Drifting Eyebrow Manor.
Cheng Yunpao and his companions had already rushed deep underground.
Along the way, they encountered no female attendants.
Upon reaching the deepest part of the underground, just as they stepped inside, Cheng Yunpao was hit by a strong medicinal odor. The scent wasn’t strange—it was a blend of mugwort and wood, even somewhat familiar. The place was not only thick with the smell of medicine but also filled with billowing smoke. Further in, faint flames could be seen flickering.
Cheng Yunpao was horrified—was the underground of the Flowing Sleeves Society actually on fire?
What was happening?
Gu Xitan and Qi Xing were even more astonished. The passage leading deeper was blocked by layers of steel wire nets, densely woven and covering every path inward. It seemed designed both to prevent outsiders from entering and to trap anyone inside.
Drifting Eyebrow Manor was built deep underground. Even if a fire broke out by accident, it could never burn so fiercely.
Moreover, the intense medicinal smell and smoke indicated that this fire was no accident—someone had meticulously planned it.
But if this person had set the underground ablaze and laid down these bizarre nets as barriers, neither outsiders could enter nor could they themselves escape.
Could it be that the heroic soul who dared to burn down the Flowing Sleeves Society was prepared to perish underground alongside the demons?
A chilling thought struck Cheng Yunpao—who could this be?
Who could have set up these iron nets and fuel within the Flowing Sleeves Society? Who could have silently set the place aflame? Who could make the white-robed and red-robed attendants vanish without a trace?
Bai Suche?
Cheng Yunpao drew his sword and charged forward, the blade clanging against the nets—only then did he realize the metallic sounds he had heard earlier were from someone else cutting through the nets. If they didn’t cut the nets, how could they aid the arsonist? But if they did, what if someone from the Flowing Sleeves Society managed to break through?
As he hesitated, the underground fire grew fiercer. Thick smoke surged through every ventilation shaft, and the temperature in the corridor rose rapidly, turning it into a furnace where one couldn’t see their own hand. Cheng Yunpao had no choice but to stop and order a retreat.
Soul Prayer Mountain.
Thousands of frenzied imperial soldiers clashed with the Central Plains Sword Association. Wan Yu Yuedan and the Red Maiden fought while retreating, but breaking through was difficult. Yang Guihua’s eight hundred imperial guards formed a defensive line, attempting to separate the poisoned soldiers from the Sword Association, but they were outnumbered, and their formation was on the verge of collapse.
Amid the chaos, the steady beat of war drums rose from behind the imperial troops.
The drumming was fierce and majestic, accompanied by horns, pipas, gongs, and other instruments, shaking the heavens and earth.
The thousands of soldiers began to move in sync with the drums, entering a trance-like state. Guided by the music, their chaotic attacks gradually transformed into a coordinated encirclement.
"The Emperor Qin’s Battle Array Music," Wan Yu Yuedan murmured.
Behind the troops, several war chariots advanced slowly, large drums mounted atop them as if herding the soldiers. Among them stood Chai Xijin, wielding drumsticks.
Beside him were several black-robed, red-flowered "Gui Mudan," and a red-robed female attendant. Unlike the others, she wasn’t stiff or eerie but coiled like a crimson serpent against the high perch of the chariot.
The long-missing Chai Xijin had reappeared at this moment, using war drums to command the drugged soldiers. Did he intend to pit the Central Plains Martial Arts World and the imperial forces against each other in a fight to the death?"No... that's not it..." The red-clad girl stared intently at Chai Xijin's war chariot. "He's using the Xiang Army to besiege the Infantry Command—there must be a scheme behind this. We're merely the blade that makes the situation escalate further."
"The Fengliu Dian was supposed to coordinate with him, yet the Piaoling Eyebrow Garden remains eerily silent. Something must have changed." Wan Yu Yuedan's fingers brushed against the hidden trigger mechanism in his sleeve. His concealed weapons could only target one or two enemies—against this vast sea of mounted troops shifting before them, his arsenal was truly a drop in the bucket.
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