"Shit!" one of the pursuers shouted hoarsely, his voice laced with a mixture of shock and dread as the silver moonlight cast an ethereal glow over the cascading waterfall.
Suddenly, white-clad figures adorned in martial robes emblazoned with dark red stripes materialized from the shadows, descending upon them from all sides in a silent yet imposing manner. Their robes billowed gracefully, defying the weight of the droplets fall.
Kunlun Disciples!
BOOM-!
As their feet touched the ground, a thunderous tremor reverberated through the earth, causing the nearby creek and the crashing waterfall to ripple violently, sending sprays of water splashing in every direction.
The reverberations traveled through the damp soil, startling a colony of birds nestled in the surrounding trees, prompting them to take flight in a flurry of feathers and frantic cries that pierced the night air.
"It's quite unexpected, finding a sinful group lingering around our holy ground," one of the Kunlun Disciples spoke, his voice dripping with condescension.
A young man, not even thirty, with jet-black hair cascading down his shoulders, held a jian in a firm grip, smirking arrogantly at the group of pursuers. His eyes glinted with a predatory gleam, betraying the serenity of his delicate features.
The hunters had now become the prey. The faces of the unorthodox martial artists contorted with trepidation, their brows furrowed deeply as beads of sweat trickled down their temples, mingling with the droplets fall.
Their eyes darted around anxiously, taking in the sight of more than seven Kunlun Disciples who had encircled them in a seamless formation, cutting off any chance of escape.
A total of ten figures—three women and seven men—all donning identical martial robes adorned with the same red-striped pattern, stood with an air of unwavering confidence. Not only were their jians enveloped in a kaleidoscope of vibrant, pulsating energy, but to make matters worse...
SHRILL-!
The entire area warped and distorted before the unorthodox martial artists' eyes, as if reality itself had been twisted into a nightmarish illusion. An immense, suffocating force descended upon them, an invisible weight that crushed their bodies, forcing them to their knees with a violent jerk.
Their bodies felt unbearably heavy, as if the very air around them had solidified into an unyielding mass, pressing down upon them relentlessly.
They gripped their jians tightly, using them as makeshift crutches to brace themselves, every muscle straining against the crushing pressure that threatened to grind them into the earth.
The faint blue Qi surrounding them, once a protective cocoon, flickered and dimmed under the weight of the invisible force, its gentle glow fading like a candle flame in a raging storm.
"Ughh!" One of the half-kneeling unorthodox martial artists roared in fury, his voice reverberating with a primal determination as he summoned every willpower, forcing himself to stand upright once more.
The faint bluish Qi enveloping his body rippled heavily, trembling under the strain, but refusing to succumb.
The jian in his hand, glowing with a verdant radiance, flickered precariously under the immense pressure, but it managed to hold firm, a beacon of defiance against the overwhelming force. He stood on his own feet, gasping for breath as the bluish Qi surrounding him grew fainter, its light flickering like a dying ember, yet still burning with an indomitable spirit.
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The situation hung in a precarious stalemate, tension thick enough to choke the very air they breathed.
None of the unorthodox martial artists dared to make a move, their eyes darting toward the man adorned with a scarf, their leader, who was still striving to maintain an outward facade of calm as he scanned the area with a calculating gaze.
'That man in the bamboo hat… is gone... tch,' the scarfed man thought, clicking his tongue in frustration, a sound that reverberated like a death knell in the deafening silence.
Based on numbers and raw power alone, they were outmatched by the Kunlun Disciples—especially with a 6th Realm martial artist among their ranks.
But...
"For the glory of our Lord!" the scarfed man suddenly bellowed, his voice ringing out like a battle cry as he unleashed a burst of Qi from his body, the invisible energy rippling outward in palpable waves.
The dual jians in his hands, already enveloped in a reddish aura like molten lava, soared into the air—a signal to attack.
His body blurred into a whirlwind of motion as he leaped into the air, performing a backflip with a grace that belied the ferocity of his determination.
With both jians raised high, their crimson glow cutting through the night like twin beacons, he aimed to strike down at the one emitting the oppressive Zone below, a direct assault against the very source of their subjugation.
"Raging Phoenix!" the scarfed man bellowed, his eyes reddened with a madness that burned hotter than the molten aura surrounding his blades.
The soaring jians, wrapped in a reddish aura like liquid fire, faintly formed the image of a phoenix spreading its wings.
