After the arrow exploded, the poison powder it released felled another twenty or thirty unprepared martial artists.
The poison was incredibly vicious. Once inhaled, it quickly seeped into the Dantian Sea of Qi. Once it entered the internal organs, it was all over.
Because once the toxic gas infiltrated the internal organs, a martial artist could no longer mobilize their True Essence. Any attempt to circulate their power would only accelerate the poison's spread.
The force of over a thousand finally escaped the arrow's blast radius and reached a relatively open area.
A murderous glint shone in the eyes of several elders as they exchanged covert glances toward the direction the arrow had come from, silently communicating — should they charge over and kill
It wasn't that they didn't want to. It was that they, too, had been rattled by Jiang Chen's endless arsenal of tricks.
In terms of raw strength, any one of these elders far surpassed Jiang Chen. But the enemy was hidden while they were exposed. After witnessing so many of Jiang Chen's tricks, they truly didn't dare provoke him rashly.
If one or two went after him, they likely wouldn't catch him — and might even fall victim to his counterattacks.
If they all went together, the rest of the column would be left unguarded.
So the elders hesitated, caught between the desire to capture Jiang Chen and earn merit, and the worry of leaving their forces without protection.
After all, Jiang Chen's methods were terrifyingly effective. What if he pulled another diversion, lured them all away, then circled back to slaughter the column?
At that thought, the impulse gradually faded.
They thought it should be safe now, when suddenly another wail erupted from the crowd.
"Agh — my Dantian… I'm poisoned too!"
"Something's wrong — there's a poison source here as well!"
"Poison array… this is a poison array — it's everywhere… it's over, it's done!"
Panicked screams erupted once more. The elders' hearts went cold. It felt like this nightmare would never end.
A poison array! There was actually a poison array deployed on the scene!
It had been set with fiendish cunning, and its lethality was even more ferocious than the first wave.
Within a few breaths, over a hundred people collapsed from poisoning — among them no shortage of Spirit Realm powerhouses.
"Fall back! Keep falling back!"
The elders were on the verge of losing their minds. Would this ever end? Wave after relentless wave — was Jiang Chen trying to annihilate their entire force?
Even these well-traveled elders were stunned into silence by such methods.
One by one, they sealed their spiritual senses and shut down their Dantians, unwilling to risk any further contamination.
This time, they had learned their lesson. They would rather accept additional casualties than retreat blindly. Instead, they sent scouts ahead to verify safety before moving the column.
About a quarter of an hour later, the force finally reorganized.
Three consecutive assaults had left every member of both sects trembling with fear, like birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring. The slightest rustle sent waves of panic through the ranks — every shadow looked like an enemy.
Tallying the damage, the three waves of attacks had cost both sects over a hundred lives. Most were Yuan Realm martial artists, but nearly ten Spirit Realm powerhouses had fallen as well.
For the two sects, this was undoubtedly a devastating blow. It might not have crippled them entirely, but it had certainly broken bone and torn sinew.
Though both sects boasted deep benches of talent, Spirit Realm experts were still a finite resource.
They had dispatched nearly more than half their elite forces to attack the Dan Qian Palace — yet the losses had turned out to be catastrophic.
The most infuriating part? During the actual assault on Dan Qian Palace, casualties had been minimal. It was Jiang Chen, alone, who had made every last person feel unsafe and paranoid.
Half an hour later,
They came back empty-handed, having achieved nothing. Gong Wuji's face was so dark it could have dripped ink. Being toyed with and slapped in the face repeatedly had pushed even this Fourth Level Royal Realm powerhouse to the edge of his patience.
Seeing the chaotic wreckage, the two sect masters' hearts sank. They immediately demanded answers.
When they learned what had transpired, their hearts ached as though cut by knives, and they erupted into furious cursing.
"That beast — he's truly cunning!"
"Jiang Chen! The Thunder Sound Sect and you are mortal enemies — no peace between us as long as heaven stands!" The Thunder Sound Sect Master had endured foul luck for days on end, and the rage in his chest could no longer be contained. He bellowed at the sky.
Gong Wuji's fury burned even hotter. By now, he understood — Jiang Chen must have learned about what had happened in the Chiding Central Domain's imperial capital.
Otherwise, he would never have launched a preemptive attack. This was far more than a show of force. It was a complete and open rupture.
"My lord, that wretch Jiang Chen is crafty. Since he already knows that the Dan Qian Palace people are not in our custody, I suggest we give chase immediately. The longer we wait, the more danger Young Master Gong faces…"
A guard of Gong Qi's summoned his courage to offer the suggestion.
Gong Wuji was indeed furious with the two guards for failing to watch over Gong Qi, but he knew he needed every hand now. This was not the time for reprimands.
He drew a deep breath and nodded. "No time to waste. We pursue!"
He glanced sidelong at the two sect masters. "What say you?"
The Thunder Sound Sect Master's eyes blazed with fire. "We pursue, of course! Once I catch that brat, I'll grind his bones to dust!"
The Thunder Sound Sect had first lost