The Heaven-Piercing Ancient Vine Star Domain has always been known as one of the oldest starfields Returning Light Heavenly City. When the transport vehicle slowly entered this area, the entire landscape was completely transformed. The once vast and open starry sky seemed to be occupied by some ancient life form, with an unimaginably enormous vine spiraling up from the depths of the void.
Its main vine is as thick as a continental mountain range, winding and extending to the ends of the universe. The vine is covered with ancient patterns that have been deposited over the years, like solidified rivers of time. Countless branches hang down from the main vine, like billions of dragons hanging from the sea of stars. Between each vine are entwined broken meteorites, ancient continental debris, and long-dead stars.
From afar, the Heaven-Reaching Ancient Vine reaching to the sky resembled a colossal tree piercing the heavens and earth, their branches and leaves obscuring the entire starry sky. Even starlight could only scatter sparsely through the gaps, making the entire star field appear dark and eerie. The transport vehicle flew slowly through this world of vines, its array patterns shining brightly in the dim space. The Star-Patterned Giant Beast at the front of the vehicle dragged it through the vines, like a mobile star iron fortress moving through an ancient forest.
Not far from the transport route, on a giant vine branch, three figures were concealed among broken rock formations, having been lying in ambush for some time. Suddenly, one of the cultivators Realm Breaking Realm · Supreme, abruptly raised his head.
His gaze was fixed on the slowly approaching transport vehicle in the distance, and he couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, "Boss, look! It's the Wugui Datong Money Exchange Escort Agency's convoy!" His voice was filled with obvious shock, "That kid... that kid is actually in the escort team!"
The face of the cultivator at the Mystic Void Realm Initial Stage beside him instantly darkened. His eyes were as ugly as if he had been slapped hard in the face. He gritted his teeth and cursed in a low voice, "Damn brat... he actually resorted to such underhanded tactics, actually accepting an escort mission from the Wugui Datong Money Exchange Agency."
Another cultivator at the Realm Breaking Realm · Supreme couldn't help but hesitate, lowering his voice to say, "What should we do, boss? This Wugui Datong Expressway is a force jointly controlled by several major Lineage in the Supreme Transformation Primordial Domain... If we make a move, this..."
Before he could finish speaking, the Mystic Void Realm cultivator spat out a curse, his face extremely ugly. "Damn it... I really underestimated this kid."
However, just as the three of them were whispering among themselves, Qin Yu, who was on the transport vehicle, had already sensed the three faintly floating auras in the distance. Qin Yu stood in the protective position in the center of the vehicle, his gaze seemingly calmly sweeping across the void between the vines in front of him, but his sea of consciousness had already covered the entire space of hundreds of thousands of miles around.
The instant those three auras flickered, he had already locked onto their location. Qin Yu sneered inwardly, "Why are there three more auras... It seems Hua Jingmeng is determined to kill me."
His gaze then slowly shifted to the Realm Breaking Realm · Supreme cultivators who had remained silent throughout the group, a meaningful chill flashing in his eyes. "Since that's the case, how about I give you a surprise?"
The next moment, Qin Yu suddenly turned around and his voice rang out in the ranks. "Not good—an ambush!"
The shout shattered the tranquility of the group. Almost simultaneously, the ten escorting cultivators tensed, their divine power surging, and their defensive formation immediately tightened. Shen Qingchen reacted swiftly, turning to Qin Yu almost instantly and asking urgently, "Brother Qin! What's wrong? What happened?"
Qin Yu didn't offer any further explanation. His gaze was fixed on the shadows of the vines in the distance. He raised his right hand and gently pointed his fingertips forward.
That seemingly casual gesture created an invisible ripple of power in the void, and a faint spatial fluctuation spread forward like water ripples.
The next moment, the previously Emptiness vine shadow suddenly twisted violently, as if it had been forcibly torn apart by some force.
"Boom--"
The void suddenly trembled, and three auras that had been hidden very deeply were instantly forced to reveal themselves. Before the three ambushing cultivators could react, their bodies were directly shaken out of their concealment by the spatial force, and the entire area of vines was immediately exposed to the transport team's view.
Shen Qingchen's expression immediately turned cold upon seeing this. He took a step forward, his aura Realm Breaking Realm · Supreme spreading outwards. His gaze coldly fixed on the three people, his voice low and icy. "Are you courting death?" His gaze swept over the three, his tone suddenly becoming harsher, "Do you know this is the caravan of Wugui Datong Money Exchange Agency? If you know what's good for you, get lost."
At the same time, the remaining six escorting cultivators quickly moved in, and the entire team immediately formed a defensive formation, firmly protecting the transport vehicle in the center. The two Realm Breaking Realm · Supreme cultivators who had remained silent frowned slightly, their expressions seemingly puzzled. One of them secretly wondered, "Who are they...? Could they be reinforcements invited by Deacon Luo?"
Just as the atmosphere was becoming increasingly tense, the escorting cultivator at the Mystic Void Realm Initial Stage suddenly stepped forward. His gaze was fixed on the faintly visible markings on the chests of the three men, and his expression changed slightly. His voice carried a hint of shock and anger. "The Holy Clan? You three are from the Holy Clan?"
His tone instantly turned sharp. "You Holy Clan people have some nerve! You actually dared to ambush the goods of the Wugui Datong Money Exchange and Escort Agency. Aren't you afraid of being wiped out?"
The three cultivators who had been intercepting the caravan immediately changed their expressions upon hearing this. The leader, a cultivator at the Profound Mystic Void Realm, quickly stepped forward, his tone instantly becoming extremely respectful. He waved his hands repeatedly, explaining, "No, no, no! You've misunderstood! You've misunderstood!" He hurriedly said, "The three of us absolutely had no intention of robbing the caravan! We were only targeting one person."
