Yu Furen felt a slight chill in his heart. The legends surrounding the Five Stars Formation were numerous, yet he had only heard of it from his master and had never seen it with his own eyes. What exactly was that fragrant scent within the formation? Was someone hiding there, or was it some peculiar poison? As he focused his mind, flames suddenly erupted from the corners of the five stars before him, and in an instant, he was engulfed in a sea of fire! With a sharp cry, Yu Furen leaped into the air, his sleeves sweeping up a fierce wind as he lunged toward the center of the formation, where the fragrance was strongest.
Outside the formation, Tang Lici’s eyes flickered slightly—something was wrong! Just then, a towering column of flames, nearly two zhang high, surged from the Five Stars Formation. Yu Furen struck out with both palms toward the center, only for a cracking sound to echo as if something had shattered. The fragrant scent intensified, ignited by the surrounding flames, and exploded violently. Yu Furen’s entire body caught fire as he was blasted into the air by the force of the explosion. Like a shadow, Tang Lici swiftly caught him midair before swiftly retreating, leaping far away from the Five Stars Formation.
The flames on Yu Furen’s body extinguished as he coughed up blood, his face pale. The fire itself wasn’t the true danger—it was the explosive force that had injured his internal organs. "Young Master Tang... this formation defies the Five Elements. It’s incredibly powerful..." Tang Lici reached into his robe, retrieved a white medicinal pill, and placed it in Yu Furen’s mouth before pressing another object into his palm. "Apply this medicine first, then sit aside and regulate your breathing." Yu Furen was stunned. "What are you planning to do?" The formation was so dangerous—hadn’t he just witnessed the consequences? Was he really going to charge in alone?
Tang Lici smiled faintly. "This is a pentagram. Drawing a single stroke from the top point to the bottom right completes the Summoning Art, invoking the Fire Spirit. The central five-pointed shape is the Demon Gate, imprisoning a demon within. That’s why when you approached the top corner, flames erupted, and when you rushed toward the center, it exploded. The pentagram’s meaning is determined by the ending stroke: the bottom right represents fire, the top right water, the bottom left earth, the top left wind, and the top point spirit. Thus, starting from the bottom left and drawing to the top point forms the closing stroke—the way out." He leaped onto the top-left corner of the five stars, stepping along the drawn path, and indeed, he safely reached the opposite top point before returning. "See?"
Yu Furen was both amazed and bewildered. "But didn’t you say you didn’t understand formations? This one is so bizarre—how do you know it so thoroughly?" Standing in the night breeze, Tang Lici’s white robes fluttered. Though he stood close, to Yu Furen, he seemed distant and ethereal. "This isn’t a formation," he said. "It’s a legend. Westerners believe this symbol can ward off evil spirits and seal demons at the center of the five stars, so it’s widely known. Each point of the star represents a power, and this so-called ‘formation’ is merely an attempt to embody the meaning of the Western pentagram. When you entered, you triggered the fire element, revealing the directions of the five points. Knowing the directions means knowing the way out."Yu Furen sighed, "If not for your vast knowledge, we would have been wandering blindly in the formation, likely dying under all sorts of strange mechanisms. But why are you so familiar with Western Region legends?" Tang Lici's lips curved slightly, "You may admire me." Yu Furen was taken aback, then suddenly laughed freely. Indeed, he couldn't help feeling a trace of admiration. Looking down at the object pressed into his hand, he saw an exquisitely carved golden dragon box. Opening it revealed some remaining black ointment, which he applied to his burns from the flames. Moments later, Yu Furen finished applying the medicine, using up the last of the ointment. Tang Lici casually tossed the priceless, intricately crafted golden dragon box into the weeds, then folded his sleeves behind his back. "Let's go."
The two passed through the Five Stars Formation and arrived at a riverbank, where a bridge spanned the water.
"To pass through the Five Stars Formation so effortlessly—Young Master Tang truly lives up to his reputation." A hearty laugh rang out as a man wielding twin sabers strode majestically from the other end of the bridge. "I am He Lanpo of the 'Seven Sun Saber.' Though Young Master Tang is elegant and refined, and I deeply respect your renowned prestige, tonight I cannot allow you to pass. Please forgive me." The man had a square face, thick brows, and stood eight feet tall—his imposing appearance was far from that of a despicable villain.
