Dusk Returns to the Ruined Building

Huilong Mountain is located at the southernmost tip of Zhongzhou. It has countless dangerous peaks standing in a circle on the shore of Xiaoxiang Lake. It is named because its terrain resembles a long dragon circling around the lake.

The area of ​​Xiaoxiang Lake is not large. Surrounding the lake are planted willows of northern Hunan Province, which are called "Xiaoliu". Local people have passed down from generation to generation that this kind of willow tree will last for hundreds of years, and the sound of the flute made of this willow wood can drive away evil spirits and ghosts, but there is no way to verify it. Local people use willow branches to drive away mosquitoes, which is quite effective. Perhaps due to the peculiarity of the willow tree, the water of Xiaoxiang Lake does not ripple in the wind, but is as calm as a mirror, so it is also called "Mirror Lake".

This place is the only way from Zhongzhou to the Miao border in southern Hunan, so the Ji family of Zhongzhou built a restaurant here, named "Longhu Tower", to facilitate the passing merchants to stay and rest, but few people stay overnight here. One reason is that the terrain of Huilong Mountain is too dangerous, and there are endless legends about mountain spirits and monsters among the steep mountains; the other is that it is said that there is a demon in Jinghu Lake, and Huilong Mountain is the magic circle to suppress the demon, but countless cultivators have come here and found no trace of the magic circle.

Today, Longhu Tower is brightly lit and bustling, but it is heavily guarded, with a guard post every five steps and a sentry every ten steps, and countless secret guards surrounding it. It is obvious that an important person is staying here.

It was none other than the current patriarch of the Ji family, a leader in the righteous path—Ji Qingyun.

Ji Qingyun accompanied his wife and children to visit relatives in southern Hunan. On the way back, they passed by Hongcheng, a famous city in northern Hunan, and met an old friend. They drank and chatted happily. They drank a few more glasses and delayed their journey a little. When they arrived at Huilong Mountain, it was already late, but they saw the sunset reflected in Jinghu Lake, which was beautiful. So they decided to rest here for a night. This place was under the jurisdiction of the Ji family, and the entourage was relatively relaxed and comfortable.

"Chen'er, why are you being punished to stand again?"

Ji Qingyun walked into a spacious room, which was not magnificent but fresh and elegant. He saw his son standing facing the window, with his head down and eyes closed, mumbling something. The child looked to be four or five years old, dressed in gorgeous clothes.

Hearing his father's voice, the little boy ran and jumped into his father's arms.

"Dad, Mom asked me to recite the Holy Emperor Secret again. I want to go fishing by the lake, but Mom won't let me go. Good Dad, please take me there!" the child said shyly.

"Then tell Dad, can you recite it?" Ji Qingyun asked, pinching the chubby little face with his hands.

The little boy leaned over to his father and whispered in his ear: "Dad, I'm telling you secretly, I already knew how to recite it a long time ago. I did it on purpose to piss off mom, otherwise she would ask me to learn the formation again. It's so complicated and it would tire me out!"

Sitting at the table was a beautiful woman, dressed in a purple and green dress. Her complexion was as fair as the autumn moon, her cheeks were rosy and her face was fair. She looked quiet and elegant. She was the boy's mother - Shen Surong, who ranked third on the Tianji Pavilion's Hundred Flowers List.

Before he could say anything, a loud whistle broke the quiet evening, startling the three people in the room.

There was a rapid knock on the door, followed by the secret guard's voice: "Master, enemy attack, identity unknown."

Ji Qingyun handed the child to his wife, patted his wife and son's hands and said: "Chen'er, wait for Dad to come back and take you to the lake to fish."

Outside the Longhu Tower, flames shot up into the sky and the Dragon Tower was stained with blood. With the reflection of Mirror Lake, Ji Qingyun could really be described as: the sky was filled with blood under the Dragon Tower. He felt a little regretful in his heart that he should kiss his son before going out.

He never expected that such a terrible and cruel enemy would infiltrate the Ji family's territory. He was also a strong man who had experienced many battles. He felt something was wrong. He knew the strength of the secret guards and guards. They were stronger than a mid-level sect in Zhongzhou! Now he was quickly slaughtered. The opponent was not only powerful, but also cruel, bloody, and killed without blinking an eye.

