The momentary relief of passing through the death zone of the Dragon Gate Gorge hadn't even settled before it was instantly replaced by a despair colder than the waters of the No Giang. The Iron Fir raft drifting lazily in the middle of the river was no longer a vessel of hope; it had transformed into an inescapable cage.
Ahead, on both sides, and even behind them, atop the towering cliffs of the gorge, dozens of dark silhouettes had silently materialized. They wore the uniforms of the Black Panther Guards, wielding military-grade crossbows forged of fine steel. Pitch-black bolts were already knocked, their tips glinting with the sickly green light of a lethal poison. All of those crossbows were aimed squarely at the five people on the raft.
And atop the highest cliff, where the moonlight shone the brightest, stood a figure clad in black armor, a crimson feather affixed to his helm. He stood there, hands clasped behind his back. The fierce night wind whipped his cape, making him look like a demonic bird preparing to swoop down on its prey.
Xich Vu! He was there. He hadn't been fooled at all. Or rather, he had completely anticipated Tran Kien's stratagem of "borrowing the water to push the boat." He hadn't just cast a net on land; he had cast an inescapable net of heaven in the place no one would have ever expected.
"How... how could this be?" Ly Tin stammered, the normally resolute face of a military general now filled with bewilderment and disbelief. "How could they have known we would take this route?"
Trinh Cong hugged Lam Vy tightly, using his own body to shield the little girl. His aged eyes looked up at the figure on the cliff, filled with despair. He did not fear death, but he feared failing to fulfill the dying wish of the Princess Consort.
Tran Kien struggled to stand, his chest aching. He looked at Xich Vu, then at the deployment of the archers on the cliffs. His heart sank. This was not a hasty ambush. This was a meticulously calculated formation. The position of each archer had been deliberately chosen, forming a kill zone with absolutely no blind spots. Even if they jumped into the water, they could not escape the range of those poisoned bolts.
Have I lost? For the first time, a sense of powerlessness crept into Tran Kien's heart. His stratagems had been completely seen through by the enemy.
"Hahaha..." Xich Vu's laughter echoed throughout the gorge, carrying the smugness and cruelty of an absolute victor. "Tran Kien! Are you feeling quite surprised right now?" He spoke, his voice amplified by internal energy, every word piercingly clear.
"Did you think you were the only one who knew how to use stratagems? Did you think your little tricks of 'feinting east to attack west' and the 'golden cicada shedding its shell' could fool me?"
He pointed down at the river. "The No Giang is ferocious; it is true that no one dares to traverse it. But for someone forced into a dead end like you, the most dangerous place is precisely the safest place! Do you think I, Xich Vu, wouldn't understand such a simple principle?"
"I had people monitoring all the crafting workshops in Kinh Chau. The moment I received word that the Duke of Dinh Quoc's Estate was suddenly purchasing Iron Fir wood, I knew exactly what you were planning to do," he laughed gleefully. "I didn't stop you at the docks because I wanted to give you a sliver of hope. I wanted to watch you struggle against the river, struggle to pass the Dragon Gate Gorge. And then, at the exact moment you thought you were safe, I would appear, just to let you taste what true despair is!"
Ruthless! Cunning! Every word from Xich Vu was like a blade, stabbing deeply into Tran Kien's newly built confidence. He didn't just want to kill them; he wanted to obliterate their very wills.
Uncle Sword was the only one who maintained his composure. He raised his head, looking at Xich Vu, not a trace of fear in his profound eyes.
"The Black Dragon Stronghold truly lives up to its reputation," he said, his tone perfectly even. "To be able to mobilize eyes and ears within the base of the Duke of Dinh Quoc's Estate, it seems Marquis Vinh An has spent quite a fortune."
"Cut the crap!" Xich Vu roared, seemingly having a sore spot struck. "Old man, I admit you are very strong. Your Sword Intent is truly heaven-shaking. But what about now? You can cleave the waters, but can you cleave a hundred poisoned bolts fired down at you simultaneously? Or can you soar through the heavens and tunnel through the earth to kill me here?"
Uncle Sword fell silent. He was powerful, but he hadn't yet reached a realm where he could fly through the skies and burrow through the earth. Trapped in the middle of the river, facing a rain of arrows from above, even he would be in incredibly dire straits.
"I will leave you a path of survival," Xich Vu said, his tone dripping with fake magnanimity. "Hand over the brat, Trinh Lam Vy. As for the rest of you, I can spare your lives. Especially you, Tran Kien."
He stared fixedly at Tran Kien, a sickly interest flashing in his eyes. "It would be a pity for someone with your intellect to die. If you are willing to submit to my Black Dragon Stronghold, I guarantee your status will be no lower than mine. How about it?"
This was his final psychological strike. A mix of threats and temptations, designed to sow discord among them.
Hearing this, Lam Vy's small face turned pale, but she wasn't afraid. She gripped her grandfather's hand tightly and looked at Tran Kien, her eyes brimming with absolute trust.
Tran Kien didn't look at Xich Vu. He simply lowered his head, staring at the pitch-black, rushing water beneath his feet. A dead end. This was truly an absolute dead end. All stratagems, all calculations, in the face of absolute power and the enemy's flawless preparations, seemed rendered completely meaningless.
Could it be... that there really is no way out?
He tightened his grip on the matte black blade in his hand. He recalled Uncle Sword's words. That which is too rigid easily breaks. His blade arts, his will, had always been direct, always confrontational. But right now, confrontation was tantamount to suicide.
There must be another path. There must always be another path...
Suddenly, he remembered a legend from the Array of Strange Tales from Linh Nam. The tale of the Mountain Lord and the Water Lord. When the Water Lord raised the floodwaters, the Mountain Lord didn't fight the waters directly; instead, he raised the mountains higher. Not fighting it... but yielding to it... or perhaps... going under?
A mad, almost absurd thought suddenly flashed across Tran Kien's mind.
He abruptly raised his head. He no longer looked at Xich Vu, but at Uncle Sword, his eyes burning with intensity.
"Uncle Sword!" he roared over the howling wind. "Do you trust me?"
Uncle Sword was stunned by the sudden question, but he instantly understood. In this youth's eyes, there was no despair, only the utmost, extreme resolve. He asked no questions; he merely gave a firm, heavy nod.
"I trust you!"
"Good!" Tran Kien turned to Trinh Cong and Lam Vy. "You two, trust me!"
Having spoken, he gave no one any time to react. He did something that absolutely no one, not even Xich Vu on the cliff, could have ever imagined. He didn't attack, nor did he defend.
He poured every last drop of his remaining Primordial Chaos Qi into the matte black blade. Then, he ruthlessly stabbed the blade downward... right into the wooden raft beneath his feet!
"Blade Intent - Shatter!"
The blade, infused with the entirety of his power and will, plunged directly into the main formation eye of the Bagua diagram.
CRACK! CRACK! BOOM!!!
The entire wind-propulsion formation was instantly annihilated from within. The energy of the Spirit Stones, losing all control, erupted in complete chaos. The sturdy Iron Fir raft, unable to withstand the destructive force from the inside, exploded into countless splinters!
The five of them, under the horrified gazes of Xich Vu and his subordinates, were blasted into the air before plunging straight into the icy, raging waters of the No Giang.
They had personally destroyed their only path of survival.