The Prodigal Son

late at night.

Apart from the butcher's men, all the assassins scattered outside the city gathered at the temple and entered the hidden chamber behind the temple, which was converted from a cave.

This secret room is very large and is where they usually gather.

This cigarette is made from refined pure sulfur, and once ignited, it will produce a large plume of thick, acrid yellow smoke.

The smoke was thick and lingered on the ground, carrying a pungent and acrid stench. If it entered the eyes, it would burn and make it difficult to open them; if it entered the throat, it would cause burning pain in the lungs, coughing, and suffocation. Those trapped in it would not die immediately, but their combat effectiveness would be greatly reduced.

Eight years ago, they successfully assassinated the crown prince by taking advantage of the miasma.

Now, they've brought this item out again, intending to repeat their old tricks.

At this moment, eight hundred elite warriors stood solemnly awaiting orders in the secret chamber.

Even after sending out all of the Water Ghost and Butcher's men, and having already lost some of their elite warriors, they still have a full eight hundred men left.

The group of 800 people were mostly martial artists at the fourth to sixth level, with those at the fourth and fifth levels making up the vast majority.

There are also nearly twenty people who are top-grade experts at the seventh to ninth realm.

Most of these people were at the seventh level, two were at the eighth level, and only Mo Wu was at the ninth level!

Such power would be considered very strong in any faction.

But Mo Wu knew in his heart that this amount of power was still far from enough compared to the power in Qin Yu's hands.

Back then, they had two experts at the ninth level, and two more experts whose strength was almost at the ninth level!

If he had the power he had eight years ago, he was absolutely confident that he could rescue at least one of the young masters.

But right now, he has no confidence.

The only option is to fight with all our might!

Mo Wu was filled with emotion as he slowly walked up to the old ghost, whose left arm was empty. Looking at the old ghost with his full head of white hair, he couldn't help but feel a little sad.

"Old buddy, we're going to have to fight again."

Mo Wu gently patted Lao Gui's shoulder.

Most of the top-tier experts and old ghosts under his command were survivors of that bloody battle years ago.

Actually, Old Ghost was already a ninth-realm expert eight years ago.

In that bloody battle back then, Old Ghost not only suffered severe internal injuries, but also had an arm severed, and his strength dropped from the ninth realm to the eighth realm. In recent years, his cultivation has hardly made any progress.

He wouldn't let Old Ghost act with them unless absolutely necessary.

Meeting Mo Wu's gaze, Old Ghost simply smiled nonchalantly, "We were destined to die anyway. We've already done enough to survive this long! Are we afraid to fight?"

"Haha! You're right!"

Mo Wu slapped Old Ghost's shoulder hard again, then looked up at the crowd: "I ask you, who spared our lives?"

"Owner!"

Everyone answered in unison.

"Who will avenge their brothers who bear the blood feud?"

"Owner!"

"Who gave us unlimited food, drink, and women?"

"Owner!"

This group of assassins had a complicated background.

They may be wrongfully imprisoned prisoners, down-on-their-luck gamblers, avengers whose families have been destroyed, or fugitives who have sacrificed themselves to support their families.

They had long since severed their past identities, been thoroughly tamed by historians, and were no longer bound to the world.

Their sole purpose in living was to serve historians to the death.

Mo Wu's eyes were bloodshot as he shouted fiercely, "Now that our master's entire family is in peril, and the three young masters are still suffering torture on the city walls! This is the time for us to repay our debt of gratitude with our lives and fight to the death to protect our master!"

"yes!"

Eight hundred warriors raised their weapons in unison, their eyes filled with fervor and determination.

Mo Wu waved his hand, and his cold, stern military order resounded: "All personnel, proceed to the secret passage and assemble at the East Gate! Upon my command, immediately unleash the wolf poison smoke for an ambush! Regardless of the cost, fight to the death to rescue the young master. Even if everyone perishes, at least one person must be saved!"

"Yes, sir!"

The crowd responded immediately, quickly carrying boxes of wolfsbane smoke and heading towards the exit of the secret chamber.

The secret passage is hidden beneath the Buddha statue in the main hall; moving the Buddha statue will allow you to enter the secret passage.

But the moment everyone stepped out of the secret chamber, blinding flames suddenly swept over them, scorching everyone's eyes.

All the guards on duty in the temple fell to the ground silently, without a single warning.

Qin Yu stood with his hands behind his back in the center of the firelight, his posture upright and his gaze cold and sharp.