"HA! Come at me, you hypocritical bastards! HAHAHA!" The rest of the unorthodox martial artists screamed fanatically, their voices a cacophony of unbridled fervor as they joined in raucous laughter that echoed through the night, mocking the very concept of fear itself.
The first to respond was none other than the scarred man, his body radiating an aura of pure, unadulterated darkness.
Tendrils of inky blackness began to spread from the scarred man's jian, creeping outward like a malignant virus, covering the nearby flowing creek and even the droplets falling from the waterfall.
His eyes, now glowing with a dark light that seemed to devour the very essence of the moonbeams, suddenly illuminated the area in an eerie, sickly radiance that cast long, twisted shadows across the ground.
...
Meanwhile, not far from the burgeoning battle, perched atop a tree like a silent sentinel, the person in the bamboo hat watched with crimson eyes that pierced the darkness, their gaze fixed upon the one casting the Zone—an Inner Disciple of Kunlun, a young woman whose aura exuded a formidable presence.
It was difficult to clearly identify her from this distance, but he was certain: "A 6th Realm martial artist..." the bamboo hat man muttered under his breath, his voice a hushed whisper that seemed to blend seamlessly with the sounds of clashing and blasting ahead.
A Zone—an ability exclusive to 6th Realm martial artists, a formidable technique that exerted an oppressive force upon its surroundings.
It was different from a Sword Zone or Sword Domain; a Zone was a lesser version of Sword Zone/Domain.
As he observed the struggle of the unorthodox martial artists—his pursuers, who had been grinning confidently mere moments before—the bamboo hat man noticed one of them striving to resist the Zone's relentless pressure.
The martial artist's body trembled with the effort, muscles taut as bowstrings as he fought against the invisible weight crushing down upon him. This scene stirred recollections within the bamboo hat man's mind, reminding him of his own experience when he once encountered a Kunlun Elder.
Elder Ma had used a Sword Zone or Sword Domain instead of a mere Zone to bully him.
As for the identity of the bamboo hat man, it was none other than Ji Wuye, a figure who had deliberately led these pursuers to this very place, a grand stage meticulously set for a performance of deception and subterfuge.
His plan was to kill important figures and incite enough rage to lure a valuable hostage for Kunlun from the very start.
'After all, no matter how high Elder Qia's position, without real evidence—just theories and information—it would be hard for Kunlun to trust,' Ji Wuye thought to himself.
Yes, he had undertaken this elaborate scheme for the sake of his Senior Sisters' safety, willing to go against the original plot or timeline.
From hiring three unorthodox martial artists at the 5th Realm to assassinate key figures in opposing factions, to deliberately leaving a note after each assassination describing his appearance—a bamboo hat with a veil and a dark long hanfu.
This was also why he had given a strong warning to Elder Qiao about the secret passage, a calculated risk that had now led to complete success, not to mention the transparent screens appearing before him.
image [https://i.ibb.co.com/mbFkRdh/Notif-1.webp]
image [https://i.ibb.co.com/mbFkRdh/Notif-1.webp]
image [https://i.ibb.co.com/mbFkRdh/Notif-1.webp]
If all went according to plan, Ji Wuye would be able to duplicate the technique from this battle, also gaining a deeper understanding of both the Zone and the Sword Aura, a bountiful harvest of knowledge, yet...
"We can't lose him. After all, he might be part of this, or it could be a trap," a firm voice cut through the cacophony of battle, laced with a mixture of suspicion and steely resolve.
"Yes, Senior Sister, but... it's strange. Why do I feel like he reminds me of someone?" another voice responded, tinged with a hint of uncertainty and familiarity that caused Ji Wuye's attention.
Below his perch, two figures emerged from the shadows of the forest, their white martial robes stark against the dim, surroundings.
One was a woman garbed in a flowing white robe adorned with blue stripes, her midnight-black hair cascading in long, graceful locks. Her usual gentle smile was nowhere to be found, replaced by an uncommon solemnity that lent her delicate features an almost stern quality.
Her dark almond-shaped eyes narrowed as she scanned the dim forest, a torch held aloft in her hand, casting flickering shadows that danced across her face like phantoms. She tilted her head slightly, as if trying to recall a long-forgotten memory that danced just beyond the reach of her consciousness.
The other woman, dressed in a white martial robe with dark red stripes, stood beside her Junior Sister, her stance unyielding and her sharp gaze unwavering. Despite her striking beauty and porcelain skin, her expression was cold and focused, a mask of unwavering determination that betrayed not a single crack of vulnerability.
Yes, both of them were none other than his Senior Sisters, Li Rong and Lian Rougang.