Chapter 53: The Hongmen Branch Hall

Beside the crimson-gold Black Tortoise, the Five-Colored Cloud Banner floated, manifesting as swirling, multi-colored clouds. "You dare use my Chinese kin as sacrificial offerings?" Zhang Xiao, in his transformed Black Tortoise form, retreated a step, braced his stance, and brought his massive turtle claws crashing down.

"BOOM!" A tremendous shockwave erupted from the impact, blasting the panicked spectators over a hundred meters away. Zhang Xiao was no cold-blooded killer; he could not be bothered with the lives of mere bystanders.

With the small fry cleared away, only a few remained on the field. "Bastard!" Chloe picked up a long blade from the debris and charged at Zhang Xiao. In Chloe's mind, Zhang Xiao’s massive size would surely make him sluggish. He was wrong. With a flicker of movement, the Black Tortoise was upon him, a giant claw sweeping across his waist and sending Chloe flying like a cannonball into a wall. Before Chloe could recover, Zhang Xiao stomped the ground, sending countless stone spears erupting upward. Within a kilometer radius of Zhang Xiao, no one could approach.

"ROAR!" Seizing the moment while Chloe was sidelined, Zhang Xiao let out a thunderous roar. He opened his massive maw, and all the spiritual energy in the surrounding heavens and earth converged into his throat. The chaotic mixture of energies coalesced into a pitch-black orb of destruction. "Black Tortoise Cannon!" Zhang Xiao fired the dark energy sphere toward the red-robed Archbishop, who was in the midst of summoning an angel.

The dark, chaotic energy smashed into the barrier before the Archbishop, the violent explosion shattering the defenses instantly. At that very moment, the red-robed Archbishop, standing still, emitted a silver light from his eyes. He pointed to the sky and commanded, "Gate of Angels!"

"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!" A massive gate manifested in the sky. Crafted from solid gold, it was carved with the images of smiling little angels. Seeing the gate becoming more tangible, the Archbishop breathed a sigh of relief. If he could chant the final syllable, the summoning would be a success. But before he could utter it, the ferocious Black Tortoise Cannon tore through the final layer of his protective barrier. Caught at the critical moment of his incantation, the Archbishop had no time to dodge. He hastily manifested a light shield, only to be immediately engulfed by the blast.

"BOOM!" The entire stage was reduced to a deep crater. The red-robed Archbishop lay motionless inside, his scarlet robes shredded into rags, his limbs twisted like knotted rope. High above, the Gate of Angels shattered into nothingness, causing Zhang Xiao to breathe a sigh of relief. However, he noticed the Archbishop was still stubbornly clinging to life. This delighted Zhang Xiao; capturing a live prisoner was far more valuable than a corpse.

Before Zhang Xiao could act, a surge of overwhelming holy power erupted from nearby. Zhang Xiao’s expression changed, and he quickly dodged aside. Chloe emerged from the ruins wielding an iron staff, his aura surging to the same level he had displayed during their previous duel.

It turned out that as an ascetic, Chloe’s true power was entirely dependent on the heritage staff he wielded. Without it, he was like a tiger without teeth, which was why Zhang Xiao had dominated him earlier. Being blasted into the ruins had been a blessing in disguise; he had stumbled upon a reserve heritage staff. It was only a low-grade staff used by novice ascetics, but it was enough for Chloe to regain his combat prowess.

Wielding the staff, Chloe danced, forming a massive cross that unleashed a continuous stream of holy light toward Zhang Xiao. Zhang Xiao opened his mouth, and the Buddha’s Golden Wheel transformed into a golden flying sword, shooting toward Chloe. Seeing the blade, Chloe’s expression darkened; it was this very sword that had severed his arm last time. Terrified of its power, he raised his staff and roared, "God is omnipresent! Mantra Shield!" A golden shield materialized before him. The golden sword struck, cleaving the shield in two, but Chloe managed to escape the lock-on.

At that moment, thousands of Hongmen experts, having finished their battle with the Knights of Judgment, arrived on streaks of light formed by their flying swords. Thousands of spells were unleashed at once. Chloe’s face changed; he dared not face such a barrage. Grabbing the fallen Archbishop, he retreated in haste. Gazing at the endless flying swords in the sky, Chloe frowned and raised his staff once more. "Hammer of Judgment!" However, due to the inferior quality of the staff, the power of the hammer was nowhere near his previous display and failed to even seal the space.

Seeing the hammer descend, Zhang Xiao reverted from his Black Tortoise form and channeled his spiritual energy into the Five-Colored Cloud Banner. The banner, originally the size of a person, grew rapidly, shielding the thousands of Hongmen experts. Though he did not know them personally, Zhang Xiao could not stand by and watch his kin suffer. Others joined in, offering their own defensive artifacts to share the burden.

"BOOM!" Another massive explosion rocked the ruins of the main city of Carodolai. This blow was like another slap to the face of the Church of Light, and it would be recorded in their annals of shame alongside the ruins of the city. When Zhang Xiao retracted the banner, Chloe and the Archbishop were long gone. Zhang Xiao could do nothing about it; had the thousands of Hongmen experts not arrived, he might not have been able to defeat a Chloe wielding the heritage staff.

"I am Ni Dapeng, a master of the Hongmen branch. We owe this successful rescue to you, fellow Daoist!" A middle-aged man with a cultivation level at the Nascent Soul stage stepped forward, cupping his hands with a smile. Zhang Xiao felt a pang of guilt. This entire disaster had been his fault—his attempt to lure out the exotic fire had triggered a chain reaction that endangered a hundred thousand Chinese compatriots.

He could only shake his head with a bitter smile. "So you are all from the Hongmen. I had no idea there were so many experts among you." Ni Dapeng laughed, "Come, we cannot stay here long. Why not join us at our branch for a chat?" Zhang Xiao had long been curious about the Hongmen. Seizing the opportunity, he agreed and departed with them.

As they traveled, Ni Dapeng explained that most of the Chinese in the Americas had been secretly relocated to the Hongmen’s hidden sanctuaries. Had the arrest warrants not been issued so suddenly, all of them would have been safely moved within three years. Caught off guard, the Hongmen had pulled together their elite disciples—three Nascent Soul masters and eight thousand Golden Core disciples—to stage the rescue. They had been intercepted by the Church of Light, and while two masters held them off, Ni Dapeng had led the rest to the rescue. They would have arrived too late had it not been for Zhang Xiao’s intervention.

Zhang Xiao sighed. Though Ni Dapeng spoke simply, the difficulty of the feat was clear. Breaking through the Church’s layers of blockade was no small task; everyone involved had come prepared to die.

They flew north until they reached the coast. Gazing at the sea, Ni Dapeng smiled and cast a talisman into the water. The calm sea began to boil, and a path leading to the depths appeared. Zhang Xiao was stunned. "The seabed?" He had imagined the Hongmen hiding in some remote corner, but he had never dreamed their branch was located beneath the ocean.