The Final Battle Begins

Only Xu Bai's cell was bathed in bright light.

Feeling the information in his mind, Xu Bai couldn't help but sigh.

The so-called Machinery Secret Technique were completely different from what I had imagined.

Of course, it still has connections with government agencies, but there are many intricacies involved.

The Ingenious Craft Pavilion excels at ingenuity, and can imbue an item with unique effects through assembly and other methods.

For example, the crossbow bolts in Ji Xiaoshan's hands are far more powerful than ordinary crossbow bolts.

The reason for this is actually related to energy levels.

In this world, essence, Essence, Qi, and Spirit, and spirit are three different directions of cultivation, and energy is the key to the Ingenious Craft Pavilion.

Ingenious things, when guided by energy, can unleash power far exceeding the ingenuity itself.

Of course, if one has not studied "The Machinery Secret Technique," then one will have no way to get started, because one will not even understand the most basic way of energy operation.

When discussing how energy operates, complexity is an unavoidable factor.

The more complex the mechanism, the more operable it is, and the higher its complexity.

If you cultivate this fifth-tier "Secret Techniques" to the highest level, you will correspondingly master all the operational methods of fifth-grade mechanisms.

To put it bluntly, it's the difference between a complete novice and a skilled worker.

After Xu Bai understood the essence of it, he rested his chin on one hand and looked at the Ghost-Head Saber in his hand with the other. He then thought of the Returning Wind Flowing Snow skill and suddenly had an extremely exaggerated idea.

—Perhaps we can come up with a surprise weapon.

Nowadays, this Ghost-Head Saber is no longer sufficient.

After all, it was obtained from that Great Stronghold Master, so its power and sharpness are far inferior.

What good weapons could a Great Stronghold Master possibly have?

The reason Xu Bai continues to use it is that he has no better options.

If it weren't for Xu Bai's own strength, the dark light surrounding him, and the strong wind, this Ghost-Head Saber would have been a hindrance long ago.

"Since it's quiet now, there's no harm in giving it a try," Xu Bai thought to himself.

Thinking of this, he walked to the prison cell bars and called in the guards who were standing at the door.

"Give me a pen and paper," Xu Bai said.

The yamen runners naturally dared not object, so they agreed and took their leave.

Before long, the paper and pen were ready and handed to Xu Bai.

Xu Bai mentally processed what he needed, then wrote it down on paper with a brush, folded it, and handed it to the yamen runner, saying, "Give this to Ji Xiaoshan of the Ingenious Craft Pavilion and have him prepare the materials inside as quickly as possible."

Since we are starting with new weapons, the materials should naturally be those from the Machinery Secret Technique.

It contains many materials that are not only expensive, but also impossible to buy in ordinary markets.

The Ingenious Craft Pavilion is in the business of mechanics, so entrusting the work to them is the safest option.

As for money... I'll take it if I can get it for free.

He believed that the Ingenious Craft Pavilion would be very willing to do this, after all, they still needed to perform well in light of their previous actions.

The constable took the paper, quickly acknowledged his leave, and departed.

Xu Bai returned to his chair, took out the Nameless Saber Scripture, and began to read it, wasting no time.

There are still nineteen books left. If I don't hurry, when will I ever finish them? The bright room fell silent again, with only Xu Bai's even breathing remaining.

About an hour later, Ji Xiaoshan walked in from outside the cell carrying an enormous bundle.

"Xiaoshan greets Lord Xu." Ji Xiaoshan took off his bundle and said hello.

The yamen runners nearby were very sensible; they opened the cell door, delivered the bundle to Xu Bai, and then closed the cell door again.

"Everything is here. Please take a look, Lord Xu," Ji Xiaoshan said, wiping the sweat from his brow.

To be honest, he had seen the things delivered by the yamen runners just an hour ago.

It's full of materials, and they're quite precious.

Ji Xiaoshan is also in this line of work, so he can tell that this thing is a material for making fifth-grade mechanics.

