Under the deepening night, the array node lay in silence, its faint blue glow quivering gently in the moonlight as disciples kept careful watch over the camp's perimeter. Suddenly, a shadowy figure moved stealthily through the darkness, each step light and cautious, taking care not to draw attention. As he neared the array's core, he paused, a fierce gleam flashing in his eyes before he moved closer.
Just as he reached out toward the array core, the entire formation surged with a brilliant glow. The surrounding spiritual energy twisted, forming a glowing blue cage that trapped the figure in place. Panicked, he struggled, but the barrier was unyielding, anchoring him firmly within.
From the shadows emerged Feng Ran, his gaze sharp and cold as he stared at the trapped figure. "I suspected a traitor among us," he said icily. "Junior Brother Xu, why would you betray us? The sect hasn't treated you poorly, has it?"
The trapped man, Xu Kun, seeing no escape, let out a scornful laugh. His expression was one of defiance. "Poorly? Feng Ran, you're naive!" he spat. "I've risked my life for this sect, time and again, and for what? Just because I offended an elder, I was sent to the backwaters, enduring endless hardship!"
His voice, tinged with bitterness, echoed within the array node. Wang Quan and Xiao Yan, drawn by the commotion, approached cautiously, eyeing the familiar yet unfamiliar figure of Xu Kun with wariness. Xu's gaze was filled with resentment as he continued, "All of you, enjoying the resources of the sect, the prestige, have no idea what I've suffered all these years."
"I was cast out of the inner circle, sent to a desolate mountain, nearly deprived of any cultivation resources for five whole years. But when war came, they dragged me back here, just as cannon fodder!" Xu's laughter turned shrill, his voice hoarse with hatred. "You think catching me matters? This is the true target tonight!"
With a mad gleam in his eyes, Xu Kun pulled a dark pill from his robes, a look of ruthless determination flickering across his face. Just as Feng Ran moved to stop him, Xu swallowed the pill, closed his eyes, and instantly fell dead.
"He poisoned himself…" Feng Ran's brows furrowed deeply, a mix of anger and faint pity in his gaze. Xu Kun had betrayed the sect, yet his words had hinted at deep-seated grievances within the sect, grievances that drove him to this path.
But before he could reflect further, hurried footsteps echoed from the distance, accompanied by faint waves of spiritual energy in the night air. Wang Quan and Xiao Yan exchanged glances, quickly drawing their swords as the atmosphere around them grew tense.
"An attack! They're here for the node!" Xiao Yan murmured, his eyes glinting with battle readiness.
Feng Ran's expression hardened as he swiftly summoned more spiritual energy to strengthen the array. The blue glow around the northwest node intensified, creating a near-impenetrable barrier to guard their defensive line.
Emerging from the shadows of the forest were over twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators, all with fierce expressions, clearly prepared for a fight. Leading them was a man with a pair of hooked blades, his eyes glinting with malice and murderous intent. His gaze swept across the array node, and he sneered, "Just a mere defensive array? You really think it can keep us out?"
Wang Quan's eyes fixed coldly on the man, recognizing him as Wei Zhou, a late-stage Foundation Establishment disciple from Tianque Sect, known as "Hook Shadow." Ruthless and unpredictable, his twin hooks were as deadly as they were hard to counter. Wang Quan felt a rising sense of caution, knowing that this foe was anything but ordinary—this would be a hard-fought battle.
"All units, prepare to engage!" Feng Ran ordered, his spiritual energy flaring with intensity.
The enemy charged forward. Wei Zhou's hooks moved like lightning, striking directly at the array's barrier. Feng Ran countered, his spiritual energy surging through the blue barrier, clashing fiercely with Wei Zhou's hooks in a blaze of sparks.
"Xiao Yan, let's go in together!" Wang Quan called out as his Five Elements energy surged, filling his blade with a prismatic glow. He swung it with force, sending a burst of sword energy toward the advancing enemy cultivators.
Xiao Yan responded immediately, summoning fire in his hands and unleashing a wall of flames that momentarily halted the enemy's advance. The flames surged like a dragon, forcing several cultivators to step back. Though outnumbered, the Cloud Sky Sect defenders' counterattack managed to slow the enemy's advance.
"Good! While they're still outside the barrier, focus all fire!" Feng Ran shouted, his sword charged with spiritual energy as he slashed toward Wei Zhou's left shoulder.
Wei Zhou's eyes flashed with a cold glint, and he swung his hooks, parrying the blow with a chilling precision. Feng Ran pressed forward, his blade seeking an opening, but Wei Zhou deflected each strike with swift, calculated moves, their battle locked in a stalemate.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan and Wang Quan were fending off the remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators. Wang Quan's sword moved with fluidity, each swing infused with the Five Elements, forcing his opponents to step back. Xiao Yan's fire surged around him, casting a wall of flame that curled around the enemy's flanks, forcing them into a defensive stance.
But despite the strong defense, the enemy pressed on with relentless force. Wei Zhou's hooks moved with deadly speed and cunning, slicing and jabbing unpredictably. Feng Ran felt the strain mounting as his spiritual energy reserves dwindled.
Just as the situation appeared increasingly grim, a distant ringing bell echoed through the camp—a distress signal from Cloud Sky Sect. Feng Ran's gaze hardened, and he shouted, "Hold the line! Reinforcements are on the way!"
With the ringing of the bell, the array nodes across the camp activated in unison, spiritual energy coursing through them and strengthening the defensive barrier. The enemy cultivators hesitated momentarily, their offensive somewhat disrupted, while Wei Zhou's expression soured.
"You think reinforcements will turn the tide?" Wei Zhou sneered, crossing his hooks into a deadly cross-slash as he launched another fierce assault on the node.