Chapter 52: Cult Leader Luo Hao
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Within the uninhabited, densely forested Lushan Mountain range in Jiangxi Province, China, a World Heritage Site, a robust elder with a head full of white hair and a face etched with wrinkles, seemingly around 80 years old, stood ramrod straight at the foot of a hill, his expression grave as he waited for something.
"Vice-Leader, what brings you here?" An ethereal voice echoed from the mountaintop, barely discernible as feminine.
"Holy Leader, wise and virtuous, may your reign last for a thousand autumns and ten thousand generations. This subordinate has come to report an anomaly concerning the actions of the newly born King of Japan in the Far East, which has triggered the Leader's secret decree," the elder reported, kneeling on one knee, head bowed, his voice solemn and reverent.
On Lushan Mountain, inside a small hermitage, a young woman in the prime of her youth sat gracefully on a platform, her fingers delicately plucking a zither. Her face was serene, her posture reminiscent of a mimosa. Her silky black hair, surpassing even the finest silk in its beauty, was styled in three braids. She was dressed in a traditional white Hanfu, the attire of ancient Asian women, yet her slender legs were adorned with modern black stockings, hinting at a veiled allure.
This was Luo Hao, the Martial Arts King residing in the Jiangnan region's Lushan Mountain, one of the oldest living Campiones, a woman whose beauty rivaled that of the gods.
She was the domineering ruler who established the Holy Cult of the Five Mountains, commanding the loyalty of over 30% of China's sorcerers and martial artists through oaths sworn upon their inner demons. She was a Devil King standing at the pinnacle of the world's martial arts.
"When did Japan give birth to a King equal to me?" Luo Hao asked, her brow furrowed slightly as her fingers continued to dance across the zither strings. Ethereal music resonated through the mountains once more.
Two hundred years had passed since she usurped the powers of a god. She hadn't bothered to investigate the Campiones who emerged during that time, nor did she have any interest in doing so. Remembering their names after they introduced themselves was enough.
She, Luo Hao, was the only one in heaven and earth who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts, the realm of "invincible and seeking defeat." Therefore, she saw no need to display her authority to others. Trivial matters like investigating names were beneath her notice.
The elder continued his professional report, detailing the information he had gathered about Japan Devil King.
"It was a little over a month ago. He became the Devil King by slaying the Heretic God Tsukuyomi in Japan. A month later, he defeated Marquis Voban in the Balkan Peninsula, seizing and slaying the god Siegfried, whom Voban had summoned. Afterward, he even killed the Heretic God, The Heavenly Emperor, once and defeated Marquis Voban again while exhausted. Based on the intelligence, he's an exceptionally powerful King."
"Hmph, that brute, relying only on his strength, was so pathetic that he couldn't even defeat a newborn, even when the child was exhausted. How dare such a worthless creature share my, Luo Hao's, reputation! The next time I see him, I will take his life." Luo Hao's beautiful face was clearly etched with displeasure.
She and Marquis Voban had been considered equals for centuries. Voban's miserable defeat naturally affected her reputation as well. Coupled with their history as enemies, killing Voban and clearing her name had become her top priority.
No, that old wolf isn't so easy to kill. They had fought countless times, clashing whenever they sought to expand their influence. She, the ruler of China, vying for world domination, and Voban, the leader of Eastern Europe, their conflicts had always ended in stalemates.
Now, the new King who defeated Voban had become her primary target. Even if it was just an empty title, the "strongest," she wouldn't allow a month-old Devil King to take it from her, especially a Devil King from Japan.
"Vice-Leader, tell that new King to come to Lushan to see me. I want to see what makes him so special that he could defeat that old wolf multiple times. But for your transgression of barging in here unannounced, you will sever one of your fingers as punishment." Luo Hao channeled her energy, projecting her voice to the old man at the foot of the mountain with a technique called Thousand Mile Voice Transmission.
The elder's stern face paled at the order to sever his finger. He quickly spoke up.
"Leader, I barged in without permission to report this because the new King went to Nikko Toshogu Shrine yesterday. It seems his target is the Sealed Monkey God. Upon learning this, I rushed here without delay to demonstrate my unwavering loyalty to you, risking the possibility of offending you with my presence."
The figure sitting in the hermitage, playing the zither, vanished without a trace. In an instant, Luo Hao appeared before the elder, startling him into bowing his head to the ground.
"A newborn dares to snatch my, Luo Hao's, prey? Who gave him the audacity? Has Japan, whose army of two million I slaughtered just a century ago, forgotten the pain already?" Luo Hao's face was filled with murderous intent. The veins on her fair wrists bulged, a clear sign of her fury.
The elder below trembled, barely managing to control his body, fearing that even the slightest movement would result in his immediate death.
"How dare that little Japan King presume to meet the eyes of the Leader? He must be a newborn calf who isn't afraid of tigers, blinded by the praises of those Japan families, thinking he can do whatever he pleases. Otherwise, he wouldn't have the guts to offend the Leader's authority, even with ten lives."
Hearing the elder's flattery, Luo Hao's expression softened slightly.
Turning around, she casually reached out with her hand. The air rippled silently, forming a colossal hand of white clouds, as if she could grasp the heavens and earth in her palm.
The giant hand swooped down towards a corner of Lushan Mountain.
"Aaaaaaah!!!" A young boy's figure was snatched by the cloud hand and pulled towards Luo Hao. He landed with a thud before her.
This was Lu Yinghua, the eldest son of the Lu family from Hong Kong, her test subject, or rather, student. He was twelve years old and hadn't been formally introduced to society, or rather, hadn't completed his training.
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Lu Yinghua, looking dazed, froze when he saw Luo Hao's figure. His pupils constricted, and his face was etched with terror. He quickly prostrated himself on the ground.
"Student Yinghua greets Master! May Master, wise and virtuous, reign for a thousand autumns and ten thousand generations, unify the martial world, and be invincible throughout the land…" The panicked boy sputtered out a string of compliments, praising Luo Hao's virtues.
"Alright, Ying'er, your training here has reached a level where you can venture into the world. Perfect! Deliver this challenge letter to the new King of Japan. I will go to Japan at noon tomorrow and bury him." Luo Hao channeled her energy and shouted. A letter flew towards her from a distance, and with her internal energy as ink, she etched characters onto it. With a flick of her wrist, the letter drifted towards Lu Yinghua.
As the letter reached Lu Yinghua, Luo Hao's figure slowly dissipated, reappearing in the hermitage on the mountaintop. Her fingers danced across the zither strings, and the melody of "Ambush from Ten Sides" filled the forest.
A few hours later.
Lu Yinghua sat in the airplane cabin, clutching the letter tightly, sobbing uncontrollably as he hugged the flight attendant beside him, a member of the Holy Cult of the Five Mountains.
"I finally almost finished my training and escaped Master's clutches, but now, now I have to deliver a letter to a Devil King! A challenge letter, no less! Do you think I'll die? I don't want to die!"
The flight attendant forced a smile as she looked at the dozens of martial arts masters surrounding them, their bodies as straight as pines, sitting in horse stances on their seats to prevent Lu Yinghua from escaping. I don't want to die either! she thought, her heart sinking.
The plane was about to land in Nikko City.
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