Chapter Sixty: Upheaval

This longsword seemed to have emerged from the void itself, appearing without warning to pierce straight through Xiao Yue’s right chest. Yet, the assassin was nowhere to be seen.

Blood streamed down the blade’s tip. If not for Xiao Yue’s keen perception of danger, this strike would have pierced his heart, killing him instantly.

“Instructor!” Witnessing this scene, Chu Feng cried out. At that moment, a faint intuition told him that someone was lurking behind Xiao Yue, their presence carefully concealed.

“Courting death!” Chu Feng roared in fury, gripping the Sword of Domain Suppression, and charged toward Xiao Yue, intending to strike at the hidden enemy behind him.

“Don’t come any closer!” Xiao Yue barked, forcing himself to endure the pain as he stepped forward. Instantly, the longsword withdrew, yet it still hovered ominously in midair.

Xiao Yue spun around, slamming his palm toward where the sword floated. “Attacking from the shadows—what skill is that?”

A cold snort sounded from the direction of the sword, followed by the sudden appearance of a figure. The longsword now rested in his hand—it was none other than the middle-aged man, Mister Lü.

In truth, from the moment Xiao Yue had revealed himself, Mister Lü had been quietly drawing near, suppressing his aura and cloaking himself with a barrier. Only when the threat was imminent did Xiao Yue sense his presence, but by then it was too late.

In a flash, Mister Lü’s figure solidified, his expression icy as he saw Xiao Yue’s palm strike. He immediately responded in kind, their palms meeting with a thunderous impact.

Power surged, wild energy rippling out like a tidal wave. Stones shattered, sand and debris filled the air, and Chu Feng was swept away by the violent shockwave.

In that exchange, Xiao Yue was outmatched, sent flying with blood gushing from his lips.

“Instructor!” Chu Feng steadied himself, scrambled to Xiao Yue’s side, and helped him up.

Xiao Yue’s condition was dire—first impaled by a sword, then struck by a palm. His upper robe was now completely drenched in blood.

“What does it matter if I attack from the shadows? Do you think you’re a match for me?” Mister Lü said coolly, utterly indifferent to Xiao Yue’s protests.

Qin Zhang had anticipated that Xiao Yue might secretly protect Chu Feng, which was why he had arranged for Mister Lü—a formidable expert.

Xiao Yue’s face was ashen. He hadn’t expected to be so thoroughly outmaneuvered, but the man’s words were not without truth. Xiao Yue could sense how powerful this middle-aged man was—a seventh-tier Earth Spirit Warrior, without doubt. His mastery of barriers was such that even at the brink of crisis, Xiao Yue had only barely detected him.

Xiao Yue’s breathing grew heavy; he had not foreseen being driven into such a desperate situation on this excursion.

“Chu Feng, it seems our lives are forfeit here,” Xiao Yue said, staring at the middle-aged man with deep reluctance but helplessness. Even at his peak, let alone now, he knew he could not prevail against this foe.

“This is all my fault. I’m sorry,” Chu Feng murmured, guilt-ridden.

“Nonsense! Am I, Xiao Yue, a coward afraid of death?” Xiao Yue retorted.

Chu Feng was moved, his gaze icy as he looked at Mister Lü, then swept his eyes over Yang Cheng and the others. “In that case, we’ll fight to the bitter end!”

“Yes!” Xiao Yue nodded. He would never simply wait for death; if he was to die, he would make his enemies pay dearly.

Moreover, their resolve would buy time for the others to escape. The farther Xu Yan and the rest fled, the safer they would be.

Mister Lü, Yang Cheng, and their companions looked at Chu Feng and Xiao Yue as if they were already corpses.

“Yang Cheng, you stay here and deal with Chu Feng. Ding Ren and I will pursue the others—we can’t afford any delays,” Zhang Kuang said.

As Zhang Kuang and Ding Ren turned to leave, a sudden scream pierced the air.

The two men shuddered, a chill running through them. They recognized that voice—it was Mister Lü’s.

Their faces went pale. Just as they turned, a sharp pain lanced through their waists, their legs buckling as their upper bodies toppled violently to the ground, severed from their lower halves.

In that instant, they understood—they had been cut in two at the waist. It was inconceivable; only moments before, they had been so confident, yet now death stared them in the face.

They hadn’t even glimpsed their assailant, but they knew without doubt it was not Chu Feng or Xiao Yue.

As that realization dawned, their thoughts faded, consciousness slipping away with the torrent of blood.

In the aftermath, aside from Zhang Kuang and Ding Ren, both Yang Cheng and Mister Lü lay in pools of their own blood, their bodies cleaved in half, eyes wide with rage and disbelief. Even in death, they could not accept their fate.

As for Xiao Yue and Chu Feng, the two seemed petrified, not from death but from overwhelming shock. They stared, transfixed, at the tall and imposing figure standing before them.

He was a man, about thirty years old—the same age as Xiao Yue—clad in a long black robe and exuding a chilling murderous aura.

He stood not far from Ding Ren’s corpse, sheathing his spirit sword with a casual glance at the bodies as if they were beneath his notice.

Neither Xiao Yue nor Chu Feng had expected such a drastic turn of events, and they were even more shaken by the black-robed man’s strength. In a single instant, he had slain four people, one of whom was a seventh-tier Earth Spirit Warrior.

