Chapter 118: You Will Have to Make A Choice Eventually   The Six Compatible Seal, eight trigrams, eight scripts, they were all helpless. In just an instant, they were dispersed, vanishing without a trace! What was even more terrifying was Hua Wudao’s great tortoise technique was completely useless. The Thunderblast hit him square on the chest, and he was sent flying back. His widened eyes were red at this moment as he forcibly planted his feet on the ground to stabilize his footing. He spat out a mouthful of fresh flood just as he steadied himself.

The battle had ended. The outcome was as clear as day.

Lu Zhou shook his head. ‘The item card, Thunderblast, has a 10% damage rate. I’m not sure if you’re lucky or what. In any case, you’re definitely lucky you escaped the 1% sure-kill rate. Being hit and seriously injured is better than dying!’

A blanket of silence fell over the great hall. One would be able to hear the sound of a needle falling on the ground at this moment.

Duanmu Sheng’s grip tightened around the Overlord Spear’s shaft. He did not feel relieved or relaxed. Instead, he grew sullen despite feeling awed at the same time. The powerful Six Compatible Seal could not even withstand a single blow from his master, and yet, he could not even damage it earlier.

Mingshi Yin’s thoughts were simple. He was of the opinion that his master had been concealing his strength throughout the years. Ever since his master had chased off the ten great elites back then, he knew his master had many aces up his sleeves. However, nobody knew the extent of his strength.

Little Yuan’er’s expression was one of adulation.

Meanwhile, Zhou Jifeng and Pan Zhong felt as though they were frogs living the well. They gulped as they stared in disbelief at Hua Wudao who had been pushed back. They were not shocked by Hua Wudao’s defeat, they were shocked by Lu Zhou’s Thunderblast.

Thunderblast was a move unleashed by condensing Qi into a cluster of energy so dense that it could release a force as powerful as a lightning strike. It was an extremely rare and terrifying skill. Thunderblast had been considered a lost skill for a long time and only existed in history books. Nobody had seen the technique before, let alone mastered it.

“T-th... Thunderblast!” Hua Wudao could not endure it anymore. He fell to one knee and had to support his weight with his hands. He spoke with great reluctance, clearly not able to accept his defeat. Who knew he would be defeated by Thunderblast? If he had known Ji Tiandao had mastered such a technique, he would not have come to the Evil Sky Pavilion and humiliate himself. ‘The irony!’

“Master!” Hua Wudao’s disciples rushed to him, intending to support him.

However, Hua Wudao waved his hand, signaling his disciple not to come. A person like him was not afraid of losing but of losing without dignity.

One would have to pay to gamble.

Lu Zhou shook his head helplessly. ‘If you want to call that Thunderblast, then, so be it...’

Since nothing much was known about Thunderblast and no one had seen it before, perhaps, that was why everyone was convinced Lu Zhou had unleashed Thunderblast.

Hua Wudao began to cough as he rose to his feet with great difficulty. He cupped his fists together and shook his head before he said, “I thought I’d be able to withstand three moves from you after painstakingly cultivating this skill for 20 years! Alas, I was mistaken. I was greatly mistaken!” He laughed. It was a kind of self-mocking laugh.

‘My shield was shattered with just a strike. To think I thought I would be able to withstand three strikes!’ Hua Wudao chuckled bitterly before he spat out another mouthful of blood.

“Master!”

“I’m alright...” However, Hua Wudao was clearly not alright. His expressions clearly told the others that the knot in his heart had only grown more complicated. After a while, he cupped his fists together and said, “I accept defeat.”

Lu Zhou nodded. He climbed the stairs again and sat down slowly.

Hua Wudao continued to say, “So long as it doesn’t involve Yun Sect, I’ll agree to any request.”

“I see that you’re a frank person,” Lu Zhou said, “I have a question for you, and all you have to do is answer honestly.”

“I’m all ears.”

“Who’s the mastermind behind the Fish Dragon Village incident?” Lu Zhou asked directly without beating around the bush.

When Huawudao heard the question, his heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened. “Uh...” He stammered, seemingly reluctant to reply.

“What? You’re unwilling to answer my question?”

Hua Wudao looked troubled. He said, “It’s not that I’m unwilling. It’s just that the answer will implicate numerous parties.”

“What’s wrong with you? Since you’ve lost, you should just obediently pay up!” Little Yuan’er said indignantly as she pointed at Hua Wudao.

“Hua Wudao, you’re a Yun Sect elder. Even if your words aren’t the golden rule, every single one of them should be worth nine sacred tripods, right? You’re trying to go back on your own words, and yet, you claim to be a member of the Noble Path!” Mingshi Yin said contemptuously.

Zhou Jifeng took the gentler approach. He cupped his fists and said, “Senior Hua, I have a proposal... I can tell the answer to this question is very important to you. In that case, you only need to give the answer to the pavilion master alone.”

“He’s right. Or are you trying to tell me that the world will be plunged into chaos if the pavilion master learns about this? You know about this so why isn’t the world in chaos right now?” Little Yuan’er said heatedly.

“Uh...” Hua Wudao felt as though he was caught between a rock and a hard place.

“Stop being a f*cking coward, and say what you must! If you’re not willing to say it, you can leave your life right here!” Duanmu Sheng raised his Overlord Spear and a cold aura instantly surged out of his body. His dissatisfaction over his defeat earlier made him sullen and fueled his anger.

Everyone in the great hall seemed to be looking down on Hua Wudao at this moment.

Hua Wudao took a step back and sincerely said, “I made a promise to keep this a secret and not breathe a word about this to anyone. If it’s possible, I implore you to make another request, Pavilion Master.”

Everyone else exchanged a look.

Mingshi Yin spat. “Bullsh*t! You can’t even honor your agreement with my master, and you have the audacity to ask for this?”

“...” Mingshi Yin made a valid point. If he could disregard a promise he made with the greatest villain under the heavens, he had no right to use this as an excuse. His expression turned unsightly.

Lu Zhou stroked his beard and said, “It doesn’t matter.”

The others were taken aback. They looked at Lu Zhou with surprised expressions.

“I’ll give you two choices. First, you can tell me who the mastermind behind the Fish Dragon Village is. Second, join the Evil Sky Pavilion as an elder.” Lu Zhou said as he thought to himself at the same time, ‘He’s able to withstand Duanmu Sheng and Mingshi Yin’s attacks. His level of mastery of the Six Compatible Seal is clearly high. Although it’s a tortoise technique, if it’s used well, it can be used as an offense and defense.’

From the beginning until the end, Hua Wudao did not use his Hundred Tribulations Insight avatar. He wanted to conserve some of his strength to face Lu Zhou’s second and third strikes. However, he had lost after the first strike and got himself injured. More importantly, this man did not seem to distinguish between the Noble and Fiend Paths in his heart.

When he heard these two choices, Hua Wudao’s eyes widened. His body trembled. He was from the Yun Sect. If he joined the Fiend Path, he did not care if it would ruin his reputation, but he was worried it would turn the Yun Sect into a laughingstock. On the other hand, he could not bring himself to divulge the secret. He was truly tormented by this dilemma.

“This is the greatest compromise I can make,” Lu Zhuo said calmly.

“...” Hua Wudao’s expression soured.

“You’ve already left the Yun Sect. What’s there to be apprehensive about?” Mingshi Yin asked.

“I...” Hua Wudao stammered. He was in a tight bind. This was worse than taking his life.

Lu Zhou was in no hurry. He waited silently for Hua Wudao to make a decision. Regardless of the choice Hua Wudao made, it would be beneficial to the Evil Sky Pavilion anyway.