Intercepted on the Road

After traveling northeast from the Clear Sky Sect for less than half a day, Nan Feng sensed something was wrong.

The woods on both sides of the official road were too quiet; not even a bird chirped. The grass on the ground had been trampled on and swept with a branch, but it wasn't swept clean enough, and the white stubble of the grass blades was still showing.

The Old Huai snorted inside the tower.

"Behind that birch grove ahead, there are at least three groups of people crouching. Two on the hill to the left, three in the woods to the right, and a ' Soul-Tripping Rope' lies across the road directly ahead."

"These guys even laid out their ambush like a sieve."

Nan Feng didn't stop. As he walked, he scanned the area around him with his Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light.

The light that appeared in the spiritual light was densely packed with Soul Tool and Soul Power traps.

The Soul-Tripping Rope is the lowest level type, lying horizontally on the road, three inches off the ground. Kicking it will trip someone up and, incidentally, seal the flow of Soul Power for three breaths.

The two people crouching on the hill held Soul Power compression crossbows, their arrowheads coated with anesthetic, with a range of fifty paces. Nan Feng estimated that their power was at most enough to break through the outermost layer of his protective Immortal Power.

"The Elephant Armor Sect's Iron Armor Crossbow, the Holy Dragon Sect's Dragon Scale Arrow." Old Huai recognized them at a glance. "These people really did get together."

"Those two on the hill to the left are Three-Ring Soul Elder, and those three in the woods to the right are led by a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor. Behind the Soul-Tripping Rope directly in front, there's also a Five-Ring Soul King crouching. Quite a lineup; it seems Huyan Bao has gone all out this time."

Nan Feng stopped three steps away from the Soul-Tripping Rope.

He didn't take a detour, nor did he bend down to untie the rope; he just stood there.

Then he spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it traveled out with his Immortal Power and could be heard clearly within a hundred paces.

Did Huyan Bao send you?

The woods were quiet for three breaths.

A man emerged from behind the old birch tree directly in front of them. He was in his forties, dressed in the standard uniform of the Elephant Armor Sect, with armor patterns embroidered on his chest. His Soul Power was level 52, Soul King.

The man had a scar across his face, his expression was tense, and his hand gripping the Soul Tool trembled slightly.

"Master Nan Feng."

The man clasped his hands in a fist salute, his throat dry.

"Elder Huyan sent us to... stop you. We don't mean anything by it, we just want you to take a detour and not go to the Elephant Armor Sect."

"You're blocking my way?"

Nan Feng glanced at the Soul-Tripping Rope beneath his feet, then at the crossbowmen peering out from the hills on either side.

"Is your method of blocking people— Soul-Tripping Rope and anesthetic crossbows—aimed at stopping people or killing them?"

The man's expression changed.

"You jest, Immortal Master. How could we dare to harm you?"

"You dare not touch me, but you dare to touch others." Nan Feng interrupted him, "Did Huyan Bao ask you to deliver a message? Are you going to hand over those manuscripts?"

The man's lips moved, but he didn't make a sound.

Old Huai clicked his tongue inside the tower.

"It seems Huyan Bao is determined to renege on his debt. He sent these men to block the road; whether they succeed or not is none of his business. If they succeed, he'll profit; if he fails, he'll just throw these men out as scapegoats."

Nan Feng nodded.

He bent down, picked up the Soul-Tripping Rope from under his feet, weighed it in his hand, tore it in two, and casually threw it into the roadside ditch.

Then he flipped his right hand. The phantom of a nine-story Bronze Tower emerged from his palm, and the azure-gold Immortal Mark on the pagoda's body lit up for a moment.

The power of the Tower Suppression pressed down.

Within a radius of a hundred paces, all fluctuations of Soul Power simultaneously froze.

The two crossbowmen on the hill fired twice with their Soul Power compressed crossbows, but no arrows were released. The Soul Power guiding patterns on the crossbows were Tower Suppression.

