Chapter 306: Capture

Chapter 306: Capture

Although the two were chatting idly, they remained vigilant of their surroundings. The sudden noise instantly signaled that something was amiss.

Hu Sandao was the first to react, snatching up his Hundred-Battle Blade and leaping out of the room.

With a quick glance, he saw that everyone had fallen to the ground, appearing to have died.

Looking around, he found no trace of the killer.

The sound of heavy footsteps approached from behind, and Hu Sandao, knowing it was Zhen Xiaoxiao, paid no mind. He immediately headed toward the nearest middle-aged carpenter.

Unbeknownst to them, the instant they stepped out of the room, a black shadow had already slithered to the floor by Ding Wugong's bed.

It surged from the ground, ballooning instantly.

The black shadow took on a humanoid form, with hollow features—it was a human hide.

Once fully formed, the hide lunged at Ding Wugong.

At this point, Ding Wugong was already tormented by the Parting Brew, wishing for death over life. Seeing the shadow pounce, he felt no fear, only a sense of release.

But in the next moment, his demeanor shifted.

A voice called out:

"What is this?"

The voice belonged to Zhen Xiaoxiao. With a swift motion, she seized the black shadow.

The shadow, however, writhed like a serpent up her arm towards her neck.

Zhen Xiaoxiao tried to stop it but failed, only managing to get a firm grip once it had wrapped around her neck.

With a powerful yank, she tore it away.

Gripping both ends, she mustered her strength and ripped it to shreds.

The shadow, impervious to blades and fire, was instantly shredded into pieces with a sound like tearing fabric.

After tearing the shadow apart, Zhen Xiaoxiao didn't stop. She reached for the one-legged bronze man by the bed and grabbed it.

She hadn't returned to rescue Ding Wugong because she realized the shadow was targeting him.

Rather, she had rushed out in such a hurry that she forgot to take her weapon.

As she turned back to fetch it, she saw the shadow attacking someone and stepped in.

With her weapon now in hand, before she could turn, she heard Hu Sandao's pained grunt.

She quickly turned and saw the carpenter, presumed dead, suddenly sprang up and delivered two rapid palm strikes to Hu Sandao.

Hu Sandao reeled back but kept his footing, bellowing in fury:

"You dare challenge me, you fat sheep?!"

It wasn't due to Hu Sandao's immense inner strength that he emerged unscathed from the strikes.

The key was that his Hundred Battles Saber was placed in front of his chest for protection. Even if the opponent was feigning death for an ambush, Hu Sandao's reaction was not slow, and both palms struck the Hundred Battles Saber.

The force of the internal energy did cause some impact, but to think it could kill Hu Sandao was wishful thinking.

At that moment, Hu Sandao steadied his stance, and the Hundred Battles Saber in his hand immediately unfolded.

He saw a flurry of shadows suddenly rushing towards him.

"Hmm? The shadow illusions of the Eternal Night Valley?"

He had encountered this before.

Back in Liuyin City, he and Fu Hanyuan had fought alongside Wei Ziyi against these Eternal Night Valley demons.

Four or five shadows loomed in the air, and their abilities were nothing to scoff at.

How could he be a match for them?

In a panic, he twisted the single-edged saber in his hand, and with a tearing sound, the first shadow that pounced was split in two by the Hundred Battles Saber.

The upper half immediately lost its life force and fell to the ground, while the remaining half struggled weakly.

The shadows that had planned to attack, after this change, no longer dared to charge recklessly, instead snarling and searching for an opening.

Seeing how sharp his Treasured Saber was, Hu Sandao's courage surged!

"Come at me, and see the power of my treasured saber!"

As he spoke, instead of charging forward, Hu Sandao swung his single-edged saber, creating a whirlwind of strikes.

He even cried out, "Xiaoxiao, help me!!"

He was a man who knew his own strength.

Otherwise, he would have charged into the Wusheng Hall to seek the Endless Prison back then.

Why would he have stayed far away from the Wusheng Hall?

Now, with his treasured saber, he could fend off these shadows, but destroying them completely would be a Herculean task.

