Fuck!
He had almost forgotten-there was still Xu Quan!
Tie Xiongshi grew frantic.
The plan had been carefully laid, practically foolproof, yet after all this trouble, its most important piece had failed-the fifth-grade [Purple Haze Miasma] had killed no one. It had not even hurt anyone!
Shen Xiang, Cao Jinxing, and even the jailers were all perfectly fine.
Otherwise, they would only have needed to deal with Xu Quan, who guarded the secret chamber. By now, they would have escaped the Imperial Prison and met their contacts outside!
This rescue had to be swift!
They had used Tian Jinghu, the "blade" sent by the Zhao Family, to bring down Jiang Aqi, then placed [Red Dragon] and an [Earth Gecko] inside their respective bodies. One would jam the mechanisms and buy time; the other would bring the precious saber into the prison so Xiang Qianli could free himself.
Once the two parties met up, they could escape the Imperial Prison in the blink of an eye and rendezvous with their contacts outside.
Then flee a thousand miles away.
The entire plan had been seamless. Who would have thought something so meticulous could still go wrong?
Xu Quan had made his move.
Born into a family of musicians, he was also an expert in sonic arts. One stroke of his bow shattered the illusory atmosphere created by "Soul-Seizing Zither Music."
Now that the three were working together, any further delay would mean not only failing to rescue Xiang Qianli, but dying here himself!
The mechanisms grew louder and louder.
[Red Dragon] was about to stop working!
In his desperation,
Tie Xiongshi abruptly turned and spun his staff three times overhead. The Coiling Dragon Golden Staff let out a piercing shriek.
The true qi of his internal art, "Mountain-Crushing Force," had the properties of a mountain: heavy, fierce, and unyielding. In his fury, he actually drew together the earth qi beneath the Imperial Prison and wound it around his long staff!
The staff whirled, unleashing sharp cries like a lion's roar, a tiger's growl, a wolf's howl, and an eagle's shriek!
Golden light flashed. The golden dragon on the staff seemed to come alive, coiling and dancing in his hands.
"One Staff Shatters Mountains and Rivers!"
The staff slammed into the ground!
It was like a giant eighteen feet tall delivering a river-cleaving blow!
A tremendous gale howled from the staff.
Shen Xiang and Cao Jinxing had been about to give chase, but the violent blast forced them back again and again. His face pale, Tie Xiongshi hoisted Xiang Qianli onto his back and charged up the steps.
"After them!"
Shen Xiang and Cao Jinxing pursued them outside.
Xu Quan stayed where he was. He drew his bow again, and the huqin's music grew ever more mournful, like apes crying in Wu Gorge or ghosts wailing at midnight!
The huqin's sound was already exceptionally piercing. Now that he was playing with all his strength, Su Miaoyun, who was secretly performing "Soul-Seizing Zither Music," immediately felt herself faltering.
The clash of their music was, in truth, a contest of internal power!
She had only recently recovered from severe injuries and was relying on surprise. In a direct confrontation, she could hardly make a ripple. Their first clash injured her, and blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.
Behind her stood Jiang Lvxia, guarding her.
Seeing that Su Miaoyun could no longer hold out, she hurriedly formed a seal with both hands, spreading all ten fingers like rising flames, and used a secret art from the "Sacred Fire Canon" to mobilize all her internal power!
Flames immediately gathered, and a wondrous, glasslike aspect manifested behind her-the "Sacred Fire Canon's" Great Radiance Aspect!
This secret art instantly doubled her internal power. Its strength was great, but so were its consequences. After using it, she would be bedridden for at least half a month, unable to fight.
To save him, she was risking everything too.
Then she pressed a palm against Su Miaoyun's back.
Vast internal power poured in without end!
The zither music swelled!
Its power doubled!
Su Miaoyun gritted her teeth, her five fingers sweeping furiously. Her movements grew wild, and the music surged ever more intensely, tugging at the heartstrings.
Before, it had been a modest young lady, speaking softly and gently, so tender that one could lose oneself in her. Now it was a brothel woman, shamelessly stripping off her clothes, intent on flaunting her charms and doing everything she could to arouse desire.
As that seductive, enchanting music rose, even Jiang Lvxia could not help being affected. Her face flushed crimson.
"'Entwining Threads of Passion'-shameless!"
It was like entering a proper musical duel, only for the other side to play "Eighteen Caresses"...
Xu Quan cursed furiously, but he still had to counter it.
Vulgar though the tune was, it really did work wonders against hot-blooded young men. If he handled it poorly, he could easily lose the initiative and let them escape.
He drew his bow repeatedly. The music grew urgent, like war drums and gongs sounding together, like ten thousand galloping horses. Killing intent surged, instantly overwhelming the decadent melody opposing him.
"Pfft!"
Su Miaoyun and Jiang Lvxia both spat out blood.
It was over!
"Quick! Move ahead of schedule! Bring them out!"
Panic crossed Jiang Lvxia's face. Ignoring her internal injuries, she shouted, and a figure shot out of a residence. It was Chen Xiaotian, the "Secluded Valley Guest," an expert of the Bright Cult and one of the Five Wanderers.
