Yang Guo: I defied death and reached the heavens in The Return of the Condor Heroes

Hearing the sound of something cutting through the air, Yin Zhiping had no choice but to withdraw his attack midway and quickly dodge to the side.

A dart that pierced through the bone flew past his ear and embedded itself hard in the stone wall behind him with a crisp clang.

Liu Erxi's voice came from above, tinged with a hint of mockery:

"Hey, what kind of skill is it to bully our fourth son? If you're so capable, come at me."

Yin Zhiping's heart sank. The flaw he had painstakingly seized upon had been easily neutralized by a hidden dart.

He landed and steadied himself, reverting to a defensive stance, but a sense of unease crept into his heart.

The four of them cooperated even better than he had imagined, their offense and defense complementing each other perfectly, leaving him no room to defeat them one by one.

"Brothers, give it your all! This kid's about to give up!"

Seeing that he was forced back, Shi Mang grinned and attacked again with his sword.

The four tightened their encirclement step by step, with the wind from blades, the shadows of whips, the howling of giant hammers, and the stealthy attacks of hidden darts.

Yin Zhiping dodged and weaved with only his bare hands. Although his exquisite palm techniques were upright and harmonious, he was fighting bare-handed, and each move required a great deal of internal energy.

Before long, several fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, his breathing became rapid, and his movements were no longer as light and agile as before.

His dodge was slightly delayed, and the nine-section whip tore his left sleeve, leaving a shallow bloodstain on his skin.

He staggered back half a step, but his expression remained resolute.

He mobilized all the remaining internal energy in his dantian, slowly pushed out his palms, and the palm wind condensed into an invisible wall of energy, intending to find a way to break the deadlock before he was exhausted.

Shi Mang saw through his intentions, but did not rush to launch a fierce attack. Instead, he ordered Hu Xizu and Liu Erxi to continuously wear down Yin Zhiping's strength from the outside.

He himself proceeded steadily and cautiously, gradually compressing Yin Zhiping's space for maneuver, like a trapped beast being relentlessly pursued.

He was waiting—waiting for Yin Zhiping to run out of energy, waiting for a flaw to appear in his palm technique, and then he would finish the job with a single strike.

This method of patiently wearing down the enemy is far more suffocating than a fierce, relentless attack.

Yin Zhiping felt his restraints tightening, his strength rapidly dissipating, and his palm techniques gradually becoming sluggish.

Just as the battle was about to turn against them, a cold laugh suddenly came from the edge of the pine forest, as sharp as a dull blade scraping against stone, chilling to the bone:

"Junior Brother Yin, in the dead of night, you went to the entrance of the ancient tomb to engage in a private duel..."

"Tell me, if this gets back to the headmaster, will he punish you for breaking the rules and leaving without permission, or will he be more concerned about your injuries?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their heads and looked sideways.

Zhao Zhijing slowly walked out from the shadows of the pine trees.

He walked with his hands behind his back, his steps leisurely, as if he were taking a stroll in his own backyard.

But his gaze was like a cold nail, firmly fixed on Yin Zhiping's face, a cold smile playing on his lips, the deep meaning of a hunter waiting for his prey to fall into his trap.

He had been lying in wait behind the old pine tree for a long time, and had witnessed the entire struggle and entanglement that had just taken place among the rocks.

He watched coldly as Yin Zhiping discovered the four burly men.

Then he watched as Yin Zhiping flew into a rage upon hearing the words "Miss Long," and fought four bandits with his bare hands.

With each scene, Zhao Zhijing's confidence grew stronger—Yin Zhiping truly harbored ulterior motives towards Xiaolongnu.

He deliberately did not show himself until Yin Zhiping was injured and his breathing was unstable, and he was completely suppressed by the Four Fiends, before he slowly walked out of the pine forest.

The timing and sense of proportion were impeccable.

"Junior Brother Yin."

Zhao Zhijing's voice was not loud, but each word was clear, slowly spreading in the quiet night.

"Tonight you're wearing a short tunic, not a Taoist robe."

"You climbed over the wall in the backyard, didn't go through the main gate, and went straight to the ancient tomb in the back mountain."

"Tell me—if I were to tell Master Uncle everything that happened tonight, I wonder what he would think?"

