186: Chapter 186 The Famous Martial Arts Technique: The Eighteen Swords Formation!

Meanwhile, the Su and Mu families completely ignored the Xie Family's thoughts on the matter.

Under the gaze of numerous Dark River assassins, the six individuals slowly stepped forward.

Without exception, all were top-tier experts of the Carefree Heaven Realm.

They were Mu Liangyue, Mu Yumo, Su Ziyi, Su Hongxi, Su Changhe, and Su Muyu.

On the surface, with two from the Mu Family and four from the Su Family, the Mu Family seemed weaker.

But everyone understood that the two sisters of the Su Family had long since sided with Mu Liangyue.

"It seems you have completely sided with the Martial Arts Hall."

Su Muyu looked at the two Juniors of his Family, his tone calm but carrying a trace of coldness.

"Brother Muyu, you must be joking. We are merely the Master's Disciples."

Su Ziyi chuckled, covering her lips. The cinnabar mole between her eyebrows trembled slightly with her laughter, looking incredibly vivid.

Su Hongxi also nodded faintly: "The Dark River has always determined status by strength. If you can emerge victorious, we naturally will not persist."

Su Muyu nodded.

Su Changhe's expression shifted slightly as he finally spoke: "If you take charge of the Dark River, does it mean the entire organization will fall under the control of that Mr. Su?"

Mu Liangyue chuckled, then said seriously, "What kind of person the Master is—do you still not understand?"

That cold laugh caused Su Changhe's expression to change slightly, but he ultimately did not ask further.

Because he knew she was right.

They had seen Su Rui's strength with their own eyes.

If he intended to establish a sect, supporters from all directions would surely flock to him like a tide.

And the Dark River was merely an assassin organization; though its scale was not small,

when it came to true strength, it wouldn't even rank in the top five within the Northern Li Jianghu.

At this moment, Su Changhe's heart was filled with mixed emotions.

The things he had spent his life protecting seemed as cheap as dust in that man's eyes.

This disparity was something he found difficult to bear for a moment.

Mu Yumo's fingertips moved slightly, and a small black and red spider crawled slowly.

Her gaze was slightly cold as she swept it across the three people opposite her.

"In that case, the numbers are just right. Let our skills speak for themselves."

She had long since noticed that Mu Liangyue's mind was not on Family disputes, yet she did not feel disappointed.

There was not even a need for much arrangement; the outcome was already decided.

She walked slowly to Su Muyu's side.

Three against three.

Su Rui's Disciples against the three Elders of the Dark River.

"I'll go first."

Seeing Mu Yumo walk to the opposite side, Mu Liangyue was not surprised and stepped forward calmly.

Su Muyu took a step forward.

"Is the Leader going to use the Twilight Rain Sword?"

Looking at Su Muyu appearing, Mu Liangyue's lips curled slightly as she spoke indifferently.

"I am no longer your Leader now.

I saw your battle in Snow Moon City with my own eyes. I didn't expect you to step into the Carefree Heaven Realm in such a short time."

Before his voice faded, the umbrella in Su Muyu's hand suddenly dissipated, transforming into eighteen slender long swords circling his body—they were formed from the umbrella ribs and were also his renowned Jianghu technique: the Eighteen Sword Formation.

"I'm ashamed to say I haven't truly experienced the Leader's sword Formation yet.

It just so happens that the Master recently taught me a new Formation. Why not have the Leader give me some pointers?"

Seeing Su Muyu already going all out, Mu Liangyue's expression remained normal, without a hint of fear.

She took a wooden case from her bosom and opened it gently.

In an instant, emerald-green small swords flew out like swimming fish, circling around her.

At the same time, a wisp of pink mist rose from beneath her feet, swirling around.

"Liangyue has actually become strong enough to reach such a Realm?" Mu Yumo stared at the figure in the hazy mist, unable to help but whisper in surprise.

"It's not surprising," Su Changhe stood with his hands behind his back. "During the previous battle at Qingyun Terrace, she teamed up with the Su Hongxi sisters against Ye Dingzhi, and they didn't lose even after a long struggle."

Mu Yumo frowned slightly: "You seem very certain she can win?"

"I wouldn't call it certainty," Su Changhe chuckled. "But who wins or loses isn't important to me.

I'm just tired of these old rules of the Dark River."

He had another sentence hidden in his heart—even if the three women truly seized the position of Patriarch, it wouldn't affect the overall situation.

As long as they don't stay in the Dark River forever, the true power will ultimately remain in the hands of his own people.

With an expert like Su Rui personally guiding them, he didn't believe these three girls would be trapped here for long.

Mu Yumo nodded slightly, seemingly understanding but not quite.

At this moment, Mu Liangyue's voice rang out again: "The Da Geng Sword Formation. My Aptitude is mediocre; for now, I can only control twelve Flying Swords to set up the Formation."

Su Muyu's eyes shifted, and his figure flashed as he charged straight toward the edge of the pink mist.

He raised his hand and guided the eighteen slender swords, which connected end to end like a chain, piercing into the mist and dashing back and forth within the pink haze.

In his eyes, this mist domain was not wide, and the sword light was enough to cover every inch.

However, a moment later, his expression suddenly turned solemn.

The attack missed—it hadn't hit anyone.

Immediately after, the pink mist surged violently, swallowing him whole in an instant and continuing to spread outward.

In the blink of an eye, the open space originally surrounded by assassins was completely enveloped by thick mist.

The Dark River members all around hurriedly retreated to avoid it.

Inside the mist, Su Muyu's face changed drastically, and he immediately retreated violently.

The eighteen swords quickly returned to defend, circling in front of him.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sound of breaking wind approached rapidly, and his heart tightened.

