Chapter 1014: The Man Under the Umbrella, the Roar of the Lion

The headquarters of Yipin Tang.
As the conversation between the Shadow of Xifeng Tower and the others came to an end, the two most powerful forces in the Central Plains began preliminaryprobingary battles, turning the atmosphere outside Yipin Tang’s headquarters into one of intense tension.
However…
Despite both sides having formidable strength, things did not escalate into a fierce, chaotic battle as everyone had expected, with the capital city descending into chaos. Although Xifeng Tower sent the Qin Demon Wind Bell ahead, Yipin Tang also had its own tactics—bringing in a pair of experts capable of sonic attacks, which effectively countered the Wind Bell’s effects by using sound waves to disrupt its functions, thus preventing Xifeng Tower from advancing further into Yipin Tang’s headquarters.
Yet all the observing forces knew…
It was not easy to break into Yipin Tang’s headquarters.
But then!
As the man in the purple-black brocade robe stepped slowly out of the formation, the hopes that had just arisen in many people’s minds vanished once again.
“Perhaps…”
“With these two people around, breaking into Yipin Tang might not be so difficult after all.”
Seeing the Emperor step forward, everyone realized what he intended to do. But Yipin Tang seemed unreactive—those two mysterious experts remained firmly perched atop the courtyard wall, staring intently at the Emperor and Wind Bell within the shield formation, seemingly waiting for Wind Bell to act again, ready to intercept at any moment.
“Die!”
As the deadly sword beams emitted from the Emperor’s hand, a dark shadow appeared in front of the two mysterious experts in an instant!
With a smug smile and his hands poised, a spinning metal umbrella appeared before them!
Clang!
Clang!!!
Dozens of black sword beams shattered before the umbrella.
Many in the crowd recognized this person’s identity based on his weapon…
The Five Elements Umbrella!
In the martial world, there was a master who, during a series of covert missions, acquired a truly miraculous weapon—the Five Elements Umbrella, forged from five elements, possessing numerous powerful functions and offering strong defensive effects against attacks like dark energy sword beams. The owner of this umbrella had withstood an attack by hundreds of experts for over two hours before breaking through and earning the reputation of “the Man Under the Umbrella.”
“Hmph!”
Seeing his attacks blocked, the Emperor’s pride flared, and he rushed forward another dozen meters, unleashing two consecutive sword strikes.
Boom!!!!
It was like a black thunderbolt falling from the sky!
With a loud explosion, the gates of Yipin Tang’s headquarters collapsed under the Emperor’s sword beams.
The Man Under the Umbrella, “Pure Wind,” along with his umbrella, was sent flying by the explosive dark energy beneath his feet…

Whoa!!!
A black sword beam swept through the air.
A deep red sword wound quickly appeared on the neck of the man under the umbrella…
Thud!
Those targeted by the Emperor could never escape unharmed!
However, just as the Emperor prepared to attack the two mysterious experts wielding cymbals, his expression suddenly changed, and he turned hastily.
Looking back, he saw dozens of figures rushing into the shield formation from behind the street!!
These people were clearly more skilled than those who had perished earlier.
Before they even arrived, the force of their punches struck first!!
The experts from the Xifeng Tower, who were surrounding Wind Chime for protection, didn’t have time to react before a deafening roar erupted.
Roar!!!!
That fierce and solemn “Lion Roar” was beyond the resistance of shields.
The group of Xifeng Tower experts was instantly thrown around by the sudden attack, their orderly formation collapsing in an instant.
Even Wind Chime, who was trying to play the zither to resist the enemy, was shaken by the roar, her face turning pale as she coughed up blood…
Thud thud thud thud!
A group of people rushed forward at high speed!
Following the Lion Roar was another group with dark expressions, moving their hands rapidly to clear a path.
Swish swish!
Continuous sounds of objects cutting through the air filled the air!
Nearly a hundred of the Xifeng Tower experts were instantly shot down, forcing a bloody path forward. Soon, Wind Chime was also under fire from that group.
“Bold!!!”
A furious roar.
Black lightning rushed forward.
The Emperor finally returned in time at the critical moment.
With one sword strike, he shattered countless projectiles, and the lingering power of his sword beam sent the two people at the front flying back!
“Retreat!!”
“Go quickly!”
These people reacted quickly.
Realizing the situation was hopeless, they used the Lion Roar to clear a path, then turned and fled at full speed out of the territory of the First-Class Hall’s headquarters.
This ambush came completely unexpectedly!
Many people were distracted by the Emperor and the man under the umbrella at the entrance of the headquarters, failing to notice what was happening behind them. By the time they realized it, those people had already re-entered the crowd under the cover of the First-Class Hall’s experts.
The Emperor truly was the greatest expert in the Central Plains. With a single direct attack, he instantly killed the famous expert “Man Under the Umbrella,” succeeding in half of his assassination attempt…
But the First-Class Hall’s fierce attack was equally stunning and awe-inspiring.

Although this attack failed to kill Wind Chime, the mysterious Buddhist martial artist’s Lion Roar Technique, combined with a group of experts in hidden weapons, swiftly eliminated nearly a hundred top fighters from the Attack Wind Tower. The seemingly impregnable shield formation proved utterly ineffective, leaving the members of the Attack Wind Tower looking extremely grim.

What was most unacceptable for them was that these people left and came as they pleased. Aside from two who were knocked down by the Emperor and later surrounded and killed by the Attack Wind Tower’s fighters, the rest all retreated to safe areas under the cover of the First Rank Hall’s disciples among the street crowds.

