"Damn it!"

The two Saints who were repelled back were Saint Elders from the Huangfu Clan and the Azure Dragon Family. They had been hidden in the crowd, only revealing themselves at this moment. Unexpectedly, the Cave Mansion rejected them outright, giving them no opportunity to enter.

"It seems the Elder cannot enter, so we shall guard the outside."

Murong Qingcheng saw this scene and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This turn of events actually benefitted her because if the Saint Elder had entered, the actions would surely have been led by him. Now that he couldn’t enter the Treasure Cave Mansion, the operation would certainly be led by her.

"Qingcheng, it’s up to you."

The Saint Elder nodded towards Murong Qingcheng. The Huangfu Clan and other families nearby did the same. They weren’t too worried, as Saints from the Nine Great Families couldn’t enter either, which was a good thing for the families besides the Azure Dragon Family.

After all, their families’ Saints could not match the Azure Dragon Family in either quantity or quality. Now that neither side could enter, the dominance of the Azure Dragon Family would be somewhat curbed.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The ancient stone door, as if a fuse had been lit, instantly made countless experts’ eyes turn blood-red. The sound of wind breaking filled the sky simultaneously. Innumerable figures, like locusts, dashed towards the open stone door.

Ling Chen was about to follow the crowd when suddenly, the black small sword in his hand trembled, seemingly warning him, causing Ling Chen to hesitate. He then looked towards Huangfu Qi, who was leisurely chatting with his elders, with a mocking look in his eyes.

Seeing this, Ling Chen decided not to act rashly and instead chose to observe for the moment.

As expected by Ling Chen, just as those figures were about to reach the stone door, the light within dimmed, revealing a crimson square.

Inside the stone door, there were numerous red figures, all clad in flame-like armor, clearly puppets controlled by fire energy. These puppets seemed to form an army and, the moment the experts entered the stone door, the puppet army charged out and clashed with the intruding experts.

The dense sword shadows swiftly struck. The leading hundreds of experts, surrounded by majestic true energy, were instantly hit, their bodies exploding into a blood mist under shocked gazes, their flesh igniting mid-air.

Screams of agony echoed continuously.

Seeing this, Ling Chen couldn’t help but narrow his eyes. No wonder Huangfu Qi and Murong Qingcheng hadn’t moved immediately. They must have anticipated this, using these people to bear the brunt of the damage.

These people are indeed clever and ruthless.

But in such a place, no one speaks of loyalty. Under the premise of absolute profit, they would betray strangers or even acquaintances without hesitation.

"Damn it! What the hell are these things!"

After being massacred like cut grass by the puppet army, the experts quickly regained their senses. Being notable figures within the Yangzhou Territory, they were provoked, drawing weapons and channeling True Qi, engaging the puppet soldiers in battle.

Despite the puppet soldiers being fearless and powerful, the experts were no ordinary individuals. They quickly reached a stalemate with the puppets.

"Now’s the time, go!"

At this critical moment, Huangfu Qi finally moved, leading the Huangfu Clan’s experts towards the stone door, clearly aiming to slip through in the chaos.

Murong Qingcheng was a step slower, appearing calm and composed. Being from one of the Nine Great Families, she was confident, not worrying about losing the treasure. After Huangfu Qi and his entourage moved, they followed suit.

The remaining experts from the Saint Families also joined, rushing into the stone door.

Ling Chen drew the Thunder Sound Sword, using the Sword Controlling Technique. Riding the Thunder Sound Sword, he turned into a sword light, shooting towards the stone door.

Though slightly behind, Ling Chen’s speed with the Flight of the Sword was swift, catching up with Huangfu Qi and Murong Qingcheng’s groups in the blink of an eye.

"Sword Controlling Technique?" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Seeing Ling Chen flying with the sword, Huangfu Qi was startled. The Sword Controlling Technique was an ancient swordsmanship famous throughout the realm. He couldn’t not recognize it; he just didn’t expect this mere masked man to wield such an ultimate sword art.

Thanks to the advanced Sword Controlling Technique, Ling Chen faced no obstacles. The puppet army couldn’t even touch his clothes, let alone attack him.

"That guy’s having it easy following us. We must find a chance to deal with him later."

Seeing Ling Chen catching up, Huangfu Qi felt a chill in his heart. He had long wanted to eliminate Ling Chen, but never had the opportunity. Now that Ling Chen’s key was useless, he became expendable, and killing him had no consequences.

Besides, seizing Ling Chen’s Sword Controlling Technique was enticing. Being an ancient sword art, few forces in the Nine Provinces possessed it. Acquiring it would be a tremendous gain for him personally, and for the entire Huangfu Clan.

Ling Chen had always been wary of Huangfu Qi, finding him deceitful despite his charming demeanor. He remained vigilant. At this moment, Ling Chen’s gaze shifted, and he noticed an end to the puppet army in the distance, where a fiery ring slowly spun, emitting intense array energy. That was the true entrance to the Cave Mansion!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Just as the crowd caught sight of the fiery ring, more than a dozen powerful figures emerged from the puppet army. These figures stood two meters tall, and their armor was genuine defense, unlike the prior puppet soldiers. If the previous ones were ordinary soldiers, these were generals, significantly more formidable.