Gao Xian was not deeply scheming, able to maintain a calm demeanor in the face of major events.
His ability to remain so calm was mainly due to the guidance of Sister Lan in the bureau.
Under the blessing of the Great Occult Divine Art, he could use reason to restrain his body and mind, effectively controlling negative emotions such as tension, unease, and panic.
On the other hand, his progress in spells was rapid, especially after defeating the Iron Scale Demon Tiger, which boosted his confidence.
In every aspect, he was indeed completely different from a few months ago.
"Dang, dang, dang..."
The deep sound of the time-reporting bronze bell echoed into the room, awakening Gao Xian from his quiet meditation.
This was the central area of the Flying Horse Assembly, where the bell could be heard very clearly.
According to popular belief in the Flying Horse Assembly, the bell not only told the time but also had the effect of calming the mind and dispelling evil spirits.
Dispelling evil spirits seemed unreliable, as the evil spirit that Old Wang turned into had been causing trouble in the Flying Horse Assembly for a long time.
The calming effect seemed to be true, as the bell, though deep, carried a hint of melodiousness.
Every time he heard the bell, Gao Xian felt a sense of peace and tranquility.
If he was asleep, he would not be awakened by the bell.
Three consecutive bell tolls indicated that it was the third watch of the night.
Gao Xian got out of bed, first using a cleansing spell on himself, not only for personal hygiene but also to help him wake up faster.
He organized the talismans, elixirs he would use, checked the Green Wood Armor, Azure Cloud Robe, Water-Fire Silk Boots, Stone-Cutting Sword, and Blue Lotus Crown.
This battle was very dangerous, so he needed to bring all the magical tools, talismans, and elixirs he could use.
After checking twice and finding no issues, Gao Xian left the bedroom, where Zhu Qianniang was already waiting in the living room.
"Have you checked the magical tools and talismans?" Gao Xian asked.
Zhu Qianniang nodded.
With her rich combat experience, she naturally wouldn't make mistakes in this regard.
Gao Xian hesitated and asked, "Do you want to have a late-night snack first?"
He then explained, "Eating well gives you more energy for the fight."
Zhu Qianniang glanced at Gao Xian and said calmly, "Are you serious?"
"Haha, I'm just afraid you might be nervous, so I wanted to lighten the mood..." Gao Xian chuckled, but his joke didn't seem very funny, as Zhu Qianniang showed no sign of amusement.
The sound of opening the door in the middle of the night could be very loud, alerting not only the residents but also outsiders.
Using the Wind Riding Art, the two of them flew over the wall, avoiding this problem effectively.
On the seventeenth day of the first month, in the third watch of the night, the moon in the sky was big and bright.
Both Gao Xian and Zhu Qianniang found the moon a bit dazzling.
For them, the more chaotic the battlefield, the better.
In a clear environment, cultivators were more likely to make calm judgments.
"How about we wait until the fifth watch to take action?" Gao Xian suggested.
The winter nights in the Flying Horse Assembly were long, and the moon would set at the fifth watch, making the sky darker.
"No, some cultivators will be practicing breathing exercises at the fifth watch," Zhu Qianniang shook her head. "The fourth watch is fine, even with the moon. The key is you."
"Alright."
Gao Xian didn't dwell on this issue.
With his expertise in the Shadowless Garb, the absence of moonlight wouldn't affect him.
The Flying Horse Assembly was not large, and Gao Xian and Zhu Qianniang quickly arrived at their destination.
It was still early, so they didn't rush to take action.
Gao Xian used the Shadowless Garb to circle the courtyard once, confirming that there were no guards or sentries around.
He hadn't seen anyone on guard duty last night, so out of caution, he wanted to double-check.
Normally, with such a large group of people gathering to do something illicit, there should have been rotating guard duty to prevent accidents.
However, these people were a motley crew and all cultivators, with lax dispositions.
In the deep winter night, even cultivators couldn't withstand such low temperatures.
It was normal for no one to be on guard duty.
The outer area of the Flying Horse Assembly was vast and sparsely populated, with distances between courtyards.
Except for the courtyard where Qing Ping and the others lived, the surrounding houses were empty.
It seemed that there were rampant demonic beasts, causing the scattered cultivators living on the outskirts to move to the central area.
Gao Xian found no issues after checking around.
He then took Zhu Qianniang to familiarize themselves with the surrounding environment.
In case they couldn't win the fight, they would know where to run.
At the fourth watch, the bronze bell rang, and Gao Xian and Zhu Qianniang both took a Qi-recovering elixir.
Their mana wasn't depleted, but taking the elixir in advance was a preparation for the battle.
The elixir needed time to convert into mana.
Low-grade Qi-recovering elixirs couldn't be consumed instantly.
At that moment, a few floating clouds drifted over, blocking the setting full moon, plunging the world into darkness.
"May the heavens assist me, this battle is a must-win!" Gao Xian felt a surge of excitement.
When the time to act was accompanied by such signs, it was a great omen.
