In the dead of night, danger was closing in.
Yet most of the people in this mountain forest were still immersed in the merriment of drinking and laughter.
Although many of them had brought guards, and those guards were keeping watch around them, no one noticed anything unusual nearby.
Xia Wuji and these people had only joined forces because they were all heading to the same destination.
But at this moment, in a certain sense, he was genuinely tied to them.
He had no idea what kind of danger was lurking in the shadows. If he tried to fight his way out alone, he would instantly become the target of everyone.
He had to rely on these people's strength to form a resistance. Only then could he get a clear picture of the enemy's situation. Muddy waters were good for catching fish, and chaos was the perfect time to slip away!
Thus, Xia Wuji immediately came up with an idea.
He raised his hand and grabbed. A fist-sized stone flew into his palm. With a turn of his wrist, his Sword Essence wrapped around the stone and sent it slicing through the darkness, smashing heavily into the head of a guard keeping watch nearby!
Although the force could only inflict a superficial injury on the guard, it was enough!
"Bang!"
"Ah!"
The guard, whose head had been smashed open, immediately let out a miserable shriek.
"Enemy attack!"
The other guards instantly became startled birds, shouting as they drew their blades and swords, standing ready for battle.
The young talents who had been drinking and laughing also shuddered all over in an instant, sobering up by more than half.
Some hurriedly circulated their energy to dispel the alcohol.
Some hurriedly swallowed precious hangover cures.
Some immediately summoned their Household guards to their sides, just in case.
And at that very moment.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
Sharp sounds of objects tearing through the air rang out from the darkness!
A dense rain of arrows shot over from all directions, like a torrential downpour.
"Protect the young master!"
"Protect the young lady!"
The guards from every Household shouted.
A rain of arrows descended toward Xia Wuji's position, but he stepped with exquisite footwork and easily slipped through the gaps between the arrows, as casual and unrestrained as strolling through a courtyard.
"Brother Xia, watch out!"
A loud shout rang out.
It was Huang Hu, rushing over with his guards.
Huang Hu's guards blocked the arrows that had been shot toward Xia Wuji.
Huang Hu said, "It looks like we were careless, but the problem shouldn't be too serious. We're not far from Qingyun City now, after all. Those hidden attackers wouldn't dare be too brazen!"
"Brother Xia, it's really inconvenient for you to be alone. Why not come with me? That way, we can look after each other."
Xia Wuji looked at Huang Hu and said, "Brother Huang, judging from your tone, you seem to know the origins of the people shooting arrows from the shadows?"
Huang Hu nodded. "It's not that I know who they are, but I can indeed guess what sort they are. They're nothing more than a bunch of Demonic Cult scum."
"People from the Demonic Cult rely on devouring the blood essence or souls of living people to accelerate their cultivation. The blood essence and souls of young geniuses are especially to their liking."
"During the Azure Star Academy's examination, young talents from all over will rush to the examination site. The bastards from the Demonic Cult are especially active during this period. All they need to do is wait along certain fixed routes, and a steady stream of young talents will fall into their clutches."
"That's also why almost all of us have guards by our sides. We're afraid of running into this kind of trouble halfway there."
"We thought we could reach Qingyun City tomorrow, and that the Demonic Cult fanatics wouldn't dare appear so close to the city. But now it seems we underestimated how bold those Demonic Cult fanatics were!"
"Brother Xia, although you and I aren't particularly familiar with each other, I hope you can believe me. I bear you no ill will. I simply like making friends. Retreat with us. We'll travel through the night, shake off these bastards, and go straight into Qingyun City!"
In that brief span of time, a group of the young talents heading for the examination had already been struck by arrows and collapsed to the ground.
If not for the stone Xia Wuji had secretly thrown to alert them, given their state just now, the casualties from this round of arrows would have been several times greater than they were!
"Fine!" Xia Wuji agreed.
He did not want to stick his neck out. He would stay among the crowd for now and act according to circumstances.
At once, under the escort of a group of guards, Xia Wuji followed Huang Hu as they broke through the encirclement.
Wave after wave of arrows shot toward them.
When the arrows could no longer inflict effective damage,
a cold shout suddenly rang out.
"Kill!"
In an instant, black-clad figures wearing ghost-face masks charged out of the darkness one after another.
"They're people from the Bloodfire Demonic Cult!" Huang Hu said in a low voice. "Brother Xia, be careful!"
Huang Hu's guards were quite strong. Among them was a middle-aged martial artist at the peak of the Sea of Qi Realm. He held a long spear, and with a tremor of its tip, spear shadows condensed and stabbed one enemy to death.
There were quite a few of these black-clad figures wearing ghost-face masks, and they were exceedingly savage. In merely a moment, several of Huang Hu's guards had already fallen.
A fifth-level Sea of Qi Realm martial artist from the Bloodfire Demonic Cult successfully closed in on Huang Hu. He swung a massive axe viciously at Huang Hu's head.
"Looking for death!"
Huang Hu roared. He was a sixth-level Sea of Qi Realm cultivator. In an instant, he swung the long saber in his hand, knocking away the axe that was cleaving toward his head. Then his move changed, and a blade ray swept out horizontally, slicing open the Demonic Cult martial artist's chest.