Rather than tiring himself out and risking death, it was better to protect himself and call for backup.

At that moment, Zhen Xiaoxiao burst out of the room, standing at the door and yelling furiously:

"Who are you?"

The middle-aged carpenter's face turned ashen.

Though hastily made, his plan was quite meticulous.

Using the carpenters as bait to draw the people out of the room, and then secretly using shadows to assassinate Ding Wugong.

Once the task was completed, he could make his escape.

And the reason he pretended to be dead was obviously to confuse the two people in the room.

If they came to check the body, he would suddenly attack, thinking he could eliminate one of them.

But unexpectedly, the shadow's sneak attack failed, and the burly man inexplicably turned around, which was quite baffling.

Inspecting the body didn't lead to a kill either...

This guy held his single saber as if it were gold, placing it right in front of him when he squatted down, as if afraid someone would snatch it away or something like that?

At this point, trying to kill anyone was completely impossible.

Causing a commotion would only cause chaos, which would be detrimental to himself.

Immediately, he pushed off with his toes, ready to fly away.

"Where do you think you're going!?"

Zhen Xiaoxiao shouted angrily, wanting to jump up and stop him... but her weight clearly wasn't enough to allow her to use light-footed martial arts, so she simply flung the one-legged bronze figure in her hand.

This move was utterly terrifying.

The one-legged bronze figure was extremely heavy, but in her hands, it seemed as light as a feather.

Now, as she swung it around and threw it, the force whistled and spun, hurtling toward the middle-aged carpenter with lightning speed.

Before it even reached him, the terrifying force made anyone reluctant to confront it directly.

In a flash of thought, he pressed his palms downward, executing a thousand-pound drop technique, and his feet firmly planted on the ground.

Meanwhile, the one-legged bronze figure that had been thrown soared away, whistling and disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Zhen Xiaoxiao watched the gradually disappearing one-legged bronze figure, her expression stiffening, and she opened her mouth to utter a couple of 'aiya' exclamations, then glared at the middle-aged carpenter in front of her:

"This is all your fault!!!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she charged forward with a rumble, flipping her palms and delivering a fierce strike.

The middle-aged carpenter was also somewhat indignant.

What is this nonsense?

Why is this my fault?

I didn't tell you to throw the one-legged bronze figure, did I now?

His thoughts churned, but his hands didn't stop moving, and he took a deep breath before launching a palm strike.

CRASH!!!

In the blink of an eye, their palms met.

Logically speaking, with Zhen Xiaoxiao's immense strength, this palm strike should have shattered even a stone lion to pieces.

But the man in front of her merely halted momentarily and steadied himself.

His feet were neither closed nor open, and a layer of grayish-white color appeared on his face. The next moment, he lifted one foot and abruptly stomped the ground.

A powerful surge of internal energy burst forth.

Zhen Xiaoxiao, however, felt that the opponent's internal energy was extremely unusual.

Although they appeared to be exchanging palm strikes, her internal energy vanished without a trace upon contact, like a clay ox sinking into the sea.

Meanwhile, the opponent's internal energy seemed like threads, always finding their way into her meridians through the smallest gaps.

Wherever it passed, the internal energy stored in her meridians and acupoints began to gradually drain.

"What kind of martial art is this?"

Zhen Xiaoxiao was taken aback. Since mastering martial arts, this was the first time she had faced such a situation.

In the past, her opponents would either collapse upon contact with her internal energy or be overwhelmed by her brute strength.

Throughout her journey, apart from Chief Escort Su Mo, her internal energy and physical prowess had been unrivaled.

This was the first time she had encountered someone she couldn't knock back, and their internal energy was so elusive?

In her shock, she channeled her internal energy once more and charged fiercely at her opponent.

The middle-aged carpenter also knit his brows.

The martial art he was using was no ordinary technique, yet he couldn't seem to gain the upper hand against this portly woman.

Seeing her formidable internal energy, he knew subduing her would be no easy task. With a huff, he took advantage of the momentum to leap back.

In an instant, he had already landed on the opposite rooftop.

