17: Chapter 17: Sure enough, they were from the Dark River!

According to his speculation, the only ones who could have mastered the Ten Thousand Swords Art were Li Hanyi and the young master of that Nameless Martial Arts School.

But that person's true strength was still uncertain. If he was truly the one whose Sword Qi was heaven-shaking, as rumored, or perhaps an expert with another hidden identity.

If they rashly made a move, they might fail to steal the chicken and end up losing the rice.

Therefore, the safest method was still to start with this girl.

Directly obtaining the Ten Thousand Swords Art would be less trouble and more direct.

However, the girl before him had a fierce temperament. If they pushed too hard and truly drove her to a dead end, she might commit suicide to end things.

Then they would gain absolutely nothing.

They had invested heavily in this operation, even deploying the hidden agents planted in Snow Moon City.

Otherwise, why would the Law Enforcement Team be delayed for so long?

If they returned empty-handed, the loss would be too great.

Thinking of this, Xue Lingyun's brow furrowed slightly.

However, looking at Li Hanyi's condition, she probably couldn't hold on much longer.

The time for the medicine's full effect wasn't long; it was better to use this opportunity to stall for time.

With this thought, Xue Lingyun slightly moved his lips. The other five heard his suggestion, pondered for a moment, and all nodded in agreement.

Having taken such a great risk without achieving the true goal of seizing the Ten Thousand Swords Art, they were naturally unwilling to give up.

As long as this young girl couldn't hold on and fell into their hands, they would naturally have plenty of ways to make her reveal the secret.

"Such a sharp sword technique in your hands is like a bright pearl covered in dust. Wouldn't it be better to hand it over to us so it can shine again?"

Xue Lingyun slowly spoke.

"Dream on! A bunch of petty thieves who don't dare to show their true faces!"

Before Li Hanyi could speak, Sikong Qianluo had already burst out in anger.

Beneath the black scarf, Xue Lingyun's expression immediately darkened.

Being scolded so directly by a child, he naturally lost face.

What was worse was that everything she said was true.

"Sikong Qianluo, your father indeed has some skill, and people in Snow Moon City do give him some face. But he is not here right now."

"Hmph, if anything happens to us, my father definitely won't let it go. Can you run away?"

Sikong Qianluo snorted coldly, showing no sign of backing down.

"From what you just said, it seems you are trying to stop me from participating in the grand event at the Ascending Heaven Pavilion. Are you all afraid that I will take the top spot?"

Li Hanyi said coldly.

"Your talent is indeed extraordinary, and your future is limitless with time. But you ruined our plan this time. Although we didn't originally want to attack a few young girls, we have no choice now."

Xue Lingyun sighed dramatically.

"Nonsense!"

Sikong Qianluo immediately retorted.

"You are used to using despicable methods and only know how to hide in the shadows and play dirty tricks. If you truly wanted to compete for a rank, you could have done so openly. At your age, aren't you ashamed of doing something like this?"

Sikong Qianluo finished in one breath, and the masked men around them also showed some agitation.

... Sikong Qianluo's words made Xue Lingyun furious.

Being humiliated by a young girl in front of so many people made him lose face.

His figure flashed, and the short, stout figure fiercely rushed toward Sikong Qianluo, crimson True Qi swirling around his palm.

Just then, a cold glint flashed in the eyes of Li Hanyi, whose face was pale and who was already struggling to stand.

The long sword in her hand suddenly transformed into a streak of light, carrying her figure straight toward Xue Lingyun.

It was as if her entire person had transformed into a sharp Sword Qi.

Xue Lingyun, who was charging toward Sikong Qianluo in a fit of rage, immediately felt a sense of crisis.

He forcibly twisted his body in mid-air and raised his palm to meet the beam of sword light.

Boom!

With a loud crash, both figures retreated.

Li Hanyi staggered a few steps after landing, nearly falling. She was only stabilized after Mu Liangyue and the other two women quickly supported her.

Xue Lingyun also retreated a few steps before stabilizing himself. On his right palm was a sword mark deep enough to expose bone.

This time, to conceal his identity, he had not brought any weapons.

After all, he had some reputation in Snow Moon City. If something happened, his weapon might expose him.

He never expected that in one exchange, he would be defeated by a young girl who was two Realms below him.

Xue Lingyun's face turned red, and shame and indignation almost overwhelmed the pain in his palm.

Sikong Qianluo had also been startled by the dangerous scene just now and only now recovered.

"Do you really think my teacher and my father will just stand by and do nothing?"

Xue Lingyun vaguely heard the low chuckles of his companions behind him, as if mocking him.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger.

He looked gloomily at Li Hanyi and the others not far away.

"A sword technique that surpasses the Sword Control Art of Wushuang City—who in the world doesn't covet it? You should understand our determination for this trip.

Hand it over, and I can give you a quick death!"

"Not only Snow Moon City, but the Dark River is also behind this."

Mu Liangyue suddenly spoke up.

"I am a person of the Mu Family from the Dark River, and these two are Disciples of the Su Family.

Are you sure you want to attack us? You should be aware of the Dark River's methods for investigating matters, and the consequences of offending the Dark River go without saying."

