Several miles away from the Agarwood Mansion caravan, in the dark night forest.

Several figures flitted swiftly across the vast woodland like phantoms.

Whether it was ravines, hills, streams, or cliff walls, nothing could obstruct their path forward.

If someone could overlook from above, they would discover that these figures were moving in a perfectly straight line.

Before long, when they were still a mile from the caravan, the figures quickly halted, spreading out and standing on high ground in the forest, watching the campfire-lit caravan camp.

"It’s here." One man whispered.

"Inform the masters." Another quickly took out a warning firework from his lower back, opened the fire starter cover, and blew hard.

A flame appeared, igniting the firework’s fuse.

Hiss!

A burst of fire shot up into the sky, illuminating a large swath of woodland under the dark night sky.

Soon after, another firework shot up several miles away.

Then, as if in relay, more fireworks continued to rise in the distance.

"What is it!?" Zhang Yunqi suddenly got up, gazing into the distance.

"It’s a warning firework, typically used for alert, but using it consecutively several times definitely means they’re marking a position!" Experienced as he was, he immediately recognized what it was.

"The location isn’t far from us, could it be aimed at us again?" Zhang Zhenhai said solemnly.

There have been too many people targeting the caravan these past few days.

Though many stopped making noise before even approaching upon hearing the sounds from afar.

But with each incident being like this, having gone through it multiple times, everyone understood that they had become the target of many.

"Trust in the masters! We will remain vigilant!" Sun Chaoyue said.

She still sat by the campfire, motionless.

After all, any enemy that appeared, she couldn’t defeat them, so instead of worrying, she chose to trust Zhang Ying the Daoist.

Zhang Yunqi glanced at her, involuntarily holding her in higher regard.

Remaining calm and not panicking in the face of danger requires a mental fortitude not just anyone possesses.

Regardless, preparations still needed to be made.

He immediately began to shout.

"Everyone up, prepare for vigilance!"

The crowd quickly got up, arranging the carriages and boxes in a circle, preparing for any possible attack.

Meanwhile atop the cliff.

Zhang Rongfang opened his eyes once more, stood up from where he had been sitting on a rock, and looked into the distance.

With dark vision thriving in the night, it was as bright as day, and he could clearly see the warning fireworks rising in the snowy forest afar, and a few black-clad figures releasing them.

"Here they come again." He said softly.

Ran Xinyue stood up as well, peering into the distance.

But all she saw were the fireworks ascending into the sky.

"Those are marking fireworks, used to guide the rest here, seems like it’s a large group. What are you planning to do?"

"The snowy forest is gloomy. Having lost so many people here before, yet still daring to come again, it seems these individuals have great confidence in their abilities." Zhang Rongfang said calmly.

Ever since the initial incident of Qingxiao, as the attackers increased, his opponents became stronger.

"Need help?" Ran Xinyue asked, "But, for now, I can’t exert full force because I’m suppressing the spiritual line within my body."

"Is there a way to suppress the spiritual line too?"

"Of course there is. Otherwise, how would I dare to infiltrate the Great Dao Teaching undercover?" Ran Xinyue replied.

"No need."

In his current power level, even if a Grandmaster came, the outcome would only be known after a battle.

No matter how many people there are, it means nothing to him.

Moreover, he didn’t believe a Grandmaster had the time to come capture the Agarwood Mansion’s caravan.

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Rongfang stepped forcefully, leaping off the cliff like a night eagle.

This time, he didn’t fall straight down but spread his cloak like a glider, soaring towards the location where the firework had just risen.

*

*

*

"Is it over there?"

In the snowy forest under the night, four Daoists sat upright on four warhorses, having come to investigate.

The Weaving Elephant Army hadn’t come along, having only dispatched a group of scouts with formidable skills to scout ahead.

At this moment, watching the fireworks rising in the distance, all four of them remained calm.

For them, capturing some ordinary martial artists who weren’t even Grandmasters was as easy as eating and drinking.

The key was whether they could find any substantial leads.

That was what concerned all four of them.