The question is, what is Xu Bai here for? Of course, although he was puzzled, he still gave the materials list to his father.

Most of the items on this list, even those from the Ingenious Craft Pavilion, are running low on quantity. As the young master of the pavilion, he cannot make the decisions; the Pavilion Master Ji must decide.

When the Pavilion Master Ji saw this, he was slightly surprised, but quickly waved his hand in agreement.

This is exactly what Xu Bai wanted, and it's also the best time to ease tensions.

So after obtaining permission, Ji Xiaoshan quickly brought the materials to Xu Bai.

After saying that, Ji Xiaoshan didn't leave.

He was actually quite curious about what Xu Bai was going to do.

Xu Bai hasn't let him leave yet, which proves that he's being shown this.

"Very good, everything is in order." Xu Bai opened the bundle, carefully checked everything, and nodded in satisfaction.

The Ingenious Craft Pavilion does a good job; nothing here is shortchanged.

"Whatever Lord Xu needs, our Ingenious Craft Pavilion will do its utmost to provide it," Ji Xiaoshan said appropriately.

"What are you still doing here?" Xu Bai asked curiously.

Ji Xiaoshan was slightly taken aback. He had thought that Xu Bai was deliberately preventing him from leaving, but now it seemed that he had simply forgotten to let him go.

"Then I'll take my leave." Ji Xiaoshan gave a wry smile, said goodbye, and left directly.

After Ji Xiaoshan left, Xu Bai looked at the contents of the bundle and rubbed his hands together.

He took out several materials and began to assemble them.

If Ji Xiaoshan were here, he would be absolutely astonished.

Even those who are skilled at using gadgets will still cut and trim the materials when piecing them together.

Since each piece of material has a different shape and size, it naturally needs to be trimmed in order to successfully assemble them.

Xu Bai, on the other hand, utilizes the natural shapes of the materials themselves when piecing them together.

If it is truly assembled, the power of the ingenuity is beyond compare.

In fact, as long as you fully understand the "Machinery Secret Technique", doing these things will be a natural process, after all, it is the "Machinery Secret Technique" at the maximum level.

Using the bright light, Xu Bai's hands moved through the bundle like afterimages.

The speed of his hand movements was astonishing.

As he moved, the materials inside the bundle began to decrease at a visible rate.

Before long, all the materials were used up, and in Xu Bai's hand appeared a long knife pieced together from the previous materials.

The long sword is entirely black, with fine, scattered marks on the blade and hilt, which gives it a unique aesthetic appeal.

Xu Bai brandished the black knife.

The next moment, True Yuan Power flowed from Xu Bai's hands to the entire body of the sword via a particularly complex route.

It was very complicated; we traveled over a hundred routes before finally achieving full coverage.

This is the difficulty of the ingenuity: after it is assembled, you also need to know how to use it, otherwise it will look nice but be useless.

Xu Bai weighed the black knife in his hand, feeling that it had a good weight and was comfortable to hold.

He tried twirling the knife, which immediately generated a strong gust of wind.

When you run your fingers over the blade, you can feel the texture on it, and the feel is superb.

"Let's see how powerful it is."

Xu Bai did not use his full strength, but instead used the Severing Break Three Styles.

With a single slash, a skilled swordsman could sense that this sword was several levels above the Ghost-Head Saber; it was like comparing heaven and earth.

The quality of the black knife is absolutely top-notch.

But this was not Xu Bai's main objective; it was the second strike.

The first slash was incredibly fast, producing a terrifying whistling sound as it cut through the air.

The second cut, however, brought about a qualitative change.

When the sword was swung out, halfway through, Xu Bai activated the True Yuan Power within his body.

True Yuan Power flowed along the blade, and the next moment, the blade exploded.

It really exploded, just as the words suggest.

The spiderweb-like dark patterns on the blade instantly turned into countless fragments, swirling and entangling the blade in front of them.

