Though not fervent, the pursuit remained like maggots clinging to the bone. His internal energy was different now; formerly, aided by the Heavenly Origin Breathing Technique, his neili would recover at a staggering pace.

Now it was different. Overuse of the Lamp-Lighting Art rapidly depleted the true qi within his body, not only damaging his physique but demanding an age for his neili to mend.

The Lamp-Lighting Art functioned like a pump, swiftly draining the body's vital qi. Even those without martial arts mastery possessed qi in their dantian; qi was the essential energy sustaining life, much like blood.

To completely drain the qi from the dantian, though not immediately fatal, would severely weaken the body, akin to massive blood loss.

Under such compromised conditions, escaping any entanglement became monumentally difficult. Anxiety gnawed at him as his pace quickened.

His speed was astonishing, like a streak of light flashing into the woods. Under the hazy moonlight, the forest was dim, his figure appearing and vanishing like a phantom.

He suddenly frowned, realizing the three pursuers behind him had also sharply accelerated. Not good, he thought. These three must also possess methods to unleash latent potential, throwing caution to the wind just to hunt him down.

Desperate men were the most fearsome. Li Muzhan furrowed his brow repeatedly, then instantly shifted, ducking behind a massive tree, becoming utterly still, suppressing his presence. He held his breath, his eyes slightly closed, surveying the scene only with his Void Eye.

Experts like these could detect the nearest breaths and even sense the pressure of a gaze. Li Muzhan retracted both breath and sight, resembling a piece of deadwood, seamlessly merging with the pine tree beside him.

The trio rushed past like a gust of wind in the blink of an eye. Li Muzhan did not stir, remaining motionless as deadwood.

Suddenly, another breeze stirred, and the three reappeared, flashing directly in front of Li Muzhan. If not for the deep gloom and the sheer girth of the tree shielding him, they would have spotted him immediately, so close was he.

"Where did he go?" the red-faced elder grunted coarsely.

"Did he climb up and leave?" a middle-aged voice inquired.

Another middle-aged man cursed explosively, "Damn it, this brat runs fast, must be a rat!"

"Less nonsense. The three of us split up and chase!" The red-faced elder waved a hand and huffed, "He can't escape. The signal has been sent; even if he sprouted wings, he couldn't fly out!"

"Catch him! I’ll carve him up inch by inch!"

"He managed to kill the Young Master, so he’s not to be underestimated. Kill him on sight!" the red-faced elder warned.

"Yes," one middle-aged man replied with resignation.

"I’ll take this direction, you take yours, and you take yours!" The red-faced elder pointed to the other two in turn, indicating their paths, and huffed, "Once we clear the woods, we rendezvous at the summit!"

"Yes!"

The red-faced elder coldly asserted, "Hmph, if he gets away, the three of us have no face left to live. We might as well commit suicide then!"

The two middle-aged men immediately fell silent and turned to leave.

The red-faced elder leaped onto a branch, surveying his surroundings, pondering motionless, as if calculating deductions. That signal just now was the highest level alert from the Three Smiles Hall (San Xiao Tang). Anyone who saw it was obligated to converge and establish positions, setting up an inescapable net.

Elsewhere, perhaps manpower might be insufficient, leaving holes in the net. But this was White Cloud City (Bai Yun Cheng), the vital territory of the Three Smiles Hall's Southern Altar, teeming with members. Upon seeing the signal, they could set up the net in an instant.

Therefore, he wasn't worried. Though the man surnamed Jiang ran fast, he absolutely couldn't escape. There was no need to rush the pursuit; news would arrive soon enough.

Li Muzhan remained unmoving, his body, spirit, and qi utterly quiescent, yet his mind raced, his Void Eye looking down upon the red-faced elder.

This man possessed profound neili and superior martial arts; he was a notch above Li Muzhan. Dealing with him required extreme caution; one slip-up and the tiger-slayer could easily become the victim.

The red-faced elder stood at the treetop, a gentle breeze billowing his robes, moonlight shimmering down like water, making him resemble an immortal being.

He frowned, glancing around, deep in thought. After a long pause, he shook his head—still no movement. It seemed the brat had actually fled!

Then he corrected himself; no, he hadn't fled, he had hidden!

That meant he must be concealed within this forest. But there were hundreds, even thousands, of pine trees here; finding him was far from easy. Searching tree by tree would require far too many men.

