On the vast plains, numerous structures stood on the flat terrain. One of these cities on the grasslands was heavily fortified, guarded by a total of 200,000 members of the Swift Shadow Clan and the Invisible Clan.
Moreover, all 200,000 of these guards were soul martial artists at the Life and Death Stage.
At the very center of this city, there was a portal radiating a pale white light. In front of this portal, more than twenty buildings had already been demolished, and a young man was surrounded on all sides.
This young man, who had been cornered, was none other than Qin Feiyu, who had been sent into the illusion formation by Lin Qian's plan. After his protective barrier dissipated and he had no way out, he entered the portal.
Originally, Qin Feiyu thought that after entering this portal, he would be able to escape the deadly array of formation blades and safely avoid disaster.
However, once he passed through the portal, he found himself in a city, face to face with hundreds of foreign enemies staring him down.
Before he could react or even attempt to explain, the figures in green armor who had followed him in immediately hurled daggers at the Swift Shadow Clan members across from them.
"Enemy attack!"
The next moment, Qin Feiyu's ears were filled with deafening shouts. He instantly realized that he was doomed.
Facing the encroaching Swift Shadow Clan members, Qin Feiyu instinctively turned to retreat back through the portal.
But just then, two of the green-armored figures behind him kicked him in the back, sending him straight into the waiting arms of the Swift Shadow Clan.
Meanwhile, the rest of the green-armored figures scattered in all directions, utilizing their unparalleled speed to rush away. All except one, who stayed behind while the other nine disappeared into the distance like a gust of wind, far too fast for the Swift Shadow Clan to react.
Even the Life and Death Stage experts among the Swift Shadow Clan, who pursued them briefly, could only watch in frustration as the green-armored figures vanished, leaving nothing but dust in their wake.
"Hmph, they may escape now, but can they evade us forever?" The slender Swift Shadow Clan expert snorted coldly as he turned his attention back to Qin Feiyu.
Although the nine had escaped, as one of the ten powerful defenders of the city, he wasn't concerned. The entire plain was filled with their forces. Where could those nine possibly flee to?
Besides, what could a mere nine people possibly do?
However, as he looked at the still-resisting Qin Feiyu, his brows furrowed. "How did this human enter here despite the illusion formation's protection? Without the aura of my two clans, even a Life and Death Stage expert should be trapped within that formation."
"Once we capture him, we'll find out exactly what happened." The slender Swift Shadow Clan member shook his head in amusement as he watched Qin Feiyu's futile resistance. "It's pointless."
"You forced my hand!" At that moment, Qin Feiyu, who was surrounded by Swift Shadow Clan members, suddenly roared in anger. Although he possessed metal-based soul power, a freezing aura and dazzling blue light began to emanate from his body.
Seeing the shift in Qin Feiyu's aura, the slender Swift Shadow Clan member's expression changed drastically. "An Awakening Stage aura?"
Crack! Crack!
The next moment, a powerful freezing energy burst forth from Qin Feiyu, freezing everything around him instantly, except for the portal.
The surrounding ruins and debris were all enveloped in biting frost and ice crystals, suspended midair as if time had stopped.
The Swift Shadow Clan members charging toward Qin Feiyu were also frozen in place, caught in the act of attacking.
The relentless freezing energy continued to spread outwards, forcing the slender Swift Shadow Clan expert to retreat rapidly in fear.
Once he had retreated to a safe distance, the freezing energy finally stopped expanding.
Crack... Boom!
The sound of shattering echoed through the air, and with a final boom, everything that had been frozen—buildings, debris, and even the Swift Shadow Clan members—broke apart into tiny shards of ice, with traces of red scattered among them.
Clearly, the frozen Swift Shadow Clan members had been reduced to nothing but fragments of ice with a faint red hue.
Hovering above, the slender Swift Shadow Clan member trembled as he realized that over a thousand of his kin had just been frozen and shattered into icy dust by the cold energy.
Looking at the human figure who was now fleeing toward the portal, the Swift Shadow Clan expert's chest burned with rage. Pale green soul power gathered in the short dagger that appeared in his hand, and with gritted teeth, he charged after Qin Feiyu.
Qin Feiyu, glancing back and seeing the powerful Swift Shadow Clan expert chasing after him, felt a jolt of fear and immediately increased his speed.
In normal circumstances, facing such an opponent one-on-one wouldn't have fazed him. Qin Feiyu was quite proud of his Life and Death Stage strength.
But after using the trump card his father had given him, his soul power was greatly depleted. However, he believed that using it to escape this dire situation had been worthwhile.
As more and more Swift Shadow Clan members converged on his position and the enraged Swift Shadow Clan expert closed in from behind, Qin Feiyu didn't panic. In fact, he felt somewhat amused.
The twisted portal was now within reach. As long as he entered the vortex, he could escape.
Once he passed through, he would destroy the portal to prevent anyone from following him, ensuring his safety.
Compared to the vast number of enemies here, Qin Feiyu considered the illusion formation he'd previously been in to be the safer option.
But just as he was about to step into the swirling vortex of the portal, a voice suddenly emerged from within, accompanied by a foot that slammed into his chest.
The portal that had been so close was suddenly pulled far away, and the searing pain in his chest left him unable to regain his balance, sending him flying backward.
Thud!
At the same time, a dagger pierced through his heart from behind. Qin Feiyu didn't need to look to know that it was the enraged Swift Shadow Clan member who had stabbed him.
Yet Qin Feiyu didn't hate that Swift Shadow Clan member. Blood spilled from his mouth as he reached out and pointed at Lin Qian, who was smiling down at him. "You..."
"Sorry, when I saw someone rushing towards me, I panicked and kicked out reflexively. I didn't mean to kill you, it was just an accident," Lin Qian said, his expression sincere. "So, go ahead and die in peace."