Ambush

"Young Master Shen, save me! Young Master, please save us!"

Zhao Hangao stumbled in from outside, drenched in sweat and looking utterly disheveled.

The moment he caught sight of Shen Changchuan, he let out a desperate cry, his body nearly collapsing into a kneel.

"Brother Zhao, please, get up quickly. What has happened?"

Shen Changchuan stood up in a hurry to steady him.

"Young Master, an outsider beast has attacked our village! I couldn't hold it back, so I came to beg for your help!"

"I implore you, Young Master, for the sake of my past loyalty and obedience, please save my family and my village!"

Zhao Hangao wept and pleaded, his face a mess of tears and snot.

From his fragmented account, Shen Changchuan managed to piece together the situation.

It seemed that a beast had descended from the mountains last night and launched an assault on Zhao Family Village.

After a brief struggle, Zhao Hangao realized he was no match for it. He had ordered his clansmen to hold the line while he rushed to Dawan Village to seek reinforcements.

"I see. What is the strength of that beast?"

After grasping the details, Shen Changchuan pondered for a moment before asking.

After all, with seventy percent of the harvest from two acres of spirit fields at stake, Shen Changchuan could hardly sit idly by.

However, he was a cautious man by nature. He preferred to understand the enemy's strength before making a move, rather than rushing out like a reckless fool.

"Uh, it's roughly at the peak of the fourth level of Qi Refining."

Faced with Shen Changchuan's inquiry, Zhao Hangao paused, hesitated for a fleeting second, and finally gave his answer.

"Very well. Brother Zhao, lead the way. We shall depart at once."

Upon learning that the attacking beast was merely at the peak of the fourth level of Qi Refining, the weight lifted from Shen Changchuan's heart, and he agreed to the request without hesitation.

He was entirely confident in his ability to handle it.

He had slain a Crocodile Demon at the fifth level of Qi Refining a month ago, and now that his strength had improved even further, how could he possibly fear a mere fourth-level beast?

Don't be ridiculous; he was incredibly strong now!

Shen Changchuan confidently grabbed Zhao Hangao's arm and prepared to head out.

"Uh, wait, Young Master Shen, are we just going to leave like this?"

"That's right. Is there anything else we need to prepare?"

"Emergency situations are like fighting a fire; we must be quick. If we delay, the village will surely suffer heavy casualties."

"No, I mean... are you going alone, Young Master Shen?"

Zhao Hangao asked with some hesitation.

In his memory, Shen Changchuan was only at the peak of the third level of Qi Refining.

Wouldn't going alone be like delivering himself to the beast as a snack?

"No need. Rest assured, I have my own methods."

He realized that the last time they met, he had indeed only been at the peak of the third level of Qi Refining. The man was likely doubting his strength. However, Shen Changchuan couldn't be bothered to explain and urged him to depart. After all, if the beast destroyed the spirit crops in the fields, he would suffer a massive loss.

"Then I shall trouble you, Young Master!"

As Zhao Hangao lowered his head, a flicker of joy seemed to flash through his eyes.

Shen Changchuan paid it no mind, having already called out to inform Han Qinhu.

He departed from Dawan Village, and under the guidance of Zhao Hangao, he sprinted toward the direction of Zhao Family Village.

Two figures moved in succession, speeding through the mountain forest.

Towering trees and the lush grass beneath his feet retreated rapidly behind him.

At this rate, he estimated that he would reach his destination in less than half an hour.

Throughout this journey, Shen Changchuan had no intention of showing off.

He had no desire to use his perfected Light Body Technique to display speed exceeding the fourth level of Qi Refining, nor did he care to act arrogant just to harvest a wave of shock from his companion.

Zhao Hangao was a middle-aged man, not some beautiful maiden; Shen Changchuan had not the slightest interest in posturing before him.

On the contrary, he was heading there to engage in a life-or-death struggle with a demonic beast.

When facing such combat, Shen Changchuan always maintained a cautious attitude.

Therefore, even though he and Zhao Hangao together would be two against one against a demonic beast at the peak of the fourth level of Qi Refining—giving them the advantage—Shen Changchuan still minimized his internal mana consumption as much as possible.

He did this to ensure he would have sufficient mana reserves upon arriving at Zhao Family Village.

Thus, Shen Changchuan simply followed behind Zhao Hangao at a moderate pace.

Along the way, Shen Changchuan briefly inquired about the situation, and Zhao Hangao answered with concise remarks.

To maintain their breathing rhythm while traveling, neither of them spoke much.

Yet, for some reason, as Shen Changchuan moved through the mountain forest, he felt a vague sense that something was wrong.

By the time they had traveled about thirty-four kilometers and were only twenty li away from Zhao Family Village, Shen Changchuan noticed that the path seemed to be growing increasingly remote.

It was as if they had entered the depths of the wild forest, where towering, century-old trees grew wantonly, reaching toward the sky, their incredibly lush leaves blocking out the heavens entirely.

The light from above could barely filter down.

The surrounding visibility turned dim.

Shen Changchuan kept his gaze fixed on Zhao Hangao, who was leading the way, a faint sense of unease stirring in his heart.

Something is wrong!

Ever since he had refined the Green Origin Water Grass, his divine sense had improved significantly, even allowing him to perform internal observation, a feat usually reserved for cultivators in the late stages of Qi Refining.

Although he could not yet project his divine sense outside his body, his powerful spirit undoubtedly granted him a much keener perception of his surroundings.

Something is wrong.

Quiet!

It is too quiet!

Along the way, the mountain forest had been filled with the chirping of birds and the buzzing of insects.

