Zhou Wuji's swelling pride lasted only a moment before he quickly calmed down.
A seventh-rank martial artist was indeed formidable; in actual combat, one was fully capable of challenging a sixth-rank cultivator above their level.
Yet the world held countless experts. A seventh-rank martial artist could dominate Siming County, but in Yunyang Prefecture, they amounted to nothing.
To think himself fearless just because he had attained the strength of a top seventh-rank martial artist would be utterly foolish.
Possessing memories of two lifetimes, Zhou Wuji understood all the more how precious life was.
Now that he held a peerless divine artifact and even possessed the chance to ascend to immortality, his future was boundless. Naturally, he had to tread with utmost caution.
Yang Shuling sending him an invitation was likely a warning. For the old man not to speak plainly meant he was inevitably under coercion.
Yang Shuling was a formidable seventh-rank martial artist himself. For someone to coerce him into obedient compliance, the other party had to possess considerable skill.
"It's likely people from the Five Dragons Gang..."
Having slain the Five Dragons Gang's gu master, Zhou Wuji had remained on high alert against them.
For more than twenty days, he had not dared let his guard down for a single day.
Even though Wuzheng said the Lower Cloister had stepped in and that the matter ended there, Zhou Wuji did not entirely believe it.
The Five Dragons Gang had strength in numbers and wielded sinister, dangerous arts of gu sorcery. They relied on ruthless aggression to keep their foothold on the river.
The Lower Cloister took an elite path, dealing primarily in pills and talismans. Fundamentally, it was entirely different from an underworld gang like the Five Dragons Gang.
This distinction also determined the two organizations' differing styles of doing things.
The Five Dragons Gang and the Lower Cloister had never gotten along; how could the gang bow their heads so easily?
Zhou Wuji figured that while the Five Dragons Gang might not dare touch the Lower Cloister, they would definitely dare to kill him and Wuzheng.
With the Five Dragons Gang's bizarre gu sorcery, subduing Yang Shuling's kin would be no difficult task.
His grandson, Yang Tieying, who had mastered hidden force, made the perfect hostage.
Capturing Yang Tieying was certain to force Yang Shuling to submit. Nor could Yang Shuling disregard his own grandson's life for an outsider like Zhou Wuji.
As for why they had not come directly to the Daoist temple to seek him out, the Five Dragons Gang members were likely intimidated by the temple's divine might.
Desperate mutineers, carried by brute hot-blooded courage, might fear nothing.
But these Five Dragons Gang scoundrels who practiced gu sorcery were tightly suppressed by orthodox Daoist magic.
Thus, they had coerced Yang Shuling into luring Zhou Wuji out of the temple under the pretext of holding a birthday banquet.
Those bastards had chosen Yang Shuling because Yang Shuling had once treated his injuries, giving them a rapport.
Putting himself in the other's shoes, Zhou Wuji knew no one would abandon their own flesh and blood for the sake of chivalrous loyalty.
Still, Old Yang clearly had not wanted to offend him either, secretly passing along a warning.
Zhou Wuji could not be certain whether his guess was correct, but it did not matter. He would know once he paid a visit to the Yang residence under cover of darkness tonight.
With his Six Yang Dharma Eyes at the perfection stage, he could easily detect an expert's spiritual light of life.
If experts were hiding there, it would prove something was amiss!
Zhou Wuji donned his Daoist robe, strapped on his sword, and packed the Tiger Wing Saber into his Five Yin Pouch.
After numerous battles, the Seven Stars Sword's blade showed noticeable wear.
Having achieved great mastery in the Five Tigers Fist and comprehended the Mind Tiger fist intent, even though the Tiger Wing Saber lacked talismanic blessings, in sheer combat it was far more formidable than the Seven Stars Sword.
All manner of medicinal pills and talismans were thoroughly prepared. Small items, including the White Brow Needles and steel pellets, were brought along as well.
After checking everything over to ensure nothing was overlooked, Zhou Wuji went to find Wuzheng.
Wuzheng's martial arts were mediocre, but he was a seventh-rank Daoist after all, well-versed in magical duels.
This trip was not for personal vengeance, so with such an expert around, bringing him along was only natural.
Though Wuzheng felt Zhou Wuji was being overly cautious, he was still willing to accompany him.
Going to check could do no harm, and if something truly was going on, it would nip the danger in the bud.
The two experts quietly slipped away from Canglong Temple, journeying all the way to Siming County.
By now it was already the second night watch, and the city gates were shut tight.
Wuzheng looked at the city wall with some difficulty; his martial skill was decent, but he lacked the confidence to leap over a two-zhang-high wall by driving his qi.
Knowing Wuzheng's concerns, Zhou Wuji said, "Go ahead and leap, Senior Brother. The wall isn't that high."