"Let’s get the clues soon, we don’t have much time," Chen Tao said with a frown. "The Thousand Teachings Alliance broke the rules, and they must face severe punishment. The Pavilion Master could issue a military order at any time."

"A turbulent time indeed..."

Yu Wenji sighed softly.

"Ah Ke." He slightly tilted his head.

"Present!" A tall, comparatively lean black-armored young general stepped forward, clasping his fists and bowing.

"Take your men and bring over those three blocking the convoy. Be swift."

"Yes!" Ah Ke responded swiftly. He raised his hand, and a group of shadows emerged from the forest, following him at a rapid pace towards the direction of the caravan camp.

Tearing through vast tracts of woodland.

The trees in front of Ah Ke continuously parted to the sides.

Underfoot, the sound of snow and the breaking of dry leaves and branches echoed non-stop.

The closer he got, the closer he got.

Suddenly, Ah Ke halted abruptly, focusing intently ahead.

There lay a sprawled array of scout corpses across the snowy ground.

Blood seeped into the white snow, dyeing it bright red.

The moonlight slowly emerged from behind the clouds, casting beams upon the scene.

In the light, a burly figure emerged slowly from the shadows, walking amidst the many corpses.

Cloaked in a grey cape, his hair draped over his shoulders, his eyes were dark and devoid of light.

"Bold of you! Dare to kill our Weaving Elephant Army scouts...!" Ah Ke drew the heavy sword from his back with a clang, gripping it tightly with both hands.

"Caution! Take him alive!" He pulled down the protective mask of his helmet, stamped his foot, causing snow powder to splay out, and charged forward.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!

In an instant, the sound of musket fire exploded around.

A torrent of bullets sprayed, engulfing all the paths that man could evade to.

With a swish, his cloak soared high up, and the man’s body had turned into an afterimage, vanishing on the spot.

Thud!

The first black-armored soldier was flung high into the air, his neck snapped, and he fell dead.

The second was struck in the chest with a palm, causing his chest bones to cave in.

Zhang Rongfang’s body technique was ghostly; before this group of low-grade spiritual army, the speed and strength disparity was enormous.

Even using muskets, they could only aim at the afterimages he left behind while moving.

Shh shh shh shh!!

On the snow, the bodies of the Spiritual Army scattered; some spewed blood and fell, while others were pierced through.

Ah Ke wielded a heavy sword, continuously in pursuit, but unable to catch up. His gaze grew increasingly cold.

As a Three Emptiness expert, he hadn’t encountered such a situation for a long time.

The elite around him fell one after another, no one could withstand even a single blow from the opponent, no one could delay the opponent even for a second.

Decisive in his decision, he pulled the ignition fuse from his back armor.

Shh!

A new light green flare shot into the sky and exploded. This was a call for reinforcements.

And at this moment, the last scout stood dumbfounded in front of Zhang Rongfang, the indentation on his brow bone crushed.

With a thud, he fell back to the ground.

Ah Ke let out a low roar, his heavy sword finally finding an opportunity to slash at the person with all his might from behind.

What he used was the Snow Rainbow Pavilion’s unique military way of killing technique—Blood Breaking Skill.

The military way of killing technique refers to all the combat skills created for the battlefield.

Its characteristic is to be open and grand, adept at dealing with group battles, and suitable for long weapons. It emphasizes a one-hit kill, leaving no room for moderation; either you die, or I die.

Because battlefields mostly involve group fights and long weapons, the outcome often decides in an instant during life-and-death combat.

If time drags on, the situation easily becomes turbulent. So, everyone pursues ending the battle as quickly as possible.

At this moment, Ah Ke fully slashed down the heavy sword, and his swordsmanship faintly carried several layers of changes; whether the opponent dodged or blocked, there were corresponding follow-up moves.

Clang!!

Zhang Rongfang raised his hand and precisely struck the side of the heavy sword, knocking it upwards.

Unexpectedly, the heavy sword used the momentum to rotate, drawing a swift arc, slashing at him from another angle.

Clang!

Another heavy strike.

The force was strong.

Zhang Rongfang’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The power of the slashing heavy sword was already comparable to an ordinary Grandmaster. The weapon was not ordinary either; there seemed to be some mechanism inside...

