Starting with a blind date with a female constable, you acquire the Nine Swords of Dugu.

Chapter 173 Two roadsides...

For several days in a row, the weather was calm and peaceful.

The team, initially on high alert, gradually became somewhat lax.

Everyone was wondering if Gu Guanqi's sword strikes outside Cangmang Mountain had intimidated all thirteen strongholds of Cangmang Mountain, making them unwilling to make a move.

Of course, those who knew the truth, including Gu Guanqi and Chu Yaoyin, dared not relax, understanding that the calmer things were now, the bigger the waves would be later.

It was evening that day.

The group arrived at the mountainside and saw a large courtyard built against the mountain with a sign that read "Relay Station".

Gu Guanqi and his group arrived at the post station, which was very deserted.

Along the way, such post stations were not common, but they were not unusual either, as there were many daring speculators who had opened post stations or inns along the route.

However, they are generally deserted, and all of them are the kind of businesses that don't open for three years, but when they do open, they live off the profits for three years. The accommodation and food costs are ridiculously expensive.

The group arrived at the post station.

The inn is quite large, but it's deserted and there are no guests.

As soon as the shopkeeper saw a customer arrive, he quickly led several waiters out to greet them warmly, his face beaming with smiles.

Those who come to the Cangmang Mountains are all martial arts practitioners or big merchants. None of them are short of money. It doesn't matter if they don't make a sale for a month or half a month. As long as they can get one order, it's enough to make up for all the business they missed.

As Gu Guanqi and his group entered the post station, they heard a series of crisp ringing sounds as soon as they stepped inside.

The post station was filled with wind chimes.

After the sunlight completely sank into the mountain ridge, the evening breeze, carrying the sound of pine trees, rushed in from the valley entrance, causing the wind chimes under the eaves to tinkle and ring out in a symphony of high and low sounds.

Chu Yaoyin stood at the entrance of the post station hall, looking up at the copper bells swaying in the twilight. The iron sheets were thin, and they made a crisp sound when struck, ringing incessantly with the passing wind.

"These wind chimes are quite charming; they instantly make the mountain inn more elegant. What do you think, Leader Gu?"

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly and said, "I suppose this shopkeeper must be a refined person."

Chu Yaoyin looked at the shopkeeper who was bowing and scraping in front of her, and seeing his fat figure and greasy face, she said, "I can't tell."

Gu Guanqi said, "You can't judge a book by its cover. Maybe he was a scholar or a graduate in the past, but he came here to do business because he was forced to make a living."

Chu Yaoyin said, "But he's definitely a bold one."

Gu Guanqi smiled slightly.

Those who dare to open shops and do business in the Cangmang Mountain area are naturally extremely bold.

The two talked as they followed the crowd into the main hall.

The main hall was already lit, with several oil lamps hanging from the beams, casting a dim, yellowish glow. The meat monk, Murong Qing, Liu Yuanqin, and the others each found a table and sat down. Ah Feng had already negotiated the room rate with the innkeeper and instructed the waiter to bring hot water to the backyard.

Hua Zhongjun's sedan chair had already entered the backyard immediately.

After everyone finished their meal, they all went to their rooms to rest one after another.

The mountain breeze kept blowing, and the wind chimes kept tinkling, but thankfully it wasn't too noisy and wouldn't disturb anyone's peaceful sleep.

A few oil lamps were still lit in the upstairs corridor, their glow swaying gently in the night breeze, casting the shadows of the wooden corridor on the ground, undulating and swaying.

Gu Guanqi did not sleep.

As always, he sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and practiced his internal energy to recuperate.

Suddenly, he heard faint footsteps coming from downstairs.

The footsteps were extremely light, creeping up the stairs from the first floor, almost blending into the sound of the wind outside the window. There were two people, both skilled in light-footed martial arts, deliberately concealing their footsteps so that ordinary martial artists would not have noticed them at all.

Gu Guanqi slightly opened his eyes and sensed that the two people had stopped outside Chu Yaoyin's room opposite him.

Gu Guanqi walked to the door, slightly opened it to reveal a crack, and saw two furtive people squatting outside Chu Yaoyin's room. They were none other than the innkeeper and a thin waiter.

