Entering the Branch Shrine!

Xu Lao Ba's heart trembled, and he looked up at Shen Zhui and the others.

The group, who thought they had slipped by unnoticed, felt their hearts leap into their throats again. Just as they thought their plan wouldn't work, Rong Zimo suddenly spoke.

He took a step forward, cleared his throat, and then said with a trembling voice, "Elder, this subordinate admits his guilt."

Rong Zimo's voice sounded like a different person. Shen Zhui and the others didn't dare to breathe, only waiting.

"A bunch of drunkards! You made me think something serious happened. Go patrol quickly, and if anything happens due to your carelessness, I'll hold you responsible!" Daoist Xiangyang's angry voice berated them for a few moments, and then there was no more sound from the wooden tablet.

"Hoo~" The five of them collectively let out a sigh of relief.

"That old scoundrel is truly insidious!" Zhao Hu wiped the sweat from his palms. He had almost lost his temper just now when Daoist Xiangyang had tried to trick him.

Afterward, he had repeatedly tried to trick them with his words, confirming their identities, which caused Zhao Hu and Yan You's emotions to fluctuate wildly.

In the final questioning, Daoist Xiangyang clearly believed that if Xu Lao Ba were captured, the enemy would only need to question one leader. To save trouble, they wouldn't keep a second alive, so questioning the second person was enough. Shen Zhui and the others had indeed done just that.

If Rong Zimo hadn't overheard one of the deceased men crying for help earlier and imitated his voice, they might have been exposed.

Although the Xiantian Martial Artist wasn't here now, Hekou Town wasn't that large.

With the speed of a Xiantian Martial Artist, they would likely be back before long and could also send a message to those inside, urging them to strengthen their defenses.

Then, it would be much harder for them to sneak in.

"Brother Shen really thought of everything," Han Mao praised.

"Not at all, it was all thanks to Brother Zimo that we managed to get past," Shen Zhui said with emotion.

"Well done!" Han Mao patted Rong Zimo on the shoulder.

"Heh heh, I was idle at the County Yamen for three years, and I just messed around with things when I was bored. I never thought it would actually come in handy," Rong Zimo said proudly.

"Quick, change into their clothes and take their tokens, and hurry inside. I suspect that old scoundrel will still be suspicious, so let's finish this quickly!" Han Mao instructed.

"Yes." Shen Zhui and the others immediately got to work.

After changing their clothes and tokens, Shen Zhui and the others, led by Xu Lao Ba, walked towards the manor.

It was more accurate to say that Xu Lao Ba was paving the way for them rather than leading them.

Yan You already had an Induction Token, so finding the branch shrine wouldn't be difficult.

They just needed to head towards the most heavily guarded area with the most experts.

Xu Lao Ba's role was to deceive the checkpoints they could get past.

Of course, Shen Zhui and the other four didn't expect Xu Lao Ba, an outer perimeter patrol leader, to lead them directly to the center of the branch shrine.

However, as they walked, he helped them bypass several checkpoints guarded by Ninth Stage Houtian Martial Artists, which was a pleasant surprise.

As they approached a rockery, two Ninth Stage Houtian Martial Artists suddenly jumped out, pointing their spears at them.

"Halt, Xu Lao Ba, why aren't you on perimeter patrol? What are you doing here?!"

Xu Lao Ba replied, "Following the elder's orders, I'm inside on patrol."

One of the dark-faced men said, "That's not right! Why haven't I received any orders from the elder!"

The other, a burly man in leather armor, pointed his spear at Shen Zhui and the others and said, "Lift your heads, who are you people! Why have we never seen you before!"

The green token in Han Mao's embrace vibrated, and suddenly a beam of light shot out from the token, entering the rockery.

The rockery rumbled and shook, splitting open to reveal a passage.

"This is it!" everyone's hearts grew solemn!

Seeing this sudden change, the two men reached for their waist tokens. Han Mao immediately let out a low shout, "Attack!"

"Swish~" A flash of saber light streaked through the air, carrying a rapid whistling sound as Han Mao's saber lunged towards the armored martial artist's neck.

"Enemy attack~" the armored martial artist roared.

But at such close range, with Han Mao's surprise attack and the powerful boost from the Blood Burning Art, how fast could the saber be?

