Chapter 292: Chapter 259: Demon Dao Ambush, Another Grandmaster Slain (2)

This was a habit Gu Zhan had developed back in Linjiang City,

Ever since his rise to fame in Linjiang City, he would encounter assassination attempts every few days. Though he had always been confident in his own martial arts, he clearly understood that open spears are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are hard to defend against. Many people fall prey to treacherous plots from the shadows.

In a small courtyard,

Gu Zhan was flipping through the day’s casualty reports as well as the subsequent memorials regarding consolation payments.

There was a knock on the door from outside.

"My lord, it’s Tian Yu. I’ve brought your evening meal!"

Gu Zhan lifted his head slightly and spoke, "Come in."

Tian Yu pushed open the door, holding a small tea table. He walked to the desk, carefully arranging the dishes and tea, then said, "My lord, please eat first. Those matters are not so urgent."

Gu Zhan nodded, put down his writing brush and came to sit by the table. Out of habit, he picked up the teapot, poured a cup of tea, and raised it to drink. However, as he brought the cup to his lips, he suddenly paused,

He slowly set down the teacup. In that instant, the tea, which was gently rippling before, seemed to freeze.

He stared at the tea inside the cup,

In that moment,

The tea, in his eyes, was no longer just tea, but countless flowing patterns—strands of the rules of the Great Dao’s nature,

Water Manipulation Skill, Divine Technique,

What it grasped was the law of water,

Yet, at this moment,

Within the natural laws of water’s flow, a foreign rule had appeared!

Gu Zhan’s expression did not change at all. He asked slowly, "By the way, Tian Yu, did you take care of all the matters I ordered you today?"

Tian Yu asked, "My lord, do you mean placing a water jar in every corner of the yard? That is done. There is a water jar in every corner, all filled with water."

Gu Zhan gazed intently at Tian Yu for a moment, then spoke slowly, "Help me outside."

"Huh?"

Tian Yu was momentarily stunned, and at once his expression changed,

He had been clever enough to pull the Tian Family back from the brink of destruction when it was on the verge of falling into Ghost Gate; in recent times, he had been responsible for carrying Gu Zhan’s saber, spending every day with Gu Zhan, and knew Gu Zhan’s living habits well.

Each time, before eating, Gu Zhan would first drink a cup of tea,

Tonight, the tea paused at his lips, which already made Tian Yu suspicious, and now Gu Zhan’s words made him instantly realize—the tea might be tainted.

Immediately, he hurried to support Gu Zhan, and the two quickly made for the door.

As they stepped outside,

Tian Yu, on instinct, reached for his sword hilt.

Because, the courtyard was too silent,

Normally, outside this courtyard, the Embroidered Uniform Guard would patrol and rotate shifts twelve hours a day; it should never be this quiet.

At that moment,

Amidst the night, a thick fog suddenly rose. In the blink of an eye, heavy mist shrouded everything, and even the lantern light in the courtyard vanished in an instant.

At the same time, from the depths of the fog came a buzzing sound—the noise of countless bats, densely packed, swooping out from the darkness.

"My lord, beware!"

Tian Yu quickly shielded Gu Zhan at his side, forming a spell seal with his hand. The longsword at his waist immediately transformed into a streak of light, flying forth, weaving swiftly through the fog and darkness, the tightly-knit sword light slashing down the swarming bats that filled the sky.

"Pupupupupu..."

The dense sword light swept like rain, slaughtering the bats,

Blood sprayed in the darkness, falling rapidly to the ground like rain.

When the first drop of blood hit the ground,

The heavy flagstone was instantly pierced through by the blood, corroded in a heartbeat—three inches thick, and it was liquefied in an instant.

"It’s poisonous!"

Tian Yu’s face changed. Together with Gu Zhan, they immediately leaped back two zhang, then both soared into the air toward the rooftop, preparing to flee the courtyard. At the same time, Tian Yu pulled out a signal flare and shot it into the sky, but it was extinguished instantly—smothered by a swarm of bats.

The fog remained, dense and choking,

A horde of bats dove from above, sealing off their escape route.

Tian Yu recalled his sword at once,

But just then,

His chest tightened suddenly, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His spirit drained, his body went limp, and he collapsed off the rooftop.

Fortunately, Gu Zhan swiftly grabbed Tian Yu by the shoulder and brought him steadily to the ground.

"My lord, be careful," Tian Yu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said, "There’s poison in this mist!"

Gu Zhan’s face was calm. He took the Jade Bone Saber from Tian Yu’s back, stamped his foot, and at once golden light emanated from his body, forming a golden Gang Shield that enveloped them both. The countless bats crashed into the shield, blocked by the golden light, and even their poisonous blood could not seep in to corrode it.

Gu Zhan said placidly, "Rest easy. As long as I am here, no specter or fiend can harm us!"

"Heh heh...heh heh..."

At that moment, in the dense dark mist, a ghastly laugh echoed, repeating over and over, the source impossible to pinpoint—the sound felt as if it were everywhere at once,

"Gu Zhan, how much longer can you hold out?"

"You’ve been struck by my Heart-devouring Poison. Even Mo Jingzhou can’t last long, let alone you!"

"Heh heh, heh heh, there’s not much time left. I won’t play with you further. When you reach the Underworld, remember—the one who killed you was Xiao Xiangzi!"

In that instant,

A whistling sound split the air as dozens of golden streaks shot from the darkness, directly striking Gu Zhan’s Golden Light Shield,

As they drew near, their true forms revealed themselves: dozens of little golden snakes, sinister and strange, that somehow pierced right through Gu Zhan’s Golden Light Shield,

Then lunged to bite the two of them.