"Real and unreal at the same time, Xuanqing Guard’s dungeon is nothing special. If I didn’t want to stir up trouble, I could come here and play every damn day."

"Alright, make sure the illusion array’s strength isn’t too high. If it’s too strong, it’ll easily attract the night patrol Little Banner Battalion nearby."

"Relax, I know what to do. The trash on the outside in the Qi Refining Realm will never get out of my illusion array. If I want them alive, they’ll live; if I want them dead, it’s just a single thought for me."

"Don’t do anything reckless! We’re only here to rescue, unless we absolutely have to, don’t kill anyone. Otherwise the trouble gets bigger."

"Tch, what difference does it make if we kill or not? If Xuanqing Guard catches us, you think we’ll be spared anyway?"

"Shut up! Move faster!"

There were three people in total. One of them shaped a seal technique with his hands, True Qi pouring out all over him. Four faintly glowing array discs floated at his chest, with light threads linking them into a complex structure: the illusion array—covering the dungeon for tens of yards in every direction.

Actually, there hadn’t been any rain at all. The rain was just an excuse for those trapped in the illusion array whose perception was fading. The two who came out of the dungeon hadn’t moved from their spot, and aside from the summoning talisman they touched in their chests being real, the rest was all illusion—self-imprisonment inside the array.

Not just the prison chief and his companion; everyone around the dungeon, both covert and overt sentries, was the same, trapped and unable to move for a while.

The three were clearly divided in their roles: one controlled the illusion array to suppress all defenses on the dungeon’s exterior. Another was currently pumping a bluish smoke into the dungeon from an earth jar, and unlike normal smoke it seemed sentient—drifting purposefully into the dungeon passage without wasting a whiff.

The last had the strongest presence, with twin blades at his waist and a sharp, vigilant gaze scanning their surroundings. He acted as the lookout, and when the illusion array operator and the smoke guy started bickering, he was the one to bark them quiet.

"How much longer?"

"Boss He, don’t rush me. The confusing smoke has to float in, it’s slow by nature. According to the intel we got, it’ll take at least the time of one incense stick for the smoke to cover the dungeon."

"We don’t have that long! Hurry it up!"

"Boss He, I’ll do my best." As he spoke, more smoke poured from the earth jar, but beads of sweat grew thicker on his face.

Time passed in a flash. In barely half the time of an incense stick, the prison guards stationed at various checkpoints inside the dungeon all felt drowsy—some simply nodded off, while others realized something was wrong and tried to raise an alarm but couldn’t react in time. The fatigue hit too quickly and was irresistible—they lasted only two or three breaths.

In the dungeon’s deepest part, Zhou Guangcai, feeling thirsty, went to fetch some water. But as soon as he entered the chief’s small room, he knew something was off—the people shouldn’t all have vanished. Suddenly a wave of drowsiness washed over him, and before he could react, his limbs went limp and he collapsed onto the floor, fast asleep.

After a bit more time, the confusing smoke had completely filled the dungeon, every inch saturated, driving all inside into deep slumber.

This took less than a stick of incense.

"Boss He, it’s done!"

"Okay, you stay here with Sun the Third and stand lookout—I’ll go in for the rescue."

"Alright." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

As the two finished talking and were about to act, several invisible sword auras suddenly assaulted them, lightning fast—soundless, already less than a foot from them in an instant.

"Watch out!"

"Pshhh!"

Boss He barely threw up a Qi Shield before the sword aura hit. The massive force flung him meters away. When he steadied himself, he saw the earth jar smoke operator’s head was split off—his body sliced into three parts, colors splattered all over the ground.

"Who?!" Voice suppressed, vision blurred, suddenly five figures in night clothes appeared—each with a long sword, all masked, an aggressive aura pouring from each.

The five newcomers said nothing—not a single word, not stopping even a moment. One sword pushed Boss He back, three swords slew the other man, then President Qi’s three men surrounded Boss He, while the other two charged the array operator, Sun the Third.

They were using a combined attack skill!

In just two exchanges, Boss He was shocked to discover that the lowest cultivation among these three attackers was Gathering Spirit Realm Sixth Layer—the highest nearly Perfection! Since when did experts abound everywhere? And who were these people—they were definitely not Xuanqing Guard!

Boss He struggled desperately; meanwhile, Sun the Third, seeing things go south, tried to run—starting with escape skill. But as he shaped a hand seal and started reciting the seal technique, his vision flashed—a golden dart shot straight at his face, so fast he couldn’t dodge. He had to interrupt his hand seal, throwing up a Qi Shield to block. But that moment’s hesitation let two night-clothed assailants close in on him.

Just three breaths later—a sword shattered Sun the Third’s protective magical artifact, the second tore his belly open, the third finished him off completely.

Almost no pause. As Sun the Third died, the two night-clothed killers immediately took over the four array discs. Their skills were practiced, and even with a change of hands, the illusion array didn’t collapse—only shook briefly before stabilizing.

"Quick!"

The three surrounding Boss He pressed their advantage—his twin blades moved slower and slower, every step left a bloody print, his body already cut in at least eight massive wounds.

"Clang!"

A sword stabbed straight into Boss He’s wrist, one blade flew out of his grasp. He tried to retreat, but saw that the night-clothed figure opposite him suddenly spat a streak of gold light from beneath his mask—right at the mouth!

"You are... pshhh!"

Less than three feet away, gold light flashed, piercing Boss He’s left eye and bursting out the back of his head in a fist-sized hole—gone without a trace.

So, in under twenty breaths, the three who nearly had success were all dead.

After slaughtering the three, the five night-clothed figures still didn’t exchange a word; their coordination was flawless, everyone knowing exactly what to do next.

One kept up the array, suppressing all outside Xuanqing Guard personnel; two stood guard; the other two each pulled out an array disc, assembling them together. They glanced at the dungeon’s gate, as if measuring their spot, then put the assembled, oversized array disc onto their chosen spot on the ground.

"Activate!"

These were the only two words spoken by the five. As soon as the words left his mouth, one transferred a stream of True Qi into the oversized array disc and activated it. The disc erupted with immense power, and the five rapidly used spells to escape.

The prison chief and those trapped inside the illusion array from the Black Banner Battalion finally came out of it—before they could trigger the summoning talisman, they were stunned by what happened next:

As if an invisible giant fist had suddenly smashed the ground, a gigantic pit, nearly twenty yards across, was pounded out. And the pit’s exact location was the Black Banner Battalion’s dungeon...