The fragments resembled stars, shimmering with a cold light, and each fragment was imbued with the dark light of the Vajra Heart Demon Body, as well as the inherent qi of the cultivation technique.

Compared to the Ghost-Head Saber, its power is simply incomparable.

If, during an encounter, the first strike is a head-on collision, but the second strike turns the enemy into countless fragments, then the damage is absolutely devastating.

Most importantly, these materials are far more valuable than copper coins.

Xu Bai looked at the hundreds of fragments and then made another movement.

He took a step back, and then swung his sword a third time.

With this strike, the hundreds of fragments that had shot out seemed to obey a command and returned to the shape of a black blade.

"Call!"

A sharp gust of wind rang out, and the strike became a real, solid blow.

This is the Returning Wind Flowing Snow, combined with the unique True Yuan Power circulation path of the Machinery Secret Technique, which allows all the fragments to be reunited and pieced together again according to the rules of the ingenious technique.

"Great!" Xu Bai couldn't help but praise.

With this knife, the Ghost-Head Saber can truly be phased out.

Shatter, coalesce, shatter, coalesce...

Inside the cell, Xu Bai was having a great time until an incense stick's time had passed before he stopped, stroking the cracked dark patterns on the long sword with his hand.

Its entire body was black, with cracked and dark patterns, which reminded him of an anime he had watched in his previous life. The protagonist seemed to use a similar sword, something like the Demon Sword Thousand.

"Oh, and also apply poison."

Xu Bai, who was known for his lack of martial ethics, took out Hundred Blazing Poison and applied it to each of the fragments.

After doing all this, he nodded in satisfaction.

Since it's a good knife, it needs a good name.

Xu Bai thought for a moment and thought to himself, "Since there are hundreds of fragments and they are coated with Hundred Blazing Poison, let's call it Hundred Rifts."

Xu Bai, who has a hard time coming up with names and is also terrible at it, came up with a name that he thought was extremely nice-sounding.

Xu Bai Xu Bai sheathed the Black Saber Hundred Rends back into its scabbard at his waist, and then resumed working on the Nameless Saber Scripture.

As for the Ghost-Head Saber, he casually placed it aside.

If Ghost-Head Saber had a spirit, it would definitely jump up and curse Xu Bai for being fickle and unfaithful.

While Xu Bai was working on the Black Saber Hundred Rends and continuing to work on the Nameless Saber Scripture, an ordinary-looking man was standing outside the Prefectural Office, deep in thought.

He was the man in black who discovered the man in the straw hat committing murder by the lake. He was extremely good at hiding, so he ran out immediately.

The man in the straw hat no longer trusted them and had gone mad, even killing his own people.

He originally intended to leave directly, but then he thought that if he left, he would end up pleasing neither side.

Most importantly, it's not certain that one can survive well even when they're pleasing neither side.

Rather than doing that, it would be better to pledge allegiance to Xu Bai, since Xu Bai had said that as long as one pledges allegiance, past transgressions would be forgiven.

But once he arrived at the Prefectural Office, he became conflicted again.

He didn't know whether Xu Bai was telling the truth or not. If it was false, wouldn't he be walking into a trap?

To go or not to go, that is the question.

But after standing there for a while and thinking about it, he decided to go in and take a look. After all, considering that he would have to hide like a dog and could be discovered at any time, he might as well try Xu Bai's character.

With that thought in mind, he no longer hesitated and walked towards the Prefectural Office.

As soon as he entered, he was stopped by a yamen runner. After explaining the reason, the runner summoned Prefect Zhou.

Without hesitation, Prefect Zhou led the man directly to the prison.

Inside the prison cell.

Xu Bai leaned back in his chair, looking at the trembling man in front of him, and smiled, "Don't be nervous, take your time, say it one word at a time. Your name is Sun Sheng, right?"

