Chapter 109: An Uninvited Visitor

The night had grown deeper and darker. Lan Ruoting watched as Guihai City continued to surge with activity. These were the elite troops dispatched by the Guihai clan, and this was already the seventh time the clan elder had issued an order to search and capture. Each wave brought increasingly formidable forces. Lan Ruoting silently calculated the true strength of the Guihai family, yet she waited wearily for a reply from her spirit bird. Who was the one that had intercepted Wu Luohua halfway? Given the manpower of Guihai City and the searching ability of her spirit bird, it was telling that no trace of them had been found so far. Clearly, this person was exceptionally skilled at hiding.

Hissing, hissing—suddenly, Lan Ruoting's spirit jolted. Her first spirit bird had finally returned, but it appeared utterly exhausted. It hesitated for a long time before making a faint, indistinct sound. Lan Ruoting furrowed her brows; she had never heard the bird produce such a vague call before, making it impossible to determine its direction or characteristics. However, it was clear the bird had discovered Wu Luohua’s location but was somehow disturbed, as if frightened. The thought chilled Lan Ruoting to the bone. Her spirit bird was not only adept at searching but even better at evading detection—how could it have been found?

Her youthful face reflected a touch of confusion, yet the facts confirmed that Wu Luohua was still within the bounds of Guihai City. There was one piece of good news: he was alive. Lan Ruoting gently stroked the spirit bird and then sent a thread of spiritual energy. The bird seemed startled, reluctant at first, but after some hesitation, it spread its wings and took flight once more. Lan Ruoting followed, guided by its unclear instincts.

A crisp snap echoed through the Guihai Hall. Guihai Xin was still awake at this late hour, refusing to rest. He could not believe that there were people in Guihai City he sought but could not find—this was an insult to him.

“Reporting to the clan elder, someone is requesting an audience,” the steward Li Tong hurried in, his face tinged with fear. He had never heard anyone dare to address their clan elder so boldly.

“Who is it? Is it Mo Bai or someone related to Wu Luohua?” Guihai Xin asked anxiously.

“No,” Li Tong replied tremblingly. Today, the clan elder had already issued a fatal order—everything else was to be postponed. Li Tong knew the elder’s temper well, but as a cautious steward, he would never take such a risk lightly.

“Impudent servant! Don’t you know that the order of Guihai is above all else? Now begone!” Guihai Rong’an barked. With his father awake, he dared not rest.

Li Tong fell to his knees with a thud, then spoke with trembling fear, “It is not my intention to disturb the elder, but the few men at the gate are formidable—I simply cannot withstand them.”

Guihai Rong’an’s expression darkened. “Li Tong, after all these years following the Guihai family, do you not understand the clan’s rules?”

Li Tong quickly responded, “Precisely because I have served the master and young lord for so many years, I know I must report to the elder about these visitors. I can tell their cultivation is definitely not lower than Mo Bai’s.”

Li Tong’s words immediately stirred a commotion among those present. The Guihai family members exchanged glances; none doubted Li Tong’s honesty—no matter how brave one might be, he would not risk lying about this.

“Are they disciples of one of the Five Cultivation Sects?” Guihai Xin asked, calming somewhat. Caution was necessary at this moment.

“I cannot say for sure, but they are definitely not from the Five Cultivation Sects. They seem to be extraordinary individuals from another world. Even the elegant young master has not made a move. Just judging from the two attendants alone, they are no ordinary people. Both have the appearance of eccentrics, but I can see they are masters hiding their true strength,” Li Tong answered.

“Eccentrics, ha! Ever since the Lingjue Arena opened, Guihai City has been lively with all sorts of strange characters. What’s so unusual about that?” Guihai Rong’an scolded.

“Wait, Li Tong, what exactly do you mean by ‘eccentric’?” Guihai Xin asked, as if suddenly recalling something.

“One is a burly man who oddly prefers the attire of a refined scholar, carrying an absurdly small folding fan. It’s quite comical,” Li Tong described vividly.

Before he finished speaking, a drop of sweat appeared on Guihai Xin’s forehead. He thought to himself, the person they had been waiting for had finally arrived. He asked, “Is there also a small, thin, gaunt man carrying a large axe, wearing armor yet pretending to be a general?”

“Yes, yes! How does the elder know? The armor is far too large for him, and because he’s so small, it hangs loosely, which is quite laughable,” Li Tong noticed the elder’s keen interest, which eased some of the pressure weighing on him.

Guihai Rong’an, perceptive as ever, immediately queried, “Father, do you know these visitors?”

Guihai Xin narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “I do, but what I really want to know is—those two are servants, but who exactly is their young master?”

In the pine and bamboo grove, Xuanyuan Sword’s Hu Feng focused his mind and spirit, preparing his unparalleled sword technique. Years ago, when he was still a child, he had been awestruck by this sword’s power. He had witnessed the previous wielder of the Xuanyuan Sword fiercely battling thirteen cultivation masters, single-handedly slaying all thirteen. Unfortunately, in a moment of relaxation after the battle, a fierce enemy appeared. He saw that man employ this sword technique to sever his own father in two. Yet, the man was so utterly exhausted afterward that Hu Feng, just beginning his cultivation path and wielding an ordinary dagger, ended that man’s life. Since then, the Xuanyuan Sword changed hands, and Hu Feng embarked on his iron-blooded path.

The bamboo rustled wildly as the wind swept through the forest, as if the spiritual energy of the world was being drawn into the Xuanyuan Sword. Yet the sword itself slowly shrank in size, radiating golden light that stunned the heart. The figure perched atop a bamboo tip let out a soft “hmm,” unconsciously touching the scar on his left brow before trembling lightly.

The Xuanyuan Sword had shrunk to its smallest size when Hu Feng shouted loudly, “Old Yunfa, prepare to die—Xuanyuan’s Killing Strike!”

A beam of golden light shot toward Yunfa at the speed of light.

Before the sword arrived, the energy hit first. Master Yunfa felt a sudden shock throughout his body, and the spiritual shield before him shattered instantly.

At the same time, Jiu Xi felt his body shudder, as if struck by something. He initially thought it was Hu Feng’s killing intent but soon realized otherwise.

In the next moment, a shadow flickered like a ghost around Master Yunfa, followed by a thunderous roar of a dragon and the clash of swords!