Looking at the remaining secret guards who were still fighting fiercely and the seven masked assassins who had surrounded him, a powerful and majestic true energy mixed with anger instantly filled the entire Longhu Tower.

"Shadow Hall, there is no need to hide your face. Apart from you, I really can't think of any other force that dares to attack and kill the Ji family in the territory of Central Continent, and can disintegrate my dark guards so easily."

Five of the seven men took off their masks, revealing their true faces. They were none other than the Shadow Hall that did not distinguish between good and evil - hiding in the shadows of every place, killing people only for profit, without distinguishing between justice and evil.

"Helian Xiaoyue! I didn't expect that the leader of the Shadow Hall would come to this small Longhu Tower. It seems that the Shadow Hall is doing quite a lot of business this time. Come out in full force!" Ji Qingyun was shocked inside but said in a calm tone.

"Master Ji, someone is paying a huge price for your life, and of course there are conditions that we cannot refuse. We are fully aware of the consequences of going against the Ji family, so tonight we can only do this: make sure everything goes well and leave no one behind. All the people from the Thirteenth Hall are here."

The leader, an old man with a cross scar on his forehead, answered respectfully, saying that it was Helian Xiaoyue, the world-famous head of the Shadow Hall, who had not walked the earth for more than 30 years.

"An offer you can't refuse?" Ji Qingyun looked at Helian Xiaoyue and said to himself: "Qiankun Jade Pendant! You from Shadow Hall are here for the Qiankun Jade Pendant in my hand! It's been a thousand years, and you still can't forget your princess. What a pity, you only know the surface, not the inside."

"What do you mean?" Helian Xiaoyue asked.

"What about the other two? It doesn't make much sense if they are still wearing masks at this time, right?" Ji Qingyun ignored Helian Xiaoyue's doubts.

"I will tell you the answer when you die," the masked man in a grey robe said angrily. The other masked man in white said nothing from beginning to end, and his eyes did not even change.

"Master Ji, there is no need to delay any longer. You won't get any reinforcements. To tell you the truth, we have set up a shadow maze array on the periphery. No one will come in before you die," Helian Xiaoyue said loudly, the cross scar on his forehead was so glaring.

"Hey, Su Rong, oh Su Rong, I hope you can escape with the children," Ji Qingyun secretly said to himself. It has been such a long time since he burst out his true energy, and there has been no sound in the room, which means that no one has entered the Shadow Hall. Ji Qingyun believes that his wife understands the meaning of his burst of true energy. He hopes that his wife and children are safe, although he knows that this is a bit self-deception!

“Come on, all seven of you, come together!” Ji Qingyun flew up and performed the Ji family’s secret technique—the Holy Emperor’s Invisible Step. His figure floated around the seven people and flew towards the depths of Huilong Mountain. He wanted to lure away the most powerful enemy and give his wife and children a possible chance to escape.

As soon as they entered Huilong Mountain, a masked man in a gray robe shouted loudly, "Immortal Sword Technique - Flying Sword to Welcome Guests". The flying sword behind him turned into a beam of light and stopped Ji Qingyun from moving forward.

"You are Jian Yuzhu from Youjianmen! Are you here for Ronger?" Ji Qingyun asked loudly.

Hearing the voice, the gray-clad swordsman took off his hood, revealing a face that Ji Qingyun was familiar with - Jian Yuzhu. How familiar it was, and yet how strange it seemed at this moment. They used to be best friends, and both were pursuers of Shen Surong!

"Why are you doing this? Do you want to destroy Su Rong?" Ji Qingyun asked angrily.

"They promised not to kill Su Rong before, and now I understand. Unfortunately, I have no choice. Let's show you our true skills. Today we will die together with Su Rong!" Jian Yuzhu said and flew up resolutely with the sword in hand.

Ji Qingyun dodged Jian Yuzhu who was rushing towards him and punched the masked man in white with a Holy Emperor Fist. He always had a familiar feeling towards the masked man in white!

The masked man in white looked at the Holy Emperor's fist that was carrying a terrifying aura and was coming towards him. He hesitated for a moment, but then used his body skills to cleverly dodge it!

"Saint Emperor Invisible Steps, you are a member of the Ji family!!"