"Be cautious of the shadows beneath your feet." It was the experienced Li Nu who first noticed the signs of danger.
The group of cultivators panicked as they witnessed their companions being inexplicably attacked and killed. Upon hearing Li Nu's warning, they all focused their attention on the shadows beneath their feet.
With their guard up, the effectiveness of the ambush was greatly diminished.
As they concentrated on the shadows, they unintentionally loosened their guard around Meng Zhang. Taking advantage of the situation, Meng Zhang launched another fierce attack, even with Li Nu trying to restrain them, two cultivators still got injured.
In a shadow nearby, Jue Ying revealed her figure.
Jue Ying was a highly skilled assassin, proficient in stealth and assassination techniques. She was a formidable adversary.
Despite it being their first cooperation, she and Meng Zhang displayed remarkable synchronization, acting in perfect harmony.
Jue Ying held a thin dagger-like weapon, about half a foot long, pitch-black from hilt to tip. Though inconspicuous in appearance, its killing power was astonishing.
She casually tossed several talismans into the air, transforming them into massive stones that came crashing down on the crowd.
Taking advantage of the diversion, Jue Ying's figure vanished again.
This time, she didn't use the Shadow Shifting technique; her body didn't appear within the shadows. Instead, she employed Earth Travel, sinking into the ground. She traveled underground for a distance and then suddenly burst out from the earth, appearing behind two cultivators.
Two sprays of blood burst forth, and two more lives were claimed.
Jue Ying's abilities left her comrade Meng Zhang amazed. Her ingenious and skillful assassination techniques, along with the flexible application of various spells and skills, were truly impressive.
Based on Jue Ying's current performance, if confronted head-on, Meng Zhang might not be her match. However, facing her sneak attacks and assassinations from behind, even Meng Zhang would find it challenging to deal with.
Working together, Meng Zhang and Jue Ying became much stronger. Despite being only two people, they systematically slaughtered the enemy, overwhelming their numerically superior opponents.
Although Meng Zhang's Cultivation Base was slightly stronger than Jue Ying's, when it came to efficiency in killing, he fell far behind. Most of the corpses lying on the ground were the result of Jue Ying's actions.
After a fierce battle, all the enemies, except for Li Nu, were killed on the spot.
Li Nu, the cunning fellow, had prepared to escape when he saw the situation turning sour, and the enemies proving too formidable. However, now, it was Meng Zhang who intended to keep him here.
The flying sword, "Soft Around The Finger," continued to circle around Li Nu, preventing him from escaping.
This conflict had already resulted in multiple casualties, and both sides had incurred a blood feud. Meng Zhang was determined not to let Li Nu go under any circumstances.
Once this wily fellow successfully escaped, with his shamelessness and unscrupulous nature, he would become a formidable enemy to the Taiyi Sect.
"Sect Master Meng, there's no hatred between us that cannot be resolved. What happened earlier was a misunderstanding. As long as you let me go, I can swear on the spot to forget about today's events and never become your enemy again," pleaded Li Nu.
At this moment, Jue Ying also joined in to besiege Li Nu.
"Sect Master Meng, please spare me. I am willing to serve Taiyi Sect, work for you, and be at your beck and call," Li Nu desperately tried to manipulate Meng Zhang.
However, Meng Zhang remained unmoved, and he didn't slacken his efforts in the slightest. He and Jue Ying, one in the light, the other in the shadow, cooperated seamlessly, completely trapping Li Nu.
"Meng Zhang, you can't kill me. Do you know my identity?" Seeing that escape was futile and he was reaching his limits, Li Nu suddenly shouted in a stern voice.
It was useless to beg for mercy; he was trying to scare himself. Whatever his identity was, even if he were the deity himself, he wouldn't escape today. That's what Meng Zhang thought.
Li Nu felt a tingling pain in his left shoulder, where Jue Ying's dagger had struck him, and his whole body weakened. Then a searing pain followed, making him scream in agony, as Meng Zhang's flying sword, "Soft Around The Finger," severed his right arm.
"I am a disciple of Flying Swan Sect, Meng Zhang..." Li Nu roared.
Meng Zhang, who had initially been prepared to end his life with a single strike, did indeed stop. The flying sword, "Soft Around The Finger," grazed past Li Nu's body.
Relieved to have survived, Li Nu didn't stop his verbal threats.
"Meng Zhang, I am a disciple of Flying Swan Sect. If you kill me, Flying Swan Sect will never let you off the hook."
Approaching Li Nu, who was now powerless to resist, Meng Zhang struck his Dantian with a palm, causing him to spew blood and fall heavily to the ground. The excruciating pain in his abdomen rendered him unable to speak for a moment.
Jue Ying promptly applied pressure points on Li Nu's body, temporarily easing his pain and stopping the bleeding.
"Li Nu, are you truly a disciple of Flying Swan Sect?" Meng Zhang inquired.
"Yes, I am a disciple of Flying Swan Sect," Li Nu replied intermittently.
Meng Zhang didn't believe a word of this cunning fox's words. He had already destroyed Li Nu's Dantian with that palm, crippling his entire Cultivation Base.
Outwardly asking questions, Meng Zhang secretly activated his Mind Reading Divine Ability to probe Li Nu's thoughts. Normally, he wouldn't be able to read the mind of a Refining Qi ninth level cultivator, but Li Nu's Cultivation Base had been utterly ruined, and he was now heavily injured, causing his willpower to crumble.
Although it was challenging, Meng Zhang successfully read Li Nu's thoughts.
"Meng Zhang, as long as you spare me, I can introduce you to Flying Swan Sect..." Unaware that Meng Zhang could read his mind, Li Nu tried to deceive him.
Meng Zhang casually asked some questions to distract Li Nu's attention while covertly focusing all his efforts on using Mind Reading to access Li Nu's thoughts.
Once he had gathered enough information from Li Nu's mind, Meng Zhang didn't bother to continue the conversation and directly beheaded him with a single sword strike.
Looking at Li Nu's expression of disbelief and unavenged death, Meng Zhang sneered. At this point, even if you were the Sect Master of Flying Swan Sect's father, this is the only fate awaiting you.
As expected, Li Nu had been boasting; he did have a connection with Flying Swan Sect but was not an official disciple. He was merely an undercover scout.
Flying Swan Sect had many scouts like Li Nu, who had no apparent connection to the sect. They either acted as loose cultivators or belonged to some minor clans and sects. These scouts were secretly controlled by Flying Swan Sect and scattered throughout the Endless Sea of Sand to gather information for the sect, particularly to monitor Twin Success Valley.
Li Nu's identity was unknown even to his subordinates. Many years ago, he came here incognito and became affiliated with Twin Success Valley.
Appearing like a fence-sitter, he attached himself to the Li family like a clown. However, in secret, he collected various information on behalf of Flying Swan Sect, especially regarding Twin Success Valley's activities.
Initially, Li Nu was merely observing Twin Success Valley as part of his routine duties. However, in recent years, some unusual movements within Twin Success Valley had caught his attention.
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