Chapter 1686: Ambush

Waiting until evening, Wang Wuxie, who had been meditating in the Pure Yang Palace, stood up and walked out, his steps exceptionally light.

Soon, however, he returned, tidied his appearance before a bronze mirror, and nodded with satisfaction at the handsome and refined image reflected there. Only then did he stride out.

During the day, a disciple from White Jade Capital delivered a message: Yan Xuehen had invited him in the letter to meet at a certain place tonight, at the third watch.

At the time, he vaguely told the disciple that he would certainly not disappoint Grand Master Yan, primarily because he didn't want anyone to know about their private nocturnal rendezvous, as it could easily damage Yan Xuehen's reputation if word got out.

Although he was surprised by Yan Xuehen's character, which seemed unsuited for such an invitation, the letter had been delivered by a White Jade Capital disciple and bore Yan Xuehen's genuine handwriting, making it undeniably authentic. Perhaps after years of solitude, Yan Xuehen had grown lonely, and upon their reunion at Purple Mountain, she considered him the most congenial among her admirers, hence the invitation...

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Wang Wuxie's mood instantly brightened, and the corners of his lips involuntarily curled upwards.

Upon arriving near a secluded pavilion on the back of Guanyin Peak, Wang Wuxie thought to himself, "Xuehen certainly put in a lot of effort. Even disciples of the Zhengyang Sect rarely know about such a secluded and quiet place."

However, this also suited her detached nature; she certainly wouldn't want their meeting to be seen by others.

From a distance, he saw a slender white figure seated by the pavilion. Though only her back was visible, the faint moonlight was enough to perfectly outline her graceful and captivating silhouette.

Although Wang Wuxie had prided himself on his increasing mastery of qi cultivation over the years, at this moment, he felt as nervous as he had in his youth.

"Why would she invite me here in the middle of the night? Is it to discuss Peng Wuyan's disappearance, or to privately express our feelings for each other?"

If it were the former, there would be no need for such secrecy. But if it's the latter...

The thought that his long-cherished dream might finally come true today made every cell in his body rejoice.

"Xuehen, I'm here." Wang Wuxie straightened his clothes again, walked over, and called out softly.

He dared not raise his voice, fearing others might overhear and he would offend the beautiful woman.

However, there was no response.

Wang Wuxie paused, wondering if his voice had been too quiet.

So he slightly raised his voice, but the other person remained motionless, only her skirt fluttering gently in the night breeze.

"Is she asleep?" Wang Wuxie wondered, or perhaps she had been waiting too long and was upset, unwilling to acknowledge him.

"Oh, I should have come earlier," he thought. "It's truly wrong to make Xuehen wait for me in such a place for something like this."

With these thoughts, he walked closer, apologizing to her in his mind.

Still, there was no reaction. A hint of doubt crept into his heart. "Xuehen?"

Instinctively, he reached out to touch her shoulder, worried that something might be wrong with her.

Suddenly, his expression changed, and he instantly moved backward.

But he was half a step too late; the white figure suddenly exploded, leaving scorched marks on his hands.

That wasn't the end of it; the white mist that emanated at that instant, which he accidentally inhaled twice, immediately made his head feel dizzy.

Damn it, I've been poisoned!

Just then, a brilliant sword light suddenly illuminated the surroundings.

If Lou Wucheng were here, he would surely feel inferior about the sword techniques he had previously used, realizing they were an insult to the very word "sword."

Above the night sky, a moon-white palace abruptly appeared. Unlike the hazy palace Lou Wucheng had conjured before, every brick, every tile, and even the intricate patterns on this palace were clearly visible.

It exuded a detached grandeur and oppressive power, like an immortal welcoming you to the heavens, making it impossible to refuse.

This was the true Everlasting Sword!

Legend had it that enemies slain by this sword died with a serene smile on their faces, as if they had glimpsed the path to immortality or found contentment in receiving eternal life.

Wang Wuxie felt an inexplicable sensation wash over him; the path to immortality he had pursued for years now seemed to show a glimmer of hope. If he only reached out and embraced it, there was a high probability he would grasp the opportunity for ascension.

However, as the foremost figure among the Nine Daoist Sects, he was ultimately no ordinary man. He immediately snapped back to his senses: "This is Li Changsheng's path. If I, Wang Wuxie, am to become an immortal, I must walk my own path. How could I achieve immortality by relying on someone else's?"

