Danger

Seven days later.

Qingyu City, one of the cities in Southern Mangzhou closest to the Vast Mountain Range.

Outside the city.

Xu Zhiji sat atop his horse, gazing into the distance at the Vast Mountain Range—mountains piled upon mountains, winding like entwined dragons and serpents, stretching endlessly beyond sight. He pointed northeast and said to Xu Shixiong, who rode beside him, "Today, we'll split into two groups. You'll take one group northeast, while I'll lead another southwest."

"Understood, Great-Uncle!" Xu Shixiong nodded, quickly selected a group of men, including that Seventh-Rank Great Martial Master, and rode away with them.

Liang Jingtang and his disciple remained with Xu Zhiji's group, as did Xu Shisen.

Watching Xu Shixiong's group swiftly vanish at the end of the mountain road, Xia Daoming secretly let out a breath.

At first, he had thought they would all travel together. Only later did he learn that there were two destinations this time, requiring them to split up.

Now that Xu Shixiong had finally departed with a group of men, the oppressive weight that had hung over Xia Daoming's head also dispersed.

An Eighth-Rank Great Martial Master in his twilight years—if anything truly happened, Xia Daoming was confident he could handle it.

As for Xu Shisen, who had only just advanced to Sixth-Rank Great Martial Master, Xia Daoming did not take him seriously.

In fact, if the opportunity arose, he would not mind secretly getting rid of him.

"Let's go too!" After watching Xu Shixiong and the others leave, Xu Zhiji raised his whip, pointed southwest, and gave the order.

"Yes!" everyone answered in unison, then clustered around Xu Zhiji and headed southwest.

Five days later.

The western range of the Vast Mountain Range.

Towering ancient trees blotted out the sunlight.

A thick layer of fallen branches and rotting leaves carpeted the ground, giving off a damp, decaying stench.

A group of people carefully made their way through this dark forest.

Their feet crushed the rotten branches and leaves, producing rustling sounds in the silent mountains that made one's heart inexplicably pound.

The five factions, twenty martial masters in all, spread out into a loose encirclement, protecting the seven Xu family martial masters in the middle.

Xu Zhiji, the Xu family elder and strongest among them, was guarded at the very center by six Xu family martial masters.

Xu Zhiji held a Tiger Head Saber in one hand and a map made from some unknown beast hide in the other, occasionally issuing orders to Liang Jingtang and his disciple, who were scouting at the front of the group.

"Ah!"

A shrill scream suddenly tore through the silent forest.

A Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master in the prime of life collapsed to the ground, his hands clawing frantically at his body.

Centipedes three to four inches long crawled over his neck and face. Apart from a blood-red line running down their bellies, their bodies were pitch-black.

"Dafu!" An old man cried out at the sight. Just as he was about to rush forward to save him, rustling erupted from where the burly martial master was rolling. Identical centipedes crawled out from beneath the rotting leaves, densely packed together until the sight made everyone's skin crawl.

"Run! Run! They're Bloodline Centipedes!" Someone grabbed the old man and repeatedly backed away, terror in his eyes.

The others also swiftly retreated from the burly martial master screaming on the ground.

In merely seven or eight breaths, the burly martial master's cries abruptly ceased. When they looked back from afar, his face had turned black, and he lay completely still.

Xia Daoming's expression darkened, and his vigilance grew even sharper.

They had officially entered the mountains two days ago.

Yet in only two short days, two people in their party, including the martial master just now, had already died.

One of them had accidentally entered a patch of mist yesterday, shimmering beneath the sunlight with dreamlike colors. The instant he stepped inside, the muscles all over his body began to rot.

That mist turned out to be a noxious miasma formed when the sludge and marsh created by countless poisonous creature corpses, rotten branches, and fallen leaves in this deep forest evaporated under the sun.

The sight had made Xia Daoming's hair stand on end.

"Whew!"

Dazzling sunlight suddenly poured down without obstruction. The martial masters instinctively narrowed their eyes and let out long breaths.

They had finally left that damp, shadowy primeval forest.

Before them lay a broad valley, steep cliffs rising on either side. The ground was strewn with chaotic rubble, colorful wildflowers and untamed trees, while a rushing mountain stream ran through the middle. In the distance, a colossal waterfall cascaded down like the Milky Way hung upside down.

The view ahead was wide open, the surrounding scenery strange and magnificent, and the air fresh.

The gloom in everyone's hearts seemed to have been washed away considerably.

"Liang Jingtang, Xia Daoming, you two will continue scouting ahead," Xu Shisen called out to the master and disciple.

A flicker of anger appeared on Liang Jingtang's face, but he silently nodded and led Xia Daoming forward.

At such a young age, Xu Shisen had leaped into the ranks of Sixth-Rank Great Martial Masters, becoming one of the Xu family's key disciples.

Moreover, Xu Zhiji, who was in charge of this expedition, was his own granduncle.