Sun Sheng didn't dare to look up at Xu Bai, nodded fearfully, and stammered, "Sir, I came here this time because you said that as long as I pledge allegiance to you, you will forgive and forget. Is that true?"

"Of course it's true. Tell me everything you know, whether it's important or not, and I won't harm you. You can live out the rest of your life in peace." Xu Bai said, his hand resting on the Black Saber Hundred Rends at his waist.

His tactic proved effective; with the other side growing suspicious of each other, even the people behind the scenes were affected.

Listening to Xu Bai's confident assurances, Sun Sheng felt that since he had already come in, he had no choice but to speak.

He explained the man in the straw hat's intentions clearly, including the fact that noon five days later would be the opportune time for them to deal with Xu Bai, without omitting anything.

They even revealed how many people were still in the Purple Wood Prefecture.

Upon hearing this news, Xu Bai thought to himself, "Just as I thought."

Those families that didn't join forces to exert pressure actually have their own people lurking in the shadows.

"The Twelve Sword Formation, what is that?" Xu Bai stroked his chin, but his gaze was not on Sun Sheng, but on the Prefect Zhou beside him.

When Sun Sheng mentioned the Twelve Sword Formation, Prefect Zhou clearly knew about it, showing a surprised expression without trying to hide anything.

After hearing what Xu Bai said, Prefect Zhou calmed his expression slightly before saying, "There are many swordsmen in the martial arts world of the Great Chu Kingdom, but when it comes to sword formations, the most famous is Coiled Sword Mountain, where a first-rank master is stationed. I never expected that they would actually deal with Lord Xu."

Xu Bai narrowed his eyes.

This is the emperor's true intention. Look, hasn't this revealed who's behind it all? The person behind it isn't just the man in the straw hat; the so-called Coiled Sword Mountain is the real undercurrent.

"Is the man in the straw hat also from Coiled Sword Mountain?" Xu Bai asked again.

The Twelve Sword Formation belongs to Coiled Sword Mountain, but that doesn't mean the man in the bamboo hat does too. There are some things we still need to clarify.

Sun Sheng had already walked right into the trap, so he was bound to continue slacking off. After hearing Xu Bai's question, he quickly replied, "We and he are all from Chessboard Mountain. The man in the bamboo hat Wang Shu, and he has the strength of a fifth-rank cultivator..."

"Chessboard Mountain, the profession is chess players, and the key is to treat the world as a chessboard." Before Xu Bai could even look over, Prefect Zhou explained first.

"They also have a top-level expert in charge, but their claim of having the best Go in the world is indeed a bit presumptuous."

At this point, Prefect Zhou's words carried a hint of disdain.

After all, even if a master of the highest rank were to testify, it wouldn't be enough to justify the saying "treating the world as a chessboard."

"Then it's clear." Xu Bai clapped his hands, stood up from his chair, and came to Sun Sheng's side. "There are only Chessboard Mountain and Coiled Sword Mountain, which means that the two families behind me are you. Why are you targeting me?"

Xu Bai had already guessed the reason why they were willing to risk offending the Great Chu Kingdom to come and deal with him.

"Great Yue Kingdom?" Xu Bai stroked his chin, voicing his thoughts.

"No." To everyone's surprise, Sun Sheng shook his head and denied it. "It is Great Wind. Both of these inheritances come from Great Wind. They have existed since Great Wind."

Great Wind?

Xu Bai frowned. "His Majesty the Emperor isn't that kind of person, is he? If the Great Chu Kingdom had been established back then, the remnants of this Great Wind should have been eradicated by now."

He couldn't quite understand the emperor's intentions. Logically speaking, from what he knew indirectly, the emperor was definitely not a soft-hearted person, yet he kept these so-called remnants around him, which was a bit suspicious.

Etc!

Xu Bai suddenly paused, as if he had thought of something, and asked, "Lord Zhou, are there many similar traditions in the martial world that have been passed down from the Great Feng Kingdom?"