Suddenly, a powerful surge of purple energy erupted from him, and a faint silhouette of a purple mountain appeared around his body, colliding with the celestial palace descending from the sky.

With a tremendous boom, the nearby pavilion instantly turned to dust, and all the surrounding flowers, grass, and trees were snapped in half.

Wang Wuxie quickly flew outwards, using the force of the rebound. Although he wasn't afraid of Li Changsheng, this whole affair was clearly a conspiracy, and Li Changsheng certainly wouldn't be the only one present.

As expected, just as he retreated, two golden lights suddenly appeared beside him, trailing fiery tails like meteors, striking towards him. They contained an extremely terrifying force, as if capable of blasting away entire mountaintops.

"The Vajra Bracelets of Lihen Heaven!"

Wang Wuxie's heart tightened. Guan Chouhai had also arrived.

His expression solemn, his sleeves billowed with the wind, suddenly becoming as vast as a banner. A profound and mysterious soft force directly sent the Vajra Bracelets flying back.

At that moment, a figure leaped from behind, extended their hands forward, put the bracelets back on, and then charged at him again.

Among the Nine Daoist Sects, Guan Chouhai, who hailed from the Earth element lineage, possessed unparalleled heavy fists. Even Wang Wuxie dared not meet them head-on.

He saw Wang Wuxie stepping on the Seven Stars, executing extremely subtle footwork to narrowly dodge the frontal assault from the side.

Then, a powerful burst of purple energy emanated from his palm, suddenly splitting into black and white to form a Taiji Yin-Yang fish, which shot directly towards Guan Chouhai's waist.

An aura of annihilation radiated around the Yin-Yang fish; clearly, he had unleashed a killing blow.

Although Wang Wuxie usually cultivated his moral character and inner peace, he was by no means an pedant. In this situation, he naturally held nothing back.

Guan Chouhai was also startled, but the opponent's movement technique was too elusive for him to react in time, and he was struck directly.

However, he didn't perish on the spot. Instead, with his feet rooted to the ground and a strange tremor passing through his body, an identical Taiji Yin-Yang fish suddenly rebounded towards Wang Wuxie.

"Star Shifting!" Wang Wuxie's heart tightened. He hadn't expected his opponent to have mastered this legendary Earth-element skill over the years, capable of deflecting and reflecting enemy attacks by drawing on the earth's immense power.

He dared not waste time defending. Instead, he risked injury to seize the opportunity and fly in another direction. As the Sect Master of Zhengyang, this was his territory, and if he could escape this trap, he would be fully capable of turning the tables.

However, he hadn't flown far when several streaks of sword light suddenly shot forth from ahead, forming a tight sword array that seemed capable of grinding everything into mincemeat.

Wang Wuxie's expression was grim. Without dodging, he directly extended a palm forward.

A palm, materialized from shimmering purple energy, directly passed through the sword array and grabbed at the person wielding the sword behind it.

That person hadn't expected Wang Wuxie's move to be so miraculous. As he saw the palm clamp onto his neck, a flash of lightning occurred almost simultaneously, and he vanished from his spot, reappearing dozens of yards away on a tree, watching Wang Wuxie with lingering fear.

"Thunder Flash? Xuan Bajing, I didn't expect you to have secretly come." Wang Wuxie stared at the person in the tree, his heart sinking.

Xuan Bajing was the Sect Master of Kunlun Void. This time, Elder Xuandu had led the Kunlun Void contingent, and Wang Wuxie hadn't expected Xuan Bajing himself to have secretly ascended the mountain to lay in ambush.

At that moment, the eight swords flying in the air all returned to Xuan Bajing's back, slotting into his sword scabbard like a peacock fanning its tail.

"As expected of Wang Wuxie," Xuan Bajing exclaimed, "to have sustained only minor injuries and nearly retaliated against us, even under the combined sneak attack of the three of us."

Wang Wuxie, however, couldn't feel happy. Although he had handled the situation admirably just now, he had ultimately lost his chance to escape. Now, Li Changsheng and Guan Chouhai had closed in, subtly encircling him in the center.

He couldn't help but glare at Li Changsheng: "They say the Everlasting Sword is the closest swordsmanship to an immortal's in the world, inherently noble and pure. Yet, you resort to such despicable and lowly tactics, utterly disgracing the name of the Everlasting Sword!"

By now, he fully understood that this was all a setup. And who else but Li Changsheng could have sent a White Jade Capital disciple with Yan Xuehen's handwritten letter to lure him into this trap?