At these words, the surrounding crowd stirred again, and many people subconsciously took a step back.

The deterrence of the Dark River could not be underestimated.

This kind of organization that killed without blinking had been entrenched in the Jianghu for many years. Anyone targeted by them could never escape.

Although their overall power was not as great as Snow Moon City's, in terms of inspiring terror, Snow Moon City was far behind.

After all, Snow Moon City upheld rules and valued evidence.

But the Dark River would strike immediately upon suspicion.

It was better to kill the wrong person than to let one go.

Xue Lingyun and the others also felt a tightening in their hearts.

Sure enough, they were people from the Dark River!

However, they had long since plotted with the Holy Sect. If things truly reached a point of no return, they could just throw the blame onto the Holy Sect.

It was like having too many lice—they didn't feel itchy; having too much debt—they weren't too worried.

Thinking of this, a cold sneer curved the corner of Xue Lingyun's mouth.

"The Holy Sect is about to start its Eastern Expedition and enter the Northern Li Imperial Dynasty. Do you think Snow Moon City will still have the capacity to worry about your small matters then?"

The Holy Sect?

Sikong Qianluo, Mu Liangyue, and the other two were stunned.

Only Li Hanyi showed a hint of confusion.

"You mean the Mo Sect?"

Mu Liangyue's tone held a trace of surprise.

"The Mo Sect is going on an Eastern Expedition? How did you find out this news?"

Sikong Qianluo was greatly shocked.

She had heard about this from her father before, and at that time, she was warned that it was extremely confidential information, known only to a handful of people in the entire Northern Li.

Moreover, as soon as she arrived, her father immediately stopped talking about it and warned her not to repeat what she had heard.

This meant that this matter was still a big secret.

How could these people know?

"So you are people of the Mo Sect!"

Sikong Qianluo stumbled slightly, her voice trembling.

"No, people from the Mo Sect couldn't have infiltrated Snow Moon City with so many people. You must be colluding with the Mo Sect!"

Sikong Qianluo finally understood.

She also roughly understood why these people had said earlier that Li Hanyi was obstructing their plan and why they wanted to stop her from participating in the grand competition.

"You want to enter the core of Snow Moon City to pave the way for the Mo Sect!"

"You are very smart, but you don't need to be so blunt. The power of the Holy Sect is far beyond your imagination. What we are doing is just to leave a way out for ourselves amidst this great upheaval."

Seeing that Sikong Qianluo, Mu Liangyue, and the others were almost unable to hold on, their faces as pale as paper.

And Li Hanyi could no longer stand steadily, her long sword stuck into the ground, barely supporting her body, yet she didn't forget to support the weakened Sikong Qianluo.

"Senior Sister, if I really can't hold on, kill me first!"

This was the last sentence Sikong Qianluo spoke before losing consciousness.

"Us too!"

Mu Liangyue forced herself to speak.

Li Hanyi's expression was stern.

"My teacher's swordsmanship is heaven-defying. You won't escape this calamity!"

"As long as it's handled cleanly, who would know?"

Seeing that Li Hanyi could barely hold her sword, Xue Lingyun couldn't help but laugh loudly, trying to distract her attention while secretly making a small gesture.

"I will know!"

A voice sounded from behind them, filled with overwhelming rage!

... Another voice full of anger exploded in the air.

All the masked men present felt as if their hearts were clutched by an invisible giant hand.

Their heartbeats seemed to skip a beat.

A bone-chilling coldness surged like a tide, as if countless sharp swords were hanging over their heads.

Li Hanyi, who had been on the verge of despair, relaxed her grip on her sword upon hearing that voice, and her body almost collapsed.

A figure seemed to tear through time and space, appearing beside her in the blink of an eye. He reached out and supported her, and a faint golden aura quietly rose, gently holding up the unconscious Sikong Qianluo, Mu Liangyue, and the others.

"Teacher, you've come!"

"Yes, I am late."

Su Rui's tone was calm, but there was a trace of heartache on his face.

"You rest for a while. I'll deal with these people first."

The tone of his speech was still gentle, as always, but the killing intent in his eyes could not be hidden at all.

The sudden appearance of Su Rui caught everyone off guard.

Especially that suffocating sense of pressure.

And Li Hanyi's words, "Teacher," shocked everyone.

Could this person be the master of the Nameless Martial Arts School? That mysterious expert suspected of mastering terrifying Sword Intent?

Xue Lingyun and the others felt a wave of fear, and the chill from before intensified.

But the next moment, Xue Lingyun's expression froze, and a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes.

Ninth Realm?

He clearly sensed that the young man who suddenly appeared was only at the Ninth Realm cultivation, not even having stepped into the Upper Realm?

Could this truly be the owner of that heaven-shaking Sword Intent?

The Sword Intent that pierced the sky the night before was terrifying to the point of shattering one's courage; just one glance felt like the Soul was being torn apart.

How could such Sword Intent come from a Ninth Realm Martial Artist?

It should at least require a Sword Immortal, or even someone above the Sword Immortal Realm, to wield it.

Xue Lingyun exchanged a look with the others.

The difference of one major Realm was like heaven and earth.