Chapter 49: A Test of Strength
The group hurriedly arrived at Tang Mingli's room, only to find the door wide open and the room completely empty.
"Where are they?" Tang Ping frowned. "Quickly, search the area. Tang Gongzi and Zhu Chengzhi must be nearby!"
"Yes!" The guards immediately scattered and began searching the building.
A sense of unease suddenly swept over Sanbao. She turned and rushed to her own room.
She pushed open the door to find the dim glow of candlelight illuminating the room. Wu Yuyu and Xiao Lan were lying motionless on the desk, seemingly in deep sleep.
Sanbao hurriedly stepped inside, preparing to wake them, but just as she was about to call out, the door behind her suddenly smmed shut, causing the candlelight to flicker wildly.
"Who’s there?" Sanbao immediately spun around, only to find four bck-cd figures had silently appeared, surrounding her.
The leader, a man with a thick beard, grinned ominously. "Miss Sanbao, I advise you not to scream. Don’t think about calling for those guards outside. They’re probably still looking for someone and won’t arrive anytime soon. Even if they do, they’ll just add more bodies to your cause, sending them to their death in vain."
One of the bck-cd men beside him sneered lecherously. "Little girl, as long as you come quietly with us, we’ll make sure you’re unharmed. We’re very gentle with delicate flowers like you."
Sanbao sneered and slowly moved toward the right side of the room. She figured it would be better to keep the battle away from Yuyu and Xiao Lan to avoid involving them when things got ugly.
The four bck-cd men moved a few steps as well, following her and continuing to surround her.
"Trying to run? Little girl, save your strength!" The bearded man flicked his hand, and a talisman appeared in his palm. He tossed the talisman into the air, and it glowed with golden light. The talismans began to circle around Sanbao, forming a glowing array that trapped her in the center.
Sanbao gnced at the array and said calmly, "Yuan Huang Locking Spirit Array?"
The bearded man grinned proudly. "Since you recognize the array, you should know it’s meant to trap a person’s soul, designed to target cultivators and ability users below the fourth rank! We’ve looked into your background. You’re only at the second rank, mid-level. Using this array against you is almost overkill."
Sanbao merely smiled faintly and began to channel her spiritual energy. A powerful pressure instantly filled the room.
In an instant, the four bck-cd men’s faces changed dramatically.
"When did you reach mid-level of the fifth rank?" one bald man stammered, his voice trembling, completely losing the arrogance he had earlier. "Just this morning, you were still at the second rank, mid-level!"
The bearded man’s forehead broke into a cold sweat, his face twisted in fear. He quickly pulled his hands into his sleeves, preparing to activate the array for an attack.
The other three bck-cd men quickly drew their weapons.
The bald man held two rings in his hands, bck and white, clearly powerful artifacts used for Yin-Yang and Five Elements attacks.
Another bck-cd man gripped a copper nail about nine inches long in his left hand and a copper hammer inscribed with runes in his right, assuming a striking posture. The hammer radiated with spiritual energy, and the runes glowed brightly.
The st man, with long hair, flicked a bck whip from his right hand. The whip was surrounded by bck mist, its tip pointing directly at Sanbao's vital points, ready to strike and bind her.
Sanbao remained calm, even exuding a hint of disdain. "You four can attack together. It’ll save me some effort. I’d rather deal with you all at once than one by one ter."
"Don’t get cocky, little girl!" The bearded man shouted to rally himself. "There are four of us. Two are fourth-rank, te-stage ability users. One is a mid-stage Danqi martial artist, and I am a mid-stage fifth-rank cultivator. Do you really think you can take us all on?"
Sanbao didn’t respond. She simply performed a series of gestures, forming a complex seal with her hands. She then swiftly struck the talisman on her right side. The talisman was hit and immediately burst into fmes, falling to the ground and turning to ash.
The bearded man quickly activated the array, trying to trap Sanbao. However, Sanbao was faster. She struck out with her palms, her movements as graceful and swift as butterflies dancing through flowers. In an instant, she knocked down five talismans that had surrounded her.
The talismans all ignited and turned to ashes, dispelling the Yuan Huang Locking Spirit Array.
Sanbao quickly formed a more intricate seal and turned with a fierce gesture, pointing at the remaining talismans in the array. They all flew toward the long-haired bck-cd man.
The long-haired man, startled, quickly waved his whip to create a circur shield in front of him, attempting to block the incoming talismans.
At the same time, the bald man and the hammer-wielding man unched their attacks.
The bald man crossed the two rings in his hands, and a bolt of lightning shot out from where they intersected, heading straight for Sanbao.
The hammer-wielding man struck the copper nail with force, releasing a powerful shockwave that rushed toward Sanbao like a thunderstorm.
Unfazed, Sanbao raised her right hand high. She mentally recited the incantation, clenched her fist, and shouted, "Break!"
With the word, a surge of overwhelming spiritual energy burst from her, expanding outward. The shockwave and lightning were effortlessly absorbed by the spiritual energy, which continued to spread, hitting the hammer-wielding and bald men on either side.
The two men stood no chance. Both were flung backward, crashing into the walls on either side of the room, causing deep cracks to form. They colpsed to the ground, blood spilling from their mouths, motionless.
As for the long-haired man, he was already struck by the flying talismans, not even making a sound. His body and the bck whip, surrounded by bck mist, were reduced to ashes.
In the blink of an eye, Sanbao had taken down three of the four bck-cd men. Only the bearded man remained, trembling in pce.
The bearded man’s face turned pale, and the arrogance vanished completely. As he saw Sanbao walking toward him, he suddenly colpsed to his knees, repeatedly begging for mercy. "Miss Sanbao, spare my life! I’ve spent a lifetime cultivating, and this little strength is all I have. Please, I beg you, show mercy! If you have any questions, I will tell you everything!"
Sanbao coldly stared at him. The room fell into complete silence, with only the flickering candlelight breaking the stillness.
Her eyes gleamed with cold light as she slowly spoke, "Tell me everything, then. First, tell me—how did you know that I was still at the second rank, mid-level this morning?"
