novelraw Chapter 322: The Cunning Shui Juanyun
Chapter 322: The Cunning Shui Juanyun
“Boom!”
A sudden loud noise erupted from behind, causing the ground to shake violently. Long Xuan was momentarily stunned.
What are they doing back there? How could they cause such a commotion? This racket is loud enough for even the deaf to hear!
Sure enough, the deafening explosion alerted all the Teng Clan’s Gu cultivators, plunging the entire family into chaos.
Even the hidden Great Gu King was stirred by the noise, instantly unleashing their powerful soul force to envelop the Teng household.
Shortly afterward, the Gu King soared into the air and flew swiftly out of Qingshan City.
Watching the departing figure of the Gu King, Long Xuan fell into thought.
He had just sensed spatial fluctuations—it seemed like someone had used a Hundred-Mile Talisman to teleport out of a secret chamber.
No, that wasn’t a proper Hundred-Mile Talisman. It’s likely a counterfeit or something similar.
Long Xuan’s expression turned strange. Could the earlier commotion have been caused by that person? After all, anyone still here wouldn’t be foolish enough to employ such a noisy attack unless they had already left and had no reason to care about the consequences.
If so, then that person was truly malicious—sabotaging others even after their escape.
However, their actions were ultimately self-defeating. They could have left quietly, but by making such a big fuss, they alerted the Teng Clan’s Gu King.
That counterfeit Hundred-Mile Talisman likely had a limited range and couldn’t escape the Gu King’s perceptive reach.
The Teng Clan’s Gu King probably left the city to chase after them. After all, when such chaos breaks out, the Gu King’s first priority would be to pursue the fastest runner, leaving the slower ones to the rest of the family.
That devious scoundrel has no chance of outrunning a Gu King. They better pray for a miracle, Long Xuan thought, offering silent condolences before quickly heading in the opposite direction of the Gu King.
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The sudden explosion within the Teng household left everyone at the banquet stunned. They collectively paused, turning to look in the direction of the noise.
The head of the Teng Clan turned pale as he looked toward the explosion, his body swaying unsteadily.
“Disaster! It’s the Earth Spirit Tree! Everyone, hurry and assist!”
Without a second thought for his honored guests from the Zhu Clan, the Teng Clan patriarch rushed toward the explosion with the Zhu Clan’s Gu cultivators in tow.
The banquet guests, curious about the commotion, abandoned their meals to follow suit.
Many of the guests wore schadenfreude expressions, delighted by the misfortune. Judging by the massive flames in the distance, it was likely that the Teng Clan’s prized Earth Spirit Tree had been destroyed. Those envious of the Teng Clan’s success couldn’t hide their glee.
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Meanwhile, inside the secret chamber, the Gu cultivators were in utter dismay.
As they stared at the Earth Spirit Tree, now completely engulfed in flames, their faces darkened.
“What is he thinking? How does this benefit him at all?”
“This is a catastrophe. Everyone, break out immediately! Whoever escapes is whoever survives!”
The leader of the group roared in anger, no longer caring about chasing after Shui Juanyun, and rushed madly toward the exit.
The others, pale and panic-stricken, followed suit. Despair filled their eyes as they realized that escape was far from guaranteed.
Upon exiting the secret chamber, the group instinctively scattered in all directions, each hoping for a slim chance of survival.
Shortly after, the Teng Clan patriarch and his clan members arrived at the scene.
Seeing the collapsed secret chamber and the blazing inferno where the Earth Spirit Tree once stood, the patriarch’s eyes turned bloodshot. His vision blurred as he nearly fainted.
Staggering backward, he was supported by his clansmen. Trembling with rage, he pointed at the fleeing group and roared, “Kill them all! Leave none alive! Don’t let a single one escape!”
The Teng Clan’s Gu cultivators, equally enraged, charged forward like madmen before the patriarch could even finish his order.
The Earth Spirit Tree was their clan’s sacred tree, tied to their fortunes and legacy.
With the sacred tree destroyed, the number of Spiritual Sea-stage Gu cultivators in their clan would inevitably dwindle in the future. This decline would reduce the chances of producing another Gu King, dooming the clan to gradual weakening.
Eventually, the Teng Clan might even lose its position among the top five families in Qingshan City. How could the Teng Clan’s Gu cultivators not be furious?
This act had severed their roots and ruined their destiny. They wished to tear the culprits to pieces.
Large numbers of Gu cultivators pursued the fleeing elder Gu cultivators.
Those with better luck were only chased by Marrow Cleansing-stage Gu cultivators. Those less fortunate were pursued by Spiritual Sea-stage Gu masters.
The truly unlucky ones had a Gu King hot on their trail.
Among the crowd, a handsome pale-faced young man watched the escapees with flickering eyes. He suddenly turned to Zhu Jiuge beside him and said:
“Junior Sister, you’re about to break through to the Spiritual Sea stage, aren’t you? Those thieves must have Earth Spirit Fruits with them. I’ll go grab one for you—it’ll be my gift to you as your Senior Brother.”
