Task Failed

Clearwind City, Eternal Celebration Tower.

The largest restaurant in Clearwind City was a Song Household property. Today, Eternal Celebration Tower was even livelier than usual; below the third floor, every seat was filled, and the serving hands darted back and forth through the crowd.

Today was a day of great celebration for the Song Household. Song Huaijin, the eldest son of the third generation, had broken through to the Mistblood Realm, so they had laid out a feast in their own restaurant and invited friends and guests from all quarters.

The young master of the Song Household had found success at a young age. He was currently making the rounds between the floors, drinking cup after cup with friends he knew well.

Outside the restaurant, Yang Yi sat upright in a teahouse, sipping tea.

It had to be said that Shen Qian's hidden arrangements were quite good. The few of them had slipped silently into the city, and after waiting only two days, they had encountered such a fine opportunity.

Lü E and the others had already infiltrated Eternal Celebration Tower. They only needed to wait for the right moment to abduct Song Huaijin.

Since this was Yang Yi's first mission, he had been left behind to provide support.

At this moment, atop another tall building three streets away from Eternal Celebration Tower, a middle-aged man with a gentle, jade-like air climbed the stairs and soon reached the highest floor.

Someone was already standing there with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing into the distance. Hearing the movement, he turned around, and his expression immediately changed slightly. "Qiao Junche!"

Qiao Junche smiled faintly. "Brother Liu, it has been a long time."

This Brother Liu, standing with his hands behind his back, was none other than the Liu Yanqing whom Lü E had mentioned before.

"Why are you here?" Liu Yanqing asked in a deep voice. Then he reacted and swiftly looked toward Eternal Celebration Tower. "The Qiao Household is making its move!"

"Brother Liu, I advise you not to make too much of a commotion. They are only a few Mistblood Realm cultivators. What does it matter if you let them have their fun?"

Liu Yanqing's face turned iron-blue, his blood and qi faintly surging. "What if I insist on making some commotion?"

The jade-gentle man licked his lips, and his eyes brightened considerably. "Then I may have to beat you to death right here! It would be difficult to explain things to Old Master Liu afterward."

Liu Yanqing's expression shifted several times before he finally restrained his blood and qi. "Hmph. Do you think the Qiao Household is guaranteed to win?"

Just then, a thunderous boom suddenly erupted from Eternal Celebration Tower. Waves of powerful blood and qi burst forth, accompanied by screams and the sounds of fighting from within. Someone even shouted, "Don't let a single one of them escape!"

"Hahaha!" Liu Yanqing suddenly threw back his head and laughed, as though everything before had merely been an act. "Since they knew your Qiao Household would come sooner or later, how could they possibly have made no preparations?"

Qiao Junche took one step to Liu Yanqing's side and looked toward Eternal Celebration Tower. "Song Huaijin did not enter the Mistblood Realm. This is a trap?"

"Correct! That news was merely bait they released."

"No, that is not right. Where did those families find so many Mistblood Realm cultivators?"

Qiao Junche had possessed True Blood for many years. With only a slight sense of the situation, he knew roughly what was happening over there. The three families of Clearwind City could have, at most, six Mistblood Realm cultivators. Even if every one of them had been lying in ambush there, the number of Mistblood Realm cultivators on that side exceeded that figure.

As he spoke, he already had the answer. He suddenly turned to Liu Yanqing. "That old undead from the Shadow Tower intervened?"

If so, then the situation this time was exceptionally grim.

Amid the gasping crowd, Yang Yi swiftly headed toward the city gates.

When he heard the disturbance erupt within Eternal Celebration Tower, he did not go to rescue them. Instead, he withdrew at once, because according to the original plan, Lü E and the others were supposed to quietly abduct the eldest son of the Song Household's third generation. They could then use that man to threaten the Song Household and dismantle it.

There was no reason for such a huge commotion to break out.

Now that the matter had been exposed, even if he rashly charged inside, he would only expose himself.

