Chapter 378: No Turning Back

As the Naga Serpent spewed its venom, the few remaining conscious individuals in the house instantly realized why these three men had walked so brazenly into the Cai family's courtyard without encountering any resistance. The speed of the serpent, combined with the visibly toxic green mist, meant the ordinary soldiers were nothing but cannon fodder.

Master Yunmiao's sword had somehow already found its way into her hand. The crimson tassel of the sword swayed in the wind, and her body exuded a powerful true energy. She met the Naga Serpent head-on, raising her hand to unleash a barrage of sword light!

The toxic mist was sliced apart by the sword light, dispersing harmlessly into the air without posing a significant threat.

"Daoist, I'll handle this beast. You focus on the flute player!" Master Yunmiao commanded.

Yujizi had already planned for this. With his exceptional agility, he leaped into the air, landing in front of Garuda, the flute player. Channeling his Kunlun sect's unique Qianyuan Gong energy, he aimed a powerful palm strike at Garuda's head!

But before Yujizi could land his blow, Garuda swiftly retreated, and the burly man with the exposed bronze chest stepped in to block Yujizi.

"Hmph!"

Yujizi's palm strike, charged with immense internal force, hit the man's chest directly. Despite a grunt from the impact, the man remained unmoved!

Yujizi was shocked. The internal force in that strike could shatter a boulder, yet this man had withstood it without flinching!

"Your internal skills from Yanxia are indeed impressive. For my brother, Da Li Luo Ma, to react to your strike, you should consider yourself proud," the black-haired man commented, as if watching a show.

Yujizi, not daring to be careless, took a few steps back. Seeing Da Li Luo Ma was unscathed and looking at him mockingly, Yujizi became furious.

"Don't think that just because you withstood one of my strikes, I have no means to deal with you!" Yujizi declared.

Noticing Master Yunmiao holding her ground against the serpent, Yujizi felt reassured. He drew a flexible sword from his waist.

"Swoosh!"

The sword light flowed like moonlight, forming a faint Taiji pattern of Yin and Yang in its wake.

"Let's see if you can handle my Kunlun Bagua Dragon Sword!"

The black-haired man frowned, sensing the formidable nature of Yujizi's attack. However, he showed no intention of helping Da Li Luo Ma, instead shifting his attention towards the main hall.

Having settled Cai Yuncheng in the back, Cai Ning hurried out. She knew her skills were far inferior to those of Master Yunmiao and Yujizi, especially someone like Yujizi who had reached the innate stage. But at this moment, she had no choice but to fight, for this was her home!

The members of Dragon Group Two, affected by the flute's sound and terrified by the Naga Serpent, decided to retreat to report the situation to Lin Zhiguo for further action.

Yong Ye struggled and tried to persuade Cai Ning to flee, but when she refused, he gritted his teeth and joined his team in a "strategic retreat."

"You're no match for me," the black-haired man sneered, seeing the determined look in Cai Ning's eyes.

"We'll see about that," Cai Ning replied calmly, her hand already filled with fine silver needles while her other hand held a willow-leaf blade.

The black-haired man's eyes flickered with a hint of surprise. "Is this the legendary hidden weapon of Yanxia? I haven't seen it before. Perhaps you can indeed provide me with some amusement," he said leisurely. "My name is Kuroten. And you, woman?"

"Huayu," Cai Ning replied. As soon as she finished speaking, her hand sent a flurry of willow-leaf blades flying towards Kuroten's limbs, chest, and throat like a swarm of locusts.

Kuroten didn't move an inch. His dark brown eyes had somehow turned ashen. Immediately, all the blades Cai Ning had thrown were inexplicably reflected back towards her, their speed undiminished!

A chill ran down Cai Ning's spine. The scene before her defied her understanding of martial arts. She had encountered some supernatural abilities before, but never had she seen anyone use such power so effortlessly!

Could Brahma, this hidden and mysterious Indian sect, really possess such capabilities?

Cai Ning's agility was top-notch. Being a disciple of the Tang Sect, renowned for its dexterous movements, she managed to evade all her own returning blades.

"Huayu, be wary of his mental power!" Master Yunmiao shouted in the midst of battling the Naga Serpent. "He's a master of ancient yoga, with profound mental strength. His supernatural abilities are elusive and can't be countered by ordinary means!"

Mental power?!

Cai Ning was alarmed. She recalled once seeing a master who practiced mental cultivation, using it to bend a steel rod with sheer willpower. At the time, she hadn't thought much of such abilities. But witnessing it today, she realized that advanced mental power could indeed be this formidable!

"Don't daydream, woman," Kuroten sneered. "It's my turn to throw 'hidden weapons'."

As Kuroten spoke, within a radius of six feet around him, countless pebbles, leaves, and grass clippings began to levitate as if losing their weight, floating into the air!

"I don't have as fancy hidden weapons as you do, but for me, anything can be a weapon."

With that, the assorted debris transformed into deadly projectiles, accompanied by countless piercing sounds, surging towards Cai Ning!

Cai Ning leaped multiple times, dodging the transformed projectiles. Simultaneously, she threw a handful of ultra-fine silver needles from various angles, targeting Kuroten's vital points.

"It's useless," Kuroten scoffed. As the needles approached within a foot of him, they all halted in mid-air, unable to advance further!

"Returning them to you," he said.

Cai Ning could hardly believe how easily her techniques were countered. If any hidden weapon could be blocked like this, even her ultimate skill, "Rain of Blossoms," would be nothing more than a parlor trick!