But after entering this dense forest, those sounds had vanished!

Though he did not know why, Shen Changchuan's heart tightened instantly.

He did not act rashly, maintaining his pace as he followed behind Zhao Hangao.

The Spirit Eye Technique activated silently, a faint white glow shimmering in his eyes.

Shen Changchuan's gaze suddenly sharpened, his heart feeling as if it had been seized by an invisible hand.

For at this moment, not far ahead, a concealed formation lay hidden beneath the earth, several formation flags buried within the inconspicuous grass nearby, ready to be triggered at any moment!

At the same time, behind those massive tree trunks, three figures

were scattered apart, hiding themselves thoroughly, not leaking a single shred of their presence.

The three figures and the hidden formation on the ground formed a great net, hanging silently ahead, waiting for the prey to enter!

Is this an ambush? But why?!

He looked at Zhao Hangao, who was walking ahead with a slightly hunched back, diligently leading the way.

Shen Changchuan found it inconceivable.

Why would a fellow who had lowered his posture to the very marrow of his bones the first time they met team up with others to ambush him?!

Did he not know his identity? Why would he still do this?!

Why would he do this?!

Shen Changchuan truly could not fathom it.

His heart sank accordingly.

At this moment, Shen Changchuan was absolutely certain

that the trap hidden ahead and the personnel lying in ambush behind

were things Zhao Hangao must have known about, and that he was very likely one of the participants!

For Shen Changchuan had already recalled the part that had felt wrong from the very beginning.

He had not informed Zhao Hangao of his recent breakthrough and improvement in cultivation.

In Zhao Hangao's mind, he, Shen Changchuan, was still only at the peak of the third level of Qi Refining.

If so, when a demonic beast at the peak of the fourth level of Qi Refining attacked the village, and Zhao Hangao, a cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining, could not defeat it and came to Dawan Village for reinforcements, how could he be at ease letting a mere cultivator at the peak of the third level of Qi Refining go to his aid?!

When he had set out, the other party had not tried to stop him due to the disparity in strength at all.

On the contrary, after he had agreed, a flicker of joy had seemed to flash through the man's eyes.

No matter how one looked at it, it was impossible to say he had no connection to this!

Perhaps, he was one of the masterminds!

Perhaps the reason he knew I was Shen Fuxing's son is because he had been eyeing me for a long time, targeting me specifically?!

In an instant, a multitude of thoughts flashed through Shen Changchuan's mind.

However, these thoughts only flickered through his mind for a moment;

Shen Changchuan did not have the time to ponder them carefully.

The most important thing right now

was to resolve the immediate crisis first!

Shen Changchuan quickly considered ways to escape in his mind.

Turning around and fleeing was out of the question.

According to the perception of his Spirit Eye Technique, the one positioned in the middle, who was also the furthest away, had a cultivation level of around the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining.

The others were scattered to the left and right.

The one on the left was at the fourth level of Qi Refining, while the one on the right was at the fifth.

The distance was far too close.

Turning to flee would only expose his back to the enemy!

Shen Changchuan was not certain that his perfected Light Body Technique could allow him to escape the pursuit of an enemy at the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining, alongside two others whose cultivation levels were no weaker than his own.

The probability was low.

Therefore, he had no choice but to fight for his life!

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Shen Changchuan's mind.

His resolve was set.

His pace slowed.

"Young Master Shen, what is the matter?"

Sensing Shen Changchuan slowing his steps, Zhao Hangao hurriedly stopped as well, looking toward Shen Changchuan with concern.

"Hah, hah... traveling continuously has left my mana somewhat depleted. Brother Zhao, let us rest here for a moment."

"After all, once we reach Zhao Family Village, we will have to battle that demonic beast. It will not do to be low on mana."

With only eight or nine zhang left before entering the formation, Shen Changchuan feigned the appearance of someone who had exhausted half his mana, stopping and speaking with a pant.

A flicker of anxiety passed deep within Zhao Hangao's pupils.

They were only a few zhang away from the ambush formation—why stop now!

Being left in this state of limbo

made him feel like an ant on a hot pan, pacing in circles in his mind.

Shen Changchuan seemed not to notice.

He flipped his palm to produce two spirit stones, approaching the other man with a familiar air and handing one to Zhao Hangao.

"Here, rest easy, Brother Zhao. We shall use these spirit stones to recover our energy; it will only delay us by a quarter of an hour."

As he spoke, he shoved one of the spirit stones into Zhao Hangao's chest.

Zhao Hangao instinctively reached out to take it, but, at that very instant, Bang!

A fist wrapped in mana slammed into Zhao Hangao's dantian at point-blank range!

Caught completely off guard, Zhao Hangao took the blow head-on; his eyes bulged as his dantian was torn apart by the overwhelming force in a single moment!

"Watch out!"

At the same time, the figure hidden in the deepest shadows, the one at the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining, was the first to react. Sensing that something was wrong, he let out a shout.

But, it was already too late!

A streak of golden light flashed through the air like lightning, instantly piercing the trunk of a large tree on the right and driving straight into the head of the figure hiding behind it.

The figure at the fifth level of Qi Refining, hiding there, did not even have time to scream before his life was extinguished.

"Second Brother!"

At this moment, the figure hidden behind a tree trunk on the left finally reacted to the shout, only to be horrified by the sight of his second brother's head exploding!

"Fourth Brother! Watch out!!!"

From the depths of the dim forest, a roar erupted from the figure at the sixth level of Qi Refining.

The figure lying in ambush on the left turned his head, only to discover, in horror, that five terrifying wind blades were strung together, slicing through the air in succession and slashing directly toward his face!