Chapter 319

An Cang's sword, arriving as if riding a dragon, was surely the strongest display the three could muster. For An Cang, this almost burned out his entire body; the determination of this sword required no annotation.

The cold light of the black-robed figure's horizontal pull stopped abruptly. Such a fierce blade stance was handled with ease in his hands; Li Weiru narrowly escaped from the edge of the Yellow Springs. Although the blade was retracted, the mystic power still poured out; the old man, struggling to avoid it, could not even maintain his posture, folding his wings like a bird meeting a hurricane and falling.

Wu Dong, with cold eyes that never left the battle despite the old man's fall, made a downward pressing motion. With a flip of his palm, the 【Jade Tiger】 shrieked and pulled back, and he had already rushed straight up.

An Cang's dragon-riding sword arrived at this very moment.

The arc of the black-robed figure's blade light was as curved as a bright moon, and the profound mystery that had stolen Xiang Minggao's heavenly might descended here once again. He did not reduce his seriousness by even a fraction, stepping on branches in mid-air, his robes falling silently.

But at this moment, the echo of Li Weiru's previous "besieging Wei to save Zhao" sword stroke resonated here. Wu Dong, who had not been heavily wounded and fallen, erupted with power that could not be ignored at this distance and at this moment.

With the 【Jade Tiger】 in hand, the thunderous sword rang out sharply. This time, there was no letting go, and no more feints or gambits; he was betting his entire body and life on this strike. If the black-robed figure wanted to kill him at this moment, it would only take a blade stroke as easy as the last.

Wu Dong's sword met the black-robed figure's blade.

Undoubtedly, as long as he could intercept the opponent for an instant, An Cang would have the chance to press this majestic sword stroke onto the bead bag!

However, this powerful enemy was still just as difficult to deal with.

Compared to the strength of his power and the crushing of his realm, this calm, ghostly charm that had caused both sides to suffer mutual destruction from the very beginning was even more chilling. No design could hope to succeed against him in one stroke.

Now, this black-robed figure tilted his body and dodged nimbly, not engaging Wu Dong. Despite being in a situation of being pressed from front and back, he made a light, drifting turn with his feet, his snow-blade carrying the crescent moon, and rushed head-on toward An Cang first.

By actively squeezing out the gap for An Cang's sword and creating a void behind him, he then swept through this dangerous gap, forcibly dismantling the two simultaneous attacks into one after the other.

It was indeed impossible to keep up with his speed; the thunderous sword was narrowly avoided. Wu Dong gritted his teeth, his face even colder and more vicious under the bloodstains.

With pale eyes, he stared at the black-robed figure's back. The thunder on his sword instantly turned into a twisting force directed at himself. Just before the black-robed figure's long blade was about to meet An Cang, Wu Dong twisted his arm and held his sword horizontally with a clang, the strong vibration causing beads of blood to seep from his bulging forearm muscles.

【Jade Tiger Pulling Silk】

In the thunder that had just been released, the two weapons had already clashed once more.

However, the black-robed figure had not forgotten this detail either.

In such a narrow situation, he still left a gap for this mystic Qi lock.

While carrying his blade forward, his hollow-gripped left hand also traced a few sharp lines. Just before Wu Dong held his sword horizontally to pull the silk, the black-robed figure traced it out, flicked his finger, and pushed the formed array straight forward.

An array-sword.

While advancing, the mystic Qi flowed through the entire array according to the fixed lines traced, just like an invisible sword being forged, the sword Qi suddenly penetrating and pressing straight forward.

He had indeed used up his gaps, but he could force An Cang to yield another one for him.

At this moment, the arc moon arrived right in front of him, the blade delivered to his hand. The black-robed figure pressed his fingers against the blade, wiping it calmly.

The dragon-riding person in front was indeed within ten feet, but if An Cang did not want to smash his hundred-pace accumulated sword style onto this array-sword, he had to actively dodge, watching as the black-robed figure washed away the mystic Qi lock and achieved that profound blade stroke.

