That inky bow was strange, and this arrow was strange too; through this arrow, the enemy could track him down.

He floated as lightly as fluff, yet moved like lightning. In the blink of an eye, he traversed a forest and arrived on the opposite mountainside, found a cave, tossed the arrow inside, and sealed the entrance with a massive boulder.

He returned to the woods, settling motionlessly on a towering tree, drawing in his breath until he merged seamlessly with his surroundings, slowly becoming indistinguishable from them.

About the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, five figures flashed through the trees.

Li Muzhan frowned. This elder surnamed Su was still accompanying them at this hour, not acting alone; he had mastered the essence of caution, making him extremely difficult to handle.

He remained perfectly still as they swept past his sight, heading toward the cave. His Void Eye kept locked onto them, waiting patiently.

That old man, Su, was completely unpredictable and the most terrifying. If he couldn't be defeated by Master and Eldest Sister, this young rogue absolutely had to be eliminated.

The five stood before the cave entrance for a moment. The four positioned the elder Su behind them, staring intently at the opening, bodies taut with absolute alertness.

Elder Su frowned. "There seems to be no one inside."

"No one?" the burly middle-aged man exclaimed. "Elder Su, did he escape?"

"Yes." Elder Su nodded. "This brat is very vigilant and cautious. He might have sensed something amiss and used the arrow to mislead us!"

"What a sly little thief!" The four stomped their feet in frustration.

Elder Su said, "Let's open it and check. Perhaps he is truly hiding inside."

"Could there be an ambush?" the burly man asked.

Elder Su nodded. "Better safe than sorry! It doesn't matter if he gets away; as long as the arrow remains, stained with his blood, we can find him!"

"Right!" The four agreed, stepping forward to press against the great stone, swaying it slowly before hauling it away—their faces flushed crimson with effort.

Li Muzhan possessed immense strength, and moving this stone had not been overly taxing for him, but though the four men possessed deep gong, internal energy could not be entirely substituted for brute strength, making the effort excruciating.

Once the stone was moved, the four cautiously stepped inside. The cavern was shallow, only about ten meters deep. They crept cautiously to the end and saw the black arrow embedded in the stone wall.

The four carefully surveyed the area. Besides the bare rock face, there was only a small pile of weeds beneath the wall—hardly enough space to conceal a person.

After clearly observing above, below, left, and right, the burly man stepped forward to retrieve the arrow.

With a dull thud, the moment his hand touched the arrow, it exploded. He cried out strangely and stumbled back two steps.

"Second Senior Brother, are you alright?" the other three asked anxiously.

"Not dead!" the burly man grunted, looking down at his left hand, which was streaming blood. He then glanced at the powder scattered among the weeds, his face clouding over until it looked ready to drip water.

"Second Senior Brother!" A middle-aged woman pulled out a jade vial, took his left hand, and smeared a layer of salve on it. The bleeding stopped immediately, but the hand was useless now—both his hands were incapacitated by this single blow.

"What happened?" Elder Su shouted from outside.

The burly man turned and walked out of the cave, shaking his head with a grim expression. "This little thief is too cunning. He left a hidden force on the arrow; it exploded the moment I touched it."

Elder Su looked at his hands and shook his head. "Careless!"

The burly man’s expression darkened further, and he slowly nodded. "It was my carelessness. I didn't expect this brat to be so formidable!" He judged that he himself could not have managed such a feat; even if he left a hidden force on an arrow, he couldn't sustain it for this long. Did the Tianyuan Pavilion possess such strange mental techniques?

"Elder Su, can we still find him?" the burly man asked.

"It will be difficult!" Elder Su sighed, shaking his head. "It would be easy if we could just catch him at the Tianyuan Pavilion entrance, but now that he is injured and assumes we will intercept him, he will never return... This brat is extremely vigilant. If we don't strike him down while he is weak, once he recovers and is on guard, injuring him again will be even harder!"

"Then what do we do?" the burly man frowned.

Elder Su frowned, stroking his white beard and pondering for a moment. "It seems we must invite Old Duan!"

