Blood Wind Thief

At the moment when the entire building of the library rumbled and shook, Ye Zhiqiu rushed towards the direction of the library with a grim expression on her face.Her figure was as swift as the wind, soaring through the air like an eagle, barely touching the ground.

As she hurried, Ye Zhiqiu cursed inwardly.After the new disciples entered the building, they would stay inside for two whole days. As a respected instructor, she couldn't possibly wait outside the library all that time.She had already made plans to meet with Lin, the head of the city's eastern district, to have tea and play mahjong later.

However, Ye Zhiqiu never expected that before she could even leave the martial arts school, such an incident would occur in the building.When she landed on the steps in front of the library, she saw Shao Lingshan, the head of the west courtyard, and Qiu Feng, the head of the north courtyard, standing in front, facing off against a blood-clothed youth behind the main gate.

The youth, around fifteen or sixteen years old, had a sharp nose and deep eyes, exuding a cold aura. He looked outside with a slight hint of mockery.

Ye Zhiqiu was somewhat puzzled, but without hesitation, she glided into the building."Old Qiu, Shao Lingshan, what's going on? Why are you just standing there watching?" she asked.However, Shao Lingshan's expression was icy cold, unmoving. "Don't go over, come back!"How could Ye Zhiqiu listen to her arch-rival? She had already reached the front gate and reached out to grab the blood-clothed youth by the neck.

The youth didn't resist at all, standing there with a smile on his face.At that moment, there was a sudden loud explosion from inside the building.Ye Zhiqiu was slightly stunned as she looked towards the source of the sound.It came from the third door on the left corridor, with a large number of flames spewing out from inside.

She also noticed scorch marks on the other two doors inside the building."That's one of your Ten Disciplines, the Martial Dao True Intention Diagram of Raining Cloud Palm, and now it has been reduced to ashes," said the blood-clothed youth with an evil smile. "Ye Instructor, for every step you take forward now, one true intention diagram inside this library will turn to ashes. And if anything happens to me, this entire building of books and everyone inside will be buried with me."

Ye Zhiqiu's gaze filled with shock and doubt.

She was unsure whether what the other party said was true or false.

The Blood-Clad Youth chuckled and took out a fiery red talisman, waving it in front of Ye Zhiqiu. "See this? It's the Exploding Flames Talisman. It costs around ten taels of demonic silver on the market. There are a total of 6,900 of these talismans buried inside this building, with enough power to blow the entire building to the sky. If you don't believe me, feel free to try it yourself." Ye Zhiqiu couldn't help but gasp as she saw numerous identical fiery talismans plastered on the nearby walls. But what were these people planning to do with such a grand gesture? 6,900 Exploding Flames Talismans amounted to 69,000 taels of demonic silver.

The Blood-Clad Youth nonchalantly brushed away Ye Zhiqiu's hand and said, "If Head Instructor Ye is unwilling to try again, then please leave and remember to close the door!" Ye Zhiqiu's face turned pale, but she stood still in her place.

Just as she hesitated, a majestic and cold voice came from behind, "Head Instructor Ye, please step back. This rascal should be telling the truth." Ye Zhiqiu turned around and saw that the Library Master, Lei Yuan, a towering figure like a mountain, was already standing at the door. Beside him stood another person. He was a middle-aged man dressed in the attire of a Captain of the Imperial Guard, with green hair, green beard, and green eyebrows, giving him a very peculiar appearance. Ye Zhiqiu instantly recognized him as Cao Xuan, the Captain of the Imperial Guard in charge of the Eastern Garrison in Jin Yi Wei.

She let out a muffled groan and reluctantly stepped back, but she didn't close the heavy iron-wooden door behind her. However, two disciples wearing inner sect attire came out and pushed the door, slowly closing the heavy door made of iron and wood. After Ye Zhiqiu exited, she noticed that there were still a large number of Imperial Guards streaming in outside the courtyard. They were all clad in heavy armor, wielding swords and emitting a murderous aura, completely surrounding the twelve-story library, making it impossible for anyone to escape.

Ye Zhiqiu couldn't help but look suspiciously at Lei Yuan and Cao Xuan, "Lord Library Master, Captain Cao, may I ask what is going on? Who are these people inside? Where did these thieves come from?"

"They are the Blood Wind Bandits under Li Daogui's command." It was Cao Xuan who spoke, his green eyebrows slightly raised. "About three days ago, our undercover agents discovered someone purchasing a large quantity of Exploding Flames Talismans on the black market. They immediately reported back to the Eastern Garrison. We traced it back and finally locked onto the wanted criminal Li Daogui. This person infiltrated the Shuiyin County not long ago, and we don't know his intentions. I, as the Captain, conducted a thorough investigation and eventually found the Zhengyang Martial Hall, but unfortunately, we were one step too late."

Lei Yuan's brows furrowed as he looked intently at Cao Xuan. "Why is Li Daogui, who has no enmity with the Unbounded Divine Sect, here in our Zhengyang Martial Hall?"

