Secret Passage

"It was actually a saber technique..."

Although Chu Qing had never imagined he would follow the path of the sword all the way to the end, he had not expected a saber technique to appear so soon.

And it was this Blood Saber Technique...

The next instant, all the mysteries of the saber technique poured into his mind.

They were filled with every manner of trick for wielding and using a saber, along with the technique's forms.

At the same time, Chu Qing felt that familiar warmth spread through his body once more, only subsiding after a short while.

"The Blood Saber Technique... comes from the Blood Saber Scripture of the Blood Saber Sect.

"I only obtained the saber technique, not the internal cultivation method from the Blood Saber Scripture.

"That is no matter... I have my own internal energy to wield it."

Chu Qing let out a soft breath, feeling that this was not a bad thing.

Biting off more than one could chew only applied to normal people. He had cheats; he was not among them.

Besides, as an assassin, there were times when he could not choose his weapon.

When infiltrating a place for an assassination, there were many places where a sword could not be brought in. Then he could only adapt to local conditions and use whatever weapon was at hand.

Now that he had this saber technique, he had one more means to face an enemy in battle.

If he encountered a situation where there was no sword, he could still use his saber technique.

Of course, compared to a saber technique, martial arts such as fist techniques, palm techniques, finger techniques, or leg techniques that could be used without weapons would naturally be even better.

Chu Qing held some expectations for such martial arts, but he could only wait for them to unlock slowly in the future.

Settling his thoughts, he sat cross-legged and slowly circulated his cultivation.

The Purple Mist Ruoxu Scripture was now at the seventh realm. He still had to keep working hard.

Though he had temporarily severed his entanglement with the Mirror of Sin,

those people had noses like hounds. It was hard to say when they would return with renewed vigor. Since he was safe for now, he naturally had to cultivate diligently.

Although cultivating the Purple Mist Ruoxu Scripture was far more difficult than the original Ruoxu Scripture, he feared it would take at least several months before he could advance another realm.

Moreover, after a few months, it was hard to say whether he might unlock another internal cultivation method, allowing his internal energy to make another great leap forward.

Yet every scrap of foundation he accumulated would not fall upon empty ground.

Even with the current Purple Mist Ruoxu Scripture, if he had not raised the original Ruoxu Scripture to the fourth realm, then even after obtaining the Purple Mist Divine Skill and merging them, he would not have reached his present realm.

So he still could not relax in the slightest.

Besides that, he had to go out tomorrow to handle something.

Back at Falling Rain Hall, he had used that Sleeve Arrow. He needed to find a way to replace it.

This thing was actually very useful.

That member of the Seven Iron Horse Thieves had merely treated it as a trump card for begging mercy and saving his life, never realizing that in a fight, suddenly unleashing something like this made it all the more impossible to guard against.

Tang Yinfeng's Blood Transformation Divine Palm practically had the words 'there is something wrong with this palm technique' carved across his forehead. How could Chu Qing truly clash head-on with him?

Using the Sleeve Arrow to break the deadlock had not only forced him back and allowed Chu Qing and Wu Qianhuan to escape Falling Rain Hall, but had also poisoned him.

It could not have been any better.

"Good things should be stocked up. I need more arrows in reserve."

Chu Qing was an assassin. Assassins did not ask after methods; as long as it could kill, it was a good method.

Only the gallant heroes of the martial world would fight others openly and honorably.

For Chu Qing, the storms and rains of this night had temporarily drawn to a close.

But for others, it was merely the beginning.

Within Falling Rain Hall.

Wu Qianhuan had already gone deep through the hidden door in Tang Xi's room.

She was now sitting in a room, leafing through the letters on a bookshelf.

The more she read, the darker her expression became.

These letters were filled with evidence of Falling Rain Hall and the Valley of Ten Thousand Nights colluding with one another. Mixed among them were wild claims about what they would do after breaching Heavenly Dance City.

Tang Xi in particular had written much filthy and unbearable content in his letters, making Wu Qianhuan feel that killing him had been far too quick.

He should have been sliced into a thousand pieces!

But who could have imagined that someone who appeared so proper and respectable in daily life would be so foul behind the scenes?

As she read the letters one by one, a Heavenly Dance Guard came to report:

"Eldest Young Lady, this place has been searched. We found a great deal of gold, silver, jewels, and various weapons, though they have not yet been fully counted.

"Furthermore, we found more than ten citizens who had previously gone missing within the tunnel.

"Also... this secret passage is very long. It leads all the way beyond the city to Cicada Forest."

"Cicada Forest..."

Wu Qianhuan nodded thoughtfully. Cicada Forest had always been the subject of strange rumors. It was said that people had seen unclean things within the woods, and thus no one was willing to approach it lightly.

Even though the City Lord's Mansion had sent the Heavenly Dance Guards to investigate it several times and confirmed that it was merely a rumor... the people did not believe it. No matter how brilliantly you spoke, they would never dare set foot there.

As she thought of this, she was just about to speak when Wu Ganqi arrived, carrying a bloodstained violet-gold Xingtian Axe in one hand and dragging Tang Yinfeng over with the other as though dragging a dead dog.

Tonight's battle had ended in silence. Liu Shijie had been the first to be felled by a single axe blow from Wu Ganqi. Tang Yinfeng had been able to struggle for a while, but only for a while.

He had been poisoned, and most of his internal energy was being used to suppress the deadly poison within him.

That he could still fight Wu Ganqi under such circumstances showed that he indeed possessed some skill.

It was worth mentioning that during their exchange, Wu Ganqi had not seen him use the Hate Heart Demonic Art... presumably, Tang Xi alone had cultivated the Hate Heart Demonic Art.

With a flick of his hand, Wu Ganqi threw him to the ground, then looked at Wu Qianhuan.

"Did you find anything?"

Wu Qianhuan rose to her feet, her face expressionless.

"Father, the secret passage leads to Cicada Forest. They intended to use this passage to bring the Valley of Ten Thousand Nights into Heavenly Dance City, attacking from within and without to breach our city!"

Wu Ganqi smiled. He did not grow angry, merely looking at Tang Yinfeng on the ground, whose meridians had been shattered throughout his body and who could no longer move at all.

"Old Tang, ever since you entered my Heavenly Dance City, I have treated you well, or so I believed.

"Now, this little scheme of yours to coordinate from within and without truly leaves me greatly puzzled.

"Just what are you doing this for?"

Even now, Wu Ganqi remained mild and pleasant.

Tang Yinfeng smiled at his words.

"All under heaven bustle for profit; all under heaven clamor for gain.

"I seek nothing more than fame and profit.

"The Valley of Ten Thousand Nights promised me that if this matter succeeded, Heavenly Dance City would belong to me.

"Tell me, was this risk worth taking?"

"It was."

Wu Ganqi answered decisively.

"But that is not enough!

"Your appetite cannot swallow my Heavenly Dance City, nor are you qualified to challenge the Valley of Ten Thousand Nights after they destroy my Heavenly Dance City.

"Old Tang, you are not a fool, so do not take me for an idiot.

"Where exactly does your confidence come from?

"Where did this demonic art of yours come from?

"Who... exactly are you?"

The expression on Tang Yinfeng's face did not change as he looked at Wu Ganqi.

"If I dare to say it, do you dare to listen?"

Wu Ganqi smiled.

"Those words do make me curious. Speak freely—I am all ears."