Chapter 259: Killing Intent

The three turned and left. Black Peony saw them to the door. "Take care, sir."

She remained there, watching until the three had returned to their own room. After closing the door and going back inside, the composure on Black Peony's face vanished, replaced by anxiety. She paced restlessly around the room.

Linghu Qiu was pacing after returning to his own room as well. At last, he slowly sat down in a chair. Then, with a thump, he suddenly punched the table and spat bitterly, "Bitch! No need to guess. That bitch must be behind this!"

With no outsiders present, he finally could not suppress his anger any longer. At Qiyun Sect's shop, he had not dared say someone had impersonated a Qiyun Sect disciple. Once Qiyun Sect became involved, they would inevitably investigate who had dared use their name, and that could drag his own side into an extremely troublesome situation.

Nor could he expose the truth in front of Black Peony and tell her that someone intended to harm Niu Youdao. Otherwise she would wonder how he knew anyone was targeting Niu Youdao.

He could not even go chasing after Niu Youdao. If he caught up and ran into the people trying to harm Niu Youdao, was he supposed to fight them or not?

It was practically impossible to guard against. He had watched Niu Youdao closely the whole journey, yet somehow someone had found an opening at the one place where trouble should have been least likely.

He hated himself for being careless too. If he had not assumed nothing could happen here... Clearly, the other side had exploited exactly that assumption. What puzzled him now was this: what was going on with Niu Youdao being lured away as well?

For the moment, however, he could only bottle everything up. He could not drag Black Peony over and question her too closely. All he could do was wait. Once the final result emerged, he could decide what to do next. He knew perfectly well what was happening, yet could not say a word. The frustration left him full of rage.

Hongxiu and Hongfu knew that the "bitch" he meant was almost certainly Su Zhao. The reason was simple: someone had deliberately lured their side away. There were certain things all three of them understood without saying.

"That bitch ruined my business. Send word to the higher-ups immediately. They must give me an explanation!" Linghu Qiu snapped again, grinding his teeth in fury.

The two women exchanged speechless looks.

An explanation?

The other party probably did not know his true identity or background. How were the higher-ups supposed to give him an explanation without exposing precisely those things?

The two women knew he was speaking in anger. The matter could certainly be reported upward, but there was no possibility the higher-ups would provide the sort of explanation he wanted. Anyone able to mobilize Xiaoyue Pavilion's manpower would not lack backing within Xiaoyue Pavilion, nor would they otherwise dare act so boldly... The stars stretched vast overhead, while the sea of sand knew no bounds. Far from Boundless Pavilion, two figures landed atop the largest dune in the area.

Wrapped in his black cloak, Niu Youdao looked around. "Is this the place? Where is he?"

"He said he'd reveal himself once he saw Master Dao. He's probably hiding somewhere nearby and watching us right now." Shopkeeper Pan smiled ingratiatingly.

Niu Youdao raised a hand and pushed back his hood, exposing his face so the other party could recognize him. The change came at that very instant.

A flash passed through Shopkeeper Pan's eyes. Killing intent erupted without warning as he suddenly struck a palm toward Niu Youdao's chest. The attack was so fast that Niu Youdao had no chance to evade.

Niu Youdao seemed not to have time to react. His body shifted only slightly. He did not dodge. Beneath his cloak came the ringing hiss of a sword leaving its sheath, and a cold flash slashed out from beneath the fabric with lightning speed. It was a mutually destructive exchange. At least, that was how Shopkeeper Pan saw it. He was not afraid.

The reasoning was simple. He had struck first. So long as his palm landed, even if it did not kill Niu Youdao outright, it would blast him away and at minimum leave him badly wounded. Niu Youdao's sword had come out too late. There was no way it could hurt him. The instant his palm slammed into Niu Youdao's chest, a savage smile had already appeared in Shopkeeper Pan's eyes. Then astonishment flooded his face, and he twisted away with desperate speed.

His palm had clearly struck Niu Youdao, yet he almost wondered whether it had been an illusion. His palm force seemed to find no purchase at all against the man's body.

It felt as if a raging flood capable of smashing apart a wooden stake had rushed toward that stake, only for the stake to suddenly turn into a fish. The flood surged at the fish, and the fish swam straight into the flood. No matter how violent the current, the fish could still move through it freely.

Reliable information said his cultivation should be more than a little higher than Niu Youdao's. There was a full realm between them. But the sensation was bizarre.

That fleeting realization nearly scared his soul out of his body despite his superior cultivation. Niu Youdao's sword was already sweeping upward from below, about to split him diagonally in two.

The gap in cultivation between them was simply too large. Niu Youdao's Qiankun Shift could not redirect all of the incoming force. A violent gale exploded behind him, blasting sand into the air, while the impact shook his entire body and drove him stumbling backward several steps. Even so, the ferocity on his face did not fade, and he did not abandon the sword stroke. Shopkeeper Pan recovered from his shock and desperately twisted aside, but he was still a fraction too late.

The strike was fast and ruthless. The gleaming blade tore through him in a spray of blood. One arm and nearly half a shoulder separated from his body and spun away beneath the moonlight amid the scattering crimson.

Shopkeeper Pan twisted through the air in a trail of blood, narrowly avoiding the fatal part of the blow. The sword that carved open his shoulder passed so close to his face that it nearly took half his head with it.

Niu Youdao retreated step after step from the force of the exchanged blow, backing into the exploding cloud of sand behind him.

Shopkeeper Pan landed unsteadily with blood spraying from his ruined shoulder. His face turned deathly pale. He swayed and immediately tapped several points around the wound.

