Since then, he had been wary of the temple, quietly inquiring about news regarding the temple. Whether by luck or misfortune, to this day, apart from secrets that were not really secrets to ancient families like the Eight Great Families, he had not discovered anything useful, nor had he been targeted for assassination by the temple again. Yet, upon learning of the temple’s origins and their enmity with the Holy Court, he still dared not take the temple lightly. Hearing Jiang Yuzhe’s suspicions about the temple, his nerves instantly tensed.

"No, it shouldn’t be someone from the temple." Han Yan and Zirong said in unison.

After speaking, the two exchanged smiles.

"Why?" Jiang Yuzhe asked in confusion.

"Yanran hates the temple to the bone and has some understanding of them. She can sense the presence of those from the temple. If she suspected it was them, she would have said so earlier." Han Yan explained, not wanting to see Jiang Yuzhe’s confidence completely shattered by Zirong.

Actually, Jiang Yuzhe was not dumb, as evidenced by his ability to comprehend Shadow Shifting on his own. He simply couldn’t compare to Zirong. After arriving at the Mu Family, his slow-wittedness became even more apparent in comparison. Sometimes Han Yan couldn’t help but wonder if Jiang Yuzhe’s mind had been damaged by too many slaps from his seemingly gentle yet truly fierce cousin.

"I see." Jiang Yuzhe realized, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. In fact, Zirong had mentioned this earlier, but he hadn’t thought deeply about it and unknowingly lagged again. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Not bad, not bad. At least there are still a few who use their brains and don’t throw dirty water on us." At that moment, an aged voice came from outside the window. The tone seemed to praise Han Yan and Zirong but carried a strong undertone of somberness.

As soon as the words fell, the tightly closed door was blown open with a palm strike. An elder, shrouded entirely in a black robe, stood in the courtyard, wearing a faint smile, looking at Han Yan and the others like lambs to the slaughter.

"I am the Divine Guardian Priest of the temple, Gai Huangji!" the elder declared arrogantly.

The expressions of Han Yan and the others turned extremely serious. Although they had guessed his identity from his words earlier, hearing him admit it himself felt entirely different.

It’s very difficult for people from the temple to infiltrate the Holy Court Continent, and they also face relentless extermination by the Holy Court. They would never reveal themselves easily. If they fail, they’re willing to self-detonate their Qi to avoid revealing their identity. Gai Huangji openly revealing his identity upon arrival clearly indicated he was prepared to kill them to maintain secrecy. In other words, he would spare no one present.

Han Yan didn’t know what status the Divine Guardian Priest held in the temple, but given his self-assured demeanor, it was certainly not low.

"For so many years, I don’t know who’s been wantonly killing innocents, dumping all the dirty water on our temple. You all see the truth behind this, vindicate our temple, and as a priest, I truly admire you." Gai Huangji said with the posture of a senior elder, but then his tone shifted, "However, it’s unfortunate that you are the descendants of the Guardian of the Gods, with your bloodlines awakened. In the end, we are enemies, not allies. I can only kill you to eliminate future troubles for the temple."

"If you want to kill us, I’m afraid it won’t be so easy." Han Yan, having already guessed the opponent’s murderous intent, was not surprised by his words. Holding the Cold Sky Sword, he said coldly.

"You must be Han Yan. I heard you were promoted to Fifth Rank Sword Master some time ago, and I intended to act then. But when I arrived at Yunjing City, you had already gone to Shangyue, letting you escape one catastrophe. I didn’t expect that upon your return, you had reached the Great Sword Master Realm. If it weren’t for tonight’s events, killing you would indeed come at a considerable cost. But unfortunately, now you’re probably unable to even exert Third Stage Sword Master’s combat power." Gai Huangji smiled slightly, a surge of overwhelming Qi radiating from him.

"Ninth Rank Sword Master!" Han Yan and the others were slightly startled.

On the Holy Court Continent, temple experts’ powers are suppressed by the Heaven and Earth Rules. Without using a Forbidden Technique to tear open the seal barrier between the two continents, Gai Huangji could release the pressure of a Ninth Rank Sword Master, which meant his true strength far exceeded that of a Sword Saint.

It’s no wonder he said that if it weren’t for tonight’s events, he could still kill Han Yan, though it would cost him. He certainly had the grounds for pride.

If Han Yan and the others hadn’t severely weakened their strength to save Ye Yanran, perhaps they might have had the capital for a fight against Gai Huangji. But now, even Han Yan had only recovered to Third Stage Sword Master strength, while Huayue and the others were even less capable, not even reaching Second Rank Sword Master. How could they possibly rival him?

However, Han Yan did not regret it. The opponent was hidden while they were in the open, and the opponent had calculated while they hadn’t. Perhaps they would find an opportunity, if not tonight, then one day, they would still face such a crisis.

Escape? Han Yan was not someone reckless and heedless of life and death. Every seemingly impulsive decision was the result of repeated weighing and careful consideration, ultimately making decisions that had to be made. And this time, knowing it was not a match, she thought of escape.

But upon further thought, she dismissed this idea. With their current Third Stage Sword Master strength, how could they escape the pursuit of a Ninth Rank Sword Master? Fearfully, they wouldn’t escape two miles before he would hunt them down one by one.

Since they couldn’t escape, they could only fight desperately. Once again, there was no other choice.

Having made her decision, Han Yan gave Huayue and the others a signal, and they understood, quietly forming a hand formation.

"Star Fall, Eight Desolates!" Han Yan made the first move.

The Cold Sky Sword roared like a dragon, and a sword light with a ghostly blue chill sliced through the night sky, slashing towards Gai Huangji’s head.

The combat power gap was too large. Han Yan had no chance to conserve strength and wouldn’t hold back any cards. She used her most powerful sword technique immediately.

"Thunder Sound, Sword Swinging!"

"Demon Sword, Heart Kill!"

"Clone, Illusion Destruction!"

"Fury, Devil Slash!"

Almost simultaneously, Huayue, Zirong, and the others unleashed their powerful kill moves.

In mid-air, sword lights flickered, and the long clamor of swords seemed like thunderbolts erupting, full of grand momentum.

However, unfortunately, although the momentum seemed grand, the true power within the swords was not what it used to be. Even with the help of the Five Great Magical Instruments and the Sword Array, their strength was significantly enhanced, but the strongest among them, Han Yan, only advanced from Third Stage Sword Master to Fifth Rank Sword Master, while Huayue and Zirong were just Third Stage Sword Masters.

With such combat strength, even with the five of them working together, they certainly couldn’t be Gai Huangji’s match.

How could they overcome this crisis?