The three in the woods on the right fared even worse. The leader of the Four-Ring Soul Ancestor Sect was about to crush the teleportation talisman in his hand when the talisman exploded into a pile of paper scraps at his fingertips, his Soul Power completely sealed.

The Five-Ring Soul King directly in front of him turned pale. The ground beneath his feet sank three inches, and his legs sank into the soil, unable to be pulled out.

I won't kill you.

Nan Feng withdrew the power of Tower Suppression, but did not withdraw.

"Go back and tell Huyan Bao three things. First, if he doesn't hand over those manuscripts today, I'll personally go to the Elephant Armor Sect to collect them tomorrow."

"Secondly, if he dares to send people to block our way again, the next one won't be me, it will be Tang Hao from the Clear Sky Sect."

He flashed the black iron token that Tang Hao had given him.

"You recognize this token, right?"

When the Soul King saw the character "Hao" on the token, all the color drained from his face.

"Third." Nan Feng walked up to the Soul King, squatted down, and looked him in the eye.

"Go back and tell Huyan Bao that he has no choice but to cancel the marriage proposal from the Holy Dragon Sect."

"He thinks that by associating with the Holy Dragon Sect, he'll have someone backing him up. Tell him to go and find out what kind of situation the Holy Dragon Sect is in right now."

The Soul King stared at him blankly.

Nan Feng stood up, dusted off his hands, and turned to walk northeast.

He took a few steps, then stopped, and added a sentence without turning his head.

"I'll take your anesthetic crossbow and Soul-Tripping Rope. I'll have Huyan Bao bring the manuscript in exchange. Within three days. No exceptions."

Once the Nan Feng had gone far away, the Five-Ring Soul King pulled his legs out of the ground and sat down heavily, panting.

The three others emerged from the nearby woods. The leader of the Four-Ring Soul Ancestor Sect was still experiencing leg cramps.

"His... what he just did... sealed my Soul Power for a full ten breaths..."

"Ten breaths is too little." The Soul King wiped his face. "I'm a level 52 Soul King, and I couldn't even budge a finger in front of him. Elder Hu Yanchang has really bitten off more than he can chew this time."

The news spread faster than the Nan Feng.

Before he even reached the territory of the Elephant Armor Sect, Huyan Bao had already received the letter.

The Old Huai inside the pagoda laughed so hard that the immortal wood trembled.

"Guess Huyan Bao is doing right now? I reckon he's cursing in the sect. He sent out five people, a whole table full of third, fourth, and fifth-level experts, and they didn't even manage to touch a hair on your head. They even lost two crossbows and a Soul-Tripping Rope."

Nan Feng didn't reply.

He found a roadside tea stall, sat down, and drank a bowl of water. The stall owner was a deaf old man who put some wild mint in the tea, which was quite refreshing.

As they were drinking, a group of people came from the other end of the official road. The leader was a tall, thin man wearing a dragon-patterned robe from the Holy Dragon Sect, followed by seven or eight followers. He looked quite imposing, but his steps were very unsteady.

The tall, thin man walked up to the tea stall and saw Nan Feng sitting on a bench drinking water. He paused, his expression changing three times before he finally managed a forced smile.

"Nan Feng? What a coincidence! I am Zhao Sihai, the External Affairs Deacon of the Holy Dragon Sect, and I am on my way to the Elephant Armor Sect. Where are you headed, Immortal Master?"

Nan Feng put down the teacup.

"Going to the Elephant Armor Sect to pick up something. Is your Holy Dragon Sect close to the Elephant Armor Sect?"

Zhao Sihai's smile froze for a moment.

"It's alright, it's fairly close."

That's perfect.

Nan Feng took two anesthetic crossbows and a Soul-Tripping Rope from the Tower Spirit Space and placed them on the table.

"These are the Dragon Scale Arrow from your Holy Dragon Sect and the Iron Armor Crossbow from the Elephant Armor Sect. Someone tried to stop me on the road with these things. Deacon Zhao, could you identify whether these arrows are from your Holy Dragon Sect?"

