Before the words had even faded, he and Shui Die Lan shrank back at the same time, pressing themselves into the shadows of the reef and drawing in every trace of their presence.
Moments later, the waters above shuddered. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen auras pierced through the surface. Yet the instant they entered the lake, each one shifted from being outwardly forceful to tightly restrained. From this subtle control alone, it was clear these newcomers were nothing to take lightly.
And that was only the beginning. Within moments, they had all reached the lakebed. Li Xun could sense at least seven or eight probing waves sweeping across the water. As they crisscrossed briefly, the searchers instantly divided the area into sectors, never overlapping.
Even those sectors weren’t fixed. They shifted back and forth, covering for one another’s gaps. Just from that, it was obvious these were veterans with razor-sharp instincts.
There was no need to look any further. Their identities were practically written on their faces.
Li Xun and Shui Die Lan had hidden their auras the instant they noticed something unusual. Coupled with the complex, shifting qi currents in this stretch of water, which interfered with the enemy’s senses, the two of them barely managed to avoid being dragged out into the open.
But it was only for the time being.
The lakebed here stretched for miles, littered with tangled reefs and jumbled rocks. It was indeed vast and complicated, but all of that meant little if they failed to remain unnoticed.
If these cultivators really discovered something and decided to search carefully, the two of them would have no chance of escaping unharmed.
Perhaps calling it “a turtle trapped in a jar” would be the most fitting description.
Just as Li Xun was forcing a bitter smile at his own plight, a soft, magnetic voice rippled through the water, rising in this unsettled space.
“Master Wuji, the qi mechanisms here is so dense and chaotic. Extremely unstable. What could be the reason?”
Another voice responded at once. “It may seem chaotic, but you should know that the formations of Mist-Hidden Pavilion are based on the art of uniting water and fire, inner and outer in balance. With the restriction on the ancient temple broken, it’s only natural for this side to show a reaction.”
At those words, Li Xun’s heart gave a jolt. A true master!
Regret crept in immediately. So I really did underestimate the cultivators of this world. If I could see through it, why assume others couldn’t? I thought I’d gotten ahead of everyone, only to end up blocked right here.
As the thought flashed through his mind, Shui Die Lan nudged him lightly at his side, signaling for him to look up.
In this situation, there was no fear that the masters would notice such a small movement. Narrowing his eyes to the thinnest slit, Li Xun peered toward the source of the voices.
And sure enough, it was the alliance of the Five Great Demonic Sects.
The Skyfaring Ape Demon, the Bone Rot Child, the Soul-Hooking Broken Sword… even Yuan Nan, who was little more than a cripple, had been carried here with the support of others.
But of course, the one who drew every eye was the woman at their head. Even beneath the water, her skirts billowed with the currents, flowing like waves in a dance. She seemed as ethereal as an immortal, giving no hint at all of the reputation attached to her name.
Li Xun’s gaze lingered briefly on the Heart-Consuming Concubine, then shifted past her to where Flayer of Yin was supporting Gu Pin’er.
The moment his eyes landed there, they stuck fast, refusing to move for a long while.
Noticing his expression, Shui Die Lan chuckled softly and transmitted her voice to him. “Your little sweetheart’s still alive after all, isn’t she? Shame she can’t even stand anymore.” Somehow, she still had the mood to joke.
Li Xun whipped his head around so suddenly that Shui Die Lan thought he was about to snap at her. She was already considering whether to tease him further, but then she caught sight of the gravity on his face. Clearly, it wasn’t her words that troubled him.
“This time we’re in real trouble.”
Shui Die Lan rolled her eyes. “As if I needed you to tell me that.”
“No, you don’t understand!” Li Xun shook his head. “If it were only the Heart-Consuming Concubine and her people, we might still have had a chance. But that monk Wuji… he’s the one we need to worry about.”
“Wuji, the monk?” Shui Die Lan wasn’t sure why Li Xun had suddenly shifted his attention away from Gu Pin’er, but she still glanced over in that direction. The man he meant looked fairly handsome, though his face carried a slick, oily air. Nothing about him suggested real skill.
Li Xun’s voice dropped low. “I’ve heard of him. His character may be questionable, but he has genuine ability. He came from the Unspoken Sect. Though he’s long since betrayed it, his mastery of restrictive techniques is at least on par with mine.”
Shui Die Lan froze for a moment. “Unspoken Sect? No wonder the restriction came undone so quickly!”
Li Xun blinked. “What do you mean?”
“You didn’t know? The previous master of Mist-Hidden Pavilion was Qu Zhuoyu. He also happened to be the sect leader of Unspoken two generations ago.”
She said it with a look of innocence, but Li Xun knew perfectly well she had kept it from him on purpose. Still, this was hardly the time to be angry.
The name Qu Zhuoyu shook him.
Back when he first studied the ancient temple’s formations, he had already noticed how refined the restrictions were. They blended seamlessly into the most ordinary surroundings, leaving no flaws to be seen. It was strikingly similar to the Unspoken Sect’s doctrine of “great skill lies in silence.” He never expected it to have been laid down by a former sect master himself. His attitude instantly grew more cautious.
But there was still one thing Li Xun didn’t understand. “Since Qu Zhuoyu was master of the Silent Word Sect, why didn’t he pass this dwelling down within the sect?”
Shui Die Lan answered with full confidence. “Who knows? It seems like those who manage to ascend always think differently from the rest of us. Fate this, destiny that; hmph, nothing but nonsense if you ask me.”
“That’s true enough…” As he replied, Li Xun couldn’t help thinking of Zhong Yin.
