The sunshine poured down generously, casting a long shadow in front of the city gate, twisting and exaggerating the figures of the group.

After experiencing the hardships of the maze, they finally stood at the foot of this majestic city. The walls were towering, as if they were about to pierce the sky, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura.

A joy that survived the disaster spread among them, and even the air seemed to have the smell of freedom.

Young Master Xing was even more excited as a sparrow, chattering constantly, completely forgot about the pain in his arms.

However, this joy is like a flash in the pan.

Just as they stepped into the city gate, the originally lazy guard suddenly seemed to be facing a great enemy, and his shaky swords pointed at their throats in unison.

The cold steel aura instantly dispelled the relaxed atmosphere before, and an inexplicable chill rushed straight from the soles of the feet and head.

"Stop! Where is the secret book of the maze?!" A rough voice rang in everyone's ears like thunder, shaking the eardrums buzzing.

The guards' heads were full of flesh and stared at them fiercely, as if they were unforgivable criminals.

The man in white had quick eyes and fast hands. He protected Xiaohong behind him, and his eyes were like a hawk and falcon to scan the guards around him.

He thought to himself that it was not good, it seemed that their whereabouts had been exposed.

"We are members of the Thunder Cloud Gang!" The Thunder Lord stepped forward, and his voice was like a loud bell, trying to shock these guards with the name of the gang.

"I am the leader of the Thunder Cloud Gang. Do you dare to block the way?"

The guard leader was not moved at all, but instead sneered: "The city lord has an order to search all those entering and leaving the city gate, no exception is allowed!"

Search? The man in white felt a sank, it was clearly for them!

The guards rascally searched their belongings, and the atmosphere was suffocating.

Mo Xiao moaned deliberately, lifted up his sleeves, revealing the wound that had been scratched by poisonous arrows in the maze.

The guards' attention was indeed attracted. Just in the flash, Mr. Xing secretly hid the book "Taixuan Divine Art" in his arms, and his movements were so fast that it was breathtaking.

Suddenly, a black shadow flew down from the city wall and landed lightly in front of everyone.

The person who came was wearing a blue shirt and had a handsome face. He was the mysterious blue shirt guest I met at the entrance of the maze before.

His wrist shook, and several sleeve arrows broke out of the air, accurately shooting down the torch in the guard's hand.

With a "boom", the torch fell to the ground, splashing a piece of Mars, and the city gate suddenly fell into chaos.

Taking advantage of this chaos, the secret book in Mr. Xing's arms accidentally slipped to the ground.

Under the firelight, everyone suddenly discovered that ancient runes appeared on the city wall, echoing the light emitted from the cover of the secret book.

The pupil of the Thunder Lord suddenly contracted and exclaimed: "This is... the mark of Tianji Pavilion!"

Tianji Pavilion, an organization that mysteriously disappeared twenty years ago, now their mark appears here!

Everyone's hearts were shocked, and an ominous premonition arose.

Only then did they realize that they seemed to be involved in a bigger conspiracy...

"This...what is going on?" Mr. Xing asked in a trembling voice.

The Thunder Lord looked solemn, shook his head slowly, but his eyes stared at the flashing runes on the city wall, and said word by word: "We... are probably stepping into one... one..."

The clanging sound of the city gates closing heavily echoed like a death knell.

The dust was flying, and the air was filled with a suffocating smell of fear.

From the dust and mist, hundreds of black-clad killers appeared, and they were as silent as ghosts and deadly.

Their swords were extremely sharp and shone with dangerous light in the flashing torch light.

A chill that was even colder than the steel itself spread down Bai Yiren's spine.

This is not a random search, but a carefully planned ambush.

Bai Yiren broke a nearby flagpole, and the cracked wood creaked in his hands.

The familiar weight, roughly rubbing his calloused hands, made people feel relieved inexplicably.

He looked at Qingshanke and tacitly understood each other.

They formed an indestructible wall of resistance, and among the crowd in black who was rushing like a tide, it was like a small island of resistance.

The air was filled with the sound of steel collisions, the humming when he tried hard, and the disgusting muffled sound of the body hitting the pebbles.

Bai Yiren moved with agility and grace as a dancer, and the broken flagpole turned into a ball of flying broken wood and powerful force in his hands.

Every swing is precise and fatal, due to his urgent need to protect a small circle of friends trapped in this fatal crisis regardless of his efforts.

He could smell the pungent smell of blood and felt the warm blood splattering on his face.

