The First Venerable of All Paths

"you?"

He Yun shook his head repeatedly and said, "This is absolutely not possible. The Wen family must be heavily guarded right now. It would be too dangerous for you to go."

"good."

He Zhongtian also said, "Fang Xuan, I am already extremely grateful that you are willing to stand up for my He family at this time. How could I let you take the risk yourself?"

"No one but me can bring Yao Yao back safely."

Fang Xuan's tone was calm, yet filled with absolute confidence: "All of you will act in a high-profile manner to attract the attention of both the Ming and Wen families, creating the illusion that the He family is fully engaged in fighting the Ming family and has no time to attend to the Wen family. I am extremely confident in this."

One man sneaks in, venturing alone into the tiger's den?

Seeing Fang Xuan's resolute attitude, He Zhongtian immediately said, "Fang Xuan, the Wen family is heavily guarded and may have secretly arranged for experts. It would be too dangerous for you to infiltrate alone!"

He Zhongtian suggested, "Why don't we send the clan's elite troops with you? That way, you can have backup!"

"Too many people can actually make things worse."

Fang Xuan shook his head and rejected the idea, saying, "The more people there are, the more flaws we'll have, and the easier it will be for the Wen family to notice. I can act alone, which is more flexible and secretive, and has the highest success rate and the lowest risk."

The key point is that with his current strength, he can only safely bring one person back.

The group discussed some details, taking into account all possible unforeseen circumstances, and refined tonight's operation.

"There's no time to lose, let's set off immediately!"

Without further hesitation, He Zhongtian unleashed his spiritual power, his aura as a first-level Divine Intent swept across the sky.

He glanced at the solemn-faced elite members of the He family and said coldly, "Let's go, follow me to rescue Miss!"

As soon as he finished speaking, He Zhongtian took the lead and headed straight for the Ming family.

The commotion was huge, deliberately made so that everyone would know about it.

"Brother Fang, please help me!"

He Yun solemnly clasped his hands in a fist and said to Fang Xuan, "If things are hopeless, prioritize your own safety."

Fang Xuan nodded: "Okay."

After He Yun activated the magic array and took his seat at the central point, looking ready for battle, Fang Xuan quietly left the He family and headed straight for the Wen family.

The reason he took the initiative to cooperate with the He family.

It wasn't because he knew He Yun and his sister.

Rather, this could strike at the Wen and Ming families and avenge the previous sieges.

......

The Wen family mansion is vast and heavily guarded.

The entire mansion was heavily fortified, and anyone who approached would trigger the array, alerting the Wen family's martial artists.

"Young Master Fang, this formation is not very strong defensively, but it serves as a warning."

In the shadows, two figures lay in wait, their auras concealed.

It was Fang Xuan and Yuan Bo.

Originally, Fang Xuan had planned to come alone.

However, He Zhongtian was still not at ease, so he still had Yuan Bo, who was at the half-step Divine Realm, closely protect Fang Xuan as a backup.

Yuan Bo transmitted his voice, "How about this old servant goes to break the formation first, and Young Master Fang finds an opportunity to sneak in?"

"There's no need for such trouble."

Fang Xuan replied telepathically, "It's just a mere second-grade magic array; I can handle it."

"Yuanbo, you should hide here."

Fang Xuan said, "If you receive my message, immediately create chaos in the Wen family to buy me time."

"Well... okay."

Yuanbo said, "Young Master Fang, please be careful in everything you do. This old servant will stay here to meet you."

Fang Xuan nodded, affixed a silver talisman to his body, and his body slowly faded until it disappeared completely.

Furthermore, Fang Xuan deliberately concealed his aura, so even Yuan Bo wouldn't have been able to detect him unless he was very close.

Invisibility Talisman!

This was naturally provided by the He family.

Moreover, this talisman is of a high level and lasts longer. As long as there are no accidents, it can last until he completely takes He Yaoyao away.