The Prefect Zhou nodded and said, "It's not just a lot, it's probably close to 70%. After His Majesty conquered this country, he led his army straight up and subdued all the Jianghu people in the Great Chu Kingdom. The Prince even pointed his sword at those Jianghu people and said that if they were not convinced, they could come to the Rising Dusk Army at any time, but no one dared to speak up."

"Afterwards, the Prince led those martial arts figures to the Great Yue Kingdom, allowing them to atone for their crimes and make meritorious contributions, which indeed resulted in considerable achievements."

Xu Bai suddenly realized, and a look of understanding appeared on his face.

If that's the case, then he'll understand.

Back then, the Emperor and Rising Dusk King pointed their swords at the martial world and subdued it completely, but in the end, they left something unsaid and did not continue.

The reason is actually quite simple: these people in the martial arts world still have considerable strength, and it would be a real pity to wipe them all out.

At that time, the newly established Chu Kingdom was still facing threats from the Dai Yue Kingdom and the barbarians, so they used people from this world to solve the crisis at that time.

If they resolved the crisis at that time, they would have done a good job. If they were to be openly and blatantly wiped out, it would create an image of them as cruel and unjust.

Why was the Great Feng Kingdom destroyed? It was precisely because of its brutality and indiscriminate destruction. If the Great Chu Kingdom were to follow the same old path, it would be extremely difficult to succeed at that time.

But staying put sowed the seeds of future trouble, since no one knew whether these martial arts figures had truly submitted or were merely lying low, waiting for an opportunity to rise again.

If this root of trouble is left unresolved, it will be like a fishbone stuck in the throat of the Great Chu Kingdom, impossible to swallow or remove.

"So that's how it is. When the Emperor spoke of uprooting the hidden source of trouble, he was referring to these people from the martial arts world," Xu Bai thought to himself.

His journey to the Upper Capital was intended to lure out these treacherous figures from the martial arts world, or rather, to expose their lineages, so that the emperor could eliminate them in one fell swoop.

Once you eliminate those that you can truly endure, what remains are not so-called fish bones, but sharp swords that can be used.

"Lord Zhou, it seems we'll all be quite busy around noon five days from now." After figuring things out, Xu Bai stopped thinking about the matter and turned to look at Prefect Zhou.

"Don't worry, Lord Xu, I'll pretend to go out and hide in the shadows. If anything happens, I'll come over with Lord Song," Prefect Zhou a smile.

Everyone here is a shrewd and calculating person; they can understand each other's every move with just a glance.

If the enemy wants to launch an ambush, they will open this opening and then close it again, trapping the enemy like turtles in a jar.

"It's not just Lord Zhou and Lord Song," Xu Bai said slowly. "It's also the Ingenious Craft Pavilion and those families that are putting pressure on us. Tell those families that if they want to atone for their crimes, this is the right thing to do."

"Hiss..." Prefect Zhou gasped.

Good heavens, if you follow this lineup, forget about the Twelve Sword Formation, even if you bring two Twelve Sword Formation, you'll probably be lying down and going back to your death.

"I will get to it right away," Prefect Zhou.

"By the way, please trouble Lord Zhou to tell Lord Song the names of those people hiding in the family, so that Lord Song can wipe them all out at the last moment," Xu Bai added.

The Prefect Zhou replied, "Don't worry, Lord Xu. Lord Song is also an old hand in the Bureau of Surveillance. He knows what to do. I'll leave now."

Xu Bai nodded.

Before leaving, Prefect Zhou glanced at Sun Sheng with a playful look in his eyes, then turned and left.

There are some things he doesn't need to concern himself with, especially this person named Sun Sheng; he doesn't need to worry about him at all.

Because in the eyes of the Prefect Zhou, Sun Sheng was already a dead man.

"Lord Xu, I... I've said everything I need to say. Can you release me?" Sun Sheng said fearfully.

