Striking with Bold Abandon!

The Zhou clan's consecrated elder was a white-haired man dressed in blue robes. The Wu clan's consecrated elder, on the other hand, was a burly man with a curly full beard, chilly eyes, and an imposing frame. Neither set off after Chen Xiaotian immediately. Instead, they rushed over to the corpses of Zhou Ze and Wu Jiang. Upon confirming that both were thoroughly dead, beyond any hope of revival, both men's faces turned exceedingly grim. Storing away the corpses with no time to spare for other thoughts, they instantly transformed into two streaks of light and shot forth. "Good riddance! Hmph!" "Indeed. That lad did what none of us dared to do." "What a pity. I wonder if he can escape." "Come on, let's go see! I hope he gets away." "Hard to say... haven't you felt the fluctuations of Moon Shadow City's barrier yet?" Just as the man finished speaking, an immensely powerful surge of formation energy suddenly rolled across the city! The entire perimeter wall of Moon Shadow City erupted with dazzling brilliance, followed by a moon-white, silver curtain of array light soaring into the sky! At that moment, Chen Xiaotian was merely five hundred zhang from the city wall. Yet those five hundred zhang had now become an insurmountable chasm. Had he heeded the onlookers' advice to flee immediately after killing Zhou Ze, he might have slipped away cleanly. But... did he regret it? Gripping his sword as he turned around, Chen Xiaotian's eyes were resolute. This alone was proof that he did not regret his decision in the slightest! The defensive barrier's strength far exceeded the offensive power of any Soul Formation Realm cultivator; even a Void Refining Realm cultivator would have to expend considerable effort to breach it. For Chen Xiaotian, who was currently only at half-step Soul Formation, attempting to break through the barrier and escape was nothing short of a fool's dream. Having turned back, Chen Xiaotian steeled himself for a fight to the death, his eyes flickering as he watched the two figures flying toward him. A sharp light flashed deep in his gaze. Instead of waiting idly for death, he chose to advance rather than retreat! Holding the wooden sword, Chen Xiaotian suddenly erupted with an intense, surging sword intent! Even though it was only the most rudimentary level of sword intent, it was still astonishing. One had to remember that Chen Xiaotian had not yet stepped into the Soul Formation Realm. To hone his own sword intent while still in the Nascent Soul realm meant he had truly found his own sword dao. Hidden in the shadows, Li Guanqi nodded slightly. "This intent... the will to chase after the strong?" "No! It's slightly more complex than that. He wants to become... an immortal?" "Heh, brat, how interesting." Indeed, Chen Xiaotian's sword dao was rooted in his desire to become someone like Li Guanqi! Back on that day when he had piously prayed for an immortal to appear and save his mother, Li Guanqi's appearance had been like a beam of light in the darkness, illuminating Chen Xiaotian's life. Even while serving within the assassination wing of Guanyun Pavilion, he had never lost himself to slaughter. His sword dao remained extraordinarily steadfast—not an intent forged of pure killing aura, but something far deeper. This sudden surge of momentum caught the Zhou clan elder off guard. However, once he sensed Chen Xiaotian's cultivation aura, a cold sneer formed on his lips. "Reckless fool! You killed Zhou Ze—wait until you're dragged back, you'll suffer for this!" "Luo Jian, join me and capture him alive!" The Wu clan consecrated elder nodded with a chilly expression. Now that the city lord had been pressured into activating the city defense formation, their punishment would only be heavier if they failed to capture him alive. As soon as his voice fell, the man called Luo Jian raised his hands, and three centipedes, each about a zhang long, slithered out from his sleeves! The centipedes were flat yet as thick as an arm, their black carapaces gleaming with a metallic luster. With a dark scowl, the Zhou clan elder brandished a one-foot hoop, tearing open a pocket of void space. A scorpion, entirely purple-black, crawled out from within. Three centipedes, one venomous scorpion! Chen Xiaotian's expression sank, his gaze turning gravely solemn. Originally, his target had been the Zhou clan elder, but the three centipedes moved with blinding speed, scuttling through midair like three black streaks. In the blink of an eye, the three centipedes coordinated, lunging to coil around him. Chen Xiaotian's expression shifted sharply; he had not expected the creatures to be so swift. Almost by pure instinct, he stamped hard against empty air, flinging himself backward three feet. It was precisely those three feet of retreat that allowed him to evade their entrapment. Yet the razor-sharp legs on the centipedes' bellies slashed across his cheek and waist. His robes tore, and a large chunk of flesh was instantly gouged from his flank. His cheek became a mangled mess, the wound deep enough to expose bone! Circulating his movement technique, Chen Xiaotian moved at blistering speed, weaving left and right to frantically evade the centipedes' relentless pursuit. Right then, a cold sneer curled on Luo Jian's lips. Mid-dodge, half of Chen Xiaotian's body suddenly went numb, rendering him motionless. His figure froze, and without him noticing, the venomous scorpion had appeared right behind him. The stinger on its tail drove straight toward the back of his skull! In that split second of crisis, Chen Xiaotian whipped around and slashed his blade directly against the stinger! The spine of the wooden sword clashed against the venomous barb, detonating a spray of sparks. The impact sent his body hurtling downward like an artillery shell! Swoosh! Boom!! His body blurred into an afterimage, crashing through several buildings and shattering the bluestone pavement. He bounced off the ground, carving out a deep crater over ten zhang across. Spurt!!! He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood—black blood. "Poison!" Enduring the agonizing pain that made him feel as though his body were coming apart at the seams, he reached back, retrieved a detoxification pill, and swallowed it, temporarily suppressing the raging toxins within him. Seeing the two elders swooping down upon him, Chen Xiaotian rolled and shifted several zhang sideways in a flash. The scorpion's stinger slammed viciously into the spot where he had just been. Thud! Boom!! Dust and debris billowed as the scorpion's three pairs of scarlet eyes flickered rapidly, a sight that sent chills down anyone's spine. Chen Xiaotian swung his sword in several quick counter-slashes, tapped the ground lightly with his left hand, and flipped his body, leaping onto the spire of a tall tower. The flesh on his cheek had turned rotting black, exuding a foul stench. Chen Xiaotian pressed one hand against the wound at his waist, yet there was not a trace of panic in his features. Over the years of carrying out missions, he had encountered far too many perilous situations. He knew all too well that the more desperate the circumstances, the more essential it was to stay calm. Watching this, Li Guanqi nodded slightly, though the situation was indeed growing urgent... "If he can't end this quickly, other experts from the two clans will probably arrive soon." "What will you do?" The two consecrated elders exchanged a glance, unleashing their spatial power in tandem to capture Chen Xiaotian! Chen Xiaotian showed no hesitation, charging forward sword in hand. The building beneath his feet exploded into rubble as he took on both opponents at once. Li Guanqi murmured, "Such an unwise move... that doesn't seem like you." Even so, he remained in no hurry to intervene, wanting to see what Chen Xiaotian was planning. Boom! Crash! Deafening blasts resounded. Although Chen Xiaotian possessed immense combat experience, he was still outmatched when facing two cultivators of a higher realm. Forced back step by step, he steadily fell into a disadvantage. Just as Li Guanqi was about to step in, the clouds above suddenly churned and shifted, and an inexplicable heavenly might abruptly descended!! The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved slightly upward in admiration. "Crossing a tribulation to break through in the heat of battle... he really does take after me..." Terror-stricken, Luo Jian shot backward at top speed—the last thing he wanted was to be treated as a provocateur by the heavenly tribulation!!