Chapter 48: Encirclement and Slaughter
“You…”
“Damn it.”
Shen Tian could only watch helplessly as Shen Yanzhou’s figure disappeared without a trace.
He was powerless to pursue, for amidst the surrounding thick mist, numerous silhouettes had already encircled him—black shadows, flickering indistinctly.
Each of those figures wore a multicolored mask, neither weeping nor smiling, which concealed their aura entirely, making it impossible to tell to which faction they belonged.
“Who are you people? Why are you cooperating with that wastrel to deal with me?”
Shen Tian gripped Huixue tightly in his hand.
The wisp of protective sword qi nurtured within it had already been exhausted, and at this moment, it was merely a short sword of decent quality—completely incapable of supporting him in breaking through.
Fu Yuying stood upon the branch of a tree, her figure graceful, draped in a wide flowing gown that hid her true form.
Beneath the mask she wore, her gaze was icy and indifferent.
From her elevated position, she asked, “The Demon Suppression King has committed countless evils, bringing disaster to the Southern Frontier, hoarding troops and power.
You, as the hidden son he secretly protects, biding your time in the shadows—tell me, why do you think we came for you?”
She spoke deliberately, intending to test Shen Tian’s reaction.
Although Shen Yanzhou had previously revealed the matter of the true and false heir, who could guarantee that—what if Shen Tian was not actually the true heir?
After all, there was no evidence at present to confirm Shen Tian’s identity.
Judging solely by appearance, Shen Tian and the Demon Suppression King, Shen Jingxiao, did not resemble each other much.
Princess Consort Yu Chenyu was of peerless beauty, said to outshine fish and shame geese—there was no need to elaborate on her allure.
Yet the child born of such a woman looked far too ordinary.
Shen Tian was startled at her words.
He himself could not understand how his true identity had been exposed.
So far, only a few clan elders of the Demon Suppression Prince’s Mansion, along with Shen Jingxiao himself, were aware of the truth.
If Shen Yanzhou knew of this, then he couldn’t possibly have laid such a long-term trap in advance.
After all, the night he had gone to acknowledge his ancestry and pay respects to Princess Consort Yu Chenyu was the very night Shen Yanzhou was “kidnapped.”
How had that been arranged in time?
Unless… from the moment he stepped into the Great Qian capital, Shen Yanzhou and the mysterious force behind him had already known everything and begun laying out their scheme.
The more Shen Tian thought, the colder his back felt.
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.
The Demon Suppression King’s heir, Shen Yanzhou, was just here before your very eyes—why aren’t you going after him, and instead making things hard for me, an outsider…”
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind as he spoke coldly, naturally refusing to admit his identity.
“What a fine ‘outsider’ you are.”
“As for whether you’re truly the real heir—once we capture you, we’ll know when we negotiate with Shen Jingxiao.” Fu Yuying’s voice was calm.
She was already convinced, and with a wave of her jade hand, the experts of the Luofu Cloud Cavern surged forward.
Soon, within the rising mist, an intense battle broke out.
Countless ghostly shadows flew about, while runic lights and spiritual treasures clashed violently.
“Damn it…”
Though Shen Tian possessed great talent and had experienced countless life-and-death struggles since childhood, having reached the Sixth Rank, Sea-cleaving Realm in martial cultivation, he still found himself outmatched when facing so many powerful enemies.
He quickly began to fall into disadvantage.
Among them were several experts of the Fifth Rank, Ghost King Realm within the shamanic system—their methods sinister and unpredictable.
From the shadows, they summoned ghostly servants, who ignored pain and death, pouncing directly upon him.
Even when he shattered them with his fists, they swiftly reformed.
“Only Sixth Rank strength, yet he’s proficient in various martial arts and techniques—his understanding of swordsmanship is astonishing…”
“Ordinary Sixth Rank cultivators wouldn’t be his match.”
Fu Yuying did not intervene, merely observing.
She remembered Shen Yanzhou’s words—Shen Tian still had hidden cards to play.
That sword strike which had shattered the Heavenly Net of Jade earlier—he could likely unleash it again.
“So they really spared no expense to deal with me.”
Shen Tian punched a powerful opponent away, laughing furiously in anger.
A mere Sixth Rank martial artist like him—what right did he have to warrant such a full-scale operation?
They had used a high-grade secret treasure, set up elaborate formations, and dispatched numerous experts.
It almost felt as though the enemy knew him inside and out.
“He’s still holding on.” Fu Yuying remained patient, waiting for his strength to be drained.
“Solar Fist!”
Shen Tian growled, his fists blazing with intense golden light as his martial will circulated.
His inner strength surged, swelling his robes outward.
This was a profound martial technique—of Third Rank level—one he had found by chance in a beast’s den.
With his current cultivation, he could not yet master it completely, but even one or two moves were enough to make him nearly invincible among his peers.
A blazing golden sun emerged between his palms—an evolution of his fist light—like an ultimate sun that rose high, overwhelming everything as it expanded, shrouding the area.
Rain and mist evaporated, and even the air itself hissed under the heat.
Yet in the next instant, the surrounding attackers unleashed a torrent of curses.
Strings of bones exploded midair, transforming into gales of ghostly wind and mist.
Within the haze, spectral soldiers marched, roaring like black dragons as they collided with Shen Tian’s blazing fist light.
“Ugh—!”
As expected, the difference in overall strength was too great.
Pain exploded in Shen Tian’s chest, dark energy spreading across his face as he was sent flying, spitting out mouthfuls of blood.
Seeing this, a Fifth Rank Ghost King Realm elder of Luofu Cloud Cavern seized the opportunity.
Forming his palm into a claw, he conjured in the void a massive black talon, sharp and dreadful, sweeping toward Shen Tian to capture him.
“Break!”
Unwilling to yield, Shen Tian endured the agony, bit through his tongue, and spat a mouthful of heart’s blood, activating a secret martial art as he dodged sideways.
In that instant, his qi and blood blazed like fire; even his crown emitted light, a dragon of energy surging from his body as though it would pierce the heavens.
Facing that grasping claw, he used sheer strength of will and foundation to block it head-on.
Still, his arm was caught—the sleeve burst apart, his flesh was flayed open, and bone fragments glistened with blood beneath.
“Slippery as a loach—no wonder he’s hard to deal with.
Truly worthy of being the real heir of the Demon Suppression King.” The Ghost King Realm elder was shocked that Shen Tian had escaped even under such circumstances.
“You’ve forced me…”
Shen Tian’s face was pale from blood loss, his eyes cold to the extreme, carrying the wild fury of a beast driven to the brink.
He had two threads of protective sword qi left—one had already been used earlier, and he had not wanted to expend another.
But now, there was no choice.
If he didn’t use it, he would die here today.
A pity, though—he couldn’t kill that Shen Yanzhou bastard first.
Swish!!!
A terrifying sword light erupted—far more dreadful than before.
Shen Tian gripped the sword Xiuyun within its case; a boundless sword intent surged forth, sweeping away the mist with ease.
“Retreat!”
All the experts of Luofu Cloud Cavern turned pale.
Every technique they had unleashed crumbled before that aura—it was the absolute dominance of the sword.
This was the sword intent of one who stood at the very summit of the world—
the Sword Immortal of the Ten-Thousand-Mile Sword Court of the North Sea,Tantai Yuxian,a peerless existence at the peak of the Second Rank.
Under that awe-inspiring might, even a Fifth Rank Ghost King Realm elder felt as insignificant as an ant, trembling uncontrollably.