The two Realm Breaking Realm · Supreme cultivators beside him immediately nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes, we're only targeting one person."
Then, the three of them simultaneously turned their gazes to Qin Yu in the center of the group, pointing at him almost at the same time, their tone clearly urgent. "Fellow Daoists, we are only targeting him! We absolutely have no intention of robbing the caravan!"
The enormous shadow of the Heaven-Reaching Ancient Vine swayed slowly in the starry sky, dim light filtering through the cracks in its branches, making the entire star field appear gloomy and oppressive. The transport vehicle hovered in the void where the vines intertwined, with ten escorting cultivators standing in formation around it.
The three Holy Clan cultivators who had been forced to reveal themselves were isolated on a vine not far away. The atmosphere became extremely tense at this moment, and even the air seemed to freeze.
The remaining six escorting cultivators also turned their gazes to Qin Yu, clearly waiting for his explanation. Qin Yu slowly took a step forward, his expression calm to the point of indifference, but his words pierced the hearts of the three like sharp blades. "This is interesting." He looked at the three, his tone laced with mockery, "Who are you? I don't know you at all. Now you suddenly claim to be targeting only me?"
Qin Yu slightly raised his hand, pointing to the shadowy vines where they had just hidden. "If you were only targeting me, why did you ambush me? Why did you hide in the shadows?" His voice gradually turned cold, "Moreover, when I sensed you just now, your presence was completely concealed, clearly indicating that you had been lying in ambush there waiting for your opportunity. If I hadn't sensed you in advance, you probably would have continued to lie in wait."
He paused, his gaze suddenly sweeping over the crowd. "Think about it, everyone. If they were only targeting me, they could have simply stepped forward openly. But they concealed themselves and lurked along the convoy's route... What does that mean?" Qin Yu chuckled lightly, but his tone suddenly turned cold. "It means they weren't waiting for me, but for the entire convoy."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the six escorting cultivators immediately turned serious. Almost simultaneously, they turned their heads to look around at the void, spreading their divine senses, clearly wary of any further ambushes.
Shen Qingchen also suddenly realized what was happening. He took a step forward, his gaze coldly fixed on the three men, his voice filled with obvious anger. "That's right! You said you were only targeting Brother Qin, so why did you ambush him?" He pointed to the shadowy patch of vines, "If you were only targeting Brother Qin, you could have simply stood up openly." Shen Qingchen's tone grew colder and colder, "If Brother Qin hadn't been alert, we wouldn't even have known you were already lurking there!"
His eyes narrowed, his voice like cold iron. "Speak! Who instructed your Holy Clan to dare rob the caravan?!"
These words struck the three of them like a heavy hammer blow.
The three Holy Clan cultivators were now sweating profusely, clearly not expecting the situation to escalate so suddenly. They exchanged glances, and one of them, Realm Breaking Realm · Supreme expert, finally couldn't help but frantically protest, "Bullshit! If we wanted to rob the caravan, we would have done it already! Why are we arguing with you like this?"
However, as soon as he uttered those words, the face of the leader, a cultivator at the Mystic Void Realm Initial Stage, turned deathly pale. He suddenly raised his hand and slapped the man hard across the face.
"Snap!" The crisp sound echoed through the starry sky.
The cultivator at the Realm Breaking Realm staggered from the slap, his cheek instantly swelling. The Mystic Void Realm cultivator stared intently at him, his voice low and furious. "Shut your filthy mouth!"
However, this scene happened to fall into Qin Yu's eyes.
A barely perceptible smile curved Qin Yu's lips. He slowly took a step forward, his gaze locking onto the beaten cultivator, and asked in a calm and unhurried tone, "Oh? What did you just say?"
The man's face stiffened.
Qin Yu's voice continued, as if recalling something for him. "You just said... if you wanted to rob the caravan, you would have done it already?"
The expressions of the people around changed slightly upon hearing this.
Qin Yu sighed softly, as if regretting something. "That's strange." He looked at the three men, "Didn't you say you were only targeting me? If you were only targeting me, why did you say something like 'robbery of the caravan'?"
These words were like a sharp blade, instantly tearing apart their excuses.
Qin Yu's tone gradually turned cold. "Unless—your initial goal was to rob the caravan."
The three men's expressions changed drastically.
Qin Yu didn't stop. He continued slowly, "Moreover, you just said that if you wanted to rob the caravan, you would have done it already... That means you've been preparing to rob it for a long time, just waiting for the right opportunity."
His gaze slowly swept over the crowd. "Gentlemen, this kind of person is best at denying first and then making excuses."
Qin Yu sneered, "They're only changing their tune now because they see we outnumber them, saying they're only targeting me."
At this point, his tone suddenly became meaningful. "But what if we hadn't discovered them just now?" Shen Qingchen's face darkened abruptly.
Qin Yu said calmly, "Then I'm afraid they'll make their move suddenly once the convoy enters the depths of the Vine Domain."
This sentence completely ignited everyone's anger.
The face of the escorting cultivator at the Mystic Void Realm Initial Stage had turned completely cold. He slowly drew his weapon from his waist, and divine power surged up from the blade.
Shen Qingchen also took a step forward, Realm Breaking Realm · Supreme suddenly erupted. "I knew you guys were acting suspiciously, you weren't good people."
The other escorting cultivators also gathered around, their spiritual energy surging. The ten-person escort formation instantly contracted, completely surrounding the three Holy Clan cultivators.
At this moment, in everyone's eyes, the three men had become ruthless robbers, and the air was filled with murderous intent.