Just as the three of them had tried their best but couldn't let Xiang Minggao catch his breath under his hands, now that this blade was aimed at An Cang, things would definitely not go according to their wishes.

But in this very instant, an old figure actually rushed over again like a falcon.

His cold eyes were like ice, and the sword light in his hand was as bright as snow.

As if he hadn't realized the chasm-like gap between the enemy and himself, and hadn't learned the lesson of his near-death experience, after falling and regaining his breath upon touching the ground, he rushed up with his sword again without hesitation, meeting the array-sword in front of him and filling this gap for An Cang.

He had clearly just stolen his life from the executioner's blade so luckily, and the muscles of the wound on his neck were still exposed!

Wu Dong, behind him, was stunned by this scene, suspecting that he hadn't seen his hand signal at all.

From the beginning of the battle, this old man had been a bit too active.

It wasn't a reproach; in fact, the old man had a very calm and precise grasp of his own strength and position, always filling the gaps they couldn't reach, never actively increasing the tempo, and certainly not disrupting their design.

Wu Dong was simply surprised by it.

He had indeed not counted the old man in from the beginning. The old man had volunteered to watch the manor, and Wu Dong had said to send a signal upon seeing the enemy, without needing to intercept personally.

Because his strength was insufficient and his stance was not sharp. As far as Wu Dong knew, this local sect had only this one master. Since he couldn't play any role in the battle anyway, Wu Dong fully accepted his desire to preserve his life.

And his first strike had been sincere enough, rushing alone at the black-robed figure who had just slashed a blade stroke. If the black-robed figure hadn't been truly focused on Xiang Minggao, that would have been like a moth to a flame.

And the situation just now had already proven what the consequences would be if he struck again after the black-robed figure freed his hands.

Wu Dong had even specifically reminded him that "it's enough," and that the Tianshan and Xianrentai would recognize all of this.

Wu Dong had already harbored a death wish from the start—if the black-robed figure was determined to kill them, the most they could do was trade their lives for more things. People on the periphery like Li Weiru had no need to die for it.

But he actually dared to strike at this black-robed figure, who represented death, for the third time, his cold eyes devoid of any warmth.

Regardless of the reason, daring to face death is always the mark of a true hero; Wu Dong couldn't help but feel some respect from the bottom of his heart.

But this time, the luck that had been ignored repeatedly finally did not favor him again.

The array-sword that could force the dragon-riding An Cang to dodge its edge was definitely not something the old man could take. And this time, he had nowhere to dodge and had to take the full force of this sword. Li Weiru's long sword touched the array, and the violent, surging mystic Qi drowned him in an instant.

The consequences of repeatedly provoking the edge of the Yueque finally truly descended upon the old man. Blood exploded from everywhere at once; Li Weiru hissed, his horizontal sword never retreating, forcibly swallowing everything of this array-sword.

And in the sky above, An Cang completely trusted the old man's interception.

The moment the old figure rushed up, An Cang didn't look at the array-sword again. He stared straight at the person in front of him; the environment the two had worked so hard to create was just for this moment.

The dragon-headed sword, which had rushed a hundred paces, was delivered, and the long wind whistled from behind.

The black-robed figure's action of wiping the blade with his fingers was suddenly interrupted. He pulled his blade horizontally, forcibly controlling the disturbance from the pulling silk, but the profound moon arc disappeared as a result.

The dragon sword had already arrived; there was still no expression on the theatrical mask. Although this 【Imperial White Dragon】 sword stroke was the opponent's full effort, the variation of the blade in his hand was still handled with ease.

The long blade seemed completely unaffected by the broken move, the hundred paces of surging mystic Qi condensing in the blink of an eye. In this very moment, the momentum had almost reached the level of the 【Imperial White Dragon】 sword.

