Sudden Change, Encountering Danger

Xu Yang and his companions flew on their swords, exiting the capital and heading toward the Imperial Manor thirty miles to the north. Upon reaching the vicinity of the manor, they descended and continued their approach on foot.

When they arrived outside the Imperial Manor, they saw the place brightly lit, with the sounds of singing and dancing drifting out, along with the faint, audible laughter of women.

Seeing this, Liu Yuan's expression darkened. He said to Xu Yang and the others, "How bold! Mere rogue cultivators daring to disregard us like this—they truly deserve to die." With that, Liu Yuan prepared to strike.

Watching the scene within the manor, Xu Yang felt a sense of unease. His keen perception told him something was wrong. Seeing Liu Yuan about to attack, he immediately raised a hand to stop him. "Senior Brother, wait! The situation is not right."

Liu Yuan halted his movements and looked at Xu Yang. "What have you discovered, Junior Brother?" Xu Yang spoke with a grave expression. "The scene before us is inherently wrong. They must have known we arrived at the palace. Instead of tightening their defenses, they are holding a banquet. Isn't that strange?"

Pausing for a moment, Xu Yang continued, "Furthermore, Senior Brother Xu should have arrived here long ago, yet there is no sign of him. That is even more suspicious."

Upon hearing Xu Yang's words, the expressions of Liu Yuan and the others shifted. Just as they were about to speak, a sinister chuckle rang out: "You juniors are quite sharp, but tonight, all of you will be staying here."

Hearing this, Liu Yuan roared, "Who goes there? Sneaking around—if you have the guts, come out!" The three of them quickly drew their magical artifacts, scanning their surroundings with caution.

A fire dragon suddenly appeared, roaring as it charged toward them. Xu Yang immediately controlled the Sky-Severing Sword to strike at the dragon, while Liu Hao raised his hand, sending a yellow flying sword to pierce it. Li Qingqing cast a spell to release a wooden shield, which stood before the three of them.

With a loud boom, the fire dragon was shattered by Xu Yang and Liu Hao, and the scattered flames were blocked by the wooden shield. At the same time, three black-robed cultivators appeared before them.

Seeing these three, Xu Yang's heart sank; he sensed a grave threat. The three wore black robes embroidered with a blood-colored wave on the left chest. Most concerning was their formidable cultivation: two were in the Foundation Establishment Realm, and the third was at the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Recognizing their attire, Liu Yuan was shocked. He secretly transmitted his voice to the others: "Junior brothers and sister, this is dire. These three are disciples of the demonic Blood Refining Sect. I can only hold off one of them; the other two are up to you. If you get a chance, escape immediately!"

With that, Liu Yuan raised his left hand, sending a blue sword light toward one of the Blood Refining Sect disciples. The disciple laughed, "Good, I'll play with you!" He released a red blade light that collided with Liu Yuan's sword light, and the two began a fierce battle.

Before Xu Yang could react to the voice transmission, Liu Yuan was already engaged. Looking closely, Xu Yang inwardly cursed Liu Yuan for his cunning, as he had chosen the opponent with only early-stage Foundation Establishment strength.

The stronger mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator had been left to them—a truly treacherous move, despite his noble-sounding words. Looking at the mid-stage demonic cultivator opposite him, Xu Yang felt a bitter ache in his heart.

The two Blood Refining Sect disciples opposite them smiled and said, "You had better surrender! Do not waste your efforts struggling in vain." As they spoke, they walked slowly toward the three.

Seeing this, Xu Yang immediately transmitted to Liu Hao and Li Qingqing: "Junior brother, I suggest we split up. That way, we all have a chance to escape. Since there are only two of them, they surely cannot capture us all."

Hearing the transmission, the two nodded in agreement. Subsequently, the three fled in different directions.

Seeing their movements, the two disciples were enraged. The ninth-level Qi Refining disciple immediately chased after Liu Hao, while the mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator pursued Xu Yang.

As Xu Yang fled at full speed, he sensed the mid-stage cultivator closing in. He inwardly groaned and desperately pushed his flying sword to accelerate.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator laughed, "Kid, let's see how long you can keep this up!" He followed behind on his sword, accelerating whenever Xu Yang slowed, forcing Xu Yang to fly at his limit without a moment's rest.

After flying for a while, Xu Yang's expression changed drastically; his internal energy was depleting too rapidly, and he was nearing his limit. He realized he had been outplayed by his pursuer.

With no other choice, Xu Yang descended to the ground. Once landed, he took a small Qi Recovery Pill to replenish his energy, preparing to face his powerful foe.

