Chapter 301
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Chapter 301: Coercion
The purple long sword transformed into lightning and struck instantly.
Jun Ruolan remained motionless as she calmly watched Ye Yun, her face wearing a faint smile as if welcoming the descending blade.
The purple lightning flashed, slicing Jun Ruolan’s body into two halves.
Yet Ye Yun knew she had escaped. When the sword severed her silhouette, he felt no resistance against flesh – only empty air. The Thousand Miles Shadow Escape Talisman had activated again. Whether Jun Ruolan truly possessed only one final usage as she claimed, it had still thwarted his pursuit.
Scanning the surroundings, no trace of Jun Ruolan could be found within a hundred zhang radius. Though the Soul-Cutting Mountains spanned merely dozens of miles, locating her now would prove difficult. Most critically, the passage connecting the mountains to the outside world would soon reopen. Once Elder Shi’s group entered, eliminating Jun Ruolan would become impossible.
Ye Yun’s face darkened as his cold gaze settled on Su Ling.
"What do we do?" Su Ling whispered anxiously, dreading the consequences if her Demon Race Bloodline secret got exposed.
Su Yinxue stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Su Ling’s slender shoulders, her expression grave.
"That bitch Jun Ruolan must die!" Duan Chenfeng spat blood while snarling.
"But how do we find her before the passage opens?" Yu Minghong sighed, then suddenly frowned. "Senior Sister Yinxue, Brother Ye – doesn’t Jun Ruolan seem… unnatural?"
Su Yinxue blinked in confusion while Ye Yun nodded. "Something’s been wrong since our Tian Zhu Peak assessment. When we struggled to climb the hundred zhang cliff, she floated over it like a swallow. How could someone with such cultivation masquerade as a servant disciple? Scaling that height without true qi is impossible."
Duan Chenfeng stiffened, recalling the incident. He’d believed himself the strongest participant until Jun Ruolan’s display. "She must’ve reached Qi refining stage even then!"
"During this encounter, she kept trying to kill us yet remained utterly composed," Su Yinxue added, brows furrowed. "Even when cornered, she showed no urgency – as if we posed no threat."
"Exactly." Yu Minghong agreed. "Yet her actual power seems inferior to Brother Ye’s. Her rapid recovery and coordination with the True Fire Flying Lion through the bronze bell suggest deeper secrets."
Ye Yun’s thoughts aligned with this analysis. Jun Ruolan’s mysterious tools – the escape talisman and communication methods – combined with her paradoxical strength, painted an enigma.
"If she’s an infiltrator, which faction sent her? The Du family? Royalty?" Su Yinxue speculated, face tightening.
The group exchanged startled glances as Yu Minghong voiced their collective suspicion: "She’s not from Jin Kingdom."
As someone from the Great Qin Empire, Yu Minghong’s perspective carried weight. Neither Jin nobility nor local sects would plant such talented spies in the Heavenly Sword Sect. This left only one conclusion – Jun Ruolan originated beyond Jin’s borders.
"But why infiltrate our sect?" Su Yinxue persisted. "Someone of her talents could thrive anywhere."
Ye Yun’s eyes narrowed. Though the current Heavenly Sword Sect appeared provincial, its history told another story – a remnant of the once-mighty organization that had shaken the Great Qin Empire centuries ago. The fleeing disciples who established this branch had possessed power to create the Soul-Cutting Mountains’ dimensional space. Jun Ruolan’s mention of "discovering the Demon Bloodline" during his eavesdropping confirmed her mission.
A cold realization struck Ye Yun. What if her backers weren’t rival sects but…
"Ye Yun! You actually survived?"
Murong Wuhen’s voice interrupted as he emerged from the forest with Jiang Shui Ning.
"Brother Wuhen, Sister Shui Ning." Ye Yun forced a smile. "Surprised to see us?"
Jiang Shui Ning’s pink robes fluttered as she smirked. "To think you’d reach the array core first! Now… about the Immortal Spirit Stones…"
"Since you abandoned us, their fate hardly concerns you," Ye Yun retorted.
"Our presence intimidated the True Fire Flying Lion!" Jiang Shui Ning countered shamelessly. "Hand over one stone – that’s fair!"
Duan Chenfeng barked a laugh. "I thought Jun Ruolan was vile, but you redefine wretchedness!"
Jiang Shui Ning’s face iced over. "You crippled fools dare…"
"Enough." Murong Wuhen raised a hand, his aura suddenly erupting. Bones cracked as his cultivation skyrocketed – Foundation Establishment stage four! "The passage reopens soon. Let me demonstrate why I’m the Murong family’s greatest genius."
Power radiated from him like gathering storm waves, his sleeves fluttering with contained destruction. The ground beneath his feet began cracking.
