clashed.

There would be people losing their lives every breath, and within just one hour, a blood river had formed in Crimson Wind Canyon.

After days of intense battle, those from White Lotus Sect were still being pushed back despite their multiple attempts to charge forward. Both parties were exhausted as their eyes had turned bloodshot.

The White Lotus Matriarch stood on a boulder above Crimson Wind Canyon as she looked down at the fight in silence. All of a sudden, she beckoned in a particular direction.

Qu Hua Shang took a few steps forward and stood beside her.

The White Lotus Matriarch asked, “Qu’er, do you have any solution to destroy the enemy?”

Qu Hua Shang was fully aware of what was going on as she had been watching the fight all along, so she frankly replied, “We have to kill their leader. The others in Righteous Union pose no threat to us. As long as we can kill Lin Tai Dou, Righteous Union will collapse.”

Upon finishing her words, she cupped her fist, “Sect Master, please allow me to personally slay Lin Tai Dou!”

The White Lotus Matriarch shook her head with a smile, “I’m glad that you’re so loyal. I believe that White Lotus Sect will be in good hands after you take over my position.”

“Sect Master…” Qu Hua Shang hung her head low. In recent years, the White Lotus Matriarch had repeatedly told her this. It was as though she intended to pass the position of Sect Master to her after she passed away.

Although Qu Hua Shang was indeed the most qualified one to take over the position of Sect Master in White Lotus Sect, she wouldn’t dare to reveal her true feelings. She would always appear obedient every time the White Lotus Matriarch mentioned it.

The White Lotus Matriarch cut her off by raising her hand, “I’m old, and my predestined time is near. Every night, I can feel those I’ve killed in the past come back to haunt me in my dreams. I’ll pass the position of Sect Master to you sooner or later.”

She appeared sincere as it didn’t seem like a test, but Qu Hua Shang remained silent.

“Lin Tai Dou is formidable. Even though you are strong, you’re no match for him. There’s only one person in this world who can deal with him!”

As the White Lotus Matriarch spoke, she suddenly looked fervently at Qu Hua Shang.

Although she never said it, Qu Hua Shang knew who the person was that the older woman was talking about.

Yang Kai!

Although they had spent nearly twenty years together, Qu Hua Shang still hadn’t figured out how strong Yang Kai truly was. If there was anyone in the world who could defeat Lin Tai Dou, it had to be Yang Kai.

“Tell him to make a move. After Lin Tai Dou is killed, there won’t be Righteous Union anymore,” the White Lotus Matriarch ordered.

Qu Hua Shang had been staying by the White Lotus Matriarch’s side all along, so she had discovered something that those disciples of White Lotus Sect were not aware of.

She suddenly realised something upon hearing what the White Lotus Matriarch had said, so she appeared conflicted for a moment.

The White Lotus Matriarch took the younger woman’s hand and patted it, “I know you’re an ambitious person who wants to take over the position of Sect Master. You want to be the noblest woman in the world. Love doesn’t really matter to you, does it? I’m sure you’ve realised Yang Kai’s feelings for you after spending 20 years with him. Why do you always keep a distance from him? I promise you that after this war, I will pass you the position of Sect Master. That’s my only wish before my death. After you become the Sect Master, you’ll rule over both the wicked and righteous paths.”

Qu Hua Shang pressed her lips together and appeared hesitant.

“Think it over,” The White Lotus Matriarch shot her a glance and spoke no further.

She knew that Qu Hua Shang would make a wise decision.

As expected, Qu Hua Shang lifted her head a moment later and replied, “I will give him the order.”

“Go on,” The White Lotus Matriarch nodded.

It was only then that Qu Hua Shang turned around and flew towards the canyon.

On one side of the canyon, Yang Kai was monitoring the battle.

Time didn’t seem to have left any marks on him even though 20 years had passed. He looked almost the same as the time when he first joined White Lotus Sect. Although he was also older now, he wasn’t as wrinkled as the White Lotus Matriarch.

Xiao He still steadfastly stayed by his side.

Yang Kai saw Qu Hua Shang the moment she arrived as he flashed a smile at her, “Is the Sect Master running out of patience? Tell her that Righteous Union will collapse within seven days. Although Lin Tai Dou is impressive, this is all he can do.”

Qu Hua Shang stared silently at him for a moment before saying, “I want you to kill Lin Tai Dou.”

“Now?” Yang Kai arched his brow.

Qu Hua Shang nodded almost imperceptibly.

After a moment of silence, Yang Kai put on a smile, “Anything you say. If you want him dead now, I’ll behead him right away. I’m sure he won’t be able to go against my spear.”

Qu Hua Shang’s face turned pale. She parted her lips in an attempt to say something, but she couldn’t utter a word in the end.

Seemingly thinking of something, Yang Kai fished out something from his pocket and passed it to her, “Keep this and don’t let anyone discover it.”

A flustered Qu Hua Shang took it in a dazed manner.

After taking a glance at where the White Lotus Matriarch was located, Yang Kai said in a small voice, “You must never trust the White Lotus Matriarch!”

In an instant, Qu Hua Shang became stunned as if struck by lightning while the colour drained from her face.

When she raised her head, she realised that Yang Kai was already stepping towards the battlefield with his spear.

Xiao He followed him closely. All of a sudden, she turned her head and said to Qu Hua Shang, “You have to take good care of yourself from now on!”

Upon finishing her words, she pulled a face at her.

Qu Hua Shang’s eyes were soon drenched in tears as they slid down her face.

When she returned to the White Lotus Matriarch’s side, the intense battle had begun. The morale of White Lotus Sect’s disciples had been boosted with Yang Kai joining the battle. Those from Righteous Union, who initially could go up against them, were instantly put at a disadvantage as more and more of them lost their lives.

The White Lotus Matriarch looked down at the battle with a smile, “Qu’er, you’re lucky to have a man who is so loyal to you.”

Qu Hua Shang remained silent while feeling heartbroken.