Among this Xu family party, Xu Shisen's standing could be said to be second only to Xu Zhiji's.

Even knowing full well that Xu Shisen was using public duty to avenge a private grudge, Liang Jingtang could only endure it.

He even worried that Xia Daoming's youthful spirit would not tolerate such humiliation, so he had privately reminded him twice.

Yet Liang Jingtang later discovered that, on one occasion, it had nearly been he himself who lost his composure. Fortunately, Xia Daoming lightly nudged him with an elbow, snapping him awake.

Liang Jingtang and his disciple soon continued leading the way at the front.

The unobstructed view and the strange, magnificent scenery gradually caused Liang Jingtang to relax his guard.

Most of the others did the same.

Xia Daoming remained on high alert, his senses far sharper than those of ordinary people keeping watch over every subtle change around them.

"Master, watch out!"

Suddenly, Xia Daoming felt every hair on his body stand on end. Without a moment's thought, he grabbed Liang Jingtang's arm and darted sideways to the left.

Just as the two swept leftward, a jade-green shadow lunged out from the rushing stream. It was a savage beast entirely jade-green, covered in vicious scales, and shaped like a crocodile.

After missing Liang Jingtang, the beast did not pursue him. Instead, it opened its jaws and spat a green ice blade at a Fifth-Rank Martial Master who had originally been following behind Liang Jingtang.

The attack came too suddenly, and the green blade was too fast. The Fifth-Rank Martial Master had no time to evade, hurriedly drawing his saber to block it.

Clang!

Sparks flew in every direction.

The horizontal saber in the Fifth-Rank Martial Master's hand was knocked from his grasp, and blood streamed from the web between his thumb and forefinger.

His entire body staggered backward.

Whoosh!

As the Fifth-Rank Martial Master stumbled back, the beast opened its mouth and spat another green ice blade.

"Elder, save me!"

The Fifth-Rank Martial Master turned his head toward Xu Zhiji, who stood not far behind him.

But Xu Zhiji's expression was cold and grim. With one hand gripping his saber in guard, he seized Xu Shisen beside him with the other and darted aside.

Pfft!

The green ice blade pierced straight through the Fifth-Rank Martial Master's body. He collapsed to the ground, blood flowing along the blade.

Catching the scent of blood, the beast's eyes glowed green. It lunged forward, pinned the Fifth-Rank Martial Master's corpse with its claws, opened its huge jaws, and began tearing into it.

"Move!" Xu Zhiji ordered coldly, not a trace of pity visible in his eyes.

No one spoke. They swiftly withdrew from the beast.

Only after retreating twenty or thirty zhang did they dare turn back and look from afar.

Under the sunlight, they could still see the beast tearing into the Fifth-Rank Martial Master, blood spraying everywhere.

"Elder, you're an Eighth-Rank Martial Master. You clearly could have saved him just now. Why didn't you save Xiong Qi?" A Sixth-Rank Great Martial Master nearing sixty stared at Xu Zhiji, his face filled with grief and indignation.

"That was an Azure Water Crocodile. Its hide is thick and impervious to blades and spears. It is a First-Tier High-Rank Demonic Beast, savage by nature. If I had acted, it would surely have fixed its eyes on me!

The Xu family summoned you here to help us clear dangers and obstacles along the way and hunt Ice Rabbits, not to make this old man risk his life protecting you instead!" Xu Zhiji said coldly.

"No matter how formidable the Azure Water Crocodile is, it is only a demonic beast without intelligence. If you had merely helped hold it back for a moment, with so many of us, we could certainly have killed that beast!" The elderly Great Martial Master's grief and indignation only deepened.

"Fine!" Xu Zhiji nodded at those words, but his body suddenly shot into the air. While still in midair, the Tiger Head Saber in his hand flashed with cold light beneath the sun and slashed toward the elderly Great Martial Master.

"You!" The elderly Great Martial Master's face changed drastically. He drew his longsword from its black scabbard, trying to block the strike.

Clang!

The elderly Great Martial Master's sword was sent flying to the ground in a single blow from the Tiger Head Saber. After pausing only slightly, the Tiger Head Saber continued its arc.

The elderly Great Martial Master's head fell to the ground, while blood shot into the sky from his severed neck.

Dead silence filled the surroundings.

"Who else thinks this old man should have saved him just now?" Xu Zhiji landed, holding the Tiger Head Saber still dripping with blood. His gaze, sharp as a blade, swept over everyone one by one.

Sweat beaded on everyone's foreheads. Each lowered his head, fear and resentment tangled together in the depths of their downcast eyes.

Xia Daoming lowered his head as well, inwardly chilled.

An Eighth-Rank Great Martial Master truly is formidable. He's already in his twilight years, yet his saber is still so fast and his strength so fierce. I wonder how his endurance is?

Today's update is complete.