141: Start closing in

In the underground secret chamber of the Tianwaitian Headquarters, the oil lamp on the stone wall flickered, casting a long shadow of Jun Xiaoyao. His fingertip caressed a white jade chess piece, the character “Luo” carved upon it shining with a cold light—this was the token of The Net's Heaven Group. On the stone platform in the center of the chamber, a map of the continent was spread out. The Misty Rain Tower in Jiangnan, the mountain gate of Kunlun Ruins, and the remaining strongholds of the Shadow Pavilion were all marked with cinnabar, with the location of Kunlun Ruins circled three times in red, making it particularly conspicuous.

"Young Lord," Zhao Gao stepped in lightly and placed a scroll on the desk. "The Earth Group has reported that the remaining stragglers of the Shadow Pavilion's Jiangnan branch have fled toward Kunlun Ruins as planned, carrying the imitation half-piece of the 'Tianyan Luopan Fragment' in their possession." He paused, then added, "The imitation is extremely realistic; it has a low-grade Spirit Stone embedded inside, capable of emitting faint Spiritual Vein fluctuations, enough to pass for the real thing."

Jun Xiaoyao raised his eyes, which were calm and unmoving: "Ling Yunxiao's reaction?"

"According to the informants from The Unruly, Ling Yunxiao has left Kunlun Ruins with thirty Core Disciples and is rushing toward the ambush we set up. He probably thinks thirty people are enough to swallow Tianwaitian's 'Core Treasure.'" Zhao Gao's voice carried a hint of mockery. "After all, in his eyes, Tianwaitian is just an underground force that rose through assassination; how could it possibly contend with a Holy Land?"

"Heh, the arrogance of a Holy Land." Jun Xiaoyao pressed the white jade chess piece onto the ambush point on the map—a canyon named "Soul Severing Cliff." "Is Marshal of the Unruly ready?"

"Ready." Zhao Gao nodded. "Marshal of the Unruly is personally leading ten members of the Heaven Group to guard the cliff top, and twenty members of the Earth Group are disguised as remaining Shadow Pavilion members, luring the enemy at the bottom of the valley. I also transferred five Disciples skilled in Formation to set up the 'Spirit Locking Array' at the valley entrance. Once activated, it can temporarily block Spiritual Power perception below the Heavenly Human Realm, preventing them from calling for help."

Jun Xiaoyao tapped his finger on the three characters "Soul Severing Cliff": "What about Little Dragon Girl?"

"Miss Long is already lurking at the bottom of the cliff. She said there's no need to use full strength when dealing with these 'juniors.'" As Zhao Gao spoke, he handed over a water mirror. "This is a Real-time Communication Mirror; you can observe the situation inside the cliff anytime."

The water mirror lit up, clearly reflecting the scene at Soul Severing Cliff: the bottom of the valley was rugged with strange rocks, and a few withered trees stood in the wind. The members of the Earth Group were pretending to be panicked, clutching the imitation compass fragment in their arms, pacing back and forth, acting extremely realistically.

Jun Xiaoyao looked at the water mirror and suddenly said, "Activate the summon."

[System Notification: Consuming 1,000 Summoning Points, randomly summoning a Wuxia world character...]

[Summoning Successful!]

A pale golden halo suddenly appeared beside the water mirror, and the light condensed into a figure—eight feet tall, with a face like a dark jujube, narrow Phoenix Eyes, holding the green dragon crescent blade. It was none other than Guan Yu from the romance of the three kingdoms.

[Character Panel Expanded:

Name: Guan Yu

Origin World: romance of the three kingdoms

Realm: Peak Heaven-Human Realm

Martial Skills and Cultivation Techniques:

1. Azure Dragon Crescent Blade Technique: The Saber momentum is heavy and fierce, capable of splitting mountains and breaking stones. It contains the Dao rhythm of "Loyalty and Righteousness," providing extra suppression against wicked individuals.

2. Spring and Autumn Righteous Qi Manual: An internal Mind-Cultivation Technique, extremely pure Yang and rigid. When circulated, the body emits Vast Righteous Qi, capable of purifying Yin and evil energy.

3. Passive Skill "Martial Saint Pressure": Martial Artists below the Heavenly Human Realm will be intimidated by his Aura, causing their movements to lag.]

Guan Yu stroked his long beard, cupped his fists, and bowed to Jun Xiaoyao, his voice like a great bell: "Guan Yunchang greets the Young Lord."

Jun Xiaoyao nodded slightly: "Lord Yunchang, there's no need for such formality. The purpose of asking for your help this time is not to take lives, but merely to blunt the sharp edge of Kunlun Ruins." He pointed at Ling Yunxiao's figure in the water mirror. "This person is arrogant and conceited. Cripple his arm, but leave him alive to return and deliver the message."

A look of understanding flashed in Guan Yu's eyes, and he nodded heavily: "Young Lord, rest assured, I know the proper limits."

At this moment, the scene in the water mirror shifted. Ling Yunxiao and his people had arrived at the Soul Severing Cliff valley entrance. He pulled on his reins, looked around, and smiled arrogantly: "Scum of the Shadow Pavilion, hand over the compass fragment! This Young Master of the Ruins can grant you a quick death!"

The members of the Earth Group at the bottom of the valley feigned panic. One of them, "desperate for an escape," tried to run out of the valley, but was blocked by the invisible Formation right at the entrance, stumbling and falling to the ground—the Spirit Locking Array had quietly activated.

