Ambush

The Wang Clan members, together with more than a dozen other lineages, followed Yang Zhiyuan to the foot of a small hill.

Returning Goose Valley generally ran north to south, but mountain paths rarely went straight, and Returning Goose Valley was no exception. Though it did not twist through nine bends and eighteen turns, it had several dangerous passes, with Cart Gorge being the most perilous among them.

Cart Gorge stretched for roughly three li. As its name suggested, the valley was only as wide as a single carriage. The hill where they lay in ambush stood three li east of Cart Gorge.

To the hill's right lay a stretch of flat land about twenty zhang wide, leading deep into the forest. Beyond the flat ground rose peaks of all sizes, guarded by the other squads; to the hill's left were sheer cliffs and precipices.

Cart Gorge lay more than three thousand li in a straight line from Golden Goose City, and over a thousand li from Returning Goose Market. If anything happened here, neither side could send aid in time. Thus, Cart Gorge was where merchant caravans were attacked most frequently.

Though Yang Zhiyuan had yet to assign everyone their tasks, Wang Daoyuan could more or less guess them. Their mission was most likely to block and intercept fleeing Demon Beasts here.

Afterward, Yang Zhiyuan handed each person two Breath Concealing Talismans. These talismans could conceal the aura emitted by cultivators; neither spiritual power fluctuations nor scents would leak out.

The Netherworld Sect's purpose in distributing Breath Concealing Talismans was already obvious. They were setting an ambush.

Demon Beasts were numerous and scattered throughout the mountains and forests. To set an ambush, they could only lure the Demon Beasts over.

At that moment, Wang Daoyuan spotted a merchant caravan several li to the south, traveling along Cart Gorge.

This caravan had quite a few people: over twenty carriages and around a hundred men. Since they were too far away, he could not sense the cultivators' auras or judge their cultivation.

To suit the terrain, the freight carriages traveling along the Returning Goose Valley trade route were rather unusual. They ranged from two to five zhang in length, but were less than five chi wide, making them exceptionally long and narrow.

This caravan was no exception. Its carriages were about three zhang long and pulled by two Demon Beasts that closely resembled horses.

These Demon Beasts were called Forest-Piercing Colts. They were not particularly fast, but they excelled at traveling through mountain forests and possessed immense strength, making them common transport beasts.

The caravan continued onward and soon reached the very center of Cart Gorge, its narrowest point. If it came under attack there, the convoy would be caught between advancing and retreating.

The Demon Beasts would likely launch their attack here. Everyone grew tense, and even Yang Zhiyuan sent a voice transmission: "Without my order, no one is to act rashly. Those who disobey will be executed!"

Time ticked by bit by bit, and everyone's hearts rose into their throats. Wang Daoyuan could even hear the heartbeats of others nearby.

Yet the anticipated attack never came. The lead carriage had already exited Cart Gorge, and all remained calm.

Soon, the entire caravan had passed through Cart Gorge. The most dangerous stretch had been crossed, and the people in the caravan all breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the Demon Beasts had no intention of attacking this caravan.

The people lying in ambush outside Cart Gorge finally let go of their suspended hearts, and Wang Daoyuan recalled his Profound Sun Sword.

Beyond Cart Gorge, the mountain road widened considerably, broad enough for several carriages to travel side by side. To make management easier, the leader ordered the convoy to split from one column into three.

The leader possessed considerable authority. At a single command, everyone in the caravan immediately broke formation and rearranged themselves, the entire process smooth and natural.

Suddenly, a gust of black wind swept in from ahead, charging straight at the caravan.

Eleven cultivators from the caravan flew into the sky on their artifacts. The leader wore a gray robe and looked nothing like a cultivator, more like the steward of a wealthy household.

However, the gray-robed cultivator was far from weak. The instant the gale arose, he brought out a flying sword and rode it into the air.

He then took out a whisk and gave it a light sweep. A streak of black light crashed into the gale, followed by several explosive booms. The gale halted for a moment before continuing forward, though its force had weakened slightly.

The other cultivators who had flown into the air followed suit, bringing out magical artifacts and Talismans to attack the gale. Its force gradually weakened, but it also drew ever closer to the caravan.

The Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the caravan failed to disperse the gale before it struck.

The black gale crashed into the caravan. The many Qi Refinement cultivators could not fly on artifacts and had no way to escape into the air. The quick-witted hid behind the carriages, while the slower ones could only bring out magical artifacts and Talismans to resist with all their might.

As the gale battered the cultivators, Forest-Piercing Colts, and carriages, lights of every color flashed. Countless spells were hidden within the black gale.

After hundreds of multicolored flashes, the gale dissipated. More than fifty Forest-Piercing Colts in the caravan had perished miserably. After all, they could not bring out magical artifacts or Talismans to protect themselves.

More than ten cultivators had their magical artifacts and Talismans shattered and died on the spot.

Over twenty cultivators were left in tatters, their faces pale. They had clearly suffered grievous injuries and had essentially lost the ability to fight again.

The remaining sixty or so had reacted quickly. The moment the gale rose, they hid behind the carriages and brought out magical artifacts and Talismans.

Most of the attacks were blocked by the carriages, while the rest were warded off by protective magical artifacts and Talismans. They had merely expended some spiritual power and suffered no injuries, leaving their combat strength largely unaffected.

Looking at the more than twenty carriages, they were clearly specially made. Their quality truly was excellent. Even after being struck by spells, they bore only a few shallow marks.

In the valley ahead, where the gale had risen, a group of Demon Beasts revealed themselves.

There was a gigantic striped tiger, a black bear as large as a small mountain, a black giant wolf the size of a cow, and, in the sky, a black eagle with a wingspan exceeding three zhang and flecked with golden feathers.

The four Demon Beasts stood at the forefront of the beast horde, like four generals leading thousands upon thousands of troops.

Behind the tiger, black bear, and Black Wolf were more than two thousand ground beasts of every kind. Behind the eagle were over a thousand avian Demon Beasts.

Seeing this, the caravan's gray-robed cultivator decisively gave the order: "Those who can still stand, heed my command! Form the carriages into a circular formation, grab your weapons, and prepare to fend off the enemy."

At the command, the surviving Qi Refinement cultivators immediately sprang into action. With all the Forest-Piercing Colts dead, they could only pull the carriages themselves. For the sake of their own lives, they worked with great vigor, and a few cultivators even used Divine Strength Talismans.

In less than several dozen breaths, the more than twenty carriages had formed a circle, with the Qi Refinement cultivators positioned inside.

Then they took out Spirit Crossbows and loaded them with Spirit Stones. The Qi Refinement cultivators, who had just escaped death and been like headless flies, instantly became fully armed elites.

In Wang Daoyuan's eyes, with the circular carriage formation serving as cover, these Qi Refinement cultivators truly carried something of the positional warfare of his previous life.

The caravan cultivators had moved too quickly, and more than ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators stood watch in the air. The Demon Beasts had not had time to attack and had missed their best opportunity. Now that the caravan had set its formation, it would not be easy to take it down.

However, with several thousand Demon Beasts gathered here, they could not possibly retreat just because of a little trouble.

Several Second-Order Demonic Beasts roared, and five to six hundred thick-skinned Demon Beasts such as bears and rhinoceroses stepped out from the herd.

At a single roar from the tiger, the five to six hundred Demon Beasts launched a charge at the caravan.