Old Xue gazed at the crimson gleam on Bai Yuan’s blade and couldn’t help but let out a hearty laugh.

The chance to fight alongside the Blood Tiger Saber once more filled him with pure exhilaration.

It would be worth it, even if it meant death.

Bai Yuan rolled his eyes.

’His master’s habit of posturing before a big fight really wasn’t great; it had zero practical value.’

The lean, middle-aged man lost his patience, whipping the iron chain in his hand through the air.

Bai Yuan and Old Xue worked together with flawless coordination.

Old Xue met the elusive iron chain head-on while Bai Yuan circled nearby, waiting for an opening.

This assassin, Si, wasn’t like Old Xue, a Strong Internal Martial Artist who had forced his way through the barrier. Si was in his prime, his strength clearly a cut above the old man’s.

Bai Yuan’s current strength was no match for Si, but his occasional, vicious strikes still forced the assassin to fall back on the defensive.

After a hundred exchanges, the two sides were surprisingly evenly matched!

The lean, middle-aged man was gradually growing infuriated.

Just as he was preparing to use a Soul-Chasing Tower Secret Technique to end the fight, Bai Yuan, contrary to his usual tactics, stopped circling and rapidly closed in.

Si sneered inwardly.

’Just as I thought. Too young.’

"Then I’ll be happy to oblige!"

Something so out of character had to be a trick. He guessed this poison-loving boy was about to pull some other insidious stunt.

But he was unaware that every Ghost Messenger-level assassin from the Soul-Chasing Tower had consumed the poison pills of the Ghost Scorpion Patriarch; ordinary poisons and powders were completely useless against them.

With a twist of his wrist, the iron chain that had been heading for Old Xue whipped around in a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn, shooting straight for Bai Yuan’s vital points!

Bai Yuan acted as if he hadn’t even seen the chain hurtling toward him.

Finally, he was mere inches from the lean, middle-aged man!

He raised his sleeve.

Si saw a thumb-sized cyan snake coiled around the arm within Bai Yuan’s sleeve.

Xiaoqing opened its jaws and lunged, sinking its fangs into the man’s arm.

It all happened too fast. Even with the reflexes of a Strong Internal Martial Master, he was too late to react.

Though Xiaoqing was weakened from its recent molting, it was, after all, a Three-Metamorphosis Snake Demon!

The venom of the Three-Metamorphosis Snake Demon surged from its fangs, flooding the lean, middle-aged man’s body.

A wave of powerlessness washed over Si in an instant. Terror seized his heart.

’What terrifying poison!’

As a Ghost Messenger-level assassin, he had encountered countless poisons in his lifetime, yet all of them combined paled in comparison to the venom of that small cyan snake.

Before Old Xue’s horrified gaze—

The lean, middle-aged man’s body shriveled at a visible rate, ultimately melting into a pool of blood. A mighty Strong Internal Martial Artist, poisoned to death just like that!

Old Xue’s eyes widened, and for a moment, he was speechless.

At the same instant, the iron chain pierced through Bai Yuan’s chest.

Another inch, and it would have taken his life. But of course, this was all part of his calculation, something he could manage with his demon-sensing perception.

The powerful restorative ability of the Tiger-Crane Style quickly enveloped the wound. The initial searing pain gradually faded as the blood began to coagulate and form a scab.

Old Xue’s eyes narrowed slightly as he witnessed this.

’What profound Inner Strength.’

The Black Baleful lineage focused only on killing power, never on cultivating Inner Strength. Therefore, this Inner Strength was clearly not learned from the Celestial One Pavilion.

Old Xue hurried forward to help Bai Yuan up, but he didn’t press the matter with questions.

Everyone has their secrets; there was no need to pry.

The fact that Bai Yuan had appeared in the small courtyard tonight was enough. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"You little..."

Old Xue was about to laugh and curse, but a backlash from his old injuries made him grimace in pain.

Bai Yuan said, "Master, you should worry about yourself first."

’By forcing himself back to the Strong Organ Pass tonight, Master has probably shaved several years off his life.’

