The silver moon hung like a blade above the ragged clouds.
Thin mist drifted silently through the night, while noise and intermittent flashes of lightning filled the vast estate and its surroundings.
Atop the thousand-pace corridor in the estate's center, two figures stood in silent solemnity, isolated from the entire world, with eyes only for each other.
"Whew..."
Ye Jingtang drew a soft breath, suppressing some of the heat brought on by the Crowfeather Grass. His eyes locked onto the brocade-robed elder over a hundred feet away as he spoke:
"Lu Jieyun..."
Lu Jieyun stood ramrod straight at the corridor's end, his eyes like a hunting falcon soaring above the heavens. Though past sixty, he showed not the slightest sign of age. He leisurely extended his hands from beneath his cloak, wearing a pair of Iron Claws whose plates scraped softly as his fingers flexed:
"I built a hut and lived in seclusion for decades, possessing godlike skills yet not daring to show them, until I lost all courage and fled whenever trouble arose, becoming a laughingstock throughout the martial world. Today's battle is a matter of smashing the cauldrons and sinking the boats-success or death. I can finally fight without restraint. This old man will let you, the most outstanding junior in today's martial world, see for yourself exactly where I, Lu Jieyun, rank among the Eight Chiefs!"
Ye Jingtang knew Lu Jieyun intended to hold him back and give the other villains a chance to break through the door and assassinate the Empress. He could not possibly entrust her safety to a Sealing Stone and had no intention of getting bogged down fighting him. He said directly:
"Go!"
With that, he shot sideways, intending to circle around toward the estate's rear. Yang Lan immediately followed with the Empress