"Hmm? A Formation?" Ling Yunxiao frowned, then sneered, "A mere trick! Break it!" Thirty Kunlun Disciples immediately activated their Spiritual Power, pointing their long swords toward the valley entrance. Sword Qi crisscrossed, attempting to tear apart the Formation barrier.

Just then, a sharp shout came from the cliff top: "Kunlun juniors, cease your insolence!"

The figure of Marshal of the Unruly appeared at the edge of the cliff. His bronze mask reflected a cold light, and the Heaven Group assassins behind him dispersed like ghosts. Their crossbows were drawn, the arrowheads gleaming with a dark blue poisonous light.

"Marshal of the Unruly?!" Ling Yunxiao's face instantly changed. He hadn't expected Tianwaitian to be affiliated with The Unruly. "How dare you touch people from Kunlun Ruins?"

"And what if we did?" Marshal of the Unruly's voice came through the mask, carrying the cold hardness of metal. "Trespassing on Tianwaitian's territory and coveting the Young Lord's possessions deserves punishment."

Before he finished speaking, a whirlwind of white robes suddenly rose from the valley floor. Little Dragon Girl's figure flashed out from behind a withered tree. The silver strands of her whisk were like silk ribbons, instantly wrapping around the wrists of three Kunlun Disciples. With a light tug, their long swords flew out of their hands, and the people were flung against the stone wall, knocking them unconscious.

"Little Dragon Girl?!" Ling Yunxiao was both shocked and enraged. "You, a successor of the Ancient Tomb Sect, why are you helping such an evil faction?"

Little Dragon Girl did not reply. Her figure flickered like a ghost, and every swing of her whisk was accompanied by the muffled thud of a Disciple falling. Her Jade Maiden Heart Sutra inherently suppressed forceful Yang Martial Arts. The Kunlun Disciples' sword techniques were overly fierce but lacked agility; they couldn't even touch the hem of her robes.

"Useless! All of you, attack!" Ling Yunxiao roared, personally drawing his sword and charging forward. His sword moves were fierce, aimed straight at Little Dragon Girl's heart.

Suddenly, a red light sliced down from the cliff top. Saber Qi, like a bolt of silk, slashed toward Ling Yunxiao's back. Guan Yu had appeared at the cliff edge at some unknown time, the green dragon crescent blade pointing diagonally toward the ground, red light flowing across the blade body: "Junior, your opponent is me!"

Ling Yunxiao sensed the ominous wind at his back and hastily turned to block. With a tremendous clang, his long sword was bent from the impact, the skin between his thumb and forefinger split open, and he stumbled back three steps. The look in his eyes when he saw Guan Yu was filled with horror: "Peak Heaven-Human Realm?! How does Tianwaitian have an expert of this level?"

Guan Yu stroked his beard and stood firm, his Aura like a mountain: "I am Guan Yunchang. Today, I shall teach you, on behalf of your father, what 'Awe' means." Saying this, the Saber light flashed again. This time, it did not target a vital spot, but slashed only at Ling Yunxiao's right arm.

"Ah—!" A scream rang out. Ling Yunxiao's right arm was struck by the Saber Qi; his clothes were shredded, the flesh was mangled, and the entire arm was temporarily crippled. He collapsed onto the ground, watching his surrounding Disciples fall one by one, finally tasting the flavor of fear.

Jun Xiaoyao watched the scene through the water mirror, lightly tapping the tabletop with his fingertip: "That's enough."

Zhao Gao immediately understood and sent a message to Marshal of the Unruly: "Leave five people to guard, the rest retreat."

At the bottom of the cliff, Marshal of the Unruly whistled. The Heaven Group and Little Dragon Girl quickly withdrew, leaving only the wailing Kunlun Disciples and the arm-crippled Ling Yunxiao on the ground. The Spirit Locking Array was then lifted. Ling Yunxiao looked at the empty cliff top, his eyes filled with humiliation and venom: "Tianwaitian... Jun Xiaoyao... My Kunlun Ruins will never let this rest!"

In the secret chamber, Jun Xiaoyao closed Guan Yu's Character Panel and said to Zhao Gao, "Counting the time, the Kunlun Ruins Master should have received the news by now." He looked at Ling Yunxiao's miserable state in the water mirror, a cold, sharp smile playing on his lips. "The fury of a Holy Land? Perfect. I want to see exactly how much substance this so-called Holy Land heritage truly possesses."

Zhao Gao bowed and said, "As the Young Lord instructed, we had The Unruly spread the news that the Young Master of the Ruins of Kunlun Ruins led people to forcefully seize Tianwaitian's treasure and was severely wounded in return. Now, the Jianghu is watching Kunlun Ruins' reaction. Many forces with old grudges against Kunlun Ruins have secretly sent people to contact us, seeking an alliance."

"Alliance?" Jun Xiaoyao sneered. "They merely want to borrow a knife to kill someone. Tell them that cooperation is possible, but they must exchange resources for it—medicinal materials, Ore, Cultivation Technique Secret Manuals. If even one item is missing, the deal is off."

"Yes."

Jun Xiaoyao picked up the teacup from the table, the steam obscuring his face. Outside the window, the night deepened. The undercurrents of the continent grew turbulent because of the battle at Soul Severing Cliff, and he knew this was only the beginning. Kunlun Ruins' retaliation would be the next storm, and he was ready to meet this storm, and even... steer it in a direction more favorable to Tianwaitian.

In the water mirror, Ling Yunxiao was carried away by the remaining Disciples. The bloodstains from his crippled arm dyed the mountain road red, serving as a glaring warning, demonstrating that Tianwaitian's fangs had officially been bared toward the Holy Land.