Yin Zhiping's pupils suddenly contracted, and he stared intently at Zhao Zhijing, his teeth clenching so hard they were grinding.

His heart was in turmoil—how could Zhao Zhijing be here?

Was it just a chance encounter, or had it been following me all along?

A chill ran down his spine and through his body, but he suppressed his panic and said in a deep voice:

"Senior Brother Zhao, you've come at the perfect time."

"These four people broke into the back mountain late at night with the intention of harming the Ancient Tomb Sect. Let's work together to capture them and take them back to Chongyang Palace to be dealt with by the sect leader."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhijing merely chuckled and gently shook his head.

"Junior Brother Yin, you're not right about that."

"These four heroes have made it clear that they came to borrow martial arts manuals, not to harm anyone."

"But you, junior brother, as a cultivator under the Quanzhen Sect, are staying up late at night to show off your heroism in front of the ancient tomb."

"If word gets out, people who don't know the situation might think you're having an affair with the female leader of the Ancient Tomb Sect."

Upon hearing this, Yin Zhiping's expression darkened immediately:

"Zhao Zhijing! Don't you dare make false accusations!"

"I, Yin Zhixing, am upright and honest. If you have even a shred of the shame of a Quanzhen disciple, you should stand with me to fight the enemy, instead of standing here making sarcastic remarks and spreading rumors."

Zhao Zhijing's smile faltered slightly.

He hadn't expected that even in this predicament, Yin Zhiping would still refuse to back down and admit defeat.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone growing colder:

"To walk upright and sit properly?"

"Junior brother, when you say that, do you dare to look me in the eye?"

"Ask yourself honestly, didn't you rush to this mountain tonight because of that woman?"

These words were like a needle, precisely piercing Yin Zhiping's deepest secret.

Yin Zhiping's expression froze slightly, but he didn't avoid the other man's gaze. Instead, he looked directly at Zhao Zhijing and said, word by word:

"I came to the back mountain only to stop these villains from disturbing the ancient tomb. Whether you believe it or not—I don't care."

Their gazes collided violently in the darkness, neither willing to yield an inch.

The air on the rocky hill seemed to freeze, and even the sound of the wind in the forest sounded distant at this moment.

The four Zhongnan demons standing to the side were all stunned, not expecting another one to suddenly appear out of nowhere.

Moreover, judging from their verbal exchange, it's clear they're fighting amongst themselves.

Hu Xizu cursed under his breath and gripped the nine-section whip tightly.

Liu Erxi's shrewd eyes quickly swept between Yin Zhiping and Zhao Zhijing before she leaned close to Shi Mang's ear and whispered:

"Brother, these two aren't working together. Let them fight amongst themselves first, and we'll find a chance to retreat."

Shi Mang nodded slightly, holding his machete horizontally in front of him, but did not make a move immediately.

He was also quickly calculating in his mind that the Taoist priest who came later was clearly targeting the one surnamed Yin from before.

Moreover, the words implied that the man surnamed Yin had an ambiguous relationship with the female leader of the Ancient Tomb Sect.

This mess is getting deeper and deeper. The brothers came to steal the secret manual, not to get involved in the internal strife within the Quanzhen Sect.

The best outcome would be to escape during the lull between the two men, when they are locked in a stalemate.

Seeing that Yin Zhiping was determined to stand firm, Zhao Zhijing became even more smug.

He took a few steps forward unhurriedly, his tone feigning concern:

"Junior brother, we are brothers, and I don't want to push things too far."

"How about this—you go back first, and I'll take care of these friends for you."

"Let's pretend tonight's events never happened, shall we?"

Yin Zhiping's chest heaved violently; how could he not hear the threat in those words?

Once he backs down, Zhao Zhijing will have leverage over him.

If he doesn't back down, Zhao Zhijing will turn around and tell Qiu Chuji everything that happened tonight, leaving him speechless.

Yin Zhiping was momentarily flustered and at a loss. His fingertips clenched slightly, and a heart full of dilemmas was stuck in his chest. Even if he had a thousand reasons to say something, he couldn't utter a single word at this moment.

Zhao Zhijing stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on Yin Zhiping. There was no trace of impatience on his face, but his expression showed that he was already confident of victory.