Chapter 746: The 361st Eight Zun An

Wangcheng tonight seems destined for unrest.

Just as the trading event at the site was drawing to a close, other places were also witnessing some developments.

Xicheng District.

Nestled at the westernmost edge of Xicheng District is a treasure-holding family of Dongtian Wangcheng.

Among the numerous forces in Wangcheng, few would dare to provoke this family, and many even subtly maintain the existence of such a Taixu force.

Yaojia!

A Taixu force, or Taixu family, isn't simply defined by having one Taixu member in the clan or sect.

Rather, beyond that single Taixu, the numbers of Zhan Dao and Wangzuo must reach a considerable standard, and only after official recognition, registration, and proclamation by the Sheng Shen Hall can it be acknowledged by the world.

Such as Da Xuan Tian Zong or Gui Yin Ge...

Even if these sects have a Taixu, they can only be called "dominant forces in Dongtian Wangcheng."

Because, ultimately, those Taixu are merely guest officials.

In simple terms, these forces can only dominate within Dongtian Wangcheng.

But outside of Dongtian Wangcheng, their connections essentially vanish, and they remain unknown and unrecognized by forces in other domains or realms' counties and Wangchengs.

True Taixu forces aren't like that.

Wherever they are, that place gains a guardian, and generally, no external forces would dare to provoke them.

And Yaojia in Dongtian Wangcheng is exactly such an existence.

The reason is straightforward.

The patriarch of Yaojia, Yao Ye, is the contemporary wielder of the Dao Jian Tai Yi Sheng Shui Jian, the famous sword known as Twenty-One!

Yaojia is also different from the Su family of Su Qianqian in Tian Sang City.

It hasn't declined.

Nor is it in that most vulnerable state where the famous sword's wielder has grown old and the sword urgently needs a new owner.

Yao Ye has wielded the Dao Jian for thirty years.

The entire Yaojia's status as a Taixu force was forged by him, one sword at a time!

At this moment.

Outside Yao Fu on a rainy night.

The area around Yao Fu, typically three li beyond the forbidden zone, usually has few other Ling Shi present— at most, the occasional swordsman paying a visit out of admiration.

Tonight, however, there was an exception.

In a desolate spot three streets away from Yao Fu, suddenly, a filthy and disheveled uncle emerged from the corner.

His head of greasy, curly hair was plastered to his scalp by the rain.

His clothes were in tatters, his eyes murky and bloodshot, with heavy bags beneath them.

He carried a large burlap sack that clanked noisily, as if he were a rag collector who had traveled a long distance through wind and rain to reach Wangcheng.

As he trudged forward, he muttered to himself in astonishment:

“That's strange...”“Someone's collecting the Feng Diao Jian?”“How did they even know where the wielder of Feng Diao Jian is, and how dare they go after that madman?”“And not only that, they actually beat that madman— it's unbelievable.”“I just wonder if Yao Ye of Yaojia, right in the eye of this storm vortex, is dead or not...”

The disheveled uncle dragged his burlap sack along.

When no one was around, he moved quickly.

In less than a short while, he crossed the three streets and arrived at the gate of Yao Fu.

“Who goes there!”

The two guards at the gate stood with swords drawn, immediately on alert, vaguely sensing that the newcomer was no ordinary person.

Everyone in Yaojia, from top to bottom, including the servants, were all swordsmen.

Some were Ling Jian Xiu, others rare Gu Jian Xiu.

As fellow swordsmen, they could roughly detect that this nighttime visitor was one of their own kind.

The disheveled uncle wiped the rain from his forehead, casually sweeping his curly hair back to reveal a stiff smile, and rasped:

“Inform your patriarch, Yao Ye, that someone's here to claim the sword. Tell him to hand over the famous sword at once.”

The guards at the gate were stunned.

How could anyone in Wangcheng be so brazen as to make such a declaration right in front of Yao Fu?

In recent years, they had encountered plenty of assassins trying to seize the sword, but this was the first time they'd seen one so openly bold.

Yet, as their gaze shifted downward from the uncle's murky yellow eyes...

The two guards spotted his hand holding the sack...

“Eight fingers?!”

At that, their bodies stiffened first.

Then, they burst out laughing in unison.

“Another one!” one guard said, shaking his head with a chuckle, instantly dropping most of his guard.

“I know who you are— if I'm not mistaken, you're calling yourself Ba Zun An?” the other guard said, smiling at the disheveled uncle.

