CHAPTER 166: CHAPTER 34: HALF-STEP IMMORTAL RANK [SECOND UPDATE]

Si Lin and his companions rushed to the City Lord Mansion as quickly as possible, turned the entire place upside down, yet found nothing. The group stood in the courtyard of the mansion, looking very grim.

"Nothing at all, we can’t even sense the aura of Nan Hua and Jun Wu." Mu Chen frowned, glanced around, and said with a serious expression.

"The aura of the talisman vanished here last. They must be inside the City Lord Mansion!" Rong Ye was quite confident in the talismans he crafted, especially since this talisman was specially made, so its aura would linger longer.

"But there’s nothing here. Are you sure you didn’t sense it wrongly?" Zhao Yan looked around, gazing at Rong Ye with some doubt.

Rong Ye rolled his eyes at her, not even bothering to respond, and instead turned to Si Lin, "Elder brother, what should we do now?"

Yue Zhao’s gaze fell on the soul-devouring beast tied like a cocoon by Gu Qingqing, and a flash of insight crossed his mind, "Could it be another illusion or barrier? Something that’s making them invisible to us?"

Upon hearing this, Si Lin’s eyes lit up and he immediately began to sense the surroundings carefully.

If Nan Hua was still here, they might sense him quickly, given that Nan Hua was an Array Master, highly knowledgeable about barriers!

Fortunately, Qi Yu and Qin An were also present. Although their accomplishments in array formations were slightly inferior to Nan Hua, they were among the more knowledgeable about arrays in the Lingxi Sacred Land. The two of them began sensing separately, then exchanged glances.

"There should indeed be a barrier here. The question is, how do we break it?" Qi Yu looked at Si Lin and asked.

"Can you sense the approximate location?" Si Lin didn’t answer but instead asked Qi Yu back.

"Yes," Qi Yu pondered for a moment, looking at Qin An, and Qin An nodded, "Qin An can sense it."

"Roughly in this direction." Qin An walked over to a spot beside the rockery and stopped.

Si Lin nodded at the spot, "All right, stand back. Let me try to break the barrier!"

A flash of surprise crossed Qin An’s eyes, but he nodded and stepped aside.

Si Lin took out the Dragon Capturing Sword, and the golden dragon shadow above it instantly appeared. He bit his fingertip and smeared his blood on the golden dragon etched on the sword. The golden dragon shadow expanded significantly, as if it had consumed a powerful tonic.

It detached from the Dragon Capturing Sword, hovering over Si Lin’s head. Si Lin glanced at it, raised the Dragon Capturing Sword upright, released it, and it floated before him as he quickly formed seals with both hands, casting numerous Dharma Seals onto the Dragon Capturing Sword. The sword radiated a brilliant golden light, illuminating the area where they stood.

"Prisoner Dragon·God Destruction Slash!"

Si Lin’s eyes focused, and with a low shout, he pointed forward with his right hand. The Dragon Capturing Sword and the golden dragon hovering over his head flew towards the spot where Qin An had just stood.

A massive Sword Qi sliced through that space, revealing a crack on a transparent barrier somewhere they couldn’t see.

Inside the barrier, Nan Hua and Jun Wu were fighting a middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man’s cultivation was high, at peak level nine, and neither Nan Hua nor Jun Wu was a match for him. They could only struggle to hold on while waiting for reinforcements.

Though Si Lin and his companions outside couldn’t see Nan Hua and Jun Wu, Nan Hua and Jun Wu could see them, as could the middle-aged man. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and his attacks on Jun Wu and Nan Hua became faster and more powerful.

Nan Hua and Jun Wu were already injured in the initial clash, and their injuries worsened this time. The two exchanged glances and continued battling the middle-aged man.

Si Lin could also feel his attack being blocked by something, which he believed was the barrier. After the first strike, he immediately swung his sword again. This time, they all heard a sound similar to shattering glass, causing a burst of joy among them.

When Si Lin swung his sword for the third time, the middle-aged man’s barrier completely shattered, revealing the three figures to everyone.

"Nan Hua!" Yue Zhao’s sharp eyes spotted Nan Hua’s figure, and he immediately exclaimed, rushing forward.

Nan Hua had just been struck in the chest by the middle-aged man, coughed up blood, and was sent flying, only to be caught by Yue Zhao. Upon seeing Yue Zhao, Nan Hua finally breathed a sigh of relief, attempting to speak, but it aggravated his wound, causing blood to trickle from the corners of his lips again.

"You take a rest first, let Mu Chen help heal you, leave the rest to us!" Yue Zhao saw Nan Hua’s condition, frowned slightly, and said.

Nan Hua knew that he was severely injured and might not be able to help, so he didn’t refuse and was sent by Yue Zhao to Mu Chen’s side for treatment.

Si Lin was already engaged with the middle-aged man, and both were surprised by each other’s skills.

The middle-aged man realized that Si Lin’s cultivation was no simple matter after the barrier was broken, and upon engaging, he found that Si was indeed formidable!