Wuzheng could say no more. He gathered his breath and leaped with all his might. Halfway up, he realized he would fall short by a foot or so. Just as he reached out to grab the wall, Zhou Wuji's palm gently supported the small of his back, sending him drifting lightly onto the top of the rampart.
Wuzheng rejoiced inwardly. His junior brother's assistance had come right on time, delivered with precise force.
The early-second-month evening wind was biting cold. The patrolling soldiers had long since ducked into hiding; nobody would actually patrol atop the walls all night.
Wuzheng and Zhou Wuji calmly hopped down from the wall and headed straight for the Flying Eagle Martial Arts School.
The county seat was not large to begin with, and Wuzheng had visited many times to perform rituals, making him quite familiar with the county yamen and the prominent clans.
Zhou Wuji knew it even better, and the two quickly arrived at the backyard of the Flying Eagle Martial Arts School.
The front courtyard housed the martial arts school, while the two-entry courtyard houses in the rear were the Yang family's private residence.
Zhou Wuji was in no rush to enter. He cast the Six Yang Dharma Eyes upon himself once more.
Crimson flames formed thousands of minute runes, coalescing into a ring of fiery red light deep within his eyes.
Zhou Wuji's vision brightened as the world became crisp and vivid. He could perceive not only the minute details of physical matter, but also the various circulating auras of vitality.
In the Yang residence's rear courtyard, two auras were particularly robust. One burned fiercely like fire—undoubtedly the seventh-rank martial artist Yang Shuling.
The other aura was not as intensely blazing, but it ran far deeper and longer, belonging clearly to a seventh-rank cultivator who could breathe and circulate true qi.
Zhou Wuji also spotted an extremely feeble aura. Its spiritual light of life was exceedingly dim, looking as if its breath was on the verge of snuffing out.
Looking closely, this person's foundation of vitality was actually quite dense; it had to be a youth in the prime of his vigor.
Expanding his range of observation, Zhou Wuji soon detected an anomaly.
In a small courtyard not far from the Yang residence, numerous powerful auras of vitality were gathered.
This was far too abnormal!
After speaking briefly to Wuzheng, Zhou Wuji stealthily made his way outside that small courtyard.
Observing carefully through his perfection-stage Six Yang Dharma Eyes, he perceived even more this time.
"One, two, three, four, five... Five martial artists of the eighth-rank level. Two of them can circulate true qi, and the qi feels chilling and grim, very peculiar..."
Zhou Wuji determined that they were two formidable demonic cultivators, at least of the seventh rank.
Yet these two demonic cultivators differed from the Five Dragons Gang's gu masters, nor did their aura resemble that of Yin-Yang Dao demonic cultivators. They reeked of sinister, ghostly gloom—who knew which path of demonic cultivation they belonged to?
Zhou Wuji circled the Yang residence again, inspecting all the neighboring households, and breathed a sigh of relief when he found no other experts.
In total, three seventh-rank demonic cultivators, all possessing the martial cultivation of eighth-rank hidden force.
There were also three eighth-rank hidden force martial artists, plus over a dozen lower-tier henchmen and attendants.
The key lay with those other two demonic cultivators; Zhou Wuji could not be certain they were only seventh rank, as they might even be sixth rank.
The gap between the seventh and sixth ranks was immense!
Zhou Wuji had slain a sixth-rank demonic cultivator before, but that had only been because the man was overly arrogant and unaware that Zhou Wuji was a seventh-rank martial artist, allowing Zhou Wuji to take the risk of closing in for the kill.
There had been a degree of fluke and luck involved, so he would never underestimate a sixth-rank demonic cultivator because of it.
Fortunately, the enemy had no idea he had arrived, let alone that their tracks had been exposed.
Originally, they had plotted against him; now the tables had turned, allowing him to hide in the dark and calmly plot against them instead.
Returning outside the rear entrance of the old Yang residence, Zhou Wuji whispered to Wuzheng, "Senior Brother, keep watch for me here. I'll go inside to deal with those two demonic cultivators. In that courtyard fifty paces to the east, there's another pack of demonic cultivators. Keep an eye out and don't let them spot you..."
Wuzheng was surprised to hear there truly were demonic cultivators. He felt it would be safer to gather experts and act together.
However, they were too far from the Lower Cloister, and in such haste, no experts could be found to lend a hand.
The only viable expert in Siming County was Li Cheng'an, but seeking Li Cheng'an out in the dead of night would be troublesome, and the man might not even be willing to help with all his might.
As Wuzheng's thoughts turned, he felt it was indeed safer to let Junior Brother Wuji handle it.
He knew how formidable this junior brother was, and even more, that Zhou Wuji was deep-minded and meticulous; for him to speak with such confidence meant he had immense certainty.
"Alright, I'll stand watch here," Wuzheng answered softly.