"He Lanpo, the Seven Sun Saber is renowned across the land, and you are no treacherous schemer. Young Master Tang is an honored guest of the Central Plains Sword Association and a pillar of the Martial Arts World. Why do you block our path tonight?" Yu Furen declared clearly. "For the sake of the Sword Association's goodwill, please step aside." He Lanpo crossed his sabers. "I know Young Master Tang is climbing the mountain tonight to rescue someone. Your willingness to brave fire and water for a friend is something I greatly admire. But circumstances leave me no choice—this path cannot be opened tonight." Yu Furen frowned deeply. "Since you know Young Master Tang is here to save someone, why refuse?" He Lanpo replied, "I have a lifelong nemesis—Yin Sanhun, the 'Floating Specter.' Yin Sanhun murdered my brothers, poisoned my wife and child, and stole my treasures. This grudge is irreconcilable. Now, he is imprisoned in the Camellia Prison at West Wind Garden. If Young Master Tang goes to rescue his friend, the prison will inevitably be breached. Besides your friend, the prison holds many notorious villains and treacherous scoundrels of the Martial Arts World. Once the Camellia Prison is broken, the consequences will be catastrophic. That is why—"
Yu Furen and Tang Lici exchanged a glance. Tang Lici smiled gently. "May I ask who built this Camellia Prison and who is imprisoned there?" He Lanpo laughed heartily. "The Camellia Prison was left behind by the former leader of the Martial Arts Alliance, Jiangnan Feng. Out of respect for his achievements, martial artists have since imprisoned major criminals there. The prison's location was originally a well-kept secret, but recently, for some reason, more and more people have learned of it, and the number of prisoners has grown as well." Tang Lici spoke mildly, "But Chi Yun is surely not the kind of major criminal the Camellia Prison was meant to hold. Were there no questions when he was imprisoned?" He Lanpo shook his head. "I am not the one guarding the Camellia Prison, so I don't know the details. We were only informed that Young Master Tang would soon attempt a jailbreak. The Camellia Prison is designed to allow entry but not exit. Once breached, there is no remedy. So, though I deeply admire Young Master Tang's noble character, I cannot allow the escape of countless dangerous criminals for the sake of one man's mistake." His eyes showed remorse. "We will find a way to handle Chi Yun's situation, but tonight, I absolutely cannot let Young Master Tang break the prison open."Tang Lici's white robes fluttered in the night wind, his scattered silver hair lifting at his temples. "Then can you tell me how he is now?" He Lanpo was taken aback. "This..." Chi Yun was imprisoned in the Camellia Prison—something he had only learned today. As for the specifics, he wasn't clear. "I don't know much about why Chi Yun was imprisoned or his current condition. He should be fine."
Tang Lici smiled faintly. "An innocent man—why was he imprisoned? How was he imprisoned? What is his condition now? You know nothing, yet you claim righteousness? Such ambiguous justice in the martial world—how can it command respect? How many others like Chi Yun, wronged and imprisoned in the Camellia Prison, do you know of?" His tone was gentle and composed, yet it made He Lanpo's expression shift. "This—"
Yu Furen said coldly, "Step aside with your Seven Sun Saber! I have no wish to fight you." He Lanpo crossed his blades with a clang. "My apologies, but if you insist on forcing your way through, I must act." Yu Furen strode forward, his green robes slightly tattered from burns but his bearing still imposing. "Then let me test the Demon-Slaying Seven Sun Saber first!"
He Lanpo wasted no more words. His twin sabers swept forward, one after the other, their edges slicing through the air with a piercing whistle—proof of his profound skill. Yu Furen stepped into the Seven Stars Formation. Injured and unwilling to prolong the fight, he unleashed his ultimate technique at once—a palm strike, "Primal Chaos Manifestation," aimed at He Lanpo's chest.
The moment their forces clashed, the saber edges met the palm force with a crackling sound, like cold steel plunged into boiling oil. He Lanpo's sabers danced with overwhelming momentum, yet Yu Furen's palm strike shattered their defense effortlessly. However, the force stopped just short of He Lanpo's chest, unable to advance further.
