Chapter 12
Ambush at the Bone Tempering Realm
As Xu rode his horse through the woods, his right hand unconsciously moved to the hilt of his sword.
Yunshang's carriage moved to his left. A corner of the curtain was lifted, revealing Yunshang's profile. "You felt it too?"
"It's too quiet."
Xu Xian gestured with his chin towards the woods ahead, "This kind of forest is usually so noisy with birdsong and insect chirping that it can give you a headache, but now there isn't a single bird... Interesting, it seems some people aren't giving up."
Yunshang lowered the carriage curtain and said nothing more.
Xu Xian looked down at the little head in his arms, inevitably noticing Hua Xi's magnificent pectoral muscles, and immediately turned his head away.
"No matter what happens later, you stay by the carriage. Their lives are in your hands."
Hua Xi, holding the tortoise, looked up at him and nodded.
...
When the caravan reached the depths of the Green Wolf Forest, the centurion leading the way suddenly reined in his horse, raised his right hand, and twenty cavalrymen simultaneously drew their swords.
A man was standing directly in front of the official road.
He wore a gray robe and had only one arm; his left hand was resting on the hilt of his sword, which was planted firmly on the ground.
Dozens of dark figures slowly emerged from the woods on either side of him, completely blocking the official road.
"The Di Kingdom's entourage?"
The one-armed man spoke, his voice rough, "Leave the delegation members here; the rest of you lay down your weapons and leave. I won't kill you."
Ma Baiqi rode forward a step, drew his sword, and asked, "The Zhenbei Army is ordered to protect the Di Kingdom delegation. Who are you?"
"An unknown nobody..."
The one-armed man glanced at the crowd. "Two are at the Meridian Opening Realm, the rest... are not worth mentioning. I am at the Bone Tempering Realm, which might be a bit much for me to bully you. I'll say it again: the delegation members stay, the rest of you can leave."
The 100-man cavalryman tightened his grip on his sword, and his mount pawed the ground restlessly with its forelegs.
Everyone in the group who knew its value changed their expressions.
The Bone Tempering Realm—that's a realm higher than the Meridian Opening Realm.
The Meridian Opening Realm opens the twelve meridians, allowing power to circulate smoothly; the Bone Tempering Realm allows blood and qi to penetrate deep into the bone marrow, causing a surge in bone density, making one impervious to blades and spears, and giving the power to split rocks with every punch and kick.
The highest cultivation level in the entire guard team was Ma Baiqi, who was at the Long Meridian Realm, but was a whole major realm lower than the Bone Tempering Realm.
The one-armed man leaped into the air, drew his sword, and charged forward. Ma Baiqi's pupils constricted, and he gritted his teeth, spurring his horse forward, only to be kicked to the side of the road by a kick he couldn't see clearly.
"Ha... commendable courage, but useless."
The intruder rushed straight at the carriage, with a clear objective, leaving no time for anyone to intervene.
As the person drew closer, Xu Xian's lips curled into a slight smile.
Just as the one-armed man raised his knife, ready to cleave the carriage and its occupants in two, the carriage curtain was lifted.
A twelve-foot-long spear thrust out of the carriage, its tip aimed straight for the one-armed man's chest.
The one-armed man's eyes widened, and he immediately blocked with his heavy sword. The tip of the spear struck the blade, sparks flying.
The one-armed man was so shocked by the gunshot that he staggered back three steps, his boot heel carving two deep furrows in the road.
Zhou Cang burst out of the carriage, flipped over and leaped onto the roof, his spear pointing diagonally downwards as he looked down at the dozens of black-clad assassins on the official road.
"Bone Tempering Realm?"
Zhou Cang grinned, revealing a gruesome old scar on his face.
"I've been fighting the demon race in the Northern Region for ten years, and I've killed more than one wolf general at the Bone Tempering Realm. You, a one-armed Bone Tempering Realm cultivator, dare to intercept the Zhenbei Army's convoy with only a few dozen weaklings?"
Xu Xian turned his gaze away from Zhou Cang and looked at the unassuming Zhenbei Army cavalryman on his right.
The guard smiled slightly at him; his face, under the shadow of the trees, still looked like that of a soldier from the Zhenbei Army, but the look in his eyes belonged to someone else.
Xu Xian lowered his voice and chuckled softly, "Mr. Yunshang's prediction was truly accurate."
Yunshang's clear voice came through, "Better safe than sorry."
Xu Xian looked down at Hua Xi in his arms. The little girl was looking up at him, "Brother, should we hit her?"