The waiter gently tapped the door panel and knocked off a piece of wood, revealing a small hole.

The shopkeeper held a thin bamboo tube in his hand and gently blew into the small hole. A very faint white smoke overflowed from the tube and drifted silently into the hole.

Gu Guanqi didn't move because he sensed that Chu Yaoyin in the room had already made a move.

Sure enough, in the next instant, the door to Chu Yaoyin's room was suddenly pulled open.

Before the shopkeeper could retract the bamboo tube, the door suddenly opened, and a face with a cold smile appeared in front of him—it was Chu Yaoyin.

Chu Yaoyin raised her hand and struck out with a palm, the wind from which was fierce, and it landed solidly on the shopkeeper's chest.

The shopkeeper grunted and flew backward, crashing into the door of Gu Guanqi's room across the street.

The waiter reacted quickly, turning to run when he sensed something was wrong.

Gu Guanqi flicked his finger, and a stream of true energy shot out.

The waiter felt an invisible force attack from behind, his waist went numb, and he froze on the spot, unable to move even his fingers.

Before the shopkeeper could even get up after falling into the house, his pressure points were also struck remotely.

The two men stood one in front of the other, one lying on the threshold and the other frozen by the pillar, their postures strange and unable to move.

The commotion on the corridor was quite loud, disturbing the people in the rooms on either side.

The monk with the shaved head was the first to open his door. He peeked out and saw Chu Yaoyin and Gu Guanqi standing on the corridor. He then looked at the two strangely positioned people on the ground, paused for a moment, and then strode out.

"What's going on?" the meat monk asked.

Immediately afterwards, Murong Qing, Liu Yuanqin, and others also pushed open the door and came out one after another.

Chu Yaoyin stepped on the shopkeeper's hand and said coldly, "These two bastards blew sleeping gas into my room while I was asleep."

As she spoke, she drew a short knife from her waist, the tip pressed against the shopkeeper's throat: "Tell me, what are you planning to do?"

The shopkeeper's face turned pale, but he remained stubborn, quickly saying, "It's a misunderstanding, heroine, I—"

Chu Yaoyin thrust her knife forward half an inch, and a thin stream of blood immediately spurted from the shopkeeper's neck, splashing onto the waiter's face.

The waiter was terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat. He quickly said, "I'll talk! I'll talk! The manager told me to do it! He said you're pretty, and he wanted me to help him drug you, and then—and then send you to the underground palace—"

Chu Yaoyin asked coldly, "What underground palace?"

The waiter's voice trembled with tears: "It's right below the kitchen. The manager built it himself, and he keeps a lot of girls there—for us—for our amusement when we're bored—"

"Did you kidnap all those girls like this?" Chu Yaoyin's voice was icy.

The waiter stammered, "Yes—some are women from the foot of the mountain—some were left behind when we robbed a merchant caravan—"

Chu Yaoyin kicked the waiter and shouted, "Lead the way!"

Gu Guanqi flicked his finger, releasing the waiter's pressure points.

Immediately, everyone followed suit and left.

Soon, they arrived at the kitchen.

The waiter walked to the corner, squatted down tremblingly, and pressed the floor tile. With a soft "click," the wall opposite the stove slid inward half a foot, revealing a dark passage just wide enough for one person to pass through.

The secret passage wasn't long; after walking about twenty or thirty stone steps, you reached the bottom.

At the end of the path was a half-open wooden door. The door was thick, and a dim candlelight shone through the cracks. Intermittent sounds came from inside, including a woman's soft moans and a man's muffled laughter.

Chu Yaoyin kicked open the wooden door.

The door slammed against the wall with a loud bang, and the candlelight flickered violently in the airflow.

The tunnel suddenly opened up into a rather spacious underground room, with walls made of blue bricks and several oil lamps hanging overhead, casting a dim yellow light.

The sight inside made Chu Yaoyin tighten her grip on the knife.

In the basement, there were several low couches covered with dirty bedding, and a dozen or so naked women were sitting or lying down.

Without exception, they all had scars of varying ages, some still oozing faint traces of blood, clearly indicating that they had all suffered severe beatings and torture.

When Gu Guanqi and his group suddenly burst in, the waiters and servants who were indulging in lewd acts were all shocked.