At the same time, Xiaohong had a pale face but a firm expression and was not idle.

She remembered the small bag of gunpowder they found in the maze and moved with amazing agility.

Her slender fingers moved quickly, tapping on the flint and igniting the fuse.

With a series of deafening explosions, the side doors bent and cracked, revealing a narrow escape passage leading to the city's maze-like alley.

"Go away!" she screamed, her voice barely acoustic in the noise of the battle.

Young Master Xing hugged the precious book tightly in front of his chest and stumbled towards the opening.

Suddenly, a burning pain penetrated one side of his body.

He looked down and saw a dark red blood stain blooming on his tunic, and the blood stain spread to the old leather cover of the ancient book.

The cover emits a faint light as his blood blends with the ancient ink.

The strange characters flashed with ethereal light and emerged, hovering on the cover like a ghost's whisper.

The sudden appearance of luminous words shocked the attackers, and precious gaps appeared in their team.

Bai Yiren seized this opportunity and slammed violently, repelling the attacker closest to him.

"Get out of the door! Hurry!" he roared, his voice hoarse from his eagerness.

They squeezed through the broken door wrecks one by one, and the pungent smell of burnt wood filled their noses.

Behind them, the heavy bronze sound of the city lord's mansion bell resounded in the air, coldly reminding them of the power and influence of the pursuers.

They rushed into the narrow and winding alley, and the darkness completely swallowed them.

The sound of pursuit echoed behind them, and with each turn the sound became weaker.

Young Master Xing was panting, leaning heavily against the wet wall, his face pale.

He looked down at the book, and the strange glowing characters flashed slightly in the darkness.

His trembling fingers groped along the outline of the symbol.

Suddenly, he stopped and widened his eyes in disbelief.

"This...the words on it..." he stammered, pointing his blood-stained finger at a dimly lit sign hanging above a nearby door.

"This...it's the same..."

He couldn't speak, and his eyes stared at the two words engraved on the wooden sign: Hanging pot.

They rushed into the half-closed door, stepping on the wet stone road, splashing water.

Inside the door, a faint fragrance of medicine came to my face, mixed with the fresh smell of grass and trees, as if it instantly pulled them back from their nervous escape back to a peaceful paradise.

Mr. Xing's trembling hand gently stroked the plaque hanging on the lintel, and felt the deep dent on the wooden sign at his fingertips.

"Hanghuo," he murmured to himself, his eyes full of incredible expressions.

Su Heng, the owner of the clinic, was wearing a plain white dress and stood behind the counter with his eyes calm and deep.

She smiled and signaled them to come in, her tone was calm but with a sense of firmness that could not be ignored: "Everyone, please come in." Her eyes accidentally swept the secret book,

Everyone entered in a row. The clinic was spacious and bright. Various herbs and bottles were piled up in the corners of the walls. The air was filled with the atmosphere of various herbs, which made people feel energetic.

Su Heng gently walked to the medicine cabinet, pressed his fingers gently on a seemingly ordinary wooden board, and the wooden board quietly slid away, revealing a hidden secret wall.

A yellowed broken scroll is placed in the dark grid, with the handwriting on it surprisingly similar to the text on the secret book.

"This is..." Mr. Xing opened his mouth wide in surprise, and pointed his fingers at the broken scroll with trembling.

Su Heng nodded slowly, his voice low and solemn: "This is what I left behind when I treated the owner of Tianji Pavilion twenty years ago."

Everyone fell into silence for a moment, and an unspeakable tension filled the air.

Su Heng continued: "The Tianji Pavilion's family extermination case is closely related to this secret book. If you are in it, it may be difficult for you to escape unscathed."

The secret book in Young Master Xing's hand suddenly emitted a faint light, and he felt a warm and mysterious force coming from the pages of the book.

He suddenly thought that perhaps this secret itself could reveal more secrets.

He gently touched the secret book with his blood-stained fingers. In an instant, a golden blood pattern map appeared on the secret book, like a winding river, reflecting their shocked faces.

At this moment, the door of the clinic was suddenly pushed open, and an old beggar in gray robe walked in quietly.

A cunning light flashed in his eyes, and a faint smile hung on the corner of his mouth.

He looked around for a while, and his eyes finally fell on the secret book in Young Master Xing's hands.

The old beggar's voice was hoarse and low: "This secret book is the inheritance token of Tianji Pavilion?"
To be continued...