This person... should not be an ordinary character.

Clang clang clang clang!

The heavy sword continuously used the momentum to whirl and then slash.

And the speed got faster and faster, more and more urgent, the power heavier and heavier.

Zhang Rongfang’s dual palms repeatedly knocked away the blade but showed no intention to attack, only dismantling moves.

He had never engaged in actual combat with experts from the army before; this was truly the first confrontation.

And the moves... were very formidable.

One explosive move followed continuously, each mightier than the last.

A moment’s carelessness, a slight hesitation, or mistake, would result in a grievous wound from the blade.

Compared to ordinary martial arts experts, they were much more formidable.

He could feel that his absolute defense circle was rapidly improving under the opponent’s attacks.

’This opponent is suitable for perfecting absolute defense.’

Zhang Rongfang assessed, becoming increasingly cautious, carefully observing all the opponent’s various moves.

For a while, the two exchanged moves on the snow, with fists and heavy swords occasionally clashing hard, emitting muffled sounds.

Soon, after half a minute.

Zhang Rongfang suddenly sighed softly.

He completely saw through all the opponent’s moves.

"That’s enough." He said softly.

"!?" Ah Ke’s expression changed, seemingly sensing something, and immediately roared angrily, unexpectedly tossing the heavy sword with all his might.

Then he turned and ran.

Zhang Rongfang smiled slightly, dodged the heavy sword, his body technique gliding like a giant python, silently moving forward, reaching behind the opponent within a second.

He raised his hand, five fingers clawed forward, reaching for Ah Ke’s neck.

This was precisely the most commonly used Eagle Claw Skill.

"Retreat!"

Suddenly, not far in the woods, a white object rushed rapidly, fiercely flying towards Zhang Rongfang’s chest.

The object was extremely fast, and a sharp whistling could be heard in mid-air, indicating its tremendous force.

If Zhang Rongfang continued to grab at Ah Ke, he would inevitably be hit by the object.

With just a glance, he could judge the great force with which this object flew.

Now that he was closer, he could see clearly that it was a snow-white rhombus spike!

In the woods behind, a man in a black lion armor looked this way, eyes cold.

His right arm slowly lowered, clearly, it was he who had thrown the spike.

Boom!!

Zhang Rongfang fiercely grabbed Ah Ke’s neck with one hand, twisted, and squeezed.

Blood spurted out, sprinkling the snow.

He stopped in place, slowly releasing his grip, looking down at the spike simultaneously hitting his chest.

"What did you just say?"

He moved, and the spike fell from his robe, leaving only a tiny blood mouth on his skin.

The blood mouth healed and disappeared almost the moment it touched the air.

Ah Ke’s body tilted to the ground, twitching and slowly losing signs of life.

"Zhang Ying...! It’s actually you in person!"

Chen Tao’s pupils contracted upon seeing this scene.

He strode forward, glanced at the twitching subordinate on the ground, eyes glinting with ferocity.

He’d always looked down on these so-called martial arts masters, convinced that even if army experts and martial artists of the same level fought, it would definitely be the former who won.

But now....

"It seems everyone underestimated you...." he said deeply.

"Still a bit more." Zhang Rongfang gently closed his eyes, feeling the changes in his body.

After killing people for so many days, he felt a vague, indescribable confidence forming in his heart.

The absolute defense circle.... was also a bit more.

And the terminal style, he had a hunch that if a few strong enemies came... it might form overnight, but if the intensity wasn’t enough, it was unknown when it would materialize...

"So, are you here to catch me too?"

Zhang Rongfang opened his eyes, gazing at the opponent with a hint of anticipation.

He could feel the opponent’s might, the integrated momentum similar to the great strength of Zhou Yan back then, a level only a certain tier of experts possessed.

—Grandmaster!

Shua!

In an instant, the surrounding snow had three sturdy figures appear almost simultaneously.

Yu Wenji of the Eagle Wing Helmet, Lin Hansheng of the Zhenyi Sect. Master Yuanhai of the Western Sect.

The four Grandmasters formed a square, perfectly encircling Zhang Rongfang in the center.