The injury was too severe. Nearly half the shoulder was gone. Sealing acupoints could not truly stop the bleeding; it could only halt the arterial spray. Blood still welled from within his chest cavity, and he had to desperately circulate spiritual power to suppress it before the flow finally slowed. The blasted sand quickly fell back to the ground, while the finer dust drifted away on the wind.

The man who had vanished inside the cloud gradually emerged again. Sand fell over him like a fine rain. Niu Youdao stood in his black cloak with his sword angled at his side, his face cold and expressionless. The split cloak fluttered in the wind around him. A killing air hung over the dune. Moonlight lent the desert another layer of mystery.

The dunes rose and fell like waves. Their crests shone beneath the moon while their hollows lay in shadow, light and darkness alternating everywhere in strange, deceptive patterns. After that burst of violence, silence returned to the surroundings. Only the wind remained. Niu Youdao slowly raised the sword in his hand and pointed it at Shopkeeper Pan. The sword itself asked the question.

At first, he had assumed Shopkeeper Pan had merely been used without understanding what was happening. He had never expected the man to attack him personally, much less launch a sneak attack. This was nothing less than betrayal of his own sect.

Fortunately, Niu Youdao had remained on the highest alert from beginning to end. Otherwise, that palm strike just now would have taken his life. There had been no warning whatsoever when it happened. The instant itself had been perilous.

The two stood atop the dune, one radiating killing intent, the other hunched over and clutching the ruined side of his shoulder.

Shopkeeper Pan chuckled, self-mockery in his expression. "I've long heard of Niu Youdao, the man who assassinated an envoy of Yan. Seeing you today, your reputation truly isn't undeserved. With ability like this, no wonder. I underestimated you. But those skills of yours don't look much like something that came from Shangqing Sect."

Niu Youdao abruptly flicked his sword and slashed.

Whoosh!

A blade of sword qi erupted and cleaved straight toward him. Shopkeeper Pan immediately punched out.

Boom!

A fist of concentrated force shattered the incoming sword qi, but another surge of blood welled from inside his chest. He hurriedly suppressed it again with spiritual power.

Niu Youdao pointed toward his shoulder with the sword. "Whether my skills came from Shangqing Sect isn't important. What matters is that your wound is severe. You're no longer my match. If we keep fighting, I won't even have to kill you. The sand scorpions in this desert will do it for me. Speak. Who sent you? Tell me, and I'll spare your life."

Shopkeeper Pan chuckled. "Spare my life? I'm in no condition to keep fighting, true. But if I want to leave, you're not fast enough to stop me. Besides, there's no need for me to do anything."

As he spoke, he turned his head toward one side. Niu Youdao glanced in the same direction. Five figures flashed down and landed on a nearby dune.

All five stared toward them. The man in the lead was the same tall, thin man who had previously hidden inside the pavilion near the Heavenly Lake Inn. The standoff before them surprised the five newcomers.

Shopkeeper Pan had clearly suffered badly. Yet Shopkeeper Pan was a Golden Core Realm cultivator. How had he lost to Niu Youdao?

"Well, Niu Youdao?" Shopkeeper Pan asked with a smile. "Who's sparing whose life now?"

Niu Youdao asked in return, "Is becoming a cripple really that funny?"

The smile vanished from Shopkeeper Pan's face. An indescribable bitterness flashed through his eyes, and his features twisted savagely. "Still better than being dead!"

"I guarantee you won't escape." Niu Youdao gave the answer calmly.

Then he suddenly threw back his head, gathered his spiritual power, and released a long howl almost like a wolf's cry.

"Awooo..."

The moment the howl rang out, Shopkeeper Pan's face changed. Coupled with Niu Youdao's words, he immediately realized something was wrong. The five men, already uncertain, sensed it as well. They instantly flashed forward and lunged toward Niu Youdao.

Standing on the dune, Niu Youdao turned his wrist and swept his sword horizontally, sending out a wall of sword qi to obstruct them. Then he leapt away, flying deeper into the desert.

A series of booming impacts rang out as the five men broke through the incoming sword qi and landed atop the high dune.

At the same time, answering howls rose and fell behind them, seemingly responding to Niu Youdao's call. Several heads turned. A group of figures was racing toward them at astonishing speed. From the way they moved, none of the newcomers had low cultivation. The five men's expressions changed slightly. Something was wrong.

According to their information, Niu Youdao had traveled with only those few people throughout the journey. Where had all these experts suddenly come from? And people were not the only things converging. Rustling sounds were already approaching from all directions as sand scorpions crawled rapidly toward the blood-scented area.

"One of you escort him away! The rest follow me. We chase Niu Youdao and draw those people off!" the tall, thin man shouted.

With a wave of his hand, he took three men and flew after Niu Youdao.

"That brat is strange. Be careful!" Shopkeeper Pan shouted.

Before he had even finished speaking, the man assigned to protect him had seized his remaining arm and dragged him away in another direction.

The fifteen Golden Core Realm cultivators from the three sects who had arrived in pursuit suddenly split off five men and chased after the two fugitives. Shopkeeper Pan and his escort looked back and inwardly cursed their luck. The tall man pursuing Niu Youdao glanced back as well and felt the situation was not right. The newcomers were actually ignoring Niu Youdao's immediate safety and splitting their own force to chase someone else? This was nothing like what they had expected.

But turning back now would be even worse. If those people managed to entangle them, Niu Youdao would certainly vanish into the distance. In the vast desert at night, finding him again would be like searching for a needle in the sea. Their orders were to kill Niu Youdao. The four could only keep their eyes fixed on the distant fleeing figure and continue the chase. Behind them, ten experts from the three sects followed in hot pursuit.

[End of Chapter 259]