Chapter 66 Falling into the Trap

"Where is he?"

Su Xiuyan's expression was extremely ugly. Right now, he looked like a wild beast ready to devour someone; anyone bold enough to provoke him at this moment would certainly suffer a miserable fate.

"Holy Son, we've found a trail."

Fortunately, the men under his command possessed some genuine competence.

A tracker skilled in following traces quickly discovered the path taken by Shen Chang'an and the others. As Shen Chang'an's group had left in a hurry without time to conceal their tracks, tracking them down was not particularly difficult.

"Good!"

A surge of joy instantly welled up in Su Xiuyan's heart. Earlier in the mountain forests, the traces left by Shen Chang'an's group had suddenly broken off and vanished without a trace, leaving him worried that the same thing would happen again this time.

On the previous occasion, Li Qingqing had resorted to certain methods to wipe away their tracks. But here, within the Yuyang Ghost City, Li Qingqing's tricks naturally lost their effect.

Su Xiuyan and his men quickly gave chase. Moving at a swift pace, it took them only a short while to catch sight of Shen Chang'an.

This particular location happened to be a small patch of woods.

Surrounded by overgrown weeds and dense foliage, it was the kind of place where someone hiding could easily evade detection by ordinary people—truly an ideal spot for an ambush.

Seeing Shen Chang'an standing there all by himself, Su Xiuyan felt a sudden jolt in his heart.

"Taoist Priest Shen, are you not running anymore?" Su Xiuyan asked coldly.

How could Shen Chang'an afford to let him talk too much? If Su Xiuyan were to blurt out Jiang Yunyi's identity at this moment, the entire situation would completely change.

"Run? The one who should be running is you! Su Xiuyan, today I shall put it to the test right here and see if I, the Lord of the Sword, truly cannot die by misfortune!"

Whipping out the Withered Wood Sword, Shen Chang'an stood tall with the blade in hand, his eyes like cold stars as he locked a fixed gaze on Su Xiuyan.

Hearing Shen Chang'an's words, Su Xiuyan felt another startle in his heart. He had indeed heard rumors concerning the Lord of the Sword.

When Xue Lie had obtained the divine sword on that day, he had naturally publicized it far and wide, spreading certain details about the sacred weapon specifically to recruit followers and men-at-arms.

Consequently, most cultivators of a certain status possessed a fair understanding of the legends surrounding the divine sword.

The notion that the Lord of the Sword was immortal was naturally something they were all well aware of.

Shen Chang'an's prior killing of Zhang Hongyu had not yet been made known to many; in order to suppress the news, Xue Lie had naturally refrained from mentioning Zhang Hongyu's death.

Su Xiuyan's focus had been entirely on Jiang Yunyi, unaware that Zhang Hongyu had perished, and thus he held considerable apprehension regarding the legend of the Sword Lord's immortality.

"Hmph, the Lord of the Sword might not truly be immortal," remarked a master from the White Lotus Sect. "Holy Son, if this brat were truly capable of immortality, why didn't he draw his sword to intercept us in the beginning? Why didn't he raise a ruckus when we reached the Ghost City, causing all of us to perish inside?"

Upon hearing this, Su Xiuyan nodded, then sneered, "Taoist Priest Shen, do you really expect us to believe such Jianghu tall tales?"

Shen Chang'an let out a cold laugh, swept his sword to carve a slash in the air, and shouted, "Believe it or not, you will know once you come forward and try today!"

The various masters of the White Lotus Sect stepped forward one after another, waiting only for Su Xiuyan's command to charge ahead and tear Shen Chang'an to pieces.

"Hold on!"

Su Xiuyan suddenly raised a hand to stop the others, shouting in a low voice, "Beware of a trap!"

The crowd immediately halted their steps, exchanging wary glances with Shen Chang'an across the distance without pressing any further.

Shen Chang'an exhaled a breath. Su Xiuyan was no fool; though opinionated and arrogant by nature, he possessed genuine intelligence and did not continue to close in when facing Shen Chang'an.

Shen Chang'an, for his part, uttered no further words. Instead, he fell silent, staring fixedly at Su Xiuyan while remaining entirely motionless.

After a long moment, Su Xiuyan abruptly stopped, his expression changing drastically as he shouted loudly, "Shen Chang'an, you're deliberately buying time! You've had Li Qingqing take Jiang Yunyi and run away!"

A flash of anxiety crossed Shen Chang'an's face, though he quickly regained his composure and sneered, "Do I need to buy time? Those who aren't afraid of death are welcome to step forward! Don't blame me for not warning you—I've already set up fully prepared defenses nearby, and anyone rash enough to charge in will find only a dead end!"

"Don't listen to him, he's lying!" Su Xiuyan seemed to calm down in an instant, barking out an order, "All of you, charge forward and beat this fellow to death right here!"

The moment his words fell, the numerous masters of the White Lotus Sect immediately surged forward, each accelerating their pace in an effort to kill him in the shortest time possible.

Yet, just as all of them stepped fully into the middle ground, the twang of a bowstring suddenly rang out. A sharp arrow shot straight through the air, nailing one of the masters directly in the neck.

This sound seemed to act as a trigger, instantly unleashing a barrage of arrows, hidden darts, and esoteric arts that rained directly down upon Su Xiuyan and his party!

Puff, puff, puff—

In merely the first wave of ambush, a dozen unsuspecting White Lotus Sect masters were instantly taken down.

"Brothers, charge! Slaughter these demonic cult fiends!"

Dozens of figures suddenly emerged from hiding, fiercely hurling themselves at the White Lotus Sect experts.

After the initial shock, the White Lotus Sect masters quickly recovered and threw themselves into a defensive posture.

Yet the situation remained grim. To dare launch an ambush against the Holy Son of the White Lotus Sect, the strength of these attackers was naturally formidable. Their original plan had relied on these dozens of people piercing the White Lotus Sect's defense line and launching a direct assault on Su Xiuyan.

"Oh no!"

The moment these ambushing experts appeared, Su Xiuyan's mind exploded with a roar. When on earth had Shen Chang'an managed to ally with so many people, and even set an ambush right here?

Shen Chang'an had no intention of conversing with Su Xiuyan. What he needed to do now was to cut down Su Xiuyan in the shortest possible time to prevent him from revealing anything about Jiang Yunyi.

With a single step forward, Shen Chang'an leaped like a soaring bird, bringing his sword blade slashing straight down toward Su Xiuyan.

Witnessing this scene, Su Xiuyan knew the situation was dire. Amidst the chaotic melee, he had no men available to come to his aid; if Shen Chang'an truly charged home, he might not be able to withstand the onslaught.

Facing such an adverse situation, Su Xiuyan threw all hesitation aside. Reaching into his robes, he drew out a jade talisman, intending to summon the Vajra puppet contained within it.

At that very moment, however, the shadowy phantom of Li Qingqing materialized. With a flick of her hand, she crushed a dark mystical light, and in an instant, something in the air seemed to shift.

"A Soul-Sending Talisman?!" Su Xiuyan gasped in astonishment.

Drawing her own treasured sword, Li Qingqing said coldly, "Su Xiuyan, the debt you owe me is time to be repaid."

By now, the two sides were already deeply engaged in combat. The explosive roars of various spell arts and the clashing of metal intertwined completely, allowing Li Qingqing to speak without any fear of being overheard by others.

"If you want repayment, come take it yourself!"

With a furious roar, Su Xiuyan unleashed the surging Qi within his body, thrusting forward with his sword in a fierce slash directed straight at Li Qingqing!