Chapter 140: First Kill Your Own People

The Climax!

The evening light was poor, and fearing that those hiding in the dark wouldn't fully grasp the situation, what was revealed was not just the blade, but also the glow of sandalwood gold, which clearly illuminated Xun Lingyin's face. The blade was drawn, and a person fell. Shi Chun didn't believe they could still misunderstand.

Those hiding in the dark finally realized something was wrong. Unsure what had gone awry, and fearing their target would escape, they flashed out one by one. Chao Zhilin of the Sukong Sect, and Mao Zhong and Zhu Ze of the Yuanjian Palace, descended from the sky, forming a triangular encirclement around Shi Chun and his two companions.

Seeing that it was indeed Shi Chun and his group, Chao Zhilin prepared to attack the moment he landed.

"Brother Chao!" Mao Zhong urgently shouted, simultaneously making a hand gesture to stop him, halting his movement. "Brother Xun is under the blade!"

Shi Chun's blade hung in his hand, its tip resting precisely on Xun Lingyin's throat. The sandalwood gold reflected on his own face, illuminating a confident smile, as if challenging them: "Go on, try me. See if my blade is faster, or your strike is quicker." Of course, behind the smile lurked killing intent. He had met Chao Zhilin before. For him to be ambushing them here with people from Yuanjian Palace, it was clear: the unfortunate had truly happened. Huyan Dao, that grandson, had indeed betrayed them.

Seeing that a hostage had been immediately taken, Wu Jinliang chuckled and asked, "Only three of you ambushing us?"

Shi Chun scoffed, "He dares!" He knew they wouldn't easily understand this tactic of hostage-taking. There was nothing they didn't dare. With a short blade, Ye Qingwan's right arm was directly severed at the shoulder, the pain causing his face to twitch uncontrollably. He couldn't move or speak.

In great shock, the opponents frantically turned around. One wrong move, and it was too late to remedy. Mao Zhong, not to be outdone, casually hooked Ye Qingwan's throat with a claw, pulling the person behind him as a shield.

Lan'er awkwardly placed her short knife at Xun Lingyin's neck, then withdrew her left hand's blade and positioned its tip at his groin. "I don't like people from the Sukong Sect, and you all know it. To expect you to deal with Chao and save your fellow disciple's life, I guess you wouldn't do it. In your eyes, your disciple's life isn't worth fighting for. Am I wrong?"

Xun Lingyin was incapacitated and injured, but still alive. His basic cultivator's senses were still active. He saw the reaction of his two senior brothers; their faces, though strained, betrayed a flash of grief.

Zhu Ze cried out, "Brother Xun, are you alright?" He was just short of directly calling them idiots. They had set up a perfect ambush here, and then gratuitously delivered a hostage to the enemy, allowing them to seize their weakness so easily. What kind of situation was this? The reason was that Mao Zhong was the strongest cultivator here. A single powerful move from him could hold them off until they engaged in combat.

The cape on Lan'er's body had been removed at some unknown point.

Chao Zhilin sneered, "Don't listen to his nonsense! You two, be clear-headed. He's not going to release your junior brother." If he were to accept this threat, he instantly had a decision in his heart: resolve it if he could, otherwise, he would act. He definitely wouldn't care whether Xun Lingyin lived or died. Nothing was more important than silencing them now. Not a single living soul could be left; all had to be eliminated! Whatever responsibility, he would bear it himself beforehand. In short, there was absolutely no way he would let Wang Sheng and the others escape.

Chao Zhilin's actions surprised everyone and almost startled them all. Instead of doing what they expected, Chao Zhilin suddenly flashed up, leaping over the charging figures, directly pouncing towards Mao Zhong's side. His hands showed no hesitation. Blade light flashed under the moon, spraying blood. He charged headfirst, sweeping past with his head covered by the cloak. He only felt his vision blur for a moment, the target seemed to waver, but the person remained in place. Regardless of what was happening, he decided to kill first. He unleashed a fierce sword strike, hitting the target squarely, a single sword piercing through twice. He was indeed covered by something; his entire body had retreated into a multicolored cloak, like the patchwork garment sewn by Lan'er.

As Chao Zhilin leaped through the air, sword raised, Lan'er's figure, holding Xun Lingyin, seemed to feint slightly. After a single blade strike, Lan'er casually pushed Xun Lingyin to the companion behind her. Lan'er and Wu Jinliang, having struck empty air, were greatly alarmed. They hadn't expected Chao Zhilin to employ such a move; they had truly underestimated the world's heroes. They instantly realized that Lan'er's life was in danger. How could Lan'er, with her initial martial cultivation, possibly block Chao Zhilin, who was at the peak of advanced martial arts?

Her free hand also moved. With a seemingly light lift, she delivered an elbow strike to Chao Zhilin's back, hitting him squarely in the center. Her forearm bounced off, and she smoothly followed up with another palm strike to his back. As the hostage was momentarily released from being a shield, Lan'er let out a shout, "Get to work!" Chao Zhilin, who had just torn open his cloak to reveal his face, had his neck thicken. A torrent of blood gushed from his mouth, his eyes bulged, and he flew backward, his sword already flying from his grasp.

Two resounding crashes, like a continuous barrage of cannon fire, echoed. This scene made Shi Chun and Zhu Ze wince. Zhu Ze and Shi Chun felt their hearts pound in alarm. They tried to shout to stop him, but something seemed to choke their throats, and not a single person could utter a sound. Meanwhile, his (Xun Lingyin's) two senior brothers looked at Chao Zhilin, not because they truly wanted to slap him, but because Lan'er's rambling had left their thoughts somewhat disoriented. Only the gloomy and taciturn Mao Zhong seemed unfazed. Listening for sounds to pinpoint positions, he slightly tilted his head downwards to look at the charging person, calmly meeting them with a cold, frowning gaze.

Lan'er: "Will I release him? Try it and you'll know. It's just a slap." She continued, "Alright, let's change to a more relaxed condition. If any of you just go and give Chao a resounding slap, I'll release your junior brother. Otherwise, I'll chop off one of his legs. A slap for a leg, seems like a good deal, doesn't it?"

This, however, sent a chill through Xun Lingyin, making him glance at his two senior brothers with a glimmer of hope. One of Xun Lingyin's legs instantly twisted and collapsed to the ground, blood gushing like a stream. He was in such agony he almost fainted, and the despair and shock in his eyes were indescribable.

Lan'er also put away the sandalwood gold in her hand. Under everyone's watchful eyes, she calmly bent down and pulled Xun Lingyin, who had just been knocked down, back up. Throughout the process, the blade naturally never left Xun Lingyin's neck. "This is your fellow disciple!" Lan'er's cold chuckle echoed in Xun Lingyin's ear, terrifying him like a nightmare. Although they were threats, her words were delivered with a casual, almost mocking tone, as if playing a game.

"Only three people?" Wu Jinliang felt much more relieved. He chuckled again, the back of his large knife tapping rhythmically on his shoulder, the blade feeling restless.