Zhou Wuji nodded. This was what he liked about Senior Brother Wuzheng: the man trusted him completely and shared a silent understanding, requiring few words.
He silently scaled the high blue-brick wall into the second courtyard of the Yang residence's inner quarters.
According to typical domestic layouts, such inner quarters housed the family's women, children, and elderly. As the most private part of the home, outsiders were never permitted inside.
Yet now, three powerful vitalities resided in the main quarters, one of which clearly belonged to a seventh-rank demonic cultivator.
Zhou Wuji dared make this judgment because he smelled that familiar scent of gu insects emanating from the person.
The Five Dragons Gang was large, but to his knowledge, the Five Dragon Emissaries were all seventh-rank gu masters, and only the Gang Chief was a sixth-rank martial artist.
A seventh-rank gu master, accompanied by two subordinates of eighth-rank hidden force, had occupied the main room of the inner quarters.
In the bedroom of the main room, there was a weak yet resilient aura—presumably Yang Tieying, subdued by gu sorcery.
Several people slept in the wing rooms on either side. Judging by their auras, they were ordinary folk, likely the Yang family's servants.
In the front courtyard, a powerful vitality burned as fierce as fire; that had to be Yang Shuling.
After some thought, Zhou Wuji decided against seeking out Yang Shuling. The man's vitality was blazing and uncontained, and the gu master had very likely placed some hold over him; any movement from Yang Shuling might alert the enemy instead.
With his current magic and martial arts, killing that seventh-rank gu master would be as easy as turning over his hand.
However, other demonic cultivators were nearby, so he could not alert them. There was another concern as well: he had to ensure the hostage's safety.
Not only must the battle not harm the hostage, but it would also be best to capture the enemy alive in order to undo the gu restrictions placed on him.
Naturally, his own safety remained the utmost priority above all else.
Still, Zhou Wuji wanted to do everything he could to rescue the hostage. After all, the youth had a bright future, and setting aside his rapport with Yang Shuling, the boy was essentially implicated on his account.
He felt no guilt over it; the martial world was inherently this cruel. If you formed ties with someone, you naturally drew the enmity of that person's foes.
Every gain brought a loss; such was the way of all things in the world.
It was precisely because of his concerns for the hostage that Zhou Wuji could think of no foolproof plan.
The main issue was that he knew nothing of gu sorcery. Residing deep within the Yang home, aside from holding the hostage, the enemy would surely have prepared measures to protect themselves.
Yang Shuling was a veteran of the martial world, after all; no one could guarantee he would cooperate meekly.
Yet out of practical considerations, a gu master could hardly rig hidden weapons or mechanical traps inside the room.
At most, they would scatter some gu insects, venomous snakes, or similar foul vermin...
Standing in the shadows by the corner of the wall, Zhou Wuji observed in silence. His glabella spirit aperture guided the circulation of true qi, while his opened seven apertures simultaneously circulated true qi, forming an unbroken cycle.
Cultivating true qi with the Northern Dipper Celestial Pivot Scripture inherently enhanced the visual and auditory faculties of sight and perception—one of the wondrous transformations of his sect's arts.
In this state, the sensory awareness of his seven apertures was pushed to its limit.
He could hear the breathing of the three people inside the room. Through the volume and rhythm of their breath, the layout of the room mapped out into a three-dimensional scene in his mind.
The seventh-rank demonic cultivator held court in the central hall, while one eighth-rank hidden force martial artist lay resting to one side. The other eighth-rank hidden force martial artist stayed in the bedroom, where the weakened youth lay on the bed.
The distance was still too great. Zhou Wuji could not sense the fine details inside the room, nor could he determine what defensive precautions had been arranged.
Yet Zhou Wuji did not want to wait any longer. Everyone in the room possessed martial skills and was staying in the Yang house; it was unlikely they would step out in the middle of the night to use the latrine.
Waiting would only waste precious time!
With a shift of intent, Zhou Wuji activated the Heavenly Puppet on his left arm. The bracer-like bronze puppet silently dissolved into a faint azure radiance, swept over his entire body in an instant, and solidified into a sealed suit of azure bronze armor, hermetically encasing him from head to toe.
Even his facial features were completely wrapped and sealed by the Heavenly Puppet.
In effect, the Heavenly Puppet had transformed into a seamless heavenly robe, isolating him from the outside world.
Whether blades, spells, or gu insects, they would have to pierce this seamless heavenly robe before they could harm his flesh.
Zhou Wuji, projecting his six senses through the Heavenly Puppet, could still "see," "hear," and perceive every change around him despite being fully enclosed.
The Heavenly Puppet did not impair his senses at all; if anything, it heightened them to a certain degree.
Zhou Wuji had run various tests on the Heavenly Puppet. This "heavenly robe" state was its strongest defensive form. Though the azure bronze appeared thin, its protective capability surpassed that of heavy armor, capable of withstanding heavy crossbow bolts fired from ten paces away.
