Encirclement

Judging from the current situation, if that person was allowed to continue, it would not be long before the martial world gained a great demon whose poison arts soared to the heavens.

Cang Yinyue hesitated somewhat. She was not confident she could deal with that person.

And if they continued onward, the chances of encountering him would undoubtedly be extremely high.

Just then, Li Musheng's voice sounded beside them. Sitting atop his horse, he looked at Yu Changlu and said:

"Turning back is impossible. My poor horse worked itself half to death climbing this mountain road. If you make it walk back down now, see whether it kicks you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the mule beneath Li Musheng seemed to cooperate perfectly, pawing at the ground and letting out a heavy snort.

Hearing this, Cang Yinyue turned to glance at him, and the image of him striking her acupoints from afar in an instant surfaced unbidden in her mind.

After thinking it over, she voiced her speculation, then continued:

"Continuing forward is not impossible, but we will most likely encounter that Grandmaster Realm expert skilled in poison arts."

"With your abilities, you should be able to protect yourself. And if I wish to leave, he cannot stop me either. However, we need to be wary of the poison arts he possesses."

Li Musheng nodded and mused:

"That person truly is vicious, but he has also invisibly cleared away the Bloodbath Alliance's obstacles along this road for us. That counts as a small positive contribution."

As he spoke, he raised his brows and looked at Yu Changlu, who was standing motionless before the mule, saying:

"What are you standing there dazed for? Keep moving."

At those words, Yu Changlu's expression became as ugly as it could possibly be.

Naturally, he had heard what Cang Yinyue and Li Musheng had just said.

So the two of you could protect yourselves if you encountered that demon with poison arts, and I was supposed to keep going alone to my death?

At that moment, Yu Changlu truly wanted to turn and flee at once. But his strength was inferior to Cang Yinyue's, and he was not skilled in lightness kung fu. Running now was clearly a road leading straight to death.

With no other choice, he could only steel himself, turn around, and continue along the mountain path.

In his heart, he prayed that the alliance's experts would do something useful for once—preferably deal with the murderous demon ahead, so he would not have to worry about meeting him.

Over the next stretch of the journey, the corpses appearing along the road became somewhat less frequent than before.

It was likely because the Bloodbath Alliance had only a limited number of people stationed here, and they had nearly all been slaughtered.

Thus, the three traveled for more than an hour, while the light within the mountains gradually dimmed.

Just as they saw that crossing one more ridge would take them out of this region, they passed through a mountain hollow and discovered flames shooting into the sky ahead. Bursts of noisy voices drifted over on the mountain wind.

Yu Changlu, walking in front, immediately stopped. He looked back at Cang Yinyue, and after seeing her nod, he continued toward the firelight.

Before long, Yu Changlu reached a boulder, quietly concealed himself, and peered toward the brightly lit valley ahead.

The next instant, delight flashed across his face.

There were nearly a hundred people in the valley, each holding a burning tung-oil torch. They illuminated the surrounding forest as brightly as day and sealed off the valley so tightly that not even water could pass through.

More importantly, every one of them belonged to the Bloodbath Alliance!

Yu Changlu's heart surged with excitement as he considered how to call for help, when Cang Yinyue's icy voice came from behind him.

"Before making a decision, you had better first consider this: are you faster, or is my blade faster?"

Yu Changlu felt as though a basin of cold water had been poured over him. He immediately retreated two steps and did not dare make another move.

At this point, Cang Yinyue and Li Musheng dismounted and stepped forward, their gazes fixed on the valley ahead as they observed the situation within.

The Bloodbath Alliance had already surrounded the entire valley, while four people sat cross-legged atop a huge bluestone in its center.

Meng Shan and two others were conspicuously among them, while the additional person was a gray-clad woman wearing a mask.

The Bloodbath Alliance was led by a middle-aged man in black robes and two white-haired elders. They stood in a triangular formation, guarding the four people in the center.

Yet they did not make any further moves. Instead, they watched the area within three feet of the four with apprehension. Wisps of bluish-black mist lingered there.

"Which sect of the martial world do you belong to, Your Excellency? Your methods are so vicious, and you have killed so many brothers of my Bloodbath Alliance."

The black-robed middle-aged man's face was extremely gloomy beneath the firelight. As he stared at the masked woman, unconcealed killing intent gleamed in his eyes.

Yet the masked woman said nothing. She merely sat cross-legged with her eyes closed, regulating her breath, showing no intention of acknowledging the black-robed middle-aged man.

Seeing this, the black-robed middle-aged man flew into a rage. His broad right hand, its knuckles protruding, slowly twisted.

A fierce whirlwind suddenly rose from the ground, sweeping up the dead leaves scattered across the earth and drawing them into his palm.

The next moment, the black-robed middle-aged man thrust his palm forward. A gigantic palm print formed from dead leaves condensed in the air and abruptly slammed down toward the four people in the center.

Only then did the masked woman react. She abruptly opened her eyes, faint glimmers flickering within them.

The fingers she held loosely before her dantian suddenly curled into claws, then reached toward the palm print in midair.

At the same time, the bluish-black mist within the three-foot area was swiftly drawn over, transforming into a dark claw shadow that braced itself beneath the palm print.

Visible to the naked eye, the palm print formed from dead leaves rapidly corroded upon touching the mist, then turned into a pool of black water and fell to the ground.

Meng Shan and Yuan Mei, watching from the side, could not help but feel a chill rise in their hearts.

They did not know the masked woman before them at all.

Earlier, they had been hunted by the Bloodbath Alliance. Outnumbered and outmatched, they had nearly been captured alive, but at the critical moment, this masked woman had suddenly appeared.

Her strength was profound, and she had effortlessly driven back the Bloodbath Alliance's experts. However, she was also exceedingly cruel, fond of torturing people to death, and possessed poison arts that filled even them with terror.

Meng Shan and Yuan Mei had witnessed the miserable plight of poisoned people many times. It was truly worse than death, enough to make one's hair stand on end.

Fortunately, the masked woman was helping them and had protected them all the way as they fled, so they did not have to face this demon's poison arts.

The only regret was that the Bloodbath Alliance's power in this region was enormous. Before they could escape this area, the enemy's reinforcements had caught up to them and trapped them in this valley.

Of course, because they feared the masked woman's poison arts, the enemy did not dare launch a reckless assault either. Both sides remained locked in a standoff.

But Meng Shan knew this could not go on forever.

"Senior, the longer we delay, the more experts they will likely send as reinforcements. Should we promptly find a way to break out of the encirclement?"

After seeing the masked woman block the black-robed middle-aged man's attack, Meng Shan gathered his courage and spoke.

However, when Meng Shan looked up, he saw a mocking smile curl at the corner of the masked woman's eyes. Her voice, cold and sinister as a venomous snake, sounded beside his ear:

"What is the hurry? The longer it takes, the deeper their poison will seep, and the more miserably they will die."