The spiritual bamboo grove where Tang Xiaoqi was attacked wasn't far from the "Wonder Workshop" where Luo Feng resided. Though the heavy rain and darkness masked most of the commotion, the sudden, intense spiritual energy collision and the unique purification sword intent activated by the Guardian Sword Array still created ripples like a giant stone thrown into a relatively calm lake, attracting the attention of those who were paying attention. Within the Wonder Workshop, Luo Feng hadn't yet retired. He was deducing against a complex light-and-shadow diagram when suddenly, a peculiar metal artifact shaped like a spider beside him had the red crystal at its apex begin violently flashing without warning, emitting an extremely piercing buzzing sound that penetrated the rain curtain!
This was the alarm from his self-designed "Wide-Area Spiritual Energy Anomaly Fluctuation Detector"! Its monitoring range covered several li around the Wonder Workshop and was extremely sensitive to high-intensity, high-frequency spiritual energy conflicts! "Not good!" Luo Feng's expression drastically changed. Though his cultivation was completely destroyed, his thinking remained sharp.
Such a violent alarm couldn't have been triggered by ordinary disciple sparring or demonic beast disturbances! Connecting this with the vaguely unsettling atmosphere within the sect recently, and the fact that Xiaoqi's cave dwelling was in that direction... He didn't hesitate in the slightest. His thin fingers pressed heavily on an inconspicuous rune on his wheelchair armrest.
"Hmmmm—!" A dazzling red beam of light, mixed with a sharp, ear-piercing alarm loud enough to spread throughout half of Qingxu Temple's core area, suddenly shot into the sky from the Wonder Workshop's roof! In this pitch-black rainy night, it appeared as conspicuous as a lighthouse! This wasn't a traditional messaging talisman, but an "Emergency Visual Alert System" combining runes and spiritual energy technology that Luo Feng had devised! The effect was simple, crude, but extremely effective!
Almost in the same instant the red beam lit up— Inside the Enforcement Hall, Liu Yun, who had been standing by the window, still unsettled by the palpitation she'd felt during the day, suddenly looked up. Her gaze, like lightning, instantly locked onto the red light piercing the rain curtain in the Wonder Workshop's direction! Her heart sank heavily! That was the highest-level alert Luo Feng had set!
Something had happened! And in the core area! Without any hesitation, without even time to gather subordinate disciples, Liu Yun's figure was already like an arrow leaving the bow, shattering through the window, transforming into a fierce, unmatched black sword light that tore through the rain curtain, rushing at maximum speed toward the direction the alarm came from—exactly the spiritual bamboo grove area where she had felt uneasy during the day! Her speed was pushed to the absolute limit, with only one thought in her mind: Xiaoqi is in danger!
In the spiritual bamboo grove, the battle was at a stalemate. Tang Xiaoqi, relying on his autonomously activated Guardian Sword Array, barely withstood the second wave of fatal coordinated attacks from the assassins and was now fully expelling poison and healing, preparing for a counterattack. However, Phantom Shadow and his subordinates clearly wouldn't give him much time. Though the Guardian Sword Array was powerful, its range was limited, and maintaining such high-intensity defense consumed enormous mental and spiritual energy, let alone with Tang Xiaoqi still being injured.
Phantom Shadow, like the most patient hunter, constantly moved through the shadows, searching for the sword array's operational patterns and that flash of a flaw. The other five assassins had also changed tactics, no longer rushing to attack head-on but constantly harassing and probing with various insidious ranged attacks, consuming Tang Xiaoqi's energy and compressing his activity space. A shadow ball carrying corrosive energy exploded nearby, the filthy energy attempting to taint the sword gang. A silent mental shock like a sharp cone stabbed toward Tang Xiaoqi's mind sea.
Several small poisoned needles came from tricky angles, striking the sword array with soft ding sounds. Tang Xiaoqi's brows were tightly locked. The Guardian Sword Array's light circulated, blocking all these attacks, but he could feel that the array's operation was no longer as seamless as at first. Phantom Shadow's cold gaze, like a snake's tongue, swept across his vital points, making him feel like he had needles in his back.
Just as one assassin spotted an opening and condensed a massive shadow spear, preparing to coordinate with Phantom Shadow for a new round of powerful thrusts to try to break through the Guardian Sword Array in one strike— "Evil creature! How dare you!" An icy-cold, fury-filled clear shout suddenly exploded above the spiritual bamboo grove like nine-heavens thunder! Accompanying this shout, a sword light pitch-black as ink but emitting sword intent even deeper and more frigid than the night itself, like a black dragon tearing through the firmament, descended from the sky with unstoppable momentum! It precisely slashed toward that shadow spear about to be thrown, and the hiding place of the assassin behind it!
Before the sword light arrived, that fierce, unmatched sword intent, capable of severing all darkness and evil, made that assassin's hair stand on end as he felt the mortal crisis! He had to abandon his attack and violently retreat, trying to merge into the shadows to dodge. However, how could this sword strike from the furiously descending Liu Yun be so easily dodged? "BOOM!!!" The pitch-black sword light struck down, and that condensed shadow spear instantly scattered like paper!
The sword light's momentum didn't diminish as it heavily cleaved into where the assassin had originally stood. The earth shook violently, mud and water mixed with bamboo leaves shredded by sword qi shot skyward, leaving a ten-zhang-long, bottomless scorched sword scar! The terrifying sword intent residual within sizzled, dispersing the surrounding shadow energy. Though that assassin had managed to avoid the direct strike through bizarre movement techniques, he was grazed by the sword qi's edge.
He groaned as he was forced out of the shadows, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, clearly suffering internal injuries. Liu Yun's figure landed steadily before Tang Xiaoqi's Guardian Sword Array like a guardian deity. She held the already-drawn "Iron Ruler" heavy sword, its broad blade now spitting out heart-palpitating pitch-black sword radiance. Her entire body radiated the powerful aura of a late Golden Core cultivator, her eyes cold as ten-thousand-year ice as she swept her gaze across the surrounding swaying bamboo shadows, her killing intent awe-inspiring.
"You rats who hide your heads and show your tails! Daring to infiltrate my Qingxu Temple for assassination! Today, not one of you will leave!" Her arrival, like a massive rock, instantly stabilized the precarious battle situation. That powerful sword intent and killing will caused the hidden assassins' attacks to pause!
Tang Xiaoqi saw the familiar figure blocking in front of him and slightly relaxed, the Guardian Sword Array's light also seeming to stabilize. He seized this precious opportunity to accelerate expelling the toxins and death energy from his body. Phantom Shadow's gaze hidden in the shadows became incomparably grave for the first time. The plan had encountered its greatest variable.
Qingxu Temple's enforcement elder had arrived so quickly! The rain continued to fall. But the roles of hunter and prey seemed to be quietly reversing.