"Go to the carriage..."
Xu first put her down from the horse, leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I'm entrusting the people of the delegation to you. Don't take action unless absolutely necessary."
He didn't want too many people to notice Hua Xi's unusual behavior, as it wouldn't be good for either him or Hua Xi.
Hua Xi, holding the tortoise, obediently ran to the carriage and stood still, like a student being punished by the teacher.
Tuoba Yue drew his twin swords and stood in front of her, glancing back at her.
"Little sister, stay behind me."
Hua Xi smiled gently, "Okay, sister."
Zhou Cang clashed with the one-armed man for the second time, and the battle broke out in full force.
The sound of spears clashing with heavy swords was like a muffled thunderclap, causing the leaves on both sides of the official road to fall continuously.
Dozens of assassins in black rushed toward the convoy from all directions, and the Zhenbei Army cavalry formed a crescent formation to meet the enemy.
Zhang Hu and Zhao Bao stood guard on the right side of the carriage, both using practical sword techniques from the Inspectorate.
During a lull in the fighting, Zhao Bao couldn't resist spitting out, "There are more people playing mahjong than my wife ever has!"
"Stop fucking talking nonsense. Who knows, after today your wife might remarry and get a sum of money as compensation, and your son will have to call someone else 'Dad'!"
"Pah! Pah! Children say the darndest things, may this bring you good fortune!"
Three men on the left flank are quickly bypassing the defensive line, attempting to approach the carriage from the side.
Xu Xian drew his goose-feather saber and charged towards the three men alone.
When the three men in black saw him coming to block them alone, the one in the middle sneered.
"You're only at the second level, yet you think you can take on three at once? You're courting death!"
Three swords came at the same time. Xu Xian dodged the first sword to the side, parried the second sword with the back of his blade, and the third sword grazed his left rib, tearing off a piece of his clothes.
All three were at the second level of Body Tempering, their cultivation levels were equal to his, but the opponent had three people and three swords, and their coordination was excellent—two people held him off from the front, while one person launched a surprise attack from the flank, their sword techniques were tricky.
Xu Xian is about to enter the third level, but the pressure of facing three opponents at once is still too great.
The sixth move came when a sword stabbed at him from behind. He didn't have time to turn around and could only turn sideways to block the blade with his left arm.
The blade cut into his flesh, and Xu Xian groaned. He swung his knife to force back the two men in front of him, but the wound on his left arm was affecting his strength.
The eighth move: the person in front of him feints with a sword to deceive his vision, while the other person takes the opportunity to kick him in the lower back.
Xu took three or four steps back before regaining his balance, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
The twelfth move involved three swords simultaneously thrusting from three different directions, blocking all his escape routes.
Xu Xian gritted his teeth and took the blow head-on with his sword. His back slammed into a large tree, tearing off a piece of the bark. His chest heaved with blood and qi, and his hand holding the sword went numb from the impact.
Three men in black surrounded him in a triangular formation under the tree, the tips of their three swords no more than three feet away from him.
"At the second level of Body Tempering, he survived twelve moves without dying; he has some skill."
What they didn't know was that the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill inherently possessed the characteristic of having a long and continuous internal force.
The man in the middle slightly pointed his sword at Xu Xian.
"It's a pity that pride can't be used as a weapon. Tell your comrades to lay down their weapons, and we might consider letting you die a quick death."
Xu Xian leaned against the big tree, panting heavily. He took a deep breath, straightened up from the trunk, and held the goose-feather knife horizontally in front of him.
"I'm sorry, but I have a peculiar taste. I don't like things that are easy; I prefer to suffer."
After saying that, he lunged at the man in the middle and slashed at the man's sword. The two clashed head-on for three moves, with Xu Xian using all his strength in each strike, completely disregarding defense.
He let the sword of the man to his side slash a gash below his right shoulder, while his own blade cut a wound in the chest of the man in front of him.
The man in the middle staggered back half a step in pain. Just as Xu Xian was about to give chase, the man behind him kicked him in the back of the knee, causing him to kneel on one knee.
Without turning his head, he forced the enemy back with a backhand slash, gritted his teeth and stood up. The numbers on the system panel were jumping—he could almost hear the progress bar climbing rapidly.
...
Deep in the dense forest, on a huge ancient cypress tree, a figure stood in the shadow of the tree canopy.
The man was dressed in a dark blue robe, with white hair and beard, and looked to be no more than fifty years old. Behind him stood two attendants dressed similarly.
"My lord, shall we make a move?"
