Peng Zhen and the rest were frozen in terror, unable to move an inch. The scarlet-robed man had fully unleashed the suffocating pressure of his Palace Stage cultivation, crushing down on them like an invisible mountain. Even Ellie screeched in defiance as she struggled to maintain altitude, her wings feeling as heavy as ten tons of metal.
"Interesting," the man mused, his gaze settling on Ellie. "A Core Formation beast that can still resist my pressure? Its bloodline must be quite high. What a steal."
His eyes flicked toward Feng Xin, noting his attire. "That robe… So you're from the Order. Relax, I come in peace. I only want the leopard storage pouch and the saber you took from my junior brother. Hand them over, and I'll let you all go." His voice was calm, almost casual, as he waited for a response.
He barely finished speaking before Feng Xin acted.
Without a second's hesitation, he detonated one of his talismans. A whirlpool of black and yellow energy erupted, roaring toward the scarlet-robed man. Its pull was so intense that even Ellie was dragged toward it. She shrieked, flapping desperately, but the force of the vortex held her in place. Though she wasn't the attack's target, the sheer residual force made it nearly impossible for her to fly away.
A brilliant frosty light flashed.
Feng Xin had already drawn his sword. His hair turned stark white, his irises shifting to a pale blue as his blade radiated dazzling cold light, mirroring his transformed appearance.
"AAAAAAARRRGH!" Feng Xin roared, slashing through the air.
SWOOSH!
For just a brief moment, an opening tore through the vortex.
"NOW, ELLIE! BEFORE IT DRAGS US BACK IN!" Feng Xin roared.
Ellie reacted instantly, seizing the brief moment of weakness to break free from the whirlpool's pull. Unlike the scarlet-robed man, who was caught in the thick of it, they had only been on the outer edges—just enough to carve out an escape.
But just as Ellie prepared to flee entirely, Feng Xin's voice rang out again.
"Don't fly away just yet!" he warned, eyes locked on the unfolding battle.
A blood-red wave surged like a cascading ocean, colliding head-on with the whirlpool. The two forces clashed violently, the whirlpool rapidly being whittled down by the second.
Feng Xin glanced at the two remaining purple talismans in his grip, hesitation flickering in his eyes. Then, as if reaching a decision, he gritted his teeth.
"Better safe than sorry."
He crushed one of the talismans, injecting his qi into it. Instantly, the surrounding energy was sucked into a vacuum, and from that void, a translucent green figure emerged.
It was Yang Qing—an uncanny replica, except lifeless and still.
"Fist of the Grand Solar Eclipse," an ethereal voice intoned.
The translucent figure pulled its right fist back. A celestial eclipse materialized around its hand, the shifting interplay of sun and moon radiating immense power. Then, it struck.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion erupted, the sheer force rippling through the air in visible waves. The very atmosphere trembled under its might.
Ellie needed no further prompting—she bolted.
Feng Xin barely managed to grab Peng Zhen before he tumbled off. The impact had already knocked both Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen unconscious, blood leaking from every orifice. Even Feng Xin himself felt the ringing in his ears, his internal organs screaming in agony from the aftershocks.
Right now, he had no time to worry about the outcome of the attack. Ellie had taken damage as well—one of her wings was injured, the explosion having jolted some of the minor meridians connected to it. She coughed up blood, but still flew with fierce determination. Feng Xin quickly channeled some of his qi into her, stabilizing her condition and shielding her internal organs from further harm.
For nearly seven minutes, they pushed forward with maddened desperation, the jagged peaks of the White Fork Mountains finally coming into view. The mountains lived up to their name—sharp, steep, and slender like the prongs of a massive fork.
"Ellie, bear with it—we're almost there," Feng Xin murmured, gently patting her.
Ellie let out a weak screech in response.
Feng Xin stared ahead, his eyes narrowing—then, his tense expression softened into a relieved smile. He patted Ellie again.
"It looks like help arrived just in time."
A blue-cloaked figure was moving toward them at incredible speed. In less than two minutes, he had already closed the distance.
"You must be Feng Xin?" The man's voice was steady but sharp, his gaze swiftly assessing the situation. "I'm Hu Fang, branch head of the Green Mountain Branch of the Order. By the looks of things, I'm glad I decided to hurry."
His eyes flickered toward Ellie and Feng Xin before abruptly shifting to the distance—the same direction from which Feng Xin had fled.
