"Is it really An Sha in person? This is bad; we've fallen into a trap! The Xuanzhen Temple's front courtyard is completely empty; there's no one here!"
Before An Sha could respond, Bai Yichen continued explaining:
"We had no choice but to enter the ancient forest to search for several masters. Unexpectedly… I got separated from a few brothers."
Upon hearing this, An Sha's face darkened, his eyes wide in fury as he shouted, "You fool! Seeing the strange fog rising in the forest, how could you be so careless?!"
Just as An Sha was seething with anger, a glint of cold light suddenly flashed in Bai Yichen's eyes, and he leapt into the air like a cicada.
Taking advantage of An Sha's moment of distraction, Bai Yichen swiftly channeled his internal energy into his right hand and unleashed the Three Yang Demon-Subduing Fist at an almost imperceptible speed.
At the same time, he activated a more advanced technique, the Dragon Elephant Diamond Strength Technique; the fist glimmered with dark gold as it aimed directly at An Sha's heart.
His left hand released the bottle of poison he had previously left behind, the palm wind assisting as it flew toward An Sha's eyes.
With a thunderous shout, he cried out, "Die!"
An Sha never expected Bai Yichen would suddenly launch a sneak attack. By the time he sensed the danger, the dark golden fist had already crashed into his chest like a boulder.
The poison blew into his eyes with the force of Bai Yichen's palm wind.
The thunderous shout shocked his mind for a brief moment.
"Ah!"
A scream erupted.
His eyes tightly shut, his face contorted with pain and rage, he tried to muster his energy to turn and flee, but found his strength faltering. A deep indentation from the punch marred his chest, and all his energy ebbed away like the tide.
Bai Yichen's blow landed successfully, and he promptly withdrew his fist, performing a cicada leap backward. He watched as An Sha's body swayed several times, seemingly wanting to do something, but with a loud thud, he crashed heavily to the ground.
Bai Yichen exhaled deeply, the bulging muscles beneath his sleeves relaxing.
After breaking through to the second level of the Dragon Elephant Diamond Strength Technique, he could temporarily gain three times his explosive power, combined with his fully mastered Three Yang Demon-Subduing Fist.
Plus, with the poison in An Sha's eyes and the shock from his thunderous shout, one punch was enough to guarantee death!
However, years of experience prompted Bai Yichen to check that An Sha was indeed dead before hastily gathering his spoils.
Unfortunately, apart from a lightweight longsword, a token, and a few silver notes, he had no other gains. Still, it was better than nothing.
"When Heishi goes out on missions, they generally don't carry much besides weapons and money; that token should be his identity badge as branch master."
Daoist Guan Zhi had rushed over once Bai Yichen made his move, ready to provide assistance at any moment.
However, seeing Bai Yichen so "easily" defeat An Sha, who was stronger than himself with a single punch, he was astonished, feeling both proud and emotional.
Indeed, some old rules never change over a couple of hundred years.
Bai Yichen had been psychologically prepared, but he still felt quite pleased. After all, eliminating a hidden danger without injury and obtaining some valuables was quite good.
"This sword isn't bad," he said, unceremoniously fastening it to his waist. In his first life with Heishi, Bai Yichen was known as a master swordsman who could "darken the eyes of his opponents with a single flash of his sword."
Bai Yichen turned and said, "Daoist, let's each go support the other masters."
He actually planned to head toward the courtyard, knowing that the final outcome of this offensive and defensive battle would certainly depend on the victories among the innate masters. If the situation became unfavorable, he needed to prepare for it.
Daoist Guan Zhi wanted to persuade Bai Yichen to act together, but thinking of the impressive power of Bai Yichen's punch, he swallowed his words and bitterly smiled in agreement.
Seeing this, Bai Yichen cupped his hands in respect and then swiftly vanished into the heavy darkness, like a wisp of smoke.
Inside the ancient forest, at a place of confrontation, Daoist Guan Xu, holding a floating dust wand, was engaged in a fierce battle with a muscular man from Heishi wielding a knife.
"Hehe, your fighting style is quite similar to that of the person I killed six months ago." The man in black chuckled menacingly, "That person seems to be a master from your Xuanzhen Temple's administrative hall, but you seem to be slightly stronger than he was."
Daoist Guan Xu's expression darkened, his gaze serious. The floating dust wand danced rapidly in his hands as he coldly said, "So it's you, the thief! Today is the day I avenge my junior brother, Guanyun!"
The man in black wielded his knife with sharp precision, the blade whistling through the air like a ghost.
Daoist Guan Xu moved gracefully, wielding the floating dust wand to resist with all his might.
The two exchanged blows, their knife light and dust shadows intertwining, with murderous intent permeating the ancient forest.
The fierce battle between Daoist Guan Xu and the muscular man with the knife grew more intense.
The floating dust wand in Daoist Guan Xu's hand danced with what seemed like immense force, yet it was still difficult to contend with the ferocious and ruthless knife techniques of the muscular man.
"Hahaha, your cultivation has improved, but your strength is still nothing. Xuanzhen Temple deserves to be exterminated."
"You villain, do not be arrogant! Today is your day to die!" Daoist Guan Xu shouted angrily.
The muscular man laughed wildly, "Just you? You dare to wish to take my life!"
As their figures intertwined, the knife light and floating dust created a blur of light and shadow. Daoist Guan Xu's clothes were soaked with sweat, and the breathing of the man in black became increasingly labored.
Suddenly, the man in black exerted himself with great force, his knife techniques turning even more violent and fierce. Daoist Guan Xu found himself repeatedly dodging and retreating, with danger lurking at every turn.
"Am I really going to lose my life here today?"
A tightening feeling gripped Daoist Guan Xu's heart, but he quickly regained his resolve.
"No, the situation within the temple is perilous, and this man is the murderer of Guanyun and the others. How can I let him go?"
A decisive look flashed in Daoist Guan Xu's eyes as he planned to abandon the original strategy of waiting for reinforcements.
In this critical moment, Daoist Guan Xu gathered all his strength to unleash the Shattered Jade Technique.
A wave of internal energy far beyond the usual erupted from his body, and the floating dust wand felt as hard as iron, instilling a sense of dread.
He charged directly at the man in black.
The muscular man was caught off guard and hit in a vital spot, letting out a cry of anguish as he fell to the ground.
However, Daoist Guan Xu also suffered greatly from this full-force attack, his energy severely depleted as he spat out blood, his body swaying unsteadily.
Struggling to remain upright, he slowly walked toward the body of the man in black, confirming that he was indeed lifeless. Finally, he let out a last breath, his vision darkening as he collapsed to the ground.
Meanwhile, other places in the ancient forest were also filled with valor and resolution.
"Someone's coming." Yun Shou, who had been meditating and recovering, leaped into the center of the courtyard, his gaze fixed intently on the door.
Daoist Tongya and the hero Yan Bei also arrived as discussed, forming the Triad Formation to jointly resist the enemy.
Bang!
The wooden door shattered into splinters under a dense net of swords, revealing three figures in the smoke: one tall, one short, and one hunchbacked.
"What a fiercely exceptional sword technique! It seems that the leader among them is the chief assassin of Heishi—Hei Lin."
Daoist Tongya's expression was grave. As a fellow innate master wielding a sword, he could naturally sense the treacherous killing intent contained within.
As the dust and debris settled, Hei Lin's piercing gaze scanned the three in the courtyard, seemingly recognizing each one.
"So it's you lot behind the scenes. Just a couple of old Taoists and Yan Bei, a farmer, daring to come and stir the pot."