NOVEL NEXT Chapter 435: Time For Trickery
Xuan Qing's eyes never left the opposing group, her qi already surging faintly around her. "Do not waste energy in fear. Whatever happens, hold your ground."
Han Yu remained silent, his mind still racing even as he steadied his breathing. He knew full well that courage and determination would not be enough. Numbers and cultivation levels were cruel in their simplicity. And the Mist Eye Sect had both on their side.
The silence between the two groups stretched on. Seconds felt like hours as every disciple weighed their choices.
Would the Mist Eye Sect strike first, overwhelming them with sheer force? Or would they wait, forcing the Twin Leaf Peak Sect to make the first desperate move?
Han Yu's eyes flicked back to Meng Jueyan once more.
She had lowered her gaze, her lips pressed into a thin line.
She would not act openly. That much was clear. At most, she might be able to help him subtly in the chaos of battle. But for now, she stood with her sect, and the cold reality of thirty enemies pressed heavily upon him.
His heartbeat slowed, no longer racing but steady and deliberate. The storm of panic in his chest hardened into something else, something sharper. If this was to be a fight to the death, then he would not cower. He would carve out survival with blade, soul, and cunning.
The chamber remained deathly quiet, both groups poised on the edge of violence, each breath thick with the tension of what was to come.
Han Yu tightened his grip on his sword, his mind echoing with a single thought.
'There is no running from this. This is the battlefield. Live or die, I will face it head on.'
Han Yu's breath came slow and steady, but his mind was anything but calm. It seemed like a long time had passed, but it had barely been a few seconds.
The oppressive silence between the two groups seemed to stretch endlessly, each side waiting for the other to move. He could feel the tension knotting his gut, and his instincts screamed that a frontal clash here would be suicide.
Thirty Mist Eye Sect disciples stood before them, the overwhelming majority in the Core Condensation realm.
Three of them radiated a sharp, suffocating pressure, the unmistakable presence of peak Core Condensation experts. That level of cultivation was already too much for the Twin Leaf Peak group to handle. Their own senior disciples might have experience, but none of them had the strength to match such opponents head-on.
Even if they combined their power, even if they threw every talisman, skill, and ounce of courage into the battle, they would still crumble like dry leaves in the wind. Han Yu had no illusions about this. He could fight well against enemies of similar rank, but against such overwhelming force, he would simply be crushed.
'No.'
To survive here, he would have to use what he knew best.
Not strength. Not direct confrontation.
Trickery.
He turned his gaze, locking eyes with Meng Jueyan across the formation. Her face was pale, her lips pressed into a thin line. When their eyes met, he caught her silent words again, mouthed clearly despite the turmoil—"Run. Wrong Time."
Han Yu's jaw tightened. She was right, of course. But running was impossible. The shifting pathways of the repository had trapped them in loops, sending them back no matter which way they tried to escape. And the new path that should have revealed itself had not yet appeared. They were caged in with predators. There was no exit.
Then that meant there was only one option left. They would not fight to win. They would fight to live.
Han Yu's mind sharpened, cutting through his fear like a blade through silk. His eyes scanned his companions quickly. They were nervous, some trembling, some gripping their weapons so tightly their knuckles had turned white. They were waiting for a signal, a decision.
Han Yu gave them one.
He made deliberate eye contact with each of them, one after another, his gaze steady and commanding. He let his eyes speak what his mouth could not: Follow me. Trust me. Do not hesitate.
Having already seen Han Yu's tactics and insight so far, they were already beginning to trust him.
And then, without a word of warning, he reached into his pouch and pulled out a handful of pills. He let his qi surge through his voice, magnifying his command as he shouted loudly enough for everyone, friend and foe alike, to hear.
"Everyone, bite the detox pills in your mouths!"
His allies blinked in confusion.
'Detox pills?'
They had none. But none of them voiced their doubts. They had fought alongside Han Yu long enough to know he always had a reason for his madness.
The Mist Eye Sect disciples, however, had no such understanding. Their expressions shifted in alarm, and several of them immediately tried to circulate their qi to form protective barriers.
Han Yu did not wait for them to piece the puzzle together. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the entire handful of pills into their midst.
A loud poof echoed through the corridor as the pills burst apart in midair. A swirling cloud of multicolored smoke erupted, spreading quickly and filling the space with a strange haze.
The Mist Eye Sect disciples instantly panicked. To them, this could only be one thing—poison.
"Hold your breaths!" someone shouted from their side.
The disciples obeyed without hesitation, locking their lungs and drawing defensive qi around themselves to resist whatever insidious toxins might invade their bodies.
It was exactly the reaction Han Yu had gambled on.
The moment their focus shifted, Han Yu acted. His soul qi surged as he unleashed his Soul Skill—the soul needles. Thin, nearly invisible streaks of sharp soul qi shot from his fingertips, targeting the strongest among their enemies.
Five disciples stiffened, their expressions twisting in sudden shock and confusion. The needles pierced into their minds, stunning them briefly, throwing their concentration into chaos. Even the three peak Core Condensation disciples faltered for a heartbeat, their auras trembling under the impact.