However, before they could react, Chu Yaoyin shouted angrily, "Bastard!"

Then, she took a step forward and slashed with her knife.

The monk uttered "Amitabha," but his face was grim. He swung his staff horizontally and killed two people in the blink of an eye.

Chu Yaoyin moved extremely fast, and within a few steps, she had cut down the remaining three men in the underground chamber.

Without Gu Guanqi, Murong Qing, or the others even lifting a finger, Chu Yaoyin and the Flesh Monk had already killed everyone.

But the dozen or so women still had flushed faces, making all sorts of seductive gestures, even hugging each other and twisting their bodies, making all sorts of lewd sounds. When they saw Gu Guanqi, the meat monk and the other men, they were very eager to rush over.

-

"Amitabha!"

The meat monk chanted a Buddhist prayer and immediately turned around.

At this moment, Gu Guanqi spoke up, "They've all taken aphrodisiacs, and in large doses at that. They're all delirious now, only thinking about doing those things."

"What should we do then?" Chu Yaoyin asked.

"No problem."

Gu Guanqi reached out and took out a bag of silver needles. He grabbed a handful of silver needles and threw them out. Instantly, the needles accurately pierced the acupoints of the women, and they all fell silent and remained motionless.

Then, Gu Guanqi took out a white porcelain bottle from his pocket and handed it to Chu Yaoyin: "There is a pill in here, one for each of them. Feed them this, and the effects of the medicine in their bodies will dissipate in a short while."

Chu Yaoyin immediately took the porcelain bottle, poured out the pills, and fed them one by one to the women.

Gu Guanqi said, "I'll go and call Jin Caicai and Afeng to help you. It's not appropriate for a group of men to be here."

"Okay," Chu Yaoyin replied.

Gu Guanmu, the meat monk, and Fu Rongqing immediately left the underground palace.

None of them spoke, and the atmosphere was rather oppressive and somber.

Because they all knew that although these women were saved, it was hard to say whether they would have the courage to live on afterward.

Soon, the group came out of the kitchen.

The sound of wind chimes drifted in, tinkling and clear amidst the wind and snow.

Gu Guanmu informed A Feng and Jin Caicai, as well as a female swordsman named Liu Rong. Including Chu Yaoyin, there were only four women in their team.

Gu Guanmu and Ren Nan didn't want to get involved in what happened next, so they each went back to their rooms.

Back in his room, Gu Guanmu gently closed the door and then went to the bedside.

He sat cross-legged on the bed again and began to meditate.

-

However, at that moment, images suddenly and uncontrollably surfaced in his mind, showing the naked women and their twisted, intertwined bodies from the underground palace.

And those suppressed yet tender moans seemed to echo faintly in his ears.

Gu Guanmu frowned slightly.

The image flashed by, but a second wave of clearer and more detailed images immediately followed.

The images of those women with flushed faces and dazed eyes are branded into my mind like a hot iron, and their soft moans and groans seem so close.

Gu Guanqi suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils contracting slightly, and said sullenly, "Something's wrong. That kind of scene shouldn't have affected my will. I've been... tricked!"

Immediately, he changed his mind and activated the Mingyu Gong to its fullest extent. His consciousness seemed to solidify suddenly in the extreme cold, like deep water under the ice, without a ripple.

His mental state instantly entered a state of blissful tranquility.

In that instant, everything in heaven and earth seemed to fade from his perception. Sound, light, wind, and temperature—all external things receded, leaving only a wisp of consciousness suspended in the void, clear as a mirror, untouched by dust.

In this utter silence, the only remaining sound was the faint tinkling of wind chimes.

Ding ding ding—ding—

The sound was very soft and crisp, like countless tiny copper pieces colliding in the wind.

But when his mind was completely emptied, the sound seemed to be amplified a thousand times, pouring in from all directions, from every inch of air, from every crevice, penetrating everywhere, and wrapping itself around his sea of ​​consciousness.

"So it was these wind chimes that were the problem," Gu Guanmu's pupils contracted slightly, and he said with a slight smirk, "I didn't even notice before. It seems there's a master of formations behind this!"

Gu Guanmu understood that this was not a sonic attack.

With his cultivation level and worldly experience, if it were a sonic attack, he would have detected it the moment he heard the sound.

