Chapter 27: The Truth Revealed at the Brink of Peril

With a deafening crash, the door was blasted open by a tremendous force. Splinters flew through the air, and dust billowed everywhere.

A man in black stood in the doorway, his broad frame radiating murderous intent.

His icy gaze swept over Yun Yao and Jun Mo Han, and a cruel smile curled across his lips.

Trapped inside their residence, Yun Yao and Jun Mo Han knew they could not simply wait for death.

Outside, footsteps sounded in chaotic disarray. Clearly, there was more than one enemy.

Jun Mo Han tightened his grip on his sword. The blade emitted a low hum, as though yearning for battle.

The atmosphere in the room was tense and oppressive, the air seeming to solidify around them.

Yun Yao drew a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm.

She knew this was no time for fear. She had to find a way to break through the encirclement.

Jun Mo Han was calmly considering their options as well.

He knew that meeting force with force would accomplish nothing. They had to outwit their opponents.

He gave a slight nod, indicating that he agreed with Yun Yao’s assessment.

“I have an idea.” A confident smile appeared at the corners of Yun Yao’s lips.

She swiftly took several crystal-clear spirit stones from her storage pouch, along with a number of formation flags covered in intricate runes.

Her slender fingers moved with astonishing speed. In her hands, the spirit stones and formation flags seemed to come alive, dancing through the air along predetermined paths.

As she murmured an incantation, beams of light shot from the spirit stones and formation flags, weaving together to form a complex array.

Using her immortal arts, Yun Yao ingeniously set up a formation within the residence to confuse their enemies.

Her movements were practiced and precise, and the formation was arranged with such exquisite skill that even Jun Mo Han could not help but look at her with newfound respect.

The radiance of the formation gradually faded, and everything in the room returned to normal.

Yun Yao’s confident demeanor eased the oppressive atmosphere somewhat.

She looked at Jun Mo Han and said, “Senior Brother, let’s go.”

“Wait.” Yun Yao suddenly stopped. She seemed to have noticed something, and her gaze shifted toward an inconspicuous wooden chest in the corner of the room. “There…”

Yun Yao and Jun Mo Han exchanged a glance, instantly understanding each other.

Taking advantage of the formation’s ability to confuse their enemies, they shot out of the residence like arrows loosed from a bow.

Outside, the men in black had indeed fallen under the formation’s influence. They spun around in circles, muttering to themselves as though searching for Yun Yao and Jun Mo Han.

With a sharp whistle, Jun Mo Han’s sword tore through the air, its fierce sword aura bearing down on the nearest man in black.

The man reacted swiftly and barely avoided the fatal blow, but his arm was still grazed by the sword aura, and blood began to seep from the wound.

The battle erupted in an instant.

Seeing this, the other men in black surrounded them and attacked.

Jun Mo Han moved with agile grace, weaving among the enemies. His sword flashed in a seamless storm of light, every strike carrying a bone-chilling force.

Yun Yao supported him from behind with her spells.

With a light tap of her fingertips, she transformed streams of spiritual power into sharp arrows and sent them unerringly toward the men in black.

The spirit arrows flew with incredible speed and tremendous force. The men in black could not dodge them in time, and one after another they were struck.

The disciples of the Immortal Sect were drawn over by the sounds of battle. They watched from a distance, whispering nervously among themselves.

“It’s Senior Brother! And Junior Sister Yun Yao!”

“They’re being attacked by so many men in black!”

“Junior Sister Yun Yao’s magic is incredible!”

The battle grew increasingly fierce. The men in black were numerous, and their cultivation was formidable. Jun Mo Han gradually began to struggle.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his breathing grew labored.

At that moment, Yun Yao keenly noticed that every time the men in black cast a spell, they paused briefly.

An idea flashed through her mind, and she immediately devised a plan.

“Senior Brother, attack their chests!” Yun Yao shouted.

Jun Mo Han understood her meaning at once.

He seized the instant when the men in black paused and drove his sword straight toward their chests.

With a wet tearing sound, the blade pierced one man’s chest, and blood gushed forth.

It turned out that each of the men in black had a special emblem embroidered over his chest. That emblem was the source of their power—and also their weakness.

Yun Yao’s discovery dealt the men in black a devastating blow.

The surrounding disciples of the Immortal Sect erupted in astonishment at her bravery.

“Junior Sister Yun Yao is so clever!”

“She actually discovered their weakness!”

“We’re saved!”

Jun Mo Han’s eyes were filled with admiration. He clasped Yun Yao’s hand, and the two exchanged a smile.

Just then, a man in black suddenly burst from the crowd and charged straight toward Yun Yao.

