In a tavern in the west of Stone City, Ling Chen and Yue Chaoqun were seated at a table, while Mu Feng and the others were hidden in other corners of the tavern.
Yue Chaoqun cupped his fists towards Ling Chen, a grateful expression on his face. "Brother Ling Chen, I’ve been too busy these past few days and haven’t had the chance to thank you for saving me."
"It’s my duty," Ling Chen replied indifferently, raising his winecup.
"However, I’m sure you didn’t invite me out today just for a drink," Yue Chaoqun said. He was an intelligent man and knew Ling Chen must have an ulterior motive for inviting him out.
"To use Your Excellency as bait and lure the snakes out of their holes." Ling Chen didn’t hide it; Yue Chaoqun’s intuition was very keen. Even if Ling Chen hadn’t revealed his plan, Yue Chaoqun would likely have guessed his intentions.
"Do you have complete confidence?" Yue Chaoqun, a man seasoned by many battles, asked calmly, his expression unchanged.
"I wouldn’t dare say I have complete confidence," Ling Chen said. "If the enemy doesn’t come, we’ll just drink normally, as if nothing happened."
Ling Chen scanned the surroundings. There didn’t seem to be any particularly powerful auras nearby. Whether a big fish would be hooked today was still an unknown.
Suddenly, he sensed a hint of killing intent emanating from his right. His gaze shot sharply in that direction. The next moment, a middle-aged man in coarse clothes, who was at a nearby table, suddenly pulled a Flying Dagger from his sleeve and launched it towards Yue Chaoqun.
Ling Chen had been prepared and used his sword scabbard to deflect the swiftly flying dagger.
Everyone else at that same table actually drew short blades from their sleeves and charged murderously towards Ling Chen.
More than ten Darts and Hidden Weapons were flung towards Ling Chen all at once.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Ling Chen swung his Heavenly Mansion Sword into a Sword Flower, deflecting all the Darts and Hidden Weapons.
Mu Feng, Mo Yu, and the other two also flipped their tables and chairs, charging towards those few Assassins.
Among the four Assassins, one had exceptionally nimble movement techniques. In the blink of an eye, he had already charged before Ling Chen. He consecutively threw three Darts to block Ling Chen, then thrust his sword towards Yue Chaoqun’s neck.
At the critical moment, Ling Chen could only free his left hand and strike Yue Chaoqun’s body with a palm, sending the latter flying. Only then did Yue Chaoqun dodge the fatal sword strike.
The Heavenly Mansion Sword in Ling Chen’s hand pierced into that Assassin’s chest. The bloodstained sword tip emerged from his back, and fresh blood spurted out.
Just as Ling Chen had killed one person, two more nearby tables were overturned, and over ten Assassins disguised as customers attacked again.
"They actually deployed so many people at once?"
Ling Chen’s expression changed slightly in surprise. The Demonic Sect had actually planted so many people in Stone City, and each one was highly skilled, with swift movement techniques.
If he were alone, it wouldn’t be a problem. However, behind him was Yue Chaoqun, a mere First Layer Martial Master.
"Audacious rats, how dare you cause trouble here!"
At that moment, several figures rushed out from outside the tavern. They were dressed in the uniform of the Sect Alliance, much to Ling Chen’s relief. The man leading them was an elderly man clad in a blue robe. Upon entering, he shouted to Yue Chaoqun, "General Yue, come to me. I’ll protect you with all my strength!"
This man was familiar to Ling Chen; he was one of the Great Master Level Powerhouses guarding Stone City, Elder Han.
"It’s Elder Han! That’s great!" Yue Chaoqun exclaimed. "Ling Chen, I didn’t expect you to have Elder Han lying in ambush nearby. You’re indeed thoughtful and thorough."
Yue Chaoqun had initially been somewhat worried that Ling Chen and his group couldn’t hold off the Assassins. But now that a Grand Master had arrived, no matter how many more Assassins there were, they wouldn’t be able to get near him.
With that said, he was about to move closer to Elder Han’s position.
"Wait!" Ling Chen stopped Yue Chaoqun, his expression sinking. "I didn’t inform Elder Han about this at all. How could he appear so coincidentally, right at this moment?"
Initially, Ling Chen hadn’t been suspicious. But after Yue Chaoqun said that, he couldn’t help but become suspicious. To say that Elder Han was here to rescue them was too much of a coincidence. The matter of him using Yue Chaoqun as bait to lure out Demonic Sect spies was known only to the five people in their team and Elder Tianxing. Elder Han simply couldn’t have known.
"So, according to you, this Elder Han might be..." Yue Chaoqun’s expression also changed. In his line of sight, a sinister look indeed appeared on Elder Han’s face. Then, his right hand suddenly formed a claw, and greenish True Qi condensed, transforming into five razor-sharp talons.
Ling Chen inwardly cursed, greatly shocked. This Elder Han, a dignified Grand Master Level powerhouse, is actually a spy planted by the Demonic Sect in Stone City! The enemy first had these Assassins make a move to confuse the situation. Then, Elder Han appeared, pretending to be one of their own, waiting for an opportunity to strike. The person who devised such a process was truly meticulous in their thinking; it could be said to be foolproof. Unfortunately, even the most careful plan can have an oversight. The enemy had only one flaw. Fortunately, I detected it; otherwise, the consequences would have been dire.
The screen behind Ling Chen suddenly exploded, and an incomparably powerful True Qi fluctuation burst forth. An elderly figure, carrying a long-handled broadsword, charged out.
Ling Chen and Yue Chaoqun simultaneously dodged to either side. The elderly figure, wielding the long-handled broadsword and exuding an astonishing aura, appeared in the center between them. His blade, like lightning, suddenly chopped down from above.
Elder Han’s True Qi talons were shattered by a single chop. His palm was injured by the broadsword’s qi, and all five fingers were fractured by the broadsword’s force, blood streaming down.
He retreated seven or eight steps, and Elder Han stared at the elderly figure in terror.
"Elder Tianxing, you’ve finally made your move."
Ling Chen looked at the old man before him, a faint smile touching his lips. However, deep down, I was secretly breaking out in a cold sweat. If Elder Tianxing had appeared even a few breaths later, this situation would have become troublesome. Yue Chaoqun would have undoubtedly died, and I myself would have been in a precarious situation. Facing a Grand Master Level powerhouse, my current strength offers little resistance.
"Elder Han, you are actually a spy planted by the Demonic Sect! Who would have thought? If you hadn’t exposed your fox’s tail this time, I truly wouldn’t have known how long you would have remained hidden!" Elder Tianxing’s gaze was extremely grim.
"So this was a trap you set up."
Elder Han’s face was also unsightly. Elder Tianxing had charged out from the screen behind them, which meant the latter had been hiding there all along, waiting for the right moment to act.
His arrival was like walking right into the muzzle of a gun.
With Elder Tianxing, a Seventh Realm Grand Master, present, he no longer had any chance.
Without the slightest hesitation, Elder Han decided to flee. While escaping, he shot out two Hidden Weapons, one each towards Ling Chen and Yue Chaoqun.
These two Hidden Weapons couldn’t possibly harm Elder Tianxing; that’s pure wishful thinking. However, I don’t believe he won’t try to save these two. As long as Elder Tianxing is distracted, I can escape successfully!