Translator: CinderTL

Song Wen’s pupils constricted slightly, his gaze turning grave.

They were within the Wu Clan’s Clan Protection Formation. If trapped here, things would become exceedingly troublesome.

Song Wen glanced upward at the darkening sky. Twilight was deepening, and many Wu Clan members were returning from outside, causing numerous figures to fly past them on their way home.

He also noticed Gu Huang and Wu Shandie conversing nearby, neither of them looking in his direction.

I must leave the Wu Clan’s territory as soon as possible, Song Wen thought to himself.

Ke Zheng had also spotted Gu Huang, his face betraying barely concealed excitement as he stared intently at the distant figure, his eyes gleaming with fervor.

You’d better behave yourself, Song Wen’s voice echoed directly in Ke Zheng’s mind. If Gu Huang and Wu Shandie discover our presence before we escape the Wu Clan, I guarantee you won’t live to see another day.

Ke Zheng trembled slightly, the fervor in his eyes vanishing instantly. He lowered his head, daring not to look in Gu Huang’s direction again.

The two continued forward, soon reaching the Wu Clan Mountain Gate.

Wu Hong remained on guard outside the mountain gate. Seeing Ke Zheng appear, he didn’t wait for the other man to speak before hastily retrieving the small flag he had used earlier. He created a gap in the gate and stepped aside.

"Fellow Daoist Ke, Senior Gu Huang has arrived."

Ke Zheng acted as if he hadn’t heard Wu Hong’s greeting.

As soon as he passed through the gap, he shouted loudly, "Master, I’ve been taken hostage!"

Even as he spoke, Ke Zheng didn’t flee toward Gu Huang. Instead, he pressed close to the mountain gate’s barrier and plummeted toward the lake below.

Gu Huang and Wu Shandie turned at the sound of his voice.

They had already noticed Ke Zheng and the ’attendant’ following him, but hadn’t paid much attention. After all, it was unheard of for a master to greet a disciple first.

Their gazes instantly locked onto the ’attendant.’ The figure, who had been trailing Ke Zheng by about three meters, suddenly accelerated, darting through the gap in an instant.

"That speed... could he be a Body Integration Stage cultivator?"

A flicker of shock and suspicion flashed in both their eyes.

Meanwhile, Song Wen, though he had left the Wu Clan, dared not relax his guard for a moment.

The Wu Clan had entrenched themselves here for generations, their foundations running deep. It was inconceivable that they would rely solely on the Clan Protection Formation. Hidden formations must exist around it, activated only when absolutely necessary.

Song Wen didn’t immediately flee, nor did he pursue Ke Zheng. Instead, he activated the God-Slaying Thorn, which he had been preparing in secret for a long time. Two transparent blades materialized instantly, shooting toward Gu Huang and Wu Shandie.

No matter how fast his escape speed was, it couldn’t match Wu Shandie’s speed in activating the formation.

But if he could eliminate Gu Huang and Wu Shandie, the rest of the Wu Clan would pose little threat. Even if trapped within the formation, its power would be greatly diminished without a Body Integration Stage cultivator personally controlling it.

As for Ke Zheng, he was merely an ant that could be crushed with a flick of the hand—his life or death utterly insignificant.

Gu Huang and Wu Shandie’s eyes flashed with anger when they saw this petty thief not fleeing but daring to strike first.

Gu Huang reacted first, a fist-sized treasure pearl abruptly appearing before his chest.

The treasure pearl shimmered with a mercury-like luster, instantly projecting a silver barrier that enveloped Gu Huang and Wu Shandie.

The moment two transparent blades pierced the silver light, their momentum plummeted, and their forms rapidly dissolved. Before they could reach the space between the pair’s eyebrows, they had vanished into nothingness.

Meanwhile, Wu Shandie suddenly produced an array disk in her hand.

The massive disk, as large as a millstone and pitch-black, erupted with a dark gray light under Wu Shandie’s activation.

In an instant, the tranquil lake below began to churn violently. Eight gray stone pillars surged from the water, piercing the sky.

Mysterious talismans materialized on the pillars, intertwining in the air to form a vast, gray barrier that blotted out the heavens.

Song Wen’s expression darkened as his surprise attack was effortlessly neutralized.

He had expected to at least throw the pair into disarray, but Gu Huang’s reaction had been lightning-fast.

Though the distance between them was only a few miles, allowing the God-Slaying Thorn to strike in an instant, Gu Huang had still managed to intercept it.

Could he have been ambushed by the shadow void so many times that he’s constantly on guard against divine sense attacks? Song Wen wondered inwardly.

Suddenly, a pair of wings sprouted from his back.

With a wingspan exceeding six meters, the wings were as black as ink, resembling neither metal nor wood, and crackled with strands of lightning.

The wings snapped open, unleashing a blinding burst of thunderlight.

Song Wen transformed into a bolt of lightning, hurtling toward Gu Huang and Wu Shandie.

The formation Wu Shandie had conjured covered hundreds of kilometers of waterways, stretching from the Wu Clan Mountain Gate to River Pan City. It had not only trapped Song Wen but also confined her, Gu Huang, and over a hundred Wu Clan members within its confines.

"Retreat!"

Capitalizing on the formation’s advantage, Wu Shandie clearly had no intention of engaging Song Wen directly. She soared upward, aiming for the gray barrier that formed the formation’s dome.

Simultaneously, she rapidly formed seals with her hands, channeling energy into the array disk before her.

The barrier dome shuddered, and thick gray chains, each as thick as a water bucket, extended downward, lashing out at Song Wen.

Undaunted by the menacing chains, Song Wen showed no sign of evasion. He shot skyward, relentlessly pursuing Wu Shandie and Gu Huang.

The thunderous wings behind him snapped open with explosive force.

Two streams of silver Thunder Plasma surged forth, colliding with the descending chains.

Boom!

The instant the Thunder Plasma struck the chains, blinding thunderlight erupted, like a thousand silver serpents dancing wildly. The chains shattered inch by inch, dissolving into specks of gray spiritual light.

The Thunder Plasma flowed like a reversed celestial river, its torrent ceaseless. The chains, as numerous as hairs on an ox, swarmed from all directions.

Though the Thunder Plasma shattered most of the chains with its roaring force, some slipped through the net, closing in on Song Wen.

Song Wen moved like a swimming dragon, twisting and turning with remarkable agility to evade the chains. However, his speed was severely hampered, allowing Wu Shandie and Gu Huang to widen the gap between them.

Wu Shandie manipulated the array disk, creating an opening in the barrier’s dome. She and Gu Huang slipped through the gap, escaping the formation’s confines.

Seeing this, Song Wen abruptly halted. While parrying the chains, he called out loudly:

"Fellow Daoist Wu Shandie, your cultivation is profound, allowing you to escape with ease. But have you considered your clansmen trapped within the formation? They revere you deeply. Can you truly abandon them to their fates, watching them perish without a second thought?"

"I am no bloodthirsty killer, nor do I harbor any deep grudges against the Wu Clan. Let us strike a bargain: if you release me, I will spare every one of your clansmen. What say you, fellow daoist?"

(End of the Chapter)

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