Zhou Zhi looked down at the unconscious Ye Feng and ultimately gritted his teeth.
He decided against descending the stairs. Besides, he had already left sect secret marks in multiple places; if anyone saw them, they would surely come looking. It was better for him to remain in the vicinity. Moreover, with Ye Feng unconscious, he could not simply abandon him, so he closed the door and waited inside.
Sure enough, before long Zhou Zhi sensed someone else's aura.
Upon discovering it was a fellow disciple of the Great Xia Sword Sect, he quickly ushered him into the room.
Through their conversation, he learned that the other disciple had also been hunted by the black-robed men!
Looking down at the cold corpse on the ground, Zhou Zhi clenched his fists tightly! His throat bobbed slightly as he asked with some tension, "Duan Xiong, did you see Jiang Su after entering this place?"
The young man frowned, his voice heavy. "I saw her once! In the northern part of the main city. But just as I was about to step in and help, Senior Sister Jiang and that black-robed man were sucked down together by a collapsing section of the ground. I was injured at the time, and by the time I rushed to the edge, it was already too late. Later on, I saw the marks you left, Senior Brother, and followed them here."
Zhou Zhi stood frozen, his eyes blank, his thoughts unreadable. Yet beneath his sleeves, his fists were clenched so hard that his fingernails dug deep into his flesh without him even realizing it.
Only after a long while did Zhou Zhi regain his senses. He took a deep breath and said gravely, "We still don't know who these people are. Go upstairs first and tend to your wounds. Keep an eye on Ye Feng while you're at it—he was severely injured and has passed out."
The resolute-faced Duan Xiong instantly realized what he meant. He grabbed Zhou Zhi's shoulder and urged in a low voice, "Senior Brother, I know what you're thinking. But this mechanism city is exceedingly bizarre. I advise you not to risk going after Senior Sister Jiang!"
A suppressed voice burst from Zhou Zhi's throat. "How could I not worry?! Those people carry plenty of concealed weapons, and all of them are coated in poison! One careless mistake and... At any rate, stay here. If anything happens, shout as loud as you can. I won't go too far."
Duan Xiong hesitated for a long time before letting go. "Senior Brother, although you only entered the inner sect not long ago, whether it was me or the others, you took good care of all of us back in the outer sect. I know you like Senior Sister Jiang, but... as I see it, given Senior Sister Jiang's strength, counter-killing that man shouldn't be an issue."
Zhou Zhi had already turned around, his voice slightly somber. "'Shouldn't.' I still can't put my mind at ease. I'll go take a look and come right back."
With that, Zhou Zhi moved like the wind, darting straight down into the underground city.
Meanwhile, in the room, a secret compartment bore traces of having been moved.
Duan Xiong closed the door, let out a soft sigh, and dashed upstairs. "You're awake? How are you feeling? I have spirit stones here; use them to recover first."
***
Down in the underground city.
Li Guanqi looked at the glow beneath the stairs ahead, cautiously keeping his soldier armor on. However, the armor formed by the soldier pellet constantly drained the origin power from his body. Thus, after a while, he simply put the soldier pellet away.
Presently, Li Guanqi held the Canglang sword in hand, clad in silver armor that faintly shimmered with mysterious black-and-gold patterns. Drawing closer to the light, his grip tightened involuntarily.
Yet when he walked out from the stairwell, he discovered an enormous square platform stretching nearly five hundred zhang across before him.
Directly opposite him stood a full twelve black-robed figures!
A flash of killing intent crossed the eyes of the leading black-robed man. In particular, when his gaze landed upon the soldier pellet armor Li Guanqi wore, a glint of greed flickered within them.
Li Guanqi frowned, wondering why this group of mysterious black-robed men had gathered here.
Seeing that the other side showed no intention of attacking immediately, Li Guanqi slowly recalled the soldier pellet. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "All of you together?"
"*Pfft!* Ahahahahaha! Did you hear what he just said?"
"Hahaha, all together? Are you an idiot or what?!"
"All together? To gang up and kill you?"
"A bunch of sect brats who truly don't know the immensity of heaven and earth."
Mocking laughter erupted in waves, but the man at the front, wearing a purple armband, let out a cold sneer.
"Heh. A life-or-death battle between the two of us. Do you dare?"
Immediately afterward, he soared into the air and stepped onto the platform.
*Hum—!*
The moment the man landed on the platform, the ground beneath trembled slightly, and a sky-reaching barrier suddenly surged up over half the arena! The crimson barrier gave off a slightly sinister glow, but it covered only the half beneath the man's feet.
Li Guanqi's eyes flickered as he called out softly to the sword spirit in his mind.
Yet after waiting several breaths without receiving any response, Li Guanqi could not help but sigh inwardly.
*I didn't expect this mechanism city to suppress the sword spirit so heavily. Should I share more origin power with her in the future to help increase her strength?*
Seeing that he had not reacted for quite a while, the man across the platform sneered derisively, "Tsk, tsk. Big talk, isn't it? Don't even dare to fight one-on-one? What's the matter—do you want me to suppress my cultivation to the middle stage like yours? Hahahahaha! After all, beating up a kid is somewhat beneath me."
At these words, many of the black-robed men behind him chimed in one after another. For a moment, sneering and mockery filled the air.
Yet Li Guanqi's mind remained undisturbed, ignoring their insults entirely. He had heard words a hundred times nastier than these.
Helplessly digging at his ear, he remarked in an exasperated tone, "One dog barking isn't much to care about, but a whole pack barking really gets annoying. The insults you people use are far too low-grade. Widow Wang at the entrance of our village could curse out the whole lot of you for six hours straight without taking a breath. Please stop talking to me with your excretory organs—the stench is far too overwhelming. A bunch of jumping clowns still shamelessly prancing around here. How about you wait a bit while I go call some people so we can have a proper brawl? When the time comes, whoever cowers is a coward's grandson! If I don't beat the shit out of you, I'll... forget it, taking your surname would be too big a loss."
By the time he finished, the other side had fallen completely silent.
Li Guanqi rolled up his sleeves, slowly tightened his grip on his longsword, and sneered.
"Weren't you asking for a duel? Fine by me. Me, dueling your entire pack!"
As Li Guanqi took a stride forward, his sword was drawn in a flash!
A bone-chilling sword light gleamed, and his entire disposition changed abruptly! With origin power surging, the pressure around him became apparent.
The eyes of the leading black-robed man instantly narrowed! In his perception, the aura the boy now displayed was actually a notch more formidable than his own!
Yet just as Li Guanqi planted his foot, he caught a glimpse of teasing mockery flashing deep within the man's eyes.
Li Guanqi's heart lurched. Channeling power through his feet, he violently sprang backward!
*Bang!!*
Li Guanqi felt his back slam hard into a solid, unyielding wall.
*Not good...*
Chapter 95