Zhao Sihai glanced down at the Dragon Scale Arrow on the table, sweat beading on his forehead. He stubbornly held his tongue for a moment.

"You jest, Immortal Master. Our Holy Dragon Sect stopped producing this type of standard arrow a long time ago."

"The arrow shaft is engraved with the Holy Dragon Sect's dragon-pattern number, the tail feathers are dragon scale patterns, and the poison formula is dragon saliva grass plus hemp powder. Only your Holy Dragon Sect uses this formula on the entire continent."

Old Huai recited it once inside the tower, Nan Feng repeated it verbatim.

"Deacon Zhao, please continue."

Zhao Sihai fell silent. The seven or eight followers behind him took a half-step back.

Zhao Sihai wiped his sweat and lowered his voice.

"Immortal Master, to be honest, the Holy Dragon Sect doesn't want to oppose you; it's Huyan Bao of the Elephant Armor Sect Huyan Bao Sect who's dragging us into this mess."

"He told my sect leader that your foundation is unstable and the Immortal Dao Alliance won't last three years, urging us to choose sides as soon as possible. My sect leader is easily swayed, so... so he agreed."

He paused.

"But after what happened today, our sect leader just held a meeting this morning and said that the Holy Dragon Sect will withdraw from the joint operation with the Elephant Armor Sect starting today. We will no longer concern ourselves with the manuscripts; the portion of those manuscripts held by the Holy Dragon Sect has already been sealed away, and you can send someone to collect it at any time."

Nan Feng looked at him for a while.

"Deacon Zhao, are you speaking on behalf of the Holy Dragon Sect Master?"

"That's what the sect leader personally instructed me to do before I set off."

Zhao Sihai took out a letter from his sleeve bearing the seal of the Holy Dragon Sect Master and handed it over.

"This is a letter from the sect leader. He says the Holy Dragon Sect was confused before, but now they've realized their mistake and won't oppose you anymore. We'll return those manuscripts you requested as is. We've also attached a list of materials the Holy Dragon Sect obtained from the Spirit Hall as an apology."

Nan Feng took the letter and scanned it. It bore the seal of the Holy Dragon Sect; it wasn't fake.

The Old Huai snorted inside the tower.

"Those people from the Holy Dragon Sect are slippery; as soon as they saw the Elephant Armor Sect was in trouble, they immediately distanced themselves."

"Deacon Zhao," Nan Feng said, carefully putting the letter away. "Go back and tell your sect leader that I've accepted the manuscript and the list. I won't pursue the matter of the Holy Dragon Sect from before."

"But there's one condition: don't get involved with the Elephant Armor Sect again. If I run into them again, it won't be as simple as just reading a letter."

Zhao Sihai nodded and left with his entourage.

Old Huai was inside the tower, cracking sunflower seeds that didn't exist.

"The Elephant Armor Sect is truly isolated now. With the Holy Dragon Sect Holy Dragon Sect, those smaller sects will surely follow suit. Huyan Bao is left with only the Elephant Armor Sect; let's see how long he can hold out."

Nan Feng put the anesthetic crossbow and Soul-Tripping Rope on the table into the Tower Spirit Space and glanced northeast.

The territory of the Elephant Armor Sect is not far away. But in the Far North, the dark purple hue is so thick that it cannot be dissolved, like a dot of ink soaked in water, still spreading outwards.

"After finishing the matters concerning the Elephant Armor Sect tomorrow, we must head to the Far North."

He finished the mint water in his teacup, put down two copper coins, stood up, and walked towards the Elephant Armor Sect.

"That situation can't be delayed any longer."

Old Huai's voice became serious.

"Can't you feel it? The foul air rising from that fissure in the Far North is even thicker than it was at Jialing Pass back then. The gatekeeper beasts are just watchdogs; if what's pressing down underneath really awakens, with your current Immortal Power..."

"So we have to be quick."

With a single step, Nan Feng shrank the distance, Shrinking the Ground to an Inch in one step and a hundred steps in another. The city wall of the Elephant Armor Sect at the end of the official road was already in sight.