Chapter 224 - 223: A Major Assault

Chapter 224: Chapter 223: A Major Assault

"Not bad, not bad at all!"

Xia Wuyang was quite satisfied with this newly fused High Level Spiritual Technique.

With this Needle Technique, he had another ace up his sleeve, and one that was perfect for maintaining his cover.

The Nether Enchanting Heart Needle could be used for sneak attacks from a distance or in close-quarters combat. It could cripple a person’s Cultivation or bewitch their mind.

Most importantly, it was exceedingly discreet, leaving almost no trace when used, which made it perfectly suited for covert actions within the Deep Palace. It was far more formidable than his previous Nether Acupuncture Needle.

Even most True Monarchs wouldn’t be able to detect anything amiss, to say nothing of the old ancestor of Great Xia.

Once Xia Wuyang advanced to the True Monarch Realm, the power of the Nether Enchanting Heart Needle would increase dramatically, and its stealth would be enhanced even further.

With the fusion successful, his next step was to consolidate his new skill and adapt to it. Xia Wuyang once again immersed himself in his intense cultivation.

His power grew rapidly during the peaceful days that followed. Soon, Xia Wuyang had mastered the basics of the Nether Enchanting Heart Needle and could wield it with perfect proficiency.

While Xia Wuyang’s overall strength continued to grow, in Lizheng Hall, not far away, the moon was hidden and the stars had sunk from view, leaving the night as black as ink.

A thin layer of frost had formed on the glazed tiles, glimmering coldly in the faint moonlight.

Most of the candles inside the hall had been extinguished; only the window of Yun Liyue’s Sleeping Palace still glowed with faint candlelight.

She was flipping through several Sword Dao Scriptures, hoping to gain new insights that would help her cultivate her Sword Control Skill to the Realm of Perfection as quickly as possible.

But at that moment, she faintly sensed that Lizheng Hall was a little too quiet. An unusual chill was seeping into the air—a cold that had nothing to do with the winter season.

A glint flashed in Yun Liyue’s eyes. "What expert has graced me with your presence?"

In the courtyard outside the hall, seven figures appeared like phantoms.

The leader was a white-haired old woman dressed in a black Daoist robe, holding a Jade Feather Duster. She was none other than the Grand Elder of Xuan Nu Palace, Xuan Ping, the palace’s foremost expert.

Her Cultivation was at Super Grade Perfection, and it was said she was only a single opportunity away from stepping into the True Monarch Realm. She had been famous for over a century.

Behind her followed six others, all of them Elders from Xuan Nu Palace. The weakest among them was a Grandmaster at the First Grade Late Stage, while the strongest had reached the Super Grade Realm, ranking among the Celestial Humans.

Xuan Nu Palace had clearly brought out almost all of its top masters. The only one left guarding the headquarters now was likely Bing Qing Fairy, a lone Super Grade Celestial Human.

If any danger were to befall the palace, the consequences would be unimaginable.

To deal with Yun Liyue, Xuan Nu Palace had truly sent out all of its top experts.

"Yun Liyue, if you surrender peacefully today and return with me to Xuan Nu Palace to clarify the truth, I can spare your life! You will tell everyone that everything that has happened was fabricated by you and your master—including the so-called evidence."

Grand Elder Xuan Ping wasted no words, getting straight to the point.

She wanted Yun Liyue and her master, Elder Qing Yin, to clear the air by taking all the blame. The one who creates a problem must be the one to solve it. As long as the master and disciple admitted that they had fabricated everything, the currently precarious Xuan Nu Palace would have some room to maneuver.

It was precisely to save Xuan Nu Palace and resolve the current crisis that Grand Elder Xuan Ping had personally led a large contingent of masters to capture Yun Liyue, and by extension, her master, Elder Qing Yin.

Yun Liyue immediately understood their intentions. ’They believe the one who creates a problem must be the one to solve it. That’s why they’ve sent so many masters.’

"Clarify the truth?"

Yun Liyue slowly rose, her moon-white nightgown fluttering in the evening breeze. A cold sneer touched her lips. "Xuan Nu Palace forced my master to flee for her life, and her whereabouts are still unknown. You tried to steal our original Sword Control Skill manual. And now you want *me* to clarify the truth? How utterly outrageous."

"Your master is still missing?" Grand Elder Xuan Ping faltered. "Then who is the person who’s been helping you? Wasn’t it that wretch Qing Yin?"

Yun Liyue sneered. "Xuan Nu Palace’s power is immense, with spies spread throughout the court and beyond. Don’t tell me you couldn’t even find out something so simple?"

"Stubborn fool. It doesn’t matter if it’s not that wretch Qing Yin." Grand Elder Xuan Ping swung her duster and attacked Yun Liyue.

In an instant, a surging tide of Qi Blood swept toward Yun Liyue like a monstrous wave. The other six Elders remained in formation, ready to face the person backing her.

With a sharp cry, Yun Liyue unsheathed her longsword. She unleashed her Sword Control Skill with all her might, lunging straight for Grand Elder Xuan Ping.

Unfortunately, the gap in their Cultivation and strength was too vast. Facing Grand Elder Xuan Ping’s duster, her longsword was easily sent flying, and she was soon struggling to fend off the attacks.

CLANG!

The duster effortlessly sent her longsword, a Top Level Mortal Artifact, flying. Yun Liyue staggered backward, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.

Gritting her teeth, she took a Jade Pendant from her robes. It was the warning device Xia Wuyang had given her.

As she infused it with her Qi Blood, the Jade Pendant began to emit a shimmering glow.

In the Practice Room of Wenhua Hall, Xia Wuyang’s eyes snapped open. "They’re courting death!"

His figure blurred as he disguised himself, changing into a long, blue cloth robe and covering his face with a plain mask before draping a black cloak over it all.

It all seemed to take a while, but it happened in the span of a few breaths. He casually picked up a Bamboo Sword, one crafted from a fresh shoot of an old bamboo nearby. It was about three feet long and as thin as a thumb.

Activating his Escape Concealment Technique, his figure dissolved into a wisp of smoke, silently leaving Wenhua Hall. He passed through layer after layer of palace walls and appeared on the eaves of Lizheng Hall.

At that moment in the Sleeping Palace, Yun Liyue had been forced into a corner. Grand Elder Xuan Ping’s duster snaked toward her neck like a venomous serpent, just moments from capturing her alive. ℴℴ𝘮

The other six Elders remained on high alert, clearly anticipating his arrival.

Xia Wuyang sneered, his disguised, aged voice ringing out, "A group of old hags ganging up on a junior. Xuan Nu Palace truly has no shame."

Everyone snapped their heads up to see a figure in black robes standing on the eaves, his hands clasped behind his back. The night wind billowed his cloak, revealing a corner of the blue robe beneath it.

In his hand, he held a simple Bamboo Sword, carved from green bamboo, that glinted with a jade-like luster in the moonlight.

"So you’re the one behind Yun Liyue! The bastard who’s been framing our Xuan Nu Palace again and again?" one of the Elders roared, raising a hand to unleash a volley of Ice Soul Needles, one of Xuan Nu Palace’s signature techniques.

The other Elders’ eyes widened as they stared coldly at the figure, trying to discern whether he was Elder Qing Yin or someone else entirely.

Grand Elder Xuan Ping also tightened her grip on her duster, ready to launch a fatal strike at any moment.

If they weren’t mistaken, this was the person who had been protecting Yun Liyue all this time—the one who had repeatedly opposed Xuan Nu Palace and driven them into their current desperate predicament.

Regardless of whether he was Elder Qing Yin, if they could capture him, they could very likely resolve the crisis that Xuan Nu Palace was now facing.