# Chapter 1026: Yan Honglie
Qin Yutong once again felt the intense killing intent emanating from Zhang Ruochen. She had not expected that he was truly prepared to assassinate all ten commanders of the Azure Dragon Army.
Qin Yutong stared deeply at Zhang Ruochen and said, "Two days ago, the deaths of Guo Lu and Han Ying shook the entire Shengming City. Even now, large numbers of Azure Dragon Army experts are still searching everywhere for your traces."
"I believe that now is not the optimal time to strike. You should first lie low in the Phoenix Dance Palace for a while and wait for an opportunity."
Zhang Ruochen gazed at the bright moon hanging in the sky, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "Right now, all the commanders of the Azure Dragon Army are searching for me within Shengming City. This is precisely the best time for me to strike."
Moonlight cascaded down, casting the palace suspended on the cliff face in a dreamlike, illusory glow, draping it in a layer of mysterious radiance.
Sitting face to face with the Dance Immortal was something countless men dreamed of. Yet, at this moment, Zhang Ruochen's attention was not on the Dance Immortal at all, but rather on how to kill the ten commanders of the Azure Dragon Army.
If Qin Yutong's admirers knew this, they would surely curse him for being oblivious to romance.
Qin Yutong naturally wished to eliminate the ten commanders of the Azure Dragon Army and avenge her ancestors.
But she also knew that, given the current situation, the Azure Dragon Army would undoubtedly strengthen their defenses. Killing another commander would be ten times harder than before.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was sharp as he added, "If the Azure Dragon Army commanders retreat to the Lingxiao Heavenly King Mansion or hide within the military camp, then I truly will have lost my chance to kill them."
Qin Yutong said, "This matter is too significant. We must have a meticulous plan and choose the best opportunity. We cannot act rashly."
Just then, Bai Xuan Shuang walked in from outside, cupped her hands, and reported, "Reporting to Senior Sister, the commander of the Azure Dragon Army's Sixth Battalion, Yan Honglie, has arrived at the Phoenix Dance Palace. He offers one hundred sacred stones and wishes to see you. Will you receive him?"
"No." Qin Yutong refused outright.
Every day, there were no less than a thousand, if not eight hundred, young cultivators willing to spend a fortune to see Qin Yutong. Yet, those who actually managed to meet her were few and far between.
Zhang Ruochen's eyes lit up. He stood up and said, "Why not see him? Since he's delivered himself to our doorstep, how can we let him leave?"
Qin Yutong immediately shook her head. "Yan Honglie's cultivation is extremely profound. He has already reached the late stage of the Ninth Order Half-Saint. Among the ten commanders, his combat power ranks fourth, far surpassing Han Ying, who ranks eighth, and Guo Lu, who ranks tenth."
"I once considered using my beauty to lure and kill him, and even made some preparations. But in the end, I abandoned that plan."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Why?"
Qin Yutong said, "Yan Honglie's cultivation is too deep. He has the potential to become a saint and is not the type to be ensnared by lust. His repeated visits to the Phoenix Dance Palace may not necessarily be to pursue me. It's very possible that he already suspects me and wants to test my identity. If we act rashly, not only will we fail to kill him, but we might also expose the forces hidden within the Phoenix Dance Palace."
"In that case, we must kill him all the more," Zhang Ruochen said.
Qin Yutong saw that Zhang Ruochen's attitude was resolute. Even if she tried to stop him, she probably couldn't.
So, she had to hastily devise a plan to assassinate Yan Honglie. She then summoned the other two Ninth Order Half-Saint experts within the Phoenix Dance Palace, Yan Wenqi and Fu Shang, to discuss the strategy together.
...
An hour later, a pitch-black ghost-headed war chariot drove out of the Phoenix Dance Palace and entered the wide street.
The ghost-headed war chariot was pulled by two Sixth Order War Beasts, with thirty-six powerful personal guards flanking both sides. Only a commander of the Azure Dragon Army could command such a grand procession.
At the same time, another ornate carriage also drove out of the Phoenix Dance Palace, following the ghost-headed war chariot from a distance.
Qin Yutong sat alone in the carriage, her entire being in a state of extreme vigilance.
Yan Honglie was undoubtedly a top-tier expert below the Saint realm. With the slightest misstep, even she might meet her end tonight.
"If I, Senior Brother Yan, and Senior Brother Fu use our combined attack techniques, we might stand a chance against Yan Honglie. If we add him to the mix, there might be a chance for a successful assassination."
Qin Yutong was a meticulous woman. She always felt that tonight's operation was somewhat risky, but now that the arrow was already on the string, it had to be fired. She could only place her hopes on Zhang Ruochen.
Yan Wenqi and Fu Shang lurked in the darkness, concealing their auras, and followed the ghost-headed war chariot closely from two other directions.
The axles of the ghost-headed war chariot were heavy, rumbling as they rolled over the stone slabs.
Yan Honglie was a middle-aged man in his forties. He sat steadily in the chariot, his gaze cold and fierce, his entire body enveloped in blood-red killing intent.
Inside the ghost-headed war chariot, two young girls of sixteen or seventeen carefully attended to him.
One of the girls said, "That Dance Immortal is too arrogant. She actually dared to refuse to see the Commander. Isn't she just a lowly prostitute from a brothel? What's so great about her?"
"That's right! With the Commander's status, what kind of woman couldn't he have? Taking the initiative to visit her at the Phoenix Dance Pavilion was already giving her plenty of face," the other girl added.
A sinister gleam flashed in Yan Honglie's eyes. His pupils turned an eerie blood-red, and he let out a sinister laugh. "Who says the Dance Immortal doesn't want to see me? Isn't she coming to see me alone right now?"