He held a dagger in his hand, its blade gleaming with an eerie blue light. It had clearly been coated with deadly poison.

“Look out!” Jun Mo Han shouted, trying to stop him, but it was already too late.

The dagger in the man’s hand plunged directly toward Yun Yao’s heart.

Yun Yao’s pupils contracted sharply. She could feel the breath of death closing in around her.

“No…” Jun Mo Han’s voice was filled with despair.

Suddenly, a figure stepped in front of Yun Yao.

“Master!”

The battle grew ever more brutal. The men in black fought without fear of death, as though they could not feel pain. Their vicious attacks aimed directly at the lives of Yun Yao and Jun Mo Han.

Yun Yao swung the spirit whip in her hand. Its shadow moved like a soaring dragon, striking the men in black with a series of dull thuds.

She keenly sensed that although the attacks of these men were fierce, they lacked any real discipline. They moved like puppets on strings, controlled by some invisible force.

Jun Mo Han noticed it as well.

He turned his blade and forced back a nearby attacker before saying in a low voice, “Yao’er, be careful! Someone is controlling these people from behind the scenes!”

Yun Yao immediately understood. The two stood back to back, warily observing their surroundings.

Suddenly, Jun Mo Han’s gaze sharpened as it locked onto a towering ancient tree in the distance.

Its crown was thick enough to blot out the sky, and an almost imperceptible black aura was spreading from deep within the branches, like an invisible giant hand manipulating everything on the battlefield.

“There!” Jun Mo Han said in a low voice.

His figure flashed like lightning as he charged toward the ancient tree.

He wove through the men in black, his sword light as pale as snow and his sword aura chilling to the bone. One enemy after another fell to the ground.

Yun Yao was worried about him, but she knew she could not afford to be distracted.

She guarded Jun Mo Han’s rear, her spirit whip moving in an impenetrable blur as she drove back every man in black who tried to approach.

Jun Mo Han leaped into the tree, and the dense foliage concealed his figure.

Yun Yao heard several muffled groans from deep within the crown. Then a powerful surge of spiritual energy exploded among the branches, making the leaves rustle violently.

“Yao’er, be careful!” Jun Mo Han’s voice came from within the canopy, carrying a trace of urgency.

Yun Yao looked up and saw a masked figure in black robes fly from the treetop. In his hand was a black sword, its blade radiating a terrifyingly cold gleam.

His aura was immensely powerful, far surpassing that of the men in black they had encountered before.

Jun Mo Han followed close behind. His sword clashed with the black-robed man’s weapon, producing a harsh ringing of metal against metal.

The two battled in midair. Sword light flashed, spiritual power collided, and the resulting shockwaves shook the surrounding trees violently.

Yun Yao did not dare to delay. She knew that the black-robed man was the true mastermind behind everything.

She drew a deep breath and summoned all the spiritual power within her. The spirit whip in her hand transformed into a streak of silver lightning and lashed toward the black-robed man’s back.

The black-robed man had clearly not expected Yun Yao’s attack. He hastily turned to block it, but the overwhelming spiritual power contained in the whip forced him back several steps.

Jun Mo Han seized the opportunity and pointed his sword directly at the black-robed man’s throat.

A trace of terror flashed through the man’s eyes beneath his mask. He blurred into motion and narrowly avoided the fatal strike.

Nevertheless, Jun Mo Han’s sword aura had already torn through his robes, leaving a shallow cut across his neck.

Realizing that he was no match for them, the black-robed man let out a piercing shriek. His body transformed into a streak of darkness and vanished into the night.

Deprived of their controller, the men in black immediately fell into disarray. Yun Yao and Jun Mo Han joined forces and drove them back.

After the battle, Yun Yao and Jun Mo Han found a black token beneath the ancient tree. An eerie symbol was engraved upon it.

“What is this?” Yun Yao asked in confusion.

Jun Mo Han took the token and examined it carefully. His expression gradually turned grave.

“This is… the insignia of the Shadow Gate.”

“The Shadow Gate?” Yun Yao was startled. “Could the poison at the banquet have…”

Jun Mo Han nodded, his gaze deep and solemn. “It seems this matter is even more complicated than we imagined.”

He put away the token, then turned to Yun Yao.

“Yao’er, let’s go back.”

Yun Yao nodded. The two departed the ancient forest together and returned to the Immortal Sect.

After they returned to their residence, Yun Yao stared at the token in her hand, a vague unease stirring in her heart.

“Senior Brother, what do you think about the Shadow Gate…” Before she could finish speaking, a sudden, urgent knocking sounded from outside the door.

“Junior Sister Yun Yao, something terrible has happened…”