Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

The enemy had likely noticed them already, though Tang Ru’s group was clearly not their main target. Nine Heavens and Peng Luo had both broken through, and Peng Luo could no longer contact Li Guanqi through their contract.

Tang Ru glanced at those around him. Their wisest course was to wait for Gu Changsheng and the others to return while the Gu clan’s alchemists rallied and fought back, buying them more time. Given Gu Chuan and the others’ strength, trying to leave now would be suicide. The enemy could capture them all with a single strike.

The problem was that alchemists were poor fighters and almost defenseless in a battle of this scale. The enemy had three Mahayana Realm cultivators, so it would not take them long to overpower everyone. Once that happened, Lu Hengtian’s people would never spare Ye Feng and the others.

If they captured Ye Feng’s group, their breakthroughs would be the least of Tang Ru’s concerns. The real danger was that the enemy could use them to threaten Li Guanqi.

Everyone looked at Tang Ru, waiting for his decision. They had tried everything they could think of, but without a powerful outside force to break open the realm, there was no escape.

Tang Ru took a deep breath and swept his gaze across the group.

Gu Chuan said solemnly, “Elder, give the order. Whatever it is, we’ll do it.”

Tang Ru chuckled in resignation. “I can order you to your deaths, but I would never throw your lives away for nothing. We’re against three Mahayana Realm cultivators... Even if you gave everything you had, what difference would it make? There is no way out of this.”

After a brief pause, Tang Ru issued his first command. “Everyone, suppress your auras completely. Seal the dantians and divine souls of all the Gu clan members here, then place them inside Gu Chuan’s realm.”

Gu Chuan sighed. “That’s it?”Tang Ru smiled. “That’s it. Just get it done.”

Gu Chuan studied him for a long moment before turning to carry out the order. They could not let the Lu clan discover them under any circumstances.

He had barely turned away when something clicked in his mind. His eyes flickered, and he spun back around. Tang Ru was gone.

Tang Ru had just emerged from the dungeon. Explosions thundered all around him, the clamor of battle constant in his ears. Cultivators from the Lu and Zhu clans were tearing through the Gu clan, relentlessly searching for the hidden realm sheltering their targets.

However, the Gu clan had Gu Li. Through his connections and careful preparations, he had ensured that the concealed safe haven could be found only by special means. Without the proper method, the Lu clan could do nothing but comb through the territory inch by inch.

Tang Ru crouched behind a cluster of rocks, thinking fast. Sooner or later, the Lu clan would realize something was wrong. He could not gamble on Li Guanqi and the others returning before that happened.

Tang Ru clenched his jaw and stared at the battle raging overhead. The Gu clan’s mid-level cultivators had already been pushed back. If not for the stream of elders emerging from seclusion to reinforce them, they would have fallen long ago. The other two alchemists were steadily losing ground as well.

Lu Hengtian’s sword light was razor-sharp, every strike vicious and merciless.

The old woman was powerful enough to make even Lu Hengtian wary, and the elderly alchemist facing her was no match for her. His flames were far too weak to harm her.

The creases on Zhu Ying’s face ran deep, like the grooves in aged bark. Her sagging skin gave her a sinister appearance. Her cane shot forward like a spear and pierced straight through the alchemist’s shoulder, then she kicked him away.

Bang!

The old alchemist was blasted backward and slammed into the mountainside.

Pfft!

The elder’s face went pale as he roared, “Zhu Ying! Your Zhu clan is courting death! If you don’t kill me today, I’ll gather three hundred cultivators tomorrow and raze your clan to the ground!”

A cold gleam flashed through Zhu Ying’s eyes. With a chilling laugh, she teleported in front of him and brought a glowing palm seal crashing down. “Oh, how scary! In that case, you won’t be leaving here alive!”

Boom!

The elder hastily pulled out a violet cloud banner and hurled it into the sky, raising a dense defensive barrier around himself.

Bang!

The banner shattered, but it bought the elder just enough time to slip away. Zhu Ying frowned. “Stop wasting time. They must have realized something is wrong. Hurry!”

Boom!

Yu Chang’an spat blood, his flesh hanging in ragged strips. “Lu Hengtian! Hurry! I can’t hold on much longer!”

Gu Lie threw his head back and laughed. “Pathetic! You’re already at your limit after such a short fight? Your grandpa here hasn’t even had his fun yet!”

Yu Chang’an clutched his wounded shoulder and shot backward. His eyes sharpened, and he snarled. “You want to have some fun? Fine! I’ll give you more than you can handle!”

Hum!

As Yu Chang’an spoke, a dark crimson light flashed in his eyes, and his gaze locked onto Gu Lie.

Bang!

Gu Lie’s fist slammed into the side of Yu Chang’an’s face, sending him flying like a sack of grain. His entire jaw shattered. Without the dense layer of spirit light protecting him, the punch would have blown his head clean off.

Gu Lie remained where he was, frowning. In that split second, he had felt something swallow the divine consciousness he’d spread across the surrounding area.

Crash!

Yu Chang’an slammed deep into the mountainside. Gu Lie charged in after him without stopping to consider what had happened.

Boom!

Gu Lie was sent hurtling backward even faster than Yu Chang’an had been. The tremendous force tore off his entire right arm, leaving blood gushing from the ragged wound.

Gu Lie retreated rapidly, his brow creased and his tiger-like eyes locked on the figure rising from the dust.

The muscular Yu Chang’an stood suspended in midair, his hair whipping behind him. He licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, then crushed the old man’s severed arm in his grip and let the blood drip into his open mouth.

He slipped Gu Lie’s knuckle dusters over his own fingers and cracked his neck. “Come on. Let me see just how strong you are.”

Crash!

Yu Chang’an launched himself forward in a blur, power surging off him, the ground behind him exploding into a crater several hundred zhang deep.

Gu Lie’s frown deepened. Those eyes... Could he have swallowed my divine consciousness and stolen my strength? Impossible.

The two clashed again, each punch landing with bone-rattling force. This brutal exchange confirmed Gu Lie’s suspicion: Yu Chang’an had indeed stolen his power. In fact, Yu Chang’an’s fist technique was seventy percent identical to Gu Lie’s.

Lu Hengtian heard the old woman speak to him and glanced toward the distant battle. He cut down the elder before him with a single stroke, then nodded and teleported ten thousand zhang into the sky.

He raised a hand, and dozens of pitch-black array trays, each the size of a wooden barrel, spread across the void. His eyes flashed. He reached into his robes, pulled out a black seal, and crushed it.

Dark demonic flames poured out and surged into the array trays, making them glow faintly. Strange spatial ripples spread outward.

Tang Ru tensed up immediately. With his vast experience, he recognized the array trays as devices for detecting hidden spatial fragments. If they found Ye Feng and the others, the consequences would be catastrophic.