“Ninth tier!” Sensing the man’s immense power, Xiao Yue could not help but utter these words. To kill a seventh-tier Earth Spirit Warrior in one stroke—only a ninth-tier could manage such a feat.

At that moment, the black-robed man looked their way, his eyes still as cold as ice.

Xiao Yue’s heart skipped a beat, but he sensed no murderous intent. He cupped his fists and said, “Thank you, sir, for saving our lives.”

“If you wish to thank someone, thank my lord,” the man replied indifferently, glancing elsewhere.

Xiao Yue and Chu Feng exchanged startled glances and followed his gaze, where seven or eight figures emerged from behind a hillside.

To be precise, eight people appeared—five men and three women, all around thirty years of age, dressed in black robes identical to the first man’s, their cloud-pattern embroidery matching perfectly.

All except one—a younger man, about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, dressed in an ornate white robe trimmed with gold.

Clearly, this white-robed man was their leader. The black-robed man who had saved them joined the group at once.

Chu Feng was inwardly astonished. This was a man of true influence—eight powerful experts at his side, and the black-robed warrior who had saved them was but one of his subordinates.

Beside him, Xiao Yue was even more shocked, staring in a daze at the white-robed man.

The white-robed man led the eight over, offering Xiao Yue a gentle smile. “Second brother, it’s been a long time.”

“You’re… Xiao Fan?” Xiao Yue ventured uncertainly.

The white-robed man nodded with a smile. “What, has it been so many years you’ve forgotten your little brother?”

Xiao Yue’s surprise turned to joy. Using his spiritual power to seal his wound, he approached with Chu Feng’s support. “You really are my fifth brother. I can’t believe it—after all these years, you’ve grown so much.”

Xiao Yue and Xiao Fan were cousins, Xiao Yue being six years older. Xiao Yue had developed his spiritual power early and joined the Spirit Warrior Pavilion ahead of his cousin. He still remembered their last meeting, just before he left the Sacred City for the army—he was seventeen, Xiao Fan only eleven, still very much a child.

Xiao Fan took Xiao Yue’s hand. “Second brother, you’re seriously injured. Don’t say anything now; focus on healing. Later, we’ll have all the time in the world to talk.”

Xiao Yue nodded, deeply moved. He had never expected that in his moment of peril, it would be his fifth brother who would come to his rescue—truly, fate’s hand was at work.

Chu Feng, too, was surprised. He hadn’t expected their savior to be the instructor’s younger brother, let alone that this man was accompanied by eight formidable experts.

Immediately, Xiao Fan ordered his followers to bring out high-grade spirit pills and medicinal salves to treat Xiao Yue’s wounds.

Though still weak, Xiao Yue was no longer in mortal danger and could walk unaided; with three to five days of rest, he would recover fully.

Chu Feng also took a spirit pill, quickly feeling his strength return.

By then, night had fallen. Xiao Fan directed his people to burn the bodies of Mister Lü and the others, then pitched camp in a spacious clearing nearby.

A campfire blazed about twenty yards from the tents, where only Xiao Fan, Xiao Yue, and Chu Feng sat together, sharing food and wine. Xiao Fan’s followers kept to themselves, each returning to their own quarters.

Chu Feng found the eight black-robed men rather difficult to approach. They spoke little, and even when Xiao Fan introduced Xiao Yue, they merely nodded in acknowledgement, offering no more. From them, Chu Feng sensed only an icy aloofness.

Yet neither he nor Xiao Yue dwelled on it; perhaps it was simply the mark of seasoned soldiers.

In conversation, they learned that over the past few years, Xiao Fan had been tempered in the army and was now an eighth-tier Earth Spirit Warrior. As for the others, they were his followers and subordinates—each one a ninth-tier Earth Spirit Warrior.

This revelation stunned Chu Feng—a single eighth-tier warrior with eight ninth-tier subordinates! It was almost unbelievable.

Xiao Fan and Xiao Yue reminisced for a long time, discussing childhood memories. Xiao Yue was filled with emotion, marveling at how the once pure and adorable boy had grown into such an accomplished man.

Now and then, Xiao Yue sipped a little wine, careful not to drink too much due to his injuries.

After a while, a black-robed woman emerged from the tents and signaled to Xiao Fan before making her way to the far side of the camp, soon vanishing into the night.

Xiao Fan nodded to her and turned to Xiao Yue. “Second brother, I have some matters to attend to. I’ll return to keep you company shortly.”

“Go ahead,” Xiao Yue replied with a smile.

Xiao Fan smiled back, rose, and followed the woman into the darkness.

After Xiao Fan had gone, Chu Feng glanced around, then asked quietly, “I just don’t understand—why would eight ninth-tier Earth Spirit Warriors willingly serve an eighth-tier? Is that the privilege of the Xiao clan’s heirs? Was it like this for you when you were in the army?”

Xiao Yue frowned, his expression grave. He shook his head and murmured, “Before I joined the army, I’d already lost my right to inherit the clan leadership. Who would follow a ruined man? As for my fifth brother, with so many powerful followers, all ninth-tier, I fear he is almost certainly the next clan head.”

Chu Feng’s face changed at these words. In a low voice, he asked, “Then the one who harmed you, back then…”