As He Lanpo hastily retracted his sabers, inwardly sighing in relief, Yu Furen's sleeve followed his palm strike—a delayed but feather-light touch that brushed his chest. He Lanpo froze, then let out a cry as blood gushed from his mouth and he collapsed backward.
The sleeve's breeze settled. Yu Furen stood under the moonlight, peerless and unyielding. Tang Lici clapped twice, smiling faintly before ignoring the unconscious He Lanpo and striding ahead into the dense woods beyond the bridge. Yu Furen followed closely, his heart heavy with worry—just as Tang Lici had predicted, the prison held not only Chi Yun but countless other martial world figures, hostages and leverage for the mastermind. Tonight's confrontation at the Camellia Prison in West Wind Garden was perilous beyond measure.
Could the Camellia Prison be breached? If not, how could they rescue anyone? If breached, how would they handle the aftermath? And who had captured Chi Yun—who could possibly confine him in the Camellia Prison?Two rows of torchlights flared up in the dense forest. Tang Lici took the lead, his left foot landing with a soft "tap" on the first torch to the left. Yu Furen, momentarily startled, followed by stepping onto the torch to the right. Their figures flashed like lightning as a gust of wind swept through, extinguishing all the torches in the forest and plunging it back into darkness. Yu Furen estimated he had stamped out twenty-three torches in total. These torches were planted in the ground with no one guarding them—what was their purpose? Just as he was puzzling over this, figures suddenly appeared ahead, darting and weaving in great numbers. Yu Furen gathered his breath, ready to strike, but a sharp pain flared in his chest—his internal injuries from earlier had not yet healed, and his true power was still unstable. Meanwhile, a series of faint "pats" sounded in his ears as a white figure seemed to circle several times in the darkness, and the moving figures abruptly froze.
Tang Lici let out a light chuckle. "Let's go." Yu Furen followed behind him, passing by a dozen or so black-clad figures in the forest, each wielding a short black blade, frozen in bizarre and grotesque poses—clearly, their acupoints had been sealed. In the instant the flames were extinguished, Tang Lici had struck, disrupting the enemy formation with such speed and precision it was almost unimaginable. Cold sweat beaded on Yu Furen’s forehead. Given Tang Lici’s martial prowess, the fact that he had managed to wound him with a single sword strike was even more unfathomable.
"Tired?" Tang Lici’s right hand supported Yu Furen under the ribs, propelling him forward swiftly. Yu Furen’s previously sluggish internal energy suddenly flowed smoothly again, and his leaps became effortless. "It’s nothing." Tang Lici carried him in swift, silent movements, his figure unusually agile and precise. Before they had covered even a hundred paces, a sudden flash of sword light sliced toward them from the dense woods—strangely, though the blade’s momentum was fierce, it made no sound. Tang Lici flicked his sleeve, deflecting the strike to the side. Then, from the forest, a second sword erupted with a startling, piercing shriek, aimed straight at Yu Furen’s chest.
The attacker wielded dual swords—both blades three feet longer than a standard sword, allowing the strikes to emerge while the wielder remained hidden in the trees. Yu Furen barely dodged the first strike and gasped, "Divine Whisper Ghost Wail Unmatched Swords—it’s 'Ghost God Dual Swords' Lin Shuangshuang! Senior Lin, why—" Before he could finish, a figure leaped out from the woods, holding a sword in each hand. The left-hand blade was slender, supple, and gleaming silver, while the right-hand sword was dark green-black, broad-bladed, with three hollow rings—the source of that eerie shriek.
The man was named "Lin Shuangshuang," a name that sounded feminine, and indeed, his face was pale with delicate brows. But his expression was dark and gloomy, far from handsome, let alone dignified. Yet despite his unsettling demeanor, he ranked sixth in the Sword Association, and his "Ghost God Dual Swords" were renowned throughout the martial world. It was said that when both swords were drawn, he had only ever lost once. Yu Furen, a junior in the Sword Association, had only seen Lin Shuangshuang once before. Now, suddenly confronted by him blocking their path, he couldn’t help but cry out in shock.Lin Shuangshuang coldly glared at Tang Lici. "To break into Camellia Prison, first become a ghost beneath my sword." Tang Lici reached into his robe and drew out a pink dagger—Little Peach Red. Lin Shuangshuang said, "I wield dual swords, while you have only one. If both of you attack together, it would be fair." His ambush from the woods had been unbecoming of a master, yet his words now carried an air of magnanimity and self-importance.