However, he had not noticed anything wrong with the wind chimes. There was only one possibility: the wind chimes themselves were fine, and the sound of the chimes was also fine, but by combining them with a specially made array, they could form a special power.

"Then it should be established now!" Gu Guanmu said in a low voice.

Sure enough, a short while later, a series of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from within the tent.

The sound was initially very soft, like the rolling of broken pieces of grass in the mountains, but in just a few breaths it quickly amplified and converged, becoming louder and denser.

Gu Guanmu pushed open the window and looked out. He saw a group of people rushing towards Yihai outside the post station. The light of their torches was like a winding fire dragon in the sunlight, and they were moving quickly toward Yihai.

The doors to the other rooms in Yihai were pushed open almost simultaneously.

Fu Rongqing and the meat monk Renren rushed to Hengli immediately. At the same time, the door of the back Hengli opened, and four sedan chair bearers carried Hua Zhongjun's closed sedan chair out quickly. Afeng followed closely behind, with the short knife at her waist already drawn.

Hua Zhongjun's sedan chair was placed securely in the hall, where effective protection could be provided. If Gu Guanmu were to fight in front while they hid in the back, they would be surrounded and attacked, and those in front would not have time to come to their aid.

Four sedan chair bearers each occupied one corner, placing the sedan chair alongside and protecting it in the middle.

"Bang!"

A loud crash came from the Hengmen Gate of Yihai. The heavy door broke from the inside, and the two thick wooden doors were violently smashed open from the outside. Fragments flew everywhere, and flames rushed in, illuminating Henghai as if it were daytime.

A dark mass of riders surged in from outside the Hengmen Gate, their iron hooves pounding the blue brick floor with a dull thud, their cold gleam flickering in the firelight. Each of the bandits had weapons at their waists, their faces fierce, and the torches in their hands danced, casting indistinct shadows on their features.

There weren't many people, only about twenty, but each of them was quite imposing and definitely a master.

The leader was a tall, burly man, as imposing as a moving iron tower, with a face full of scars, and holding a thick-backed broadsword that gleamed eerily in the firelight.

He reined in his horse, his gaze sweeping over the faces of everyone in Hengzhong, and said loudly, "I am Pang Dali, the chief of Qingniu Village in Cangmang Mountain. I have come on the orders of our leader to invite Alliance Leader Gu and Patriarch Hua to visit our main village!"

6

His voice was loud and clear, carrying far in the wind, so loud that it shook the snow on the eaves and caused a few clumps to fall.

Everyone in Fu Rongqing's office remained silent, on high alert.

Just then, a white figure flashed across the sky, appearing on the roof as if stepping on the moonlight. It was Gu Guanmu. He stepped on the tiles without making a sound. He looked at the bandits in the crowd, then looked down at Pang Dali and said, "I dare to go. Does your leader dare to see me?"

66

Pang Dali raised his head, then grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: "As long as Alliance Leader Gu has the guts, he can come with me!"

Gu Guanqi remained expressionless and said, "Then let's see if you're qualified to invite me."

"9

His voice was flat and emotionless, and he remained motionless. But as soon as he finished speaking, an invisible pressure descended from the roof like a mountain, causing the flames of the torches in the hall to droop. Even the horses involuntarily took a few steps back, snorting and stamping their hooves in frustration.

Pang Dali slammed his broadsword on the ground with a dull thud, and said, "It seems Alliance Leader Gu isn't going to show up. Well then, don't blame us for being impolite!"

Gu Guanmu didn't say anything more and drew his sword directly.

The moment the Autumn Water Sword was drawn, a cold sword light exploded in the palm, then transformed into a vast sword aura that swept out horizontally, carrying with it a force as withered and decaying as porcelain.

Wherever the sword energy passed, the air was torn apart with a sharp whistling sound, and the snow on the ground was completely lifted up, like a surging white ridge.

Pang Dali's face turned deathly pale instantly. He tried to dodge, but the sword energy came too fast and too fiercely, blocking all his escape routes.

He could only watch helplessly as the silvery-white light struck down on him.

However, just as the sword energy was about to touch his face, a tall, imposing figure suddenly emerged from behind the burly man, blocking his path like an iron tower.

