"Might the devil be hiding at the Purgatory Demon Sect's residence?"
Su Nanxing was stunned before nodding vigorously, "Master is right."
"After all, they belong to the same sect; we can't stand by and watch them being harmed by the devil. We should go to the rescue."
"Master is right."
"The devil is formidable, and our journey there will surely be perilous, but with adequate preparation, we may well be able to return unscathed."
"Master is always right."
"There's no time to delay, let's go!"
...
Two hours later.
As night deepened, Changjun City, bustling throughout the day, fell into silence.
Gu Jinlai, dressed in black and wearing a devil mask, and Su Nanxing approached the Purgatory Sect's residence without a sound.
"I have had a few conflicts with several high-ranking members of the Purgatory Sect. To spare their feelings, wearing a mask could effectively avoid them feeling ashamed and becoming enraged when we rescue them."
"Master is right."
"The devil is powerful. To fight the devil, both of us must exert our full strength and risk our lives, sparing no effort. Moreover, in the darkness, it's hard to distinguish friend from foe, and the risk of accidentally harming our own is inevitable."
"Master is right."
"It's rumored that the devil has the power to bewitch the mind. Fang Cai has been tainted by karma as deep as blood, and it's possible she's already been corrupted by the devil. Once we enter the Purgatory Sect's residence, I'll test her first. If any disturbance is detected, you distract Zhou Yunyi."
Gu Jinlai continued with his instructions.
Su Nanxing nodded, "Whatever Master says, I'll do."
After a brief exchange, the Purgatory Sect's residence was now within reach.
Looking at the high walls and large courtyard before him, he said, "If Zhou Yunyi appears, retreat and regroup along the prearranged route."
"I will follow Master's orders carefully."
Su Nanxing responded solemnly.
As the protector stationed in Changjun City, Gu Jinlai's familiarity with the Purgatory Sect and Changjun City was incomparable to Zhou Yunyi's.
The older one gets, the more cautious one becomes.
Gu Jinlai deliberately set up feints along the retreat path, hung Zhou Yunyi out to dry, daring not to give chase.
Should he fall into the trap laid by the two of them, and they join forces to fight a life-and-death battle against the depleted Zhou Yunyi, it remained to be seen whose deer would be captured.
The two sneaked in under the cover of darkness.
Gu Jinlai knew the defenses inside out; in less than half an hour, he had reached the courtyard where Fang Cai resided.
There were disciples stationed in the courtyard, standing guard rigorously, well-arranged.
Gu Jinlai observed for a while and found no way to get in.
After a moment of silence, Gu Jinlai's eyes narrowed as he watched two patrolling disciples approach.
In the next instant, he drew his sword from its sheath.
The sword made no noise.
Two streams of Sword Qi made no ripples in the void as they pierced through the throats of the two Qi Refinement disciples.
His form soared.
Before the bodies of the two disciples could fall, he supported them and dragged them into the bushes.
Then, he flipped his hand and a crossbow appeared.
He positioned the crossbow at the entrance, set it with a gear, aimed at the gate, and concealed himself by the side.
Next, he tossed a stone into the distance, making a slight noise.
"Who's there!?"
Fang Cai inside the house immediately became alert and came to the door to listen and observe.
"Whoosh!"
As the gear reached its point, the crossbow bolt shot forth, aiming straight for the doorway.
"Gu Jinlai!?"
Upon being attacked, Fang Cai threw caution to the wind and let out a fierce cry, "To arms!"
The sharp sword in his hand flashed like lightning, striking the incoming crossbow bolt.
However, at the very moment he touched the crossbow bolt, Sword Gang broke the sky!
A visible and an invisible Sword Qi, both carrying the cold sharpness of ice, tore through the door and windows, striking with the force of thunder toward Fang Cai.
"I've been waiting for you!"
With a hearty laugh, Fang Cai deflected the crossbow bolt, his sword's Gang Qi erupted with lightning speed, and landed on Gu Jinlai's Sword Gang first, striking before it could.
For a moment, the void trembled.
The wooden doors and windows shattered under the force of the Gang Power, exploding into splinters. The entire house shook violently, dust fell like rain, as if on the verge of collapse.
While blocking Gu Jinlai's sword, outside of Fang Cai's courtyard, auras rose.
Hong Shan, along with over thirty True Qi Realm and Gang Condensation Realm presences, hastened over, forming a net of heaven and earth.
All Fang Cai needed was to hold Gu Jinlai back for just a moment. Once the net closed in, with the power of two Hugging Pills and over thirty Qi Refinement and Gang Condensation level experts, Gu Jinlai, even fallen from the God Realm, would have no escape.