"Jun Wu, are you alright?" Gu Qingqing asked with concern as she came to Jun Wu after letting Yun Ran watch over the Soul-devouring Beast. Seeing blood at the corner of Jun Wu’s mouth, she asked worriedly.

"I’m fine, Geng Geng, are you alright?" Jun Wu wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth and shook his head. He remembered that Gu Qingqing and Yun Ran were baiting the Soul-devouring Beast tonight and asked immediately.

"I’m fine, the Soul-devouring Beast has been captured by me." Gu Qingqing shook her head and pointed at the Soul-devouring Beast held by Yun Ran.

Following Gu Qingqing’s finger, Jun Wu looked over and saw the Soul-devouring Beast tied up like a cocoon. A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. It was his first time seeing the Soul-devouring Beast, and seeing it subdued by Gu Qingqing, he quickly turned to Gu Qingqing and said, "Geng Geng, you’re amazing!"

"Of course," Gu Qingqing replied, naturally smiling. Seeing Jun Wu’s pale face, she quickly supported him, "You’re hurt. Don’t talk and rest for a while on the side."

Jun Wu did not refuse and was instead supported by Gu Qingqing to sit aside, away from where Si Lin and the others were.

Besides Si Lin, Yue Zhao, Qi Yu, Qin An, Cheng Hao, and Qu Ye were all taking action, surrounding the middle-aged man.

They were the most outstanding disciples of the Lingxi Sacred Land, and each was very powerful. Although the middle-aged man had cultivation at the peak of the ninth rank, he couldn’t gain any advantage over Si Lin and the others, who could fight across ranks!

Yue Zhao extended his hand, and the Flowing Light Zither appeared in it. He placed his fingers on the strings, and with a slight movement, a series of melodies flowed from his fingertips, aimed solely at the middle-aged man. He didn’t choose an entire piece but merely plucked a few notes, yet even so, Sound Blades continuously flew out, attacking the middle-aged man.

Qi Yu’s weapon was a Heavy Sword, entirely black with a dark red hilt. The blade was engraved with complex patterns, an array he had layered to make the weapon even stronger. In his hands, it didn’t seem like a Heavy Sword at all, more like holding a twig.

His moves were wide and powerful with abundant combat experience, clearly having participated in many battles.

Qin An’s weapon was a giant Iron Pen, about the height of half a person, with a purple body engraved with intricate patterns like Qi Yu’s Heavy Sword.

The Iron Pen twirled flexibly in his hands, each strike delivering formidable power.

Cheng Hao’s weapon was more ordinary, a Soft Sword with a silver blade, very light and thin, inscribed with the words "Silver Moon" on the hilt, precisely the name of the Soft Sword in his hand.

His attack, unlike Qi Yu’s, was due to the soft sword’s flexibility, which allowed for incredibly tricky angles that were nearly impossible to defend against!

Qu Ye’s weapon was a completely fiery red two-meter-long pole made of rare materials, adorned with carved landscapes, looking quite beautiful. The pole was very agile in his hands, and although his moves were not complex, they were highly effective and formidable!

Yun Ran, Zhuo Tingqiu, Zhao Yan, and Lin Xian’er could only watch from the side due to their low cultivation, while Rong Ye was tasked with protecting Gu Qingqing and them.

The middle-aged man, beset by the six, was somewhat passive, appearing a bit embarrassed. Si Lin and the others didn’t give him any chance to react, their attacks relentless, intent on resolving him in one go.

"Bang!"

The middle-aged man was struck in the back by Qu Ye’s pole, letting out a muffled groan. He turned his head, eyes sharp as he looked at Qu Ye, suddenly making a forceful move, sending Qu Ye flying away.

Immediately following this, the man soared into the air, rapidly forming seals with his hands as the aura on his body grew increasingly terrifying, quickly surpassing the ninth rank peak, stopping at Half-step Immortal Rank.

Si Lin and the others were blocked by his momentum, unable to approach or interrupt him, forced to watch as he grew increasingly stronger!

When he reopened his eyes, they had changed from the previous blood-red to pure black, the pupils occupying most of the eyes with only a sliver of white left, giving a somewhat terrifying appearance.

"Humans, you think you can hurt me? Dream on! I’ll show you my power, and you’ll become my energy to restore strength!" he spoke, his voice indistinctly male or female, with an unreal quality, his gaze sweeping over Si Lin and the others, sending chills down their spines.

Suddenly, he reached towards Qin An on his left, causing Qin An’s body to uncontrollably fly towards him.

Qin An struggled to control his body, but the force from the middle-aged man’s hand was too strong, resisting was futile. He immediately abandoned resistance, instead gripping his Iron Pen tightly, stabbing towards the middle-aged man’s eyes as he approached.

The middle-aged man had been wary of Qin An, raising another hand to shield his face when Qin An struck, causing the pen tip to hit his palm!