The figure was completely shrouded in a layer of dark gold armor, which was thick and cold, with each plate gleaming with a somber metallic luster.

It was Pan Daorong, who was wearing the Tian Shu battle armor.

He held a giant axe in his hand, the blade as big as a millstone, its entire body jet black, and it whistled sharply as he swung it.

"boom!

'

The giant axe met the vast sword energy head-on, producing a deafening roar.

The blast wave swept outwards from the point of impact, blasting away all the snow on the ground and revealing the wet mud beneath, with cracks spreading outwards.

Many residual sword energies impacted the armor.

But not a single white mark was left on the armor.

"What sword immortal? Your sword is nothing special!" Pan Daorong raised his head, only his eyes visible beneath his armor. He pointed at Gu Guanmu on the second-floor rooftop and said in a deep voice, "Gu Guanmu, come down and fight. Let me test your skills!"

Inside and outside, torches crackled in the night wind, illuminating the gleaming golden figure as if it were a fierce, iron-cast god.

Fortunately, the wind blew Gu Guanmu's robes and hair.

He stood on the rooftop, with the Autumn Water Sword Beggar standing beside him, his gaze calmly fixed on Hengzhong's pale, golden figure.

"Ring ring ring— Ring ring ring—"

Just then, the sound of the wind chimes became more and more frequent.

The others didn't notice anything amiss, but Gu Guanqi heard a strange pulling force coming from the sound of the wind chimes, emanating from a small building on the east side.

At that moment, in that small building, Ji Sanqian was standing behind the window, holding a small bell the size of a palm in his right hand, gently tapping it with a peculiar rhythm.

Each chime of the bell perfectly harmonizes with the ringing of the wind chimes, like two invisible threads intertwining and resonating in the sky.

He set up a grand formation here, which was not just those wind chimes. The larger killing formation consisted of mechanisms and devices buried underground and hidden in various small buildings. The wind chimes were only part of the grand formation, and their purpose was to influence Xin'er.

The small bell in his hand is his special weapon, and also the array pestle that remotely activates the great array.

In the courtyard, on the rooftop, Gu Guanmu listened to the sound of wind chimes, glanced slightly at the small building on the east side, and then drew his sword.

The Autumn Water Sword sprang from its sheath with a clang, its light like a silver ribbon, exploding into a cool arc of light amidst the hues, instantly slashing towards the golden armor. The sword's momentum bloomed in mid-air, like an inverted galaxy.

A celestial being descended from the heavens, pouring forth in a spectacular display.

At the same moment, his left hand slid out of his sleeve a two-inch-long dagger. The blade was jet black, without any reflection, almost blending into the color of the dagger.

He released his grip, and the knife was drawn!

Little Li Flying Dagger.

The throwing knife vanished the instant it left the hand, without a sound of it cutting through the air or a trace, as if it had been swallowed up by Yukimoto. Only a faint, fine wisp of air rippled through the snow and wind.

In an instant, the throwing knife made several turns and flew into the small building on the east side.

At the window, Ji Sanqian, who was ringing the bell, suddenly shuddered, feeling as if the hairs on his body were standing on end, as if there were thorns in his back.

He didn't see anything, but relying solely on the subconscious reaction of a master, he suddenly flipped the small bell in his hand so that the mouth of the bell faced forward, and struck it hard. A powerful burst of true energy emanated from the bell, transforming into a pale golden wall of energy that was almost solidified, lying horizontally in front of him.

Only then did he realize that the killing intent came from a throwing knife.

"Buzz!"

'

A muffled resonance exploded in the air, and ripples spread across the air wall, like a dart being thrown into a deep pool.

The tip of the throwing knife pierced the wall of energy, paused for a moment, and the black luster on the knife collided violently with the golden energy, bursting out a ring of tiny light spots.

Then, the air wall shattered.

The cracks spread from the tip of the blade, expanding in all directions like a spider web, but in an instant they collapsed with a bang, turning into countless golden fragments that dissipated in the wind.

Ji Sanqian jerked to the side, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow to his heart. The throwing knife grazed above his collarbone and embedded itself in his shoulder blade, raising a cloud of blood.

He groaned, stumbled half a step, and breathed a slight sigh of relief, but before he could exhale completely.

