Crossing Point, Part 2 (Xie Gunkaishui Alliance Leader)

The Ding Family Caravan moved slowly forward, and the sky was getting darker and darker.

Ding Luo, as the eldest son of the Ding Family, is exceptionally talented. At only twenty-two years old, his martial arts skills have already reached the Third Grade rank. He can be considered the future hope of the entire Ding Family.

In order to support his family's relocation, he not only stepped forward to provide support himself, but also brought two members of his sect with him.

Senior Sister Mu Chunxiu and Master Daoist Changyun were both pulled by him to help guard the convoy.

At this moment, I saw my father and master chatting happily in a harmonious atmosphere. My senior sister and mother were also whispering to each other.

Ding Luo's worries about incompatibility had largely disappeared.

"Speaking of which, Ding Luo, you're actually great in every way, except for your tendency to meddle in other people's business. You must remember to change that habit."

Master Daoist Changyun is already sixty-seven years old. He has only taken in two disciples in his lifetime. The elder one, Mu Chunxiu, has average talent. It would be good if he could reach the Fifth Grade by the age of thirty.

However, his youngest apprentice, Ding Luo, is quite promising. Perhaps in the future, his disciples will produce the first Eighth Grade or even Ninth Grade Master!

By then, although Daoist Changyun himself was weak, he would only be able to barely reach the threshold of High Grade.

But if the apprentice is strong enough, he can also bring glory to the family!

And so, he was satisfied.

This apprentice is good in every way, except for one flaw. He has a quick temper, is eager to help others, and always likes to stand up for the weak.

"Master, you know perfectly well that I just can't stand certain people and certain things," Ding Luo said, scratching his head and feigning ignorance.

"You..." Daoist Changyun helplessly. He wanted to say something more.

Suddenly, a cry of surprise came from the woods not far away.

"Help!!"

Ding Luo frowned and looked over.

Soon, a disheveled herb gatherer, his face covered in blood, ran out of the forest. Behind him, a large, jet-black worm pounced out of the forest and lunged at the herb gatherer's back.

"How dare you!! How dare this beast harm people!!" Ding Luo immediately drew his sword and rushed forward, charging towards the Black Tiger.

"Roar!" The Black Tiger roared, looked up at Ding Luo, and without stopping, turned and pounced on him.

Ding Luo was not afraid at all and immediately drew his knife to fight with Black Tiger.

He didn't notice at all that a Gray-clad Man wearing a ghost mask was slowly approaching from the woods behind Black Tiger.

He spared the herb gatherer instead of killing him immediately, simply to feed his little pet some treats.

Unexpectedly, they encountered travelers in this desolate wilderness.

"You're just unlucky." A ruthless glint flashed in the Ghost Mask Man's eyes.

The herb gatherer might know the approximate location of Sky Peak Cave, although the possibility is very small.

But just in case, it would be best to kill all the living people around.

Only the dead are the best Secret Keeper.

This has always been the principle that the Ghost Mask Man believes in most.

As Ninth Grade of the sect, as long as he completes this mission, he will be qualified to return to the sect to Worship God and extend his lifespan.

Therefore, this time, only success is allowed, and failure is not permitted; not even the slightest mistake is allowed! As he watched the First Squad carriages and horses appear along the way, the Ghost Mask Man's leisurely mood gradually changed.

In such a remote place, where a car might not even pass by for days on end, he still managed to have bad luck and run into someone. It's truly...

He immediately changed his mind and decided to stop playing around, kill the witnesses as soon as possible, and then go back to pick the Treasure Medicine and take it with him, lest things get complicated.

A distant tiger's roar faintly echoed.

By the campfire, Zhang Rongfang slightly raised his head and looked in the direction from which the sound was coming.

"Are there still big tigers in this place?"

"Yes, there are some, quite a few." Nubaen nodded. "There are too few towns around Jiao Lin Mountain, and there are occasionally poisonous creatures and miasma in the forest, plus there are many ferocious beasts such as giant insects."

Therefore, those who dare to come here are mostly extremely daring. Either their families have no other choice but to risk their lives to try and make a quick buck.

"If an ordinary person comes here and stays for too long, they probably won't survive," Zhang Rongfang shook his head.

"Yes. Without the protection of a highly skilled martial artist, ordinary people, even if they have a little money, can't even think about traveling far. This is the situation for most families in the inland areas," Nubaen agreed.

"What about the sea route?" Zhang Rongfang asked. "The sea route should be much better, right?"

"Sea routes are vulnerable to wind. The sea is boundless, and the biggest fear is being blown off course by the wind and waves. Once you go astray, you need a very skilled navigator to correct it," Nubaen replied.

"So how do navigators determine direction?"

"It's said to rely on astronomy and astrology, but I don't understand those things," Nubaen shook his head. "But the Great Ling is said to have observatories in many places, right? If you have time, you can go and take a look."

"An observatory? Hmm, I could definitely go check it out sometime."

The more Zhang Rongfang learned about Great Ling, the more mysterious this vast empire seemed.

"Here, sir, this is for you." Nubaen handed the roasted lamb leg to Zhang Rongfang.

The food they carried was all pre-prepared, and once they arrived here, they only needed to heat it up over a fire.

"Thanks." The two chatted as they ate their pure milk tea with mint.

A louder and clearer tiger roar suddenly came from afar.

This time, the tiger's roar seemed to carry a hint of pain and anger.

"There are quite a lot of tigers here. They must be fighting." Nubaen chuckled. "To be honest, these tigers are indeed difficult for ordinary people to deal with, but for us martial artists, a tiger is only equivalent to Third Grade opponent, and one whose moves are limited to just a few exchanges."

