Chapter 2436 - 2436: On the Eve of the Great Battle

Nalan Jingwei was secretly amused in his heart as he arranged for the Nalan family to head in the direction of the Sword Saint Sect. This time, he was leading the charge, firstly to seek revenge on the Wanyan Family, and also to make the Sword Saint Sect aware of their presence. In doing so, he hoped to build a good relationship with the Sword Saint Sect and possibly leverage their strength to control the world.

Nalan Jingwei's plan was sound, but he didn't know that Helian Tiehua was also scheming against him. Helian Tiehua, along with the people from the Seven Steering Committees of the Hong Alliance, the Twelve Green Halls, and the Sha Men, followed closely behind. In reality, as the group moved forward, they were also carefully noting the surrounding routes, arranging their escape paths.

It must be said, the environment within the Sword Saint Sect was indeed spectacular. As the group walked along, it felt as if they had entered a paradise, the scenery was breathtaking. Furthermore, there was the gentle sound of flowing water, a stream running alongside the mountain path, making the surroundings all the more pleasant.

Admiring the scenery around them, everyone exclaimed in awe. No wonder the Sword Saint Sect could remain hidden here for hundreds of years, such a scene was far superior to any famous resort in the world. Those who lived here naturally wouldn't want to leave for another place.

"This water flow is interesting." After walking for a while, one of the Nalan family remarked with a smile, "The Sword Saint Sect is situated halfway up the mountain, and as we have been trekking upwards, it proves that the location is indeed not low. The water flows down from the mountain, implying there must be a sizable pond up there; otherwise, this mountain stream would have dried up long ago."

Everyone nodded in agreement; without a mountain spring, such a flow simply wouldn't exist.

Walking along the mountain path for over two hours, Helian Tiehua discovered a corpse among the roadside trees. Judging from the wounds, the person had died only a few days ago, which means it happened after the Wanyan Family entered the Sword Saint Sect. Clearly, this place was close to the Sword Saint Sect, where both sides would have clashed.

"Everyone, be careful!" Nalan Jingwei took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Ahead is likely the Sword Saint Sect's territory, stay prepared. If we encounter the Wanyan Family, don't waste words, just start fighting!"

The Nalan family members nodded in agreement, and Helian Tiehua and his group exchanged glances. At this point, they too needed to be ready to run. As soon as the Nalan family fully engaged the Wanyan Family, they would leave immediately, avoiding involvement in this incident.

The group remained vigilant, moving onward, discovering more corpses along the way. Shortly after, they came upon a row of buildings, severely damaged, with many bodies outside, indicating that a fierce battle had already unfolded here. Judging by the damage, it seemed that the Sword Saint Sect had suffered losses, and the Wanyan Family had broken through this location.

Though no one had entered the Sword Saint Sect before and was unaware of the battle situation, the casualties here gave a vague picture of the severe battle.

Passing through this row of houses, the group continued toward the Sword Saint Sect. At this point, Cui Yu quietly approached Helian Tiehua, whispering, "Great General, something seems off!"

"What's wrong?" Helian Tiehua asked in surprise, having noticed nothing unusual.

"These bodies are problematic," Cui Yu whispered.

"What's the problem?" Helian Tiehua scrutinized them closely but observed nothing unusual.

"These bodies shouldn't exist," Cui Yu explained softly, "The Wanyan Family's two major weapons, one is the scabbard of the Minghong Knife, the other is the Long-toothed Rats. In this assault on the Sword Saint Sect, Wanyan certainly brought both weapons to seize it in one fell swoop. However, seeing so many bodies along the way implies the Long-toothed Rats haven't been used yet!"

Helian Tiehua immediately furrowed his brows; what Cui Yu said was indeed a concern. As Cui Yu suggested, if the Wanyan Family had really brought the Long-toothed Rats, there wouldn't be any bodies left, given their tendency to devour everything, leaving no bones behind. Is it possible that the Wanyan Family didn't use the Long-toothed Rats in this battle? That seems unlikely. Are they that confident?

"Warn everyone to be cautious..." Helian Tiehua said, perking up. "The situation might not be as expected, be prepared to adapt as needed!"

"Understood!" Cui Yu nodded, sneaking off to inform the others while the Nalan family was unaware.

