Chapter 94: The Killing Intent of Floating Boat City

At that moment, ripples spread across the water in the underground palace, and another wooden boat glided in from outside the hall.

Three women—Shu Wan'er—stood atop the boat, poised gracefully, their gazes sweeping over the two wooden boats already arrived.

Upon seeing Li Musheng and the other, their faces all showed a trace of wariness, yet the fear was gone.

Yet Shu Wan'er paid no heed to Li Musheng and the others; she steered the boat to a stop before the middle-aged man in brocade robes and spoke coldly:

"Hand over the Fire Qilin blood, or today the Floating Boat City will be erased from the capital of Da Li."

At these words, Han Meiyuan on the nearby boat suddenly narrowed her eyes, surprised by Shu Wan'er's blunt approach.

Li Musheng, however, wore an expression of confusion and turned to look at Li Yuanling.

At this moment, Li Yuanling's eyes were filled with shock; she involuntarily opened her mouth and murmured:

"So the so-called divine artifact is actually Fire Qilin blood!"

As she spoke, she turned to Li Musheng and recounted everything she knew about the legends of Fire Qilin blood, detail by detail.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere within the underground palace had changed utterly.

Almost immediately after Shu Wan'er finished speaking, shadowy figures emerged abruptly from the dark corners of the palace, landing all around and surrounding the three wooden boats within.

At the same time, a deep voice echoed from above the palace:

"If you want the Fire Qilin blood, see if you have the ability to take it."

No sooner had the words ended than the shadowy figures surrounding the palace instantly became blurs, surging forth under the glow of the palace candles.

In midair, blades and swords flashed with cold light, radiating unhidden, chilling killing intent as they surged toward the three wooden boats.

Seeing this, Li Musheng furrowed his brow; he had assumed Floating Boat City would at least negotiate with the three women.

But he had truly not expected these martial world figures to act so cleanly and decisively.

After their secret of the Fire Qilin blood was exposed to their faces, Floating Boat City had clearly made an instant decision—completely shedding its disguise.

They didn't even bother pretending anymore; one word out of place and they launched a murderous strike, aiming to kill everyone here outright.

"Still, given the Fire Qilin blood's fame in the martial world, their actions are understandable."

Li Musheng shook his head lightly; five grim-faced martial experts had already rushed forward and landed atop the boat where he and Li Yuanling stood.

They struck with lethal intent—swordlight and knife-light surged with qi, brimming with piercing, bone-chilling sharpness, stabbing or sweeping through the air, filling it with killing intent, all aimed squarely at their vital points.

Clearly, they had no intention of mercy—they meant to cut Li Musheng and Li Yuanling down on the spot!

…

Far above, in the underground space's midair, a massive black iron ship hung suspended, slowly drifting toward the palace's center, dragged by iron chains.

Tu Yao, deputy chief of Floating Boat City, stood in a black robe, arms crossed behind his back, gazing silently at the water surface of the underground palace.

Beside him, the gray-robed elder Sheng Shi'an sat cross-legged, his body bound in chains of black iron, eyes lowered toward the same direction.

Yet his gaze remained fixed solely on Li Musheng, and he spoke slowly:

"Test their skills first—they'll soon be forced to reveal who's behind them."

Hearing this, Tu Yao gave a slight nod and turned his attention away.

He shifted his gaze to the five on the other two boats, eyes narrowing slightly, and said:

"That man and woman fought cautiously earlier—hard to tell their origins. But the three women's movement style resembles the White Cloud Sect's 'Lingbo Step.'"

At these words, the gray-robed elder Sheng Shi'an frowned slightly and said:

"Behind those three must be the Lingbo Immortal. She's famed in the martial world for her movement arts and excels at tracking."

"With their current strength, none of them would dare openly storm Floating Boat City. If I'm not mistaken, the Lingbo Immortal has likely already infiltrated the city."

Tu Yao furrowed his brow and scanned the underground palace below, yet detected no hidden figures whatsoever.

The gray-robed elder Sheng Shi'an raised his eyes to him and shook his head:

"Their movement art is too refined, their trail too elusive. How could you spot them from this distance? Right now, you and I must deal with another threat. As for the Lingbo Immortal, I suggest leaving her to Wei Bing."

Hearing this, Tu Yao fell silent for a moment, then gestured with his hand.

In the next instant, a figure flashed into view, arriving beside him and bowing to await orders.

"Go inform Deputy Chief Wei Bing—the White Cloud Sect's Lingbo Immortal may have arrived at Floating Boat City. Have him keep watch on the city's every movement."

The figure immediately responded and vanished in a flash.

Only then did Tu Yao turn back to gaze at the water in the palace's center, his voice now chillingly cold:

"We truly underestimated the martial world—we've only just acquired the Fire Qilin blood, and already multiple experts have come. Once word spreads, these people are more relentless than cats drawn by the smell of blood."

The gray-robed elder Sheng Shi'an's eyes flickered slightly as he slowly shook his head:

"That's precisely why Su Changqing must dispose of the Fire Qilin blood quickly—otherwise, Floating Boat City alone cannot withstand the weight of this martial world."

With that, the gray-robed elder Sheng Shi'an fell silent, continuing to gaze down at the water at Li Musheng's boat.

But soon, his cloudy eyes suddenly narrowed, and the black iron chains wrapped around his body began to writhe.

…

Meanwhile, facing the assault from Floating Boat City's experts, Li Yuanling's martial qi surged instantly.

Golden afterimages flickered across her body, golden light threading between her fists—she was about to test her fists and feet, ready to respond to these attackers.

Yet before she could strike, as she merely raised her head to look at the assassins, she suddenly noticed:

The five men's terrifying killing aura, a moment ago so fierce, had been violently erased—every trace of killing intent vanished in an instant.

Li Yuanling's delicate brows furrowed as she scanned the five.

Their bodies still stood atop the boat, their swords and knives frozen midair.

Two of the gleaming blades were barely half a foot from her neck and heart—but had not moved further.

Moreover, the intense sense of danger she had felt moments ago had completely vanished.

In that instant, Li Yuanling finally realized something—she spun her head sharply and saw Li Musheng calmly raising an eyebrow at her.

"You did this? How did you do it? I didn't see you move."

Li Yuanling slowly withdrew her martial arts true qi; although she knew Li Musheng was very formidable, was this strike not excessively fast!

She frowned, curiously raising her hand to pinch the tip of a sword before her eyes; with just a light push, that assassin fell to the ground immediately in response.

(End of this chapter)