CHAPTER 1121: CHAPTER 611: XU JIANWEN: ZHAO DOUAN, YOU FINALLY CAME_2

As a Gold Shadow Guard, he keenly sensed the aura of danger and secretly observed the rebel army escort team.

He noticed that everyone had their faces covered with black cloth, shielding themselves from the biting river wind. Judging by the details of their walking postures, this group consisted of the best of the best, almost all of whom were cultivators.

For a prisoner exchange, is it necessary to dispatch so many experts?

Moreover, what caught the scholar’s particular attention were the four individuals in the team who were clearly the "leaders".

All four were wrapped in black cloaks, and the one at the front had an imposing presence, exuding a sense of nobility even while walking.

Behind him, one of the two carried a large spear wrapped in cloth on his back.

The other one’s black cloak was lifted by the wind, vaguely revealing the earth-colored Warlock Robe inside.

And the solitary figure walking behind everyone gave him an even stronger feeling of extreme danger.

All four wore masks.

Monkey, Pig, Ox, Horse...

As if sensing his gaze, the one wearing the "Monkey" mask at the front suddenly turned to look at him.

Out of nowhere, the scholar seemed to perceive that person smiling...

Strange!

Clearly wearing a mask, how could he tell the other was smiling?

Unknowingly, the team reached the center of the lake and stopped. The scholar heard the excited murmurs of the prisoners beside him.

On the opposite side of Yansuo Lake, another similar team appeared, also dragging a group of heavily injured prisoners who could not travel long distances with bamboo rafts.

The ones responsible for escorting them were a group of people wrapped in black robes.

"Stop here," Song Jinxi said in a low voice, as both teams halted in the middle of the vast, mirror-like Yansuo Lake.

Song Jinxi raised his voice and said, "Shall we exchange the prisoners immediately?"

On the opposite side, Xu Jianwen also nodded, raised his hand and waved.

The two teams, in great coordination, began to unlock the shackles on the prisoners and then urged them to walk toward the opposite side.

The escort personnel remained motionless, standing guard on the spot.

The scholar stood up, followed the crowd, stepping on the ice and against the cold wind, heading towards the opposite side.

It was already late spring, and the ice was not so solid anymore. As they walked, they could vaguely feel the lake water surging beneath the ice.

Just as the two groups of prisoners were about to cross each other, at the closest distance, the scholar suddenly noticed that a somewhat unfamiliar "comrade" who was also captured beside him suddenly reached back, drew a short dagger from his waist, and his gaze turned sharp.

"Watch out!" The scholar managed to shout just in time before he saw several figures beside him already dart out.

At the same time, from the "rebel army" returned by the court, several disguised blades also sprang forth.

Both sides intended to block the teams and take the prisoners back. They were momentarily stunned upon seeing each other, then roared in anger as they paired off into combat!

"Ah!!"

The prisoners on both sides were greatly shocked, cried out in alarm, instinctively scattered all around, running desperately, and the scene descended into chaos.

"Crack!"

The ice surface suddenly burst open with a large crack, which rapidly widened visibly, and within the blink of an eye, formed a perfect circle, trapping all the prisoners on a floating ice sheet.

If viewed from the sky, one would see a red "big fish" slowly gliding under the ice.

Swiftly circling beneath the ice, the center of the lake opened up and a torrent of icy lake water gushed from the cracks, blocking the prisoners’ escape route.

"Boom!"

Subsequently, a figure clad in red with disheveled hair suddenly flew out from beneath the lake!

Ji Yue locked her deathly pale pupils onto the rebels opposite, raised her finger, and pointed lightly!

"Boom!!"

The ice where the rebels were standing suddenly collapsed!

The rebels were horrified but were well-trained enough to leap onto the huge bamboo rafts to prevent themselves from falling.

Song Jinxi shouted loudly, "Make your move!"

Beside him, a dozen Imperial Palace Tributors simultaneously took action, drawing shadows across the ice as they fiercely charged forward!

They struck first!

At this moment, in his ears, Song Jinxi recalled Zhao Douan’s words of advice from last night:

"No matter how they plan, striking first is never wrong."

"At that time, you and Ji Yue, one in the light and one in the dark, Yansuo Lake is most suitable for her to cast her magic."

On the opposite side.

Xu Jianwen had already stepped lightly onto the bamboo raft before Ji Yue made her move, not even glancing at the captives in the center of the lake whom he regarded as abandoned children.

Standing with hands behind his back, he smiled faintly and said, "What are you waiting for?"