Upon approaching the Wen family's formation, Fang Xuan, who was in stealth mode, suddenly saw the Bagua diagram spinning in his eyes and gently placed his palm on the formation.

Not far away, Yuan Bo only saw a faint glimmer of array patterns before returning to calm.

They're inside already?

Yuanbo's heart skipped a beat, and he narrowed his eyes in deep thought.

He felt that the array patterns on Fang Xuan's body when he broke through the array and entered the Wen family were somewhat familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before.

As soon as Fang Xuan entered the Wen family residence, he saw guards patrolling side by side, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

Fang Xuan's eyes narrowed, and he instantly pressed himself against the wall, concealing his presence and quietly waiting for the two to approach.

Just as the two brushed past each other, Fang Xuan's figure suddenly flashed, as fast as a ghost, and he appeared silently behind one of the guards.

Before the other party could react, Fang Xuan clasped his five fingers together and precisely locked his neck.

"Snap!"

With a forceful pull of his hand, a faint cracking sound of bone breaking was heard, but it was drowned out by the sound of the wind.

The guard's eyes bulged out suddenly, and before he could even utter a scream, his life was cut off, and his body went limp.

The guard on the other side noticed the commotion beside him and was about to speak when his neck was bound by a tremendous force, preventing him from uttering a single word.

Fang Xuan looked around and dragged the two of them to a dark place.

After a short while, a figure invisible to the naked eye and undetectable by divine sense walked towards the depths of the Wen family compound.

He had just used a few tricks to find out where He Yaoyao was being held from the Wen family guard, and he had also found out the strength of the Wen family's guards.

The Wen family dungeon is a specially made death trap.

It is cast from black iron stone and is extremely hard.

The prison was further equipped with restrictions specifically for holding serious offenders.

The dungeon entrance was guarded by elite warriors and a warning array was also set up.

Without a special token, touching it would instantly trigger an alarm, alerting the Wen family warriors.

Fang Xuan concealed his presence and, using the token he obtained from the Wen family guards, silently infiltrated the area.

Inside the dungeon, it was cold and damp, with gusts of cold wind blowing.

Fang Xuan's expression was solemn as he perfectly concealed all his aura.

The invisibility talisman has a limited duration, and given the time delay just now, Fang Xuan needs to speed things up.

Soon, Fang Xuan arrived at the depths of the dungeon.

In the deepest, specially made cell, a slender, frail figure was quietly curled up inside.

The girl's clothes were rather thin, and her hair was tied in a bun.

Her once chubby little face was now incredibly pale, and her eyes and brows looked haggard.

It was He Yun's younger sister, He Yaoyao.

Seeing that He Yaoyao was safe and sound, Fang Xuan felt somewhat relieved.

But then his gaze settled on two figures outside the cell, and his expression darkened slightly.

Two elderly men dressed in gray robes stood with their hands behind their backs, guarding the two sides of the prison cell, one on the left and one on the right.

The two men exuded a calm and powerful aura, with their Yuan energy flowing around them. They were veteran martial artists at the fourth and fifth levels of the Condensation Realm, respectively!

The two elders had cold, hard expressions.

Although his eyes were tightly closed, his spirit quietly dispersed to prevent anyone from getting close.

Fang Xuan's eyes flickered.

The dungeon is a small, enclosed space with no room to dodge or maneuver. Once a fight breaks out, it will be an instantaneous head-on confrontation, making it very difficult to rescue someone silently.

Forcing their way in would inevitably expose them and lead to an ambush.

If the Wen family finds out, they might go to extremes and take action against He Yaoyao.

This is also the root cause of the dilemma and hesitation of He Zhongtian and his son.

Fang Xuan lay hidden in the shadows of the passage, his invisibility perfectly concealing his figure.

My brain is racing, trying to figure out a way to break the deadlock.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the passage, and a guard rushed into the dungeon, bowing to the two gray-robed elders to report.

"I would like to inform the two elders that He Zhongtian has led the He family's elite troops to attack the Ming family; news has come from there that we must not act rashly."