’It’s a shame that while my dietary therapies are unique, they don’t have the miraculous effect of extending life. I can, however, prepare a few recipes to slowly alleviate Master’s old injuries.’

"I’m not dead yet."

Old Xue glared at Bai Yuan with a grin, then burst into laughter again.

"Ha ha ha... COUGH... COUGH."

Bai Yuan listened to the commotion outside the Martial Arts Hall.

"Master, what do we do now?"

"First, we get out of the city."

Old Xue gathered himself, taking a ragged breath.

The Soul-Chasing Tower had made too big a move tonight; it was far beyond what the little Huwei Arts Hall could possibly handle.

...

Meanwhile.

「Before the chaos.」

Vice General Zhao was leading a group of soldiers, patrolling back and forth in front of the County Magistrate’s Office.

The Xuan Yang Dynasty was founded on martial prowess, so there was no clear separation between civil and military officials. The Qinghe County Magistrate’s Office had its own City Guard Army.

As the second-in-command of the army under Magistrate Zhang, Vice General Zhao was also an Yijin Martial Master and a deadly fighter.

Just as midnight approached, a group of people appeared, hurrying toward the entrance of the County Magistrate’s Office.

Vice General Zhao’s heart skipped a beat when he saw who it was.

The visitor was none other than the Patriarch of the Liu Family, Liu Wen!

’For the Liu Family Patriarch to come in person so late at night... has something major happened?’

Vice General Zhao naturally recognized this prominent figure in the city. He hurried to greet him, "Patriarch Liu, what’s happened?"

Liu Wen said gravely, "The Liu Family was ambushed by the Soul-Chasing Tower. We suffered heavy casualties. I fought my way out with my men and wish to see the emissary from the Divine Mansion Sect."

Hearing this, the color drained from Vice General Zhao’s face.

’The Soul-Chasing Tower actually struck the Liu Family first. This is a catastrophe.’

He was about to turn and lead the Liu Family party to the main hall when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

’The Liu Family estate isn’t far from the County Magistrate’s Office. Why haven’t I heard a single sound from such a major incident?’

’Something’s wrong!’

Vice General Zhao drew back his foot.

But just as he turned to question Liu Wen, he saw a pair of palms, shrouded in a fierce gale of energy, striking toward him.

Liu Wen smashed Vice General Zhao’s head like a watermelon.

As Liu Wen struck, several figures darted from the shadows. In a single breath, every official at the entrance to the County Magistrate’s Office was dead, all without making a sound.

"He was asking for it."

Liu Wen glanced at the headless corpse on the ground.

’Vice General Zhao’s mistake was being too clever—or perhaps, not clever enough.’

...

Qinghe County Town was in chaos.

With an icy expression, You Shengnan struck down a Soul-Chasing Tower assassin.

However, the situation at the County Magistrate’s Office was dire. The entire place had been surrounded by the Soul-Chasing Tower.

Although they had three masters of the Strong Organ Pass holding the fort—herself, Xiongshan, and Magistrate Zhang—the Soul-Chasing Tower had dispatched three Strong Internal Assassins. Adding the traitorous Liu Wen to the count, they were facing four.

You Shengnan looked at the middle-aged, scholarly man in the distance, who wore a faint smile, and felt nothing but disgust.

’She never imagined the Liu Family would dare to secretly throw in their lot with the Soul-Chasing Tower.’

"Aren’t you afraid the Divine Mansion Sect will exterminate your entire Liu Family?"

Liu Wen’s smile never faltered.

"Once you’re all dead, who will be left to tell what happened in this city?"

You Shengnan’s eyes blazed with fury. It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered the possibility of the Soul-Chasing Tower striking early, but the sting of betrayal still enraged her.

Thankfully, she had deliberately concealed Dong Wanjun’s whereabouts. As long as they could hold out until dawn, the crisis would be resolved.

’The Soul-Chasing Tower might have four Strong Internal Martial Masters, but she and Xiongshan were disciples of the Divine Mansion Sect. Their strength wasn’t something ordinary Strong Internal Martial Masters could contend with. Holding out until dawn shouldn’t be a problem.’

But the person who appeared next made her heart sink to the depths of despair.