To prevent the Broken Water Gate disciples from escaping and alerting other enemies, Han Li had been forced to act personally. Employing both the Mist-Wandering Step and the Wind-Riding Mantra simultaneously, he had dispatched every last enemy in the span of a few heartbeats. Li Feiyu, who had been preparing to join the fight, stood frozen in astonishment. Only then did he grasp the true extent of Han Li's abilities.
Once he recovered from his shock, Li Feiyu attributed Han Li's terrifying prowess entirely to his mastery of the Blink Sword Style.
This realization nearly drove him to madness. For a fleeting moment, he considered destroying his own cultivation to switch to the Blink Sword Style. But his remaining rationality reminded him that neither time nor aptitude permitted such a change.
During the remainder of their journey, Li Feiyu poured out his envy in an endless stream of complaints, lamenting Han Li's absurd luck in having learned such a devastating martial art.
Han Li had no patience for his friend's jealousy and instead focused on dispatching enemies along the path, no longer bothering to conceal his strength.
Every opponent crumbled before his ghostly movement technique, unable to withstand a single exchange before perishing—even several high-ranking experts among them.
Under Han Li's display of overwhelming power, the two reached Elder Li's quarters with ease and met Ma Rong. From him, they learned that Elder Li and Zhang Xiuer had already ascended to Sunset Peak.
The news struck Li Feiyu like a thunderbolt. His face drained of color.
He knew that Sunset Peak, at this moment, could rightly be called a dragon's den or a tiger's lair. For Zhang Xiuer to go there was tantamount to stepping through the gates of hell.
With no other recourse, the two consulted briefly and set off for Sunset Peak from Elder Li's residence. Before departing, a minor disturbance arose.
That odious fat man—the Sect Leader's trusted lackey—attempted to block their departure by brandishing his command token, threatening them with disciplinary action under sect rules if they refused to stay.
Li Feiyu's anxiety had reached its breaking point. His mind was consumed with Zhang Xiuer's safety, and he had no patience for rules or threats. He delivered a single palm strike that sent the blubbering official crumpling to the ground, then ordered the man's subordinates to remain and protect the others while he and Han Li departed.
Upon approaching Sunset Peak, both were alarmed by the sheer number of enemy fighters. A direct assault was clearly impossible. After a brief discussion, they devised a clever ruse.
They knocked out two Broken Water Gate disciples, donned their garments, and under cover of darkness and confusion, slipped into the mass of attackers scaling the mountain. With the crowd carrying them along, they ascended to the summit with ease, where they overheard the Sect Leader's proclamation. As for Soul-Summoning, his conspicuous stature had necessitated leaving him concealed at the mountain's base.
Hearing that Sunset Peak might hold a doomsday mechanism to destroy all invaders, Li Feiyu's curiosity overwhelmed him. He peppered Han Li with questions, desperate for reassurance.
"Whether it's true or false hardly matters now," Han Li finally whispered. "Our priority is to reach the main hall, reunite with your young lady, and slip away down the mountain. Staying here is too dangerous regardless."
"That's all well and good, but how do we get in under all these watchful eyes?" Li Feiyu's brow furrowed in despair.
"We'll have to wait and see if an opportunity presents itself," Han Li replied, equally at a loss.
While the two anxiously lurked behind the crowd, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble. At first barely perceptible, the shaking soon intensified. Many fighters lost their footing and toppled over, while loose rocks tumbled from the mountainside.
"The peak is collapsing! Wang is going to bury us all!" some reckless voice screamed in the panicked crowd.
The cry ignited widespread terror. Some ignored Wang Juechu's earlier warning entirely and scrambled desperately toward the path down, attempting to flee what they believed was a crumbling mountain.
A deafening crash reverberated across the peak, and the ground lurched violently.
At the sound, all assumed the mountain's destruction had begun and sank into despair. Even flight, they realized, was now too late.
Jia Tianlong was simultaneously terrified and furious. Though still surrounded by his loyal Iron Guards, his mind was a blank void. He turned desperately toward the Golden Light Master, his supposed trump card—but the sight of the dwarf's panicked expression drew only a bitter laugh.
So the celestial master could not save himself either.
Jia Tianlong's reverence for the man evaporated in an instant.
"I had thought the Wild Wolf Gang were fearless warriors. Turns out you're nothing but a rabble!" Wang Juechu's mocking voice cut through the chaos with eerie clarity, testament to the purity of his internal energy.
As his words rang out, the trembling miraculously ceased, as though the mountain itself had swallowed its fury in that instant, returning to sudden calm.
Only then did the crowd realize that the stone hall which had drawn everyone's attention had vanished completely, leaving behind a gaping pit several acres in size. A few bolder souls crept forward and peered over the edge, only to recoil with a sharp intake of breath. The pit plunged into impenetrable darkness, its bottom impossible to fathom—bottomless.
"Gang Leader Jia, does this proof suffice to corroborate my words?" Wang Juechu's voice was ice.
Jia Tianlong's face had turned ashen. He did not answer immediately but slowly surveyed his surroundings.
Every one of his people wore the expression of those who had narrowly escaped death. The common fighters, the allied factions, even the Iron Guards beside him—all looked visibly shaken.
Jia Tianlong understood then that his plan to annihilate the Hall of Seven Mysteries in one stroke tonight would not succeed. Retreat was the only option; strategy could come later.
"State your terms. But know this—even now, we stand on equal footing. Do not overstep." He turned back, his voice tight with reluctance and a barely suppressed edge of grinding teeth.