Floating Brow Garden.

Cheng Yunpao and several others had already charged into the underground depths.

All along the way, they encountered no female attendants.

When they reached the deepest underground area and barely stepped inside, Cheng Yunpao smelled a heavy medicinal odor. This smell wasn’t strange—it was a herbal fragrance mixing mugwort and wood, even somewhat familiar. Not only was this place heavy with medicinal smell, it was also rolling with thick smoke, and deeper inside, flames could be faintly seen.

Cheng Yunpao was horrified—could there actually be a great fire burning in the underground depths of Fengliu Store?

What was happening?

Gu Xitan and Qi Xing were even more puzzled. The passage leading deeper was blocked by steel wire giant nets. Those nets were layered upon layered, covering the roads penetrating within, seeming both to prevent outsiders from entering and to forbid anyone from leaving.

Floating Brow Garden extended deep underground. Even if it accidentally caught fire, it absolutely couldn’t burn so fiercely.

Moreover, this intense medicinal smell and smoke indicated this fire was no accident—someone had deliberately planned it.

But this person had set fire underground and laid down numerous strange nets as obstacles. Others couldn’t get in, but he couldn’t get out either.

Could this hero who dared to burn down Fengliu Store be buried alive underground with the demons?

Cheng Yunpao thought with dread… who could this be?

Who could lay steel nets and fuel in Fengliu Store? Who could silently burn down Fengliu Store? Who could make the white-robed and red-robed female attendants disappear?

Bai Suche?

Cheng Yunpao drew his sword and charged inside. The blade cutting the nets produced metallic sounds—only then did he realize the metallic sounds he’d heard earlier were from other people cutting nets. How else could they assist whoever was setting the fire? But once the nets were cut, if people from Fengliu Store broke out, what then?

While hesitating, the underground fire burned more fiercely. Thick smoke poured wildly from various ventilation outlets, the corridor temperature rose sharply like a furnace, visibility reduced to zero. Cheng Yunpao had to stop and ordered a retreat.

In Qihun Mountain.

Several thousand court troops who had lost their reason were fighting with the Central Plains Sword Society. Wanyu Yuedan and Miss Hong fought while retreating, but found it difficult to break through. Yang Guihua’s eight hundred imperial guards formed ranks ahead, attempting to separate the poison-affected garrison troops from the Central Plains Sword Society, but were outnumbered and their formation was soon about to be scattered.

In the midst of this chaos, drum sounds slowly began behind the garrison troops.

The drumbeats were stirring and magnificent, accompanied by horns, pipa, gongs, and drums all sounding together, shaking heaven and earth.

Several thousand garrison troops began moving in rhythm with the drums, entering a state between waking and sleeping. Each followed the sounds of horns, pipa, gongs, and drums, gradually transforming from chaotic biting and attacking into an encirclement battle.

“Music of King Qin Breaking the Array,” Wanyu Yuedan said.

Behind the troops, several war chariots slowly moved together, with large drums mounted on the chariots, as if driving the thousands of people. Among them, someone held drum mallets—it was indeed Chai Xijin.

Standing beside him were several “Ghost Peonies” in black robes with red flowers, and a red-robed female attendant. This attendant was different from others—not stiff and strange, but like a red snake, leaning against the high part of the war chariot.

The vanished Chai Xijin actually appeared at such a time, using war drums to control these drugged people in battle. Did he want the Central Plains martial world and court troops to fight to the death?

“No… no…” Miss Hong stared at Chai Xijin’s war chariot. “He’s using garrison troops to attack the Infantry Command for some purpose. We’re just the blade making things bigger.”

“Fengliu Store should coordinate with him, but Floating Brow Garden remains silent—there must have been changes.” Wanyu Yuedan’s finger touched the mechanism in his sleeve. His hidden weapons could only deal with one or two enemies; against the thousands of troops moving on horseback before them, hidden weapons were truly a drop in the ocean.

“Bai Suche?” Miss Hong asked quietly.

“Bai Suche.” Wanyu Yuedan nodded.

Tang Lici had told them to hold their forces, but they ultimately couldn’t endure it.

But Bai Suche had always held her forces.

Just as they were discussing this, thick smoke suddenly rose from Floating Brow Garden’s ventilation outlets. Several trails of black smoke shot straight into the sky. Cheng Yunpao rushed over and said gravely, “A great fire rages within Fengliu Store. If the people inside didn’t escape beforehand, they’re probably buried with Floating Brow Garden.”

Miss Hong slammed the table and stood up. She seemed to have overwhelming anger but couldn’t utter a single word.

Before them, war chariots rumbled. Chai Xijin beat drums and marched his army. The red-robed woman on his chariot sang delicately, “Receiving orders, bidding farewell to the sovereign, joining together to punish rebellious ministers. All sing the music of breaking arrays, together appreciating peaceful people…” Several thousand troops moved with the song. War horses galloped, Tang sabers were unsheathed, becoming surprisingly orderly.

The drum sounds were soul-stirring. Cheng Yunpao was the first to sense something wrong—his blood surged as he suddenly turned back. “This is—sonic killing!”