Nalan Jingwei was solely focused on his revenge against the Wanyan Family, thinking little about anything else, nor did he notice anything amiss. Leading the group forward, they passed two more rows of houses before finally reaching the mountainside, where the Sword Saint Sect was headquartered.

Upon arrival, they could hear the sound of combat from a distance. Without a doubt, they had arrived just in time, for the Wanyan Family and the Sword Saint Sect were engaged in a confrontation.

"Here we are!" A gleam flashed in Nalan Jingwei's eyes as he turned to the group, saying sternly, "In a moment, we charge in and attack the Wanyan Family. Despite their formidable power, we have strength in numbers. A concerted assault will throw them into disarray, and with the Sword Saint Sect's assistance, the Wanyan Family will surely suffer!"

The Nalan family nodded in agreement, while Helian Tiehua and his group also seemed supportive. Yet, what they truly thought was unknown to the Nalan family.

Nalan Jingwei took a deep breath, leading the group stealthily forward, reaching a platform on the mountainside. The main building of the Sword Saint Sect stood on this platform, constructed like a palace, extremely luxurious. In front of it was an open space of over a thousand acres, likely the training ground of the Sword Saint Sect. Presently, on this open space, two groups stood facing each other, each with over two hundred members—Wanyan Family on one side, the Sword Saint Sect on the other.

The Wanyan Family and the Sword Saint Sect were locked in a standoff, with several individuals battling in the center. While an all-out melee hadn't erupted yet, based on the current scenario, it wouldn't be long. The battle between them was inevitable.

Observing the situation, Nalan Jingwei discreetly signaled the others, whispering, "The melee hasn't started yet, let's hold off on advancing to avoid alerting them. To achieve the best result, we need to strike after they commence battle, dealing a surprise blow to the Wanyan Family."

The Nalan family nodded in agreement, but Helian Tiehua's group felt frustrated. This meant waiting for them to start fighting, ultimately wasting time!

Of course, while eager for Nalan Jingwei's group to attack the Wanyan Family immediately, they couldn't express that out loud. Helian Tiehua and his group stayed together, with Nalan Jingwei observing the battle, while Helian Tiehua and his group quietly planned their escape route, unwilling to waste time here.

Meanwhile, in a cave behind the Sword Saint Sect's rear gate, Ye Qing and Fat Wang were arduously navigating through a grand formation. The one hundred and eight formations were indeed impressive. Even though Ye Qing had a thorough understanding of Taoist Formations, it was still immensely challenging. These one hundred and eight formations weren't set up individually; they were layered. Sometimes six or seven formations would overlap, making it more complex to unravel them than dealing with each one separately.

The two had been in the cave for six or seven hours, finally crossing through all one hundred and eight formations. Exiting the formation's boundary, Ye Qing let out a long sigh of relief. Several of those formations were particularly dangerous; one misstep could have cost them their lives. Successfully navigating through was no easy feat. Ye Qing's nerves were tightly wound during those six or seven hours, leaving him quite exhausted.

Seeing Ye Qing relax, Fat Wang perked up immediately, saying, "How is it? Are we through?"

Ye Qing, feeling a bit worn out, inhaled deeply and nodded. Reassured by Ye Qing's answer, Fat Wang grew even more excited, asking, "Now can I roam freely? No problems, right?"

"As long as you don't go back, there won't be any issues!" Ye Qing nodded in confirmation.

"Returning shouldn't be a problem either!" Fat Wang glanced back at the stone corridor, saying, "The Eighth Master said the formation only acts as a barrier. It's hard to enter from outside, but once inside, you can exit without being stopped."

"I know!" Ye Qing gave Fat Wang a glance, saying, "But if you accidentally re-enter the formation, while exiting isn't hard, getting back in would be difficult."

"Uh, true!" Fat Wang scratched his head awkwardly, turning to look around, "Let's keep moving forward, no retreating, and locate those tombs first. Hey, how come we're still underground? Are we already inside the tomb chamber?"

Ye Qing and Fat Wang were now in a massive cave. The cave was expansive, about the size of two football fields. Since it was relatively dark inside, they could only make out the outlines of the cave's edges but couldn't see the specifics of the cave itself.

"Huh?" Fat Wang suddenly let out a soft exclamation while searching, pointing to the center of the cave, "Ye Qing, isn't there someone there?"