16: Chapter 16: How to Escape?

The Sword Qi lingered above the long sword in her hand, rapidly covering the blade and emitting a faint green glow in the dark night.

The masked figures instinctively took a step back.

Could it be that she could actually unleash a fatal strike in this condition?

As soon as the Sword Qi condensed, they felt the sharp edge pressing down from above their heads.

Following Li Hanyi's cold shout,

A sky full of green Sword Qi poured down, incomparably sharp. Against opponents of the same rank, it was almost capable of a one-hit kill.

This time, she held nothing back, mobilizing all her Internal Energy, solely aiming for a decisive blow.

The leading masked man, being a Master of the Vajra Mortal Realm, had previously heard about Li Hanyi's duel with Yin Luoxia on the street and knew her Sword Qi range was at most ten zhang.

But he did not expect the range covered this time to be even larger.

Facing the rain-like Sword Qi, he could only urge his Internal Energy to protect his body.

But under this fierce Sword Qi, it was impossible to guard all vital points.

Apart from the vital points, his limbs were all pierced through, causing him to scream in agony.

On the other side,

Mu Liangyue struck first. The Dream Butterfly Formation instantly unfolded, enveloping all the enemies behind them.

When the Fire Charm Technique was unleashed, the masked men within the formation mistook their comrades for enemies and started attacking each other.

Su Hongxi reached into her robes, and six six-leaf throwing darts flew out. Her figure instantly vanished into the air.

Su Ziyi held twin swords, and like Su Hongxi, her figure instantly became invisible.

The masked men standing on the eaves and rooftops were struck down and killed before they could even detect where the attacks were coming from.

Their attacks were all lethal, showing no mercy.

Sikong Qianluo also mobilized the Internal Energy within her body and leaped into the air.

Compared to the subtle methods used by Mu Liangyue and the others, her attack appeared much more direct.

She hadn't brought her long spear this time, but she was not unfamiliar with Sikong Changfeng's fist techniques.

Although she usually did not pay much attention to fist techniques,

The Spear Intent of the Prairie Fire Hundred Strikes surged up from the bottom of her heart at this moment.

Her pair of fists actually managed to strike out with the Aura of spear techniques.

If she didn't attack, she wouldn't; but once she did, it was earth-shattering.

The five of them were all clear that this was a life-or-death moment, and time was life. Naturally, they dared not slacken in the slightest.

A short while later, the sword wind subsided. Apart from a few masked men standing further back initially, all the enemies before Li Hanyi had fallen, suffering heavy casualties.

Countless Sword Qi descended from the sky, utterly obliterating these masked men until not even bones remained.

The few who fortunately survived all had weak legs and pale faces. This scene was truly too horrifying.

And the masked men fighting against Mu Liangyue and Sikong Qianluo in the rear were also retreating steadily under the combined assault of the two, almost incapable of fighting back.

Coupled with the rain-like Sword Qi falling from the front, these people had long lost their Battle Intent.

Li Hanyi planted her long sword into the ground, her figure swaying slightly.

After regulating her Internal Energy, the medicinal effect inside her body began to dissipate even faster.

When the remaining enemies in the rear also began to retreat, Mu Liangyue helped Sikong Qianluo walk over slowly.

"Hurry up and go! The opponent won't give up easily!"

When Li Hanyi saw them approaching, she immediately spoke up to remind them.

Causing such a huge commotion in Snow Moon City, the enemy would absolutely not have only this wave of tactics.

...

At this moment, the masked men surrounding them were almost completely wiped out. They had to leave immediately.

As long as they could get close to the martial arts School, their safety would naturally be guaranteed once their Master learned the news.

Even if they walked onto the street and attracted the attention of others, Snow Moon City would react quickly.

Thinking of this, the three of Li Hanyi supported each other and quickly walked out of the dark alley.

However, the moment she stepped out of the alley entrance, Li Hanyi's expression darkened sharply.

She had already anticipated that the opponent would have a follow-up plan.

But she never expected these people to have already been waiting outside, looking as if they had been waiting for a long time.

Clap, clap, clap!

Applause rang out.

A short but sturdy masked man slowly clapped his hands.

"Indeed worthy of being a peerless sword casket rarely seen. If I were to execute such sword momentum, the power would probably multiply several times, not inferior to the peerless sword casket I witnessed back then!"

His voice held an irrepressible excitement, as if the Ten Thousand Swords Art was already his for the taking.

In this Jianghu, a divine Sharp Weapon and a peerless martial art were enough to forge a legend.

Wushuang City was like this, and so was Luo Qingyang.

And this Ten Thousand Swords Art was precisely such a supreme martial art. Once fully mastered, perhaps it could also write a heroic tale in the Martial Forest.

Beside him stood five masked men, all nodding upon hearing this.

Clearly, they strongly agreed with the old man's words.

A dozen or so masked men behind them quickly surrounded them.

A trace of despair flashed in Li Hanyi's eyes.

At this moment, her body could barely muster any strength, and her Internal Energy was rapidly draining under the effect of the drug.

And this group before her was clearly stronger, especially the leading six, whose Aura was steady and profound.

Although not comparable to Yin Luoxia who fought her during the day, they were very close.

These few were all Earth Realm Masters.

Judging by their voices, they should be old Jianghu figures from the previous generation.

How to escape?

If she were in Peak condition, Li Hanyi might still have the thought of fighting a bit, but in her current state, she had clearly fallen into a desperate situation.

