Wind-Severing Five Balefuls

At the end of the lunar seventh month, autumn had grown deeper.

A cool breeze drifted across the plains, the gentle autumn wind brushing over the grasses and trees of the wilderness, carrying a touch of quiet, dry crispness.

A broad official road wound across the vast plain. Forests stretched along its sides, and ahead lay a slowly flowing river, its banks lush with trees and dense shade.

A neatly arranged convoy was slowly making its way through the riverside woods.

The Wang Lineage was a renowned first-rate martial family in Cloudmist Prefecture, with deep foundations and trade extending across several surrounding prefectures.

The one leading this convoy was Wang Qingwan, the Wang Lineage's eldest direct-descendant daughter.

She was only twenty-four and possessed considerable martial talent. Though not stunningly gifted, she had cultivated diligently and steadily, and had now become a Second-Tier Peak expert. In recent years, she had gradually begun taking charge of various Lineage affairs.

Her journey to Azure Sun County this time was to purchase rare medicinal herbs and ferocious beast meat produced by the Azure Sun Mountains on behalf of the Lineage.

The Azure Sun Mountains were rich in resources. Their herbs and ferocious beasts supplied the entire region and were sold far and wide to the major prefectural cities, yielding enormous profits.

The convoy advanced in orderly formation, its carriages connected end to end, while every guard had a restrained, condensed aura and moved with disciplined precision. At the center of the procession, an elegant ebony carriage rolled steadily onward. Behind its plain curtains sat Wang Qingwan.

The moment the convoy entered the riverside forest, the atmosphere around them abruptly sank.

Wang Hu, the captain of the guards, immediately became alert. His eyes narrowed sharply, and with a sweep of his large hand, every guard stopped and went on guard.

This Wang Lineage guard captain possessed stable cultivation and was a genuine Mid-Third Tier martial artist. Having escorted merchant caravans north and south for years, he was seasoned and experienced, and instantly sensed that something was wrong.

"Everyone, stay on guard!"

The instant his low shout fell, five figures slowly emerged from the shadows of the dense forest, blocking the road ahead.

The five radiated powerful auras. Their clothing was neat and sharp, their ornaments cold and hard, and their eyes sinister and fierce. The vicious air steeped into them through years of slaughter crashed over the convoy like a wave.

Well-traveled and knowledgeable, Wang Hu immediately recognized them as the fiends feared throughout several nearby prefectures—the Wind-Severing Five Balefuls.

The five committed evil together, acting ruthlessly and decisively. They specifically targeted the merchant convoys of great sects and noble families, their coordination seamless and their combat strength formidable.

Yet they were also exceedingly cautious. Once they succeeded in a strike, they would immediately flee far away, concealing their names and identities. The Martial Suppression Office had been hunting them for years.

The man at the front was broad and powerfully built, with dense killing intent between his brows. His Qi and Blood Realm was thick and condensed, faintly suppressing Wang Hu's by a degree. He had likely reached the Third-Tier Late Stage.

The remaining four were all at least Early Third Tier. Their five martial auras intertwined and overlapped, blanketing the entire forest and making the guards' breathing tighten.

"The convoy of the Wang Lineage of Cloudmist. What fortunate timing. The herbs and ferocious beast meat from the Azure Sun Mountains are worth quite a sum. But..."

The lead Baleful's voice was cold and heavy. His gaze fell upon the elegant ebony carriage in the center of the convoy, greed utterly undisguised in his eyes. "Compared to the Wang Lineage's eldest daughter, they are not worth mentioning. Today, our Wind-Severing Five Balefuls have truly stumbled upon a treasure."

The guard captain stepped forward. His Mid-Third Tier Qi and Blood Realm burst forth, forcibly withstanding the other party's pressure, his face grave.

"My Wang Lineage is a first-rate family of Cloudmist Prefecture. We abide by the ways of trade and bear no grievance against you. Why must you risk everything and offend the Wang Lineage? If you withdraw now, my Wang Lineage can offer some compensation and turn weapons of war into jade and silk."

"No grievance?" One of the Wind-Severing Five Balefuls gave a cold laugh, his tone arrogant. "We walk the martial world for profit alone, not grudges. The merchant convoys of first-rate families are precisely our finest prey."

As his words fell, killing intent was fully revealed. He stamped his foot, forceful energy spreading in all directions, and shot forward like a leopard, charging directly at the front-row guards.

The other three martial artists, apart from the lead Baleful, followed close behind.

The sharp clang of weapons colliding exploded at once, and a brutal slaughter suddenly began.

The Wang Lineage guards were naturally no ordinary low-tier martial artists; each was a capable Second Tier fighter. Yet though they held the advantage in numbers, before Third Tier experts, they still found themselves stretched thin and unable to cover every side.

The guard captain did not make a move. The enemy's Third-Tier Late Stage lead Baleful had not moved either, so he did not dare act rashly. Though he knew he was no match for the lead Baleful, there was no helping it—he was already the convoy's strongest combatant.

The Wind-Severing Five Balefuls had worked together for many years. Their offense and defense complemented each other, their moves ruthless and tricky, every strike aimed straight at vital points.

The Wang Lineage guards suffered mounting casualties, their defensive line collapsing at a visible speed. Blood gradually stained the green grass along the riverbank, and the situation teetered on the brink of disaster.

Inside the ebony carriage, Wang Qingwan sat motionless. Sensing the fierce battle outside and the powerful, vicious Killing Intent, she slightly clenched her fists. The maid beside her was trembling all over in terror.

Wang Qingwan silently circulated her Second-Tier Peak Qi and Blood Realm. She understood the immense disparity between the two sides. The enemy had a Third-Tier Late Stage expert holding the field, while the other four were all Third Tier. Their own guard squad simply could not contend with them.

She had already prepared herself for the worst. Calmly observing the battle, she searched for an opportunity to break the deadlock.

The battle grew ever fiercer. The Wang Lineage guards retreated step by step, and their destruction was only a moment away.

The leader of the Wind-Severing Five Balefuls stood at the rear, coldly overlooking the battlefield without any hurry to act.

For one thing, if Wang Hu could not withstand the pressure and joined the battle, he could seize an opportunity to launch a sneak attack and strike true in one blow, avoiding a prolonged fight. For another, he was guarding against the possibility of other hidden experts within the convoy.

Now, he merely had to wait for his other four brothers to completely crush the guards. Then he could easily seize the entire convoy and take Wang Qingwan in the carriage under control as well.

From the moment the Wind-Severing Five Balefuls had emerged, Lin Qing had retreated into the forest with the other Rogue Cultivators traveling alongside the convoy.

Yet he could not simply run away directly. The other Rogue Cultivators were all still here; if he alone fled, would that not be like hanging up a lantern in broad daylight?

But with the Wang Lineage now losing ground step by step, he could no longer care whether he would draw attention. He planned to use the thick woods to flee far away.

But just as the battle was about to collapse completely.

A burst of hoofbeats came from the official road ahead, followed by five figures appearing around the bend.

The leading man wore blue robes, his posture tall and straight. Behind him, several young people dressed in blue rode alongside him.

The autumn wind swept fallen leaves through the air. The man pulled on the reins and calmly looked toward the two sides locked in confrontation and slaughter within the forest.

The newcomer was none other than Ye Lingchuan of the Azure Profound Sect.