The events on the high platform had been so shocking that Xu Yang had only just recovered from Zhang Yi's betrayal when he saw Yin Shihong charging toward him. He immediately rushed forward and struck at Yin Shihong with Ice Palm.
Yin Shihong was furious. He raised a hand and sent Xu Yang staggering back with a single blow of Heavenly Yin Palm. With no time to deal with Xu Yang, he went straight to Lei Yue and Zhao Qian, seized them both, and yanked them in front of him, just in time to block the approaching Lei Dong.
Xu Yang quickly regrouped with Lei Dong. Lei Dong glanced at him and asked, "What are you doing here?" Xu Yang gave a bitter smile. "The young escort chief insisted on coming. I couldn't talk him out of it, so I had no choice but to come along!"
Lei Dong's face darkened. He knew Xu Yang wasn't to blame; he knew his own son all too well. Yin Shihong laughed. "Chief Escort, I suggest you surrender. Otherwise, things could get ugly for the young escort chief."
As he spoke, he dragged Lei Yue and Zhao Qian back onto the high platform. Xu Yang followed with Lei Dong. The others stopped fighting and regrouped. Seeing his daughter captured, Zhao Qiankun looked grim and shot Xu Yang a murderous glance.
Xu Yang's senses were exceptionally sharp, and he immediately detected Zhao Qiankun's killing intent. His heart turned bitter. He knew he'd made an enemy of him, and that he would have to watch his step from now on.
Across from them, Yin Shihong smiled smugly. "Chief Escort, what do you say to my offer? If you surrender, I can plead with Prince Fu to let you atone for your crimes by rendering meritorious service."
Lei Dong snorted. "Forget it. Today, one of us will die. I'll never side with rebels."
Yin Shihong's expression darkened. He tightened his grip on Lei Yue's hand, and with a crack, crushed the bones in his left arm. Lei Yue screamed, breaking out in a cold sweat. Zhang Yi and the others laughed uproariously, while Lei Dong and his companions looked livid, their teeth grinding.
Xu Yang racked his brains for a way out. Suddenly, an idea struck him. He quietly slipped a hand into his robes and pulled out a black cylinder. As Yin Shihong's attention briefly wavered, he hurled it at the group opposite.
The cylinder landed among Yin Shihong and the others, releasing a cloud of black smoke that swallowed them up. Xu Yang leaped into the haze. Lei Dong and the others stared in surprise, then hurried after him.
A flurry of blows rang out within the smoke, punctuated by screams. Then a group of experts burst from the haze. Looking closely, they saw that Lei Yue and Zhao Qian had been rescued by Lei Dong and the others. They were now surrounded by their allies. Across from them, Yin Shihong and his men looked battered, while Zhang Yi had lost his left hand—it had been cut off by Lei Dong's sword.
The two sides exchanged a glance, then immediately clashed again. But this time, Zhao Qiankun stayed out of the fight to protect Lei Yue and Zhao Qian. Xu Yang took on the badly wounded Zhang Yi.
As Xu Yang fought Zhang Yi, he realized that his strength had fallen sharply. Zhang Yi's Heavenly Snake Finger was still vicious, but with one hand gone, his attacks no longer threatened Xu Yang. Xu Yang's spirits lifted, and he went all out, hoping to kill him as quickly as possible.
Seeing that his side was in trouble, Zhang Yi called for help. But his companions were already struggling to hold their own, pressed back by Lei Dong and Huang Zhonggong. Lei Dong relied on the strength of his treasured sword, while Huang Zhonggong used his own Earth-Covering Palm to overpower Fire Venerable's Separated Fire Finger.
Seeing this, Zhang Yi immediately began to lose heart. He kept fighting while watching the battle around him, looking for a chance to escape. Just as the tide seemed to be turning in their favor, a large force suddenly poured into the hall from outside, surrounding the people of the Shunfeng Escort Agency and attacking with swords and blades. Screams rang out all around.
The sudden turn of events shocked Xu Yang, and he immediately stopped fighting and retreated. Just then, a familiar figure approached the high platform. Xu Yang took a closer look, and his heart sank. Things looked bad.
It was none other than Old Ghost Yin, whom Xu Yang had met before. He stepped onto the high platform and bowed to Yin Shihong. "Hall Master, I'm late with reinforcements. Please forgive me. Prince Fu has sent troops to surround Cangwu Mountain. Lei Dong and the others won't be able to escape."
"Hahaha! Well done! Elder Yin, you've rendered a great service. I'll make sure the prince rewards you." Yin Shihong beamed, then ordered, "Elder Yin, move quickly and help us capture Lei Dong and the others."
Old Ghost Yin chuckled and turned to look over Lei Dong and the others. When he spotted Xu Yang, his old face twitched, and he grinned sinisterly. "The iron shoes were worn through searching, yet here you are, found without a bit of effort. I've missed you, boy!" With that, he leaped toward Xu Yang.
Xu Yang groaned inwardly. He hadn't expected Old Ghost Yin to come straight for him. The situation was already dire, and if he got entangled with him, it would be hard to escape. Xu Yang tried to retreat at once. He was already slightly injured; he might manage against the one-handed Zhang Yi, but he was no match for a fully recovered Old Ghost Yin.