But then they started mocking him outright:

“This is the three hundred and sixtieth Ba Zun An I've seen...”“You're undercounting— if we include those Ling Zhen grandmasters from last time, it should be three hundred and sixty-eight!”“Doesn't matter, it's all the same.”“True, just add one more for tonight.”

Their casual banter left the rain-soaked uncle outside staring in bewilderment. He muttered to himself, lowering his head, “So many people impersonating him...”

But that murmur was overheard, and the guards exchanged grins.

“Again with that!”“Always the self-muttering— hilarious, but not really...”“Hey!”

One of the guards pointed at the disheveled uncle and jeered: “How are you going to prove who you are? By showing off the Ten Duan Jian Zhi, Da Fo Zhan, Yi Jian Dong Lai, or Jian Nian?”

The disheveled uncle opened his mouth to speak.

The other guard pondered for a moment and said gruffly: “The real Ba Zun An wouldn't need to show anything!”

At the same time, the uncle spoke up, his voice equally hoarse: “The real... um?”

He trailed off, having clearly heard the guard's overlapping words, and froze.

When he looked up, the two were already doubled over in laughter.

The fine rain continued to fall from the sky.

But on the long street, the disheveled uncle's mouth twitched wildly.

His toes, bare beneath his tattered shoes, curled tightly, digging into the ground and carving out a sharp, sword-mark-like groove.

“Had enough laughs?”

The uncle spoke in a low, tense voice, barely containing the anger that had built to a boiling point.

“Ha ha ha ha...”“Wait, wait, let me laugh a bit more. You're not prepared at all— coming to seize the sword like this?”“Get lost already. Yao Lao isn't someone you can mess with. If you want to die, pick another spot— we're tired of cleaning up bodies every night, it's a hassle!”“Imposters everywhere, damn it...”

As they laughed and cursed, the guards suddenly sensed the atmosphere turning icy and heavy.

They quickly stifled their laughter and looked up.

There stood the disheveled uncle, fingers extended in midair, forming a sword gesture, with a sharp aura emanating from them.

Now, the two guards couldn't laugh anymore; they froze in place.

Then, as his fingers trembled, the uncle drew a stroke in the air: “Heaven does not witness the profound and yellow, I prove myself with death— Extinguish!”

As the sword gesture passed.

The guard on the right suddenly felt his heart stop, though he felt no pain. His first thought was of his companion.

“Could it be that he's attacking my partner?”

With that in mind, the guard turned his head to look at his comrade on the left.

At the same moment, his comrade seemed to have the same idea and whipped around.

Then, both saw the horror in each other's eyes— the gushing blood from the neck, the slowly sliding head— and they cried out in unison:

“Damn, your head's off!”

As soon as the words escaped, they realized what was happening. Their eyes filled with the void of death, yet in their final moments, they summoned all their strength to shout:

“Enemy attack!”“True Ten Duan... Ugh!”

Elsewhere.

In Dongtian Wangcheng, Beicheng District, outside Tianqi Lin.

“Who's there!”

Jiang Xian shouted sharply, his San Yan Tong eyes flickering and swirling, faintly making out the figure's outline.

But in the next second, his vision blurred.

The figure and outline vanished completely.

“Shh, shh, shh...”

From the depths of the dense forest came a quiet rustling.

It was like the eerily quiet Wangcheng tonight, occasionally pierced by strange, piercing cat cries that sounded like the wails of a crying baby.

“Young Master Jiang, we can't pursue any further!” Jiang Qi said gravely from the side.

Tonight was supposed to be the Jiang family's time to participate in Wangcheng's grand event, the Ling Que trading meeting.

But out of nowhere, this figure appeared, one that could trigger the San Yan Tong's senses.

The San Yan Tong isn't meant for sensing the Lei Jia Tong's Lei Jia Tong; its abilities mainly manifest in the “Zhuan Yi Kong.”

The only thing that can truly sense the Lei Jia Tong is the Tian Zhi Zhu.

But the Tian Zhi Zhu is lost.

Now, it's probably in Ba Zun An's hands.

Yet, tonight's figure was causing the San Yan Tong to react unusually!

If it were Ba Zun An on the other side...

Impossible!

Jiang Qi didn't believe that the legendary Eighth Jian Xian would resort to such shady tactics.

So, inside and out, Jiang Qi smelled a trap. She could sense the pit from a mile away.

But Jiang Xian's mission on this trip...

Not only had they failed to find a pair of Lei Jia Tong, but they'd even lost the precious Tian Zhi Zhu.

With a lead like this, there was no way he wouldn't investigate!

