497: Chapter 497 You dare to come here to die?

As a top-tier expert in the Cultivation World, Xiao Nianyin naturally knew that everyone had secrets they did not want others to know.

She could be jealous, express her dissatisfaction, hit him, or scold him, but when it came to matters involving the other person's secrets, she knew when to hold her tongue.

If Xu Ruyu wanted her to know, he would naturally tell her.

He voluntarily told her the soul fixing bead was fake, voluntarily told her his true Cultivation, and voluntarily told her the origin of the "True Explanation of Taixu Source Energy."

He had never deliberately hidden anything. It was just that there were some things he might not have figured out himself yet. Why should she press him for answers?

A smart woman must know when to be angry and when to be silent.

Xiao Nianyin did not know that she had already begun to change slowly.

And this change stemmed from that "Heavenly Charm Jade Maiden Heart Scripture" she had flipped through for Xu Ruyu back then.

She had only read a few pages of that Cultivation Technique before finding it too shameful and tossing it aside.

But what she did not know was that the content of those few pages had already quietly changed her Heart-Nature.

She thought she had changed naturally. In fact, she had not.

That Cultivation Technique, through subtle influence, had turned her from an icy beauty as cold as frost into a little woman who could be jealous, act coquettishly, get angry, and blush.

But she would not know this. She only knew that, at this moment, she did not want to pry.

She only wanted to stand by his side and face the approaching enemies with him.

"Is it set up?"

She spoke, her voice having already returned to calm.

Xu Ruyu straightened up, dusted off his hands, and nodded: "Just about. Three Acetylene Great Arrays, set up in a chain and overlapping, are enough to trap a Cultivator of the Nascent Soul Stage. Even if they are at the Soul Transformation Stage, it will be enough to give them a hard time."

Xiao Nianyin looked at the Array Pattern on the ground and nodded slightly.

She had seen the power of the Acetylene Great Array with her own eyes. It could even trap a Half-step True Immortal like Tian Jianzi, let alone these small fry of the Nascent Soul Stage.

Those crimson Array Pattern flickered faintly underground, emitting a faint, scorching aura, like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment.

"However," Xu Ruyu scratched his head, his expression somewhat grave, "those people were able to find us accurately; they must have used some kind of tracking secret technique. Even if we beat them back this time, they will come again. We must find a way to solve this problem. We can't just keep running away being chased."

Xiao Nianyin looked at him without speaking. She knew that Xu Ruyu was waiting for her to speak.

She knew about the Tianshu Sword Sect's Thousand-Mile Tracking Mirror, and she also knew how to break it. But she did not want to say.

It was not that she did not want to help him, but rather that she wanted to see if he could figure it out himself.

Seeing that she did not speak, Xu Ruyu did not press her. He turned around, looked into the distance, and was silent for a moment.

His gaze pierced through layers of mountain forests and landed on the black dots in the sky that were growing larger.

"They are here," he said.

In the sky, twenty or thirty figures were speeding toward them. They wore uniform cyan sword robes, held long swords, and their Sword Intent was awe-inspiring.

The sunlight shone on their swords, reflecting a blinding white light.

Leading them was a middle-aged man with a cold, stern face, high cheekbones, and a pair of triangular eyes filled with malice.

His aura was powerful, at the Peak of the Nascent Soul Stage, the highest Cultivation among this group.

Xu Ruyu stood on the mountaintop with his arms crossed, watching those people get closer and closer.

A faint smile hung on the corners of his lips; that smile contained mockery, disdain, and an indescribable sense of ease.

Xiao Nianyin stood beside him, expressionless. Her hands hung naturally at her sides, and her robe was lifted by the wind, fluttering behind her.

Her gaze was as calm as water, as if the people standing before her were not twenty or thirty Sword Cultivators, but a group of insignificant passersby.

Those people landed at the foot of the mountain and looked up at the two on the mountaintop.

The leading middle-aged man's gaze swept over Xu Ruyu and then landed on Xiao Nianyin, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Xu Ruyu?" His voice was cold, carrying a condescending arrogance.

Xu Ruyu smiled: "That is me. Are you people from the Tianshu Sword Sect?"

The middle-aged man did not answer, but said coldly: "You killed Old Ancestor Tian Jianzi and Elder Zhao Qian. Today, we have received orders from the Sect Head to bring you to justice. Surrender now, and perhaps we can leave your corpse intact. Otherwise, we will destroy both your body and soul, so you never have a chance at reincarnation."

Xu Ruyu smiled: "Just by relying on you lot?"

The middle-aged man's expression sank, and he waved his hand: "Attack!"

The twenty or thirty Sword Cultivators drew their swords in unison, sword lights flickering, and Sword Qi crisscrossing.

They formed a sword array, surrounding the mountaintop tightly. As the sword array operated, the Sword Qi wove into a large net, enveloping the entire mountaintop.

Xu Ruyu looked at them and shook his head. There was no fear or panic on his face, only an indescribable sense of pity.

"Do you know, Tian Jianzi chased me for twenty-eight days, and in the end, he was burned to ashes by me." His voice was very soft, carrying a hint of mockery, "You people cannot even compare to a single finger of Tian Jianzi, yet you dare to come and seek death?"

The middle-aged man's expression changed slightly, but he did not retreat. He slashed out with his sword, and a sharp Sword Qi headed straight for Xu Ruyu.

The Sword Qi tore through the air, emitting a sharp whistling sound. Xu Ruyu did not move. Xiao Nianyin moved.

She raised her hand and flicked it lightly. "Ding—" With a soft sound, that sharp Sword Qi shattered at her fingertips, turning into countless specks of light that dissipated into the air.

Those specks of light danced in the air like fireflies, then slowly disappeared. The middle-aged man's pupils contracted violently.