"No rush, Zhou Cang can hold on. As long as the delegation is safe, we shouldn't make a move."
Yunshang's carriage moved to his left. A corner of the curtain was lifted, revealing Yunshang's profile. "You felt it too?"
"It's too quiet."
Xu Xian gestured with his chin towards the woods ahead, "This kind of forest is usually so noisy with birdsong and insect chirping that it can give you a headache, but now there isn't a single bird... Interesting, it seems some people aren't giving up."
Yunshang lowered the carriage curtain and said nothing more.
Xu Xian looked down at the little head in his arms, inevitably noticing Hua Xi's magnificent pectoral muscles, and immediately turned his head away.
"No matter what happens later, you stay by the carriage. Their lives are in your hands."
Hua Xi, holding the tortoise, looked up at him and nodded.
...
When the caravan reached the depths of the Green Wolf Forest, the centurion leading the way suddenly reined in his horse, raised his right hand, and twenty cavalrymen simultaneously drew their swords.
A man was standing directly in front of the official road.
He wore a gray robe and had only one arm; his left hand was resting on the hilt of his sword, which was planted firmly on the ground.
Dozens of dark figures slowly emerged from the woods on either side of him, completely blocking the official road.
"The Di Kingdom's entourage?"
The one-armed man spoke, his voice rough, "Leave the delegation members here; the rest of you lay down your weapons and leave. I won't kill you."
Ma Baiqi rode forward a step, drew his sword, and asked, "The Zhenbei Army is ordered to protect the Di Kingdom delegation. Who are you?"
"An unknown nobody..."
The one-armed man glanced at the crowd. "Two are at the Meridian Opening Realm, the rest... are not worth mentioning. I am at the Bone Tempering Realm, which might be a bit much for me to bully you. I'll say it again: the delegation members stay, the rest of you can leave."
The 100-man cavalryman tightened his grip on his sword, and his mount pawed the ground restlessly with its forelegs.
Everyone in the group who knew its value changed their expressions.
The Bone Tempering Realm—that's a realm higher than the Meridian Opening Realm.
The Meridian Opening Realm opens the twelve meridians, allowing power to circulate smoothly; the Bone Tempering Realm allows blood and qi to penetrate deep into the bone marrow, causing a surge in bone density, making one impervious to blades and spears, and giving the power to split rocks with every punch and kick.
The highest cultivation level in the entire guard team was Ma Baiqi, who was at the Long Meridian Realm, but was a whole major realm lower than the Bone Tempering Realm.
The one-armed man leaped into the air, drew his sword, and charged forward. Ma Baiqi's pupils constricted, and he gritted his teeth, spurring his horse forward, only to be kicked to the side of the road by a kick he couldn't see clearly.
"Ha... commendable courage, but useless."
The intruder rushed straight at the carriage, with a clear objective, leaving no time for anyone to intervene.
As the person drew closer, Xu Xian's lips curled into a slight smile.
Just as the one-armed man raised his knife, ready to cleave the carriage and its occupants in two, the carriage curtain was lifted.
A twelve-foot-long spear thrust out of the carriage, its tip aimed straight for the one-armed man's chest.
The one-armed man's eyes widened, and he immediately blocked with his heavy sword. The tip of the spear struck the blade, sparks flying.
The one-armed man was so shocked by the gunshot that he staggered back three steps, his boot heel carving two deep furrows in the road.
Zhou Cang burst out of the carriage, flipped over and leaped onto the roof, his spear pointing diagonally downwards as he looked down at the dozens of black-clad assassins on the official road.
"Bone Tempering Realm?"
Zhou Cang grinned, revealing a gruesome old scar on his face.
"I've been fighting the demon race in the Northern Region for ten years, and I've killed more than one wolf general at the Bone Tempering Realm. You, a one-armed Bone Tempering Realm cultivator, dare to intercept the Zhenbei Army's convoy with only a few dozen weaklings?"
Xu Xian turned his gaze away from Zhou Cang and looked at the unassuming Zhenbei Army cavalryman on his right.
The guard smiled slightly at him; his face, under the shadow of the trees, still looked like that of a soldier from the Zhenbei Army, but the look in his eyes belonged to someone else.
Xu Xian lowered his voice and chuckled softly, "Mr. Yunshang's prediction was truly accurate."
Yunshang's clear voice came through, "Better safe than sorry."
Xu Xian looked down at Hua Xi in his arms. The little girl was looking up at him, "Brother, should we hit her?"
"Go to the carriage..."