Behind him, Qi Yuchun took a step forward and drew a large spear from his back with his right hand, twisting his wrist, and the cloth wrapped around the spear body exploded.

Exposing a pitch-black, icy, and menacing spear!

Qi Yuchun started to run, slowly at first, but then his silhouette stretched out in a breath, his boots stepping on the cracked lake surface, the water seeming to be pressed down by an invisible air, forming twisting whirlpools.

"Booming—"

Qi Yuchun thrust out his spear like a dragon, the violent qi mechanism at the spear tip gathering into an illusory fierce flood dragon, biting towards Ji Yue!

"It’s you!!" Standing in the air, below Ji Yue’s black hair, two small black dots suddenly gathered in her white pupils, thunderous explosions echoing in her mind.

She cried out, "Kuangfu Society!"

Ji Yue was no stranger to Qi Yuchun. Back when Hu Ting’s market opened, she and Lang Shiba protected Zhao Douan and had also encountered Qi Yuchun’s assassination on Yansuo Lake.

She never expected that the formidable foe of the past would come again at this moment.

No time for thought, Ji Yue instinctively pinched a formula, the river surface in front of her erupted into monstrous waves, massive cracked ice blocks were lifted like natural shields, stacking together like dominoes in front of her.

Yet how could the ice layers, which could withstand swords, stop Qi Yuchun’s large spear?

The ice layers shredded like paper, but Ji Yue seized the moment, diving headlong into the lake bottom!

She knew well that with her cultivation, she could not confront Qi Yuchun head-on.

But...

Today is not like the past.

After a year of training everywhere, Ji Yue, whose cultivation was suppressed when imprisoned in the Capital’s Back Lake, gradually recovered, and her combat power improved significantly.

And the most crucial point was...

This was indeed the home ground for her, a Water God Mage.

"Booming..."

With his long spear in hand, Qi Yuchun only felt a huge suction force from the cold lake water beneath him, with a roaring sound, as Ji Yue manipulated the lake water to spin madly, a massive vortex appeared, dragging Qi Yuchun down to the lake bottom.

Qi Yuchun felt a chill in his heart, not daring to be careless. Even with his cultivation, if dragged to the lake bottom, he might be seriously injured or even killed by Ji Yue.

He pointed his spear downward, the violent qi mechanism tearing the vortex apart by force, using the qi current to rise into the air, his spear dancing, aiming continuously at the lake bottom.

"Boom boom boom..."

The frozen lake exploded in waves, but it was hard for those captives, many losing their footing and falling into the water, others clinging to the floating ice beneath them, eyes closed in prayer.

Meanwhile, Song Jinxi had already led a large group of tributors to attack Xu Jianwen like ghosts.

He too was shocked, finally realizing that this group of people might be remnants of the Kuangfu Society, but there was no time to think more.

Xu Jianwen stood firmly on the bamboo raft, unmoving, while behind him, Ren Kun raised his hand, revealing his pig face mask, and pulled off his cloak, revealing an earth-colored warlock robe.

"Your Highness, this place naturally restrains me, I can only exert a fraction of my magic..." Ren Kun complained in a low voice.

As an Earth God Mage, he could control the lake bottom mud, but the intervening lake water significantly weakened his powers.

Xu Jianwen smiled and said, "But you are still Worldly Realm."

Ren Kun tugged at the corner of his mouth without arguing.

He simply reached into a huge earth-colored sack hanging on him, filled with heavy soil.

Ren Kun grabbed a handful of soil and threw it out, chanting a spell, the earth-colored soil condensed into arrows like a swarm of locusts, shooting toward Song Jinxi and others!

"Watch out!" Song Jinxi exclaimed, his figure turning into a wisp of smoke while the other tributors used various techniques, forming a formation to engage with Ren Kun.

Though their realm was only Divine Chapter, they were numerous enough to easily kill a Worldly Realm if working together.

Ren Kun struggled to resist alone, but fortunately, at that moment, the elite rebel army drew their swords, leaping on the floating ice, engaging the Imperial Palace tributors on the lake.

In a blink, both sides unleashed their techniques, battling fiercely in the lake’s center.

Yet it’s clear that there was a disparity in the number of experts on both sides, Xu Jianwen stood with hands behind his back on the bamboo raft, listening to Master Gu Huo behind him who chuckled, "Do I make a move now? Slaughter them?"

Xu Jianwen shook his head, calmly saying, "Wait. The person hasn’t arrived yet; why should the Daoist hasten?"

At this moment.

Xu Jianwen suddenly looked into the distance, noticing two suddenly appearing figures, and smiled, "Zhao Douan, you’ve finally arrived."