Old Ghost Yin naturally pursued him without letting up. The two raced past the tables at the rear of the platform. From the corner of his eye, Xu Yang saw Lei Dong and the others leading Lei Yue and Zhao Qian down from the platform and running toward the hall's exit. His heart sank. He knew they had abandoned him.
With mixed emotions, Xu Yang used every ounce of his strength to try to shake Old Ghost Yin. But things went against him: Old Ghost Yin not only kept up, but drew closer. With no other choice, Xu Yang stopped to face him. Fortunately, they were the only ones on the high platform now; Yin Shihong and the others had gone after Lei Dong's group.
Xu Yang didn't dare underestimate Old Ghost Yin. He struck first, slapping toward the top of his head. Old Ghost Yin chuckled and curled his hand into a claw, reaching for Xu Yang's Baihui Acupoint. Fierce claw winds closed in around Xu Yang. His expression changed, and he immediately pulled back and retreated. Even so, one claw wind tore open his cheek.
Xu Yang said grimly, "What kind of martial art is that? It's so vicious. Why didn't you use it last time?" "Heh! Boy, how did you like my Nine Yin Bone Claw? I was too careless last time and didn't get the chance to use it. Otherwise, with your half-baked Ice Palm, how could you have hurt me?"
Xu Yang gritted his teeth, his expression turning cold. "Don't get cocky, old ghost. Push me too far, and I'll make sure you regret it!" As he spoke, a wisp of black energy rose across his face.
Seeing the black aura on Xu Yang's face, Old Ghost Yin felt a flicker of unease. Then his expression turned furious. "Insolent wretch! Let's see how you plan to make sure I regret it!"
With that, he advanced and slashed a claw toward the top of Xu Yang's head. Xu Yang thought, You're asking for it, old ghost. I'll gladly die to take you with me. Then he changed his technique and activated the Heavenly Demon Great Art. A mass of pitch-black energy immediately enveloped his entire body as he charged at Old Ghost Yin.
Seeing Xu Yang's aura change, black energy swirling around him, Old Ghost Yin's alarm bells rang. A sense of danger rushed toward him. He immediately poured all his true energy into both claws and struck fiercely at Xu Yang.
With a thunderous boom, the two crashed into each other. After a brief struggle, Old Ghost Yin spat a mouthful of blood into the air and flew straight backward, slamming into the table behind him and smashing it to pieces. As he lay on the ground, he hurriedly looked toward Xu Yang.
Xu Yang was surrounded by black energy, so Old Ghost Yin couldn't see his expression. But from his trembling body, it was clear that Xu Yang was in bad shape too.
Xu Yang was indeed in terrible condition. Though the Heavenly Demon Great Art possessed unmatched power, it had one enormous flaw: it drained his potential. He couldn't use it for long, and the more he used it, the more severely it drained him. It was a desperate technique, one he had no choice but to use.
Though he had badly wounded Old Ghost Yin in their head-on clash, Xu Yang had also depleted himself severely and couldn't move at all. The battlefield fell silent. Both sides were doing everything they could to recover; whoever recovered first would be able to put the other to death.
A moment later, Old Ghost Yin struggled to his feet and cautiously approached Xu Yang, hands raised and ready to fend off an attack. Xu Yang grew terribly anxious. With no other choice, he activated the Heavenly Demon Great Art again.
The black energy around Xu Yang immediately surged once more. Old Ghost Yin's heart lurched as he felt Xu Yang's aura growing stronger and stronger. Panic seized him. In his current state, he couldn't possibly withstand this attack. But Xu Yang had locked onto him, leaving him nowhere to run. Old Ghost Yin was filled with regret. If he'd known this would happen, he would have fled at once.
There was no time to think further, and it was too late to call for help. Old Ghost Yin poured all the strength he had left into both hands and struck fiercely at Xu Yang, hoping to disrupt his attack.
With another thunderous boom, the two crashed together again. This time, both of them were sent flying backward. While still in midair, Old Ghost Yin spat out another mouthful of blood, this time mixed with fragments of his internal organs. The moment he hit the ground, he fell silent.
Xu Yang also spat out a mouthful of blood and crashed into the seated white skeleton behind him. The skeleton shattered at once. Xu Yang lay helpless among the broken bones, completely unable to move.
The commotion on the high platform caught Yin Shihong and the others' attention. Their expressions changed, and they hurried over. Seeing what was happening, Lei Dong and the others were overjoyed. They seized the opportunity to force open a gap and escape the hall.
Yin Shihong flew into a rage. As he rushed toward the high platform, he ordered his men to pursue Lei Dong and the others and capture them at all costs. He leaped onto the platform and quickly reached the battlefield. One glance was enough to show him Old Ghost Yin's corpse lying on the ground, eyes still open.
Furious, Yin Shihong immediately turned toward Xu Yang and strode over. Xu Yang felt bitter. He hadn't expected to die here. Just as despair washed over him, the high platform suddenly shook. Then the entire hall began to tremble, and huge rocks fell from the ceiling. The hall was clearly about to collapse.
Yin Shihong looked alarmed and immediately stopped. He glanced at Xu Yang, then turned and rushed toward the hall's exit. Xu Yang panicked. The place was about to collapse, but he couldn't move. Was he going to be buried alive here?
Suddenly, a creaking sound rang out. The floor beneath Xu Yang dropped rapidly, and he was swallowed into the interior of the high platform, sinking farther down. Amid a rumble, the hall collapsed completely.
Before you continue