Gu Qin and Gu Han held the railings at the top of the fort, watching coldly as the First Song Sect disciples approached.
A mild breeze blew through the surrounding greenery. There was nothing in the way.
“Look, Martial Uncle Bai, that’s them! That’s them! Gu Qin and Gu Han!” the earlier First Song Sect disciple immediately cried out.
The leading white-clad cultivator looked up and saw the two brothers on top of the fort.
“Men! Take them down!” the First Song Sect disciples’ leader ordered coldly.
“Yes!” the First Song Sect disciples immediately answered.
Although they still felt worried about the words on the signboard, they could not see anything. Where was the ritual array? Hence, everyone relaxed a little.
The First Song Sect disciples stepped forward with the leading white-clad cultivator, entering the Gu Residence’s territory.
“Look! They entered!”
“There are no Spiritual Energy fluctuations at all?”
“Gu Qin and Gu Han! Those two liars!”
Although the First Song Sect disciples’ leader entered the Gu Residence, they still proceeded very carefully, keeping their eyes on the fort in case of arrows.
“Nothing happened? Martial Uncle, those two brats were just lying!”
“Hahaha! Martial Uncle, watch as I capture them!”
“I’ll do it!”
The group of First Song Sect disciples immediately laughed.
Just at this moment, the leading white-clad cultivator’s expression changed, as Gu Han, who was on top of the fort, had shown a slight sneer.
Crack!
Suddenly, a First Song Sect disciple stepped on something. Then, the sound of a flint being struck rang out.
“A flint?”
Boom!
A loud sound rang out amid the First Song Sect disciples.
The sudden loud explosion made the noisy cultivators outside shiver. Their expressions changed dramatically as they moved back hastily.
“What’s going on?”
“Why was there an explosion?”
“Ah! The First Song Sect disciples!”
As the crowd exclaimed, the explosion blasted the many First Song Sect disciples into the sky, tearing off the arms and legs of many disciples and splattering blood everywhere. Dust and smoke churned at the center of the explosion, radiating a fiery light.
“Argh!”
“Argh!”
“Argh!”
Agonized screams rang out. Ten First Song Sect disciples died. Another ten were heavily injured, curling up on the ground and cradling the stumps of their arms or legs, with horrified faces.
Thud!
The large amount of dirt that the explosion blasted into the sky fell back down.
The surrounding cultivators immediately hushed. Everyone held their breath as they looked at the miserable scene before them. They started discussing again only after a while.
“All who barge into the ritual array will die!”
“What kind of ritual array is this?”
“It explodes?”
The surrounding cultivators moved back some more.
The First Song Sect disciples’ leader and the others retreated, showing unsightly expressions.
“Martial Uncle Bai, there really is a ritual array!” a First Song Sect disciple exclaimed.
Far away at the top of the fort, the two brothers—Gu Qin and Gu Han—showed sullen expressions.
“We did not bury enough explosives!” Gu Han said with a frown.
“It’s fine. We buried a large amount in the surroundings. Just let them go off slowly. Let’s go. It’s time!” Gu Qin nodded.
Gu Han nodded back. Then, the two slowly entered the fort, vanishing from everyone’s sight.
The group of First Song Sect disciples fell silent. They focused on treating their injured, not daring to get close for a long time.
After a while, someone looked at the leading white-clad cultivator again.
“Martial Uncle Bai, what should we do?” a First Song Sect disciple asked, still afraid.
“Again. Use your Veritable Energy to protect your body. We will enter again but spread out this time. We will enter from elsewhere. Capture those two!” the First Song Sect disciples’ leader roared while glaring.
“Yes!”
The First Song Sect disciples surrounded the fort, waiting for the leading white-clad cultivator to give the order.
“Enter!”
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The group of First Song Sect disciples immediately charged in.
Crack! Boom!
Crack! Boom!
Crack! Boom!
Loud sounds rang out around the Gu Residence as explosions went off one after another, fanning the fear in the surrounding cultivators’ hearts. The First Song Sect disciples used their Veritable Energy to protect their bodies, but they still ended up screaming miserably. The explosions still blasted them away, breaking their limbs, a sorry sight.
As the many explosions took place, the surroundings of the Gu Residence shook with the ground. This shaking seemed to ignite many of the hidden explosives.
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
Countless flints rubbed against steel because of the ground tremors, suddenly igniting all the explosives in the surroundings.
Boom!
Loud reports rang out around the Gu Residence. Despite Veritable Energy protecting the First Song Sect disciples’ bodies, the explosions blasted them into the sky. More importantly, these explosions also sent a vast amount of metal shrapnel flying out, instantly piercing the First Song Sect disciples.
“Argh!”
“Argh!”
“Argh!”
Countless agonized cries rang out in the dust.
When the dust cleared, a wasteland filled with holes appeared.
Many injured people lay on the ground. The intense explosions reaved twenty-odd First Song Sect disciples of their mobility.
Only the leading white-clad cultivator and fifty-odd injured First Song Sect disciples reached the fort. They showed ferocious expressions on their soot-covered faces.
“Gu Qin, Gu Han, you insignificant little runts! I’ll kill you today!” the First Song Sect disciples’ leader roared. “Search the place! Capture them!”
Boom!
The leading white-clad cultivator punched through the wall.