In fact, almost as soon as he left the teahouse, Lü E and the others charged out of Eternal Celebration Tower and fled for their lives. Under those circumstances, it would have been foolish for him to go in.

The mission had failed cleanly and decisively. Yang Yi did not know exactly what entanglements lay behind it, since he had not grasped much intelligence, but judging solely from the situation at Eternal Celebration Tower just now, it was obvious that the five on their side had fallen into the enemy's ambush.

And they had been outnumbered.

He could see the city gates in the distance, but with one glance, he knew things were bad. The gates had already been shut, and a large number of skilled fighters stood to either side, each holding a sharp weapon.

Even atop the city walls, human silhouettes shifted and swayed.

This was troublesome. Those people could not stop him, certainly, but neither could he hope to open the gates in a short time. When entering the city, he had deliberately inspected them. These gates were extraordinarily thick and heavy; once locked tight, even he would need some time to break them open.

He could only go over the city wall.

The wall was ten zhang high, sheer and vertical, without any place to gain purchase. Moreover, the people on the wall did not look like pushovers.

Yang Yi faintly caught sight of the longbows in their hands.

He could not help stopping. If he forced his way through under such circumstances and failed to break through, he would only expose his identity for nothing.

On the contrary, if he lay low like this, there was a high chance he could remain safe and sound. From beginning to end, he had not exposed himself. He only needed to hide for a day or two before he could leave.

The city gates could not possibly remain sealed forever.

Just as he was thinking this, a sudden clattering sound came from nearby. He turned his head and saw Qin Siniang racing over from the rooftops behind him in utter disarray. Blood mist coiled around her calves; she had clearly used some movement technique, and her speed was astonishing.

But someone pursued her from behind, not much slower than she was, clinging to her like gangrene to the bone.

And Qin Siniang was injured.

She happened to be breaking out in this direction. From the rooftop, she saw the deployment by the city gate from afar, and despair immediately appeared on her face.

Yang Yi could sense the danger there; naturally, she could see it as well.

Just as she was about to change direction, a familiar voice suddenly rang out below. "Siniang!"

Qin Siniang looked down and found Yang Yi. Yang Yi had already begun to exert himself, running toward the city gates with his blood and qi faintly surging, wind rising beneath his feet.

"You fool!" Qin Siniang cursed. Yang Yi could have ignored her entirely, but calling out now had drawn the attention of the pursuers behind her. It would be difficult for him to remain unscathed now.

"Siniang, help me!" Yang Yi said as he stomped both feet against the ground and leaped fiercely upward.

Qin Siniang was exceedingly clever. In an instant, she understood exactly what Yang Yi intended. She immediately snapped open the long whip in her hand and sent it forward, just as she had outside Qiao'an City that day, wrapping it precisely around Yang Yi's waist.

"Go!" With a violent flick of her wrist, the long whip suddenly straightened. As her blood and qi erupted fiercely, a tremendous force was added to Yang Yi's body.

Suspended in midair and unable to borrow force, Yang Yi was flung by her whip. His entire body immediately shot toward the city wall like a cannonball leaving its barrel, roaring through the air.

"Loose arrows, loose them now!" someone shouted from atop the wall. In an instant, arrows fell like rain.

Not only that, many of those gathered beneath the city gates also hurled flying knives, darts, locust stones, and the like at Yang Yi.

Though most of the attacks missed, the scene was still extraordinarily perilous. Qin Siniang's heart nearly rose into her throat.

With a booming roar.

As crimson light erupted, Yang Yi's entire body was enveloped within it. From afar, it looked as though a blood-red great bell had formed around him, wrapping him up tightly from head to toe.

Mountain Suppression!

This defensive technique taken from the Qiao Household Martial Hall had already been mastered before he entered the Yin-Yang Pool. Today was the first time he had used it before others.

Its effect was excellent. As his blood and qi flowed, it transformed into solid protection. The many attacks that struck him could not pierce through at all and were all deflected away.

In the span of a single breath, Yang Yi landed upon the city wall with overwhelming force.