Chapter Forty-Nine: The Dragon's Den, Infiltrating Alone

The night was as dark as ink.

Lin Xuan stood on a hilltop thirty miles away from the Yunni Seven Peaks, his gaze piercing through the darkness to fall upon those seven looming peaks.

It was late at night on the fourth day.

There were three days left until the night of the full moon.

For three days, he had traveled by night and hidden by day, avoiding all possible eyes, and finally arrived here before nightfall. Thirty miles ahead was the headquarters of the Yunni Sect—the Yunni Seven Peaks.

He pressed the Jade Slip given by the Shadow Guard to his forehead, sent his Divine Sense inside, and studied it carefully once more.

The information in the Jade Slip was extremely detailed. The distribution of the seven peaks, the defensive forces on each peak, the coverage of the Formations, the shift times of patrolling Disciples, and even several secret passages known only to Core Disciples—this was intelligence accumulated by the Xuanji Pavilion over many years, and its value was immeasurable.

The place where Su Qingyue was held under house arrest was in the back mountains of Tianxuan Peak, in a courtyard called "Orchid Pavilion."

Tianxuan Peak was the second peak from the east among the seven. It wasn't the highest, but the terrain was steep, making it easy to defend and hard to attack. The back mountain was a sheer cliff, impossible for ordinary people to climb.

But this would not stop Lin Xuan.

He put away the Jade Slip and turned his gaze toward the easternmost peak—Tianshu Peak, the main peak of the Yunni Sect and the residence of the Sect Master and Grand Elder.

According to the intelligence, that Grand Elder Yun Tianque lived in the "Cloud Heaven Pavilion" at the summit of Tianshu Peak. A terrifying existence at the Early Stage of the Nascent Soul realm; if he were alerted, Lin Xuan would surely die.

Therefore, he had to bypass Tianshu Peak and infiltrate from the back of Tianxuan Peak on the eastern side.

He took a deep breath, his figure flickered, and he vanished into the night.

...

Thirty miles was only half an hour's journey for Lin Xuan at full speed.

When he arrived at the foot of Tianxuan Peak, it was already the third quarter of the Hour of the Rat.

The moonlight was obscured by clouds and mist, leaving the world in dimness. This was the perfect time to infiltrate.

He looked up at Tianxuan Peak. This peak was thousands of feet high, with steep slopes covered in strange rocks and ancient trees. There were stone steps for climbing on the front side, with Disciples on guard every hundred steps, making the defense tight. The back mountain, however, was a sheer cliff, almost vertical with no mountain paths, making it impossible for ordinary people to climb.

But Lin Xuan was no ordinary person.

He reached the foot of the back mountain and looked up. The cliff was like it had been sliced by a knife, covered in moss and extremely slippery. But for him, who Cultivated the Ancient God Body Refining Technique, such a cliff was merely an obstacle that required some effort.

He took a deep breath, his blood and Qi circulating within him. His fingers became like steel hooks as he suddenly thrust them into the rock wall!

Shhhk—

The sound of his fingertips piercing the rock was extremely faint, scattered by the night wind. Using both hands and feet, he climbed up the cliff like a gecko.

One hundred feet... three hundred feet... five hundred feet...

The night wind grew stronger, making his clothes flutter loudly. But his hands were like roots, firmly grasping the rock wall as he climbed upward step by step.

At eight hundred feet, he suddenly stopped.

In his perception, fifty feet ahead, an aura was slowly moving—it was a patrolling Disciple.

He pressed himself against the rock wall, held his breath, and suppressed his aura to the extreme.

The patrolling Disciple passed thirty feet above his head, completely unaware of the anomaly below.

Once the Disciple had gone far away, Lin Xuan continued upward.

Finally, after climbing for a full hour, his hands touched the edge of the cliff top.

He slowly poked his head out, his gaze scanning the cliff top.

This was a relatively flat area, a hundred feet wide, covered in low shrubs and wild grass. In the distance, an exquisite courtyard could be seen, hidden amidst a patch of orchids—it was the Orchid Pavilion.

Around the abode, four Deacons at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment were guarding the four directions. They sat cross-legged with their eyes slightly closed, but their Divine Sense constantly enveloped the entire courtyard.

What was even more troublesome was that there was a Formation on the outskirts of the abode. The light of that Formation was extremely faint; if one didn't look closely, it was almost unnoticeable. But Lin Xuan could feel the terrifying power contained within it—once triggered, even those in the Golden Core Stage would likely suffer a great loss.

He withdrew his gaze and silently calculated in his mind.

He could deal with four Late Stage Foundation Establishment cultivators in a short time, but he had to deal with them simultaneously so they couldn't sound any alarm. And that Formation...

He suddenly remembered the Soul-Breaking Talisman given by Ouyang Ye. That Talisman was immensely powerful, but it could only be used once, and the commotion would surely be massive. He shouldn't use it unless absolutely necessary.