A sharp pain shot through my left shoulder.

He looked down and saw that at the end of the throwing knife, a very thin black thread was winding out from the hilt, like a living thing, burrowing into the flesh along the wound.

He instinctively reached out to pull, but a chilling, numbing sensation spread rapidly up his shoulder and through his heart in the blink of an eye.

"Well..

"6

Ji Sanqian's three-dimensional form suddenly froze.

His eyes widened in disbelief, and the small bell slipped from his fingers, crashing to the floor with a clatter and rolling twice.

Then he collapsed to the ground, his body began to convulse uncontrollably, his face turned bluish-green at a visible speed, the light in his pupils was rapidly dissipating, his body began to rot, poisonous blood spread, and he was completely devoid of life.

Meanwhile, the instant the flying knife left his hand, Gu Guanmu unleashed a Heavenly Flying Immortal strike, instantly appearing before Pan Daorong.

As the sword energy rained down, Pan Daorong had already raised the giant axe in his hand.

The axe blade was as big as a millstone, jet black, and gleamed with a somber metallic luster in the firelight. He twirled the axe handle half a circle in his palm, gripped it tightly with both hands, and with a sudden push of his feet, he soared into the sky like a moving iron tower.

"Well done! Old Bing's axe has been itching for a good time!"

He roared, his voice booming like a bell, and a huge axe shadow cleaved towards the pure and otherworldly sword light.

"boom!"

The two forces collided suddenly in mid-air.

A blinding white light exploded at the point of impact, illuminating the entire town as bright as day. The air surged in all directions, hurling away all the snow on the ground, revealing the wet mud below, and causing tiles to fall from the town walls.

Gu Guanmu's sword strike still had momentum, with more than a dozen fine sword energies piercing through the gaps in the axe shadows and striking Pan Daorong's body.

"Ding ding ding 66"

A series of rapid clangs of metal clashing exploded on the surface of the armor, sparks flying everywhere. The sword energy, powerful enough to shatter monuments and split walls, landed on the gold-colored armor plates, yet left not a single mark.

Pan Daorong landed back on the ground, his feet leaving two deep footprints, and laughed wildly: "Is that all you've got?"

;

Before he finished speaking, he charged toward Gu Guanmu, creating a surging cloud of dust behind him. Fragments of blue bricks were swept up by the strong wind and seemed to converge into a dark brown tail behind him.

His voice, booming and deep, came from beneath his armor: "Gu Guanmu! Take the blow and deliver the final blow!"

He swung the giant axe high into the air, its blade tracing a dark arc through the sky, as if cleaving a crack in the heavens. A crimson light erupted from the axe, like magma churning in a ravine.

He unleashed a powerful and terrifying aura, and as the axe swung, the snow on the roof was whipped off by the strong wind, crashing against the walls and the ground, raising a cloud of white dust.

On the axe blade, the crimson light condensed to its extreme, forming a solid crimson arc at the edge of the axe. From a distance, it looked as if he was holding not an axe, but a small sun that was falling.

Gu Guanqi remained calm as he watched Pan Daorong rush towards him. He planted the Autumn Water Sword in the ground and then charged towards Pan Daorong as well. At the same time, he crossed his palms, and the pure and powerful true energy from the alchemy manual surged out like a river bursting its banks, flowing into his arms along his meridians.

Then, he extended his palm.

The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, riding six dragons.

In an instant, six streams of energy shot out from his palms, each about ten feet long, carrying intense golden light and a majestic dragon's roar, crashing down on Pan Daorong like a tidal wave.

The dragon's roar shook the heavens, its energy surging like a tide.

The first burst of energy struck the axe, causing it to tremble violently. The second burst followed closely, pushing Pan Daorong back three steps. The third, fourth, and fifth bursts surged forth simultaneously, like three towering ridges stacked together, lifting him into the air, his feet leaving the ground.

The sixth burst of energy arrived first, striking precisely the center of his chest armor.

"Boom!"

Pan Daorong was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing through a wall and breaking a locust tree as thick as a bowl outside the wall, before crashing heavily into the snow more than twenty feet away, splashing up a cloud of snow and dust.

He spat out a mouthful of blood, which stained the faceplate of his armor red, and dripped down the gaps in the armor plates onto the snow, spreading a small patch of glaring crimson.

