Zhong Ling's goodwill matched Liu Yan's intentions perfectly.

She had come to Qingyan Town to get her husband's favorite wine and was in the midst of paying her respects.

Unexpectedly, she discovered someone setting up an array formation outside Qingyan Town, filled with ominous energy—it was a sacrificial array.

This mysterious figure in a black robe intended to sacrifice the entire populace of Qingyan Town.

Liu Yan hurriedly activated the town's defensive array to stop the intruder.

As soon as she engaged, she realized something was wrong.

The opponent was stronger than her!

Judging by the aura, they had just broken through to the first level of the Fifth Tier Sky-breaking Realm.

She herself was only at the ninth level of the Fourth Tier Nirvana Realm.

She could hold on for so long only because the opponent was deliberately toying with her.

It seemed she was being used as a practice target.

Until the opponent exerted force, sending her flying to the ground, she saw the white bone waist token of her opponent.

Black Soul Hall!

A top power in the Southern Wastelands, even the Bloodcloud Pavilion, the first assassin organization, avoided provoking them.

Because the people of Black Soul Hall were all extremely vicious.

Their cultivation techniques were both evil and strange, and their methods were arrogant and violent.

Moreover, the people of Black Soul Hall were very protective and petty; if provoked, they were like a persistent rash, impossible to shake off.

Yet even Black Soul Hall dared not be too presumptuous in front of the Emperor.

The problem was, the Emperor was not in the Imperial City but at the Northern Frontier.

"So that's it..." Liu Yan clutched her pierced shoulder, slowly getting up from the ground. "Black Soul Hall, you must be collaborating with the barbarian nation."

"The barbarians move south, attacking the Northern Frontier. The Barbarian Grand Sage personally acts, forcing the Emperor to lead the expedition, and you take advantage of the situation."

"What a scheme. What does our Great Yan Dynasty have that's worth this to you?"

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"The Poison Swamp Elder of Black Soul Hall's Six Evils, Xiang Yuanbai, actually brought his beloved disciple, Heart-piercing Sword Gu Hongmao, to our Great Yan."

Clap, clap, clap...

The young man in black robes, Gu Hongmao, gently clapped his hands. "Very clever, quick to react..."

"Alright, you've wasted enough time practicing your sword. Let's avoid any further delays and finish her off to get on with our task," said Poison Swamp Elder Xiang Yuanbai in a hoarse voice from the side.

"Blood-sacrificing the people of Qingyan Town will take some time. There are many eyes from the Great Yan Dynasty watching; we mustn't alert others."

Gu Hongmao's pale young face showed excitement. "Don't worry, Master. Qingyan Town is hidden in these mountains; it won't be discovered."

"It's truly exciting, watching them despair as their bodies are disassembled, hearing their piercing screams—it should sound delightful."

As he spoke, Gu Hongmao lifted his sword and suddenly charged at Liu Yan.

Swish!

From under Gu Hongmao's black robe, a slender soft sword suddenly retracted.

In the next moment, the long sword shot out from his sleeve at an extremely tricky angle, stabbing toward Liu Yan like a venomous snake.

"Ugh!" Liu Yan grunted, enduring the pain, and quickly raised her knife to block.

The slender, sharp sword tip struck Liu Yan's knife, sparking.

But the force accompanying the high-speed thrust of the sword made the knife tremble, and Liu Yan's hand went numb.

"Hahaha..." Gu Hongmao let out a sharp laugh, his long sword flicking like a whip, stabbing at Liu Yan from various angles.

Gu Hongmao, going all out, moved with strange speed, the gap in their realms evident.

"Truly a veteran of a hundred battles, your experience is indeed rich, even able to block my Heart-piercing Snake Sword."

"But what about this strike?"

As Gu Hongmao's words fell, the originally soft sword suddenly straightened under the influence of spiritual qi.

Whoosh!

The sword shot out like lightning, this strike like a sharp spike piercing the heart, suddenly sweeping past.

Liu Yan hurriedly raised her knife, but she was too slow!

The slender sword scraped against the back of the knife, the sparks blurring Liu Yan's vision.

Pfft!

Liu Yan's arm was pierced, the spiritual qi shock making her unable to hold her battle knife, which fell to the ground.

Clang.

The sound of the battle knife hitting the ground echoed as Gu Hongmao stepped forward, his foot landing hard on Liu Yan's abdomen.

"Ugh!" Liu Yan's eyes widened, blood spewing from her mouth as she flew backward, carving a shallow trench in the ground before stopping at her husband's tombstone.

"Cough, cough... cough..." Blood sprayed from Liu Yan's mouth with violent coughs, her internal organs feeling like they were in turmoil, her body almost falling apart.

Liu Yan panted, blood frothing from her mouth, trying to get up, but her body staggered, and she sat back down.

"Why don't you scream? Go ahead and shout." Gu Hongmao walked up to Liu Yan, stepping on her shoulder with a sinister smile.

Bang!

Liu Yan's back hit her husband's tombstone, sweat pouring from the pain, but she gritted her teeth, glaring fiercely at Gu Hongmao without a sound.

"Boring..." Gu Hongmao's smile faded, and he thrust his sword toward Liu Yan's heart.

Facing imminent death, Liu Yan felt no fear, her body leaning against her husband's tombstone as if in his embrace.

"Husband, as your wife, I haven't disgraced you." Liu Yan showed a proud smile, closing her eyes to embrace death.

Just as Liu Yan was about to die, a finger suddenly extended from the side, flicking lightly.

Ding!

A crisp metallic clash sounded, and the sword tip about to pierce Liu Yan's heart was flicked back.

Gu Hongmao's expression changed drastically, feeling the terrifying force transmitted through the sword tip.

The counterforce made him stagger back, almost losing grip of his Heart-piercing Sword.

"What do you intend to do to my chief guard?"

The familiar voice and the absence of death made Liu Yan open her eyes in surprise.

When she opened her eyes, she found Xiao Tian had somehow appeared beside her.

"Prince?" Liu Yan's eyes widened, wondering what had just happened.

Xiao Tian waved his hand, pointing at Gu Hongmao. "Little girl, take him down!"

"Leave it to me." Zhong Ling's lips curled slightly as she charged forward, her long sword already drawn.

The sword blazed like fire, spiritual qi surging as she shot forward like a fiery meteor, crashing into the retreating Gu Hongmao.

"Was it the Young General who blocked the fatal blow for me just now?" Liu Yan realized, laughing at herself for her wild thoughts.

Just now, she had mistakenly thought the one who blocked Gu Hongmao's attack was the Prince.

It was impossible; the Prince was just an ordinary person without cultivation. How could he block the famous Heart-piercing Sword of the Black Soul Hall's younger generation?

"How did you almost get yourself killed just fetching some wine?" Xiao Tian said as he examined her crippled arms.

Before Liu Yan could respond, Xiao Tian suddenly reached out, pinching her chin.

Then, after prying her mouth open, he forced two elixirs down her throat.

He then casually wiped his blood-stained hands on his clothes, showing no disdain.

In that moment, Liu Yan felt she had gained a new understanding of Xiao Tian.

"No, Prince, you must have Zhong Ling take you away." After a moment of shock, Liu Yan's expression changed, urgently speaking, "That's the Poison Swamp Elder Xiang Yuanbai from Black Soul Hall, a Seventh Tier Awakening Realm expert!"

"Staying here will get you killed!"