"What rats have laid an ambush here, hiding your heads and tails, too afraid to show yourselves!"
Xu Qianhuan's face was dark as still water, his tiger-like eyes glaring fiercely. He had sensed something coming and had never let his guard down. Though furious, he was not startled.
He quietly drew a three-inch Flying Sword from his Storage Bag, then raised his hand and sent it shooting into the forest on the left.
Whoosh!
The Flying Sword flashed away, transforming midway into a massive sword five feet long before plunging into the branches.
Two screams rang out. Blood sprayed like a fountain, splashing over the leaves before slowly dripping down.
That sudden strike had killed at least two people.
"You've got some nerve!"
The treetops shook wildly as nine cultivators flew out of the forests on either side, all with their faces concealed.
Judging by their magical auras, five were at the Mid-Qi Refining stage and three at the Early Qi Refining stage.
Their leader, a burly male cultivator gripping a spear, emerged with a savage grin. His cultivation was actually at late-stage Qi Refining as well-the eighth layer.
The Xu Family members' hearts sank to the bottom of an abyss.
If king faced king, the remaining three Mid-Qi Refining cultivators of the Xu Family would have to face five!
The two extra mid-stage cultivators could either help the late-stage Qi Refining cultivator surround and kill Xu Qianhuan or slaughter the old and weak within the formation of horses.
The situation was dire!
"Attack! Finish this quickly. Kill every last one of them here."
The burly cultivator wasted no time and exchanged no empty threats. He ordered the others to attack, then charged straight at Xu Qianhuan.
Boom!
The burly cultivator struck. His spear suddenly erupted with dazzling bloody light, forming a phantom Blood Python of magical power that opened its enormous jaws and lunged straight for Xu Qianhuan's throat!
The others each sprang into action.
Four masked bandit cultivators unleashed their magic artifacts and engaged the Xu Family's three Mid-Qi Refining cultivators.
The remaining masked bandit, at the sixth layer of Qi Refining, did not join the melee. Instead, he furtively circled behind Xu Qianhuan, preparing a sneak attack!
Facing the assault, Xu Qianhuan naturally took no chances. He first activated a talisman, and a hazy curtain of water immediately enveloped him.
Then the green barrier projected by his Jade Pendant Magic Artifact contracted as well, covering the surface of his body.
Only then did he unleash his Flying Sword again, sending it crashing into the phantom Blood Python.
For a time, they fought on equal footing.
"Now's my chance!"
Suddenly, the masked bandit at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, who had been waiting like a venomous snake lying in ambush, struck. A streak of light flashed past.
With a pop, the outer curtain of water broke.
The abrupt turn of events rattled Xu Qianhuan for a moment.
A boom rang out almost simultaneously. The burly bandit coordinated his strike, seizing the opening to land a hit!
Xu Qianhuan's Jade Pendant Magic Artifact immediately let out a mournful whine, and the green barrier teetered on the verge of collapse.
The stalemate began to tip.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
The Xu Family's three Mid-Qi Refining cultivators were also facing one peril after another against the four bandits. After all, they were outnumbered by one.
Seeing this, Master Mo gritted his teeth, slapped his Dragon Horse, and plunged into the battle.
Master Mo's cultivation foundation was at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, but his body was old, and he had lingering injuries. Even he did not know how much strength he could still bring to bear, but he had no choice except to act now.
If any of the Xu Family's Mid-Qi Refining cultivators were injured and forced out of the fight, the situation would likely collapse at once. Who could survive then?
Master Mo had roamed the cultivation world for many years. Clear-eyed and sharp-minded, he acted with utter decisiveness.
Back where he had been, Shopkeeper Xu, Master Mo, and Lin Changheng had originally been working together against three bandits at the Third Level of Qi Refining. The first two possessed several magic artifacts and took turns confronting the enemies head-on, while Lin Changheng harassed them from the flank with ranged attacks using the Fireball Technique and Entangling Technique.
Now that Master Mo had left, the pressure on Shopkeeper Xu, a veteran cultivator at the Third Level of Qi Refining, soared.
"I'll go crush that annoying little bug over there."
