Path of the Sect Leader

Chapter 102: Siege on the Scripture Pavilion

"They're here..."

The Chu Qin crew crammed inside the Scripture Pavilion, peering out through cracks and slits at the intruders' movements. Eight figures in total—not counting the Mo grandfather and grandson. That old bastard Huang Shao'neng had pulled some real strings.

"Just like Nameless Valley," Yu Deno muttered, glancing around. "Another bloody ambush fight. Except they've got a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and that freakish array-breaking trick. Hunkering down might not even keep us safe..."

He eyed the group: skip Li Tan—the kid didn't count—and it was Qi Xiu, Zhang Shishi, Pan Rong, Shen Chang, Yu Jing, plus himself. Without leaning on the arrays, they'd get steamrolled. But with that eerie talisman play from the enemy, the arrays felt like a double-edged sword, their natural counter.

"This White Mountain's too damn dangerous," Shen Chang grumbled under his breath. "Sitting at home, and still catching this kind of random hell..."

Heads nodded silently. Suddenly, Black River Peak's foul black mists felt almost welcoming.

Qi Xiu gripped the sect leader's token tight, sweat slicking his palm. Both the mountain-protecting array and the pavilion's defenses answered to this one plaque. Tonight, everything hinged on it.

No use fretting now. "The Weis are lurking outside," he said, voice low and steady. "We hold for half a shichen—that's all we need. Deno, your Life-Soul Nails? Save 'em for the one slapping down those weird talismans. First strike's gotta land perfect. No room for slips."

Channeling Bai Muhan's old command style, Qi Xiu assigned targets crisp and clear. They held the shadows; the enemy strutted in the open. That opening salvo could cripple them.

"Hold up—something's off! Where the hell are they?"

The Foundation Establishment leader took point, circling high over the thatched halls. Not a whiff of Chu Qin aura. Suspicion hit hard; he halted mid-air, barking loud, dropping the stealth. The rest froze at his command, clustering close for a hurried huddle.

"Old Huang, you feeding us bullshit?"

One black-clad figure rounded on Huang Shao'neng. The old man's confidence cracked, confusion creeping in. "No way—they're always holed up in..."

"Now!"

Qi Xiu seized the moment. Fingers flashing through incantations, the token blazed with spirit light. The old Lin family mountain array roared to life—countless azure wood vines erupted from the earth, whipping toward the eight intruders like living lassos.

Yu Deno and the others vaulted to the pavilion rooftop in sync, unleashing hell: artifacts, talismans, spells pouring out in a relentless stream, every ounce aimed to kill.

"Shit—ambush! Scatter! Huang, you old idiot—you've doomed us!"

The one they'd called Sixth bolted first, some evasion technique blurring him into a streak. Qi Xiu couldn't spare the focus; the bastard slipped clean through the gate and vanished.

Chaos erupted among the rest—fending off strikes while backing toward the exit. One got snared, vines coiling arms and legs. Zhang Shishi's Dao Earth Proliferation Pagoda crashed down, pulping him into gore.

"No panicking!"

The Foundation builder wasn't some greenhorn. He swatted Shen Chang's fireball aside casual as brushing lint, a pitch-black longsword materializing in his grip—shadowy, elusive. One slash bisected Yu Deno's Life-Soul Nails clean. Then he ghosted through the air, carving every vine in reach.

"They're weak—this is doable!"

His flurry steadied the crew fast.

The vines lost their bite; retreat fever cooled. The survivors dug in, whipping out their own artifacts and talismans—blocking desperately, countering viciously.

"Huang, take Third—find the nodes! Crack this array first. The rest, with me—charge!"

At the leader's roar, he plunged forward through the vine storm, spearheading the rush on the pavilion. Huang shook off his daze, grabbing Third and darting toward a key node.

"Damn it..."

Qi Xiu sighed, frustration biting deep.

One dead, one fled—that was piss-poor. With a Foundation Establishment in play, no miracle repeat of Nameless Valley. And Huang, months embedded, had mapped the damn array inside out.

"Fall back into the pavilion. Dig in with its defenses."

No choice left. That ghostly black blade shredded them in open combat.

Zhang Shishi and the others piled inside, beelining for the control hub—shoveling spirit stones in, channeling qi together. The Water-Moon Mirage Array flared brilliant, bathing the pavilion in radiant light, the night sky turning crystalline.

The Foundation leader's knife hacked in—ripples cascaded across the barrier, light fracturing wild—but it knit seamless in seconds.

Qi Xiu kept pumping the mountain array, vines lashing frantic through the air, harassing where they could. But that blade devoured wood techniques like tofu; vines snapped on contact, far short of the lockdown he'd banked on.

Worse—Huang and Third hit a node. One Array-Breaking Talisman slapped on, and the great array wailed in protest. Already crippled from the Weis' prior assault, losing another node gutted its power another notch.

"More nodes—follow me!"

Huang pressed the edge, shielding Third as they zipped to the next. A spirit planter by trade, his wood arts held tricks of their own; vines slowed them, sure, but trapping? Forget it.

"Damn it—these talismans are bleeding me dry! You lot better cover the cost later!"

Third cursed through gritted teeth, each slap costing him dear.

Under the leader's onslaught, the Water-Moon array shuddered endlessly. Smaller scale, no match for a full mountain array—but a premium second-tier all the same. With full throttle from Zhang Shishi's team, it held... for now.

"This won't last—we can't burn qi like this for half a shichen. Rotate! Don't push max the whole time!"

The high didn't hold long. Zhang Shishi barked the warning; initial frenzy had them flagging after half an incense stick.

"I'll take first shift!"

Yu Deno stepped up—no shrinking now. Highest realm, deepest reserves; his turn to anchor.

The others eased off, popping recovery pills, meditating quick. Left it to him solo.

Qi Xiu's face darkened. Another node down; the mountain array withered further. Bitter resentment flared toward the long-gone Lins. Vines for offense? Slow, easily countered— what idiot picked this junk? Survive this, and he'd rip it out, replace the whole damn thing.

With the crew throttling back, the Water-Moon light dimmed. The shadow blade carved gaping slashes now, slow to seal. Emboldened black-clads hammered harder, lobbing explosive talismans through every breach.

White Mountain rogues—especially house-raiding desperados—favored raw power, one-shot kills. Their spells and tools hit like hammers.

"Covering!"

Zhang Shishi saw the leaks worsening. Out came Mang Mountain Sink—his third earth-shield artifact after Stone Mat and Heavy Earth Shield. Fate's cruel joke: every piece lasted just long enough for the next life-or-death brawl.

Inside boiled fierce; outside lay eerily still. No sign of the Wei ambush. The Mos? Vanished into whatever nook.

Boom!

Another node shattered. The battered mountain array finally collapsed. Backlash slammed Qi Xiu—he spewed blood, crumpling backward, internal wounds biting deep.

"Yes! Brothers, pour it on—skin these rats alive!"

Vines gone, fresh momentum from Huang and Third—the attackers surged, frenzy redoubled. Yu Deno buckled at last, qi drained dry, slumping unconscious. Pan Rong, Shen Chang, Yu Jing scrambled to take over, linking forces—no time to tend him.

Whoosh—

A severed head hurtled in from beyond the gate. The Foundation leader snatched it mid-air: Sixth, the escapee. Grip faltering a beat, he bellowed into the dark: "Who's skulking out there? Show yourself!"