“……”

Not only were the people from the Attack Wind Tower frustrated and angry, but even the Emperor had a dark, grim expression.

It could have gone wrong!

Glancing at Wind Chime, a faint flame flashed in the Emperor’s eyes. This time, entrusted by Bai Xiaosheng, his top priority was to ensure Wind Chime’s safety! Yet within just a few minutes of the battle starting, Wind Chime had been attacked twice by the First Rank Hall, with one attack even leaving her seriously injured and nearly dead. If he hadn’t reacted quickly, Wind Chime’s death would have made it even harder for the Attack Wind Tower to defeat the First Rank Hall!

“Hmph! What a clever move, Meng Yun! Truly a masterful tactic!”

The Emperor stepped back into the crowd that had reformed a siege and turned to shout a murderous-sounding snort toward the First Rank Hall’s headquarters: “You actually dared to sacrifice the lives of three experts as bait to gain an opportunity to deal with Wind Chime. In terms of tactics, I indeed fall far short of you… You almost succeeded just now.”

His voice carried clearly to the First Rank Hall’s headquarters, shocking many who hadn’t noticed what had happened and sparking intense discussions…

As soon as his words faded, a sharp retort came from inside the First Rank Hall’s headquarters:

“Emperor, I respect you as the greatest martial artist in the Central Plains and one who once fought against the Evil Emperor. I don’t want to be your enemy, but you’ve gone too far this time! You unscrupulously helped Shadow attack my First Rank Hall. To protect the homes of nearly a million brothers and sisters in the First Rank Hall, Meng Yun has no choice but to fight back against you…”

“I naturally understand right from wrong. There’s no need to say more.”

The Emperor’s tone was cold, devoid of any emotion.

Meng Yun paused briefly before changing his tone:

“It seems you’re determined to destroy my First Rank Hall?”

“However, defeating my First Rank Hall won’t be that easy… Shadow!”

Meng Yun suddenly called out Shadow’s name:

“Lord of the Shadow Tower, do you really think that with just Wind Chime and the Emperor, you can easily invade the First Rank Hall’s headquarters?”

“……”

“I know, and so do you. To destroy my First Rank Hall, your Attack Wind Tower will have to pay a heavy price—a price it can’t bear!”

“You want to minimize losses as much as possible, but your thinking is far too naive. Relying on just a swordsman and a Music Demon to shake the foundations of First-Class Hall? You’re dreaming!”
With that, Meng Yun’s voice vanished completely.
Yet Shadow and Emperor One looked extremely grave…
“That woman, Meng Yun, is indeed not simple. She’s prepared many contingency plans in advance. From now on, I can’t stay too far away from Wind Chime. It’s up to you to handle removing obstacles; otherwise, you’ll have to attack First-Class Hall’s main hall head-on.”
Emperor One transmitted his message.
Shadow understood the importance of Wind Chime and nodded.
…
While First-Class Hall was fighting against Attack Wind Tower, Happy was watching the situation unfold on a computer offline—someone who used their own First Vision to see everything in real time.
“It’s terrifying… That woman, Meng Yun. No wonder she’s been able to hold her ground in the Central Plains for five years. Even a combination like the Music Demon and Emperor One could be easily dismantled. When I saw it just now, I thought First-Class Hall was definitely doomed.”
Nurse Xiao Yi patted her full chest in shock and exclaimed,
“The Music Demon was almost killed just now…”
“Look, it seems Emperor One also has no solution. He doesn’t dare stay too far away from Wind Chime, probably because he thinks the people from Attack Wind Tower don’t have enough strength to protect her.”
“…”
Xu Yao sat silently beside Happy, staring at the screen with furrowed brows.
After a while, she turned to Happy and said, “I have a bad feeling!”
“Hm?”
Happy was startled but heard Xu Yao say worriedly, “Previously, you destroyed two of First-Class Hall’s branch halls effortlessly. I feel like Meng Yun didn’t seem to care at all… or maybe she did it on purpose… Could it be to feign weakness?”
“Why do you say that?”
“Think about it. Even the top experts First-Class Hall can pull out can easily stop Emperor One and the Music Demon working together. But what did you encounter when dealing with First-Class Hall?”
“Except for that time led by Huang Sha, the rest… were really easy, with no pressure at all.”
“But now, First-Class Hall is gradually showing an astonishing level of strength. Just two people they bring out can easily break through the Music Demon’s Heavenly Demon Zither… there’s also Umbrella Guest, experts in the Lion Roar Divine Skill… a group of experts in hidden weapons… and a bunch of assassins with the Flying Death Mace… None of these people showed any signs before Meng Yun recruited them… And those Flying Death Maces appeared out of nowhere in such large numbers. I always feel like First-Class Hall is hiding a lot of real strength.”
Hearing Xu Yao’s analysis, Happy wasn’t surprised at all; instead, he showed a hint of delight.
He replied,

“I know.”
Xing Kai naturally understood all of this.
In the other world, Meng Yun had gathered quite a number of powerful forces, but in this world, only two major organizations had been revealed: the Blood Alliance and the Five Poisons Sect, along with the Assassins’ Hall and the Heavenly Sound Sect.
Now that these experts had appeared in the First-Class Hall, it only served to confirm his initial opinion…
The potential strength of the First-Class Hall was likely much greater than that of the Xifeng Tower!
This woman had never given up her ambition to unify the martial arts world of the Central Plains.