Encirclement

After leaving Qingyang City alone, Huangfu Ji rode leisurely along the way, admiring the scenery. As a result, he covered only a hundred li in half a day.

One had to know that he was riding a Heavenly Soul Horse, famed for traveling a thousand li a day.

Covering a mere hundred li in half a day was simply an insult to a Heavenly Soul Horse.

By afternoon, he casually stopped beneath a large tree by the roadside to rest.

After resting for a while, he continued on his journey.

Heading west, he spent three days leaving the Qingyang Duchy and entering territory directly governed by the Empire. From the moment he left the Duchy, Huangfu Ji shed his carefree demeanor and became vigilant.

He knew very well that Yuan Hao would not let him off so easily. It was difficult to make a move within the Duchy, but once he had left it, things would be different.

From his current location to the Empire lay several thousand li. If the Heavenly Soul Horse traveled without rest, he could arrive in just a few days.

That evening.

He arrived at a small town.

He went to an inn and rented a room.

Lying on the bed, Huangfu Ji wore an expression of utter enjoyment.

"That feels great."

He had not rested properly these past few days. At night, he had always slept out in the wilderness.

Night fell, and the sky darkened.

He got up and walked to the bedside, gazing at the gloomy sky outside.

"It's going to rain."

Outside the inn, several masked Soul Masters hid in dark corners, staring intently at Huangfu Ji's room on the second floor.

According to the information they had received, Huangfu Ji had left alone, without any guards by his side.

The reason Huangfu Ji had not brought any guards was simple: he did not trust them.

Who knew whether the guards he brought would include people planted by Yuan Hao? Rather than suspecting everyone, he had decided not to bring anyone at all.

Rumble!

Thunder rumbled through the sky. Before long, a raindrop fell, followed by a torrential downpour.

After drawing the curtains, Huangfu Ji sat cross-legged on the bed and cultivated.

The masked men outside the inn were extremely patient. They waited until the latter half of the night before making their move.

The rain grew heavier, washing the bluestone road clean. Amid the peals of thunder, the masked men quietly made their way onto the inn's roof.

When they stepped on the roof tiles, crisp sounds rang out, but most of them were covered by the thunder.

Even so, the faint noises were still noticed by Huangfu Ji, who was cultivating inside the room.

He looked up. The inn had only two floors, and the masked men were directly above him.

He rose and blew out the candle. The room immediately fell into darkness. Since this was merely an ordinary inn, it had no lighting Soul Tools installed.

With his back against the corner and dressed entirely in black, Huangfu Ji blended into the darkness.

A black shadow appeared soundlessly by the window.

Seeing that the room had gone dark, he looked upward and made a hand signal to alert the others.

The other masked Soul Masters on the roof immediately understood that they had been discovered. Their leader made another gesture, and the Soul Master by the window understood. Without hesitation, he smashed the window with his palm and rushed inside.

After entering the room, he did not find Huangfu Ji. However, he failed to notice a pair of dark-red eyes staring fixedly at him from the darkness.

By the time the masked Soul Master who had entered the room sensed something was wrong and turned around, it was already too late. A hand had transformed into a claw and seized his throat, then hurled him away.

"Ah!"

Seeing their companion thrown out, the others on the roof did not hesitate. They decisively summoned their Martial Souls and charged into the room, but Huangfu Ji had already fled.

"Chase!"

The leader immediately gave the order. Several people jumped from the window. Once they reached the street, they saw Huangfu Ji riding his Heavenly Soul Horse through the darkness toward the edge of town.

"Don't let him get away." The masked men immediately gave chase. They could not outrun a Heavenly Soul Horse on foot, but they had come prepared. As soon as Huangfu Ji left the town, several more masked men in black rode in from all directions and surrounded him.

"Damn it, there are quite a few of them."

After cursing inwardly, Huangfu Ji sped up. At least eight Soul Masters were pursuing him now, though he did not yet know their exact strength. If they were weak, there would have been no need for him to run.