With the long blade held horizontally in front of his waist, An Cang's hundred-pace penetrating sword stroke whistled and crashed into it, not even shortening the distance between the blade and the bead bag by a fraction.

But what An Cang sought was nothing more than a head-on slash.

That majestic mystic Qi and whistling wind were by no means a bluff. Since the black-robed figure's blade was cast like iron at his waist, it was his entire body that bore this force.

Like a sparrow falling from the sky, the hundred-pace wind dragon roared past. The black-robed figure protected the bead bag and was almost uninjured, but that billowing figure was indeed smashed down by the sword, falling straight into the "Cloud-Locked Zhu Lou."

The mist fluctuated only once and then closed suddenly. The "Cloud-Locked Zhu Lou" had only a coda left, but it was indeed still playing its role.

Falling straight down almost at the same time as the black-robed figure was an old, withered figure.

The black-robed figure adjusted his posture, still casting his two cold gazes at An Cang, who was swooping down, while falling.

The old figure, however, was almost like a corpse.

————

In the deep mountains of Xincang.

The former Purple Bamboo Secret Realm was now left with only black silence.

The light and shadow of the campfire danced on the young faces of the boy and girl, like a beautiful and quiet painting.

Pei Ye was already spirited, while the girl's face was still pale, but after sitting quietly and resting for a while, her tense spirit had finally relaxed quite a bit.

"That array can still be used; we can return directly to Xiangzhou," Black Chi said.

"Then let's go," Pei Ye said, picking up his sword. "I was just thinking, the Yi family came to the secret realm, so we can't just walk back over mountains and rivers."

Li Piaoqing held her head high as if imagining that scene, and a corner of her mouth curved up, not knowing what she had thought of: "... That actually seems quite interesting."

"Walking on mountain roads for so long is not interesting at all," the boy, who grew up in the mountains, laughed and sighed. "You city girls just want novelty. A day or two is fine, but day after day without getting out, every day is just trees and stones, pitch black, and you can't even see the sky when you look up. People would be stifled to stupidity."

"I grew up in the mountains too!"

Black Chi transformed back into a cat and squatted back on Pei Ye's shoulder, and the two walked toward the way they came.

In fact, both of them still had a shadow cast over their hearts.

Pei Ye told the girl he had found a solution, but that was only because he had seen the scene where the small sword suppressed the edict map. But what exactly that thing was, whether it still existed, and where it was, he actually had no idea. Under the Immortal Lord's personal gaze, the edict map searched for every crack in his state of mind, inserting itself like a sharp needle and seeping in like poison. The heart-poison the girl had just ignited was also still wandering, a pitch-black shadow pressing down on her soul.

It was just that Pei Ye was not in a hurry to tell her this to make her worry. As for the girl, sitting by the fire just now, with her beloved boy holding her hand the whole time, the uneasiness beating in her heart had become so hazy it was almost invisible.

After all, having just defeated a great enemy, a pleasant sense of relief was still permeating the surroundings.

Pei Ye walked in front, chatting with Black Chi, but he still hadn't figured out the basis for the cooperation between the Huan Si Lou and the Zhu Shi Sect.

"The extent of their connection is very deep; it's not the kind of petty squabbling or mutual deception," the black cat said softly. "Cooperation to this extent must have a consistent goal, at least in a considerable part. And the establishment of this mutual trust... I think the high-level figures of both sides might also have some connection."

"But the Zhu Shi Sect is to fulfill the Immortal Lord's edict, and the Huan Si Lou is certainly not the Immortal Lord's lackey."

"... Yeah," the black cat was silent for a moment.

"And there's also the Tunri Society," Pei Ye said. "Do you remember? It was they who exposed the traces of the Huan Si Lou in the Qiyun Chamber of Commerce to us, allowing us to discover the contact between the Zhu Shi Sect and the Huan Si Lou here—"

Pei Ye suddenly paused, inexplicably feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't grasp it for a moment.