The sonic killing power of great drums far exceeded seductive music. With several thousand voices responding in unison, everyone in the Central Plains Sword Society began experiencing disordered true qi and retreating step by step. Though Chai Xijin’s sonic killing was far less refined than Tang Lici’s, each of his strikes made everyone’s heart jump, as if their breathing and heartbeat were under his control.

With an agonized wail, Eastern Sword’s second disciple was struck down by a cavalryman. Despite his martial arts, he couldn’t resist the horse’s charge under sonic killing. Eastern Sword became furious and drew his sword to pursue the cavalryman, only to see the cavalryman bite his second disciple’s neck and begin drinking blood in large gulps. Eastern Sword struck with one sword, and the blood-drinking cavalryman tumbled down, still biting and not letting go. Both fell from the horse and were immediately trampled by horses from all directions, becoming a bloody mess in moments.

This terrifying scene stimulated the garrison troops afflicted with “Bee Mother Condensed Frost Dew.” Soon both sides engaged in close combat. The Central Plains Sword Society suffered heavy casualties, with many dragged alive into the forest to be bitten by drugged people, their anguished screams unending. Eastern Sword was shocked and enraged. He leaped among the cavalry while arrows flew from afar. One arrow hit his back, causing him to cry out in pain. Cheng Yunpao drew his sword to rescue him, but Chai Xijin struck the great drum once, making him pause. Eastern Sword fell under the horses’ hooves and after several rounds, was nowhere to be seen. A generation’s sect master had fallen so silently.

Cheng Yunpao was naturally vulnerable to sonic killing and kept retreating. Gu Xitan rushed forward and stabbed a pursuing cavalryman with one sword. However, a figure flashed in the forest—a Ghost Peony struck with one palm, five fingers digging deep into Gu Xitan’s right shoulder. Cheng Yunpao was greatly alarmed and thrust forward with “White Fox Facing Moon.” Chai Xijin beat the war drum once, making Cheng Yunpao’s heart jump and this sword lose its force.

Gu Xitan was thus captured by Ghost Peony, and simultaneously, many others had fallen into Ghost Peony hands. Cheng Yunpao looked back in fury, seeing that in the chaos, Meng Qinglei was covering Master Wenxiu’s eastward breakthrough while Dong Hubi led Liu Hongfei and his disciples westward. These two had considerable martial arts and quickly tore open gaps in both directions. However, once the gaps opened behind the two groups going east and west, Chai Xijin manipulated his puppets to attack from front and rear, trapping both Meng Qinglei and Dong Hubi in bitter battles.

Under their hands, the garrison cavalry were no match for a single move, but these originally innocent people fought fearlessly to the death and couldn’t be predicted by common sense. In moments, both Meng Qinglei and Dong Hubi were bloodied.

Master Wenxiu held her long sword but couldn’t bring herself to strike these garrison troops who had lost themselves and become puppets. Seeing Meng Qinglei suffer more and more wounds to protect her, she finally had no choice and proclaimed the Buddha’s name. She stepped back, “Amitabha Buddha. Benefactor Meng, things have come to this point. This poor nun goes first. Thank you, benefactor, for fighting desperately to protect me all this way.”

Meng Qinglei turned back in alarm, “Master!”

Master Wenxiu held her long sword, leaped up, stepped on the head of a nearby garrison horse, and killed toward Chai Xijin. She was still over ten zhang away from the main war chariot—impossible to assault the chariot front along this route. However, as a Buddhist, unable to strike innocent people, she could only sacrifice herself.

As she leaped up, everyone saw her, and immediately long arrows and short crossbows fired from all directions with continuous whooshing sounds. Master Wenxiu showed no fear, using horses’ heads as footing, her figure like lightning rushing straight toward Chai Xijin. Most arrows couldn’t keep up with her lightness skill and missed. Though Meng Qinglei was shocked, he couldn’t help but greatly praise Emei’s body techniques as truly graceful and outstanding.

Under the setting sun, Master Wenxiu’s leap was brilliant as flowing gold, radiantly luminous.

Her sword technique “Emei Mountain Moon Half-Round Autumn” struck directly at Chai Xijin’s neck.

Seeing this leap, Chai Xijin sighed.

Master Wenxiu’s sword was extremely far from him—impossible to harm a hair on his head—but she still drew her sword.

The sword’s momentum was like a rainbow, like what abandons me and goes away, irretrievable.

Chai Xijin received a long bow from the red-robed woman beside him. Under the setting sun’s afterglow, the bow also gleamed brilliantly. With a bowstring sound, the long arrow shot through the air.

The red-robed woman gazed at Master Wenxiu leaping up. As she drew her sword, she had already been hit by several flying arrows.

She said softly, “She will certainly die. Why do you need this extra action?”

Chai Xijin’s long arrow then struck Master Wenxiu’s chest. She fell backward, blood from her chest spraying half the sky. Wailing sounds from afar continued—the Central Plains Sword Society was obviously grief-stricken and furious.

Only Chai Xijin could be heard saying, “For those who die for their principles, let them seek benevolence and obtain benevolence.”