Now only he and Xu Bai remained in the cell. The cell was extremely quiet, a quietness that filled him with fear.

"Okay, I understand," Xu Bai said with a smile.

At this moment, there was still some distance between Sun Sheng and Xu Bai.

Just as Sun Sheng was about to speak, he suddenly saw Xu Bai draw the black knife from his waist.

He was startled and was about to turn and run away when he felt a pain in his chest. When he looked down, he found that the black knife had changed its appearance.

From the hilt of the black sword, its length suddenly increased, but instead of becoming a long sword, it appeared as countless tiny fragments.

The fragments increased the distance of the longsword, piercing straight through his chest.

A sudden wave of pain washed over him, and Sun Sheng stared at the black knife with an expression of disbelief, uttering a sound involuntarily.

"A fine knife."

"It is indeed a fine blade. You are the first person to die from the Hundred Rifts. You should feel honored." Xu Bai swung the Hundred Rifts blade in his hand, and all the fragments reassembled before he sheathed the blade.

Sun Sheng lay on the ground, already lifeless.

Xu Bai did not spare his life.

The reason is that the operation has now been completed, and there is no room for error.

If you let it go, you'll only hurt yourself.

He won't do a business that loses money.

Xu Bai shook his head, stretched, and shouted, "Someone come here!"

Hearing Xu Bai's voice, the guards outside the cell rushed in. When they saw the corpse lying on the ground, they remained expressionless, as if they hadn't seen it at all.

Those in their positions have certain things they can see and certain things they can't see. Even if they see something, they have to pretend they didn't.

"Drag the body out and throw it away, so it doesn't rot here," Xu Bai said.

"Yes!"

The constable agreed and left with Sun Sheng's body.

The body was gone, the bloodstains on the ground were cleaned up, and the cell was clean and tidy again.

Xu Bai leaned back in his chair, his eyes slightly closed.

Now, the crucial moment to reel in the last fish is when it's caught.

While things are being arranged properly here, on the other side, twelve people with different appearances are standing by a lake, each carrying a long sword.

"Wang Shu, we understand what you mean, but isn't it a bit risky to do this?" The leader, a middle-aged man, spoke up.

This time, it's a collaboration between Coiled Sword Mountain and Chessboard Mountain, with the aim of killing Xu Bai and weakening the emperor's power.

Many of these lineages, which originated from the Great Feng Kingdom, outwardly submit to the Great Chu Kingdom, but inwardly harbor extreme hatred.

As the old saying goes, even the worst person will have a couple of cronies, let alone someone from the former Great Feng Kingdom.

Back when the Great Chu Kingdom was first established, these traditions didn't give them any face, and thus they suffered the consequences.

After being utterly routed by the Great Chu Kingdom, they realized the gravity of the situation and quickly submitted.

However, it's unclear whether it's superficial or genuine submission.

As time went by, under these circumstances, these fish could no longer cause any trouble, but unfortunately, the Great Chu Kingdom still had external enemies.

In the end, many martial arts practitioners who already harbored resentment towards the Great Chu Kingdom unknowingly found themselves connected with the Great Yue Kingdom.

This time, they didn't know what the other martial arts figures were thinking, but the purpose of Coiled Sword Mountain and Chessboard Mountain was to eliminate the emperor's right-hand men.

As for the real mastermind behind it all, it was of course the Great Yue Kingdom.

In this operation, Coiled Sword Mountain acted as the enforcer, while Chessboard Mountain was responsible for the planning. In some respects, Coiled Sword Mountain was temporarily under the command of Chessboard Mountain, and the Twelve Sword Formation was also temporarily under the command of Wang Shu.

"No matter what, this is our last chance," said Wang Shu, the man in the straw hat. "If we give up, we will truly have no chance left."

Upon hearing this, the leader of the Twelve Sword Formation fell silent.

