Duan Xinyuan quickly looked around, searching for any sign of Su Cheng.
However, after several rounds, he still couldn’t spot her figure.
“Su Cheng is cunning and treacherous. Everyone, stay alert!”
He warned his companions beside him.
Everyone’s nerves tightened, vigilance rising. Even the elites from the Cold Sword Sect and Wanhua Hall entered an unprecedented state of seriousness.
They had been ordered to assist Duan Xinyuan in capturing Su Cheng, so they naturally understood the abilities of this former strategist of the Demon Sect.
“Sect Master Duan, I really didn’t expect you to be the one to come.”
Su Cheng’s voice seemed to come from everywhere.
“How does it feel to be someone else’s pawn?”
“Heh, Su Cheng, stop bluffing over there! Hiding and not daring to come out—could it be you’re afraid?”
Seeing Duan Xinyuan unmoved, Su Cheng paused for a moment, then her voice rang out again:
“Sect Master Duan, do you really think you’re trading or cooperating with the other side?”
She let out a bell-like laugh.
“Clearly being used as a pawn, yet completely unaware. Sect Master Duan, do you really believe your status is important enough to cooperate on equal footing with those people?”
It was clear Su Cheng had already sensed the presence of Cold Sword Sect and Wanhua Hall.
“Su Cheng! If you’ve got the guts, come out! Stop hiding!”
Duan Xinyuan roared.
“Fine, but you have to answer me one question first.”
Su Cheng replied with a laugh.
“I’m very curious, with that broken brain of yours, how did you find this place?”
“Heh, on the way, I found a Thatched Hut and casually grabbed someone to ask. That’s how I learned your whereabouts.”
Duan Xinyuan replied smugly.
“Su Cheng, I didn’t expect you to make a mistake. You hid your trail in that County Town, but in the end, you still got exposed?”
Su Cheng did not respond.
“What’s wrong? Unhappy that I found your flaw?”
Duan Xinyuan continued to mock.
He knew well that someone as proud and arrogant as Su Cheng wouldn’t tolerate her own mistakes—much less having them exposed and mocked by others.
Just as Duan Xinyuan was about to seize this rare opportunity to further ridicule Su Cheng, a scream suddenly rang out behind him.
He spun around to see a Tianshuimen disciple’s legs being gripped by a pair of Rock Hands, dragging him straight into the earth.
His companions struggled to pull him out, only to find his lower half had already turned to stone—half his life lost in an instant.
“You bit the bait I prepared so carefully. I’m not pleased.”
Su Cheng’s low voice sounded, a hint of anger rising.
“Carefully prepared bait? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Duan Xinyuan was confused.
But Su Cheng didn’t give him time to think.
The next second, the ground beneath Duan Xinyuan and the others began to tremble, rumbling noises echoing all around, as if a slumbering monster was about to awaken.
The mountains nearby began to split and collapse, layers of rock shattering and tumbling, then rapidly reassembling before their eyes.
Within the forest, under their gaze, a Rock Soldier Colossus clad in armor and wielding a long spear slowly rose.
Atop the Rock Soldier Colossus’s shoulder sat Su Cheng, looking down on the crowd below, like a General orchestrating a decisive battle—ready to sweep away all enemies with a smile.
“What…what are you all standing around for!? The target is right there! Move!!”
Duan Xinyuan grew anxious, urging the elites of Cold Sword Sect and Wanhua Hall beside him.
Right now, Duan Xinyuan was both stunned and panicked.
After all, he had worked with Su Cheng for months and understood her methods.
In his memory, Su Cheng always favored the Boiled Frog Strategy, tormenting her opponents bit by bit until they died.
But he never expected that, when facing Duan Xinyuan and the others, Su Cheng would immediately unleash such a massive move—summoning a Rock Soldier Colossus right from the start.
“Hiss… Did I accidentally disrupt one of her Plans?”
Duan Xinyuan wondered to himself.
“Otherwise, why would she be so eager to finish us off?”