The Demonic Cult martial artist let out a miserable cry and flew backward, but even so, he still flung out an arm. At once, needle after needle coated in deadly poison shot toward Huang Hu!
Cold sweat instantly broke out all over Huang Hu!
He had just unleashed a full-power slash, and his strength was still transitioning. He had no time to dodge.
"Cling, cling, cling!"
At that moment, sword light suddenly erupted. Every poisoned needle was blocked by Xia Wuji's sword.
Huang Hu was shaken and still trembling with lingering fear. He immediately cupped his hands toward Xia Wuji and said, "Brother Xia, thank you!"
"Break out as quickly as possible!" Xia Wuji's expression was grave. Just now, in that instant, his spiritual power—which could already leave his body—had detected an extremely powerful aura.
A Core Formation Realm expert from the Bloodfire Demonic Cult was watching from the shadows!
The Qi Gathering Realm, True Essence Realm, Sea of Qi Realm, and Primal Energy Realm were all merely stages for tempering one's foundation and reserves. Only upon reaching the Core Formation Realm could one truly be said to have pushed open the gates of martial arts!
"With the strength of a Core Formation Realm martial artist, why would he need to go to such trouble to ambush this group of young talents heading to the Azure Star Academy's examination?"
Xia Wuji was certain that there had to be another mystery behind what was happening tonight.
They had to withdraw quickly while that Core Formation Realm expert from the Bloodfire Demonic Cult had yet to make a move.
Huang Hu grunted, gripped his saber, and charged alongside his guards.
Xia Wuji also kept attacking from within the group, doing his best not to attract too much attention.
After a short while, they finally fought their way out of the Bloodfire Demonic Cult's encirclement and sped through the night.
Along the way, they encountered several more interceptions by Bloodfire Demonic Cult fanatics.
"We should be safe now!" After enduring battle after battle, Huang Hu was so exhausted that he was nearly limp with weakness. His face was pale, and a bloody wound ran along his arm.
More than half of Huang Hu's guards had died, and those who remained were nearly spent.
Xia Wuji's spiritual power spread out silently, capturing the slightest traces around them. If anything abnormal occurred, he could react immediately.
What exactly does that Core Formation Realm expert from the Bloodfire Demonic Cult want? Xia Wuji wondered inwardly, unable to figure it out.
"Brother Xia, as we fought our way out, you saved me three times at critical moments. Thank you!" Huang Hu said, cupping his hands toward Xia Wuji as he gasped for breath.
Three times, he had sensed the breath of death.
Yet each time, Xia Wuji had happened to be right beside him, helping him resolve the crisis.
Xia Wuji said, "You're too kind, Brother Huang. Without your guards, I couldn't have fought my way out of the encirclement either."
"Brother Xia, this is an Essence Restoration Pill. It was refined according to a secret recipe of my Household, and it's very effective at restoring essence."
"In our current state, it isn't suitable to continue traveling. We should rest for a while, tend to our wounds, and restore our essence before setting out again."
"After that, we absolutely can't stop again. Let's make one final push and head straight to Qingyun City!"
As Huang Hu spoke, he held out a jade bottle containing pills and handed it to Xia Wuji.
Xia Wuji did not refuse. He took the pill, swallowed it, then sat cross-legged and circulated his energy to refine its medicinal power and recover his strength.
Half an hour later, the remaining guards with Huang Hu were in considerably better condition, and they set off again.
But it was not long before
figures flickered ahead.
"Prepare for battle!" Huang Hu shouted in a low voice, as if facing a formidable enemy.
"Brother Huang, don't be nervous. It's me!" a voice called from the darkness.
Immediately afterward, Zhang Xiao arrived before Huang Hu with a group of guards.
"Brother Zhang, that's wonderful! You broke through successfully too!" Huang Hu seemed somewhat excited.
Zhang Xiao cupped his hands. "Luckily, my luck was good. The danger came too suddenly this time. I almost didn't make it out alive either."
"By the way, Brother Huang, I discussed it with several friends. We feel that heading straight to Qingyun City is probably still too dangerous, so we sent people to Qingyun City to seek help from the experts of the Azure Star Academy."
"In the meantime, we can hide and wait for reinforcements!"
"Brother Huang, the people around you are in terrible condition too. Why don't you come with us?"
Huang Hu was just about to speak.
Xia Wuji suddenly said, "Brother Huang, I think we should stick to the original plan."
There was a Core Formation Realm expert from the Bloodfire Demonic Cult lurking behind the scenes. It was an enormous threat.
Now that they had escaped the Bloodfire Demonic Cult's blockade, they should leave this place of trouble as quickly as possible.
And Zhang Xiao's plan also seemed problematic to Xia Wuji.
If he really wanted to hide and wait for reinforcements from the Azure Star Academy, then why had Zhang Xiao brought people out in such a brazen manner?
He was either stupid or malicious!
Zhang Xiao's brows immediately knitted together as he glared at Xia Wuji. "I haven't liked the look of you from the beginning. For Brother Huang's sake, I was too lazy to argue with you."
"But I'm warning you—know your place!"
"You have no right to speak here. Shut your mouth. Do you understand?"
As he spoke, he even drew his sword and pointed its edge at Xia Wuji, threatening him. "If you dare keep babbling, I'll cut out your tongue!"
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