Chapter 149: The Perfect Ambush

Shigeng River, Hetian Village.

Originally, this was just an ordinary village in the Southern Borderlands, home to fewer than ten families total. The rushing Shigeng River made a bend here, forming a simple ferry landing. For thousands of years, life here had barely changed. Living off the land and the water, every family depended on fishing.

But in just one night, the quiet of the small village was shattered.

Out of nowhere, large groups of strangers suddenly appeared. Some were eerie and ghostly, looking deathly pale. They avoided houses, preferring to hide in coffins or tombs, lying perfectly still. Others were covered in all sorts of poisonous insects, even snakes, and immediately took over the Back Mountain behind the village. Some were vicious brutes; their gazes carried malice, and they fought savagely the moment words turned harsh, seeming to enjoy bloodshed. The village’s exceptionally burly butcher, just because he glanced too long, had his eyeballs dug out while alive…

These unexpected men in black seized houses. They laid many traps and ambushes throughout the village, the ferry, and the riverbanks. All the villagers, men, women, and children, were either killed or locked like animals inside a dark cellar. Nobody knew what was happening. Nobody knew when this nightmare would end, or if they would ever see the sun again.

Deep in the dead of night, thick darkness covered the previously quiet village. At first glance, it seemed just like any ordinary village. But focusing carefully, one could see the figures of men in black lurking among the bushes, piles of rocks, and river reeds along both banks. Silent as venomous spiders lying in wait, they had woven their net and now quietly awaited their prey.

“Ghost Foot Five, do you really think that scholar surnamed Mu will travel by water and pass through here?”

By the riverbank, from a clump of low bushes, a low voice suddenly came. A one-eyed old man lying on the ground asked his companion next to him.

One whole day and night!

Even though Daoist Huang had long cultivated to the Late Mortal Realm and had a small reputation among the dark factions of the Southern Borderlands, lying perfectly still on the ground for so long had taken its toll.

“Who knows? But when the Black Demon Lord orders us to wait here, he must have his reasons,” the man in black, nicknamed Ghost Foot Five, replied quietly. He remained motionless, occasionally glancing at the distant river surface. After a pause, he added, “By the way, Daoist Huang, didn’t you usually operate north of Jianshui? What brought you all the way here?”

“That old fogey, Nine-Fingered Black Demon from Luofu Mountain, showed up at my door personally with the personal command token of the Yellow Spring Real Person, Bi Luotian! Who dares to refuse such an invitation?”

The one-eyed old man, nicknamed Daoist Huang, gave a cold snort. He sounded resentful but afraid to show it. Nervously glancing around, he lowered his voice further. “Ghost Foot Five… I heard… that scholar surnamed Mu carries some legendary sword manual. Even the Immortal Sword Sect is searching high and low for him. Do you think… Bi Luotian feigns wanting him dead, but his true aim is actually that sword manual?”

“A sword manual? What kind could interest even Bi Luotian?” Ghost Foot Five frowned, looking suspiciously at the well-informed Daoist Huang.

After arriving as ordered, this was the first he’d heard of such news. Seeing Daoist Huang seemed knowledgeable, he was about to press for more details when suddenly, faint rustling came from nearby, as if someone approached. The sound was faint, barely there, almost seeming illusory.

“Daoist Huang… did you hear anything?” Ghost Foot Five asked warily, scanning the surroundings. The night was pitch black. He saw nothing.

“No, no sound here,” Daoist Huang beside him answered. He perked up his ears, listened intently for a moment, then shook his head. Looking at the jumpy Ghost Foot Five, he chuckled. “Ghost Foot Five, really. After so many years in the business, what haven’t you seen? When did you become so timid?”

“The older you get, the stronger you get… but the smaller your courage!” Ghost Foot Five laughed. As a notorious bandit, he had roamed the Southern Borderlands for years, making officials and rich men tremble at his name. But ever since he nearly died a few years ago at the hands of a Scholar-Official’s Personal Guard, he had become far more cautious, less willing to strike. This time, if it hadn’t been for the Black Demon of Luofu Mountain personally visiting him with Bi Luotian’s command token, he would never have agreed to this messy affair.

He strained his ears, listening intently. Detecting nothing unusual, he gradually relaxed his guard.

Many strong figures gathered here at the ferry. Though the terrifying Bi Luotian himself wasn’t present, plenty of experts were stationed here. It seemed unlikely anything serious could happen. He turned to the well-informed Daoist Huang, ready to ask more about that sword manual. Suddenly, the rustling sounded again.

This time, it was much clearer, seeming to come from right behind them. Puzzled, Ghost Foot Five looked back. Still, he saw nothing. He was about to write it off as his imagination again when cold shock hit him. Below his feet, where there had been nothing before, now lay several thorny vines. Looking at them felt… wrong.

Wild vines were everywhere in these hills. But who had ever seen vines that glowed faintly red in the dark?

Instinctively cautious, Ghost Foot Five’s heart seized. A powerful sense of danger flooded him. He instantly snatched a signal arrow from his back, reaction lightning-fast. But before he could fire the arrow and raise the alarm, the vines near his feet suddenly lunged like pythons. They coiled around his limbs, choked his throat, and stabbed like knives into his body. He thrashed briefly and then lay still. By the time Daoist Huang, who had been resting face-down nearby, felt something wrong and lifted his head, Ghost Foot Five had already breathed his last.

An attack?

Blinking sleepily at the blood on Ghost Foot Five’s body, Daoist Huang’s mouth opened wide in instinctive surprise.

But before he could utter a cry of alarm, the vines coiled around Ghost Foot Five shot forward – whoosh – and went straight down Daoist Huang’s open mouth. More and more terrifying vines slithered over him, wrapping around his entire body like a nest of giant serpents.

Snap, crack…

After a chilling series of snaps, the once-feared Daoist Huang, overlord north of Jianshui, rolled his eyes. Every bone inside his body was shattered. The next moment, he became just another cold, desiccated corpse.

Death Entanglement!

Disguised by darkness and the dense woods, Mu Feng had silently approached the bank. In one swift move, he eliminated two Devil Leaders of the Late Mortal Realm.

One was a murderous bandit chieftain, the other a legendary, elusive pirate. Both were long-renowned tyrants. Yet, they hadn’t even laid eyes on him before becoming cold corpses. Years of cultivation strength condensed into two sparkling crimson points in Mu Feng’s palm…

“Second.”

Mu Feng swallowed the two Blood Pearls. He felt the surge of power inside him and smiled coldly. Lifting his sword, he gave each corpse a precise thrust to the forehead, creating the illusion of a single fatal strike. Then, he swiftly disappeared, melting back into the night, silently sliding towards his next target.

The dark practitioners who lay hidden along the riverbanks, setting traps, waiting silently for the scholar to arrive… little did they know, at this moment, the roles were reversed. They themselves became prey!