Crisis in the Night

Gu Yuanqing did not recognize these two, nor had he ever encountered experts of this caliber. But believing it was better to be prepared, he turned the Qi-concealment technique he had recently cultivated into motion, sealing off his aura as thoroughly as possible.

The first rule of watching a show was staying safe!

Whoosh! An arrow streaked through the air in an arc. As it neared Qin Baijun and the elder, it suddenly let out an eagle cry.

The arrow glowed with an eerie light, transforming into a massive Eagle Phantom. Spreading its sharp talons, it clawed at the old man and the young man respectively.

"Who are you, thieves, to trespass into Great Gan's Forbidden Ground? Do you take the laws of Great Gan for nothing? Surrender at once, and you may be spared death!" Amid the furious shout, the armored Imperial Guard Commander Chen Chuanshan had arrived at the mountaintop. He raised his hand, drew his bow, and fired several more arrows.

These arrows flew even faster, attacking Qin Baijun and the elder almost simultaneously with the wings-spread Eagle Phantom.

The White-Haired Elder pressed down through the air. A giant hand appeared in the void and seized the Eagle Phantom in its grasp. It seemed to let out a mournful cry before shattering apart, turning into broken arrows that fell from the sky. As for the several arrows that followed, the elder swept his sleeve, and they all dropped from midair.

Chen Chuanshan's pupils narrowed slightly. "The Void Great Hand Seal. Which senior of the Lingxu Sect are you? The Great Gan Dynasty and the Lingxu Sect have always been on good terms. Her Highness the Grand Princess is also the Lingxu Sect Master's personal disciple. If you wished to enter North Spring Mountain, you could have gone to the Imperial Capital to request an Imperial Decree. Why resort to skulking about like this?"

Elder Qin had covered his face with black cloth. He took one step forward and came to a stop atop a treetop, his body swaying gently in the breeze as he smiled. "General, this old man does not wish to make things difficult for you. I merely wish to borrow a path tonight and take care of something."

"I bear the king's command. Forgive me, but I cannot comply. If you insist, Senior, then even knowing I am no match for you, Chen can only ask for a lesson!" Chen Chuanshan's expression remained calm, his tone steady.

At this moment, several Imperial Guard experts had already arrived from the foot of the mountain. Chen Chuanshan raised a hand. "Form the formation."

"Yes!"

Everyone behind him began circulating their cultivation arts and spread into a military formation. The strength of several soldiers fused into one. These men possessed only Profound Martial Low Rank cultivation, yet in an instant, an aura of Profound Martial Middle Rank faintly rose from them!

This was the Great Gan Military Formation. An army of ten thousand could contend with a grandmaster! Ordinary martial sects would never willingly oppose the Imperial Court, and the Great Gan Military Formation was one of the reasons why.

"Why make things so difficult? Sigh! Baijun, leave this place to me. Be quick." As he spoke, Elder Qin drifted upward.

Qin Baijun nodded and used his Movement Technique to leave by another route.

Chen Chuanshan's face sank. "Stop him."

The several soldiers behind him, who had formed the military formation, all drew their bows and crossbows. Arrows shot through the air, combining in midair into an Eagle Phantom that pounced toward Qin Baijun.

This was a military formation. The cultivation arts practiced by these soldiers all came from the same lineage. They belonged to the Divine Eagle Guard, one of the four divisions of the Imperial Guards.

"This old man already said that your opponent is me. Why are you all so disobedient? Since that is the case, take a palm strike first." The elder spoke blandly and pressed down through the air again. The Eagle Phantom shattered once more. Then he lifted his left hand upward as though supporting the void before flipping it over and pressing down.

In an instant, an area five zhang around Chen Chuanshan was enveloped by palm force. Looking up, it was like the hand of a giant crashing down.

Chen Chuanshan's expression changed sharply. With his Profound Martial Seventh Layer cultivation, he still had time to flee. But if he left, the soldiers beside him would likely not have a single survivor. He did not dare gamble that the other side would not kill. With an angry roar, he shouted, "With me as the formation's core, form the Divine Eagle Formation!"