But he quickly pulled himself back to the present. “I had hoped to use the formations here as a shield, to buy us some time. But with Wuji around, that plan won’t work. Even without a Cloudmist Stone, he won’t need much effort to find the critical point of the restriction. If they seize it before us, we’ll lose our chance entirely. What should we do?”
It wasn’t often he admitted weakness, but this time he tossed the problem over to Shui Die Lan. She didn’t even blink before tossing it right back. “I don’t know the first thing about restrictive techniques. That’s your problem… unless you’d like me to just step in and kill him for you?”
Of course, she was joking. Li Xun only gave a small smile and let it pass.
Yet as they spoke, the group of enemies suddenly scattered. Qi Wusheng and the Skyfaring Ape Demon shot out of the lake in different directions, purpose unknown. The Bone Rot Child prowled in circles along the lakebed, his eyes measuring something unseen. Yuan Nan, too badly injured to move, was led aside by a female cultivator of the Bliss Sect to sit and recover.
Meanwhile, the Heart-Consuming Concubine and Wuji walked side by side into the reef cluster, followed by Flayer of Yin with an arm around Gu Pin’er. The other disciples, whose ranks and status were lower, trailed loosely around them.
At the sight, both Li Xun and Shui Die Lan felt their eyes brighten.
Shui Die Lan let out a soft laugh. “Waiting for the prey to walk right in?”
“Flayer of Yin played it perfectly.” Li Xun smiled as well, and when their eyes met, it was clear they already understood each other’s intent.
At that moment, all it would take was a brief word of coordination between them, and they would be ready to act.
Li Xun didn’t stand on ceremony. Leaning close to Shui Die Lan’s ear, he whispered his plan.
Perhaps neither of them noticed it, but in this tense moment, an unexpected harmony had settled between them. Not the cautious politeness of two parties forced to cooperate, but a natural and effortless understanding.
That harmony lasted only an instant. They quickly realized such closeness wasn’t exactly safe, and both pulled themselves back into caution.
Shui Die Lan gave him a long, searching look. Then, with a flash of movement, she was gone.
Li Xun pressed the Cloudmist Stone against his chest. He glanced at the so-called “formidable” monk Wuji, who was still whispering and laughing with the beauty, and let out a quiet laugh of his own before turning his gaze toward Gu Pin’er, supported by Cha Yin.
He made a hand seal, and at once, a shadow leapt out of the darkness. At the same time, his brow creased slightly.
The instant he summoned Nether One, the Bottomless Nether Ring stirred with a tremor unlike anything before. If not for the purity of his cultivation after all these years, that single jolt could have stirred his wounds and made him lose face on the spot.
Fortunately, Nether One managed to take shape without mishap. A flash of blood-red light appeared, then vanished seamlessly into the shadows of the reef, silent and unseen, like a ghost.
Flayer of Yin was already on the edge of driving herself mad with her own secrets.
From the very first lie she had told when she reunited with the sect master, her sins had only snowballed, piling higher and higher until by now, they were enough to see her executed a hundred times over.
And what made it worse was that from the very beginning, she’d never had a choice.
Just think of what she’d done: botched her duties, secretly passed on forbidden techniques, harmed her fellow disciples, misled others about the situation...
Look at the way the five-sect alliance carried on, as if they were just out for a carefree outing. If they knew that the one holding the Cloudmist Stone wasn’t the easily crushed Xiao Zhongzi, but the deadliest assassin in the world together with one of the brightest rising stars in recent years... what kind of scene would that be?
There was no doubt she was the most pessimistic person present. Even the beautiful prisoner at her side seemed calmer than she was.
Because of that, and because her strength hadn’t fully recovered, her reactions were far slower than usual. It took someone tugging at her sleeve twice before she realized it.
Wait. Tugging at her sleeve?
Flayer of Yin turned her head. From behind a reef half as tall as a man, an arm reached out, followed by a familiar face. For a moment she nearly choked on her own breath.
Twenty paces ahead stood the Heart-Consuming Concubine; a little farther off, the Bone Rot Child prowled the waters; and all around the lakebed, seven or eight elite disciples, each formidable in their own right, kept watch.
And yet in the middle of all this, Hundred Ghosts strolled right out in plain sight. The fact that Flayer of Yin didn’t scream on the spot was already impressive.
For an instant, she thought of lashing out. But one look at Hundred Ghosts’s smiling face, and one memory of the ruthless methods she had experienced from him just days ago, was enough to smother the impulse completely.
Her fingers trembled as she knocked Gu Pin’er unconscious. Then she shifted half a step, fully shielding Hundred Ghosts’s crouched body in the shadows, and sent a hurried voice transmission: “What do you want now?”
“Smart girl!” Li Xun didn’t mind giving her a bit of praise. “Working together is the best way forward. Now, do me a favor… of course, the choice is yours.”
Flayer of Yin forced a bitter smile. Choice? What choice did she have left?
Yet after Hundred Ghosts explained the matter in just a few words, she found herself almost unable to believe it. Not because it was difficult, but because… it was far too simple, and made no sense at all.
Her eyes flicked toward Gu Pin’er, who was still supported at her side. The woman’s head was bowed, unconscious. There was nothing telling to be read in her expression. And precisely because of that, Flayer of Yin felt even more fear toward Hundred Ghosts’ unfathomable calculations.
Hundred Ghosts gave her a smile, then melted into the shadows and was gone.
Even though all defenses were aimed outward rather than inward at this point, his ability to come and go so freely left her chest chilled. At last, she gave up the last shred of thought of resisting him.
By then, the Heart-Consuming Concubine and Wuji were already thirty paces ahead. Flayer of Yin drew in a deep breath, quickened her steps to follow, and began silently measuring the shifting positions in her mind.