"Understood, you may leave."

One of the elders waved his hand calmly, his expression serene.

The guards bowed and withdrew, and silence returned to the dungeon.

Upon seeing this, the two elders relaxed their guard and began to speak in hushed tones.

"He Zhongtian is decisive, but unfortunately too foolish. Knowing it's a trap, he still insists on forcing his way in. This attack on the Ming family will inevitably result in heavy losses, and the destruction of the He family is a foregone conclusion."

"Heh, just a death throes. Without He Zhongtian in charge, the He family is just an empty shell. Once Patriarch Ming deals with He Zhongtian, he can easily crush the He family, and my Wen family can rise again."

With Wen Donglin dead, the Wen family was leaderless and, under the Ming family's hints and coercion, took the initiative to surrender.

But for these elders of the Wen family, this was merely a stopgap measure.

The Wen family cannot be subservient to others.

"That's right, the He family can't cause any trouble now."

The two spoke in a relaxed and confident tone, and their tense minds naturally relaxed.

Fang Xuan's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he crushed a communication talisman in his hand.

"Boom!"

Shortly afterward, the ground began to shake.

Outside the dungeon, gasps of alarm echoed.

It was Yuan Bo, who had received Fang Xuan's message, who began attacking the Wen family's magic array to buy time for Fang Xuan.

"What happened?"

The two elder guards' expressions changed, and they said coldly, "Is someone attacking our Wen family? Could it be the He family?"

"Where did they get the guts?"

Another person said, "Aren't they afraid that we'll kill this little girl right now?"

Inside the dungeon, the two gray-robed elders were instantly agitated by the roaring sounds outside and the cries of their clansmen.

This is the moment!

In the instant the two were lost in thought, Fang Xuan moved!

The Illusionary God Thorn, which had been gathering power for a long time, shot out like lightning and precisely pierced the sea of ​​consciousness of the elder on the left!

"Buzz!"

A sudden surge of spiritual energy erupted!

The elder at the Condensation Realm suddenly stiffened, his head trembled violently, and his mind went completely blank.

He felt his vision blurring and his energy surged wildly.

In particular, his sea of ​​consciousness felt as if it were about to explode, causing excruciating pain.

Phantom God's Soul Piercer, a single strike hits the mark!

Ordinary martial artists only cultivate spiritual power and physical body, not their spirit and soul. Faced with top-level spirit and soul techniques, they have absolutely no power to resist!

"What is that?!"

The elder was greatly alarmed and tried to use his spiritual power to break free from the dizziness, but it was too late!

Fang Xuan gave the other party no chance to react, and with a thought, he made a move.

"Sing!"

The Phoenix Cry Sword burst forth from the sky, its blade condensing countless innate sword energies, carrying a sharp and deadly light, and suddenly erupting from its stealth state!

The sword light was as white as snow, incredibly fast, tearing through the dark and cold air of the dungeon!

"cut!"

Before the shout had even finished, a dazzling sword light crashed down, precisely slashing at the neck of the stiff and dazed elder!

The sword light was sharp and fierce, and the sword energy was overwhelming.

Elder Wen Jianing was completely unable to react; his defenses were as fragile as paper in the face of the sword energy.

"Pfft!"

Blood splattered everywhere, and the man collapsed to the ground with a thud!

A gruesome wound was left on his chest and abdomen.

Although the elder did not die immediately, he was completely rendered incapable of fighting.

At the same time, Fang Xuan waved his hand, and a large area of ​​golden-red flames spread out, engulfing the other elder of the Wen family.

"The Undying Phoenix Flame, a raging inferno!"

While the enemy was busy dodging the sea of ​​fire, Fang Xuan slashed his longsword, breaking open the dungeon.

With the Dragon Fish Transformation activated, Fang Xuan transformed into a streak of sword light and hurtled towards the outside of the dungeon, much to the bewilderment of He Yaoyao and the shock and anger of the two Wen family elders.

The entire process took less than ten breaths!