CHAPTER 937: CHAPTER 475: SPEED RUN (PART 2)

"Not a single person was lost, everyone successfully crossed the river!"

Nie Chuxuan exhaled a breath of turbid air, his face full of disbelief.

He truly hadn’t anticipated that things would go so smoothly.

All because Fang Zhixing was there!

After crossing the Heavenly River, Chenhong Star was in sight.

Fang Zhixing asked, "What’s next, shall we attack directly?"

Nie Chuxuan hurriedly responded, "There’s no need for a strong attack; my adoptive father specifically instructed that he doesn’t want too much bloodshed, so capture the leader first. As long as we catch Sikou Laozi, the victory is ours."

He pointed to a branch of the Heavenly River and mentioned, "We’ve investigated it long ago; that branch is quite special, flowing all the way to the surface of Chenhong Star, and its end lies within the heart of the Sikou Immortal Clan’s territory.

In short, if we follow the river, we can directly break into the Sikou Immortal Clan’s residence and capture Sikou Laozi."

Upon hearing this, Qi Renhai suddenly interjected, "Fifth brother, if this branch of the Heavenly River is so crucial, it’s impossible for the Sikou Immortal Clan not to station heavy troops to guard it, right?"

Nie Chuxuan laughed, "Thirteenth brother, rest assured, the person in charge of guarding this branch of the Heavenly River is named Sikou Ao; he has already secretly pledged allegiance to our adoptive father, and our adoptive father promised to adopt him as the twenty-second adopted son afterward."

Qi Renhai sneered, seemingly holding contempt for those who betray their families.

The group went downstream along the river.

Before long, they encountered a group of armored guards head-on.

The leader stepped out from among the crowd—he was a young man with thick eyebrows, his cheeks covered with some fish scales, and fish gills grew on his neck, occasionally releasing a string of bubbles.

Nie Chuxuan stepped forward, showing a token.

Upon seeing this, the thick-browed young man walked out alone, knelt on one knee, bowed his head, and saluted, "Sikou Ao greets the lord from the Immortal Palace!"

Nie Chuxuan smiled and said, "I am one of the adoptive sons raised by the Palace Master, ranked fifth; you can just call me fifth brother."

Sikou Ao took a deep breath, his expression extremely excited, kowtowing, "Little brother is unworthy, greets fifth brother!"

Nie Chuxuan smiled in satisfaction and introduced, "This is the Deputy Palace Master Fang Zhixing, who is our adoptive father’s sworn brother; he is the commander in this action."

"Greetings, uncle!" Sikou Ao took a deep breath, glanced at Fang Zhixing, then immediately turned around and kowtowed respectfully.

Fang Zhixing smiled mildly and said, "Get up, no time should be wasted, lead us over."

"Yes!"

Sikou Ao had long decided to betray his clan, and at this moment, he had no hesitation and personally guided the way.

With him clearing the path, everything went smoothly.

Fang Zhixing and his group reached the end of the river without any hindrance, breaking out from the water.

They appeared in a garden.

Sikou Ao took out a map from his bosom, lowered his voice, and said, "We are now in the garden where the Laozi usually plays; no one dares to trespass here.

At present, the Laozi is in seclusion, deep in the nearby Nine-layered Pavilion, where you can directly surround him.

If the Laozi escapes, he will definitely flee through this waterway, and someone must guard this place.

Additionally, I have marked the positions of all the immortals in the clan on the map, allowing you to capture them one by one and wipe them all out."

Upon hearing this, everyone’s mood became complicated.

As the saying goes, trouble arises from within; a family fears not strong external enemies but inner traitors.

Sikou Ao proved to be ruthless, completely betraying his clan, causing harm to the entire clan.

"Well done!"

Nie Chuxuan praised aloud, immediately accepting the map and assigning tasks to everyone.

"Eleventh brother, thirteenth brother, seventeenth brother, you three follow the plan and attack Sikou Laozi, forcing him into the river; I will ambush him here."

Such was Nie Chuxuan’s arrangement.

Qi Renhai and the others had long known their tasks, having no objections.

In the end, Nie Chuxuan looked at Fang Zhixing again and cautiously asked, "Uncle, would you accompany me?"

Fang Zhixing readily agreed, "Okay, I’ll listen to your arrangement."

Nie Chuxuan nodded and subsequently ordered, "Move out!"

As soon as the order was given, everyone dispersed, rushing in all directions.

Fang Zhixing, Nie Chuxuan, and Sikou Ao hid quietly at the river bottom, motionless.

Soon, violent vibrations came from the surface, causing the river to shake along.

After pausing for a moment, a black-robed elder with white hair and beard flew over, entering the river without second thought.

"Haha!"

Nie Chuxuan was greatly excited and struck suddenly.

He fiercely swung his hands, tossing out a large net that enveloped the black-robed elder and tightened instantly.

"Oh no, it’s an ambush!" the black-robed elder screamed in terror.

Sikou Ao’s expression changed, declaring fearfully, "He’s not the Laozi!"

Nie Chuxuan was stunned; he’d seen Sikou Laozi’s portrait before, and it looked identical to this black-robed elder.

"Could this person be a decoy?"

Nie Chuxuan’s breath halted momentarily, then he broke out of the water, looking around.

He saw Qi Renhai and the others hurriedly arriving, speaking in unison, "Did you catch him?"

Nie Chuxuan dropped the big net, urgently saying, "This guy is a decoy; you caught the wrong person."

Qi Renhai responded immediately, "Impossible! The Sikou Laozi we fought with had profound cultivation and held his ground against three; he couldn’t possibly be fake."

Nie Chuxuan was bewildered, staring blankly, "Then where is he?"

Qi Renhai was also confused, replying, "Sikou Laozi fled past the pavilion to your location; we were only a step behind him."

Everyone looked at each other, baffled.

Fang Zhixing glanced around and suddenly curved his lips.

Subsequently, he raised his hand, formed a seal, and released a spell.

"Heavenly Ice Heartless!"

A terrifying chill spread like waves, rapidly expanding and freezing everything.

In the garden, a drop of dew solidified on an inconspicuous small white flower.