He frowned, considered it, then suddenly sneered, "Come out. You might fool others, but you can't fool this old man!"

Silence answered him; the area was empty and still, save for the faint sound of the breeze rustling the treetops. He strained his ears; he could hear falling leaves, but nothing else.

The elder frowned and thought, still trusting his intuition, he scoffed, "Don't assume that by hiding in a tree I won't see you!"

He looked up at the sky, hands clasped behind his back, adopting an air of ease. "You truly managed to kill the Young Master; that genuinely surprises me. But having killed him, your death is also certain. The entire perimeter is sealed; not even a bird can pass. Alone, you have zero chance!"

Silence persisted, broken only by his voice.

The elder sneered, "Death is inevitable sooner or later; don't waste your effort. If our Three Smiles Hall can't catch you, what right do we have to exist in this world?"

Li Muzhan remained perfectly still, his presence receding further, his mind entering a state of ancient, waveless tranquility. No matter how much the elder blabbered, he did not move.

The elder droned on with a string of threats. Li Muzhan frowned inwardly, knowing these were not mere empty words but a stalling tactic.

As the elder spoke, he suddenly burst into loud laughter. "Good! Let's see how you escape this time!"

He sensed the woods were now completely surrounded, the men employing a dragging net method of search. Even if the man surnamed Jiang were incredibly skilled, escape was impossible.

Li Muzhan felt helpless. This old man was formidable; Li Muzhan remained tensed, guarding against any sneak attack. Given the elder's profound martial arts, Li Muzhan felt he had no sure footing.

Anyone else in this despair would have forced a desperate fight. Li Muzhan, however, possessed unyielding resolve. With no opportunity presenting itself, he dared not act rashly, remaining still.

This patience and persistence became increasingly taxing as the searchers outside the woods closed in. It was as if a colony of ants was emerging from the flat ground. These men appeared from nowhere, multiplying rapidly, and within moments, the entire wood was encircled.

Li Muzhan surveyed the scene with his Void Eye and calculated: approximately two hundred people.

He smiled bitterly. The Three Smiles Hall was indeed powerful; these major sects could not be trifled with. In such a short time, they had summoned over two hundred men.

More people were pouring out from the distance. The walls of White Cloud City seemed to be merely decorative, as they scaled them as if crossing level ground, encountering no obstacle.

People streamed from the city continuously. Faint flames drifted high in the sky, almost imperceptible but constant, pointing out their positions like scattered stars.

Once the people emerged from the city, they dispersed along different routes—some south, some east, some west, and others southwest and southeast—each taking their designated post.

Though seemingly chaotic at first glance, they eventually settled into precise positions, forming a tight circle centered around the heavenly flames, spanning a radius of five li.

Li Muzhan’s Void Eye saw everything clearly. These men moved with practiced agility; every single one was a capable fighter. The strength of the Three Smiles Hall was indeed immense.

He grimaced inwardly. Breaking through this net would be truly difficult. However, he noted that among these men, the red-faced elder above him possessed the highest level of martial prowess.

No matter what, he had to eliminate this man first; otherwise, escape was out of the question.

Li Muzhan had always assumed the Lake Lord would send someone to covertly protect him. Now he realized that was just wishful thinking; no other masters had appeared.

It seemed he had to rely solely on himself. Though it might cost him his life, his heart was calm, his mind clearer than ever, filled with soaring fighting spirit and an absence of fear.

Having already faced death once, he held no terror this time. This is all there is to it. At least he had killed Lin Ping, avenging the Azure Sea Mountain (Cang Hai Shan). He could die in peace.

He condensed his boiling Sword Intent into his palm, focusing it onto a small blade. This single dagger concentrated nearly all his essence, spirit, and vigor, preparing for a thunderous strike.

His spirit was formidable; although the Sword Intent was as dense as substance, it was contained, not a single wisp escaping.

The red-faced elder stroked his beard and laughed heartily, "Heh heh, good boy, such patience! You must be hiding right here. Come out!"

He sensed the approaching forces and the proximity of his men, feeling utterly confident and immeasurably smug.

Even though no movement had betrayed him, the man surnamed Jiang hadn't emerged, yet the elder was certain; he was definitely hidden in this forest. If he had fled, he couldn't have escaped his hawk eyes.

