Sudden Attack!

Sudden Attack!...

Leng Ning's once-relieved heart coiled back into tension. She gazed at Qin Wentian, exhaling a sigh. "The Leng Clan has never prioritized friendship; their choices are purely based on gains. Yan Tie is forcing their hand, and ultimately, I believe... my clan will yield to Yan Tie."

"Don't worry, this will all be resolved sooner than you think," Qin Wentian comforted her.

"I'm alright, it's just that I've dragged you into this mess. I'm worried that Yan Tie won't spare you," Leng Ning admitted, guilt tainting her tone.

"No need to fret. I'm doing this willingly. Besides, it's quite enjoyable to have a beautiful girlfriend," Qin Wentian teased, playfully pinching Leng Ning's cheek. She shot him a fierce glare. "You shameless guy."

"But I'm simply exercising my authority as your boyfriend," Qin Wentian quipped, his heart racing as he felt the softness of her skin. He hastily withdrew his hand, afraid he'd lose control. He was assisting Leng Ning as a friend, not playing make-believe to blur the lines between reality and pretense.

"I'll take a walk," Qin Wentian said, excusing himself. He left, with Leng Ning watching him depart, muttering softly, "Even if I allowed you to misuse your authority, I doubt you'd dare to do it."

Qin Wentian's face contorted, black lines etched onto it, as he hastened his steps, pretending he hadn't overheard her. What he intended as harmless teasing had backfired with Leng Ning's clever retort. How frustrating.

"I'll accompany you," Chu Mang joined Qin Wentian just as he was leaving. The two of them exited the Leng Clan together. "Big Bro Chu Mang, where are we headed?"

Despite Chu Wuwei instructing Chu Mang to stick with Qin Wentian, the latter still held great respect for Chu Mang. He truly admired Chu Mang's talent and dedication to cultivation.

"I want to visit the Hell Arena," Chu Mang revealed. "I find it beneficial; it accelerates my combat prowess."

Qin Wentian grinned, recognizing that the Hell Arena was a perfect ground for honing combat prowess. The intense battles there provided invaluable pressure that could aid breakthroughs.

"Sure, let's head there together," Qin Wentian replied, curiosity tugging at him. "Big Bro Chu Mang, what do you plan to do once you've perfected your cultivation?"

Throughout the journey from Chu to the Grand Xia Empire, Chu Mang had maintained relentless dedication. There had to be a profound reason driving his unwavering efforts.

"I want to be powerful enough to aid my elder brother's cultivation. I can't let him die; he mustn't die. I want him to live eternally," Chu Mang's voice carried an unmatched resolve, deeply touching Qin Wentian. A profound sense of determination emanated from Chu Mang at that moment.

His cultivation was entirely for Chu Wuwei's sake. Even if it meant his own demise, Chu Wuwei had to survive.

Perhaps Chu Wuwei wasn't aware that when he advised Chu Mang to continue living peacefully after his death, those words only amplified Chu Mang's determination.

Suddenly, Qin Wentian halted. A group of individuals had appeared ahead, and among them was Yan Kong.

Accompanying Yan Kong were several others, including a youth with a lean figure who emitted an aura of malevolence. His slanted eyes lent him an eerie air.

"That's the guy who dared to make a move on Uncle's woman. Who knows how far their relationship has escalated," Yan Kong said to the youth, pointing at Qin Wentian with a cold smirk.

After Qin Wentian's humiliation of Yan Kong, the latter disregarded the unspoken truce among the younger generation. Instead, he turned to his uncle for support, aiming to use Leng Ning as a means to hurt Qin Wentian.

The humiliation he experienced that day remained etched in his memory. The desire for Qin Wentian's demise consumed him.

"Ah, my master informed me that after the Leng Clan girl is delivered to our estate, he plans to offer her to me for my amusement. Once I've exhausted her, I shall refine her into a Puppet. The prospect of having such a splendid Puppet fills me with anticipation. An exquisite creation that will never age, she'll be my eternal companion," the sinister youth said, his triangular eyes gleaming malevolently.

Cold anger coated Qin Wentian's expression. The Yan Clan truly regarded Leng Ning as nothing more than an object. Sending her there to be toyed with, only to be refined into a Puppet afterwards?

A surge of icy killing intent radiated from Qin Wentian. The sinister youth before him wouldn't survive beyond today.

"Hehe," Yan Kong chuckled, already envisioning scenes of Leng Ning suffering under the hands of this malevolent youth. Not a trace of sympathy resided within him. If there was blame to assign, Qin Wentian and Leng Ning could only blame their lack of discernment, provoking his ire.

"Qin Wentian, don't worry. I won't kill you just yet. Instead, I'll maim you and capture you alive. You will witness firsthand how your woman is subjected to torment and torture, before she's transformed into a living Puppet," Yan Kong's face twisted with an incredibly vile expression. He'd never detested anyone as profoundly as he did now.

"Big Bro Chu Mang, apart from this individual, eliminate the rest," Qin Wentian instructed. Chu Mang nodded, his aura as a fifth-level Yuanfu Cultivator erupting. An overwhelming pressure permeated the surroundings as Chu Mang materialized a golden bow in his hand. The Mandate's will surged forth, locking onto the foes nearest to him.

"Mandate," Yan Kong's group exclaimed, expressions altering. In an instant, a cacophony of rumbling resonated as they summoned their Astral Souls and Mandates, bracing for battle.