"Not just the Ten Thousand Swords Art, the methods used by those few young ladies were also quite exquisite. It seems this battle has brought unexpected gains!"

Another masked man had clearly noticed the previous fight and watched his comrades in the dark alley get killed without intervening.

"That's right, they cleverly counterattacked by taking advantage of the terrain, seemingly using some secret techniques, like the methods of an assassin."

"And that illusion formation. Those skilled in such arts in Northern Li... Could it be the Dark River?"

Another person spoke up.

As soon as these words were uttered, several people shuddered.

The name Dark River was thunderous in the Martial Forest of Northern Li.

"Impossible. How could people from the Dark River be fooled so easily? Perhaps it's just another School skilled in illusion arts, not necessarily them."

Mu Liangyue and Sikong Qianluo heard this, their faces showing both shame and embarrassment.

"Alright, now is not the time to discuss these things. Let's capture these few girls first and slowly interrogate them about the source of their martial arts when we get back."

The short, stout masked man interrupted everyone's discussion.

Didn't they see the current situation?

"You few young ladies are indeed extraordinary. Your Aptitude is high, and your strength is strong. For your age, you are top-tier. If you were given more time, even we might not be your match.

But for now, just surrender obediently, lest you suffer unnecessarily."

"Yes, a few delicate young ladies, we couldn't bring ourselves to be ruthless. We only want the Secret Manuals, we don't care about anything else."

Another person chimed in.

"Hmph, wishful thinking! Even if we die, you won't get the Ten Thousand Swords Art!"

Li Hanyi spoke with a cold expression.

"Must we resort to mutual destruction? Isn't it better to live?"

The short, stout masked man immediately responded upon hearing this.

His tone carried a hint of nervousness, fearing Li Hanyi might do something rash.

If a person died, the trail to the Ten Thousand Swords Art would be completely broken.

Wouldn't that be like not getting any honey but getting stung by a swarm of bees?

For a moment, the two sides were at a stalemate.

Li Hanyi gritted her teeth to hold herself up, her gaze fiercely fixed on the leader of the masked men opposite.

And the group of masked men hesitated after hearing her words, afraid that pushing too hard would lead to disaster.

...

Inside the martial arts School, Su Rui was rapidly deducing the Profound Truth of the Movement Character Secret.

As a secret technique that highly tested Comprehension Ability, the Movement Character Secret was extremely difficult for outsiders to grasp.

But Su Rui was different.

The System had already instilled the complete contents of the Movement Character Secret into him.

He only needed to follow the meridians to deduce it and grasp its entire essence.

And now, he had already entered the final stage of deduction.

As one of the Nine Secrets, the Movement Character Secret valued speed above all else, even allowing one to glimpse the threshold of time.

If cultivated to the Peak, one could step into the river of time and traverse the ages.

However, Su Rui currently couldn't achieve that level.

But he could already vaguely perceive a trace of time.

Suddenly, his brow furrowed, and a ceaselessly flowing river of time appeared before his eyes.

Countless scenes flashed in his mind.

...

Su Rui felt as if he were immersed in the torrent of time.

Fragments of time swept past his eyes.

He saw Li Hanyi in adulthood fighting several Sword Immortals alone in Tianqi City.

He also saw Sikong Qianluo clad in silver armor, charging on horseback amidst an army of thousands, displaying heroic spirit.

"These scenes seem to be related to me... It seems their destinies have quietly changed."

Su Rui felt a slight surprise in his heart.

While contemplating, his eyes suddenly lit up.

He saw Li Hanyi wearing a wedding dress, and the veil was gently lifted.

And the hand lifting the veil looked very familiar...

Su Rui sighed with emotion; this matter was becoming more and more interesting!

He was not the type of person who engaged in fostering Disciples!

Just as he was lost in thought, his gaze suddenly fell upon a new time fragment.

In the scene, Li Hanyi was wearing the clothes he gave her, leaning on her long sword planted in the ground, panting heavily, clearly quite injured.

Sikong Qianluo and Mu Liangyue beside her were also standing unsteadily, looking disheveled.

In the distance, lights shone brightly—wasn't that Snow Moon City?

Judging by their injuries and the environment, this incident seemed to be happening right now!

Sikong Qianluo had been clamoring to go out for a stroll earlier, but unexpectedly, trouble arose even in Snow Moon City.

"They dare to touch the Disciple I acknowledged?"

A trace of anger appeared on Su Rui's usually calm face.

"Bold.", he coldly snorted, and the river of time before his eyes shattered.

His consciousness returned to reality, and he was already in the room of the martial arts School.

The deduction of the Movement Character Secret abruptly stopped, and Su Rui's figure vanished from the room instantly.

...

At the mouth of a secluded alley in Snow Moon City.

Li Hanyi forced herself to stand steady, her long sword slanted and stuck into the ground, her gaze like a knife fixed on the leader of the masked men.

All the opponents were Zizai Earth Realm Masters, with a crowd of Ninth Grade Martial Artists and Mortal Realm thugs surrounding them.

Strangely, the Snow Moon City Law Enforcement Team had still not appeared, indicating the opponent had made arrangements long ago.

"Who exactly are you?"

Li Hanyi questioned coldly.

"Little girl, stop asking. Do you think we would tell you?"

The short, stout old man was Xue Lingyun. He looked at Li Hanyi with some difficulty at this moment.