Ambush

After traveling for a little over a month, Shen Ge finally followed the map to a village near Sunset Valley called Li Household Town.

As its name suggested, most of the people living in Li Household Town bore the surname Li and belonged to the same clan. It was said that an illustrious figure had appeared among their ancestors.

Just how illustrious, no one could say. After all, it had been hundreds of years.

After tying up his horse, Shen Ge began asking the villagers for information. The immortal market catered to cultivators, and mortals couldn't enter it, so he wanted to ask if there was a place nearby shrouded in thick fog. That would save him from searching everywhere.

"Sir, do you know of any strange places around here? I'm interested in that sort of thing, so I'd like to investigate."

The old man turned and glanced at Shen Ge. Seeing him dressed in silk, he didn't dare treat him lightly. "Young master, you must mean the Ghost Forest south of Sunset Valley. That place really is strange. Ordinary folk who enter it find themselves back where they started in less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Some people used to go there often, but a little over ten years ago, dozens of people went in and never came out. Nobody's gone there since."

"Everyone says a man-eating evil ghost lives there. Usually, it sends people who wander in by mistake back out, but once it gets hungry, he goes mad eating people and doesn't even leave their bones behind."

"So I advise you not to go, young master. There's something terribly sinister about that place."

"Thank you, sir." Shen Ge took out some pieces of silver and offered them to him. "It's a small token. Please accept it."

With that, Shen Ge turned and left without waiting to see whether the old man would refuse.

But just as he reached the village entrance, Shen Ge met an interesting person, a cultivator like himself.

What made him interesting was that he was doing his best to maintain a smile while dealing with an old woman.

The man naturally noticed Shen Ge when Shen Ge spotted him, but before Shen Ge had even grown wary, the man had already become cautious.

That was understandable. Shen Ge was at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement, while the man was at the Qi Refinement Seventh Layer. Faced with someone stronger than himself, he had no choice but to be wary.

Before long, the man approached somewhat cautiously. "I am Lü Yang, a Rogue Cultivator from Jade Cultivation Mountain. Greetings, fellow Daoist. Are you headed to the Sunset Immortal Market?"

Shen Ge nodded without speaking.

"That's wonderful, fellow Daoist! This is my first time out. I heard about the immortal market, but I've been troubled because I don't know the way. Sorry for the trouble, but could you take me along?"

"All right. Follow me."

And so the two left Li Household Town together and headed for Sunset Valley, ten li away.

Once they had grown acquainted in the woods, Lü Yang asked as they traveled, "Fellow Daoist, might I ask your name?"

Shen Ge waved a hand. "Shen Ge. For now, I'm a Rogue Cultivator with no fixed abode."

"Oh? For now?" Lü Yang smiled. "It seems you have lofty ambitions, Fellow Daoist Shen."

"I wouldn't call them lofty ambitions. Rogue Cultivators have no prospects, after all. If I want to advance my cultivation, I need to join a sect to gain access to more resources."

"True. As Rogue Cultivators, we have to find all our cultivation resources ourselves. Sometimes, for a single spirit medicine, we have to spend our time roaming deep mountains and ancient forests, risking encounters with Demon Beasts and monsters. It's different in a sect. If you want resources, you can generally exchange Spirit Stones for them. Even if you can't afford them yet, you can save up. The resources will still be there, and you don't have to take much of a risk at all."

"I heard the Spirit Moon Sect will be relaxing its requirements for recruiting disciples for a while. Perhaps we'll both have a chance to join."

"After all, it's only been a little over ten years since that great war. If they relied on themselves to recover, it would take at least a hundred years to make up for their losses. That's a rather long process."

As they drew closer to Sunset Valley, traces of activity around them gradually became more numerous.

Just then, an eagle's cry suddenly rang out overhead. An eagle with a wingspan of nearly twenty-odd meters soared across the sky, and laughter could be faintly heard from its back.

A trace of envy appeared in Lü Yang's eyes, and he sighed. "Those must be people from a cultivation Lineage. They can tame a low-level Demon Beast to ride. We Rogue Cultivators don't have the ability or the time for that."

Shen Ge had no reaction. It wasn't as though he had never flown when he was a Yin soul. Although the experience hadn't been as pleasant, he had at least seen the scenery from above.

The two continued onward, but the instant they entered the valley, flying swords, fireballs, earth spikes, and all manner of attacks came at them from every direction ahead.

"Damn it, someone's ambushed us here!"

Lü Yang shouted and immediately raised a Spiritual Qi shield around his whole body. At the same time, he took out a fan-shaped Law Artifact and poured Spiritual Qi into it before giving it a forceful sweep. A fierce gust of wind blocked all the incoming fireballs and flying swords.

Shen Ge was even less afraid. He activated the Golden Body Incantation, and golden light covered his entire body. The next moment, he took out his flying sword to intercept the attacks. Even those he failed to stop struck him without causing him any pain, merely consuming some of his spiritual power.

"Big brother, these two look pretty rich. They've each got a Law Artifact." A man dressed like a Daoist in a green robe grinned viciously, greed in his eyes.

"Five of them: one at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement, one at the Qi Refinement Eighth Layer, and three at the Qi Refinement Seventh Layer. Be careful."

After that warning, Shen Ge charged at one of the Qi Refinement Seventh Layer cultivators.

He had played plenty of team-based competitive games, after all. Rather than meet the enemy's strongest fighter head-on, it was better to deal effective damage and reduce their numbers.

Qi Refinement Seventh Layer cultivators might not seem especially strong, but if he ignored them, they could end up killing him.

"Third brother, fifth brother, help fourth brother. Second brother, come with me and deal with the one at the seventh layer." After giving his orders, a burly, one-eyed man immediately sprang at Lü Yang.

A very effeminate-looking man with a full head of white hair swiftly followed. His Movement Method was fast, even a little faster than that of their one-eyed leader.

Seeing this, Lü Yang knew he was no match for them and ran. He didn't go far, however, instead maneuvering around the two men. In the current situation, he wouldn't get far even if he ran alone. Rather than die somewhere else, he might as well hope Brother Shen could finish quickly.

Although Shen Ge might also flee, Lü Yang had no other choice. He could only hope Shen Ge wouldn't abandon him and run off alone.

"Kid, the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement? You've got talent, but you're not good enough to get past the three of us!"

The green-robed Daoist sneered, then formed hand seals and summoned a barrage of small fireballs at Shen Ge.

The other two did the same. One summoned earth spikes, while the other unleashed a large fireball, cutting off Shen Ge's escape from three directions.

Shen Ge frowned slightly. There was no dodging now, and relying on the Golden Light Incantation alone to withstand the attacks would probably be risky.

I never thought my first spell battle would be against so many opponents. How unlucky can I get?!