Danger Upon Danger

"Trouble!"

The faces of the patriarchs from several villages were filled with worry.

It was no wonder they were anxious.

This period was precisely when robber cultivators were at their most rampant and dangerous!

At this time, the various villages needed to travel to Wu Family Market for trade. They carried the harvest from their spirit fields cultivated over half a year, as well as spiritual herbs and various materials accumulated from the wilderness.

As a result, in the eyes of the robber cultivators, their merchant caravan, formed by these small villages traveling together, was nothing more than a moving fat sheep.

The difficulty of plundering these merchant caravans was far lower than attacking a village's defenses, and the rewards obtained were far greater!

Thus, the choice of the robber cultivators was obvious.

It was precisely because of this that, under normal circumstances, few robber cultivators would risk such great danger to attack villages and plunder those small immortal sects.

But during the trading season, almost all robber cultivators would emerge from their hiding places, ambushing the merchant caravans from various villages in the mountains and forests, sharing in this short-lived feast.

In this process, even cultivators from some larger villages would cover their faces and hide their identities to join in the revelry.

It was like a hunting season on the plains!

And for them, the weak, it was undoubtedly a disaster!

Fortunately, however, they were not entirely without the ability to resist.

Perhaps it was because this place was remote and the cultivation world was not prosperous.

Most of the robber cultivators participating in the raids were below Qi Gathering Seventh Level.

This might be because the gap between Qi Gathering Sixth Level and Qi Gathering Seventh Level was a huge watershed; those who reached Qi Gathering Seventh Level no longer cared for such petty gains.

It was also possible that they were suppressed by larger immortal sect forces, preventing cultivators at Qi Gathering Seventh Level and above from acting too recklessly.

But regardless, since the cultivation of the robber cultivators was generally at the early to mid Qi Gathering stage, this gave them, the small cultivator families from small villages, a chance to resist.

Just like before, they would gather around Shen Shiying, the guardian of Great Bay Village, with Shen Shiying as their backbone. Relying on their numbers and the banner of the Tiannan Shen Clan, they had safely passed through encounters with robber cultivators on the road.

But this had a prerequisite, and that was that the strength of the person acting as the backbone was sufficient!

Back then, Shen Shiying's own cultivation was at least late Qi Gathering Fifth Level. Coupled with his powerful heritage from the Tiannan Shen Clan, he was capable of resisting Qi Gathering Sixth Level cultivators in this area for a period.

With their assistance, it wasn't impossible to hold out for a while longer.

Most robber cultivators at Qi Gathering Sixth Level might be able to defeat them, but they couldn't kill them all in a short time.

If even one or two managed to escape, the consequences of intercepting the behemoth that was the Tiannan Shen Clan were demonstrated to them firsthand by the Hu Family.

Twenty years ago, the Hu Family of Great Bay Village

had quite a reputation in this area.

However, all of this had a prerequisite:

that the backbone could withstand the attacks of the robber cultivators!

Shen Shiying back then was out of the question; he was at least a cultivator at the late stage of Qi Gathering Fifth Level, so he could at least compensate for the gap in cultivation with his own skills.

What about Shen Changchuan?

Qi Gathering Fourth Level, and he's only a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy.

Could such a young man possibly have the strength to fight enemies two cultivation levels above him?

Impossible!

"Everyone, what should we do?" the Patriarch of the Li family asked the others in a low voice.

Although there might be some competition between them, their interests were aligned in this regard.

The few of them exchanged glances, their brows furrowed, but they had no solution.

"Young people are full of spirit. Young Master Shen probably wants to prove himself. His words are so firm, it seems there's no room for turning back," Guo Cheng sighed and said softly.

In their preconceived notions, the one who had killed the Four Fiends of Heshan must have been an elder behind Shen Changchuan. However, that person was so powerful that they disdained to appear before them or make their acquaintance, so they tacitly did not inquire.

Now, Shen Changchuan's words were like a rebellious teenager falling out with his elders at home, wanting to prove himself and make a name for himself. In such a state, no amount of persuasion from outsiders would likely work.

Even explaining the dangers of this trip would probably only provoke his rebellious streak further, making things even more troublesome.

"Alas, let's just let nature take its course. They are young and impulsive. If we anger them, who knows what trouble they might stir up," one of them said.

"I suppose since that senior resolved the Four Fiends of Heshan, they must know the dangers here. Perhaps they are hidden somewhere, secretly protecting us?"

"If that's the case, this trip might not be as dangerous as it seems," Guo Cheng said, trying to comfort himself.

"It can only be so," the few of them replied helplessly, their hearts filled with anxiety.

The convoy soon set off.

Carriages laden with goods stretched out like a long snake, kicking up dust as they headed towards Wu Family Market.

Along the way, they encountered several other traveling groups like themselves.

Large and small carts carried a lot of goods, and they all seemed to be heading to Wu Family Market.

However, under the worried reminders of the village Patriarchs, Shen Changchuan readily complied and deliberately kept his distance from the others.

This was because, according to the Patriarchs, in the past, there had been instances where robber cultivators disguised themselves as merchant caravans, asking to travel together, only to launch a surprise attack at night, nearly annihilating the entire merchant group.

Therefore, unless they knew each other well, it was best to keep a distance even from fellow merchant caravans.

Other than that, the convoy encountered no other incidents.

However, due to the numerous packages and the long journey over mountains and rivers, the road was somewhat difficult and treacherous, slowing their progress.

On the fifth day, they were still three days away from Wu Family Market.

It was at this time, in the wilderness, that they encountered a chase.

More than a dozen, perhaps twenty, men in black were pursuing two figures, an old man and a young man, who quickly rushed past their alerted convoy.

What's going on?!

Could this be a trap?

Shen Changchuan's vigilance surged sharply in that instant.

The entire team took up defensive positions.

The black-clothed figures pursuing the old man and the youth not far away also spotted Shen Changchuan and his group.

The leader among them, in particular, had his eyes flash with a cyan light as he scanned them.

Instantly, Shen Changchuan and everyone present felt as if their very essence was being perceived and probed!

This appeared to be some kind of ocular technique for detecting the strength of enemies.

Within a single breath, Shen Changchuan and his companions' cultivation realms were all completely seen through.

"So it's just a bunch of nobodies!"

"Since you're here, you're not leaving!"

"Kill! Leave none alive!"

Not far away, The leader of the black-clothed figures let out a sinister laugh.

His gaze swept past the crowd, and landed on the several fully loaded carriages behind them, a flicker of greed flashing in the depths of his eyes.

"Wait! Esteemed heroes, we are merely passing through!"

The Patriarch of the Li family shouted out in terror.

But the black-clothed figures showed no hesitation. A pale white light flared around them as they activated the Light Body Technique. Gripping their long sabers, they rapidly charged towards them!

Well then, No need to overthink it.

Let's just fight.

I suddenly received news that the book will be released on Friday, and I'll do a massive update then.