Zhen Xiaoxiao tried to stop him, but dark shadows lunged at her. As she swiftly fended off several of them, the middle-aged man had already steadied himself on the roof.

With a flick of his finger, the mass of shadowy figures instantly gathered behind him.

Zhen Xiaoxiao scanned the area and immediately locked onto the Hundred War Blade in Hu Sandao's hands.

She lunged to grab it.

But that was out of the question?

Hu Sandao quickly hid the Hundred War Blade behind his back, shaking his head like a toy rattle.

You threw away your one-legged bronze man, and now you want to take my Hundred War Blade?

The Chief Escort gave me this treasured blade, not for you to toy with!

Though Hu Sandao remained silent, his eyes spoke volumes.

Seeing this, the middle-aged carpenter on the roof let out a soft chuckle and turned to leave. But in the next moment, his expression shifted dramatically.

On the opposite rooftop stood someone, as if they had materialized out of thin air.

This person was young, with hair flowing in the breeze and a sword case strapped to his back. He was smiling as he looked at the carpenter.

"..."

The carpenter's face froze, and without a second thought, he turned to flee in another direction.

But when he raised his gaze, he saw Su Mo standing on the opposite rooftop.

"What!?"

This was no small shock. Su Mo wasn’t here a second ago—how did he suddenly change positions?

He quickly turned to where Su Mo had been standing.

But the spot was empty...

Dazed, he turned back, only to find Su Mo—who had been on the opposite roof—now standing right in front of him.

"Hey, what are you looking at?"

Su Mo asked with a smile, "Mind if I take a look too?"

The carpenter was too stunned to speak.

With a flick of his fingers, shadowy forms shot toward Su Mo.

But in an instant, Su Mo was gone.

In a flash, he reappeared, clutching shadowy forms that burst into roaring flames before they could react.

"Su Mo was no stranger to the Eternal Night Valley’s tricks, but he never expected a demon from there to be hiding in Wusheng Hall."

"Hall Master Wan Yutang will have to explain this to me."

As he spoke, a casual palm strike was already heading for the man.

Dodging was impossible. If he ran, the strike would hit his back, killing him instantly.

He crossed his arms, barely blocking, but Su Mo’s strikes weren’t so easy to stop.

But Su Mo wasn’t trying to kill him.

The palm strike shifted into a claw, grabbing the man’s shoulder and hurling him into the courtyard.

Su Mo meant to seal the man’s acupoints with his internal energy.

The man should’ve been frozen in place after landing.

But to Su Mo’s surprise, the man wasn’t sealed as he fell.

He didn’t realize their martial arts were highly unusual.

Their internal energy flowed differently. Only the Qiankun Acupoint Technique could’ve restrained him.

But the Great Open Yang Scattering Palm wasn’t enough to seal his acupoints.

The man tapped his toes, trying to leap up as he landed!

But before he could, a whistling sound closed in.

He looked up to see Zhen Xiaoxiao charging at him with all her might.

In that instant, he nearly died of fright!

Earlier, his internal energy clash with Zhen Xiaoxiao seemed even, but he’d actually taken hidden damage.

Seeing the big fatty rolling toward him, he immediately leaped up.

But then, a dragon's roar was heard from above. He suddenly looked up and saw a silver spear descending from the sky.

Like a cloud dragon extending its claws, it struck suddenly.

"What?"

This strike came out of nowhere. He immediately raised his head and, with his palms parting and closing, could only manage to deliver a single palm strike.

The spear tip was wrapped in sharpness, while his palm contained hidden internal force.

Their palms met but did not fully collide, separated by only an inch, yet it was the point where their internal forces clashed.

The two streams of internal force clashed and surged relentlessly, spreading in all directions.

But in the next moment, the carpenter's expression changed.

Although his internal force was extraordinary, Yang Xiaoyun's martial arts were even higher!

Originally, Yang Xiaoyun was a genius, and now she had the Yixuan Divine Art to enhance the Great Upper Xuan Martial Art.

