Ke Duhe's heart jolted in shock. He abruptly turned his eyes, his dead-gray pupils reflecting four formidable figures.
They actually arrived this quickly!
Four brilliant glows of True Qi—green, red, purple, and gray—shone resplendently as they occupied different positions on the surrounding rooftops.
A thick, suffocating wave of killing intent poured down like a cold tide, enveloping the entire street in a suffocating silence.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Around Ke Duhe, the rustle of robes cutting through the air rang out in rapid succession.
The remaining members of the Nine Anhuai Fiends had all arrived, their expressions grim as they coldly swept their gazes over the area.
The third fiend, the Li Fiend, Zhongli Mo, held a black iron chessboard in his hands. Even though they were heavily surrounded, his smile remained calm and his tone lazy:
“Brother, do we flee or do we kill? Just say the word.”
Ke Duhe's dead-gray eyes shifted, a nearly tangible killing intent radiating from his body. He spoke through ventriloquism, his voice low and chilling:
“Although our plan to assassinate that old dog Jiang has been exposed, we cannot return empty-handed... We must fight. We must kill at least one of these four before we break through to give the young master an explanation!”
“Big Brother...”
The fourth fiend, the Sound Fiend, Liu Sanxian, held a Ghost Pipa in his arms. Frowning, he urged,
“Since they dared to charge straight here, they must have already asked the Four Great Sects for aid. If we don't escape now, once their reinforcements arrive and surround us, we won't be able to escape even if we grew wings...”
“Enough!”
Ke Duhe cut him off coldly, his dead-gray eyes locking onto his face as he said, word by word,
“We must kill at least one!”
The muscles on Liu Sanxian's face twitched violently. Ultimately, he did not dare to disobey and lowered his head.
“Understood...”
Behind them,
the Steelyard Fiend, Sun Banjin; the Scholar Fiend, Xie Qingshan; the Ironback Fiend, Lei Jiu; and the Shadow Fiend, Wuhen—four Great Perfection of the Anjin Rank experts—did not dare to object either.
They merely tightened their grips on their weapons in silence.
“Attack!”
Ke Duhe barked.
Gray Qi suddenly surged over his skeletal right hand, and dozens of gold coin darts instantly appeared between his fingers.
With a flick of his wrist,
a rain of darts shot out like a swarm of locusts, carrying sharp, piercing whistles as they poured toward Gu Dacheng from all directions!
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
“Bring it on!”
Gu Dacheng laughed heartily, his voice shaking the roof tiles, though he did not dare to let his guard down in the slightest.
Crimson True Qi erupted from his body like a fiery dragon wrapping around him.
The iron spear in his hand suddenly danced. Amidst the flurry of spear shadows, it actually bloomed like a crimson sun rising in the sky!
Thrusting, stabbing, lifting, parrying, blocking, seizing, twisting, and sweeping!
《Crimson Smelt Thunder-Howl Spear: Crimson Burning Heaven》!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew in all directions.
The tip of his spear swept away all dozens of the gold coin darts, sending them clattering to the ground in an endless metallic rain.
However,
Swoosh!
just as the momentum of the spear was about to run dry, Ke Duhe closed in on Gu Dacheng like a ghost.
Gray mist surged in his right palm, radiating a thick aura of death. With his five fingers tensed like withered claws, he clawed straight down at Gu Dacheng's head!
《Yinsha Great Art: White Bone Soul-Consuming Hand》!
As the leader of the Nine Fiends, he was most adept at throwing darts and movement techniques.
His cultivation had already reached the Great Perfection of the Huajin Rank, placing him a mere half-step away from condensing a divine ability seed.
Gu Dacheng was no easy target either.
Roaring like a tiger, he pushed his late-stage Huajin Rank cultivation to its absolute limit. His sweeping, thunderous spear technique successfully held off Ke Duhe's fierce onslaught.
Meanwhile,
Zhongli Mo and Liu Sanxian pounced on Zeng Qiyuan of Bixia Villa and Lai Zong of the Zhenhai Marquis Mansion, respectively.
Hua Ying said nothing, charging straight toward Kan Qingluo of the Qingyuan Sword Pavilion.
“Heh...”
