Ambush on the Road (Please Recommend and Favorite)

Night fell, and the bright moon rose slowly, soft as cotton and light as silk. Its hazy light was not as rich and vivid as the evening glow, but elegant and unadorned; it was not as dazzling as the setting sun, but carried a faint chill.

Gentle as rippling water, it cast a hazy veil over heaven and earth, as though draping the land in a thin gauze.

Wutan City, so clamorous during the day, had now fallen silent. Most households had already extinguished their lamps and gone to sleep.

In a secluded corner of the Xiao Clan, two half-grown youths whispered to each other.

"Third Brother, be careful. The Gale Clan's convoy transporting medicinal herbs is very strong," Xiao Yan cautioned.

Xiao Meng said indifferently, "They're just a bunch of trash. Killing them won't take any effort at all."

After they exchanged a few more words, Xiao Meng turned and left. Xiao Yan stared in the direction he had gone, only returning to his residence after Xiao Meng's figure had vanished. There was a faint trace of worry on his face.

"Why are you worried? That kid knows what he's doing," Yao Lao's voice sounded in Xiao Yan's mind.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath. "Teacher, my Third Brother's true strength isn't that high after all. Though he has many trump cards, if he faces a true expert, he may not have time to use them."

"That kid looks carefree, but he is more cautious than anyone else. Killing him will not be easy."

Yao Lao said, "Besides, that kid can kill a six-star Dou Practitioner with one punch. His true strength is probably no weaker than a Dou Master. As long as he is careful, even a Grand Dou Master may not be able to kill him easily. And he has been traveling outside all these years, yet hasn't he been doing just fine?"

"That's true," Xiao Yan said with a bitter smile.

After leaving Wutan City, Xiao Meng raced along the route Xiao Yan had obtained from the Mittel Auction House.

It was deep into the night when he reached a steep cliff. Across from it stood a mountain, while bottomless abysses lay to the left, right, and behind him. Only a broad road ran between the two mountains.

"A dark and windy night—perfect for murder."

Xiao Meng sat cross-legged atop the cliff, his eyes emitting a faint blue glow in the darkness as they fixed tightly on the distance.

Before long, a faint and unusual sound came from the direction he was watching.

A cold smile curled Xiao Meng's lips. He immediately leaped off the cliff and landed in the middle of the road.

On the broad road, three or four black iron carriages sped onward, kicking up rolling clouds of dust. The second-tier magical beasts pulling them, Purple-Scaled Lions, were extraordinarily huge. Their bodies were covered in purple scales that shone like forged metal.

The four carriages traveled in a line. Atop the first carriage sat a middle-aged man cross-legged. He stood nine feet tall and wore luxurious brocade robes. His temples were gray, and his face bore the weathered look of one who had seen through the world, yet his eyes gleamed sharply.

This man was Jia Lie Nu, one of the Gale Clan's two remaining elders. His cultivation had reached the four-star Grand Dou Master realm. In all of Wutan City, aside from a handful of people such as Jia Lie Bi and Xiao Zhan who could surpass him, no one else could compare. Jia Lie Bi's decision to have him personally escort the medicinal herbs showed just how much the Gale Clan valued this shipment.

Jia Lie Nu sat cross-legged on the carriage roof. No matter how violently the carriage jolted, his body remained as steady as a boulder.

"With this batch of medicinal herbs, destroying the Xiao Clan is just around the corner. This time, no one can save them. Even that damned black-robed man will not escape death." A glint of cold light flashed through Jia Lie Nu's eyes as his right thumb and index finger gently turned the storage ring on his left index finger. He gritted his teeth as he spoke.

After several days of arduous travel, he was already somewhat exhausted and dearly wished to lie on the carriage roof and sleep. But he knew how heavy the burden on his shoulders was, so no matter how sleepy he felt, he could not rest.

"Stop!"

Jia Lie Nu quickly spotted Xiao Meng blocking the road. Xiao Meng had covered his face with black cloth, making his true features impossible to see, but anyone could tell at a glance that he was only a half-grown youth.