Xu first put her down from the horse, leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I'm entrusting the people of the delegation to you. Don't take action unless absolutely necessary."
He didn't want too many people to notice Hua Xi's unusual behavior, as it wouldn't be good for either him or Hua Xi.
Hua Xi, holding the tortoise, obediently ran to the carriage and stood still, like a student being punished by the teacher.
Tuoba Yue drew his twin swords and stood in front of her, glancing back at her.
"Little sister, stay behind me."
Hua Xi smiled gently, "Okay, sister."
Zhou Cang clashed with the one-armed man for the second time, and the battle broke out in full force.
The sound of spears clashing with heavy swords was like a muffled thunderclap, causing the leaves on both sides of the official road to fall continuously.
Dozens of assassins in black rushed toward the convoy from all directions, and the Zhenbei Army cavalry formed a crescent formation to meet the enemy.
Zhang Hu and Zhao Bao stood guard on the right side of the carriage, both using practical sword techniques from the Inspectorate.
During a lull in the fighting, Zhao Bao couldn't resist spitting out, "There are more people playing mahjong than my wife ever has!"
"Stop fucking talking nonsense. Who knows, after today your wife might remarry and get a sum of money as compensation, and your son will have to call someone else 'Dad'!"
"Pah! Pah! Children say the darndest things, may this bring you good fortune!"
Three men on the left flank are quickly bypassing the defensive line, attempting to approach the carriage from the side.
Xu Xian drew his goose-feather saber and charged towards the three men alone.
When the three men in black saw him coming to block them alone, the one in the middle sneered.
"You're only at the second level, yet you think you can take on three at once? You're courting death!"
Three swords came at the same time. Xu Xian dodged the first sword to the side, parried the second sword with the back of his blade, and the third sword grazed his left rib, tearing off a piece of his clothes.
All three were at the second level of Body Tempering, their cultivation levels were equal to his, but the opponent had three people and three swords, and their coordination was excellent—two people held him off from the front, while one person launched a surprise attack from the flank, their sword techniques were tricky.
Xu Xian is about to enter the third level, but the pressure of facing three opponents at once is still too great.
The sixth move came when a sword stabbed at him from behind. He didn't have time to turn around and could only turn sideways to block the blade with his left arm.
The blade cut into his flesh, and Xu Xian groaned. He swung his knife to force back the two men in front of him, but the wound on his left arm was affecting his strength.
The eighth move: the person in front of him feints with a sword to deceive his vision, while the other person takes the opportunity to kick him in the lower back.
Xu took three or four steps back before regaining his balance, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
The twelfth move involved three swords simultaneously thrusting from three different directions, blocking all his escape routes.
Xu Xian gritted his teeth and took the blow head-on with his sword. His back slammed into a large tree, tearing off a piece of the bark. His chest heaved with blood and qi, and his hand holding the sword went numb from the impact.
Three men in black surrounded him in a triangular formation under the tree, the tips of their three swords no more than three feet away from him.
"At the second level of Body Tempering, he survived twelve moves without dying; he has some skill."
What they didn't know was that the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill inherently possessed the characteristic of having a long and continuous internal force.
The man in the middle slightly pointed his sword at Xu Xian.
"It's a pity that pride can't be used as a weapon. Tell your comrades to lay down their weapons, and we might consider letting you die a quick death."
Xu Xian leaned against the big tree, panting heavily. He took a deep breath, straightened up from the trunk, and held the goose-feather knife horizontally in front of him.
"I'm sorry, but I have a peculiar taste. I don't like things that are easy; I prefer to suffer."
After saying that, he lunged at the man in the middle and slashed at the man's sword. The two clashed head-on for three moves, with Xu Xian using all his strength in each strike, completely disregarding defense.
He let the sword of the man to his side slash a gash below his right shoulder, while his own blade cut a wound in the chest of the man in front of him.
The man in the middle staggered back half a step in pain. Just as Xu Xian was about to give chase, the man behind him kicked him in the back of the knee, causing him to kneel on one knee.
Without turning his head, he forced the enemy back with a backhand slash, gritted his teeth and stood up. The numbers on the system panel were jumping—he could almost hear the progress bar climbing rapidly.
...
Deep in the dense forest, on a huge ancient cypress tree, a figure stood in the shadow of the tree canopy.
The man was dressed in a dark blue robe, with white hair and beard, and looked to be no more than fifty years old. Behind him stood two attendants dressed similarly.
"My lord, shall we make a move?"
"No rush, Zhou Cang can hold on. As long as the delegation is safe, we shouldn't make a move."