Kan Qingluo chuckled softly, her slender wrist twisting as her long sword unsheathed with a ring. The sword-light flashed like a brilliant white rainbow, thrusting straight toward Hua Ying's face as she spoke with a sweet smile:
“What's the matter, little sister? With such a lovely, delicate face, who could be so heartless as to slap you?”
The slap mark on Hua Ying's cheek was still burning hot. Her face twitched at the words, and a surge of humiliation and fury instantly flared up within her.
Dark light flowed around her as she whipped out a soft whip that was nine feet nine inches long. The whip lashed through the air with a deafening sonic boom, tearing straight toward Kan Qingluo's head!
“Shut your filthy mouth, you little bitch! Even from ten yards away, I can smell whatever garbage you ate for breakfast yesterday!”
Kan Qingluo's gaze instantly turned ice-cold.
Her smile vanished.
In the next instant,
her long sword erupted with brilliant light, its momentum multiplying in ferocity. A dense, freezing killing intent flooded her eyes like frost and blades!
《Great Derivation Qingyuan Sword: Sword-Light Differentiation》!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Three sword-lights bloomed out of thin air, indistinguishable from one another as illusion and reality merged, slicing toward Hua Ying's vital acupoints from all sides!
...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In the distance,
deafening roars and the explosive collisions of True Qi echoed continuously, sounding like muffled thunder rolling across the heavens!
Shen Xiuhan moved alone through the long, narrow alleyways.
The doors and windows of the houses on both sides were tightly shut, yet countless fearful and bewildered eyes peered out from the cracks.
The citizens of the prefecture capital had been startled by the sudden commotion and had fled into their homes. The braver ones peered through the cracks of their doors and windows, their hushed whispers drifting into his ears from time to time.
“Is there a fight going on in the North City?”
“You bet! I heard the Yue State army has invaded!”
“Bullshit! If Yue State were to invade, why would they bypass Xinyi Prefecture and take a detour all the way to our Nanxiang Prefecture? Do you think the Yue people are directionally challenged?”
“Xinyi Prefecture has deployed heavy forces as well!”
“For real?”
“Absolutely!”
“How do you know that?”
“I was just teasing you...”
“Get lost! I'll screw your mother's fat ass!”
Shen Xiuhan turned a deaf ear to the chatter, striding directly toward the flashing pale-gold light point.
...
Inside a secluded courtyard,
Hou Yulin was huddled inside the main hall. Listening to the distant explosions that shook the air from time to time, his face turned from livid to pale and back again.
“Damn it! Damn it!”
“I was kind enough to send him the news and beg for his protection, yet he wouldn't even show his face!”
“What Mount Bixia? What fellow disciple sentiment? What Qi Lineage Chief? It's all absolute bullshit!”
Hou Yulin cursed and raved violently. Only when he had screamed himself hoarse did he slump onto the daybed, looking utterly despondent.
The room fell into a deathly silence, save for his ragged breathing.
After sitting in a daze for about the time it took an incense stick to burn, he suddenly sprang to his feet.
“No! I can't just sit here and wait to die!”
“That Shen Xiuhan looks cautious and reserved on the surface, but he is ruthless to the bone. If he finds out what I've done, he will take his life without a moment's hesitation!”
“I have to find someone who can guarantee my safety!”
Gritting his teeth, Hou Yulin pushed open the door and rushed out of the courtyard, muttering through clenched teeth,
“If that guy Linghu won't protect me, someone else will! I'll go to the Sword Lineage. They will definitely...”
He cut himself off mid-sentence.
The expression on Hou Yulin's face froze. His feet felt as heavy as lead, pinning him to the spot as he stared blankly into the courtyard.
In the corner of the courtyard, a figure stood silently.
He had sharp, sword-like eyebrows and thin lips. Wearing the livery of a Star-Plucking Sect core disciple, he leaned casually against a pillar beneath the eaves, arms crossed.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, the figure slowly opened his half-closed eyes, his gaze piercing like a cold blade.
Hou Yulin's lips trembled for a long time before he finally squeezed a few words from the depths of his throat, his voice shaking with uncontrollable terror:
“Shen... Xiu... Han...”
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