"Whoosh." The arrowhead sliced through space, resembling a streak of golden lightning. It annihilated lives as it shot forth, demonstrating the first-level Mandate of Arrows, Insta-shot.

Two cultivators lay lifeless, Astral Arrows piercing through their brows in a lethal shot.

"Unbelievably fast. How can his attack be so swift? Has he already mastered the Advanced Boundary of the first level of insight?" Yan Kong's face blanched. If Chu Mang's Mandate's will locked onto him, survival would be impossible. Evading such precision was out of the question.

The first level of Mandates featured the Initial Boundary, Advanced Boundary, Transformation Boundary, and Perfection Boundary.

The Initial Boundary of the first level Mandate of Arrows enhanced arrows with an attribute known as 'insta-force', exponentially boosting arrow speed. The Advanced Boundary heightened this further, rendering arrows akin to streaking lightning in space.

The Dao of Archery allowed an adept to silently snuff lives from miles away!

"Engage him in close combat. Swift, activate the formation!" Yan Kong ordered anxiously, fearing Chu Mang's archery. His own death would be nearly instantaneous if Chu Mang aimed at him.

Indeed, as the surrounding cultivators lunged at Chu Mang, overwhelming him with ferocious attacks, the rain of arrows ceased.

ROAR! Chu Mang bellowed, conjuring a golden greataxe. His stature expanded, emanating the daunting aura of another Mandate.

"BEHEAD!" Chu Mang roared. The first level insight of the Mandate of Axe, Beheader, annihilated all with raw strength. This was his second comprehended Mandate, reaching the Advanced Boundary like his arrow Mandate.

Bzzz~ Another cultivator's body cleaved in two by Chu Mang. The impact was so immense that it tethered surrounding space, offering no escape. Yan Kong watched in astonishment, confounded by Chu Mang's might. A peak fifth-level Yuanfu Cultivator, exuding such power?

Abruptly, runic patterns materialized in the air. Qin Wentian's expression darkened as he sensed himself entering an alternate space.

"Formation!" Qin Wentian examined the formation meticulously. Realization dawned—this pre-established setup had escaped his earlier detection due to a concealed energy fluctuation. His lack of vigilance proved fatal.

With the formation active, a sinister smile curved Yan Kong's lips. "Excellent. Now, let's see how he meets his end."

Inside the formation, Qin Wentian observed the outlines of Yan Kong and the sinister youth blur, a proximity that felt distant. It seemed they were right there yet impossibly far, out of harm's reach.

"Kneel and beg. Maybe then, I'll grant you an easy death instead of one steeped in agony," Yan Kong sneered, disdain in his eyes fixed on Qin Wentian.

"Big Bro Chu Mang," Qin Wentian addressed.

"I'm alright. It's just this space feels...odd," Chu Mang answered.

"Hold your ground for now," Qin Wentian instructed. He then witnessed the sinister youth gesture, conjuring a volley of black bone lances to assail him.

Qin Wentian closed his eyes, sensing, reaching for the interwoven runic outlines of the formation's Divine Inscription.

BOOM! His foot stomped, summoning small mountains to encircle him and thwart the onslaught of bone lances.

"A true third-ranked Divine Inscriptionist," the sinister youth remarked coldly. With another gesture, the bone lances rained like divine retribution, multiplying and accelerating with a dreadful, swishing screech.

"Formation Break Method; once you discern a formation's core, dismantling it is straightforward." Qin Wentian recollected his study of Bailu Yi's notes. One volume delved into Formation Methods, asserting that though formations could mutate, understanding their nucleus enabled them to be negated with ease.

"There." Qin Wentian pinpointed the formation's heart.

The core proved elusive to spot, let alone eradicate.

However, Qin Wentian didn't instantly neutralize the formation. He persisted in fending off the bone lance deluge, his brow furrowed. If Yan Kong's underling exhibited such power, then Yan Kong's strength must be astronomical. No wonder the arrogance.

"Still not kneeling? Very well, pierce his limbs and render him helpless. Let him witness you indulging Leng Ning," Yan Kong commanded, vengeance against Qin Wentian for past humiliation festering.

But it was as if Qin Wentian hadn't heard, his eyes snapping open, a glint within. His finger extended, the formation quivered, shattering the bone lances.

"Annul!"

With a snarl, Qin Wentian summoned the reverse-form of the runic outlines before him. Rumbling echoes reverberated as the prior formation disintegrated, leaving Yan Kong and the sinister youth aghast in its wake.

As the formation crumbled, Chu Mang exploited his velocity, surging forth with reckless fervor. His axe swiped with a brutal arc, dispatching another cultivator with ease.

Qin Wentian advanced, observing the sinister youth tapping his interspatial ring, conjuring a humanoid Puppet. Memories flashed in Qin Wentian's mind.

"Hades."

Incredibly, this sinister-looking youth was the very same malevolent cultivator vanquished by Bailu Yi during their Hell Arena clash.

"Big Bro Chu Mang, eliminate him!" Qin Wentian roared, deflecting the Puppet's onslaught. Chu Mang nodded, materializing a golden bow. Hades was suddenly ensnared by an uncanny 'lock-on' sensation, terror splintering his expression.

"PERISH!" Chu Mang bellowed, firing three arrows simultaneously. These shafts transformed into streaks of light, piercing Hades' cranium. Momentum thrust Hades further before he collapsed, lifeless.

Yan Kong's face drained of color at the abrupt demise, his terror rendering him as pallid as parchment.