Gu Yuanqing noticed Chen Chuanshan's grave expression and thought, The people who came today are true experts. They simply cannot be mentioned in the same breath as those two from last time. They actually dared to clash head-on with the Imperial Guards. Not bad, not bad. Tonight is getting interesting.

This is a Forbidden Ground, after all. Does the Great Gan Imperial Court not have any contingencies? Hm? Is this bastard actually running straight toward me?

Gu Yuanqing abruptly rose to his feet, already sensing that something was wrong. He had lost all interest in watching the show.

No. If he is really looking for me, then with my current strength, facing such an expert would be like an egg striking a stone!

With that thought, he swiftly retreated, no longer caring to watch the show as he prepared to find somewhere to hide.

But Qin Baijun came too quickly.

Qin Baijun never paused or looked back as he approached. Since his grandfather had acted, there could be no mishap unless the entire Divine Eagle Guard was present and had formed a complete grand formation.

At Profound Martial Ninth Heaven, so long as no grandmaster appeared, one was invincible.

In the blink of an eye, he had reached the small courtyard where Gu Yuanqing was.

Qin Baijun shouted furiously, "Gu, I know you are in this courtyard! You vile, shameless wretch, get the hell out here!"

???

Gu Yuanqing's heart jolted. Hidden in a corner, he did not dare move and held his breath. Experts had keen eyes and ears; in the dead of night, even the slightest movement could be noticed. He gripped the wooden sword he usually practiced with tightly in his hand.

"You cowardly rat, hiding here without even daring to answer! You think you are worthy of my junior sister?" Qin Baijun roared as he slashed his sword into the courtyard. Its direction was precisely where Gu Yuanqing was hiding. The Qi-concealment technique Gu Yuanqing had cultivated had not worked at all.

Boom! Sword Qi flashed like a rainbow. The courtyard walls and house shattered beneath that single strike, while a razor-sharp aura shot straight at Gu Yuanqing.

Every hair on Gu Yuanqing's body stood on end.

This bastard is trying to take my life?

In the blink of an eye, the Sword Qi was nearly upon him. Gu Yuanqing hurriedly dodged several meters away, then used his Movement Technique to burst through a window and reach the outside. He immediately leaped up, preparing to flee.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the room he had lived in for over eight months destroyed by that single sword strike, and that he himself had nearly died within it. Fury and shock surged in his heart.

Qin Baijun's figure flashed, blocking the way directly ahead. His expression was icy. "You are Gu Yuanqing?"

Hearing those three words, Gu Yuanqing finally confirmed that the other man had indeed come for him. Seeing his Movement Technique, he knew he could not escape. Moreover, it was clear from that Movement Technique that this man was stronger than him. Even if he could defeat him, what about that elder?

Gu Yuanqing took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions as he asked, "Do the two of us have a grudge?"

Qin Baijun's eyes brimmed with killing intent. "An irreconcilable grudge!"

"I have never met you. Is there perhaps some misunderstanding?" Gu Yuanqing glanced at the elder not far away, who was easily and casually dealing with the Imperial Guards, then once more forcibly suppressed the thoughts in his heart and asked.

"A misunderstanding? There is no misunderstanding. Right now, I only want you to... die. Only by killing you can my thoughts flow freely!" As he spoke, Qin Baijun's aura surged. It seemed that because he was about to witness Gu Yuanqing's death, the knot that had been festering within him for months vanished in an instant, and his cultivation, which had been unable to advance even an inch, immediately broke through its bottleneck.

Above his head, the phantom of a longsword condensed. In an instant, killing intent solidified into substance and enveloped Gu Yuanqing.

This was a Profound Martial Phenomenon, the mark of the Profound Martial Seventh Layer!

Gu Yuanqing had not expected this young man, who was about the same age as himself, to possess such high cultivation. An intense sense of danger rose within him.

I cannot wait for him to strike first. If that sword comes down, I will surely die!