Meanwhile, realizing the dire situation, Master Yunmiao decided to unleash her full combat prowess. She sent a powerful sword energy strike that temporarily repelled the Naga Serpent, then swung her three-foot-long green blade in a complex arc.

"Xingyun Sword Technique!"

With a fierce shout, Master Yunmiao leapt into the air, soaring over the rooftop, her body spinning rapidly. As she rotated, her long sword began to emit dazzling, radiant colors—red, orange, yellow, green, purple, and more—forming a brilliant, swirling nebula.

Garuda commanded the Naga Serpent to leap at Master Yunmiao, but despite its powerful tail, the serpent couldn't jump high enough. It could only watch as she gathered her sword energy.

The Shushan sect's techniques were known for their destructive power. Master Yunmiao, now fighting for her life, held nothing back, focusing all her energy into one devastating strike.

"Daoist! Cai Ning! Withdraw immediately!" Master Yunmiao shouted.

Seeing this, Yujizi and Cai Ning quickly leaped aside.

The radiant nebula suddenly flashed brightly, and a circular mass of colored energy burst forth with a series of muffled explosions.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!"

Multi-colored sword energy, resembling a meteor shower, rained down on the Naga Serpent, Garuda, Da Li Luo Ma, and Kuroten, sweeping through them like a storm.

The sword energy was as sharp as blades, but with greater penetration and killing power, and carried explosive properties that made it extremely difficult to handle. The Naga Serpent, with its tough skin, writhed in pain but withstood the assault. However, Garuda, lacking such protection, was severely injured, his body covered in cuts, and could no longer play his flute.

Da Li Luo Ma, with some unknown martial art, braced his arms against the storm of sword energy, standing his ground. Nevertheless, his arms bled profusely from numerous cuts, showing the immense strain he was under.

Even Kuroten, who had been calm and collected, now looked serious. The gray light in his eyes spread, and the sword energy around him was neutralized in mid-air.

As Master Yunmiao landed, Garuda was already a bloodied mess, unable to continue fighting. The Naga Serpent, concerned for its master, slithered back to his side, hissing at Master Yunmiao.

Da Li Luo Ma roared in anger, smashing three stone floor tiles with his stomping feet, his eyes blood-red, and charged at Master Yunmiao!

Seeing the burly man rushing at her with such ferocity, Master Yunmiao braced herself, her sword ready, knowing she was in for a fierce battle.

After unleashing the incredibly destructive Xingyun Sword Technique, Master Yunmiao had depleted nearly all of her true energy, leaving her unable to continue fighting. Yujizi, noticing this, positioned himself in front of Yunmiao, switching to his Yulong Tiangang Sword Technique to engage the heavily injured Da Li Luo Ma.

Da Li Luo Ma, having endured significant damage from the sword energy, was not as strong as before. His punches and kicks were no match for Yujizi's soft sword, imbued with powerful innate energy, forcing him to retreat step by step.

"Retreat!"

Seeing the dire situation, Kuroten stepped in front of Yujizi. His gray-white eyes flashed, and Yujizi's powerful Dragon Rising Sword was halted mid-strike.

"Tricks of the trade!"

Yujizi hadn't used his full strength initially. Now, seeing Kuroten dare to face his sword head-on, he refused to back down. He unleashed the full force of his Qianyuan Gong, his innate energy flooding out like a deluge, forming a spiraling vortex that shattered Kuroten's mental energy field.

"Zzzt!"

Kuroten stumbled back three or four steps, narrowly avoiding Yujizi's lethal strike. Before he could regain his balance, a dozen plum blossom darts flew towards the back of his head!

"Damn it!"

Kuroten realized it was an ambush from Cai Ning's hidden weapons. He hastily dispersed another layer of mental energy to alter the trajectory of the darts and then moved swiftly to Da Li Luo Ma's side.

"Let's go!"

Knowing they couldn't immediately defeat Yujizi and the others, Kuroten decided to retreat with the still-capable Da Li Luo Ma. The latter, obedient to Kuroten's command, followed him over the courtyard wall and fled.

Cai Ning wanted to give chase, but Yujizi stopped her. "Don't pursue. They are in the dark, we are in the light. If there is an ambush, it would be disastrous."

"But—"

"Look," Yujizi pointed to Master Yunmiao, who was sitting cross-legged and regulating her breath. "She has expended too much true energy and needs immediate rest. Moreover, if we are under attack, others must be too. We need to contact the general immediately. Don't forget their main objective!"

"You mean—"

"Yes," Yujizi said gravely. "Their main force must be heading to the aircraft carrier development base. We need to contact the general and head there immediately!"

Cai Ning calmed herself, quickly taking out the internal communication phone of the Yanhuang Iron Brigade. She dialed Lin Zhiguo's number to inquire about the current situation.

The phone was answered after only a few rings, causing Cai Ning to breathe a slight sigh of relief.

"General, it's a great relief to hear you're safe."

The other end of the line was silent for a moment. Suddenly, a deep male voice spoke in broken Chinese, "Are you from the Yanhuang Iron Brigade?"

Cai Ning's heart, which had just settled, jumped into her throat again. Her eyes widened as she asked coldly, "Who are you? Why do you have the General's phone? Where is the General?"

"Your General is fine, he's right next to me, but it's inconvenient for him to speak to you right now," the man said in an extremely calm and emotionless tone. "As for me, they all call me the Great Brahma King."