"Where is the one who did all this? Is he dead, alive, or has he already escaped?" Hu Fang asked, his tone though calm was edged with urgency.
Hu Fang was a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his early forties. He was tall and slender, exuding a scholarly air. His short blue hair was neatly kept, complemented by a well-groomed mustache. His eyes, a deep blue with hints of black, resembled the flowing currents of a river.
From what Feng Xin knew, Hu Fang was diligent in his duties and well-respected, a man destined to lead one of the major branches of the Order. Yet, he had volunteered to be stationed in the outskirts of Green Mountain County, a remote region within the Emerald Peak Kingdom—a rank-three kingdom renowned for its vast landscape of over 10,000 mountains, each possessing unique characteristics.
"Glad you could make it, Branch Head Hu Fang." Feng Xin let out a weary breath before continuing, "I don't know whether the attacker is alive or dead. The moment he got within range, I detonated two talismans in succession and left immediately. As you can see, I didn't exactly have the luxury of waiting around to check. Judging by the pressure he was giving off, I'd place him at the early stages of the Palace Realm—probably the second or third stage."
As he spoke, he retrieved a few green pills from his storage ring and quickly fed them to Ellie.
"Did you manage to confirm his identity?" Hu Fang asked.
"Considering how he demanded the Ao Yin bone the moment he saw me, I'd wager he's from the Blood Ghost Hands."
"Hmm... this is rather tricky." A deep frown formed on Hu Fang's face. "In your state, leaving you alone would be reckless. But at the same time... letting someone from the Blood Ghost Hands escape, especially a Palace Realm cultivator, is not an option."
"You can go ahead and check on the assailant to see if he's still alive. Ellie will fly at a slow pace, so you'll have no trouble catching up with us. Plus, I still have a few talismans to ensure my safety against a Palace Realm cultivator—at least for a short while," Feng Xin said as he retrieved two more purple talismans from his storage ring, subtly easing Hu Fang's concerns.
The moment Hu Fang caught sight of the talismans, his tense expression relaxed.
"Alright then, I'll be off. Be careful, Feng Xin. At the slightest sign of trouble, detonate the talisman—I should be able to sense it and get back to you immediately," Hu Fang said before swiftly flying off in the direction of the scarlet-robed man.
...
"So that's what happened. When Branch Leader Hu Fang arrived at the scene, all he found was a dismembered arm and a large pool of blood—the scarlet-robed man was nowhere to be seen. After a brief search, he gave up on trying to locate him and returned to guide me halfway before heading back to his branch. By then, Ellie had fully healed, so we made the rest of the journey on our own," Feng Xin concluded, as the rest listened intently.
Cheng Yuan was the most shaken, especially upon hearing the mention of the Blood Ghost Hands syndicate. A cold dread settled in his chest as he thought about the implications for the sect.
"Peng Zhen, you idiot, what did you get us into?!" he internally fumed, throwing a sharp glare at Peng Zhen.
Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen had already regained consciousness midway through Feng Xin's narration. Relief flooded them—they never expected to survive an encounter with a Palace Realm expert. The last thing they remembered was the whirlpool activating before everything went dark.
"Hahaha! Feng Xin, you didn't even check to see if the guy was dead? How scared were you?" Yang Qing's laughter rang through the courtroom, his voice filled with amusement.
"It's because of you that I reacted that way!" Feng Xin shot back, his voice dripping with indignation. "You beat me in less than two minutes when you're just at the first stage of the Palace Realm—and that was with you holding back, as you so kindly like to remind me ALL THE TIME SINCE THEN, you shameless idiot! What makes you think, after getting wrecked by a first stage, I'd have the confidence to face someone possibly at the third stage—who definitely wouldn't hold back? Of course, I ran! I couldn't get out of there fast enough! And let's not forget those dangerous talismans of yours—they played no small part in my decision to escape!"
Despite his snide remarks, there wasn't a shred of shame in Feng Xin's expression. If anything, he looked proud of his quick retreat.
Yang Qing chuckled. "Alright, alright, no need to get touchy. You've always had a gifted sense of self-preservation—ever since our institute days." His teasing smirk faded as he turned to Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen. "Now that all key members are present, it's time to bring this case to a close."
The duo stiffened under his gaze. They couldn't shake the feeling that all their secrets were laid bare beneath those piercing eyes. Swallowing hard, they both instinctively gulped in trepidation.