Chapter Sixty-Three
The crossbow bolt embedded itself into the cliff wall. With a light tap of her foot, An Jiu leaped down from the tower.
Over a dozen black-clad figures pursued her closely.
Outside, a heavy snowstorm had begun at some point, the dense snowflakes mingling with dust and shattered rocks. Dozens of arrows closed in on An Jiu.
The glowing crossbow bolts seemed to unleash their devastating power only upon impact. An Jiu raised her hand and fired a bolt at a rock two zhang ahead.
In an instant, a brilliant light erupted. The surrounding arrows and the pursuing black-clad figures were swept away by the tremendous force. An Jiu tumbled into the snow, rolling aside to avoid the falling debris from above.
Dust and snow swirled in the air, obscuring visibility beyond two zhang in the darkness. However, for martial arts masters, sensing an opponent’s location through mental strength was entirely possible.
Unfortunately for them, An Jiu’s greatest advantage was her formidable mental strength. When those with fifth or sixth-tier mental strength collided with hers, the result was a brief blankness in their minds. Some lower-tier warriors even plummeted straight from the sky.
The moment An Jiu’s feet touched the ground, she released the rope arrow and sprinted eastward. She, too, had suffered from the immense impact—her chest felt numb, and the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.
Woo—
Someone blew a signal.
The ambushers lying in wait to the east immediately gave chase.
“Stop.”
The cold, familiar voice rang out.
An Jiu abruptly halted, wary of the black-clad man standing not far ahead. Her gaze fixed on the white crane embroidered on the hem of his robe. “Crane Control Army.”
She remembered that voice now! It belonged to the officer in charge of this trial from the Crane Control Army—the one who had explained the rules in the forest earlier.
At first, An Jiu had found something odd about him. Upon closer inspection, she realized the falling snow around him had come to a complete standstill!
She knew this was due to the purity and power of his inner force, but it also made her aware of his extraordinary martial prowess.
“Are you working with those ambushers?” An Jiu asked.
“Members of the Crane Control Army stationed in the temple were killed. I came to investigate personally.” His eyes flicked to the missing corner of her robe. “You’re Mei Shisi?”
It wasn’t surprising that he knew her identity. But how had he recognized her at a glance? Before An Jiu could ponder further, she sensed pursuers closing in from behind.
“Come here,” the man said.
“I don’t trust you.” An Jiu raised her dagger. “Unless you stop them.”
“How amusing.” In a flash, the man brushed past her, his sword meeting the five black-clad pursuers head-on.
Watching him cut down fifth and sixth-tier martial arts masters as effortlessly as chopping vegetables, An Jiu knew this man was likely at the legendary Transformation Realm.
Having someone intervene to help was undeniably fortunate, but An Jiu had no intention of teaming up with him. The situation was far too complicated—who knew which faction this Crane Control Army officer truly belonged to?
Trusting others was never as reliable as trusting oneself. That was An Jiu’s life creed.
She turned and fled south along the pagoda, planning a temporary retreat.
In the past, once a target was set, An Jiu would never deviate from it. But now, everything was different. She no longer had to execute orders at all costs—she had the right to choose in moments of crisis.
She didn’t know what had prompted her sudden change of heart.
In the snow, the Crane Control Army officer effortlessly dispatched the five pursuers. When he turned around, An Jiu was gone. He probed with his mental strength but found no trace of her presence!With his mental strength, he could even detect those who had just died. The current situation could only mean one thing—the opponent's mental strength surpassed his own.
"Commander." The Crane Control Army members converging from north and south saluted this person in unison.
Mei Shi, Lou Shi, and others soon followed from the southern direction.
"What's the situation?" asked the Crane Control Army officer.
Someone reported, "Over ninety percent of those hidden in the temple earlier have been killed. The pagoda is now a river of blood. With the intelligence network disrupted, we currently cannot determine how many trial participants remain alive."
"How strong is the enemy?" the commander inquired.
"Initial estimates suggest around a hundred enemies, with over half being only fourth-tier martial arts masters. Those reaching the sixth tier are few," the person continued. "However, they have one Transformation Realm Master and a powerful crossbow with force comparable to the Transformation Realm."
"Deploy collectively to search for surviving trial participants and bring them safely to the nearest branch," the commander ordered. Then, slightly turning his head, he confirmed with Mei Shi and the others, "Mei Shisi is skilled in archery?"
His cold, authoritative voice sent shivers down spines, and the faint yet palpable pressure left only Lou Mingyue unfazed. "Yes."
"Excellent," the commander said. "Follow the Crane Control Army to locate the remaining trial participants, then retreat together."
"Yes!" Everyone clasped their hands in acknowledgment.
The commander's figure flickered and vanished into the snowy curtain.
Lou Mingyue and the others finally exhaled in relief. At least now they could confirm the assassinations weren't the Crane Control Army's doing, which eased their minds somewhat.
Meanwhile, An Jiu had initially intended to flee outward. But considering the Crane Control Army's intervention, the pagoda might now be the safest place. After some deliberation, she decided to turn back and re-enter the pagoda.
Channeling all her inner force, she moved as lightly as possible, swiftly and stealthily ascending to the third floor alone.
The northern side had been blasted open by the powerful crossbow, allowing wind and snow to howl inside.
Using her mental strength to sense the surroundings, An Jiu found no one nearby. She examined the scriptures scattered on the ground before climbing directly to the fourth floor.
The fourth floor resembled a Buddhist hall. A statue of Buddha faced south, flanked by four rows of candles on the east and west walls, illuminating the entire room. The altar table beneath the statue was empty, with a square-shaped mark in the dust on its surface. An Jiu surmised that a Heavenly Book Fragment might have been placed there earlier.
Since the item was no longer present, there was no reason to linger.
As An Jiu stepped onto the staircase, she suddenly noticed the faintest flicker of candlelight in the room.
She sensed someone approaching silently from behind and quietly unsheathed her dagger.
"Come with me," the person behind her spoke.
It was the Crane Control Army commander! An Jiu turned around, eyeing him warily.
"I am the Divine Martial Commander of the Crane Control Army," he introduced himself to dispel her doubts. "You've fought a Transformation Realm archery master from the mysterious organization without being overpowered. The Crane Control Army needs your skills."
The Crane Control Army was divided into four divisions: Imperial Guard, Divine Martial, Divine Strategy, and Wei Yue. The Divine Martial Commander was the highest-ranking officer of the Divine Martial division, commonly referred to as "Commander."
The commander displayed an intricately patterned token.
"I believe you," An Jiu said coldly after a glance. "But I'm not interested."
A flicker of surprise passed through the commander's dark eyes. In all his time with the Crane Control Army, no one had ever dared to refuse an order after seeing the token!An Jiu sensed his anger and said, "First, I haven't joined the Crane Control Army yet. Second, why should I risk my life for you without any benefits?"
The commander's stern voice carried an inexplicably intriguing tone, "Your mental strength is refined, but your inner force is too weak. If you agree, I'll immediately have an expert above the eighth rank transfer all their inner force to you. Even with some loss, you'd receive at least seventh rank power."
What a tremendous temptation! He believed no one could refuse such an offer! (To be continued...)
PS: Finally made it through the painful period. Sorry to keep you all waiting.
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