By his estimate, it was enough to withstand a full-power strike from a seventh-rank martial artist, though it would not stop a full-force slash from his own Tiger Wing Saber.
The Heavenly Puppet converted into bronze armor in no way hindered his movement, and could even amplify the power of his projected true qi.
The only drawback of turning the puppet into azure bronze armor was its severe drain on true qi and divine consciousness.
With his current cultivation, he could sustain this state for at most ten breaths. Aided by the Rejuvenation Technique, he could stretch it to thirty breaths in an extreme situation.
With the Heavenly Puppet shielding him as bronze armor, Zhou Wuji cast aside all hesitation. He strode directly to the main room, pushed open the door, and entered.
Azure Dragon Emissary Chen Hui, meditating in the main hall, had never thought to latch the door; it had merely been left ajar.
Zhou Wuji walked in brazenly, making no attempt to conceal his presence, which led Chen Hui to make a false assumption, believing it was Yang Shuling approaching.
The moment Chen Hui opened his eyes, he realized something was wrong. The figure was tall and slender, draped in a loose robe—vastly different from Yang Shuling's build.
In the dark, he could not clearly see the stranger's face, but vaguely caught a metallic sheen across it; strangest of all, no eyes were visible.
Startled and alarmed, Chen Hui flicked his sleeve without hesitation, releasing a swarm of gu insects.
Dust-fine gu insects instantly filled the entire hall.
On the table, the Hundred Insects Incense burning in the censer gave off a specialized aroma that excited the gu insects, greatly enhancing their potency.
Any outsider who inhaled this scent would grow dizzy and faint; prolonged exposure could even prove fatal.
Chen Hui had feared Yang Shuling might play tricks, so he had prepared well in advance.
He had never anticipated that the one arriving would not be Yang Shuling, but an eerie stranger.
Through the Heavenly Puppet, Zhou Wuji saw the gu insects swirling through the air. Having battled a gu master before, he knew these insects were physical living creatures and could not possibly penetrate the Heavenly Puppet.
Ignoring the insects, he flicked his left hand hidden inside his long sleeve, unleashing a White Brow Needle.
The eighth-rank martial artist resting on a wooden chair nearby had only just realized something was amiss and moved to draw his blade; before he could even sit upright, the lightning-fast needle pierced straight into his glabella.
Zhou Wuji's physical attribute had reached five hundred, and his Five Tigers Fist had reached great mastery, dramatically increasing his strength.
His perfection-stage Tianshu Hand allowed him to focus the full power of his fingers and palms onto a needle as fine as a strand of hair.
Launching the White Brow Needle now infused it with Tianshu true qi, further boosting its speed while adding intricate variations to its trajectory.
A mere eighth-rank martial artist could not see the White Brow Needle at all.
At less than ten paces between them, the eighth-rank martial artist was struck before he even registered the needle's shrill whistle cutting through the air.
The needle punched effortlessly through the warrior's skull, and the true qi imbued within erupted a second time, blasting a fist-sized cavity through his brain.
The eighth-rank martial artist died instantly. His half-risen body stiffened for a heartbeat, then collapsed with a thud.
Azure Dragon Emissary Chen Hui also heard the shrill, sharp whistle of the White Brow Needle, but even with his eyesight, he could not see what hidden weapon the assailant had used. He only saw his subordinate lying there, clearly in dire straits.
Panic surged through Chen Hui's heart. Who was this intruder? Striking to kill without uttering a single word—how could someone be so ruthless and vicious?
Hesitating no further, Chen Hui raised the Azure Dragon Casket, aimed it at the intruder, and tripped the release mechanism.
The thirty-six flying shuttles concealed within the Azure Dragon Casket were unleashed, pouring over Zhou Wuji like a torrential downpour.
The distance between them was far too close for Zhou Wuji to dodge. He drew his sword in a flash, executing Evening Snow Shrouds the Sky from the Evening Snow Sword technique.
A continuous flurry of brilliant sword light formed a shimmering screen, knocking aside all the incoming flying shuttles.
Chen Hui watched with wide eyes as the shuttles snapped and scattered in chaos. He was utterly terrified—what exquisite swordsmanship!
Sudden realization dawned upon him: in all of Siming County, only one person wielded such superb swordsmanship—Zhou Wuji!
Realizing that the intruder was Zhou Wuji, Chen Hui opened his mouth to shout for backup, but a low, resonant hum of sword chime suddenly rang in his ears.
His focused spiritual consciousness was shaken by the sword chime, throwing his gathered true qi into disarray.
In the next instant, the radiant blade flashed before him. Chen Hui watched helplessly, powerless to evade, able only to watch as the sword point thrust toward the center of his brow...
Chapter 79