Teleportation

The leader of the black-clad men grew more and more alarmed as the fight dragged on. He could clearly feel a strange power within Lin Ye's Sword Qi: as vast as the stars, as sharp as sword intent, and carrying a chilling force that corroded True Qi.

Even more unsettling was that Lin Ye's swordsmanship looked simple, yet every move struck straight at a vital point, leaving him unable to fight freely.

"Retreat!"

Seeing the tide had turned against him, the leader made a snap decision. He feinted with his sword, then sprang backward.

The other black-clad men saw this and also forced their opponents back before turning to flee. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared into the mist.

"Should we chase them?" Su Muxue asked Lin Ye.

"Don't chase a cornered enemy." Lin Ye sheathed his sword and looked at Chen Feng. "How are you?"

Chen Feng gave a bitter smile. "I'm not dead yet, at least. Thank you, Brother Lin, Senior Sister Su."

"How did you get ambushed?" Lin Ye asked.

"After the three of us entered the secret realm, we met at the agreed location and prepared to explore some ruins. But not long after we set out, these black-clad men ambushed us." Chen Feng's expression darkened. "They came specifically to kill us. If you hadn't arrived in time, we'd probably be dead."

"Did they have any distinguishing marks?" Lin Ye asked.

Chen Feng thought for a moment. "Their swordsmanship was ruthless, and they worked together seamlessly, as if they'd undergone brutal training. Also, they all had a skull tattoo on their left wrists."

"A skull..." Su Muxue's expression changed. "They're the Blood Killing Squad of the Blood Fiend Hall!"

"The Blood Killing Squad?" Lin Ye looked at her.

"The Blood Fiend Hall's most elite assassination unit. Every member is at least at the third level of the True Qi Realm, and they excel at combined attacks. They're assigned only the most dangerous missions." Su Muxue spoke grimly. "It seems someone's playing for keeps this time, intent on clearing away every obstacle during this trip to the secret realm."

A cold glint flashed in Lin Ye's eyes.

The Blood Fiend Hall, Elder Wang, Zhao Mingxuan...

The waters were getting murkier by the minute.

"We shouldn't stay here. Let's leave first," Lin Ye said.

Everyone nodded. They quickly cleared the battlefield and continued southeast at a brisk pace.

Though the three men with Chen Feng were badly wounded, they could still walk. The six formed a temporary squad and followed Lin Ye and Su Muxue through the mist.

An hour later, the fog ahead began to thin, revealing a field of ruins.

The outlines of buildings were faintly visible among the ruins. At their center stood a damaged stone platform, covered in runes.

"This is it!" Su Muxue pointed at the platform, a flash of delight in her eyes.

They hurried over to it.

The platform was built from gray-white stone, its surface marked by the passage of time. The runes carved into it were intricate and mysterious, but most had been broken or worn away, and their energy fluctuations were faint.

"Can this teleportation array still be used?" Chen Feng asked with a frown.

Lin Ye stepped forward and examined it carefully for a while before shaking his head. "The runes are badly damaged, and the energy core is depleted. To activate it, we'll need a high-grade spirit stone, and we'll have to repair some of the runes."

"A high-grade spirit stone?" Everyone's faces fell.

High-grade spirit stones were cultivation resources even inner sect elders treasured. Inner sect disciples were lucky to have one or two mid-grade spirit stones; a high-grade one was out of the question.

"I have one." Su Muxue gritted her teeth and took a high-grade spirit stone from her robes.

"My master gave it to me for when I tried to break through my bottleneck." Su Muxue handed it to Lin Ye. "Can you repair the runes?"

Lin Ye took the spirit stone and felt the immense spiritual energy within it. He nodded. "I can try, but it'll take time."

"How long?"

"At least a day."

Everyone fell silent. A day was a long time, and anything could happen.

"We have no choice." Chen Feng took a deep breath. "If we stay here, the Blood Fiend Hall's people will find us sooner or later. Better to take a chance than wait to die."

"Fine." Lin Ye said no more. He sat cross-legged before the teleportation array and began studying the runes.

He closed his eyes and connected his mind to his sea of consciousness. A vast trove of fantasy novels surged together—

[Incomplete teleportation array detected. Spend 1 point to analyze?]

"Yes."

As the point was deducted, the broken runes of the teleportation array before him instantly became clear.

"So that's how it works..."

Lin Ye opened his eyes, a flash of understanding in them.

He took out the Star-Shattering Sword and used its tip as a brush, True Qi as ink, carving and repairing the runes on the platform.

Every stroke landed with pinpoint precision, joining seamlessly with the original runes.

Su Muxue, Chen Feng, and the others watched in bated breath, their eyes full of astonishment.

Just who was this guy?

Time trickled by in silence.

Lin Ye inserted the high-grade spirit stone into the array's core.

"Hum—"

The stone platform trembled slightly. One by one, the runes on its surface lit up, giving off a soft white glow. The light grew brighter and brighter, eventually forming a three-zhang-wide circle that enveloped the entire platform.

"It worked!" Su Muxue cried in delight.

"Quick, get on!"

The six hurried into the circle of light.

Lin Ye gave the runes one final check. Satisfied, he took a deep breath and sent a strand of True Qi into the array's core.

"Activate!"

"Boom—!"

White light shot into the sky, completely swallowing the six of them.

The next instant, the light faded. The stone platform stood empty.

Lin Ye felt his body grow light as everything around him warped and stretched. Blinding white light swallowed his vision, and he couldn't hear a thing.

Lin Ye clenched his teeth. The True Qi in his body surged wildly, gathering into a protective shield across his skin to withstand the force tearing at space.

"Hold steady..."

After an unknowable stretch of time, a point of light appeared ahead, turning into a swirling exit.

"Almost there!"

Lin Ye's spirits lifted. He steadied himself and charged toward the exit.

"Boom—"

It was like bursting through a sheet of water. The terrifying tearing force vanished in an instant.

Lin Ye felt solid ground beneath his feet and stumbled forward several steps from the momentum.

"Cough, cough..."

Lin Ye looked up and quickly scanned his surroundings.

They seemed to be inside an enormous cavern. The ceiling was covered in glowing stalactites that illuminated the entire cavern. A layer of dust covered the ground; clearly, no one had been here for a long time.

The stone platform with the teleportation array stood in the center of the cavern.

Su Muxue, Chen Feng, and the two inner sect disciples were all sprawled near the edge of the platform. Their faces were pale, and blood stained their lips. They had clearly been badly shaken during the teleportation as well.

"Where are we?"

"I don't know." Su Muxue managed to sit up and took a jade talisman from her robes, channeling True Qi into it. The talisman gave off a soft glow, illuminating several zhang around them.

Chen Feng was the most badly injured. He was supporting himself on the ground with his only remaining right hand, cold sweat running down his forehead.

"Heal your injuries first." Lin Ye didn't waste words. He sat cross-legged and began circulating his cultivation method to recover his strength and calm the turbulent energy within him.

The others immediately realized their situation and sat down to regulate their breathing.

The cavern fell into a brief silence.

Half an hour later, Lin Ye was the first to open his eyes.

His True Qi had recovered to thirty percent. The conflict between the various energies inside him had been temporarily suppressed.

More importantly, he sensed an unsettling presence permeating the cavern.

"Something's wrong," he murmured.

The others opened their eyes one after another and looked at him.

"What is it?" Su Muxue asked.

"There's something else in this cavern." Lin Ye stood and gripped the Star-Shattering Sword tightly in his right hand, fixing his gaze on the depths of the cavern.