Chapter 115: One Crisis After Another

“What should we do?” Xu Qi asked.

“Escape! Let’s run as far away as we can!”

A trace of worry flashed deep in Xu Ziyan’s eyes. She was thinking, How is the Clan doing now? Are Mother and Father alright? If the Clan is unharmed, will they send someone to find us? And if the Clan is in trouble, where should the ten of us go from here? Secretly suppressing her anxious feelings, she gathered her thoughts and then continued:

“We are all one family. In the past, there might have been some struggles among us, but those were just internal conflicts within our Clan. What does being a family mean? It means that the more dangerous the situation, the more critical the moment, the more we need to stick together and unite as one. Only then can we overcome difficulties.” Her gaze swept over everyone again, and seeing their expressions change, she continued:

“By drawing so much of their forces here, we will reduce the pressure on the Clan. That in itself is a way to help our Clan. Everyone, let’s hear your thoughts. Where do you think we should go?”

“Let’s head towards the Taixuan Sect!” Xu Mei suggested.

“No. Anywhere but the Taixuan Sect,” Xu Ziyan said, shaking her head.

“Why?” Xu Mei asked, very confused.

“If anything has happened to the Taixuan Sect, then going there now would be like walking right into a trap. If the Taixuan Sect is safe, then those hostile forces will definitely expect us to go there. Who knows how many people will be waiting for us along the way!” Xu Lin suddenly remarked from the side.

“Exactly!” Xu Ziyan nodded approvingly. “So, we must flee in another direction. After we’ve hidden ourselves well, we can slowly figure out our next steps.”

“Then… where can we go?” Xu Lan asked timidly.

“We need to find a place rarely visited by people, so everyone should prepare themselves for hardship.” Saying this, Xu Ziyan swept a glance over the people in front of her and frowned slightly. She thought to herself, I wonder if these pampered elites can endure suffering!

“A place rarely visited by people? Then… isn’t the Cangmang Mountain Range exactly that?” Xu Tianlang asked blankly.

“The Cangmang Mountain Range is too close to Zhongdu City. There are bound to be many people searching for us there,” Xu Ziyan said, shaking her head.

“Little Sister Ziyan, are you perhaps talking about the Endless Forest?” Xu Qi suddenly spoke up.

“Endless Forest? What place is that?” Xu Ziyan had no idea about any Endless Forest. Now hearing the tone of fear in Xu Qi’s voice, she couldn’t help but feel a little curious.

“That place…” Even the usually fearless Xu Tianlang showed fear on his face as he said, “That’s a paradise for Monster Beasts. It’s filled with all kinds of Monster Beasts, located at the border between the Northern Region and the Western Region of the Vast Expanse Continent.”

“Are people rarely seen there?” Xu Ziyan asked seriously.

“Almost never. It’s exactly the kind of place rarely visited by people, just as you said.” Xu Qi glanced at Xu Ziyan and continued, “You’re not actually thinking of going there, are you?”

“We are going there!” Xu Ziyan said resolutely.

※※※

On an Imperial Highway, Xu Ziyan and the others blended in among several merchant caravans, moving slowly along. Xu Ziyan lifted the carriage curtain and looked around, ahead and behind. There were five merchant caravans in total; they had all decided to travel together for company when they set off. Three of them were relatively large caravans, each with several dozen people. But there was one caravan even smaller than Xu Ziyan’s group, with only two people: a middle-aged man driving the carriage, and a very beautiful young woman inside the carriage. Xu Ziyan only caught a glimpse of her face when the woman occasionally lifted the curtain to gaze tenderly at the middle-aged man’s back. Xu Ziyan noticed the middle-aged man because she detected the aura of a Breath-Concealing Talisman from him and the woman.

Suddenly, Xu Ziyan’s brow furrowed slightly. At the same time, she was surprised to see that the middle-aged man also furrowed his thick, dark brows. Xu Lin looked back, then urged his horse over to Xu Ziyan’s carriage and said in a low voice:

“It’s the Wu Family. Nine in total. Their Cultivation Levels aren’t high; they seem to be scouts.”

Xu Ziyan frowned slightly and lowered her voice: “Will they recognize us?”

“Yes. At the very least, they’ve seen me, Big Brother, and Tianlang.”

“Tell everyone to be ready to kill. We need to be quick. After that, we’ll flee fast,” Xu Ziyan said helplessly.

The people from the other four caravans slowed down and looked back, their eyes filled with vigilance. Only Xu Ziyan’s group, though they also cooperatively turned to look, kept their heads slightly lowered, hiding their faces.

Soon, the nine men approached. Xu Ziyan took a quick, secret glance and knew that only two among the nine were at the First Level of Qi Refining Stage, while the other seven were at the Houtian level. It seemed they really were just a vanguard.