Now that the inescapable net was cast, no matter how many heads or arms the man surnamed Jiang had, escape was impossible!

"Heh heh..." He stroked his beard and shook his head, laughing, "Now, you can... Ugh!"

As he was laughing smugly, a flash of blade light accompanied a muffled groan, and his body tilted, crashing heavily to the ground with a 'thud.'

" Chii! " A flying knife descended from the sky, sticking into the earth right beside him.

Li Muzhan floated to his side, looked at the convulsing corpse, shook his head, bent down to retrieve the flying knife, wiped it clean, and slipped it into his sleeve.

That strike succeeded precisely when the red-faced elder's spirit relaxed in his laughter, the moment his vital energy was at its slowest, leaving him no time to react.

Under normal circumstances, killing the elder so cleanly would have been unlikely.

Li Muzhan let out a long breath. Killing this man finally removed a major worry. Though the others were skilled, none surpassed the old elder.

People continued pouring out from the city walls. Li Muzhan frowned, realizing his only option was a direct confrontation; hiding was no longer viable.

To hide, there were only two methods: burying himself underground, but that would leave telltale signs of freshly disturbed earth, leading to immediate discovery; or hiding inside a tree, which, in this haste, would be hard to do without leaving a trace.

Furthermore, hiding inside a tree was easily exposed; as they passed, a simple pat on the trunk would reveal the anomaly. It simply wouldn't work.

Now, only forcing his way out remained. Li Muzhan hardened his resolve, took several deep breaths to calm his surging blood, turned, and charged toward one direction.

His previous strike had channeled all his essence, spirit, and vigor into the blade, leaving him with a vacant, depleted feeling. Fortunately, a surge of energy rose from his spleen, flowing into his dantian and stirring the circulation in his Yongquan point. The two energies combined and rose to his dantian, restoring some strength.

Li Muzhan smiled bitterly. Ancient qi cultivation techniques were indeed slow to mature. While he had deep reserves of neili normally, recovery speed at a critical moment was too poor.

He could only conserve his neili, relying on his superior footing technique, using as little internal energy as possible, gliding forward as if riding the wind.

In moments, he reached a clearing where four middle-aged men stood ahead—two with sabers, two with swords—slashing at the undergrowth to clear a path. Li Muzhan suddenly accelerated, shooting forward like a streak of light.

"Ah, someone's here!" A middle-aged man's startled cry was cut short as a flash of sword light pierced his throat, severing his voice directly.

But the other three reacted instantly, attacking with their sabers and swords.

Li Muzhan ignored their weapons entirely, his feet never stopping. He swung his long sword into a protective curtain of light, crashing directly into the trio.

" Clang, clang, clang, clang... " Amidst a series of crisp clashes, Li Muzhan charged through recklessly, like a red-eyed bull.

The three were forced to scatter to avoid his sharp momentum, allowing Li Muzhan to break through.

"He's here!" one cried out. The three gave chase relentlessly, watching Li Muzhan speed up, disappearing into another stretch of woods in the blink of an eye.

The surrounding men heard the commotion and rushed to reinforce the pursuit, forming a fan shape toward the woods, interlocking to support each other.

Li Muzhan's steps were like the wind; the neili in his dantian flowed away rapidly, like a lamp burning down. He could not afford to care, only accelerating to reach the mountain.

Once he reached the mountainside, navigating the treacherous peaks might offer a sliver of hope.

He had to break through this pine forest to enter the mountains; then, the sky was his.

Before the surrounding forces could complete their encirclement, he burst out of the woods and into the mountain terrain, yet he felt no joy, only profound bitterness.

Two elders had hidden within that patch of woods, seemingly anticipating Li Muzhan would pass that way, intending to strike decisively. But Li Muzhan had evaded them, and they followed close behind into the mountain.

Though Li Muzhan possessed the Void Eye, he hadn't expected these two elders to conceal their forms so thoroughly as to evade its sight, only to appear suddenly.

Li Muzhan had narrowly dodged being intercepted, but he was marked. No matter how desperately he tried to increase his speed, he couldn't shake them off.

Helplessly, Li Muzhan flew into a mountain valley and stopped. This area was secluded, and only these two elders had caught up, leaving the others behind.

