Feng Yinwan's needle-drawing movements were exceptionally swift.
By the time Qi Xuan and Qiwu reacted, the silver needle was already at the Xuan-clothed man's throat.
"Swish—"
In the darkness, a streak of bright silver appeared with fierce momentum. The Xuan-clothed man's pupils contracted, and his body leaned back.
The silver needle whizzed past his nostril, embedding itself deeply into the wooden door with lethal force, penetrating the wood three inches deep.
If this needle had struck flesh, it would have pierced bone and heart.
Without giving them any chance to react, Feng Yinwan directly broke through the screen and advanced.
Several more silver needles were shot out in succession. Concealed by her figure and the darkness, her technique was so fast that it was impossible to see her movements clearly.
Seeing this, a ruthless glint flashed in the Xuan-clothed man's eyes. He leaned to evade, and a double-edged throwing knife was flung from his sleeve, striking the silver needle and then returning to his hand.
He was using concealed weapons too.
Seeing that only Feng Yinwan was attacking, the man retracted his throwing knife into his sleeve, exchanged a glance with the others beside him, and then continued his rush towards the palace hall's exit.
"Trying to run?"
A cold smile touched Feng Yinwan's lips. "Qiwu."
The figure on the beam descended in an instant, directly blocking the hall door.
Qiwu, skilled in hand-to-hand combat, delivered a powerful palm strike. The gusting palm wind forced the Xuan-clothed man to spin and retreat.
They were now trapped in the hall, with Qiwu blocking the front and Feng Yinwan flanking. Meanwhile, from the shadows behind the screen, Ye Tinglan remained as still as death, making no sound.
Uncertain of his intentions, Feng Yinwan frowned and decided to ignore him for now.
"Qiwu, capture them alive. Leave no survivors."
"Yes."
The moment the words fell, several poison pills were hurled towards them.
Having seen their poison before, Feng Yinwan dared not be careless. She flashed aside, retreating several steps.
In return, she flung several poison pills.
As the pills collided in mid-air, they burst into colorful poisonous mists.
The two mists intertwined and spread, appearing to be evenly matched, neither overpowering the other.
Feng Yinwan's expression turned serious, her gaze fixed.
Though the Xuan Sect did not overly pursue poison arts, the elixirs they refined were all orthodox and possessed extremely potent medicinal properties, difficult to counteract.
Yet, in this situation, it seemed the villains' poison was indeed formidable.
The opponent clearly hadn't anticipated this either. Upon realizing what kind of elixirs were confronting theirs, his expression changed drastically.
The two people in the hall were actually from the Xuan Sect!
It seemed they were also after the Hundred Wood Lingxi.
The leader protected the iron box he held and, with a wave of his hand, flung three throwing knives from his sleeve.
He propelled the knives through the air with his internal energy. In an instant, they seemed to have chosen their target and flew directly towards Qiwu's face.
"Careful!"
The sharp blades flashed, their purple hue indicating they were coated in potent poison.
In close combat, one could not match concealed weapons. Qiwu dodged, but the throwing knives, like soul-devouring specters, relentlessly pursued him.
Moreover, after several exchanges, their force showed no signs of weakening.
The man's internal energy was that profound.
Feng Yinwan wanted to step forward to help but was blocked by the others.
While they didn't use poison, they were all equipped with short knives and possessed considerable skill. Under their combined assault, she couldn't break free for a moment.
"Ch-!"
With a sharp cry, the three throwing knives disintegrated in mid-air, splitting instantly into six half-blades.
They were then manipulated by the Xuan-clothed man, attacking Qiwu from different directions.
The speed was too great. Feng Yinwan's heart tightened as she saw this. During a brief counter, several silver needles flew out.
The needle blades collided, blocking two of the knives attacking Qiwu from behind. The remaining four were deflected by Qiwu's internal energy.
As soon as he shook them off, the man had already bypassed him and was breaking through the door.
He intended to escape!