Guo Yang, Gui San, and Gui Si stood close to him on either side, their auras sharp and ready to strike.

Behind him, Qi Dachui and his group of fierce generals, along with Guo Yang's three hundred elite troops, stood in formation.

In the shadows on both sides of the exit, rows of golden-armored imperial guards stood silently, their crossbows all cocked, the dark bolts gleaming coldly, densely locking onto the entire secret chamber exit.

A comprehensive and inescapable network has already been formed.

Faced with the scene before them, even these death-defying warriors were thrown into chaos.

They are not afraid of death!

They were just afraid of dying in vain!

Qin Yu stared coldly at Mo Wu, the leader, and said, "Mo Wu, didn't you say you'd keep me company to the end? Well, here I am!"

Seeing Qin Yu standing with his hands behind his back, Mo Wu's eyes flashed with a fierce light, yet he looked at Qin Yu in disbelief, "How did you find this place?"

This place is so secluded that anyone who gets entangled with them will immediately commit suicide.

In this situation, he really couldn't understand how Qin Yu had found this place.

"There's no need to tell you now!"

Qin Yu grinned, "We'll talk more when we interrogate you!"

"Then let's see if you have the ability!"

Mo Wu's face hardened with ferocity, and he roared murderously, "Slay the Qin traitor and avenge my master!"

Now, they have no hope of saving them!

The only way is to fight to the death and try to kill Qin Yu, so that he will be buried with the entire Shi family!

The moment Mo Wu's voice rang out, several ghostly figures were the first to strike out.

Mo Wu only felt a blur before his eyes, and Guo Yang was already close by.

Grandmaster!

With just one glance, Mo Wu could tell Guo Yang's strength.

Only a grandmaster can move this fast!

"Release the arrows!"

At the same time, Qin Yu quickly issued orders.

"Whoosh..."

Arrows shot out from the powerful crossbow bolts, instantly turning the group of assassins at the forefront into pincushions.

"Quickly, release the wolfsbane smoke!"

With a hoarse roar, the old ghost charged at Qin Yu, sword in hand, his single arm wielding the weapon.

Just as Qi Dachui was about to grab his golden mace and charge forward, Gui San had already charged out first.

Helpless, Qi Dachui had no choice but to swing his golden mace at the others.

Faced with the constant barrage of crossbow bolts, the unarmored assassins were utterly helpless.

Even if some of the assassins managed to break through, they would immediately be intercepted and killed by Guo Yang's men.

"Hiss..."

Behind them, a wolfsbane smoke bomb, as big as a firecracker, was lit and thrown at the imperial troops surrounding them.

A plume of thick, yellowish-brown smoke rose from the ground.

Poisonous smoke!

Guo Yang caught a glimpse of the billowing poisonous smoke, and his gaze sharpened.

He originally intended to play with Mo Wu slowly, crushing his bones one by one.

However, he remembered the Empress Dowager's order to protect Qin Yu and had no intention of slowly tormenting Mo Wu.

The next moment, Guo Yang held nothing back, unleashing his Grandmaster True Qi with a roar, his speed reaching its peak.

Mo Wu had just raised his hand to swing his sword, and before he could even launch an attack, a fierce and unparalleled burst of true energy had already pierced through the air and arrived.

puff!

True energy swept through, and blood splattered.

Mo Wu's entire arm was severed at the elbow, and excruciating pain swept through his body. His strength dissipated instantly, and the long sword fell from his hand.

Before Mo Wu could even mount a counterattack, Guo Yang was already upon him, his large hand like an iron clamp suddenly reaching out and gripping Mo Wu's neck tightly, giving Mo Wu neither a chance to resist nor a chance to commit suicide.

Then, Guo Yang, carrying Mo Wu, quickly retreated to Qin Yu's side.

At the same time, Guo Yang struck out with his palm, and a powerful, invisible wave of energy swept in all directions, forcefully crushing the spreading yellowish-brown poisonous smoke and slamming it into the remaining ranks of the assassins.

The toxic smoke billowed out, and the assassins blocking the doorway immediately coughed up a chorus of fumes.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

Mo Wu's eyes bulged outwards, filled with despair.

He never fought a grandmaster in his life.

He originally thought that the difference between the Ninth Realm and the Grandmaster was just one step.

Only now did he realize that this step was a huge chasm!

Before a grandmaster, even a so-called ninth-realm expert is not much different from an ant...