He intended to kill these two old men here. Otherwise, once his strength gave out, he would have no means to fight back, and finding a place to recover would be a sheer fantasy if these two remained.

He stood quietly. The moonlight, like water, illuminated his pale face. The surrounding dense foliage appeared deep as ink, yet draped in a layer of pale sheen.

Both elders were pale and beardless, possessing benevolent expressions that suggested wealthy gentlemen. They watched Li Muzhan calmly, exchanged a glance, and then suddenly lunged forward, attacking simultaneously with both palms.

Li Muzhan parried with his sword. After a few exchanges, he began to falter. The palm force of these two elders was bizarrely potent, carrying a strange, clinging power that made the air around Li Muzhan grow viscous.

Li Muzhan's already depleted neili was further strained by the pressure of their palms, costing him more energy with every move.

Not only was their neili strange, but their palm techniques were exquisite. Li Muzhan's swordsmanship was superb, yet every palm strike precisely met the body of his blade.

This essentially turned the fight into a contest of internal strength. Li Muzhan inwardly lamented his predicament, trapped as if sinking into a mire, unable to disengage.

Despite his countless stratagems, they were useless against this level of absolute power. While deflecting the swords, he racked his brain, trying to multitask.

He gritted his teeth and once again burned his internal energy. Suddenly, he transformed his sword technique into a saber technique. At this point, he couldn't worry about exposing his presence; killing these two came first.

A flash of sword light erupted, and overwhelming Saber Intent surged forth. The two elders struck down with their palms, then suddenly cried out in surprise. Their palms went numb, and a tingling spread throughout their bodies.

Augmented by Saber Intent, an ordinary saber move gained immense power.

Li Muzhan flashed past, appearing behind one elder, pressing in close to cleave downward. The elder calmly raised his palm to strike, intending to swat the blade away like a fly, hitting the sword body accurately.

Suddenly, a cold glint flashed, shooting directly toward the elder's chest.

The elder reacted, raising his other palm to block, but this blade was overwhelmingly swift, piercing straight through his hand and striking his heart.

" Uh... " The elder grunted, flying backward.

" Chii! " A light whistle sounded as Li Muzhan quickly ducked, coiling his body. A flying knife zipped over his head, its chilling energy seeming to drill into his core from above.

" Chii! Chii! Chii! Chii! " A series of soft whistles followed as he flipped backward in a lazy roll.

" Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! " Four flying knives stuck into the ground, their hilts trembling lightly. He broke out in a cold sweat, astonished by the ferocity of the elder's projectiles.

"Good boy, take another!" The remaining elder’s face contorted in rage, his hair bristling, his eyes flashing like cold lightning, appearing like a wrathful deity.

Li Muzhan was helpless. That last strike had drained his essence, spirit, and vigor again. Facing this elder now, he truly lacked the strength to counterattack.

" Chiii—! " A beam of cold light struck, and Li Muzhan twisted desperately to evade. The blade grazed his left rib, and the coldness sank into his heart.

" Chii! " Another strike followed, and Li Muzhan dodged again.

The elder unleashed one knife after another in a relentless stream. It seemed he possessed an endless supply of throwing knives. Li Muzhan dodged continuously, managing a wry smile.

He now understood that the Lake Lord had indeed dispatched five masters. They were currently engaged in a life-or-death struggle with the group of Three Smiles Hall experts, four of them drawing the main body of the enemy away in four separate skirmishes.

The fifth individual was racing toward this location to provide support.

Li Muzhan's spirit lifted. If he could just hold on for a moment longer, the experts from the Star Lake Lodge (Xing Hu Xiao Zhu) would arrive, and he would be saved. His nearly exhausted body surged with renewed strength.

While firing the knives, the elder continuously closed the distance. Li Muzhan could only retreat backward, trying to maintain distance to maximize his evasion time.

He tried several times to retrieve his long sword, but the flying knives blocked him. The elder's mastery of the throwing knife technique was consummate; Li Muzhan knew he was far inferior.

Suddenly, his expression soured. The neili in his dantian had finally been overused, failing to recover in time, causing a momentary lag.

In that lag, two flying knives struck simultaneously. Li Muzhan twisted with all his might, but couldn't fully evade; he was struck in the left chest and sent flying.

"Stop!" A crisp, delicate shout echoed, and a figure darted forward, catching him mid-air.