This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

Chapter 235 The Origins of the Shadow Clan

"Are you sure you don't want to hand over the person?"

"I don't even know who you're talking about, what do you want me to pay?"

"Then you go die."

The shadow revealed a sinister smile, then vanished into thin air. This made Xiao Xingchen tense up, while Huangfu Lingxue surveyed the surroundings with a grave expression.

She was always the one whose whereabouts were unpredictable, but today was the first time even she couldn't figure out how the shadow had vanished.

"careful,"

Huangfu Lingxue was suddenly startled. From the shadow beneath Xiao Xingchen, a sword light suddenly flashed, pointing directly at his back.

"Hmph, I've been on guard against you for a long time,"

The demonic blood on the hibiscus tree glowed, and streaks of red marks suddenly appeared on his back.

With a "clang," the red scales formed from demonic blood collided with the sword's edge, and Xiao Xingchen was thrown back by the force of the impact.

"I want to see what this thing really is."

Although he was knocked away, he did not remain idle. His sword could not touch the invisible, and this shadow was not something that his sword could harm. However, the power on the Fusang tree in his heart was more than just this one.

The Source Runes suddenly flickered; he wanted to test whether such ethereal things could trap him. Behind him, Source Runes began to appear on the ground, ready to cover the area whenever the shadow attacked again.

He believed that as long as he could locate the shadow, his sword would be able to wound it.

But all of this was just speculation. They knew nothing about the Shadow Clan. The shadow quickly launched another attack. The moment he landed, sword light flashed beneath his feet again. This time, the sword light attacked his head at an angle.

Right now, "Source Mark, Brand,"

This was his crudest method of using Source Runes: imprinting them onto the shadow. However, the Source Runes flickered incessantly, making it impossible to locate the shadow itself. The shadow remained just a shadow; it appeared on the ground, but the ground was already covered in Source Runes.

This made Xiao Xingchen frown. It wouldn't work; the Source Patterns couldn't detect the Shadow Clan's presence either.

He dodged the sword light that appeared beneath him, not daring to be careless. He immediately flew into the air, while Huangfu Lingxue was already standing in the air. As long as they didn't touch the ground, their shadows could be ignored.

"Did you understand his sword technique?" Xiao Xingchen asked as he approached her.

"I can't see through him. My Ghost Sword is hidden in the void, and it can still be found even under the suppression of the Absolute Realm. But this person... he seems to really come from behind the shadows. Just like Xizhu said, he stands in a different world from us, drawing his sword from another world to directly harm us."

"To take down this shadow, we must find a power that can connect to another world. How could Father Emperor possess such hidden power? It's unbelievable,"

Huangfu Lingxue's astonished expression betrayed the turmoil within her. This kind of power, even in the Ninth Heaven, was probably unmatched; it was an attack method spanning two worlds.

"This is troublesome. Emperor Wu wants to arrest Consort Xian and has even sent someone like this. What did Consort Xian do to provoke Emperor Wu's wrath?" Xiao Xingchen looked towards the imperial palace; all of this seemed unbelievable.

"We'll know when we see Consort Xian. The current problem is how to deal with this person—whether to kill him or..."

“If we let him go back, Consort Xian’s whereabouts will be exposed. Fortunately, this shadow has a mysterious origin and no one knows that he came to Prince Kao’s mansion. We can find an excuse to kill him directly.”

"Kill him? You're kidding. We don't even know how to attack this guy right now, and besides, with such a commotion,"

"Emperor Wu doesn't know who broke into the Prince Kao Shan's mansion. Besides, people from all the countries have been lured here. There's no need to consider anything else but how to get rid of this Shadow Clan member."

Xiao Xingchen had already planned it out. This person's origins were mysterious, and no one could detect them. Even if the Martial Emperor guessed that he was going to be killed here, there would be no evidence to prove it. Moreover, he had already attracted other people. Once things got chaotic, who would know that they had killed a member of the Shadow Clan?

Even assuming the worst, Emperor Wu didn't believe he had the strength to kill such a person. Aside from Xizhu, probably no one else knew the true nature of the Shadow Clan.

If Xizhu truly has a way to eliminate this Shadow Clan member, Emperor Wu will definitely assume that other experts have infiltrated, and that Xizhu is the one he overlooked.

"According to your plan, we need to seal off this courtyard."

“I’ve already thought it through. I’ll go down and distract them first. When Xizhu arrives, you tell her to help me kill this Shadow Clan member. I’ll tell him about Master Zhu Wu’s background.”

"Speak," Xiao Xingchen landed back on the ground, awaiting the attack from the shadows.

Xiao Xingchen's mind is becoming more and more mature. From being clueless when he transmigrated to now scheming against all sides, he is becoming more and more skilled at this. Perhaps it is because of his surroundings, but he has found that manipulating people's hearts is the most effective means. No wonder Emperor Wu likes this behavior. He can achieve his goals without losing a single soldier. The sense of accomplishment is unparalleled.

Just like Xizhu now, she had only been gone a short while when she heard Xiaoxingchen's angry roar. After a moment's thought, she took Shanliang and rushed back.

