Starting boy Ma Kongqun

Chapter 359: Battle, Borrowing Treasures
In the capital, the imperial city, inside Chengtian Palace.

Emperor Zhengtong Li Xun sat high on the dragon throne, and below him sat in two rows a dozen monks, nuns, laymen, Taoists, old and young, men and women of various appearances.

These people were certainly not Li Xun's civil and military officials, but rather the demons, ghosts, and evil practitioners that he had invited over.

The first person sitting on the right is the Black Mountain Demon.

He was wearing a black hooded robe that covered him from head to toe, with even his face hidden behind a layer of black mist.

Li Xun had heard about what had just happened, so he called these people together to discuss the matter.

Seeing that the Black Mountain Demon beside him didn't say a word, the rest of the people were also silent, so he coughed lightly to break the silence, and bowed to the Black Mountain Demon and said, "Mr. Black Mountain, I received news a few days ago that the fake prince has usurped the throne in Taiyuan, and also appointed Ma Ji's son as the Grand Tutor, in charge of the 'Hun Tian Supervisory Office'. Now that Ma Ji has appeared in the capital, he will surely take action soon. I wonder how we should respond?"

The low voice of the Black Mountain Old Demon came from behind the black air: "Things in the world are just like 'the winner is the king, the loser is the bandit, the weak are preyed upon by the strong'. If Ma Ji wants to support the false emperor, he must first deal with all of us Taoist friends who support the orthodoxy. If my prediction is correct, Ma Ji will soon send someone to challenge me for a fight... Hey, someone is coming!"

Before he finished speaking, Zhan Chun appeared out of thin air in the middle of the hall. Although he was surrounded by demons, he still smiled. He calmly bowed to the Black Mountain Old Demon and said, "I am Zhan Chun, sent by the master, Grand Master Ma, to deliver a letter!"

Not only Li Xun above, but everyone sitting on the left and right below changed color. With their cultivation and status, they were all ashamed to be invaded by a servant so close to them without any warning beforehand.

Among them, Qiantang Lord Ao Xuan had always been hot-tempered. He had a grudge against Ma Ji for killing his nephew. He had just almost suffered a great loss from Ma Ji's "Twenty-four Qi Shocking God Sword". When he heard that the man was Ma Ji's subordinate, he could not hold back his rage and shouted, "Good boy, as a messenger, you came in without asking. Do you think we are nothing?"

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he reached out his right hand and a huge dragon claw covered with red scales appeared out of thin air and grabbed towards Zhan Chun in the hall.

Zhan Chun remained in a bowing posture without moving, and even the expression on his face did not change at all. The dragon claw grabbed him, but it passed through his body effortlessly, and there was nothing in the claw.

"They're all ghosts every day!"

Except for Li Xun, everyone present had cultivated to the third level of tribulation-crossing realm or above. Naturally, they had extraordinary vision and could see through Zhan Chun's foundation at that time.

Just seeing it was one thing, but they thought they were not completely sure of catching a "Dutian Ghost" who had almost reached perfection in his practice.

Considering that they were only trying to embarrass one of Ma Ji's servants and there was a high possibility of failure, no one was willing to act rashly in order to avoid losing their status and face.

Only Ao Xuan, who had already made a move, was ashamed to sheath his sword, and the expression on his face kept changing.

Fortunately, Li Xun above spoke in time to save him from embarrassment: "Qiantang Jun, please calm down your anger. As the saying goes, 'When two countries are at war, they don't kill envoys.' Let's listen to what the other side has to say."

Li Xun was a banner held up by everyone present. Even someone with a violent temper like Ao Xuan had to give him some face. Moreover, Li Xun's words had resolved his dilemma, so he just snorted coldly and stepped down and sat back in his original seat.

Until this moment, the Black Mountain Old Demon slowly spoke: "Ma Ji actually asked me and all of you Taoist friends to meet in the West Mountain to decide the outcome with a battle. He is quite brave and broad-minded!" Zhan Chun's face changed, and he realized that the yellow silk scroll he had kept by his side had disappeared, and the other party had actually unfolded the scroll in his hand to examine it. He was immediately shocked.

However, he respected his master Ma Ji the most. Since he was his messenger, he had to lose the battle. He remained calm and said, "Master Heishan, since you understand the intention of the master, please let me know your reply in person."

The Black Mountain Old Demon suddenly sneered, and the scroll in his hand silently shattered and disappeared into nothingness: "My reply is just one sentence - 'As you wish'!"

Zhan Chun said: "I will tell the master the truth. Goodbye!"

After saying this, he twisted his body on the spot and immediately disappeared out of thin air. Except for the unfathomable Black Mountain Old Demon, the rest of the people were still unable to see how he disappeared, and naturally there was no way they could stop him and capture him.

Everyone was silent for a moment, and Li Xun asked the Black Mountain Old Demon, "Sir, do you really want to accept Ma Ji's challenge? I have seen that Ma Ji is a scheming person, so we must be on guard against any tricks he might play."

The Black Mountain Old Demon shook his head slightly: "When one's cultivation reaches this level, any conspiracy or trick is just a joke. Ma Ji must also understand this truth, so this must be a fair and square battle. As for a head-on fight, since Yuan Dansheng passed away, no one in this world should be able to threaten this seat. So fellow Taoists, please practice in seclusion for a few days to recuperate, and then follow me to the appointment and crush the opponent into powder with absolute strength!"

Everyone was excited and responded one after another.

After a while, the rest dispersed, and only the Black Mountain Old Demon stayed.

Li Xun knew that he must have something else to say, so he dismissed the others and asked, "Sir, what else do you want to say?"

The Black Mountain Old Demon said slowly: "What I said just now was only to reassure the troops and boost their morale. In fact, I have some concerns about this battle."

Li Xun's expression changed immediately, and he asked in disbelief, "Is Ma Ji so powerful?"

The Black Mountain Old Demon waved his hands and said, "Although Ma Ji's cultivation is extremely high, I don't care about him. But as far as I know, Ma Ji somehow got the ancient artifact 'Demon Refining Pot', his wife Wang Hengyou inherited Yuan Dansheng's 'Heaven Repairing Stone', and Yan Chixia just showed up with the 'Xuanyuan Sword'. Of the ten ancient artifacts, Ma Ji's side actually got three. If he can truly unleash the power of these three artifacts, even I will have to retreat."

Li Xun was not a fool. He understood the other party's implication. He showed hesitation on his face and asked, "Sir, do you mean that only a divine weapon can fight against a divine weapon?"

The Black Mountain Old Demon said nothing more, but agreed with what he said.

Li Xun weighed the options repeatedly in his mind, and finally realized that everything he had now was built on the support of the other party. If the other party failed, everything he had would instantly vanish into thin air. So he made up his mind and said, "In this case, I will go to the ancestral temple immediately and ask for the national treasure 'Kongtong Seal' to be used by you, sir!"

The Black Mountain Old Demon stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty treats me as a national hero, and I should repay Your Majesty with a national hero!"

(End of this chapter)