As he pondered, two people from Cold Sword Sect and Wanhua Hall exchanged glances, then swiftly sprang into action.
They leapt onto two large trees, drew their bows, and loosed flaming arrows into the sky, which burst into brilliant fireworks overhead.
But once they were in the trees, they could not come down.
The Rock Soldier Colossus’s giant spear swept through, its power enough to cleave the air in two.
The two from Cold Sword Sect and Wanhua Hall were caught in its path—instantly pulverized.
“If you don’t run now, you’ll die, you know?”
Su Cheng’s eyes were cold as she spoke.
Panic spread among the Tianshuimen, including Duan Xinyuan.
He was about to order the remaining elites of Cold Sword Sect and Wanhua Hall forward, but before he could speak, they were already charging toward the Rock Soldier Colossus.
Seeing this, Duan Xinyuan smirked to himself.
“Heh, not bad—pretty quick on their feet…”
He thought, but then suddenly felt something was off.
From beginning to end, these so-called elites seemed to be acting entirely according to their own Plan, not actually following Duan Xinyuan’s orders at all.
Only now did Duan Xinyuan realize—this probably wasn’t any real alliance.
He was merely a pawn used by Jiang Hanshan to lead the way.
The moment he thought of how Su Cheng had seen through everything from the start—and had surely laughed at him in secret countless times—Duan Xinyuan’s blood pressure soared.
He ground his teeth.
“Su Cheng…you won’t die a good death!!”
Su Cheng had made a fool of him.
He decided to vent all his rage on her.
Duan Xinyuan’s true energy erupted as he sprang forward.
But before he could reach Su Cheng, the Rock Soldier Colossus’s spear came crashing down, smashing into the ground before him.
Stone and sand exploded everywhere.
Duan Xinyuan was sent tumbling by the shockwave.
He rolled several times, and when he finally staggered to his feet, covered in dust, he no longer dared to approach the Rock Soldier Colossus.
“Sect Master! Are you alright!?”
The Tianshuimen disciples hurried forward to support Duan Xinyuan.
They stared at the oppressive Rock Soldier Colossus, trembling.
“Sect Master…what do we do now?”
“Since…since someone is willing to do the dirty work, let them. We’ll wait for good news from the sidelines.”
Duan Xinyuan swallowed, retreating to a safe distance with the help of his disciples.
Sigh~ this was pure cowardice.
Surrounded by the elites of Cold Sword Sect and Wanhua Hall, Su Cheng still held the advantage.
The Rock Soldier Colossus, under her control, was like a god of war.
But even so, Su Cheng sensed something was wrong.
True, these people posed no real threat to her, but they seemed to know her every move, able to anticipate her actions.
Because of that, she couldn’t take them down quickly.
At the same time, Su Cheng realized she’d become entangled—unable to break free.
“These guys…they’re trying to stall me!”
Finally, Su Cheng understood—she’d walked right into their trap.
The two arrows fired earlier had been Signal Arrows.
Now, as long as she was held up here, reinforcements would soon arrive.
Su Cheng had weathered countless storms among both the Demon Sect and the Right Path.
Normally, she wouldn’t worry about so-called reinforcements.
But the way Cold Sword Sect and Wanhua Hall anticipated her moves left her uneasy.
Someone had been watching her for a long time.
Now, those people were closing in.
“Tsk… I can’t believe I made such a mistake.”
Su Cheng clenched her teeth in frustration.
In the past, she would have seen through Cold Sword Sect and Wanhua Hall’s tricks immediately.
But ever since Wei Ying appeared, Su Cheng’s mind had often been troubled—making her vulnerable.
Suddenly, a fierce wind howled through the forest, and the temperature plummeted.
It felt as if a blizzard could descend at any moment.
Two powerful forces approached from the distance.
Su Cheng, still seated atop the Rock Soldier Colossus, stood up and gazed into the distance.
She hadn’t used any earth-type techniques, yet she could feel the ground trembling.
Then, hundreds of Iron Cavalry clad in black armor appeared in her vision—along with Flying Chariots soaring overhead.