It would be easy to fight. Last time I was here, I almost killed one."

"Really? That's perfect. After we get the Treasure Medicine, we'll kill one or two to take back with us before we leave, as a local specialty." Zhang Rongfang also became interested.

"With your strength, it's naturally a piece of cake," Nubaen complimented.

Splash! Bright red blood splattered out.

The herb gatherer was pounced on by the Black Tiger and slammed to the ground, his head bleeding profusely.

Ding Luo, who had just made his move, was now frozen in place, staring intently at the Ghost Mask Gray Robe who slowly emerged from behind Black Tiger.

"Who are you!?"

He keenly sensed an indescribable sense of oppression emanating from the other person.

The oppressive feeling was even greater than that of the Black Tiger in front of him.

The Black Tiger's body was clearly much larger than the Ghost Mask Man's.

However, their auras are not on the same level at all.

That feeling was like a flame and a furnace.

"Heh heh." The Ghost Mask Man glanced at the entire convoy. "I didn't expect to run into so many people just for feeding Little Black."

"Xiao Luo, step back!!" Suddenly, a figure rushed forward, landed beside Ding Luo, and reached out to stop him.

His master was Daoist Changyun.

His face was solemn, and his eyes were fixed on the Ghost Mask Man, not blinking an eye.

It was as if we had encountered some kind of monstrous flood.

Even though the Black Tiger, a ferocious beast, was just a few meters in front of him, he ignored it.

Instead, all attention was focused on the Ghost Mask Man.

"Sir, we meant no offense; we merely happened to be passing by. Please be lenient and leave immediately!"

His voice was clear and bright, and he clasped his hands in a respectful gesture.

At this point, the rest of the convoy also sensed that something was wrong.

In the darkness of night, amidst the mountains and forests, a Ghost Mask Man keeps Black Tiger as a pet. This kind of situation was previously only encountered in chivalrous novels.

Everyone here is on edge.

"Leaving right away?" The Ghost Mask Man chuckled twice more.

"What a pity. What a pity."

Suddenly, he flashed forward and pointed directly at Daoist Changyun.

Daoist Changyun was already tense all over. Upon seeing this, he immediately used his Breaking Limit Skill, his arm muscles rapidly expanding and converging towards the center.

Bang!

Clap your fingers and palms together.

Even though Daoist Changyun was holding one finger with both hands, his whole body felt as if he had been hit by a heavy hammer, and his face turned red.

Pfft! A mouthful of blood gushed out from his mouth due to the shock.

"Master!!" Ding Luo shouted urgently, drew his sword and stepped forward, unleashing a Breaking Limit Skill at the Ghost Mask Man.

Among the Nine Paths Spring Autumn Saber Technique of Daoist Changyun, the most powerful Breaking Limit Skill is "My Easy Spring Chill," which brings out a chilling blade of light and rushes towards the Ghost Mask Man.

Ding! The fierce blade light suddenly closed in mid-air, precisely caught by two slender fingers.

"Ah!!" Ding Luo's muscles twitched as he tried to pull the knife back, but the blade remained motionless.

"Senior sister! Lead everyone to leave first!" Ding Luo roared, realizing the situation was dire. He abandoned his sword, clenched his fist, and was about to charge forward.

"Little Luo!!" A sudden exclamation rang out.

Ding Luo felt a sharp pain in his chest, his vision blurred, and he floated lightly into the air, falling into the distance.

He didn't even realize when he had been hit.

The inner armor he was wearing shattered instantly, and the Jade Pendant he wore inside exploded into countless fragments.

However, these two buffers meant that his sternum only fractured slightly, and he fell heavily to the ground.

"Huh?" The Ghost Mask Man looked on in surprise and was about to turn around.

Master Daoist Changyun roared and threw out a cloud of Sleeping Drug powder. He lunged forward.

"Little Luo, quickly lead everyone to escape!!"

"Master!!" Ding Luo scrambled to his feet, filled with shock and anger, and tried to rush forward again.

Then the master paused, and in the blink of an eye, he flew into the air and crashed heavily into the trunk of a large tree.

A crisp sound of a spine breaking rang out. Daoist Changyun's eyes glazed over as he collapsed to the ground, gradually losing his breath.

"No!!!" Ding Luo's eyes welled up with tears, and he rushed out frantically.

But then the Ghost Mask Man flashed and pounced on the convoy.

"No!!!"

Ding Luo roared wildly.

But it was no use. The convoy members collapsed one by one, like wheat stalks falling to the ground.

The guards in the convoy were easily killed with a single finger from the Ghost Mask Man.

"Xiao Luo, you go first!! Everyone scatter and escape!!"

The father roared loudly, blocking his wife and concubines, and drew his waist knife, telling them to run away quickly. Before he could even stand up, a Flying Dagger was driven into his chest, and he immediately fell backward to the ground, unable to get up.

The mother ran in terror, carrying her five-year-old sister, but they hadn't gone far when she was struck on the forehead by a flying rock and collapsed in Blood Pool.

The remaining servants scattered and fled, but this only slightly slowed down the Ghost Mask Man's killing pace.

With tears in her eyes, Ding Luo was pulled around by her senior sister and ran wildly through the forest.

The roar my master gave before he died still echoed in my ears.

He never imagined that he was simply saving a herb gatherer being chased by a tiger.

How did it all turn out like this?! Why... why did this happen?!

His thoughts seemed to boil, constantly scorching his entire body.

He couldn't understand it!

Isn't it said that good people are rewarded? Why has he never done anything bad, and since he started practicing martial arts, he has always saved and helped people?

Why have we ended up in such a state?