The slender swords around him spun rapidly, clanging incessantly as they barely parried several incoming sword shadows.

But his path of retreat was firmly blocked.

"The Leader hasn't tasted the flavor of the Butterfly Dream Formation yet, has he?" Mu Liangyue's voice was elusive, as if coming from all directions, making it impossible to determine her true location.

Within the pink mist, graceful figures appeared intermittently.

But whenever Su Muyu's gaze swept over them, those illusions would quietly vanish.

"My Foundation is insufficient, and I haven't fully realized the Mind-Cultivation Technique passed down by the Master, so I had to find another way and create some variations myself.

Leader, be careful." The voice rang out again, still with an indistinguishable direction.

"It's the Butterfly Dream Illusion!" Mu Yumo blurted out.

Although outsiders could hear the sounds, they could not see the scenes within the mist.

But in Su Muyu's eyes, the world before him had already changed.

Countless beautiful figures emerged: some danced in the air with silk ribbons, others danced gracefully with swords.

Yet every face was blurred, with only pairs of eyes like burning flames that captivated the soul.

Su Muyu's entire body shook, and his consciousness almost came to a standstill.

"It seems the Leader has slackened quite a bit lately." Mu Liangyue's figure quietly appeared beside him, her tone relaxed as she even reached out to playfully touch the Twilight Rain Sword suspended near him.

"You are too overconfident."

A cold light flashed, and a long sword was already held against the side of her neck.

"Changhong Sword?" Mu Liangyue looked at the sharp blade against her skin, her tone mild.

"Correct. You should understand that before I created the Eighteen Sword Formation, I was no ordinary person!"

Mu Liangyue nodded slightly. Before her voice faded, her figure suddenly shattered, transforming into martial aura like pink clouds that filled the air.

Figures around him stirred, their eyes glowing with crimson firelight as they surged toward Su Muyu like a tide.

The Changhong Sword swept out, and figures shattered one after another, turning into clumps of thin mist.

But Su Muyu's mind gradually wavered amidst this continuous onslaught.

The more enemies he cut down, the stronger the anger in his heart grew, making his agitation hard to calm.

However, after those slain figures dissipated into mist, they quickly gathered and reformed, as if there were no end to them.

And Mu Liangyue herself had never appeared.

She moved gracefully within the Butterfly Dream Illusion, quietly watching Su Muyu completely sink into the enchantment of the Fire Charm Technique.

This secret technique, personally taught by Su Rui and first passed to her, held an indescribable weight in her heart.

But now, the Fire Charm Technique itself was no longer enough to influence the battle.

She had been pondering how to fuse this technique with her own strengths to the ultimate degree.

The Butterfly Dream Illusion before her was exactly the new state she had created, based on the Fire Charm Technique and combined with her own insights.

Rather than a Cultivation Technique, it was more like a sublimation after the Fusion of two supreme skills.

The figures in the illusion were all driven by the Fire Charm Technique, endless and circulating without stop.

If an opponent's strength was slightly inferior, they would be confused by the chaotic shadows and lose;

if they were strong or had a firm state of mind, this Formation could also restrain their actions, buying time for subsequent moves.

Suddenly, the pink martial aura filling the sky returned to silence.

The people outside were completely unaware of the changes within, and could only hold their breath and focus, waiting for the result.

At this time, Su Muyu also noticed something unusual—his thoughts were becoming increasingly disordered, as if an invisible force was constantly stirring his deeply hidden violence and resentment.

His heart tightened, and he quickly dodged several incoming graceful illusions, suddenly turning and rushing toward the rear.

"You noticed? A pity... it's too late."

Mu Liangyue's voice rang out leisurely, and in an instant, the pink mist collapsed with a bang.

Su Muyu's forward momentum came to an abrupt halt.

Within the Void Realm around him, countless fine sword silks quietly emerged, wrapping layer upon layer, trapping him firmly in the center.

Too many!

He realized he had delayed too long and had never truly broken this illusion Formation.

If Mu Liangyue were to press him further with Flying Swords, he would probably have to return to the illusion to find another way out.

As the twelve small green swords slowly shifted positions, the sword silks tightened further, like a spider web strangling its prey.

At this moment, Mu Liangyue's strength was no longer what it used to be; the toughness and sharpness of the sword silks were far beyond what they once were.

Su Muyu gripped the Changhong Sword tightly, pouring all his internal breath into the blade's edge as he met the pressing sword silks.

The ear-piercing sound of clashing metal rang out, sparks flew, and the sword silks rubbed violently against the sword's body.

His expression changed drastically, and he immediately activated the Eighteen Sword Formation.

But facing this dense, web-like restraint of sword silks, there was actually no opportunity for a Breakthrough.

"Enough, Mu Liangyue. Muyu admits defeat!"

Su Changhe suddenly spoke up to stop them.

The sword silks had already cut through Su Muyu's clothes, and bloodstains began to appear.

He knew Su Muyu had a stubborn temperament; if no one stopped it, he would certainly fight until he was seriously injured.

Hearing this, Mu Liangyue withdrew her hands, her jade-like fingers lightly closing, and the twelve small swords became still.

A hint of gloom flashed in Su Muyu's eyes as he slowly sheathed his sword.

He had lost.

She had no intention of taking his life; at this moment, the sword silks lost their support and collapsed one after another.

The twelve Flying Swords, like spiritual fish returning to the deep, flew gracefully back into the sword box in her palm.

"Sister Liangyue's move has truly made me see you in a new light."

Mu Yumo's eyes trembled slightly, her shock hard to hide in her tone.

"Sister Yumo, there's no need for surprise. Next, it's my turn to ask for your guidance."

Su Hongxi stepped forward slowly with a smile on her lips.