Cliff Leap, Skyvault Palace Sect Is Nothing Special

Finding nothing of value, Lance Quinn left everything else untouched, restored all the hidden compartments to their original state, and before leaving, his gaze fell on Emma Lu's portrait. He hesitated for a moment, then decided to take it with him.

Serena Feng would probably like this painting. After all, the Feng estate was burned to the ground—everything of her parents was lost. This portrait could serve as a cherished keepsake.

Lance Quinn quickly left and headed for the last room. By this time, Storm Cloud Bu had already dealt with the guards inside, so Lance could just walk right in.

"You can go now," Lance Quinn said, knowing their actions tonight had caused a big stir. The people of Skyvault Palace would arrive soon, and keeping Storm Cloud Bu here was pointless—it would only risk exposing his identity.

"Are you sure you'll be fine alone?" Storm Cloud Bu knew that, under these circumstances, leaving was indeed the best choice—but he was worried about Lance Quinn.

Skyvault Palace had no shortage of experts. Not to mention anything else, just those Eighteen Gentlemen—each one was a master. If a real fight broke out, the two of them could maybe handle five at most. Any more, and they'd be forced to surrender.

"No problem. Go." Lance Quinn tossed out these words and headed for the last room, pushing open the door...

A blinding golden light spilled out from the doorway. Lance Quinn quickly raised his hand to shield his eyes and stepped back several paces. Only when his eyes adjusted to the glare did he lower his hand.

"The Golden Filigree Robe?" Lance Quinn murmured, surprised by the garment that shone even in the darkness.

The last room in Skyvault Palace's Treasury Pavilion held nothing but a flashy, useless Golden Filigree Robe. It was truly disappointing. Lance Quinn stepped closer and glanced around the room.

This room was the simplest of all—just four bare walls, nothing but the robe in the center. Even without stepping inside, Lance Quinn could tell there were no traps or mechanisms here; setting up anything inside would risk destroying the robe.

It was obvious that the people of Skyvault Palace valued that robe highly. Otherwise, they wouldn't have placed it here alone and posted heavy guards around it.

The Nine Provinces Treasure Map wasn't here. Lance Quinn had no interest in taking back a useless robe, so without looking back, he vaulted over the outer wall and vanished into the night.

"Assassin! Catch the assassin..."

The sound of pounding footsteps echoed. In an instant, all of Skyvault Palace sprang into action. Aside from the Treasury Pavilion's guards, everyone else went on alert, and torches lit up the entire palace.

"An assassin? Who could be so bold, sneaking into Skyvault Palace? That's incredible." Serena Feng was startled awake. She sat up, thinking about the route and what could still be improved.

Serena Feng genuinely respected that deadly path through Skyvault Palace. In her opinion, even top experts couldn't get in without alerting anyone. And as for her...

Even knowing where all the traps and mechanisms were, she still couldn't be sure she could make it through. That road really was deadly.

"Over here! The assassin is over here!" came the guards' shouts from the northwest, followed by the sound of Skyvault Palace guards moving in that direction. Serena Feng knew her own martial arts were mediocre, so she obediently stayed in her room and didn't go join the commotion.

She definitely didn't want to cause trouble for Sean Xuan and the others.

When Sean Xuan arrived, the Skyvault Palace guards had already surrounded Lance Quinn. They'd paid a heavy price—corpses lay at Lance's feet. The guards had used their own lives to delay him.

"Black clothes, silver mask? Are you Lance Quinn?" Sean Xuan asked, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

It made no sense. Skyvault Palace and Lance Quinn had no grudges between them—why would he risk his life to come here?

In Sean Xuan's eyes, anyone who broke into Skyvault Palace alone was courting death. Never mind the deadly path—just entering meant trapping yourself, and getting out would be nearly impossible.

"That's right, I'm Lance Quinn." Lance replied, never stopping his movements. With a thrust of his sword, he took the life of the man before him; as he drew the blade out, blood spurted in the darkness—strikingly vivid, though no one had the heart to notice.

He drew the sword out, slicing through the air in an arc, severing the throat of a man to his side. The blade kept moving, spraying blood and eliciting screams wherever it went.

Just a brief exchange, and Lance Quinn had already claimed five lives. At that speed, anyone watching might have thought he was here just to kill.

"Lance Quinn, our Skyvault Palace has never interfered with you—what's the meaning of this?" Skyvault Palace was an old power in the martial world, while Storm Cloud Bu and Lance Quinn were rising forces. Whether they'd clash in the future was unknown, but for now, there was no animosity.

"I, Lance Quinn, take money to solve others' problems." Unconsciously, Lance had already cut a path through the blockade. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before he broke out.

If he could enter Skyvault Palace without alerting anyone, he could certainly get out. Sean Xuan realized that if Lance Quinn escaped now, tracking him down later would be nearly impossible. As Lance was about to break through, Sean lowered his eyes and gave the order: "Loose arrows."

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..." As soon as Sean Xuan gave the order, black arrows rained down from above. Lance Quinn glanced at the archers in the shadows, grabbed a nearby guard, and used him as a shield. When the body was riddled with arrows, he tossed it aside and grabbed another. Repeating this, Lance actually managed to break through.

Using the corpses at his feet, Lance vaulted up and vanished into the night once more.

"Seal off the road down the mountain." Sean Xuan couldn't believe that, under these circumstances, Lance Quinn could still escape on his own.

As he spoke, Sean Xuan chased in the direction Lance Quinn had disappeared—only to find that Lance hadn't headed down the mountain, but toward the back, where there was only one path: the cliff!

"Lance Quinn, trespassing in Skyvault Palace—you're dead!" When Sean Xuan caught up, Lance was standing right at the edge of the cliff.

"If you want my life, Sean Xuan, you're not qualified." Lance's sword was still dripping blood, and the stench of death clung to him. It was clear how many he'd killed along the way.

"Talk is cheap, Lance Quinn. I don't care who sent you to Skyvault Palace or what your goal is—I just want your life." Sean Xuan raised his sword, confident he could fight Lance to a standstill, but...

Lance Quinn had no intention of fighting Sean Xuan. As Sean rushed forward, Lance dodged aside: "Young Palace Lord, I have no interest in playing with you. As for your so-called Skyvault Palace—it's nothing special."

With that, he leapt off the cliff...

It was his only way out!