One of the bandits had had enough. He cast a cold glance at Lin Changheng, murderous intent biting like frost. Leaving those words behind, he broke away from the fight and charged toward him, controlling a hammerhead magic artifact.
The magic artifact danced through the air, cold gleams flickering from it!
"Hyah!"
Lin Changheng jumped in fright, his expression changing drastically as he hurriedly turned his horse and fled.
"Hahahaha! Don't run, you bastard! You've got the guts to harass your grandpa, but not to hand over your life?"
Lin Changheng's cowardly flight made the young bandit even more brazen, and he gave chase.
Along the way, he came across a Xu Family Attendant who had fallen from his horse and had his leg trampled and broken. The bandit sneered and casually smashed the attendant's head apart with his magic artifact. There was not even a cry of pain, only red and white splattering everywhere, as though he had slaughtered a chicken.
Then, seeing the distance between them widening, his gaze darkened, and he slapped a Swift Travel Talisman onto himself.
His speed surged at once, rapidly closing the gap. He grinned savagely. "Die!"
Yet Lin Changheng, who appeared to be scurrying away like a rat with its head covered, showed not the slightest panic. Only a rare chill filled his pitch-black eyes.
He activated the Fireball Technique's spell formula, enhanced it with Fire-Control Art: Spirit Agility, and grasped at the air with one hand, forming a fist-sized fireball. Turning back, he hurled it out.
"So slow... A paltry little trick, just as I thought. And you're trying the same thing again!"
The young bandit glanced at it dismissively. With a slight turn of his body, he prepared to skim past the fireball with a precise dodge. At the same time, he sent his magic artifact flying out, intending to use the opening to close in and enter attack range.
Then, in his fury, he would smash Lin Changheng's head to pieces!
"Huh?"
With a clang, the fleeing man ahead suddenly raised his hand and unleashed a Flying Knife, knocking the hammerhead aside.
The young bandit froze. He had a magic artifact too?
In the next instant, a wave of heat rushed at his face. Only then did he realize in horror, too late, that the fireball he had clearly dodged with that precise movement had turned with his body, changing course in an uncanny arc...
Boom!
He did not understand, but he would never have the chance to understand either.
The fireball, its power forcibly compressed, slammed into his face and instantly exploded in a dazzling blaze of scarlet.
The protective spell he desperately activated tore apart like thin paper. The intense heat melted straight through his flesh, and his blood vaporized with a hiss. His entire body blackened in an instant and crumbled to ash.
Lin Changheng reined in his horse and turned back. He had killed as lightly as drifting clouds on a gentle breeze, none of the discomfort he had imagined arising.
He put away his Flying Knife, then bent down along the way to scoop up the hammerhead magic artifact the dead bandit had lost control of and dropped to the ground. He returned to the battlefield where Shopkeeper Xu was fighting.
"Changheng!"
"How is it you?"
Unlike Shopkeeper Xu's jubilant surprise, the two bandits at the Third Level of Qi Refining cried out, their expressions changing sharply.
Lin Changheng did not answer. Instead, he keenly seized that moment of distraction and immediately threw out a talisman.
Frost Talisman!
The talisman burst apart, and a bone-piercing chill sprang into existence. Taking the opportunity to direct it, he enveloped one of the bandits.
Crack, crack!
The man's movements immediately slowed as frost crept across his body.
"Die!"
Shopkeeper Xu Qianyou was overjoyed. How could he let this opportunity slip away? He immediately redirected his magic artifact and struck. With a sharp hiss, an arm was severed and fell to the ground, blood spraying across the scene.
"What a pity!"
Lin Changheng shook his head. Just a little closer, and the man's head could have been cut off.
"Ah!"
Xu Qianyou also shook his head and sighed. He had to admit that age had caught up with him. Then he continued directing his magic artifact in pursuit.
But that bandit could no longer fight. Unable even to spare a thought for his severed arm, he could only flee desperately.
The sole remaining uninjured bandit at the Third Level of Qi Refining was stunned as well. How much time had passed? It had been three against two, with the advantage on his side, yet everything had suddenly reversed into a disadvantage of one against two!
Just as the choice of whether to fight or flee flashed through his mind, a piercing whistle suddenly came from the direction of the distant Blackwater River. A Spell Boat was speeding toward them!