Even though the carpenter's internal force was special and could infiltrate Zhen Xiaoxiao's meridians, it was ineffective against the Great Upper Xuan Martial Art.

The Great Upper Xuan Martial Art was, after all, an orthodox Taoist martial art, flawless and seamless, forming a perfect whole.

The Yixuan Divine Art sped up the advancement of this martial art, not by forcing growth but by fueling the fire, making it burn even fiercer.

At this moment, Yang Xiaoyun's internal force at the spear tip suddenly concentrated into a single point, and a flash of silver light was seen!

A dragon's roar reverberated through the sky, and a razor-sharp edge burst forth from the spear tip, first piercing through the man's palm and entire arm, and then, with unstoppable force, it stabbed fiercely into the courtyard.

A loud explosion echoed.

In the center of the courtyard, a deep pit was instantly formed, but the dust did not spread around. It merely floated lightly above the pit before settling down.

Yang Xiaoyun, mid-air, abruptly turned and swung the Dragon Spring Spear in her hand.

The carpenter, whose arm was still caught on the wall, tried to sever it to save himself.

But how could he manage that at this moment?

He could only let Yang Xiaoyun swing her spear, sweeping across the courtyard.

In the next instant, the man was flung off the spear tip, landing on the ground like a meteor.

The ground shook violently as he hit the ground, and he immediately bounced up, blood gushing from his mouth and nose.

After spitting out the blood, he fell again, feeling as if all his internal organs had been scattered and misplaced.

He struggled to stand, but his eyes, now red with blood, saw Su Mo.

"Excellent skills."

Su Mo was genuinely impressed. "That technique is quite interesting. What's it called?"

The man forced a smile, but before he could speak, more blood came out.

Wiping it away hastily, he hurriedly said:

"Chief Escort Su wants to know... I will tell you everything..."

"This martial art technique is... is..."

His voice faded as he spoke.

However, Su Mo did not move closer to listen just because his voice had softened.

Seeing this, the man struggled to sit up with difficulty.

Noticing how difficult it was for him to sit up, Su Mo flicked his fingers several times, using the Qiankun Acupoint Technique to strike over a dozen major acupoints on the man's chest.

This forced the man into a half-sitting, half-rising position, frozen in place. But without his own strength to support him, how could he maintain such a difficult position?

Helpless, he eventually fell to the side.

Meanwhile, Yang Xiaoyun had put away her spear and approached, tilting her head to examine him:

"Looks like you were right. Someone really took this opportunity to come and kill Ding Wugong?"

"I just made an educated guess," Su Mo replied, looking thoughtfully at the man before him.

"Today's events are somewhat complicated."

Yang Xiaoyun nodded slightly in agreement.

It was clear that this man had taken advantage of the chaos in the Tenth Hall to seize the moment and attempt to assassinate.

Disguising himself as a carpenter and coming to fix the door was a perfect cover.

But this raised some questions.

How could they have known that the door to Su Mo's residence would break today?

And how could they have prepared their disguise ahead of time?

Moreover, the door was just an excuse. The most important point was that the incident in the Tenth Hall had just happened.

And this incident was something Su Mo and his allies had planned themselves.

They knew each other inside and out, so there was no room for surprises.

This suggested that the person behind this assassination plot had acted on impulse, seeing the chaos in the Tenth Hall and then deciding to kill Ding Wugong.

In that short time, they had also managed to prepare a disguise for the assassination.

Pulling this off would have been no small task.

"Xiao Mo... do you think this person could be Ren Xiongfei?" Yang Xiaoyun suddenly asked.

Su Mo laughed:

"Logically, Ren Xiongfei wouldn't want to kill Ding Wugong.

Think about it—who would want Ding Wugong dead the most right now?"

"Hmm..." Yang Xiaoyun paused, then quickly figured it out.

Last night, Su Mo had overheard the hall master's words, which made it clear that Ding Wugong was the hall master's man.

If the chaos in the Tenth Hall gave Su Mo an advantage, forcing Ren Xiongfei to confront Ding Wugong...

Then the person who most wanted Ding Wugong dead right now would undoubtedly be Wan Yutang.