Zhu Qianniang nodded vigorously. "This battle is a must-win. Let's go!"
Activating the Feather-Flying Art and Wind-Riding Art, and unleashing the Shadowless Garb, Gao Xian gracefully crossed over the courtyard gate, landing inside like a feather.
To prevent water from splashing, a stone path was laid in the courtyard.
Gao Xian landed on the largest stone slab.
This way, he could minimize any noise.
The Black Snake was at the ninth level of Qi cultivation, with sharp senses.
Even in a deep sleep, the slightest noise would alert him.
Despite his light-as-a-feather form, there would still be some noise when landing.
Fortunately, the Shadowless Garb covered even the slightest sound.
Gao Xian treaded carefully, making his way to the front of the main hall and positioning himself.
Outside the main gate, Zhu Qianniang counted to a hundred before hurling a heavy stone weighing several catties at the gate.
The stone rolled and flew several zhang before smashing into the gate, creating a large hole.
The thunderous noise woke all the cultivators in the courtyard.
Although the Red Snake Gang cultivators were lazy, their vigilance was high.
Several cultivators rushed out from the east and west wing rooms, holding swords and talismans, all looking towards the gate.
The hole in the gate and the stones in the courtyard left everyone shocked and angry.
Who dared to come in the middle of the night and smash the gate?
One cultivator activated a Wood Shield and ran to open the gate to look outside, but found nothing.
Other cultivators also came out, cursing and expressing their anger around the stone, feeling very indignant.
The main hall lit up, and the deep voice of the Black Snake came from inside, "What's going on?"
"Second Young Master, some bastard came and smashed the gate, leaving a big hole..." a cultivator meekly replied.
"Damn it," the Black Snake cursed.
He was comfortable in his warm bed with a beauty, and now this mess suddenly appeared.
The gate being broken wasn't a big deal and didn't cost much.
But they were up to no good in the Flying Horse Assembly, so they felt a bit uneasy.
Someone suddenly came to smash the gate.
Could it be that they discovered something?
The Black Snake felt he couldn't be careless.
He got up, put on his robe, and even though Qing Ping didn't want to get up, if the Black Snake was up, she couldn't stay in bed either.
Qing Ping helped the Black Snake put on his shoes and socks, and the two of them pushed the door open and went out.
With a significant difference in their status, the Black Snake naturally walked in front, with Qing Ping following a few steps behind.
Just as Qing Ping reached the door, before anyone came out, she saw a cold, snowy sword light flash out of thin air, directly slashing at the Black Snake's neck from behind.
The sudden and mysterious sword strike was swift like lightning, yet it carried a natural grace like a gentle breeze through willows.
She was so frightened that her mind went blank, letting out a sharp scream instinctively.
The Red Snake Gang cultivators facing the Black Snake also saw the dazzling sword light cutting across the sky.
They were all shocked.
The Black Snake, facing away from the sword light, couldn't see it, but he heard the low, sharp whistle of the sword edge cutting through the air.
With his keen eyes, he even saw the dazzling snow-colored sword light in the eyes of the cultivator opposite him.
The Black Snake was horrified.
Where did the sword come from?!
Despite his rich combat experience, in his moment of panic, he instinctively activated the Water Shield on his robe.
At the same time, he channeled his mana forward, trying to dodge the sword strike.
The mana on his Black Cloud Robe shimmered, about to form a shield, when the sword light lightly swept across the back of the Black Snake's neck.
Even the robust body of a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi cultivation couldn't withstand the Stone-Cutting Sword enhanced with sharp gold runes and the lightning-fast sword technique empowered by the Dragon-Subduing Hand.
The sword passed, the neck severed, and the head flew!
The formidable expert Black Snake, renowned in the Teng Snake Mountain, was killed by a single sword strike.
His headless body leaped forward several zhang before collapsing to the ground.
Gao Xian, who wielded the sword to kill the Black Snake, was covered by the transparent water-light robe of the Shadowless Garb, revealing his entire figure.
Gao Xian had already activated the Blue Lotus Crown, with its gentle light shrouding his face completely.
The Red Snake Gang cultivators looked at Gao Xian in astonishment, only able to see the vague features behind the gentle light, indicating that he was a man.
They couldn't see any details clearly.
Inside the house, Qing Ping recognized Gao Xian from his back, the Blue Lotus Crown on his head, and the blue robe he wore.
Qing Ping was certain that this person was Gao Xian! But she couldn't believe that the timid Gao Xian, as timid as a rabbit, had actually killed the formidable Black Snake with a single sword strike!
Even though she saw it with her own eyes, she still felt like it was all a dream, so unreal!
She couldn't help but think of a saying: "Difficult to know like the shadow, swift as thunder."
Just as Qing Ping was lost in thought, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her forehead, as if an invisible spear had pierced through her.
Before Qing Ping could react, she fainted on the spot.
Before she fainted, she vaguely saw a few red lights flashing and landing in the crowd.
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This chapter is complete.