The Trap is Sprung

Sunset Palace was the residence reserved exclusively for the Masked Moon Sect’s Grand Elders. Not only was it built atop a Spirit Eye, but the hall was also layered with countless restrictions. Aside from a select few elders, no one could approach it without the Grand Elder’s permission.

At this moment, a foot-long streak of red light shot through the air from afar. After circling several times outside Sunset Palace’s restrictions, it slipped through without obstruction and dove into the great hall with a soft “sizzle.”

The red light pierced through several layers of restrictions, some faint and some tangible, before turning a few corners and flying into a side hall.

There, a woman of peerless beauty sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion. Her skin was as white as snow and cold as ice. She appeared to be in her twenties, and a faint aura of yin-cold energy emanated from her body.

The red light flew straight to her in an instant. The woman, seemingly aware of its approach, slowly opened her eyes. With a slight frown, she beckoned to the red light.

It immediately transformed into a fist-sized ball of fire and landed directly in her hand.

The ice-cold woman stared at the flame without expression. Then, without a word, she flipped her hand over, and the fire vanished in an instant.

“What is that girl up to, actually requesting to see me? Well, since she’s softened her stance, it wouldn’t hurt to go and take a look,” the woman muttered to herself.

She was clearly someone who acted with swift, decisive force. In the next moment, she transformed into a white rainbow and shot out of the palace, heading in a specific direction.

It wasn’t long before she arrived before Nangong Wan’s cave dwelling. With a flash of her light, she landed.

She swept her gaze over her surroundings. Everything seemed normal. The restrictive formation outside the cave was still incomplete, nothing out of the ordinary.

Satisfied, she walked directly to the cave’s main entrance. Raising a hand, she struck the stone door with a white spell seal. The door swung open of its own accord.

The pale woman did not stand on ceremony. She walked in without haste.

“Greetings, Grandmaster!” Someone had been waiting for some time behind the stone door. As soon as the woman entered, they immediately prostrated themselves in a grand salute. Judging by their figure and appearance, it was the yellow-clad girl.

“Your cultivation seems to have progressed a bit since our last meeting. It seems you’ve already taken the pills I gave you,” the ice-cold woman said casually, giving the girl a cursory glance before walking slowly deeper into the cave.

“I am deeply grateful for the Grandmaster’s gift of the medicine! Without it, your disciple could never have advanced so quickly,” the yellow-clad girl replied, following closely behind with her head slightly bowed.

“Good, you understand. Has Junior Sister Nangong been peaceful? Any strange behavior?” the woman asked as she walked.

“None. Junior Grandmaster Nangong has made no other moves besides receiving a disciple today,” the girl reported meticulously.

“I’ve already heard about that from Senior Uncle Lan’s sound transmission talisman. That disciple seemed to be delivering some sort of gift. He should be long gone by now, right?”

“That disciple was merely a low-level steward of the sect. He left over half a day ago. However, after Junior Grandmaster Nangong received the gift, she seemed rather displeased,” the girl continued, her tone still respectful.

“Oh? What kind of gift could possibly displease her?” The woman’s expression shifted with interest.

“Nothing much, just a mere silver sword artifact. But upon seeing it, Junior Grandmaster Nangong seemed quite unsettled,” the yellow-clad girl said, lowering her head even further, though her words remained clear.

“Probably a rogue cultivator she befriended during her travels. That’s quite normal,” the ice-cold woman was momentarily startled, but after a moment’s thought, she spoke with a hint of surprise.

“The Grandmaster is absolutely right! Junior Grandmaster Nangong received the silver sword, pondered it for a while, then suddenly sent a sound transmission talisman requesting an audience with you.”

“For her to have changed her mind so suddenly is indeed somewhat unexpected!” Nangong Wan’s senior sister seemed genuinely curious.

“Continue to monitor Junior Sister Nangong’s every move. With the high-grade talisman I gave you, her cultivation is mostly sealed, so she shouldn’t notice your surveillance. See this through properly, and I will reward you handsomely.” The Masked Moon Sect’s Grand Elder gave this instruction with an air of casual authority.

As she spoke, the two of them had nearly reached the entrance to the main hall.

“As you command, Grandmaster! Junior Grandmaster Nangong is waiting for you inside the hall!” The yellow-clad girl answered in an almost whisper, then led the woman to the hall’s entrance.

The ice-cold woman, following her cautious habit, was about to thoroughly scan her surroundings before entering.

But the moment she appeared at the entrance, Nangong Wan’s voice drifted out from inside.

“Senior Sister! Please, come in. I have thought over the matter you raised. For the sake of the sect, I can force myself to agree. But there is one condition you must promise me first.”

Nangong Wan’s voice was calm, eerily so.