In a short while, the mid-stage cultivator arrived before him. He looked Xu Yang up and down and said, "You're not bad, kid. You saw through my plan earlier and reacted quickly this time—much better than the fool who came before."

Hearing this, and hoping to stall for time to recover his energy, Xu Yang asked, "My Senior Brother Xu Shaoyang was captured by you. How is he now?"

The disciple laughed, "Captured by me, Xue Meng? He's as good as dead. I drained his blood to cultivate my blood-path techniques."

Xu Yang felt a chill in his heart. He stared coldly at him and said, "If I fall into your hands, I suppose I'll meet the same fate!" The disciple laughed, the implication clear.

Xu Yang said no more. Feeling his energy partially restored, he immediately unleashed the Sky-Severing Sword. It tore through the air with a hum, heading straight for the man's head.

Simultaneously, the Indeterminate Ring flew out, hovering above Xu Yang's head and casting a light screen before him. The Golden Ray Blade, obtained from Xu Xianzhong, flew out from his Qiankun Bag, circling nearby to seek an opening.

Seeing the Sky-Severing Sword, Xue Meng flicked his sleeve, sending a blood-colored sword qi to strike it. With a crisp clang, the sword was knocked aside, though it continued to circle back toward Xu Yang.

Xu Yang's expression darkened. He hadn't expected a mere wisp of sword qi to deflect his artifact; the Foundation Establishment cultivator was truly formidable. He immediately controlled the Golden Ray Blade to meet the blood-colored qi. With another clang, the light was shattered.

The Golden Ray Blade vibrated and joined the returning Sky-Severing Sword in attacking Xue Meng. Seeing Xu Yang block his attack so easily, Xue Meng was momentarily stunned, then grew enraged as the two artifacts flew toward him.

He raised his right hand, releasing another burst of sword qi to meet the artifacts, while a black-red flying sword appeared before him. With a flick of his finger, it shot toward Xu Yang.

Seeing the incoming sword, Xu Yang used the Breeze Sword to block it, but a grain-sized nick appeared on the blade. Xu Yang felt a pang of pain but was forced to continue using the Breeze Sword to parry the attacks.

Seeing his sword blocked, Xue Meng was about to strike again when his expression changed; he retreated rapidly as Xu Yang's two artifacts shattered his qi and closed in. Dodging them, Xue Meng threw out a red bracelet, which expanded and attempted to snare Xu Yang's artifacts.

Xu Yang hurriedly maneuvered his artifacts to dodge, returning them to his side while knocking away the black-red sword. Xue Meng recalled his sword and said with surprise, "Kid, I didn't expect a seventh-level Qi Refining cultivator to have so many artifacts. But is your energy enough to sustain them?"

Xu Yang's expression darkened. He knew Xue Meng was right; controlling four artifacts, including two high-grade ones, was draining his energy rapidly, and he was nearing empty.

But with a powerful enemy before him, he couldn't wait to recover. He had to grit his teeth and endure. Xu Yang replied coldly, "That is no concern of yours."

Xue Meng laughed, "Good kid, you've got backbone. I like your type. Once I capture you, I'll be sure to break you properly and see if your mouth stays so tough." With that, he sent his sword and bracelet flying toward Xu Yang.

Seeing the attack, Xu Yang could only control his four artifacts to engage. From the start of this clash, he was at a disadvantage. His two high-grade artifacts were held back by the bracelet, and the Breeze Sword was already scarred from blocking the black-red sword.

Even worse, Xue Meng was finally free to act. Bursts of blood-colored sword qi shot from his hands toward Xu Yang. Even with desperate dodging, a few strikes hit the light screen, causing it to tremble violently, on the verge of shattering.

After fighting for a while, Xu Yang's situation grew dire. Suddenly, a crisp snap rang out, and Xu Yang let out a muffled groan; the Breeze Sword had been snapped by the black-red sword, and the damage to his spiritual connection caused a backlash.

Taking advantage of the backlash, Xue Meng intensified his assault, firing waves of red sword qi. Though Xu Yang reacted with lightning speed, he was still struck by four or five blasts.

With a loud crack, the light screen shattered and vanished. Xue Meng was overjoyed and controlled his sword to pierce Xu Yang's chest, his guard dropping as he assumed the battle was decided and Xu Yang had no strength left to resist.

Thinking this, Xue Meng felt a grudging respect for Xu Yang; to have fought him for so long at the seventh level of Qi Refining was truly extraordinary.

He looked up at Xu Yang, only for his expression to change drastically: a purple orb was flying toward him at high speed.