167: Chapter 167 Identity Exposed

The voice came abruptly, carrying an unquestionable tone of reprimand that was exceptionally jarring in the twilight.

Yun Tianxiang's hand, holding the reins, paused slightly, but he did not turn around.

His Divine Sense had already locked onto the intruder's position in an instant; ten-odd zhang behind him, in the shadow of the moon gate, a figure was walking slowly toward him.

A cultivator at the Middle Stage of Void Refining, with the Xie Family's crest embroidered on his robes, wore a gloomy expression. His gaze, sharp as a blade, was fixed intensely on his back.

"I am asking you a question."

The man's voice deepened further, and without stopping his steps, he pressed toward the carriage.

"I know all the drivers from the merchant firm; you look very unfamiliar. Who sent you?"

Yun Tianxiang was silent for a moment; he did not answer immediately, nor did he continue to feign his disguise.

In those few moments, his Divine Sense had already swept through every corner of the backyard.

Several auras in the front courtyard were moving toward this side; their speed was not fast, but their direction was clear.

That Body Integration aura also rose from its spot; clearly, it had already sensed the anomaly here, and disguise was no longer meaningful.

Yun Tianxiang stood up from the carriage shaft and turned to look at the man.

In the twilight, on that face which bore a seven or eight-part resemblance to the carriage driver, his eyes were as calm as a deep pool, without a shred of panic or the awkwardness of being exposed.

"Naturally, I came here myself."

His voice returned to its original clear and bright tone. He raised a hand and wiped it across his face; as spiritual light flowed, that rugged, middle-aged face faded away like ripples on water, revealing his original handsome and stern appearance.

The man opposite him had his pupils shrink violently, and his expression darkened: "What audacity! To dare infiltrate Muyun Villa—are you looking to die?"

As soon as his words fell, several figures appeared simultaneously from different directions.

From behind the moon gate, the shadows of the walls on both sides, and even the eaves overhead, five Void Refining auras lit up one after another, shrouding Yun Tianxiang and the carriage behind him.

The leader was none other than the Xie Family retainer at the Middle Stage of Void Refining from earlier.

He stood before the moon gate with his hands behind his back, eyeing Yun Tianxiang with a cold gaze: "Initial Stage of Void Refinement—you certainly have some guts. Unfortunately, once you've entered this Muyun Villa, don't even think about leaving."

He glanced to his left and right: "Take him down."

Two figures moved simultaneously.

From the left and right, two beams of spiritual light attacked Yun Tianxiang from different directions. Their strikes were lethal, their spiritual power carrying biting sharpness that tore through the surrounding air, creating shrill whistling sounds.

Yun Tianxiang merely stepped sideways, avoiding the spiritual light on his right with an extremely subtle footwork technique. At the same time, he raised his right hand, pointing his fingers like a sword, and a Sword Qi, condensed to the extreme, shot out from his fingertips.

The Sword Qi was as fast as a streak of light, accurately piercing the chest of the figure on the left.

The attacker's momentum halted abruptly, his body stiffened for a moment in mid-air, and then he fell like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground, lifeless.

Killed in one blow.

In front of the moon gate, the expression of the retainer at the Middle Stage of Void Refining changed drastically.

He had expected this gray-robed young man to have some ability, but he hadn't expected the opponent's strike to be so clean and decisive.

To kill someone of the same rank in one strike while at the Initial Stage of Void Refinement—this level of combat power already exceeded his expectations.

"Attack together!" He did not hesitate any longer, shouting in a low voice as he lunged forward first. A ball of blue-black spiritual light gathered in his palm, carrying a fierce gale as it struck straight for Yun Tianxiang's face.

The remaining four attacked simultaneously, four strikes coming from different directions, sealing off Yun Tianxiang's retreat.

They were fast, but Yun Tianxiang was faster.

His figure left an afterimage in place, while his real body had already skimmed several zhang across the ground, avoiding the encirclement of those four attacks.

