Chapter 147

The Fifth Planet, Fifth Jiajiao Clan, Wang Cheng.

At dawn, the first light revealed a thin mist, like a gauzy veil, shrouding the ancient city; its towering walls, weathered by time, bore mottled bricks etched with the scars of history, whispering of its past glory and decline.

Within the city, streets paved with blue stone twisted and wound like ancient veins, connecting the heart of the metropolis.

On either side, rugged, primitive buildings rose from stacked boulders, painted with bizarre, interwoven patterns of color, exuding a wild beauty from afar.

Patrol guards wielded battle spears, clad in heavy gray armor that left only a narrow slit for their eyes; their steps were synchronized, and the blue stone pavement trembled beneath their tread.

"This is, after all, a civilized race."

Zhang Yunlu walked along the street, wrapped in a large black cloak, her hood drawn low to obscure her face.

Many Fifth Jiajiao Clan members passed by, yet none glanced at her.

Due to rebellions erupting across various regions, the city's defenses were extremely tight.

She had managed to infiltrate only thanks to the Purple Qi Concealment and Spirit Hiding Art.

Zhang Yunlu thought to herself.

She planned to map the terrain, then launch her assassination.

Along the street, her spiritual sense slowly unfurled, silently spreading across the entire city; wherever it passed, she memorized the city's layout in her mind.

Though Foundation Establishment spiritual sense had limited range on the Central Continent, here in the starry expanse, it could fully envelop this royal city.

She moved deliberately toward areas with fewer Fifth Jiajiao Clan members, steadily drawing closer to the central palace.

Soon, her spiritual sense touched the palace's location.

The towering palace walls loomed like coiled dragons, built of hard black stone, studded with sharp shards and glinting iron spikes.

Countless watchtowers rose atop the walls, constantly monitoring movements beyond.

The heavy bronze gates bore ancient runes, radiating a mysterious and solemn aura.

But more troubling were the guards within the walls—each standing every few steps, clad in silver armor, wielding spears whose tips glowed faintly with spiritual light, clearly not ordinary weapons.

Slithering serpents, their eyes crimson as blood, scales of silver-gray shimmering with a faint violet glow.

Like the giant serpent she had encountered in the Huiming Star System, but vastly smaller.

Biological weapons!

Zhang Yunlu's heart jolted.

After so long searching, she'd finally found a trace of the biological weapons' core! Her spiritual sense pressed further into the palace—but the instant it brushed the serpents, they reared up, their heads thrown back, roaring.

Roar! Though their forms were serpentine, their cries echoed like those of lions or tigers.

Visible shockwaves rippled outward.

Zhang Yunlu froze, then swiftly retracted her spiritual sense—but it was already too late.

As the shockwaves spread, a multifaceted object emitting strange light rose from the palace; its surface was not smooth, but composed of countless tiny, ever-shifting facets and angles.

These facets and angles flowed like nebulae; at its core, a swirling, eye-like vortex of color rotated steadily.

A device so precise it seemed unfit to exist on this planet.

Biological weapons' core!

Zzzz—a beam of light shot from the multifaceted object, locking onto Zhang Yunlu with perfect precision.

The Purple Qi Concealment and Spirit Hiding Art instantly failed; the surrounding Fifth Jiajiao Clan members all noticed her, their eyes flashing with colored light, greed instantly flooding their hearts.

"Human!"

"It's a human!"

"Capture her!"

"Kill her!"

"Capture her! Present her to the Great King, to the Great Sacred Clan!"

The entire royal city erupted in chaos; every Fifth Jiajiao Clan member, regardless of strength, was driven by greed to surge toward Zhang Yunlu.

Facing the greedy, grotesque faces charging at her, Zhang Yunlu's expression remained unchanged; an ice crystal sword appeared in her hand.

Very well—then fight through them!

She stomped hard, unleashing a torrent of true energy; the entire street shuddered as if a subterranean dragon had turned over, sending countless Fifth Jiajiao Clan members crashing to the ground, trampled to death by those behind them.

"Slice!" Her quiet command drowned out the clamor.

A flash of cold light, a sudden gale—sword qi whipped up a snowstorm tornado dozens of meters high, hurling the charging aliens skyward.

Buildings of stacked boulders collapsed; the throng of aliens was swept clean in a wide arc.

The Gale Sword Art! It was the sword technique she had borrowed from the Scripture Hall on her first visit.

Gale howls, piercing flesh and shattering bone—this was an ice-element sword art emphasizing chilling penetration into muscle and freezing marrow.

Yet now, wielded by Zhang Yunlu, it resembled a gale sweeping the earth, wild snow swirling in frenzy.

Since her time at Xuan Sword City, after modifying the Flowing Cloud Sword Art to suit her own style, she no longer followed sword techniques rigidly, but extracted their essence and fused them into herself.

Chi Jiuyu had said: Sword cultivators must have their own style! One after another, ice tornadoes howled and raged; the attacking Fifth Jiajiao Clan members could not draw near, forced to hurl hidden weapons or fire powerful bows and crossbows from afar.

All were blocked by the wind wall rising around Zhang Yunlu.

Meanwhile, her figure shot forward like a startled swan, racing toward the palace.

Her true energy drained rapidly—already one-fifth gone.

But the effect was striking: those who blocked her path died on contact, were wounded on brush.

Blood and gale intertwined, like a tragic opera.

Just as Zhang Yunlu neared the palace gates.

Zzzz—the multifaceted object emitting strange light suddenly fired a beam straight at Zhang Yunlu.

Terrifying heat warped the air visibly.

Zhang Yunlu's pupils shrank sharply; she sidestepped.

Shh! Along with the light came an arrow as swift and thunderous as a storm.

She dodged the light but failed to evade the arrow that followed; it pierced her left arm, and the force behind it sent her reeling backward a considerable distance.

At that moment, the Fifth Third Jiajiao clan had also brought forth large nets woven from metal threads, sweeping down over her head.

Zhang Yunlu slashed through them with her sword.

Shh-shh!

More arrows streaked in from the horizon.

Ding-ding!

Two soft chimes rang out — Zhang Yunlu, now prepared, swung her sword to block the incoming arrows, while simultaneously releasing a blade qi that scattered the purple-black toxic gas sprayed by the Fifth Third Jiajiao clan.

Iron nets, toxic gas, arrows, light.

Under this relentless barrage, one-third of her true qi was spent in moments.

'No good — I must retreat!'

Even with the Amplification of Death-Seeking Dao, continuing like this would only be futile.

After breaking into the royal palace, she'd still have to face the alien king and the bio-weapon serpent.

With her decision made, Zhang Yunlu turned without hesitation and dashed toward the outskirts of Wang Cheng.

…………

"Tsk-tsk-tsk! Little Yunlu is way too reckless." On the starship, Chi Jiuyu held a steaming bowl of instant noodles, watching the projected image. "No wonder she's a swordsman who awakened the Dao of Self-Destruction."

Intelligent beings coordinating together? That's nothing like the mindless monsters from the trial.

"Still, she's decisive — knows when to cut her losses and retreat without hesitation."

If she'd woken up even a moment later, once the alien clan's restraining array activated, escaping wouldn't have been so easy.

Chi Jiuyu slurped a mouthful of noodles, then picked up a braised egg from the broth and bit into it, her cheeks puffing out like a hamster's.

Her gaze never left Zhang Yunlu, fleeing from the screen.

After this lesson, little Yunlu should finally realize her mistake.

Looks like I need to speed up my own progress too!

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