"Old Duan?" The burly man's eyes lit up. "Old Duan is divinely ingenious at divination; he can surely locate this brat!" But Old Duan..."

Elder Su snorted. "We all underestimated this brat! I will write him a letter myself; he will be interested!"

"Thank you, Elder Su!" The burly man nodded profusely.

They could not persuade Old Duan to come; even their status as secret lineage disciples wouldn't suffice. Only Elder Su could successfully invite him. Once Old Duan acted, this Li Wuji would surely perish.

"Let's go!" Elder Su waved his hand and turned, walking away from the cave. The four followed. Li Muzhan remained perched on the tree, unmoving.

Li Muzhan kept his Void Eye fixed on the elder surnamed Su. Just as the elder was about to move beyond his field of vision, Li Muzhan shifted his position a dozen miles away.

He possessed immense patience, observing with a subtle, lingering awareness, delaying his action.

The sun moved from high noon to the west, finally setting. The moon rose, casting a silver glow, and slowly traversed the sky until it reached its zenith once more.

Li Muzhan sat cross-legged in an inn, circulating his energy to recover what he had expended. When the sun reached the west, on the verge of disappearing, he flickered into a room, a cold light flashing across his hand.

The elder surnamed Su was seated cross-legged on a couch, his black bow placed within easy reach, motionless as a statue, his aura deep and settled.

Just as dawn approached, he let out a long breath, slowly awakening. He rose from the couch, stretched his body, yawned, and lay down fully clothed, the black bow beside him.

The moment his eyes closed, Li Muzhan materialized. A cold light flickered in his hand, and in the next instant, it pierced the elder's heart.

The elder surnamed Su convulsed. He managed to open his mouth to shout—bang—his chest exploded outward, the sound dying in his throat, his head snapping backward; he died instantly.

Li Muzhan dared not underestimate the elder surnamed Su. Even with instantaneous movement, he had waited patiently, striking only when the elder was at his most relaxed.

He raised his hand, beckoned, and a cold light swept over; a crystal-clear flying dagger appeared in his grasp, resembling pure crystal, its blade unstained by blood.

Li Muzhan let out a breath, then drew his sword and thrust again, covering the wound made by the flying dagger. The surging internal force widened the cut, making it resemble a sword injury.

Li Muzhan’s expression was calm and composed. He looked at the elder whose eyes were wide open in death, unable to close them, shook his head, and drifted to the wall behind him. If his own life hadn't been so tenacious, he might have been the one dying with eyes wide open.

He floated up to the ceiling beam, remaining perfectly still.

"Elder Su?" Footsteps sounded, and the burly man asked cautiously from outside the door, lowering his voice.

"Elder Su?" the burly man asked again.

The burly man placed his left palm on the door latch, sent a slight vibration through it, and then pushed the door open. A flash of cold light erupted, and the burly man retreated rapidly into the courtyard. It was the darkest hour; the moonlight was almost nonexistent.

"Li Wuji!" the burly man snarled through gritted teeth.

Li Muzhan smiled faintly. "It is I!"

As he spoke, he transformed into a sheet of sword light enveloping the burly man, moving as fast as a pear blossom storm, even fiercer than a gale. In moments, he retreated.

The burly man staggered, glaring at him furiously, stumbled two steps, and then collapsed limply, a thin red line appearing across his throat.

At this moment, the other three rushed out, swords drawn, charging forward. Li Muzhan laughed heartily, drew his other sword, and wielded both blades.

Clang, clang, clang... A series of clear ringing sounds cut through the air. The three soon fell beneath his swords, their lives extinguished. Li Muzhan smoothly sheathed both swords, finally venting the deep frustration in his chest. As for the consequences, at worst, the Tianyuan Pavilion would seal its gates, and he would re-emerge once he mastered the Soul Transformation Palm.

He flickered back to the inn and resumed meditation and regulating his breath. The previous exchange had only been a few moves, but he had exerted his full strength, consuming a vast amount of internal energy.

He was waiting for the man surnamed Duan. The letter had been sent; it shouldn't be long now. The fact that the Duan could divine his location was infuriating, and he had to be eliminated as well. (To be continued)