The nine men caught up to the rear of the caravans. Their eyes swept over the people and the carriages. They were only paying attention to the Cultivation Levels of the people in the caravans, not their faces. So when their gaze swept over Xu Ziyan’s group and detected only one person at the First Level of Qi Refining Stage, they directly ignored Xu Ziyan’s party and proceeded to check the others.

After scanning around, they found that the highest Cultivation Level among these people was the First Level of Qi Refining Stage. Even the larger caravans only had a few more people at the First Level of Qi Refining Stage. So, their attention settled on several of the carriage compartments among the caravans. The one among the nine with a slightly higher Cultivation Level shouted harshly:

“Everyone inside the carriages, come out now!”

The entire caravan party stirred with unrest. It was important to know that those sitting inside the carriages were usually female family members. Now they were being forced to come out. Who knew who these people in front of them were? If they had lustful intentions, wouldn’t that cause trouble? Besides, the Cultivation Levels of these nine men weren’t particularly impressive, so the people in the caravans didn’t take them seriously either, only acting with a merchant’s caution, unwilling to stir up trouble.

Now seeing these nine men act so arrogantly, some people immediately became impolite. A Cultivator at the First Level of Qi Refining Stage from one caravan said coldly:

“Make our people come out? Just relying on you two at the First Level of Qi Refining Stage and seven at Houtian level?”

“What? You object?” the Wu Family leader said coldly. “Do you know who we are? We are from the Wu Family of Zhongdu City.” Saying this, he pulled out a Talisman from his robe and waved it at the person who had just mocked him coldly. “Do you recognize this? This is a Message Talisman. I just need to throw it into the sky, and immediately thousands upon thousands of troops will come. By then, you won’t even know how you died!” His face darkened, and he shouted harshly, “Hurry up and make everyone inside the carriages come out now!”

The people in the caravans fell silent for a moment upon hearing the Wu Family member’s words. The Wu Family might not be one of the Four Great Clans of the Northland, but they were still not someone these small and medium merchant groups could afford to offend. A large merchant association might disregard the Wu Family’s prestige, but they did not dare to.

The Wu Family members over there were already growing impatient. They were eager to finish checking this group and continue scouting ahead. The Wu Family leader waved his hand, and immediately the seven Wu Family Disciples at Houtian level urged their horses towards the carriages in the caravans.

Watching the Wu Family members galloping towards their direction, Xu Lin and the others prepared themselves. They secretly exchanged glances and assigned the nine Wu Family members among themselves, just waiting for those men to get close before they started their move.

The Wu Family members drew nearer. Just as the word “Move!” was about to burst from Xu Lin’s throat, they heard a stern shout from not far away:

“Take your hand away!”

The Wu Family Disciple who was heading towards Xu Ziyan’s carriage froze at the sound, pulling his horse’s reins to look back. He saw the middle-aged man Xu Ziyan had noticed earlier glaring furiously at another Wu Family Disciple. That Wu Family Disciple completely ignored the man, instead gazing lustfully at the young beautiful woman who had revealed herself as the carriage door opened.

It turned out that the Wu Family Disciple had seen the young woman’s beauty when the middle-aged man opened the door earlier and couldn’t resist reaching out to touch her face. Although the woman alertly dodged and a flash of fierceness showed in her eyes, the Wu Family Disciple was still staring spellbound at her, looking utterly infatuated. He continued reaching out to pull at the woman’s sleeve.

The middle-aged man standing nearby couldn’t take it anymore and shoved the Wu Family Disciple away, his face full of killing intent as he stared at him. At that moment, the leader at the Qi Refining Stage suddenly stared intently and blurted out:

“You are Ling Xiao?”

The middle-aged man’s eyes suddenly blazed with killing intent. His figure flickered abruptly, his silhouette drifting around the area for an instant before he stood again near the carriage. The Wu Family leader had actually been instantly killed by the middle-aged man without even a moment to react, let alone activate that Message Talisman.

After the middle-aged man killed all nine Wu Family members in an instant, his murderous eyes swept over the crowd. Under his gaze, everyone lowered their heads one by one. These people understood the situation; someone who could kill nine people instantly, including two at the First Level of Qi Refining Stage, was absolutely not someone they could handle. Even Xu Ziyan and the others, witnessing the speed of his killing, knew they were no match for him. So, everyone held their breath, hoping not to provoke his killing intent.

Xu Family Disciples like Xu Qi, Xu Lin, and Xu Tianlang lowered their heads even further. The middle-aged man killing the Wu Family members had, without them intending it, solved their problem. Having narrowly escaped disaster, they were even more unwilling to complicate matters now. They only hoped that the middle-aged man and the young woman would leave quickly.

But contrary to their wishes, after the middle-aged man swept his gaze over them, he said coldly:

“Since you have heard my name, that is your misfortune. You can accompany each other on the road to Huang Quan. At least you won’t be lonely!”