Died by Heavy Blade

The caravan rested for a while, ate some dry rations, and then continued on their way.

Rough mountain roads, traveling swiftly in the dark night.

Chen Luo didn't care what these people were protecting or why they were in such a hurry. He was still studying the Jade Slip and had no intention of leaving before reaching their destination. In the short time just now, he had already had three 'brains' try to comprehend it. However, besides the Royal Family Brain, none of the others had any reaction. It seemed that the cultivation of the Jade Slip, as he suspected, had innate limitations.

This limitation was most likely the Spirit Root!

With the caravan's protection, Old Tian, who was driving the cart, was visibly more relaxed. He even hummed a tune along the way, quite content.

"We'll be passing Swallow Ridge up ahead. There's an old forest section, everyone be careful."

The voice of Tian Danu, Old Tian's nephew, came from the caravan ahead.

Hearing the voice, everyone became alert, gripping their weapons. These men could react instantly to any rustle in the wind.

"If it weren't for the caravan's protection, could we be this comfortable?"

Old Tian, following behind, was even more smug.

The old forest was dark and silent.

"Sometimes, having more people doesn't necessarily mean safety." Chen Luo, who had been lying still on the cart, sat up at some point.

His voice startled Old Tian.

But Chen Luo didn't pay attention to him, instead looking at the dark old forest ahead.

After reaching the Bone Forging Realm, the improvement wasn't just in pure strength; it was all-encompassing.

Just now, he had heard the sound of clashing blades in the wind. Although faint, he still caught it. Now, as the caravan moved forward, the sound became clearer. Not only that, but the smell of blood mixed in the air was also closer.

Someone was fighting up ahead!

Who was the target?

This strange caravan?

Chen Luo's thoughts raced, and at the same time, he cautiously put the Jade Slip into his怀中, keeping it close to his body.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

The already timid Old Tian's voice trembled.

"You be careful."

With a leap, Chen Luo disappeared from the group.

Traveling the Jianghu was all about being cautious. The caravan was too large a target, which was not conducive to hiding one's aura. It was much easier to operate by sneaking into the surroundings. Darkness was not only cover for the enemy; it was the same for oneself.

Before figuring out the target of those people ahead, it was safest to hide himself first.

"Expert?!"

Old Tian's voice changed. He looked back, but there was no sign of Chen Luo on the ox cart, which made Old Tian's heart leap into his throat.

"Niuwazi, Niuwazi!!"

At this point, Old Tian didn't care about his nephew's dignity and called out Tian Danu's nickname.

"What's wrong, Fifth Uncle?"

Tian Danu, who was on guard over there, heard Old Tian's voice and quickly walked over.

On the way, he glanced back at the cart. His heart instantly skipped a beat when he saw that Fifth Uncle's young guest was gone? Could it be that this kid was problematic?

"There's danger!"

Old Tian wasn't stupid either. He pulled his nephew aside and, after making sure no one was eavesdropping, lowered his voice and said.

"Fifth Uncle, did you find something? Could it be that guest of yours..."

Tian Danu's heart skipped a beat. He glanced at his other brothers and, seeing that no one was looking over, also lowered his voice to ask.

"No, that guest of mine is an Expert. He just told me there's danger, and then he hid in the woods." As he spoke, Old Tian pulled his nephew and was about to run away with him. He had witnessed Chen Luo's methods on the road before, so he had absolute faith in Chen Luo's words. Precisely because he understood, he couldn't watch his nephew go to his death.

"You hurry up and hide in there with me. We'll come out after the trouble passes."

"Fifth Uncle!"

Tian Danu grabbed his Fifth Uncle's arm.

As the captain of the guards, he naturally couldn't just run away because of a single sentence from Old Tian. If he did, he wouldn't be able to make a living in the future. The most crucial thing was that, unlike Old Tian, he didn't particularly trust that young man.

"If there's really danger, we should stay. The caravan has expert protection. It's pitch black outside, and escaping would lose our advantage, putting ourselves in danger for no reason."

Tian Danu's words were reasonable and well-founded, making Old Tian hesitate.

He glanced at the pitch-black forest around him, and a sense of fear immediately surged. The young man was a Martial Path Expert and could hide in the darkness, but he was different. Any poisonous snake in the old forest could take his life.

"Let's stay for now and talk about it after we pass the old forest ahead."

After comforting Old Tian, Tian Danu continued to patrol ahead.

Looking back at the pitch-black forest again, Old Tian completely chickened out. He hadn't felt anything before, but now that his nephew had reminded him, he felt that the outside was more dangerous no matter how he looked at it.

In the shadows.

Chen Luo, who had left the caravan, entered the forest first.

He definitely had to seize the immortal mine.

This was crucial for his future path. Acting before Prince Ning's follow-up forces arrived was the optimal solution. Otherwise, if he waited for the main army, the special mineral deposit would truly have nothing to do with him.

The Bone Forging Realm wasn't invincible. The Imperial Court also had many experts in the Bone Forging Realm, and even Grandmasters, who were above the Bone Forging Realm. Individual power trying to contend with a nation was almost impossible at a low martial level.

Never underestimate the resources of a state apparatus. As a high-ranking authority within the state apparatus, Prince Ning certainly had considerable resources at his disposal.

Precisely because of this, Chen Luo needed the immortal mine even more to break the deadlock. Moreover, he had always had a suspicion in his heart.

That mine in Qingya County might be an immortal mine! It was an immortal mine needed by immortal cultivators. Only this could explain why Prince Ning would risk assassinating the Royal Family and slaughtering civilians. When the benefits were sufficient, these people would even sell their ancestors, let alone just kill a few people.

After advancing through the old forest for a while, the road forked.

Chen Luo stopped and observed.

To the left was a dry dirt road, and to the right was a damp waterway, where he could faintly hear some water sounds. The sounds of clashing weapons he had heard earlier came from the right.

Blood energy is coming with the water wind, to the right.

In his mind, a brain offered a suggestion.

With the same knowledge, different brains gave different feedback. Chen Luo glanced at the left side, then his figure flashed, heading towards the right.

The further he went, the muddier the road became.

Damp water vapor soaked the ground, mixing with fallen leaves, creating a slight sound when he stepped on it.

After walking a bit further, Chen Luo suddenly stopped.

Because he saw a corpse.

His choice was correct; this was where the battle had taken place earlier. At first, he thought it was an ambush targeting the caravan, but now it seemed that wasn't the case. It looked more like a vendetta between Jianghu wanderers, the kind he and Third Uncle had seen many times when they worked as undertakers.

The first batch of 'brains' he acquired to get his start came from these people.

"Died from a heavy saber. What a shame."

Chen Luo skillfully took out his deerskin gloves and flipped over the corpse lying in the mud. The person's physique looked very small and thin, and their finger joints were slightly rough. From this, they should have been an expert in Claw Technique. However, this person died a terrible death. Their head was cut through, their face split in two, separated from the nose down, like a cracked gourd, one half to the left and one to the right. White brain matter mixed with the surrounding mud, looking extremely gruesome.

Contact with dead person: 100% damage, unable to read.

This was the first time Chen Luo had seen a brain that was completely unreadable. He estimated that this person wasn't a strong individual when they were alive; otherwise, there should still be at least 1% remaining.