At the same time, his right hand once again formed a sword gesture, and two beams of Sword Qi struck the vital points of the two people on the left without distinction of order.

The Sword Qi was fierce and fast as lightning. The two men's expressions changed drastically, and they hurriedly activated their protective spiritual light, holding their Magical Artifacts horizontally in front of them in an attempt to block.

But the speed of the Sword Qi far exceeded their reaction time. Their protective spiritual light was torn apart like paper, and the moment their Magical Artifacts were jarred from their hands, the two beams of Sword Qi had already accurately pierced their hearts.

Both fell to the ground simultaneously, lifeless.

In no more than three breaths from start to finish, three of the five were gone.

The expression of the retainer at the Middle Stage of Void Refining finally changed completely.

He halted his attack, retreated several zhang, and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the remaining two, his gaze fixed intensely on Yun Tianxiang, his eyes full of wariness and shock.

"Who exactly are you?"

He had never seen such a cultivator at the Initial Stage of Void Refinement—killing three people in a row while besieged by five, without even drawing a sword, achieving this result merely by using fingers as a sword.

This level of combat power was simply not what a cultivator at the Initial Stage of Void Refinement should possess.

Yun Tianxiang did not answer his question; he turned his head slightly, his gaze passing over the shoulders of the three men, looking toward the front courtyard.

There, two auras were approaching rapidly.

One of them was the Peak Void Refinement Stage cultivator he had just sensed, and the other was one of the two Body Integration auras from deep within the villa.

"They're here." He whispered to himself.

Before his words had faded, two figures landed one after the other in front of the moon gate.

The leader was a withered old man in a gray robe, surrounded by the aura of the Peak Void Refinement Stage.

He stood before the moon gate with his hands behind his back, his gaze falling on Yun Tianxiang, then sweeping over the three corpses on the ground, his expression so gloomy it could almost drip water.

Half a step behind him was a burly middle-aged man, surrounded by the aura of the Middle Stage of Body Integration.

He did not speak, just stood there quietly, like a silent statue, but that invisible sense of oppression was several times stronger than that of the withered old man.

"You dare kill people from my Xie Family."

The withered old man spoke, his voice hoarse and cold, his gaze fixed on Yun Tianxiang like a venomous snake.

"You are the first."

Yun Tianxiang's gaze slowly swept over the two, finally landing on the man at the Middle Stage of Body Integration, pausing for a moment.

"People from the Northern Territory." He suddenly spoke, his voice calm, yet carrying a sense of certainty.

"You Northern Territory folks have reached out quite far."

The man at the Middle Stage of Body Integration finally had a slight reaction.

He raised his eyes slightly, looking at Yun Tianxiang directly for the first time. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes, then it returned to silence.

"You certainly have some insight." The man spoke, "Unfortunately, insight cannot save your life."

Yun Tianxiang did not speak again; he looked down at his right hand, the lingering warmth of those two beams of Sword Qi still remaining on his fingertips.

Peak Void Refinement Stage plus Middle Stage of Body Integration—this lineup was indeed somewhat tricky.

But he did not retreat, because below in the dungeon, that Bloodline aura originating from the same source as his own was beating slightly, clearly transmitting into his perception; his younger brother was not far beneath his feet.

He slowly raised his right hand, and a long sword emerged from his palm. The sword body was entirely pitch-black, with a dark red pattern engraved on the sword spine, emitting a cold, eerie light in the twilight.

It was the Magical Artifact that had accompanied him in battle for many years in his past life, a sword embryo reconsolidated using a secret technique after his Awakening of memories—named Suixing.

The sword had not yet been unsheathed, but that trace of fierce Sword Intent had already begun to permeate from the sword body.

"Want me to die?"

Yun Tianxiang lifted his eyes, looking at the man at the Middle Stage of Body Integration.

"That depends on whether you are qualified enough."