However, the power of Invisible Sword Qi was never just the visible Sword Gang, fiery like a purgatory red lotus.
It was the subtle and unseen Sword Qi that came along with the Sword Gang.
This Sword Qi was like the sigh of a ghost, sweeping silently toward Fang Cai.
In the broad daylight, even a mighty figure like Zhang Buxi could hardly detect it, let alone in the pitch darkness?
It was only when Fang Cai's Protective True Qi was sliced and his inner armor torn that he suddenly realized something was wrong.
"No..."
"Shh!"
A sudden flash of blood.
This Hugging Pill Dharma Protector's eyes widened in horror as he watched his arm, the one that had shattered Gu Jinlai's Blood Lotus Sword Gang, separate from his body along with a spray of fresh blood.
"My hand..."
Gu Jinlai's Sword Blade vibrated.
The Sword Gang reappeared.
This time, Fang Cai finally grasped what was happening.
Around the Sword Gang that Gu Jinlai had slashed out, there was still Sword Qi.
Invisible, shadowless Sword Qi that was difficult for the naked eye to detect.
He was aware of the existence of these Sword Qi, but he couldn't "see" how many there were at all.
Impossible to see clearly.
This...
How could he defend against it?
"Gu Jinlai, stop! How dare you commit fratricide!?"
"How can you unjustly sully someone's reputation like that?"
Gu Jinlai, with eyes wide open, said, "I'm not Gu Jinlai."
No sooner had he spoken than he gave Fang Cai no chance to respond. The Sword Gang slashed down, and the void seemed to be pierced through by immense power, with the Sword Gang rubbing against the air to produce a piercing screech.
The Sword Gang mixed with the vibration of the air formed a localized hurricane, providing a fresh layer of cover for the Invisible Sword Qi.
Fang Cai, now missing an arm, bore the pain and retreated hastily, attempting to smash through a window from a different angle to rush out of the house.
But before he had a chance to break the window, his retreating right foot seemed to sweep over something.
Suddenly...
Sliced clean off at the knee.
Immediately after, the left foot followed.
Without his feet, his body tilting forward a moment with inertia, he lost balance and toppled toward the ground.
"I..."
Looking at his severed right hand, his missing legs, the ghastly blood, and the Invisible Sword Qi that he had no idea existed or came from where, Fang Cai's eyes finally filled with uncontrollable fear.
"Spare me... Elder Gu, spare my life..."
"I said, you've got the wrong person."
Gu Jinlai said in passing.
Lifting his sword, he aimed at Fang Cai: "Still, as a bystander, I'm curious to ask, what... what are you scheming?"
"I..."
Fang Cai looked at Gu Jinlai with a face full of pain.
What was his scheme?
Did he merely think that Gu Jinlai was about to be done for, and wanted to make use of this trash to make his presence felt and show his loyalty to Sect Master Lin?
Of course, he couldn't voice these thoughts, instead he pleaded in terror: "Elder Gu, I realize my mistake..."
"Shh!"
The Sword Light broke the sky.
Before Fang Cai could finish speaking, the sharp Sword Gang burst through the air, accompanied by a whistling sound that shattered Fang Cai's head, abruptly silencing the myriad of words he struggled mentally to formulate.
"Forget it, I don't want to hear it."
"Gu Jinlai, you're being insolent!"
Just then, a wave of angry shouting came from the direction of the courtyard where he had been living.
Accompanying it was the explosion of Su Nanxing's Gang Qi.
"Since Elder Zhou Yunyi is present, the devil surely wouldn't dare to offend the Purgatory Demon Sect. It's time for me to take my leave."
Gu Jinlai strode forward, his True Qi erupted, his figure soaring as he vaulted the high wall in an instant, racing toward the outskirts of the encampment.
"Stop him!"
Behind him came the sharp command from Hong Shan.
A Gang Condensation Disciple nearby took the order and bravely moved forward.
But before he could intercept Gu Jinlai, his head exploded as if it had been hit by a sniper bullet.
Another disciple caught a glimpse of a Sword Qi, invisible and intangible like a phantom, making his scalp tingle.
Looking at Fang Cai, who had gone from the assault to death in just three breaths, the disciple involuntarily stopped in his tracks.
His hesitation created a flaw in the otherwise impregnable net.
Gu Jinlai's figure soared, easily breaking through the encirclement. Relying on his familiarity with the architectural layout, he quickly disappeared from the sight of several dozen disciples.
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(This work is first published on QiDian Chinese Network. The author can only see comments from QiDian Chinese Network. If you have any suggestions, please leave a message.)