Hearing this, the senior sister’s face immediately lit up with a look of delighted surprise. Without a second thought, she strode forward, speaking with heartfelt joy as she went:

“Junior Sister Nangong! You’ve finally come to your senses. This is wonderful! Whatever the condition, as long as you agree to marry Elder Wei of the Transformation Intent Sect, I will grant it. With Wei Wuyan’s support, our sect’s revival is just around the corner.”

Having said this, she fixed her gaze on the scene before her. Everything in the hall fell under her eyes.

Nangong Wan was sitting in a rattan chair, holding a crudely forged, enormous silver sword across her lap, her beautiful eyes fixed on it as if admiring it intently. It was as if the words she had just spoken had not come from her lips at all.

Seeing this scene, the ice-cold woman was naturally stunned. Her steps slowed. Nevertheless, she entered the hall.

A flicker of suspicion passed through her eyes. Nangong Wan’s senior sister was about to ask a question when her expression suddenly changed. Without any warning, one of her arms shot back like lightning, claws extended.

Sharp sword light, several inches long, shot out from her five fingers, incredibly sharp.

It was aimed directly at the spot where the yellow-clad girl stood.

Faced with this attack, the girl looked up and gave a strange smile. Then, she crouched low. A flash of yellow light, and her entire body sank into the bluestone floor as if melting into it. All that was left behind was a torn yellow robe.

The girl had vanished without a trace.

Seeing such an extraordinary earth escape technique, the ice-cold woman did not hesitate. A flash of light, and she shot backward, intending to flee the hall in an instant.

But just as her body began to move, a colossal green sword, several zhang long, came hurtling in from outside the door, slashing down at her head with tremendous force. It looked as if it intended to cleave her in two.

The woman’s face changed drastically. Her ten fingers flicked out, and ten beams of cold light, a foot long, shot from her fingertips. They struck the giant sword precisely.

Boom!

A massive explosion rang out. Green light and white radiance intertwined. The giant sword and the woman were simultaneously sent flying backward.

The ice-cold woman retreated several zhang before stopping.

The green giant sword’s light scattered, transforming into several dozen flying swords that hovered and spun in the air. Within this sword formation, a young man of ordinary appearance appeared.

The man wore a faint smile on his face, watching the woman with unhurried composure.

“What is the meaning of this? Junior Sister Nangong, and… who is this man and the girl who impersonated Yu’er?” The woman’s pupils contracted as she registered Han Li’s cultivation level. Her voice was ice-cold.

As she spoke, her hand moved to her waist. A red token appeared in her grasp.

“The restriction token!” Han Li’s gaze shifted, locking onto the token as he said in a deep voice.

“Hmph! Junior Sister Nangong has certainly told you everything. I don’t know who you are, but this is an internal affair of our Masked Moon Sect. It would be best for you, Fellow Daoist, to stop now. Otherwise, you will face the pursuit of all six allied sects.” The woman let out a cold snort, delivering a threat.

“Senior Sister, don’t be so quick to make baseless threats. Your junior sister is not without close friends among the six sects. If they knew you were treating a fellow sect member this way, it would likely work against you, don’t you think? As for the token in your hand, it can indeed trigger the restrictions on me. But did you really think I’d give you the time to activate it and cast the Heart Binding Art?” Nangong Wan had already put away the silver sword. She stood gracefully, speaking with cold composure.

As she spoke, her red lips parted. A fiery red ring shot out from her mouth: her intrinsic magical treasure, the Vermillion Bird Ring.

Hearing this, the ice-cold woman’s gaze turned sinister. Seeing that Han Li across from her showed no sign of retreating, a fierce look flashed across her face. She suddenly flicked her sleeve.

A white and a black flying sword shot out from within, one after the other. After a quick spin in the air, their forms swelled, transforming into two massive, zhang-long swords.

The white sword was as pure as snow, radiating a bone-chilling, piercing yin-cold aura. The black sword burned with a searing heat, its black flames flickering unsteadily. They were a rare pair of Yin-Yang Ice and Fire Swords.

The woman let out another cold laugh. Then, she gently shook the jade hand holding the red token, lowered her head, and began to chant an incantation.

Immediately, spiritual light flickered on the token, and an eerie red glow gradually began to form on its surface.

But Han Li, who had been watching her every move, would never let her activate the restriction so smoothly. Without a second thought, he tossed something into the air. A small silver bell shot out, transforming into a streak of silver light that circled above his head.

Then, with a spell seal he chanted, he aimed the mouth of the bell at the ice-cold woman, and a resonant hum filled the air.

A faint, silvery sound wave materialized, sweeping directly toward the woman across from him.

Almost simultaneously, Han Li rubbed his hands together and then flung them out to either side. A red and a cyan spell seal shot toward two of the hall’s pillars.

The formation restriction he had laid down in the hall began to tremble and activate.