Cheng Yunpao and Gu Xitan followed the magnetic markers left by Bi Lianyi, tracking them all the way to the outside of Yu Konghou’s bedchamber. Before they could enter, they saw flames erupting violently from within, billowing out through the doors and windows, followed by a sudden collapse.
This was underground. Although the Piaoling Meiyuan had descended through pre-designed mechanical passages, the ceiling above wasn’t entirely made of earth. However, the collapse of the Chan Yue Terrace had caused tremors in the mountain, loosening the sand and rocks. The pillars of the bedchamber gave way, triggering a landslide that buried Yu Konghou’s chamber completely beneath rubble and soil.
Cheng Yunpao and Gu Xitan exchanged glances. Amid the swirling dust, they could still smell the peculiar odor of the poisonous flames, but there was no sign of Yu Konghou. Covering their noses and mouths, they landed atop the debris of the chamber, straining to listen for any movement beneath.
The raging flames and subsequent collapse clearly indicated a fierce battle had taken place inside. But who would strike first while the Central Plains Sword Assembly was infiltrating Piaoling Meiyuan? Suspicion gnawed at Cheng Yunpao as he focused intently, faint sounds emerging from beneath the rubble—though whose they were remained unclear.
Just as they were puzzling over it, a halberd suddenly thrust out from the earth. Cheng Yunpao reacted swiftly, raising his sword to block. With a metallic clang, they saw the halberd was smeared with tar, and in an instant, flames erupted, igniting Cheng Yunpao’s sleeve. Gu Xitan gasped in shock. “Senior Brother!” He drew his sword and stabbed at the halberd. Cheng Yunpao extinguished the flames with a flick of his sleeve, his expression grave. He tapped Gu Xitan’s shoulder. “Fall back!”
Gu Xitan obediently withdrew his sword. “Senior Brother, is he—?”
“Kuang Lan Wuxing,” Cheng Yunpao said coolly.
As the halberd swung, the rubble of the collapsed chamber exploded outward, and a figure leaped up—none other than Kuang Lan Wuxing. Behind him, the “Ghostly Mist Exhaling Pearls” rose, the swirling dust and lingering poison mist floating eerily around him like a gathering of specters. Then, the mist and the golden-red glow of the halberd’s blade descended upon them. Cheng Yunpao and Gu Xitan shouted in unison, raising their swords to block. The clash was brief but fierce—both were sent flying by the sheer force of Kuang Lan Wuxing’s strike. Gu Xitan crashed into the remnants of the corridor wall outside the chamber. Though he had only been struck by the halberd’s overwhelming power, he coughed up blood violently.
Over a decade of rigorous martial training proved utterly worthless against Kuang Lan Wuxing.
Cheng Yunpao had borne the brunt of the halberd’s force. Though he wasn’t severely injured, the clash of internal energy left his qi and blood roiling, his face pale with shock.
The “Ghostly Mist Exhaling Pearls” not only swept both him and his junior brother aside but also caused the already half-collapsed passage to crumble further. Kuang Lan Wuxing, already resembling a demon, emerged from the wreckage of bricks and earth, looking more monstrous than ever.
His martial prowess had advanced to such terrifying heights.
For the first time in his life, Cheng Yunpao felt his fighting spirit wane after just one exchange, replaced by a chilling dread.
But if Kuang Lan Wuxing was here, where was Yu Konghou? The thought flashed through Cheng Yunpao’s mind. With a cold, frost-laden sword technique, “Desolate Smoke Over White Grass,” he unleashed a sweeping slash at the rubble-strewn ground. The sword’s energy sent sand and earth flying, momentarily blinding Kuang Lan Wuxing. The latter swung his halberd in a wide arc, the gust of wind dispersing the airborne debris.After "Hu Yan Bai Cao," another figure emerged from the sand, their face covered in dirt. Cheng Yunpao saw that it was a stranger, disheveled and with blood at the corner of their mouth—clearly the one who had just clashed with Kuang Lan Wuxing inside the house. He raised his sword to shield the person behind him. "Friend, though I don’t know who you are, anyone who opposes Piaoling Meiyuan is a friend of the Central Plains Sword Society. Step back." Though aware of his disadvantage, he kept his gaze fixed on Kuang Lan Wuxing. "Step back!"
Gu Xitan retrieved his dropped sword and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Cheng Yunpao, ready to face Kuang Lan Wuxing’s halberd once more.
The "friend" who had crawled out of the dirt clutched a short sword, swaying as they stood. Hearing Cheng Yunpao call them "friend," they let out a laugh—then thrust the sword toward Cheng Yunpao’s back.
Cheng Yunpao barely sensed the sudden gust of wind behind him, but the short sword was too fast, already piercing an inch into his back. Gu Xitan cried out in alarm, parrying the blade away. Furious, Cheng Yunpao spun around, only to see the "friend" covering their face with their sleeve, letting out an eerie laugh before vanishing into the swirling dust.
In that fleeting glimpse, Cheng Yunpao recognized the figure’s movement and roared in disbelief, "Yu Konghou!"
When Yu Konghou disguised himself as Xifang Tao, he wore Xue Tao’s face and donned pink robes year-round. Cheng Yunpao only knew he had been severely injured after fighting Ren Qingchou—how could he have imagined the man would appear like this? Even less did he expect Yu Konghou to have fought Kuang Lan Wuxing inside the house with such ferocity, far beyond mere pretense. If so, then the one opposing Piaoling Meiyuan was actually Kuang Lan Wuxing? As Cheng Yunpao focused his energy to staunch the bleeding, his mind reeled with disbelief.
Gu Xitan was already badly wounded, and now Cheng Yunpao had been stabbed by Yu Konghou. As they turned back, the passage grew increasingly scorching, thick smoke and raging flames making them dizzy. The fire burned fiercer, and Gu Xitan could no longer distinguish whether the shifting shadows around them were Kuang Lan Wuxing’s ghostly breath or the flickering remnants of the flames.
Cheng Yunpao exhaled slowly. Though the wound on his back wasn’t life-threatening, it sapped his strength. Yu Konghou, despite his own grave injuries, had escaped due to a moment’s lapse in judgment. Cheng Yunpao cursed himself for failing to recognize the fiend. But now, he couldn’t spare the effort to pursue him.
His junior brother was severely injured, and Kuang Lan Wuxing’s hollow halberd, soaked in oil, finally caught fire, its blade now wreathed in black-red poisonous flames. Cheng Yunpao noticed Kuang Lan Wuxing glance briefly in the direction Yu Konghou had fled—then the halberd in his hands shattered into pieces. Scattered embers of venomous fire, like a sky full of fireworks, rained down upon Cheng Yunpao and Gu Xitan.
Yu Konghou fled with his face covered, swift as a ghost. Yet after darting past several hidden mechanisms and walls of Piaoling Meiyuan, he suddenly sighed and halted, murmuring softly, "Cheng Yunpao and Gu Xitan might die together, yet you refuse to save them—instead, you insist on killing me?"
He turned around, blood streaming from the wound on his right hand—split open earlier by Kuang Lan Wuxing’s strike—still unhealed.
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