That bright, complex, and translucent white array entered his field of vision, and the girl's "pitter-patter" footsteps came from behind.

Pei Ye turned his head; Li Piaoqing was holding the Shi Cui sword behind her back, hopping toward him with her feet together. Seeing him turn his head, she looked up and revealed a sweet smile.

"... What are you doing?"

Not knowing why his back had suddenly given her such a good mood, the girl said coquettishly: "I'm a little rabbit."

"... I think you're a green grasshopper."

Li Piaoqing pursed her lips and struck at him with her sword. Pei Ye was always tireless with such banter and ran forward laughing.

He didn't stop until he entered the Yu Ke array, and he reached out to hold the girl's sword scabbard: "Alright, Li Piaoqing, my realm is higher than yours now."

"This array should still work by injecting mystic Qi," the black cat said from the side.

"Right, just follow that silver pendant from the Huan Si Lou, right? Didn't we just—" Pei Ye paused again, suddenly remembering the ability of Zhang He's silver pendant to take objects through walls.

The girl didn't know anything about this array, and when she tried to snatch the scabbard back and couldn't, she said angrily: "Bully!"

"It's clearly you who always starts it," Pei Ye said, letting go with a laugh. "People say a gentleman uses his mouth, not his hands."

"... But you don't dare to use your mouth either," the girl whispered.

"Huh?" Pei Ye was bewildered.

For things like injecting mystic Qi, they had to trouble Zhanxin Liuli again. Through the crystal-clear sword body, the mystic Qi obediently injected into the array pivot, and the array formula slowly brightened.

All three began to feel some aura from the other side.

This process required a relatively long time. The two people and one cat sat down in the center of the array, quietly watching the brilliance of the array. The fluorescence rising in the darkness was like newborn stars in the blue sky.

Gradually, the brilliance filled the entire array, and they were drowned in the fluorescence, like a waterfall hanging from the sky.

That distant connection was completely clear. The black cat gently extended its claw to point at the light spot in its perception, feeling it was brighter than when they came. They actually couldn't distinguish where it led; this array was still very strange to them, but anyway, when they came, the Yu Ke array here was just such a light spot.

But at this very moment, Pei Ye, who was chatting and laughing with the girl, suddenly paused: "... What is that one further away?"

Suddenly quiet, the black cat looked over. Behind the bright light spot they were connecting to, a weaker light spot hung there. Its heart suddenly turned cold—this light spot... was clearly more like the brightness when they came.

Everyone was in a daze, but there was no time to think. The connection was made, and the silver river hanging from the sky drowned them.

Amidst the mysterious feeling of displacement, Pei Ye was stunned and speechless when he suddenly gave a violent shiver, as if a cold silk thread had been pulled out of his spine.

But he also had no time to think carefully.

In an instant, the world had changed again.

First, a mouthful of cold, moist air rushed into his nose and mouth, and his vision finally broke free from the dizziness.

The wind of the outside world, which he hadn't felt for a long time.

Cold rain and mist covered all directions, the broken manor revealed its outline in the dimness, and a strange, dead silence covered everything.

There was no way to identify where this was. The two had just tightly gripped their sword hilts when a whistling sound of breaking through the air suddenly arose from the side, like the roar of a giant beast. Before such a solid object breaking through the air appeared, the mist had already been twisted into a hollow vortex.

Such majestic power almost suffocated the two completely, and the mist poured down like mountains and seas. This was simply not something they could resist at all!

With their hearts and lungs suddenly tightening, Pei Ye had already grabbed the girl, with Zhanxin Liuli held horizontally in front.

The next moment, that thing broke out of the mist—it was a broken human figure.

It was unimaginable how he had suffered such heavy injuries, and even more unimaginable how he could still be alive. In any case, one of his hands was still gripping a sword, while on the other side, both shoulder and arm were gone, leaving only a bloody blur.

(End of chapter)