The armored martial artist only managed to slightly shift his body, using his chest armor to block.

However, although he dodged this saber strike, he couldn't avoid the sabers wielded by Zhao Hu and Rong Zimo.

"Pfft~" Blood gurgled from the armored martial artist's throat. In an instant, he was dead, his blood staining the ground.

On the other side, Yan You and Shen Zhui, both at Peak Houtian, also struck simultaneously. This person's strength was slightly inferior, and before he could even cry out, his head was severed.

"Shen Zhui, Yan You, you two come with me. Zhao Hu, Rong Zimo, guard the outside! Quickly!"

"Let's go!" Shen Zhui and Yan You quickly followed. The token bestowed by Wang Long had the effect of breaking seals. They only needed to find the location of the branch shrine and eliminate those who blocked their way; they didn't need to worry about the seals and formations.

Beneath the rockery was a stairway passage leading down. After Shen Zhui and the others entered, lights automatically illuminated along the walls on both sides.

When Han Mao, Shen Zhui, and Yan You reached the bottom of the stairs, they arrived at an underground plaza.

The plaza was brightly lit and vast, with about a dozen bronze pillars standing around. At the far end of the plaza stood a solemn and imposing temple.

Faint golden light emanated from above the temple, clearly indicating the location of the Li Family's branch shrine where their ancestral tablets were enshrined!

"Who dares to trespass into the Li Family's forbidden grounds!" a shout echoed through the surrounding space, but no one could be seen.

At the same time, Shen Zhui and the others, who had just stepped into the plaza, noticed waves of yellow light suddenly appearing on the giant bronze pillars.

Dark openings were revealed, and countless crossbow bolts as thick as a man's arm shot out.

"Clang, clang, clang~"

As the massive crossbow bolts flew towards them, the tokens on the three individuals' bodies emitted wisps of blue light. The bolts, within half a meter of the trio, seemed to be blocked by an invisible force and fell straight to the ground.

"Quick, charge through!" Han Mao ordered upon seeing this.

Shen Zhui and Yan You quickened their pace, running rapidly.

The first five bronze pillars fired crossbow bolts, while the next five fired spears.

The last three bronze pillars even unleashed flame jets!

The blue light on the individuals' bodies flickered precariously under the assault!

Shen Zhui's heart pounded as he witnessed this.

If the protective power of just one branch shrine was this formidable, wouldn't the true location of the Li Family Ancestor's Yin God be ten or even a hundred times more dangerous?

"Intruders die!" A troop of uniformed soldiers suddenly appeared from the branch shrine. These soldiers were clad in blood-red armor, wielding spears, their Blood Essence surging.

Eight Ninth Stage Houtian Martial Artists and two Peak Houtian Martial Artists!

"Yan You, Shen Zhui, you two go in! Leave this to me!" Han Mao exchanged his token with Yan You and quickly said, "Touch this token to the Yin God statue, then retreat immediately!"

Seeing the ten soldiers closing in, Shen Zhui and Yan You wasted no words and broke free from the encirclement.

The two Peak Houtian Martial Artists on the opposing side immediately turned back, intending to intercept Shen Zhui and Yan You.

"You're asking for death!" Han Mao raised his saber horizontally, and the blue light of the token in his hand transformed into golden radiance!

His expression grew solemn, and he shouted:

"First Summon of Deity, Distinguish Good and Evil!"

The light on the golden token flashed, and Han Mao's internal Vital Energy surged. The Vital Energy light attached to his saber was instantly imbued with a layer of golden glow!

If one looked closely, they would notice a phantom figure holding an Iron Ruler slowly merging into Han Mao's body above his head.

It was General Gan Gong!

Han Mao had borrowed the power of a Deity!

"Slash!"

A saber light of Gang Qi swept out. While Houtian Martial Artists could normally only attach Vital Energy to their bodies, Han Mao now unleashed a condensed Saber Qi!

Under the First Summon of Deity, Han Mao was comparable to a Xiantian Master!

"Fall back, form the combined attack formation!" One of the two Peak Houtian Martial Artists was so terrified he nearly wet himself! He quickly retreated, abandoning the interception plan, and rejoined his companion.

If Han Mao were to defeat them one by one, neither of them would be able to escape.

"Quick, notify the elder!"