The fifty-odd First Song Sect disciples stormed in.
Outside, the countless cultivators gulped when they saw this scene.
“It’s over. Gu Qin and Gu Han are going to be captured!”
“They can’t escape!”
The many cultivators already pronounced Gu Qin and Gu Han’s death sentence. After all, the two seemed to have just entered the Innate Realm.
“Martial Uncle Bai, there is no one here!”
“Martial Uncle Bai, there is no one here, either!”
“Martial Uncle Bai, there is also no one here!”
Many shouts came from the fort.
The First Song Sect disciples’ leader showed a sullen expression as he said, “That’s impossible. I saw them just a while ago!”
The group of First Song Sect disciples combed through the place together.
Indeed, Gu Qin and Gu Han had disappeared. It was not just the two; even the Gu Residence’s servants had all disappeared.
Where are the people?
The leading white-clad cultivator suppressed his depression as he searched quickly.
“Martial Uncle Bai, there’s a basement here!” someone suddenly shouted.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The group of First Song Sect disciples rushed to the basement entrance.
The leading white-clad cultivator’s eyelid twitched as he said, “I finally found you. Are you going to come out yourselves, or should I help you with that?”
“Insignificant little runts, come out!” the First Song Sect disciples roared.
On the other side of the door, the entire basement was filled with explosives. There was also a flint connected to the explosives at the door.
“Open it!” the First Song Sect disciples’ leader ordered.
“Martial Uncle Bai, could there be…?” a First Song Sect disciple asked worriedly.
Buzz! Everyone covered themselves with Veritable Energy.
The leading white-clad cultivator stepped forward and pushed gently.
Crack! The sound of flint striking steel rang out.
“Oh no!” the First Song Sect disciples’ leader yelled in shock.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion blew up the entire fort—a mushroom cloud formed over the Gu Residence. Countless shattered rocks shot out in all directions, injuring many of the cultivators watching from outside.
“Argh!”
“Argh!”
“Argh!”
A string of miserable shrieks rang out. The surrounding cultivators moved farther back.
Thick smoke rushed out from the fort as the explosion flattened everything.
Countless cultivators goggled as they took in this scene.
“Gu Qin and Gu Han took out the First Song Sect disciples along with themselves?”
“They went down with their enemies? That’s too ruthless, right?”
Countless cultivators gulped.
The dust cleared, revealing an enormous crater.
The First Song Sect disciples were practically incapacitated; most of them were dead. Only the leading white-clad cultivator managed to get away with light injuries, as his cultivation was higher. Even so, he still got charred black.
“How could it be like this? How could it be like this?” The First Song Sect disciples’ leader stared at his surroundings in a daze.
He had brought one hundred First Song Sect disciples. Did they all get wiped out?
“An underground tunnel! Martial Uncle, there’s an underground tunnel!” A severely injured First Song Sect disciple nearby pointed weakly.
Indeed, an area had fallen in because of the large explosion. The sunken place was an underground tunnel.
An underground tunnel?
An underground tunnel?
Gu Qin and Gu Han already escaped?
Then, this was a trap, a trap to trick people into entering?
Nearly all one hundred disciples of the First Song Sect fell into this trap.
“Bastards! Come out! Gu Qin, Gu Han, get out here! I’ll kill you!” That leading white-clad cultivator seemed to go mad.
Rumble…!
Loud sounds suddenly came from the distance.
Many people turned their heads to look and saw two thousand-odd soldiers and horses rushing to the Gu Residence.
“Who said that he wanted to kill my sons?” Suddenly, a furious shout came from among the two thousand-odd mounted soldiers.
This furious shout sounded like a crack of thunder, sending shivers down the countless cultivators’ backs as they turned their heads to look.
Rumble…!
The two thousand-odd horses did not slow down. The people riding the horses wore black and appeared ferocious. Even before they arrived, everyone felt a murderous air.
The one riding the frontmost black horse was Gu Hai. He showed a furious gaze as his long hair fluttered in the wind, appearing very unruly. Scar, Gao Xianzhi, and Shangguan Hen followed close behind, along with two thousand-odd ferocious evil men. They finally arrived at Hulao Pass; Gu Hai had returned.
Rumble…!
The countless cultivators immediately gave way to the horses.
As all of them stared at the frontmost Gu Hai, they did not know how to express the emotions in their hearts.
Everyone here originally came to capture Gu Hai. However, now, no one dared to step forward.
Gu Hai was an Innate Realm cultivator. However, this Innate Realm cultivator gave them a vibe that felt even more horrifying and dangerous than that of a Nascent Soul Realm. Everyone moved, avoiding the path of the horses.
Rumble…!
The two thousand-odd mounted soldiers arrived at the Gu Residence in the blink of an eye. Amid a ruckus, they surrounded the leading white-clad cultivator and the surviving First Song Sect disciples.
The First Song Sect disciples’ completely charred leader glared at the two thousand-odd evil men before him. All the evil men glowered at him with ferocious expressions as if they wanted to rip him to shreds. That horrifying pressure felt like many mountains pressing down.
Gu Hai remained mounted, holding the reins and coldly pointing a horsewhip at the First Song Sect disciples’ leader.
“Were you the one earlier who said that you wanted to kill my sons?” Gu Hai asked with a frosty voice.