Tang Lici unsheathed Little Peach Red but instead handed it horizontally to Yu Furen with a faint smile. "Why do the Ghost God Dual Swords block my path? The Central Plains Sword Association is in turbulent times. As the sixth-ranked master of the Sword Association, why aren’t you at Good Cloud Mountain?" His gentle inquiry masked a razor-sharp implication.
Lin Shuangshuang replied darkly, "Are you suggesting I’m betraying the Sword Association by targeting you, Tang Lici?"
Tang Lici took a step forward, his voice soft. "Precisely."
Lin Shuangshuang pointed his sword toward the mountaintop, his tone icy. "Do you know how many prisoners are held in that prison?"
Tang Lici smiled elegantly, taking another step forward. He half-turned, sleeves billowing in the wind, and regarded Lin Shuangshuang sidelong. "I need not know how many prisoners are inside. I need only see you, dressed impeccably, armed, and appearing at this desolate mountain at such an hour, to know you are here specifically for Tang Lici. Unless—could it be that the great hero Lin Shuangshuang stands guard in this forsaken place purely out of personal interest?" His sleeves fluttered slightly behind him. "Targeting me, Tang Lici, is no different from betraying the Sword Association—and betraying the Sword Association suggests you share interests with the Dissolute Shop..."
"You insolent brat, spouting nonsense!" Lin Shuangshuang snapped. "With such cunning, the Sword Association should never bow to you! Camellia Prison holds many dangerous criminals lately. I was invited by the warden to assist in guarding it—what’s wrong with that?"
Tang Lici replied gently, "Then who does the warden fear might break in—that he would need someone of your stature?"
The question left Lin Shuangshuang momentarily speechless. "You—!"
Tang Lici smiled. "Am I all-knowing and brilliant?"
The moment the words left his lips, Lin Shuangshuang’s left-hand silver sword shot toward Tang Lici’s chest, while the right-hand blade shrieked with a piercing wail, aiming straight for his throat!
Yu Furen, gripping Little Peach Red, paled at the sight. He had witnessed Lin Shuangshuang’s dual swords once before—their might rivaled Yu Qifeng’s. Though his swordsmanship was peerless, splitting his Internal Force between two blades weakened their individual power, leading to his defeat when Yu Qifeng shattered one of his swords. Yet defeat did not diminish Lin Shuangshuang’s skill—the Divine Whisper Ghost Wail Unmatched Swords were among the greatest techniques in the world! The left sword carried yin energy, the right yang, their opposing forces unmatched by most.
Tang Lici stood empty-handed before the fastest, deadliest, and most soul-shaking swordplay in the martial world. Suddenly, the silver blade flickered, veering straight toward Lin Shuangshuang’s right-hand green sword. Lin Shuangshuang surged his Internal Force, straightening the silver blade mid-strike. Twin swords descended like thunderbolts, slashing toward Tang Lici!
Tang Lici retreated swiftly, his figure elusive. Yu Furen’s palm, clutching Little Peach Red, grew clammy with sweat. A white blur darted as Lin Shuangshuang’s swords pursued like locusts, their wails filling the air—ghostly howls, mournful cries—as leaves rained down in a storm-like frenzy.The leaves swept up by the sword wind struck with a bone-chilling pain. Tang Lici swiftly retreated, while Lin Shuangshuang pressed her attack with increasing urgency. Her twin swords, one yin and one yang, moved with seamless fluidity, their Sword Qi surging like a rainbow. Just as the leaves whirled wildly and the Sword Qi coiled like dragons, an ear-piercing whistle suddenly tore through the air. Lin Shuangshuang let out a hoarse cry, her face paling as she exclaimed, "This is—"
Tang Lici turned gracefully, a bronze flute now in his hand. The mere sound of the flute slicing through the air had shattered the soul-shaking sword howl. If just the empty whistle could disrupt her sword’s resonance, Lin Shuangshuang was naturally stunned—what devastation would follow if he actually played it? Without hesitation, she doubled her efforts, the twin swords roaring like wind and thunder. A tempest raged through the night sky, as if twin dragons coiled and twisted, seeking to engulf Tang Lici completely.
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