CHAPTER 177: CHAPTER 144: JUNIOR BROTHER, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO?_2

Although the array formation had been repaired, a slight flaw remained. For instance, the current activation speed of the array formation was noticeably slower than before.

"Not good! Wondrous Palace’s Sect Protection Array has been repaired!"

Nearby, many disciples of the Righteous Sun Sect were startled and promptly scattered towards the periphery at high speed. Getting trapped within the array would be disastrous.

"Quickly retreat!"

Xu An and Shi Yan, seeing this, also understood that staying was pointless. With a grand wave of their hands, the two swept up a group of people and headed towards the periphery. The others also scrambled to escape. For a moment, the scene descended into chaos. This sudden turn of events caught them all somewhat off guard, but fortunately, everyone reacted quickly.

WHOOSH!

Just as everyone was retreating, a figure moved in the opposite direction. This person flew towards the interior of the array formation at extreme speed.

"Eh?"

Soon, someone noticed this figure and quickly shouted, "Junior Brother, what are you doing? It’s dangerous, come back!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many others noticed the anomaly. They all turned their attention toward that figure.

This person was, of course, Wang Shouzhen, who was following Si Nanyan’s instructions to enter Wondrous Palace amidst the chaos. He moved so conspicuously against the tide, under everyone’s watchful eyes, precisely to solidify his status as a traitor. Look, I’ve even captured Bai Luqiu, he thought. Si Nanyan was an incredibly suspicious person, and this act by Wen Zhixing was essentially him buying himself an insurance policy.

"Junior Brother, stop right now!"

Seeing Wen Zhixing ignore them, someone even tried to step forward and stop him. However, Wen Zhixing moved like a lithe dragon, swiftly weaving through the crowd.

That was when the others noticed something amiss, primarily because Bai Luqiu, carried on his shoulder, was too conspicuous.

"Something’s wrong! Look, on his shoulder... is he... carrying someone?"

"Huh... That person... that person looks like..."

"Senior Sister Bai?"

"Could it be?"

"Oh no, it really is Senior Sister Bai!"

"Senior Sister Bai!"

"He’s a traitor! Stop him, quickly!"

Instantly, the crowd erupted into greater chaos, and the expressions of many changed drastically. Although most of Bai Luqiu’s body was obscured, her face was unmistakable to every disciple of the Righteous Sun Sect. Many regarded her as the goddess of their dreams. They couldn’t possibly forget Bai Luqiu’s face.

Many disciples of the Righteous Sun Sect no longer cared about being swept into the Sect Protection Array. They all took action, trying to stop Wen Zhixing. Of course, many more still didn’t know what was happening, or rather, they hadn’t reacted yet, and the scene descended further into chaos.

But Xu An and Shi Yan had locked onto Wen Zhixing from the very beginning. With their cultivation levels, how could they fail to notice Wen Zhixing?

"Hmph! Betraying the Righteous Sun Sect? Truly courting death!"

Neither Xu An nor Shi Yan had seen Wen Zhixing before. Liu Qingxuan hadn’t briefed them beforehand, so naturally, they acted immediately upon seeing the situation.

CLANG!

The sharp sound of a sword being drawn, imbued with sword wind, echoed.

Shi Yan’s hands moved slightly, and a golden sword light shot like a meteor towards Wen Zhixing’s brow.

HUM!

The sword light vibrated faintly, emitting a soft hum.

"Elder Shi!"

Everyone was captivated by the sword light and involuntarily stopped their actions.

"Stop!"

Simultaneously, Xu An also attacked. An invisible pressure bore down instantly.

"Not good!"

Wen Zhixing’s expression changed drastically; he found himself immobilized. He could only watch helplessly as the sword wind shot towards his brow.

In reality, he felt no fear. Si Nanyan will definitely intervene to save me, he knew.

Sure enough, in the sky dome not far away, a mass of dark clouds rolled in, surging towards them like ocean waves. Two gracefully dressed women of unparalleled beauty stood upon the clouds. In the blink of an eye, they appeared at Wen Zhixing’s side. Si Nanyan and Feng Ruoli flanked him, one on each side, protectively.

"Palace Master!" Wen Zhixing’s eyes lit up with surprise and joy upon seeing the two figures before him.

"You’ve done well," Si Nanyan said, looking at Wen Zhixing and the unconscious Bai Luqiu with an approving nod.

The next moment, she took another step forward. A white radiance shot out, blocking the incoming golden sword wind.

