In a dark alley of the small town, the Crane Control Army was assassinating their fifteenth target.

Chu Dingjiang had chosen the route closest to the armory. To avoid being surrounded there, they had to assassinate targets along the way, eliminating as many as possible. But now, with the armory in sight and time running short, they could no longer act in separate groups.

Suddenly, the sound of a zither rose in the distance, its melody fluctuating in the fierce wind. The assassins of Piaomiao Mountain Villa awoke from their slumber.

Chu Dingjiang sensed dozens of people rapidly approaching from the south. Soon after, Sui Yunzhu also felt it but, lacking Chu Dingjiang’s composure, whispered a warning, “Sir, someone’s coming.”

“Going straight through this alley will lead to Piaomiao Mountain Villa’s armory. There are extremely powerful bows and crossbows there – that’s your target,” Chu Dingjiang said rapidly. “Nine eighth-rank experts guard the armory. Lou Er and I will handle them. The rest of you find a way to sneak in and take the weapons! Mei Shisi knows those weapons. This is the internal map Lord Gu drew. It may not be entirely accurate, so use it only as a reference.”

Everyone had seen this map before and knew its general contents. Without hesitation, Chu Dingjiang tossed it to An Jiu.

Chu Dingjiang had once secretly infiltrated the area and mapped the exterior. Gu Jinghou then drew the interior based on the building’s structure, marking potential locations for traps.

This was purely a battle of wits between Gu Jinghou and Wei Yuzhi, with the outcome yet unknown.

The group accepted their orders and slipped into the alley, leaving only Lou Mingyue and Chu Dingjiang behind.

The two quickly infiltrated a nearby residence.

“Let this old man see who dares to be so bold!” an elder coldly said from under the eaves.

Without a word, Chu Dingjiang attacked like a ghost from the opposite direction. Reaching the eaves, a cold glint flashed in his hand as his sword appeared, his entire body becoming like a giant blade. With one strike, the roof tiles creaked under the pressure.

A figure fell from the rafters.

Chu Dingjiang’s palm struck the elder’s crown without hesitation.

The old man’s eyes widened, the image of a tall figure reflected in his pupils as he drew his last breath.

Lou Mingyue’s breathing quickened. This was her first time seeing Chu Dingjiang in action, and it left her deeply shocked! Without any earth-shattering moves or flashy techniques, he had effortlessly killed an expert in an instant!

The elder had been close to the ninth rank. Lou Mingyue could sense power comparable to her own, yet it proved so feeble before a boundary realm expert!

Until this moment, Lou Mingyue, as one of the best among her peers, had held some pride. She believed that with her skills, killing Yelü Huangwu might not be impossible. But now, she realized how narrow her perspective had been.

Boundary realm…

“Let’s go!” Chu Dingjiang said. “Fight, and learn through battle.”

“Yes!” Lou Mingyue struggled to calm her emotions as she split up with Chu Dingjiang to intercept the other high-level guards protecting the armory.

Chu Dingjiang assigned Lou Mingyue to block an eighth-rank mid-stage martial artist. Though slightly weaker than Lou Mingyue in power, the opponent was a seasoned assassin, far surpassing her in experience.

Meanwhile, An Jiu and the others rushing toward the armory encountered resistance upon entering the courtyard.

Two ninth-rank experts stood in their way: a slightly plump middle-aged woman in coarse cloth and a hunchbacked old man.

On their side, the highest-ranked were only two eighth-rank fighters.

An Jiu immediately recognized the hunchback as the secret agent who had retrieved messages from the Liu family teahouse.

“You truly have the guts of a leopard!” The hunchbacked old man reached out to grab Sui Yunzhu, who was closest to him.

Sui Yunzhu’s martial arts had barely reached the sixth rank, and he hadn’t fully recovered from An Jiu’s earlier spiritual energy attack. Under the old man’s pressure, he found himself unable to move.

Li Qingzhi, standing beside him, swung his sword to block. The hunchback’s hand collided with the thick blade, producing a buzzing sound like metal striking stone.

The old man’s bony fingers gripped the sword’s spine. As they deadlocked, veins bulged on Li Qingzhi’s body, the force from his arm shredding his sleeve. At the same time, the middle-aged woman closed in.

An Jiu drew her empty bow, aiming at the hunchback’s throat.

In their standoff, the old man held the advantage. He could retreat at any time if he wished, otherwise An Jiu would have used a real arrow.

The hunchback noticed An Jiu’s movement from the corner of his eye. Though unsure of her intentions, he sensed the dangerous aura emanating from her. As an experienced assassin, he immediately released his grip at the first sign of trouble.

An Jiu slightly adjusted her aim and released her fingers.

She had underestimated the old man’s speed; the arrow barely grazed him.

Even so, the hunchback felt its pressure. His eyes narrowed, and when he looked at An Jiu again, his gaze was filled with shock. Piaomiao Mountain Villa once had a martial arts fanatic who could condense internal energy into arrows from an empty bow, with power rivaling even the Second Villa Master’s explosive crossbow. This young woman’s arrow seemed to work similarly! The invisible arrow carried a chilling pressure.

An Jiu took advantage of his momentary distraction to fire two more arrows in quick succession. This time, one hit its mark. As the hunchback’s body stiffened, the others swarmed in.

An Jiu had another arrow nocked but found it difficult to aim in the chaos.

In the past, An Jiu’s close combat skills weren’t weak, but in this world filled with martial arts and internal energy, her abilities were at a disadvantage. Unless necessary, she preferred not to charge herself.

Amidst the chaotic battle, An Jiu avoided the crowd and made her way to the armory entrance alone.

She stood to the side of the door and kicked it open.

There was no response from inside.

An Jiu vividly remembered the blue-light crossbow and its immense power, which she greatly coveted. She believed such an important place couldn’t have only this level of defense.

She drew an ordinary arrow and fired it into the room.

Immediately, the sound of wood scraping filled the air, followed by the whistling of countless arrows being released.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud…

The arrows struck unknown targets.

An Jiu’s heart sank. Wei Yuzhi was so skilled in setting traps and creating mechanisms that rushing in recklessly could be fatal.

With this in mind, she fired two more arrows. This time, An Jiu listened carefully. First came two thuds as her arrows hit something, followed by a rain of arrows. This meant the mechanism couldn’t stop arrows at such high speeds.

The map Sang Nu provided emphasized the armory, but since he wasn’t fully trusted by Wei Chuzhi and Wei Yuzhi, he couldn’t understand its internal structure. It had taken great effort for him to roughly mark the location of those bows and crossbows in the southeast corner.

Southeast corner…

Seeing the battle in the courtyard at its height, An Jiu quietly made her way around.