After a moment, the leader spoke up, "Do you think we're fools? Although we obey you, it doesn't mean we don't have our own opinions. Countless people have wanted to kill Xu Bai on our Upper Capital. Why risk our lives to do it?"

When he said this, the other eleven people nodded repeatedly, clearly agreeing with his statement.

Wang Shu had anticipated this response, so he wasn't in a hurry and instead slowly explained.

"Everyone, you may not understand. If others do the killing, that's their business. In the end, it will be others, not us, who truly gain the favor of the Great Yue Kingdom."

"We've given so much here, and in the end, we've not only gained nothing, but lost so much in return. Was it worth it?"

After saying that, Wang Shu stopped talking and looked at the twelve people calmly.

The Twelve Sword Formation fell into a brief silence, clearly also considering the pros and cons of that statement.

Seeing this, Wang Shu added fuel to the fire, "If we don't finish, you all know how the higher-ups will deal with us when we get back."

With the final touch of fire, the Twelve Sword Formation finally began to respond.

The leader said, "Let's do it."

Just like Wang Shu said, if they can't finish it and someone else does, they will be the ones who get punished in the end.

"Then it's decided." Wang Shu said slowly, "When the time comes, I will have the people hidden in the various families take action, causing chaos and making it impossible for Song De to extricate himself. At that time, the Prefect Zhou also be on patrol, so only Xu Bai will be there."

The Twelve Sword Formation nodded in unison.

The two sides discussed the details of the operation again before the Twelve Sword Formation left.

After the Twelve Sword Formation left, Wang Shu sneered.

People with their own opinions? These twelve idiots really know how to flatter themselves.

With just a little persuasion, everything will fall into place naturally.

That's right, they will be punished if they fail to complete the task.

But the punishments vary in severity.

Even if it's heavy, can it cost him his life?

If you can't kill Xu Bai Xu Bai in person, and he kills you instead, you'll definitely lose your life.

However, if you fail to complete the mission, you can cooperate with the local forces during your next stop in Bai. At least it will be considered as assisting in completing the mission, and the punishment will definitely be much lighter.

Compared to losing one's life, punishment is not unbearable.

Of course, it would be best if the Twelve Sword Formation could succeed.

"I hope it will succeed," Wang Shu thought to himself.

At this point, he had long lost his initial confidence and only hoped that his opponent would have a moment of poor performance so that he could succeed.

The lakeside was quiet, but Wang Shu had lost interest in fishing.

Time passed quickly, and before we knew it, the appointed time had arrived.

It's been incredibly quiet lately.

The other party seemed to have suddenly disappeared without a trace, but Xu Bai knew very well that today might be the last chance.

After all, according to the other party's plan, today was the day of the Prefect Zhou's routine inspection, and at this time, only Xu Bai was left in the prison, which greatly increased the other party's confidence.

Since the other party intends to carry out a final assassination, they certainly cannot afford to miss the opportune moment.

Xu Bai lay on the chair, quietly reading the Nameless Saber Scripture.

During this time, he was not idle either; a new book of Nameless Saber Scripture was nearing completion.

Estimating the time, they figured it would be too late before the other side made a move, as noon was getting closer and closer.

"What a pity, I thought I would gain another skill," Xu Bai thought to himself.

Games like this, where you're just a hair's breadth away from finishing, are the most likely to drive perfectionists crazy.

But he didn't give up until the very last moment, continuing to increase the progress bar.

As time passed, it gradually came to noon.

He could hear footsteps outside the cell, clearly indicating that Prefect Zhou was preparing to leave.

Xu Bai sat up and squinted his eyes.

The footsteps grew fainter and fainter until they finally disappeared.

Just then, he felt a chill emanating from his surroundings, as if he were being watched by a wild beast.

Xu Bai placed the Nameless Saber Scripture back in its original place and put his hand on the Black Saber Hundred Rends.

"Tread..."

Footsteps sounded, and the cell wall suddenly exploded.

Outside the cell, twelve men carrying long swords appeared.