He excelled in the immensely powerful "Green Wood Palm" technique of the Bright Sect's Giant Wood Banner. He was the backup for this rescue, specially summoned from the Main Altar by Jiang Lvxia.
He was also skilled in lightness arts.
In a flash, he appeared above the Imperial Prison. Ignoring the guards below, he charged inside.
He had only descended one level when Tie Xiongshi came charging toward him with Xiang Qianli on his back, his golden staff dripping blood. The first-level prison guardian had already fallen, and two swords followed behind them, brimming with killing intent!
"You go ahead!"
Chen Xiaotian shouted, "I'll hold them off!"
He gathered his qi and circulated his power. His palms turned green, their bulging veins intertwining like vines and wood, and dark green poisonous smoke rose from them.
With a clang, he knocked one of the ice-blue swords away with his palm.
Nothing special, Chen Xiaotian thought.
"I'm counting on you."
Tie Xiongshi nodded, his face pale.
With Xiang Qianli on his back, he rushed out of the Imperial Prison like the wind.
"Leave it to me!"
With all the bearing of a master, Chen Xiaotian flicked out two fingers to catch the other sword...
Leave it to you, my ass!
Idiot, Cao Jinxing cursed inwardly. My sword is easy enough to catch-I'm only at the fourth level of Xiantian. But you dare catch Shen Xiang's Tongyou-realm sword with two fingers? You're asking to die!
He beckoned, and Snow Soul returned to his hand.
[Draw Water, Carve Ice] was poised to strike.
The instant Chen Xiaotian's fingers touched the blade of the Condensed Light Sword, he realized just how terribly wrong he had been.
The blade vibrated violently. Trapping it between two fingers felt like gripping a flood dragon. It shook madly, on the verge of breaking free and shooting straight between his brows!
His expression changed in horror. He hurriedly reached out with his other hand to seize the blade-although Green Wood Palm bore the name "wood," once mastered, it made both palms as hard as ironwood, utterly indestructible.
With both hands, he finally caught the sword.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, a streak of lightning flashed past his side. A faint pain touched his neck, and suddenly the world spun. He felt himself flying.
In a daze, he saw the dim corridor below, two figures racing through it, and a headless corpse.
-His own corpse.
Blood spurted from the severed neck!
It splashed against the ceiling!
Chen Xiaotian's head hit the ground.
His bewildered expression froze.
Without a change in expression, Cao Jinxing withdrew his sword. His feet had never stopped moving, and he raced on at full speed.
"Excellent!"
Shen Xiang could not help cheering. Beyond his peerless talent, Cao Jinxing's grasp of opportunities in battle was exquisite. Working with someone like him could be summed up in two words: utterly effortless!
"I'll create an opening. You stop them."
"Mm."
The two rushed out of the Imperial Prison.
Ahead, Tie Xiongshi had already leaped into the air with Xiang Qianli on his back and was about to use his lightness art to escape.
With success within reach, Tie Xiongshi's spirits soared.
"Once I clear these walls, I'll be as free as a bird in the open sky!"
Suddenly!
"Flood Dragon Emerges from the Sea!"
A sword came hurtling from behind with fearsome might, like a vicious flood dragon soaring into the air, seeking someone to devour!
"Get away!"
In midair, thoroughly exasperated, Tie Xiongshi swung his golden staff to knock the sword aside. But below him, Shen Xiang changed his sword-finger gesture, and Condensed Light changed direction with extraordinary agility.
Two successive lightning-fast attacks destabilized Tie Xiongshi-lightness arts could send someone soaring through the air, but they could not keep them suspended there for long.
Yet Tie Xiongshi's lightness art was exceptional. He was one of the few people capable of sparring with the Phoenix King, and had received considerable guidance from him, gaining some understanding of the true meaning of "Riding the Wind in Emptiness."
A breeze swept in.
Fallen leaves fluttered.
Tie Xiongshi's eyes lit up. He lightly tapped a falling leaf with his toe, applying force again to spring higher.
In that split second,
Cao Jinxing, who had been watching from the shadows and gathering his strength, unleashed his sword! Snow Soul shot out instantly, aimed precisely at the foot stepping on the leaf!
The strike was insidious and vicious, its timing perfect, both swift and ruthless!
Startled, Tie Xiongshi hastily twisted to dodge. At that very instant, a white streak rose from the ground!
"Heavenly Sword-Linked Finger!"
Cao Jinxing struck his chest with a finger!
Formless Sword Qi erupted!
Tie Xiongshi's eyes bulged. It felt as though hundreds upon thousands of swords had pierced his chest! The sword qi was icy cold, fierce and deadly beyond any real blade, and it pierced straight through both men!
It entered Tie Xiongshi's chest and emerged from Xiang Qianli's back, carrying a spray of blood as it shot unstoppably into the empty sky above.
"Pfft!"
Both men coughed up blood.
Tie Xiongshi and Xiang Qianli crashed heavily to the ground!
Utter silence fell.
Below, Shen Xiang and the jailers were all awestruck by that finger strike. The sword qi that had pierced the two bodies, trailing blood before vanishing into the sky, was as hauntingly beautiful as fireworks blooming beneath the night sky...
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