"Boy, who are you? Why are you blocking our path?" Killing intent surged in Jia Lie Nu's eyes, yet he spread his senses through the surroundings, checking whether Xiao Meng had any accomplices.

At the same time, all the guards swiftly jumped from the carriages, drew the weapons at their waists, and formed a semicircle around Xiao Meng. They glared at him coldly, as though they would chop him into mince the moment Jia Lie Nu gave the order.

"I'm here to rob you," Xiao Meng said lazily, rolling his neck.

"Rob us?"

Jia Lie Nu froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. The next instant, his face darkened, and killing intent spilled forth. "Boy, are you sure there's nothing wrong with your brain?"

"Fuck your mother! You're the one with something wrong with your brain!"

Xiao Meng suddenly roared, "Get down here right now, put your hands on your head, kneel on the ground, and sing 'Conquered' for me!"

"You little bastard, there's a road to heaven and you refuse to take it, but you insist on barging into hell."

Jia Lie Nu's face twisted viciously. He raised a hand, then swung it down. "Tear him to pieces!"

"Kill this idiot!"

The moment Jia Lie Nu finished speaking, more than ten men charged forward with vicious expressions.

"A bunch of trash." Xiao Meng sneered coldly as his hands formed seals at incredible speed. One Dou seal after another appeared at his fingertips.

In the blink of an eye, twenty Dou seals had formed.

"Hm? What Dou Technique is this?" Jia Lie Nu's gaze sharpened, and he hurriedly shouted, "Don't kill him! Take him alive!"

Clearly, he wanted to obtain the technique Xiao Meng was using.

Xiao Meng could not help cursing inwardly. He was the one doing the robbing, wasn't he? Yet Jia Lie Nu had turned around and set his sights on Xiao Meng's belongings. There was no justice in this damn world.

Had robbers really fallen this low nowadays?

After cursing inwardly, Xiao Meng flicked his finger. The twenty Dou seals instantly vanished, merging into the air ahead.

Sizzle, sizzle.

The Dou seals fused into the air, and complicated streaks of lightning shot out, rapidly spreading and intertwining until they formed an extraordinarily intricate diagram of light.

What he was using was naturally the Nine Heavens Thunder Battle Array he had studied. He focused his mind, and the hand seals he formed changed without pause as his hands traced one trajectory after another through the air.

He had tried setting up the Nine Heavens Thunder Battle Array more than a dozen times on the back mountain of the Xiao Clan, succeeding every time. By now, he set it up with great proficiency, as smoothly as flowing clouds and running water.

"Activate!"

Xiao Meng gave a soft shout. A violent buzzing suddenly rang out from the air ahead, where the air churned like a vast sea. Within those ripples, brilliant blue light appeared—it was lightning.

The lightning gathered, forming a special domain dozens of feet wide around Xiao Meng. Within that domain, lightning serpents flashed and crackled, creating a deeply terrifying sight.

"Lightning? What grade of Dou Technique is this?" Jia Lie Nu's pupils suddenly shrank. He stared fixedly at Xiao Meng and could not help drawing in a sharp breath.

At that moment, the more than ten attackers had already drawn close. They unleashed attack after attack, enveloping Xiao Meng.

"You overestimate yourselves."

Xiao Meng mocked them. The lightning battle array began to operate, and the formation trembled slightly. A bolt of lightning seven or eight zhang long transformed into a giant python and howled forward, tearing toward the charging men.

"Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!"

No one could withstand the lightning python. In the blink of an eye, the dozen or so men were blasted away, and seven or eight of them died on the spot.

"Trying to show off in front of me? You're just courting death."

Xiao Meng rushed after them, killing those who had fallen but were not yet dead.

"How dare you!"

After coming back to his senses, Jia Lie Nu roared in fury. He slammed his palm heavily against the carriage roof and shot forward like lightning, lunging at Xiao Meng.

"Old bastard, do you think I'm afraid of you?"

Xiao Meng snorted coldly and charged straight at him.