He struggled to get up, and just as he propped himself up on one side, a sharp whooshing sound came from above.

Gu Guanmu descended from the sky.

The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, Flying Dragon in the Sky.

He unleashed a powerful burst of energy and dazzling golden light, striking Pan Daorong in the chest with his palm.

"boom!"

Another loud bang, and the ground collapsed suddenly with Pan Daorong at its center. Spiderweb-like cracks spread in all directions, mud surged, and fragments flew everywhere.

Pan Daorong was slammed into the ground by this palm strike, creating a large crater.

He struggled desperately, pounding his palms on the ground, trying to break free from the pit.

Gu Guanmu stepped on the chest of the armor again, and a powerful internal force, like an invisible mountain, firmly suppressed Pan Daorong in the mud.

"If you've got the guts, let me get up!" Pan Daorong roared from under his armor. "Let me stand up, and we'll have a fair fight!"

"6

Gu Guanmu looked down at him, his tone indifferent: "Is your tortoise shell not completely airtight?"

He extended his right hand, his five fingers slightly spread.

Countless fine, hair-like black silk threads surged from his palm, densely covering the surface of the gold-plated armor. These silk threads were so fine they resembled a second skin, seeping into the gaps between the armor plates.

Pan Daorong finally panicked.

He could feel the cold, thin threads threading through the joints of his armor, like countless tiny silken threads drilling into the inside of the armor. He desperately tried to resist by channeling his inner energy, but the silken threads were like mercury seeping into every crevice, penetrating from the shoulder armor...

It seeped into all the gaps of the neck brace and armbands at the same time.

In just two or three breaths, the entire inner side of the armor was completely covered by silkworm silk.

The next instant, there was no movement inside the armor.

Immediately afterwards, poisonous blood gushed out from the gaps in the armor, the crimson liquid flowing down the patterns on the armor plates and dripping into the churning mud, quickly spreading over large areas.

Gu Guanmu lifted his foot and took a half step back.

Just then, Pang Dali led several experts to charge over.

Gu Guanmu charged forward with a palm strike.

Just then, he heard Murong Qing's startled cry from behind: "Patriarch Hua, hide quickly!"

Gu Guanmu suddenly looked up.

At this moment, the courtyard was in complete chaos.

The bandits of Cangmang Mountain were engaged in fierce fighting with the people of Yihai Village, the flashing of swords and the flickering light of torches.

Of the ten experts originally hired to escort Hua Zhongjun, besides the Four Heroes of Meishan, Fu Rongqing, and the Flesh Monk, there were four others. Now, those four have all betrayed him.

The four men simultaneously killed the four unsuspecting sedan bearers, and then attacked the sedan chair itself.

The four moved with ghostly speed and coordinated perfectly.

Just then, a powerful internal force erupted from the sedan chair, shattering it instantly, sending wood chips and rags flying in all directions.

Hua Zhongjun revealed himself, his body surrounded by a layer of transparent protective energy, like an inverted bell, blocking the four weapons at the same time.

"Ding ding ding ding!"

The four sharp sounds almost merged into one, as four weapons simultaneously pierced the surface of the protective aura, yet could not advance any further. Ripples spread across the surface of the aura, but it never shattered.

However, just as Hua Zhongjun was fully activating his protective qi, a black figure silently swept down from the rooftop.

The figure moved with ghostly speed, dressed in black, with a lion-headed mask covering his face—it was none other than the leader of the Cangmang Mountain bandits.

His stance twisted and turned in mid-air, like a hawk swooping down from the sky. With a palm strike, the palm print instantly expanded, as if a black cloud descended from the sky and covered everything.

Hua Zhongjun's pupils contracted, and he forcefully channeled his true energy to shake the four experts away. Then, he quickly circulated his power and struck out with a palm towards the sky.

Immediately, their palms collided.

With a deafening roar, a terrifying shockwave spread outwards, sending snowflakes and mud flying everywhere.

"puff!

'

Hua Zhongjun groaned, spat out a mouthful of blood, and flew backward several feet.

Upon seeing this, the leader rushed forward and struck again.

Hua Zhongjun's expression changed, and she hurriedly flipped over and ran towards Gu Guanmu.