BOOM!

Tremendous ripples of energy erupted. Faced with such an attack, the ordinary disciples of the Righteous Sun Sect could only retreat helplessly.

"Let’s go!" Si Nanyan said with a faint smile. Lightly tapping the void with her toe, she grabbed Wen Zhixing, and the three of them vanished instantly.

"Oh no!" Xu An and Shi Yan exclaimed in alarm. Bai Luqiu absolutely cannot be taken away! She’s Liu Qingxuan’s disciple!

"Attack!" Xu An didn’t hesitate. With a thought, he formed a series of hand seals. I hadn’t planned to make another move, but now I have no choice! he thought.

A thunderbolt flashed across the sky, its brilliance illuminating heaven and earth, lighting up the entire sky dome. He dared not enter the array formation to attack Si Nanyan directly, so he could only attempt a long-range strike.

However, a figure materialized before them.

"Don’t be hasty," Feng Ruoli said, looking at the two men. A serene smile touched her lips as she waved her delicate hand, summoning streaks of crimson light that condensed into swords before her. "Go!" she commanded with a soft cry.

The Blood Swords soared into the sky, tracing several perfect arcs and forming a dazzling rain of blades.

CRACKLE!

The crimson glow clashed with the boundless thunder, erupting with an earth-shattering sound. The vast expanse of thunder was completely obliterated by the blood-red sword light!

Clearly, Feng Ruoli’s strength surpassed Xu An’s.

"Feng Ruoli!" Shi Yan exclaimed, stepping in front of Xu An to shield him.

BUZZ!

A three-foot-long sword burst forth from his Sea of Qi, hovering and slowly rotating in the void. An immense, boundless sword intent swept out, enveloping the entire area.

"Kill!" he roared. A colossal golden sword condensed and instantly shattered the net of blood-red swords.

"A fine sword!" Feng Ruoli’s expression turned solemn at the sight. Her body abruptly transformed into a mist of blood. At that very moment, the golden sword wind tore through the blood mist.

BOOM!

The sword wind exploded! Feng Ruoli’s misty form was blasted apart. Splashes of blood, like enchantingly beautiful spider lilies, bloomed in the air.

Is she dead? everyone wondered, stunned.

However, Feng Ruoli’s light laughter soon echoed from the void once more. "As expected of an Elder from the Righteous Sun Sect. That strike truly hurt."

The scattered blood quickly coalesced, rapidly reforming into her human shape.

"I’m done fighting," Feng Ruoli said with a gentle smile, pointing her toe and taking a step back.

Just then, Wondrous Palace’s Sect Protection Array finally activated completely. A screen of light instantly separated the groups from the Righteous Sun Sect and Wondrous Palace.

"Phew, that scared me," Feng Ruoli said, gently patting her ample chest as if genuinely frightened. Then, she waved at the crowd and turned to leave.

BOOM!

The remaining attacks were all blocked by the grand array. Everyone could only watch helplessly as Feng Ruoli departed.

This is bad! The expressions of Xu An and Shi Yan darkened instantly. With their strength, breaking through this Sect Protection Array was impossible. Moreover, if a real battle broke out, the two of them might not be a match for Feng Ruoli and Si Nanyan combined. Besides, with Bai Luqiu in their enemies’ hands, they were the ones at a disadvantage, forced to be cautious.

"Damn it!" someone roared in frustration.

"Quick, storm Wondrous Palace!" a disciple from the Righteous Sun Sect roared.

They couldn’t bear to imagine the torture, or perhaps... the humiliation... Bai Luqiu might suffer inside Wondrous Palace. Wondrous Palace was capable of anything. What if... They dared not imagine further. The mere thought of such a scene made it impossible for them to suppress their violent impulses.

"Fellow Junior Brothers, calm yourselves!"

Just then, a gentle voice echoed from the crowd, instantly calming everyone’s agitated emotions. Everyone looked towards the source of the voice, and a familiar figure appeared.

It was Mu Yunqing. He too had arrived outside Wondrous Palace.

His expression was extremely solemn, but inwardly, he was deeply confused. What did I just see? Wang Shouzhen? Wang Shouzhen isn’t dead? But I sent Wang Shiyang to kill him! What happened? Where is Wang Shiyang? What on earth occurred? And how did Wang Shouzhen become a traitor to the Righteous Sun Sect? Could it be that even Liu Qingxuan can be mistaken about someone...?