With that, the young man targeted an escapee not pursued by a Spiritual Sea-stage Gu master and quickly gave chase.
“Don’t!”
Zhu Jiuge had just reached out to stop him, but it was already too late—the young man had dashed far away.
She wanted to explain that every time she broke through, she never faced bottlenecks and had no need for any treasure to break barriers.
However, her senior brother left in such a rush that she could only pray he wouldn’t encounter any danger and would successfully complete his mission.
At this moment, the elder leading the group, realizing there was no way to escape the Teng family Gu cultivators’ pursuit, made a desperate decision to take a hostage and flee. He instinctively lunged toward Zhu Jiuge, who seemed harmless amidst the crowd.
From the conversations earlier, he had learned that this little girl belonged to the Zhu Clan.
If he could capture this Zhu Clan girl, the Teng Clan, fearing the Zhu Clan’s might, wouldn’t dare act rashly and would have to let him go.
His plan seemed flawless in his mind, but reality was often cruel.
For some inexplicable reason, just as he was about to act, his foot twisted awkwardly, causing him to fall painfully to the ground.
The enraged Teng Clan patriarch wasted no time catching up and stomped on his head, smashing it instantly. The leader of the elder group became the first casualty, losing his life on the spot.
Meanwhile, on another side, Shui Juanyun was overjoyed to see that the Teng Clan’s limited number of Spiritual Sea-stage Gu cultivators had gone after others. He hurriedly quickened his pace.
Just as he predicted, the Teng Clan’s Spiritual Sea-stage Gu cultivators always prioritized chasing those who fled the fastest. The faster one ran, the more likely they were to be targeted.
Shui Juanyun, cunning as he was, had deliberately lagged behind, despite being one of the first to escape.
He ensured the slower elders overtook him so that they became the primary targets of the Teng Clan’s Spiritual Sea cultivators.
One by one, those who ran the fastest fell victim to the relentless pursuit of the Teng family cultivators.
Shui Juanyun knew it would take time for the cultivators to finish their chase and then turn back to him. That gap was his window of escape.
A river lay not far ahead of the Teng family territory. As long as he transformed into water and dove into the river, he would blend with the currents, making it impossible for the Spiritual Sea cultivators to catch him.
“Hm? Someone’s actually chasing me, and they’re just as fast as I am?”
Shui Juanyun glanced back, narrowing his eyes.
A group of eight Marrow Cleansing-level Gu cultivators was pursuing him, but in truth, only one was real.
Being as sly as he was, Shui Juanyun had pre-arranged seven clones disguised as Marrow Cleansing-stage Teng Clan Gu cultivators.
These clones were instrumental.
As he fled, he deliberately commanded the clones to “chase” him.
Seeing that seven Marrow Cleansing Gu cultivators were already in pursuit, the real Teng Clan cultivators assumed it was covered and redirected their focus elsewhere.
His plan was perfect—no one pursued him directly, leaving him free to dive into the river unimpeded.
But Shui Juanyun hadn’t accounted for an outsider—a rogue Gu cultivator—who decided to meddle, chasing him alone.
Annoyed, Shui Juanyun sneered. He decided to eliminate this nuisance first to avoid complications.
Stopping abruptly, he turned to face his pursuer.
The handsome, pale-faced young man chasing him stopped as well, curling his lips into a faint smile.
Just as the young man prepared to taunt him, the seven “Teng Clan Marrow Cleansing Gu cultivators” lunged at him with their swords.
Caught off guard, the young man was utterly shocked. He hadn’t expected the “Teng Clan” cultivators to suddenly attack him.
The ambush was so abrupt he had no time to react. In desperation, he managed to grab two swords with his bare hands, blood streaming from his palms.
But the other five swords found their mark, piercing through his body. One even went straight through his chest.
His life force rapidly waned as he lowered his head, staring incredulously at the sword that had pierced his heart.
Even in his final moments, he couldn’t comprehend why the Teng Clan’s Gu cultivators had attacked him.
When the seven “Teng Clan cultivators” suddenly morphed into Shui Juanyun’s likeness and sneered coldly, the truth finally dawned on him.
The “Teng Clan Gu cultivators” chasing him had been Shui Juanyun’s clones all along. Everyone had been played for fools.
But it was too late. As the swords withdrew from his body, he collapsed lifelessly to the ground, his eyes wide open in disbelief, his soul filled with injustice.
After swiftly eliminating the nuisance, Shui Juanyun pocketed the young man’s storage bag and resumed his escape.
Whether before or after the fight, Shui Juanyun didn’t waste a single word.
Efficient and decisive, he quickly reached the riverbank, transforming into water and vanishing into the current.
The Teng Clan’s Gu cultivators hadn’t caught up yet.
Even if they did, it was futile. Who could distinguish him from the river water? Searching for him now would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.