Cheng Sihai!

"Second Young Master of the Chu Family?"

Everyone present naturally knew about the Chu Family's affairs.

This Second Young Master of the Chu Family should have been at home, tending to his father's funeral. Why had he followed Wu Ganqi all the way here?

Chu Fan didn't care what they were thinking. He couldn't keep anything bottled up, and Chu Yunfei had never told him about faking his death.

His heart was full of indignation. Seeing these people who had infiltrated Heavenly Dance City and stirred up trouble made him furious.

After giving his name, he strode forward and raised his hand to strike.

Seeing this, Bai Yuntian and Wu Sun couldn't possibly let him run wild.

But before they could step in to help, a streak of swordlight came hurtling toward them like a shooting star.

The two immediately leaped in opposite directions, dodging the fierce attack.

When they turned back, a bright moon had risen over the sea, its moonlight brimming with sword qi!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!!

Waves of sword qi surged out from the moonlight. Bai Yuntian flicked his hand, and a single-edged saber appeared in his palm. He swung it in a dense flurry, leaving no gaps for even a drop of water to slip through.

But though he blocked the sword qi and kept it from piercing his body, he couldn't suppress the Internal Energy surging within it.

The moonlight, sharp as a sword, drove him backward.

Only when the sword qi had finally run its course did Bai Yuntian let out a long breath. Gritting his teeth, he said,

"Lone Cold Moon Swordplay... So you're the Eldest Young Lady of Heavenly Dance City, Wu Qianhuan!"

Wu Qianhuan didn't bother replying. She raised her sword and charged.

At the same time, shouts and cries of battle rang out throughout the Liu Family estate.

Seeing that things were going badly, Wu Sun didn't bother with anything else and turned to run. But when he looked back, he saw a man in white standing there, a gentle smile on his face as he watched him quietly.

"Eldest Young Master Chu..."

Wu Sun recognized him at a glance.

As it happened, Liu Shijie's words, though they might have been intended to sow discord, hadn't been entirely wrong.

Among Heavenly Dance City's younger generation, Chu Tian truly stood head and shoulders above the rest.

Some said that, despite his youth, Chu Tian had already cultivated the family's Void Scripture to the seventh level.

Others said he had long since surpassed his master.

So, facing Chu Tian, Wu Sun felt no less threatened than he would by Chu Yunfei or Wu Ganqi.

His gaze shifted as he looked for Cheng Sihai.

But when he turned to look, Cheng Sihai was already nowhere to be seen.

"...The gang leader ran!?"

Wu Sun's mind went blank.

He had known all along that infiltrating Heavenly Dance City was extremely dangerous.

This place was unlike any other. Wu Ganqi and a host of other experts were stationed here.

Even if they brought the entire Shashen Gang to attack, they might not come away with a win.

Yet their leader had come in person, bringing several of the gang's top men and protectors, just like that...

If they were discovered, they would be doomed.

But their leader had been absolutely confident they wouldn't be found by Heavenly Dance City.

That was why they had come... Yet despite remaining well hidden until now, how had things suddenly turned into this?

Wu Sun couldn't understand.

In truth, neither could Cheng Sihai!

The moment he saw someone toss Qi Niang's corpse inside, Cheng Sihai knew they couldn't stay.

He hadn't yet seen Wu Ganqi, but if he did, would he still have a chance to get away?

Absolutely not!

That brute with his battered axe wouldn't give him the slightest chance.

So, while his three chief protectors and the handful of young people from Heavenly Dance City were entangled in battle, he turned and fled.

With his martial skills, as long as Wu Ganqi didn't block his way, breaking out of Heavenly Dance City wouldn't be difficult.

But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't figure out what had gone wrong.

In fact, ever since Luoyu Hall had shut its doors and gone quiet, Cheng Sihai had felt that something was amiss.

But they had agreed that the more they moved about, the more likely they were to be exposed. Once they entered Heavenly Dance City, they absolutely must not contact Luoyu Hall.

So, although Luoyu Hall had been inactive for some time, he hadn't dared to make inquiries.

Looking back now, the most likely explanation was that something had happened to Luoyu Hall too.

They had learned about his group's movements from Tang Yinfeng.

Poor Cheng Sihai could only reason things out in the usual way. It never occurred to him that the world held a coincidence called... Wen Rou.

Cheng Sihai's escape went smoothly.

The Heavenly Dance Guards brought by Chu Tian hadn't tightened the encirclement completely. They had left a way out.

Cheng Sihai noticed, but wasn't particularly surprised.

After all, the Liu Family really was just an ordinary wealthy family. Their household guards and martial artists couldn't compare with the Heavenly Dance Guards.

There was no need to be too cautious when dealing with them.

And as the leader of the Shashen Gang, he assumed they hadn't expected him to run... giving him the chance to slip away.

But he soon realized that something seemed wrong.

He had already left the Liu Family's rear courtyard and was heading onward, yet the surroundings were eerily quiet.

There wasn't a soul in sight, and not even the chirp of an insect or the call of a bird could be heard.

Suddenly, Cheng Sihai stopped in his tracks.

He slowly lowered the saber in his hand. With a clang, the blade struck the ground, ringing out sharply.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

Cheng Sihai barked.

But the area around him lay empty and silent.

Sweat beaded on Cheng Sihai's forehead. He knew someone was hiding nearby, but had no idea where.

All he could do was use his saber to guard himself, ready to meet any sudden attack.

Suddenly!

His keen sense of danger made him shift his body slightly. A moment later, tremendous force struck beside his heart.

Only then did the sword's ringing cry pierce the silent night.

The sword... had arrived before its sound.

Cheng Sihai staggered backward, his heart filled with indescribable horror.

In the darkness, he saw a black-clothed man wearing a white mask, holding a treasured sword that shimmered with a faint blue-green light as he relentlessly pressed it against Cheng Sihai's chest.

Fortunately, Cheng Sihai wore a protective garment.

Otherwise, the sword would already have pierced his heart.

Chu Qing frowned as well...

Facing an expert like Cheng Sihai, he didn't dare let his guard down.

So he had abandoned the throat, an easier target to miss, and aimed for the heart instead.

He hadn't expected the strike to fail to pierce through.

Cheng Sihai's heart sank. Even with his protective garment, his situation was dire.

The sword his opponent wielded was no ordinary weapon. He could clearly feel its tip had pierced the protective garment and entered his chest.

In the blink of an eye, it had already plunged more than half an inch into his flesh.

If he retreated any farther... he would die!

Cheng Sihai was a renowned expert with many years of fame, the mighty leader of the Shashen Gang—not someone to be underestimated.

He pushed off with one foot, and the ground exploded with a thunderous bang.

He had cultivated the Yueshan Jue!

This art focused on training the body's qi channels, granting him astonishing strength.

He swung the treasured saber in one hand. If he could knock the long sword from his opponent's grip, he could turn the tables and snatch victory from the jaws of death!

But just as he was about to swing, Chu Qing had already pressed one hand down on the arm holding his saber.

Cheng Sihai saw faint purple light glimmering in the hollow eyeholes of the black-clothed man's white mask.

In that instant, the man had forcibly pinned down his tremendous strength within that tiny space.