Chapter 547: Xun Wei Trapped
Chapter 547: Xun Wei Trapped
"Are you... Xiao Fang?"
Before he could respond, the sound of hurried footsteps broke through the forest behind her. Branches snapped, leaves scattered, and a figure emerged from the clearing she had just passed through.
Li Lian.
She slowed to a stop, her chest rising and falling as she tried to steady her breathing, sweat trailing down her brow. Despite the exhaustion, her presence remained composed, her features sharp and striking even in the middle of pursuit.
Her gaze quickly fell on the veiled girl.
’This girl...’ Li Lian thought, pausing briefly to catch her breath. ’She’s so young... how is she so fast?’
The young veiled girl turned her head away, offering no answer, her silence deliberate.
Xiao Fang didn’t press her either. Though the question lingered in his mind, it wasn’t important right now.
There were more pressing matters.
"Lian," he said calmly, "Xun Wei needs our help."
Li Lian’s expression shifted instantly, the fatigue in her eyes fading as focus replaced it.
They had both left behind a [ Solid Clone ] to remain in contact with Li Ping, but from the disturbance Xiao Fang could feel through that connection, it was clear the situation had already escalated beyond Xun Wei’s expectation.
Waiting was no longer an option. It was time to move.
Li Lian gave Xiao Fang a brief nod before they both sent their clone toward Xun Wei’s location.
The moment they acted, Li Ping tensed.
Their entire strategy depended on Xun Wei successfully leading the enemy army back through this passage. If something happened to her before that, everything they had prepared would collapse. As much as he respected Xiao Fang and his eldest sister Li Lian, he was well aware that the ones present here were only clones. In a battle of this scale, he didn’t believe they would be enough.
He didn’t hesitate.
Turning sharply, he called out to his team of 10.
"Form up!"
In the next instant, his 10 man team appeared, their movements sharp and disciplined as they gathered at his side, awaiting orders. Since being under his command, they had witnessed his composure in battle—his decisiveness, his willingness to stand at the front, and the way he carried himself despite being the youngest among his siblings.
Respect had come naturally.
"Captain, we’re ready," one of them said firmly.
Li Ping tightened his grip on his weapon, his brows tightened, his lethal gaze already fixed in the direction of the city and enemy forces.
"Captain Wei needs our support. We’ll assist her however we can."
There was no hesitation in their response.
"Yes, Captain!"
Their bodies shifted, then in the next moment they were gone.
Li Ping turned to Li family soldiers. Before leaving, he issued a final command to remain hidden, and to await his return.
—
Meanwhile in the Song City, the moment Xun Wei’s words fell, her massive feline body coiled like a drawn bow before exploding forward. Stone shattered beneath her paws as she launched herself through the ruined streets, her sleek black fur cutting through smoke and drifting ash like a streak of night.
Behind them, the army surged.
"Capture that girl!"
Hundreds of figures gave chase at once, their auras igniting as they leapt across rooftops and shattered walls, closing in from every direction. Attacks rained down almost immediately, spears of Qi, arcs of blade light, condensed bursts of force, each one aimed not to kill, but to slow.
To trap.
Xiao Hei twisted mid-sprint, her body bending with fluid precision as a spear of Qi tore past her shoulder and detonated ahead. Without breaking stride, she bounded onto a collapsing structure, claws biting into stone before launching herself forward again, clearing the distance of an entire street in a single leap.
Wind screamed past them. Debris scattered. And still they chased.
Xun Wei remained low against her back, one hand buried into Xiao Hei’s fur for stability while the other held her blade ready.
Her eyes moved constantly, measuring distance, tracking trajectories, choosing what to deflect and what to ignore.
She didn’t waste movement. She didn’t waste strength. But the pressure was building.
More cultivators began appearing ahead, cutting off paths, forcing Xiao Hei to change direction again and again. The entire city had become a closing cage, every street narrowing, every rooftop turning into a launching point for the enemy.
{"Wei..."} Xiao Hei’s voice came through, lower now.
Xun Wei didn’t need her to finish. She could already feel it.
The strain in Xiao Hei’s body, the subtle delay between each landing and push-off, the heavier impact of every step as her strength began to wane. The smooth, unstoppable rhythm they had maintained through the city was beginning to fracture.
Xiao Hei was reaching her limit.
Xun Wei’s grip tightened slightly as her mind raced.
’Think... think!’
She forced herself to stay calm, pushing past the rising pressure in her chest as she searched for a way out. Her Qi reserves were nearly depleted—barely enough to form a single [ Solid Clone ]. Running was becoming harder. Fighting for any extended period was no longer an option.
They were running out of time.
Suddenly there was a sharp flash.
Pain tore across her arm as a sword strike grazed her, slicing through her sleeve and drawing a thin line of blood. The force behind it was precise, controlled—not meant to kill, but to test, to probe for weakness.
Xun Wei’s head snapped toward the direction it came from.
A man closed in from behind, his movements clean and efficient, his uniform distinct from the others.
A captain.
His gaze was locked onto her, cold and focused, his sword already shifting into position for a second strike.
This time, he didn’t hold back.
The blade descended with overwhelming force, tearing through the air as its pressure locked onto Xun Wei completely, leaving Xiao Hei with no room to evade without sacrificing their momentum.
Xun Wei’s eyes sharpened as she raised her sword to meet it.
Crzzzt—!
Sparks exploded outward as the two blades collided, the impact grinding violently as they held against each other for a brief, tense moment. The force behind the strike was immense, enough to crush through most defenses—but Xun Wei didn’t yield.
Then she pushed.
Her Qi never rose.
And yet—
The captain was forced back as if struck by something unseen.
His body was thrown off balance, sliding across the ground before he managed to stabilize. The moment his feet planted, a surge of pressure rushed through him, and he coughed up blood, his expression tightening in shock.
He hadn’t seen it. He hadn’t felt any surge of Qi, but something that had struck him directly and disrupted the force of his attack. Until he could understand what it was, charging in recklessly again would be suicide.
By the time he looked up, they were gone.
—
Riding atop Xiao Hei’s back, Xun Wei exhaled slowly, her breathing steadying as her mind finally settled.
She had a plan.
Leaning slightly forward, she spoke quietly, explaining what she needed Xiao Hei to do. As she finished, Xiao Hei gave a small nod, her eyes sharpening as understanding set in.
{"Leave it to me."}