The Avengers

Just as Ghost Face and his group arrived outside the Alchemy Pavilion, an overbearing aroma of roasted meat drilled into their noses.

The scent was overwhelmingly rich, shooting straight to the head, mixed with a hint of charred fragrance from lightning strikes.

"This smell? Are these ox-nosed Daoists having a banquet in there instead of sleeping in the middle of the night?"

A masked fellow could not help but speak up.

After all, the Celestial Master Mansion's barbecue, roasted using the Five Thunders Orthodoxy, was known for being crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, its aroma wafting for miles. It was quite famous in the cultivation world.

Ghost Face ignored him. His gaze was dead set on the scattered remnants of shattered talismans at the entrance of the Alchemy Pavilion.

Faint power fluctuations still lingered on the bluestone slabs, indicating that a considerable struggle had just taken place here.

"As expected! Zhang Gonglian is inside!"

Ghost Face kept his voice very low, a ruthless gleam shining from his eyes beneath the mask.

He abruptly waved his hand, just about to lead his men to charge in, when a sudden change occurred!

Buzz—

A low buzzing sound echoed from the sky, and streaks of blinding golden light tore through the night, crashing heavily to the ground!

"Watch out!"

There was simply no time to react.

Golden pillars of light, dozens of feet high, crossed and nailed into the bluestone slabs with them at the center, stirring up visible ripples of magical power.

In the blink of an eye, a massive golden cage had formed, trapping Ghost Face and his group tightly within.

The crowd looked up to see Daoist Priest Gongyue standing with his hands behind his back on the eaves of the Alchemy Pavilion. His Daoist robes fluttered gently in the night wind, and his expression was indifferent, as if he were looking at a pack of trapped beasts in a cage.

Daoist Priest Gongyue swept a condescending glance over them and spoke unhurriedly.

"I accidentally let a batch of people in just now, but as for you lot, I certainly cannot let you in."

Ghost Face raised his head, looked at Daoist Priest Gongyue, and sneered:

"Hmph, ox-nose, do you think you have the final say?!"

A man beside him could no longer hold back. With an angry roar, a ghost-head broadsword condensed from black mist suddenly appeared in his hands. Carrying billowing black energy, he fiercely slashed at the nearest golden pillar of light!

"Break for me!"

Clang!

A deafening sound of clashing metal erupted.

That confidant only felt an unrivaled, immense force rebound from the blade. The webbing between his thumb and forefinger instantly tore, and he was sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground. Even the ghost-head broadsword was shattered by the impact.

Yet, that golden pillar of light did not even ripple in the slightest.

Everyone gasped.

Seeing this, the corners of Daoist Priest Gongyue's mouth curled into an almost imperceptible arc.

"I don't have the final say?"

He spread his hands. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Then what if we add all the disciples of the Mount Longhu Celestial Master Mansion?"

As his words fell, he formed a hand seal with one hand and pointed fiercely at the sky!

"Supreme Golden Light Five Thunders Array! Array, activate!"

Boom!

In an instant, all the golden pillars shone brilliantly. Dancing snakes of lightning and flashing thunder intertwined between them, and an apocalyptic, world-destroying pressure descended from the heavens!

Ghost Face abruptly looked up, staring fixedly at the interwoven net of lightning. A chill shot straight from the bottom of his heart to the crown of his head.

They had been played!

If Ghost Face had been inside the Alchemy Pavilion just now, he would have known that this Supreme Golden Light Five Thunders Array was actually an amplified version of the formation Zhang Gonglian had created using two combined talismans.

And this amplified version of the array was condensed from the combined magical power of all the disciples in the Mount Longhu Daoist ashram.

Meanwhile, inside the Alchemy Pavilion.

Thunder rolled outside the building. Every time the golden light flashed, it illuminated the translucent window paper of the Alchemy Pavilion, making the entire structure feel as if it were faintly trembling along with it.

Zhang Gonglian stood before the Nine Heavens Divine Pill, watching the golden light and lightning outside. A mocking smile played on his lips. "I wonder how long your people can hold out?"

"Just a bunch of fools who think themselves clever."

Buddha Face stood in the shadows, turning a deaf ear to the battle raging outside the window. His voice betrayed no emotion:

"They overestimated themselves and underestimated the Celestial Master Mansion. If they die, then they die."

"And what about you?" Zhang Gonglian looked up, staring at this monk who was as steady as an old dog. "Are you not underestimating them?"

"Me?"

Buddha Face chuckled softly, the laughter sounding exceptionally muffled beneath his mask.

"Of course I don't underestimate them. I also know that right now, you are desperately absorbing the pill aura to recover the spiritual energy you just depleted, aren't you?"

Zhang Gonglian did not reply; he merely looked quietly at Buddha Face.

But in reality, he was accelerating his absorption of the pill aura to restore his spiritual power.

After all, his spiritual energy vortex, which was like a stone mill, could not spin at all, so he had to rely on external forces.

After a moment of silence, Buddha Face slowly raised his hand and took off that cold golden mask.

Beneath the mask was not an intact face at all.

It was a thoroughly ravaged face. Twisted flesh and skin piled together, crisscrossed with ravines, making the facial features completely indistinguishable.

If this visage were thrown into a mass grave, even scavenging wild dogs would probably be scared into taking a detour.

To make a dark joke, he could go straight to a haunted house for Halloween without needing any makeup.

Zhang Gonglian looked at that face and merely frowned. Although his objective had been seen through by the other party, as long as they did not fight, it was fine.

"It seems you know nothing, heh."

Seeing Zhang Gonglian so calm, a trace of brutality flashed in Buddha Face's eyes.

He abruptly raised his hand and tore open the robes on his body.

Riiiip!

The fabric tore apart.

A lean and fierce torso was exposed, but what covered it was not muscle definition, but terrifying, crisscrossing scars.

This time, Zhang Gonglian's pupils shrank sharply!

Those were no ordinary scars!

They were patterns spreading like the root systems of trees, extending from his chest all the way to his lower abdomen. Deep within every line, a destructive aura of thunder seemed to linger.

This was the brand of being struck by lightning; the marks upon it were clearly visible.

Zhang Gonglian raised his head, staring fixedly at the ravine-filled face before him. Countless clues in his mind finally strung together into a clear line.

He understood.

"So you are a stray dog that was hunted down by my Celestial Master Mansion."

Zhang Gonglian's voice carried a hint of realization, and even more so, a condescending judgment. "Since that is the case, how dare you come here? How dare you stand before me?"

He felt he had seen through everything—just another guy coming to the Celestial Master Mansion for revenge.

"Heh."

A soft chuckle emerged from beneath that ugly visage, and the voice began to turn hysterical.

"Decades ago, I dared to stand here. Decades later, I still dare to stand here."

At this very moment, the aura around Buddha Face suddenly changed. That disguised Buddhist serenity instantly faded away entirely, replaced by a sharp and overbearing edge.

He no longer referred to himself as "this old monk"; the word "I" was spoken crisply and cleanly, like an unsheathed blade.

Zhang Gonglian's eyelids twitched, and the feeling that something was wrong grew increasingly intense in his heart.

He could not wait any longer!

He abruptly raised his hand, his five fingers pressed together like a knife. Within his palm, a cluster of deep blue electrical light rapidly gathered.

"Palm Thunder!"

Without the slightest hesitation!

A thick, blue bolt of lightning tore through the air, roaring as it blasted toward Buddha Face.