The two girls looked puzzled, not understanding why the Commander would say such a thing.
Just then, the two Sixth Order War Beasts pulling the chariot sensed a dangerous aura and abruptly stopped.
Yan Honglie stepped out of the ghost-headed war chariot and saw that all thirty-six personal guards had been frozen by a chilling aura, turned into thirty-six ice sculptures.
Above his head, a watery light barrier had completely enveloped an area several hundred zhang in radius.
The surroundings were pitch black and eerily silent.
Yan Honglie remained calm and composed, a strange smile curling on his lips as he glanced back at the ornate carriage. "The Immortal has come alone to see me off. Could it be that she can't bear to part with me?"
Qin Yutong sat in the carriage, her voice clear and melodious. "I have only come to see the Commander off on his final journey."
Yan Honglie then looked ahead. Two tall figures appeared a hundred zhang away, blocking his path.
Those two figures were Yan Wenqi and Fu Shang.
Yan Honglie remained unflappable and laughed. "It seems my guess was correct. The famous Dance Immortal is indeed a remnant of the former dynasty. What a pity. What a pity."
"Attack."
Qin Yutong was decisive. She immediately gave the order to Yan Wenqi and Fu Shang.
"Swish."
"Swish."
Yan Wenqi and Fu Shang simultaneously activated their movement techniques. In an instant, they were within ten zhang of Yan Honglie, each forming a hand seal and striking at him.
The hand seal they used was called the "Ten Directions Annihilation Seal," a combined attack martial technique.
If ten Ninth Order Half-Saints simultaneously used the Ten Directions Annihilation Seal, they could hold off a Saint-level being for a short time.
Below the Saint realm, it was virtually invincible.
The more cultivators who formed the seal, the more powerful the Ten Directions Annihilation Seal became.
Qin Yutong also formed the seal, coordinating with Yan Wenqi and Fu Shang. From three directions, they simultaneously unleashed the Annihilation Seal.
Yan Honglie raised both hands. Blazing, domineering flames surged from his feet all the way to his head, forming a sea of fire.
"Netherfire Force."
Yan Honglie stomped his foot on the ground. With a thunderous roar, crimson flames, like a ten-zhang-high tidal wave, surged outward from the center of his foot.
The power of the Netherfire Force was terrifying. It completely melted the stone slabs on the ground into magma.
The force of the flames shattered the Ten Directions Annihilation Seals of Qin Yutong, Yan Wenqi, and Fu Shang, sending them flying backward.
Among them, Fu Shang, who had the lowest cultivation, spat out a mouthful of blood and suffered severe injuries.
Qin Yutong and Yan Wenqi were also not in good shape. Their faces pale, they landed awkwardly on the ground and quickly retreated backward.
Yan Honglie's cultivation was too profound, far exceeding their estimates. He was likely about to reach the peak of the Ninth Order Half-Saint.
Such a formidable figure was simply not someone they could contend with.
"Ten Directions Annihilation Seal?"
Yan Honglie's gaze swept over the three of them, and he sneered. "With your cultivation levels, using only three directional seals, you dare to ambush me? If you had five directional seals, you might have had a chance. But you no longer have that opportunity."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Honglie's figure dissipated, transforming into wisps of flame.
Qin Yutong sensed an extremely dangerous aura. "Not good. Use the sacred edict immediately and escape this place."
"Too late."
Three flame giants simultaneously materialized, appearing before Qin Yutong, Yan Wenqi, and Fu Shang.
Three flaming hand seals struck out.
Yan Wenqi and Fu Shang were hit first. The flaming hand seals struck their chests, shattering most of the bones in their bodies. They suffered severe injuries and collapsed to the ground.
"Sea of Stars."
Qin Yutong formed hand seals with both hands, channeling all the sacred qi in her body into her beautiful eyes.
"Whoosh—"
A stream of bright light particles surged from her pupils, covering the entire area several hundred zhang in radius. It was as if the space had turned into a starry sky, attempting to block the attack of the flame giant.
However, the flame giant was a mass of energy. It pierced through the countless star-like light particles and struck a palm at Qin Yutong's heart.
It must be noted that Qin Yutong's physical body was not as strong as Yan Wenqi's or Fu Shang's. If the palm strike hit her, she would surely die.
Just as Qin Yutong had resigned herself to death, believing she was about to perish—
A dazzling sword light flew out from behind her. With an unstoppable momentum, it pierced through the flame giant.
Immediately after, a dull, agonized cry came from behind the flame giant.
"What a fast sword."
Fine beads of sweat broke out on Qin Yutong's forehead. Her eyes looked toward the area behind the flame giant.
There, Yan Honglie stood in his original position. A gaping hole the size of a plate had been punched through his chest, piercing his body completely.
"Crack."
The next moment, dozens of cracks appeared on Yan Honglie's body. It exploded, splitting into dozens of chunks of flesh that flew in all directions.
Zhang Ruochen stood with his sword in hand, his back to Qin Yutong. "Handle the rest yourself. Also, next time, just tell me the whereabouts of the other Azure Dragon Army commanders. I'll act alone. It'll be much less troublesome."
With that, Zhang Ruochen's figure flickered and vanished from the spot.
Qin Yutong stared at the scattered remains of Yan Honglie, her mind unable to calm down. Had they killed another commander so easily?
Even though Yan Honglie had died right before her eyes, she still found it hard to believe.
After a long while, she finally composed herself. A faint smile appeared on her lips as she murmured to herself, "What an arrogant man. But he certainly has the right to be arrogant. With his formidable strength, in the days to come, it will be the Lingxiao Heavenly King Mansion and the Azure Dragon Army's turn to feel fear and unease."