He needed to break the Formation first.

The Shadow Guard's Jade Slip contained a detailed description of this Formation—it was called the "Four Symbols Demon-Trapping Formation," based on the power of the Four Symbols to trap, kill, and warn all in one. The way to break it was to attack the four Formation eyes simultaneously, causing the Formation to lose balance and briefly fail.

And the positions of those four Formation eyes were exactly where the four Deacons were sitting!

A glint flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes.

So that's how it is.

Those four Deacons were not just guards; they were the core of the Formation! Sitting there, they were providing spiritual energy support for the Formation!

To break the Formation, he had to deal with them first!

And he had to deal with them all at once!

He took a deep breath, the spiritual energy core in his body spinning wildly. Nine hundred and ninety-nine strands of Source Martial Spiritual Energy roared and surged through his Meridians like a boiling river. That dark-gold spiritual energy core erupted with an unprecedented light!

With the Divine Forging Record operating to its limit, his perception was like invisible tentacles, locking onto the four Deacons simultaneously!

Killing four Late Stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, separated by dozens of feet, all at once—this was a challenge he had never attempted before.

But he had no choice.

He slowly leaned half his body out from the edge of the cliff, his right fist clenched, his left fist clenched, and his legs tensed.

The next moment—

He moved!

Like a leopard pouncing on its prey, like an eagle striking a rabbit! His figure pulled out an afterimage in the night sky, instantly crossing dozens of feet to appear behind the first Deacon!

Before the Deacon could even open his eyes, he was struck in the back by a punch!

Puff!

Amidst the muffled sound, the Deacon bled from his seven orifices and died on the spot!

Simultaneously, he waved his left hand, and a dark-gold fist projection shot through the air, heading straight for the second Deacon thirty feet away!

The second Deacon finally woke up, but the moment he opened his eyes, the fist projection was already in front of him! In his haste, he propped up a protective spiritual light, but it was shattered by the extremely condensed fist projection, and his head was blown apart along with it!

The third Deacon had already stood up, opening his mouth to sound the alarm—

Lin Xuan's figure was like a ghost; the moment the sound was about to escape, he grabbed the man's throat and twisted hard!

Snap!

The sound of the neck bone breaking was scattered by the night wind.

The fourth Deacon was the furthest away and was now completely awake. His aura surged, and he began to form hand seals to trigger the Formation!

Lin Xuan couldn't reach him in time. A look of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes, and he violently swung his right hand!

A dark-gold light shot out from his hand—it was a Qi sword condensed using the "Spiritual Energy Manifestation" technique!

The Qi sword was like a meteor, instantly crossing fifty feet to pierce through the fourth Deacon's forehead and out the back of his head!

The Deacon's eyes were full of resentment and disbelief as he slowly collapsed.

From the moment Lin Xuan struck to the death of the four Deacons, less than three breaths had passed!

Three breaths, four Late Stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, all dead!

Lin Xuan landed, panting slightly. This strike had nearly exhausted thirty percent of the Source Martial Spiritual Energy in his body. But he had no time to recover, because without support, the Formation had already begun to collapse!

Rumble—

The Four Symbols Demon-Trapping Formation let out a low roar, its light flickering violently before vanishing like a bubble!

This commotion would surely alert others!

Lin Xuan no longer hesitated. His figure blurred as he rushed into the Orchid Pavilion!

...

Inside the abode, Su Qingyue suddenly stood up.

She heard the commotion outside, felt the collapse of the Formation, and even more, she felt a familiar aura—that aura was like a bright lamp suddenly lit in the darkness!

It was him!

He really came!

The door was suddenly pushed open.

Under the moonlight, a tall and straight figure stood at the doorway.

Lin Xuan.

He was covered in blood, and his aura was slightly disordered, but his eyes were still as calm as water.

Su Qingyue looked at him, her lips trembling slightly, unable to speak for a moment.

Lin Xuan looked at her, his gaze lingering on her pale face for a moment, and then he suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint, but it carried a hint of warmth.

"I've come to get you."

Just five short words, yet they caused Su Qingyue's tears to burst out instantly.

(End of Volume 2, Chapter 49)

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[Next Chapter Preview]: The Dragon's Den, infiltrating alone! With his own strength, Lin Xuan kills four Late Stage Foundation Establishment Deacons in three breaths, breaks the Four Symbols Demon-Trapping Formation, and finally breaks into the Orchid Pavilion! Under the moonlight, covered in blood, he says to Su Qingyue, "I've come to get you." However, the alarm has been triggered, and the entire Yunni Sect is about to boil! Can they escape this Dragon's Den? When will that Grand Elder at the Early Stage of the Nascent Soul realm appear? Next Chapter: A Desperate Escape, a Race Against Life and Death!