After all, as a descendant of a Ban Sheng family, even if he encountered a Taixu, the other side probably wouldn't go for the kill...

Since death wasn't on the table, the identity of a Ban Sheng heir had stripped away any fear of the unknown, so Jiang Xian charged ahead in pursuit.

Though Jiang Qi was worried, she had no choice but to follow.

Beside them, Jiang Si gazed at the dense forest ahead and cautioned:

“Young Master Jiang, Tianqi Lin is at the northern edge of Beicheng District. Though still within the district's bounds, it's effectively outside the city's jurisdiction, bordering the outer areas.”

“After all, it connects to the vast Tianqi Sen outside the city, and thirty kilometers north of Tianqi Sen is the boundary of Yun Lun Mountains.”

“So, we can't go on— it might be a trap!”

As Jiang Si spoke, he felt a cool drop on his face.

He furrowed his brow and reached up; his palm held a few scattered raindrops.

The chilling sensation made him even more uneasy, his heart pounding faster.

Looking up, under the gloomy night sky, a fine rain had begun to fall unnoticed.

An ominous sign!

Jiang Xian, however, remained composed and unmoved: “It's definitely a trap, but that doesn't matter. I just want to see who dares to set one for me.”

“If someone's playing games with us, they must have some backing!” Jiang Si urged anxiously.

Jiang Xian scoffed: “You said it yourself— 'playing games.' Don't you know that the dignity of a Ban Sheng family can't be trampled?”

Jiang Si fell silent.

He looked helplessly at Jiang Qi, hoping she could persuade Jiang Xian to return to Tianyang Zhuang.

“Young Master Jiang, do you have any new sensations?” Jiang Qi didn't immediately try to dissuade him but followed his line of thought.

“Mm.”

Jiang Xian nodded, silent for a long while before saying softly:

“If I'm not wrong, the only thing that could make the San Yan Tong react is the 'Hua Xian Mou' eyes.”

“If my guess is correct, they're probably after the San Yan Tong, just as I'm after their 'Hua Xian Mou'.”

“But this method...”

Jiang Xian compared it to Ba Zun An's direct approach of breaking in to seize eyes, and he felt a twinge of disdain for the enemy's tactics.

Anyone resorting to such sneaky, underhanded methods couldn't be all that powerful.

At most, they'd set up some trapping array in Tianqi Lin ahead.

Stepping in would just mean falling into their advantageous position.

But if the enemy had sunk so low as to rely on terrain for an eye theft, what reason did he, as a Ban Sheng heir, have to fear?

Jiang Qi quickly warned: “Young Master Jiang, you still need to be cautious...”

“It's just showing weakness to the enemy!” Jiang Xian smiled. “I get it.”

At that, the other two fell silent.

Young Master Jiang wasn't foolish.

He saw everything clearly, yet he still chose to walk into it— all for that pair of “Hua Xian Mou.”

Hua Xian Mou, as recorded in the Tianxia Tongshu, is one of the exotic eyes. Its holder must be female, granting supreme illusion abilities, turning the imaginary into reality, making thoughts manifest as truth.

To turn fantasy into reality...

What a terrifying thing!

This pair of eyes, existing only in legend, had never been seen by the world, not even a glimpse.

Even in the ancient Lei Jia, though it's said a true master once possessed such a technique, it never appeared.

Thus, all that circulates are hearsay.

Whether the records are true remains unknown.

But one thing no one doubts— and Jiang Xian least of all— is their authenticity.

His Ban Sheng family background lets him know clearly that, though the Tianxia Tongshu contains many ethereal, seemingly impossible eyes...

Any that are recorded are real, with no falsehoods!

Because only those that have appeared are entered into the Tianxia Tongshu!

So...

“Let's go in!” With his mind set, Jiang Xian stopped overthinking and waved his hand, stepping first into Tianqi Lin.

“Wait...” Jiang Qi exclaimed in shock.

But before she could finish, Jiang Xian, who had just entered Tianqi Lin, vanished on the spot.

“Oh no!”

Jiang Si panicked and rushed forward, stepping in after him— and he too disappeared.

Jiang Qi, watching from behind, nearly spat blood.

Such an obvious spirit array to divide enemies— how could Jiang Si not see it and still charge in?

She didn't rush in but immediately pulled out a communication bead to alert the clan elders.

But as soon as her hand moved...

Tianqi Lin before her suddenly shook, the forest edge extending toward her feet and enveloping her.

Jiang Qi: “???”

She had planned to hold her ground— enemy doesn't move, I don't move?

But if I don't move, the ground does?