Cao Xuan's face immediately darkened as he turned his gaze towards the twelve-story tower ahead. "It must be because of Qin Mugge's 'Rebel God Flag.' He somehow received information and believes that the clue to the Rebel God Flag might be hidden in this library."

Lei Yuan and the other instructors present exchanged a perplexed look.

Lei Yuan then rubbed his temples with a pained expression, contemplating how to resolve this dangerous situation.

"Don't worry," Cao Xuan reassured, with his hands behind his back, his eyes fixed on the windows of the seventh floor. "Although the power of those explosive talismans is formidable, they require someone to activate them remotely using spells. The Bloodwind Pirates were recently heavily damaged by our Eastern Garrison, and Li Daogui's forces now only have one surviving artificer at the 'lower eighth rank.' If we eliminate this person, Li Daogui and his gang of rebels won't stand a chance."

As Cao Xuan spoke, four figures dressed in black silently opened several windows.

Just as they were about to infiltrate, Cao Xuan's pupils suddenly contracted. He noticed numerous crossbow bolts, ranging in length, shooting out from the windows.

These were flying locust crossbows, which instantly riddled the four black-clad individuals with holes, causing them to fall from the seventh floor without making a sound.

Four elite Jin Yiwei, with formidable strength at the 'upper eighth rank,' had lost their lives in an instant.

Following this, four burning scrolls dropped from the seventh-floor windows.

Lei Yuan glanced at them from afar and couldn't help but twitch his face. He felt a sense of regret for the fallen Jin Yiwei and also lamented the loss of those scrolls.Those were four true intent diagrams of the sixth rank, each worth a fortune.The Bloodwind Pirates' members really lived up to their reputation.He looked at Cao Xuan, whose face turned as dark as a bottom of a pot, and asked, "What other options do we have, Cao Xuan? Launching a direct assault is not advisable. The books and true intent diagrams inside this library are worth millions of devil silver. Furthermore, these diagrams and visualization diagrams are priceless. If this building is destroyed, neither you nor I will be able to bear the consequences."

Cao Xuan's expression fluctuated, and after a moment of contemplation, he gritted his teeth. "We need to find a way through the artificers. Before launching a direct assault, we must first eliminate this person. Since our people can't infiltrate, we need to establish contact with someone inside. The martial instructors from your Zhengyang Martial Hall who are in the building, or the higher-ranked true disciples, will do. We can distract them from the outside and provide an opportunity for him to get close and take action."

Most of the martial instructors from the Zhengyang Martial Hall were at the 'seventh rank,' while the true disciples were generally at the 'eighth rank' in terms of strength.This should be more than sufficient since the weakness of an artificer lies in their lack of close combat ability. Once engaged at close range, a ninth-rank martial practitioner would be more than capable of dealing with an eighth-rank artificer.However, Lei Yuan was deeply troubled.

At this particular time, there were no true disciples or even lower-ranked disciples within the library. The twenty or so martial instructors in the building were likely in grave danger, and there seemed to be no viable contacts inside.Out of the over four hundred lower-ranked disciples, only three had achieved a combat strength of below ninth rank, and the rest were significantly less capable. Even these three individuals were outmatched, and sending them into battle would be akin to sending them to their deaths.

Lei Yuan shook his head and expressed the need to confirm if any of the martial artists inside were still alive.At this moment, Shao Lingshan interjected with an alternative suggestion: "The Blood Wind Bandits are always thorough in their actions. Before they make a move, they will certainly eliminate all the martial instructors to avoid any risks. In my opinion, Lord Qianhu, it's best not to rely on them. However, there is one person inside the building who could be of use."

He smiled faintly, a glint of excitement in his eyes: "Yesterday, a young man named Chu Xisheng wounded Long Sheng, the second son of the Long family, with just one strike of his blade. His swordsmanship was as swift as lightning, and the master of the hall praised his concise and refined technique, acknowledging his mastery of the 'Swift Sword Technique.' If this person can get close to the artificer, he will surely succeed.""Shao Lingshan!" Ye Zhichun shouted with intense anger in his eyes. "Stop spouting nonsense! Chu Xisheng hasn't even reached the second level of inner strength. Do you want him to throw his life away?"

Lei Yuan also looked displeased, his gaze carrying a hint of severity as he addressed Shao Lingshan.Objectively speaking, if the artificer was truly of a lower eighth rank, there might be a chance for Chu Xisheng. However, the risks involved were countless. Even if Chu Xisheng succeeded, how could they withstand the retaliation of the Blood Wind Bandits? He would likely end up dead before they even breached the building.Cao Xuan let out a thoughtful sound, his gaze flickering as he fell into deep contemplation. From what he knew, the second son of the Long family also practiced the Swift Sword Technique.

If the young man named Chu Xisheng could outmatch Long Sheng with his swift sword, then his speed with the blade must be quite formidable. If there were no available martial artists left inside the building, then this young man could also be put to use.