But these people had clearly been sent by Yuan Hao, so they could not possibly be weak.

He galloped through the entire night, covering several hundred li before finally stopping in a forest. He was exhausted, drenched from head to toe, with his hair plastered to his face, yet he did not dare rest.

It was not until dawn began to break that he found a cave.

Only after entering the cave did he let out a breath of relief.

Sitting directly on the ground, Huangfu Ji was utterly depressed.

Other protagonists shook heaven and earth, so why was he being hunted down? He was even hiding in such a miserable state, like a dog.

Ultimately, he was still too weak. If he had been a little stronger, he would not have needed to flee at all. Or if he possessed hidden weapons like Tang San.

He rested in the cave for the entire day and did not leave until nightfall.

The sky remained dim, and the forest carried an eerie silence that made one feel uneasy.

Leading his horse, Huangfu Ji cautiously headed west. Every few steps, he had to stop and observe his surroundings to guard against ambushes.

He was not attacked until he left the forest.

However, when he reached a valley, several streaks of blade light shot toward him from one side.

Huangfu Ji hurriedly twisted aside to evade them, but his Heavenly Soul Horse was not so fortunate. The blade lights directly cut it down.

Spraying blood splattered across Huangfu Ji's body.

He summoned his Martial Soul. Two yellow and one purple Soul Rings pulsed around him.

"Come out."

After his words fell, there was no movement around him.

Huangfu Ji's fury surged, and he shouted.

"Aren't you here to kill me? Come on!"

"Have you all become cowards? Are you afraid of a twelve-year-old boy like me?"

At this moment, eight masked Soul Masters dressed in black appeared around him. With their Martial Souls summoned, the eight surrounded Huangfu Ji.

Looking at them, Huangfu Ji's expression grew grave.

Among the eight was one Soul King, three Soul Ancestors, and the remaining four were Soul Elders.

He was not afraid of one-on-one, or even one-on-two, but this was one against eight.

"Bullying the few with numbers doesn't make you heroes. If you've got the guts, fight me one-on-one." Huangfu Ji gathered Soul Power, staring fixedly at the eight men.

The lead masked Soul Master with a wolf Martial Soul sneered.

"We aren't heroes, nor are we righteous men."

"Save such childish words for when you're underground talking to your ancestors."

With that, both his hands transformed into wolf claws as he charged at Huangfu Ji.

Huangfu Ji sidestepped the attack, but another masked Soul Master with a blade Martial Soul immediately slashed horizontally at him. Huangfu Ji could only dodge.

After several backward flips opened up some distance, Huangfu Ji unleashed his Second Soul Skill, War Dragon Roar.

A dragon's roar rang out. Several Soul Elders clutched their ears in agony as their souls suffered an impact.

Meanwhile, a masked Soul Master with a thorn Martial Soul activated his Soul Skill. Several barbed thorns extended toward Huangfu Ji and bound his legs, while the masked Soul Master with the blade Martial Soul launched several streaks of blade light.

The other Soul Masters attacked simultaneously from several directions as well.

"Third Soul Skill: Dragon Scale Armor!"

With a low shout, golden scale armor covered Huangfu Ji's body, and the thorns binding him shattered from the force.

Breaking free of the restraint, Huangfu Ji beat his Dragon Wings and flew into the air. Seizing the right moment, he unleashed his First Soul Skill, Sacred Martial Slash.

A golden slash shot forth. This attack contained half of Huangfu Ji's Soul Power and directly cut a masked Soul Elder in two at the waist.

After killing one person, he did not linger and instead flew swiftly into the distance.

The remaining seven masked Soul Masters pursued him at top speed.

Facing their encirclement, Huangfu Ji fought while retreating. He inevitably suffered several minor injuries. Only when his Soul Power was nearly depleted did he discover a merchant caravan resting ahead.

Without time to think, he descended directly in front of the caravan and immediately blended into it.