Before she even arrived, she witnessed the aura unique to the Shadow Clan erupting, which shocked her greatly. She was certain that Xiao Xingchen had no connection with the Shadow Clan, so why had her mere absence triggered a battle with them?

This raised many questions for her. After seeing that Xiao Xingchen's attack was ineffective, she instructed Shan Liang...

"Go help him. That unknown enemy is hidden in the shadows. Tangible things can't cross the world barrier to hurt him. Attacking with the power of the soul might have a miraculous effect."

"What the hell is that thing? How could it possibly hide in the shadows?"

Dan Liang asked in surprise. From their angle, they could see that Xiao Xingchen was constantly dodging, the invisible attacks always appearing where he couldn't defend against them. He was starting to panic; at this rate, defeat was only a matter of time.

“Shadow Clan, go and help him. Killing this Shadow Clan member will be difficult; it will require specific methods, unless…”

Xizhu shook her head at this thought.

"Those people shouldn't be here. It would be difficult to kill them without their methods."

"Okay, I understand. I'll go save him."

A sixth-realm swordsman had actually encountered someone he couldn't kill, which ignited Shan Liang's competitive spirit. He transformed into a streak of light and plunged directly into the Prince of Kao Shan's mansion.

Xi Zhu then went to Huangfu Lingxue's side and asked directly,

"What are his plans? Killing this shadow will be difficult, and the battle here will attract more and more people,"

“Seal off this place, then kill that Shadow Clan,”

Huangfu Lingxue seemed to have known Xizhu would come all along, and showed no surprise whatsoever.

"But I told you, it would be very difficult for you to kill him,"

"Isn't this you?"

"Don't overestimate me. This is the Shadow Clan. This clan is one of the spirit races born from heaven and earth, like the darlings of the world. Otherwise, how could they hide in the shadows? This is an innate spirit race. Apart from the Sacrifice Clan, who also belong to the innate spirit race, they can kill them. Everyone else is helpless."

Xi Zhu stared down with a solemn expression. With Shan Liang joining them, she and Xiao Xingchen stood back to back, temporarily relieving the fierce attacks from the shadows.

However, this is by no means a long-term solution, and Xiao Xingchen must find a way to break the deadlock as soon as possible.

"The Primordial Spirit Race?"

Huangfu Lingxue was slightly taken aback.

"That's right. The Primordial Spirit Race consists of five clans. These five clans are blessed by the creation of heaven and earth, and they are mutually reinforcing and restraining, mysterious and unpredictable, just like the clans that are closest to the Heavenly Dao. Although their realm is not the pinnacle, each clan member possesses a special ability bestowed by the Heavenly Dao. The Shadow Clan can hide in the shadows, which is the power of the Heavenly Dao's blessing. No one else in the world can do this except them."

"Then what about the Sacrificial Clan you mentioned? Why were they able to kill the Shadow Clan?"

"The Sacrifice Clan is easy to understand. They are like gods who control life and death, and can sacrifice all things in the world, turning them into offerings. As long as the Sacrifice Clan's power is strong enough, even the heavens can become their offerings, let alone a Shadow Clan. Even if the Shadow Clan can transcend the barriers of the world, once the power of sacrifice is unleashed, they will have nowhere to hide."

Xi Zhu did not hide anything; everything she said was an absolute secret, and no information about it had circulated in the world. The Primordial Spirit Race had not appeared in the world for a long time. These five races knew that they had been favored by the Heavenly Dao, so they did not want to get entangled with the mortal world. They would silently accept any benefits they had, and if they came out to compete for opportunities again, it would be too much of a loss.

The appearance of the Shadow Clan here is, to be honest, something that Xizhu is extremely wary of. The fact that a Spirit Clan has quietly emerged without their knowledge is undoubtedly a serious dereliction of duty by the intelligence organization.

"A clan sacrifice, a ritual..."

A sudden thought flashed through Huangfu Lingxue's mind. Although she had never seen the Sacrifice Clan, Xiao Xingchen had seen that black-robed figure. Wasn't that Supreme Being using the power of sacrifice?

Thinking of this, she felt a surge of joy.

"Could you help me suppress the fluctuations in this courtyard? Xiao Xingchen said the condition is that he will tell you about Master Zhu Wu's background,"

"The blockade is fine, but what happens after the blockade? Are you sure you can keep that Shadow Clan member here?" Xizhu asked worriedly.

"That's our job. Just cover this up and don't let the fluctuations here reach the Imperial Palace."

"Yes, I can guarantee that nothing here will be leaked,"

Xizhu raised her hand and snapped her fingers lightly in the air.

With a resounding "thump," everyone inside the Prince Kao Shan's mansion felt a jolt, then froze in place. Even those who were preparing to infiltrate the mansion were immobilized the moment they stepped inside, as if time itself had stood still.

Outside the Prince Kao Shan's mansion, everything was as usual.

"That's enough. From the outside, everything appears normal inside the Prince Kao Shan's mansion, but everyone inside has been frozen in place. You can do whatever you want now, but I can only give you half an incense stick's time," Xi Zhu said slowly.