Chapter 19: Ambush in the Valley
Chapter 19: Ambush in the Valley
The next morning, Violet Cloud Town was still covered in a thin mist, but the Zhu Residence was brightly lit and bustling with activity.
It was only today that the young lady officially announced that the steward of the Third Courtyard under her command had been recommended to join the Xuanxin Sect and was about to become an Outer Sect Disciple. Maids like Lü’e and Cong Fang, along with a group of old nannies, all came out to see him off. Other Cultivators and guests of the Zhu Residence also woke up early and gathered at the wide-open main gate, hoping to catch a glimpse of Steward Lu, who had risen rapidly and become almost legendary.
However…
They were destined to be disappointed.
Zhu Fuqin was not in the habit of saying goodbye to her father’s guests.
A clear cry pierced the sky, echoing through Violet Cloud Town.
The Divine Crane had arrived!
It was the sacred Spirit Beast specially used by the Xuanxin Sect to pick up Inner Sect Disciples.
Everyone looked up and watched the large, snow-white Divine Crane slowly descend and land at the gate. It was elegant and exceptionally agile as it glanced around.
“Qin’er, have a safe journey.”
“Don’t worry, Father.”
Zhu Fuqin nodded calmly.
Elder Zhu then turned to Lu Hangzhi:
“Young friend, the Zhu Residence’s door is always open to you.”
“Thank you, Elder.”
Lu Hangzhi bowed in response.
“Have a safe journey!”
After speaking, he eagerly looked at the Divine Crane, feeling incredibly excited.
Everyone dreamed of soaring through the sky, and this was his first time riding a Divine Crane, truly getting close to the blue sky. Naturally, his heart raced.
“Let’s go.”
Encouraged by Zhu Fuqin’s gaze, Lu Hangzhi cautiously climbed onto the crane’s back. The crane’s back was wide and soft, easily carrying two people as it stood up. With a flap of its wings, Lu Hangzhi immediately felt a strong wind pressure against his face. Violet Cloud Town vanished from sight in an instant, giving him the thrilling sensation of riding a roller coaster.
Lu Hangzhi quickly buried his head against the crane, and the wind pressure lessened.
As the crane began to fly steadily, the intense discomfort soon disappeared.
“The crane is very fast. We’ll reach the Sect in less than a day. Just bear with it a little longer,” Zhu Fuqin said, a faint glow of Art Techniques surrounding her to block the wind pressure.
Perhaps because Lu Hangzhi had broken through her Mysterious Armor at the training ground yesterday, or perhaps because she wanted to see him in a flustered state, she deliberately did not remind him to use a defensive Art Technique. Instead, she looked down at him as he clung to the crane’s neck, burying his head or gritting his teeth, and she covered her mouth to chuckle.
Lu Hangzhi spent a long time struggling fearfully on the crane’s back.
Suddenly!
The crane turned slightly and dove toward the ground, like twin towers abruptly descending.
Lu Hangzhi excitedly shouted:
“Ahhh! This is awesome!!”
“Woo~~~~! Haha!”
Tsk.
Zhu Fuqin had hoped to see Lu Hangzhi screaming in fright, but instead…
She immediately lost interest in teasing him and instructed the crane to land, saying:
“Wait here for a moment. I need to fetch something up ahead.”
“Huh?”
Lu Hangzhi looked around curiously. They were near a small valley with jagged trees and strange rocks. A cold wind howled, and it didn’t seem like a friendly place.
“Be careful, Senior Sister.”
Feeling uneasy, Lu Hangzhi anxiously reminded her.
Hearing this, Zhu Fuqin stopped and turned back with a smile, explaining, “Don’t worry. We’re very close to the Sect already. This is considered Xuanxin Sect territory. Though it looks gloomy and cold, it’s actually a place where the Sect cultivates Profound Yin Black Lotuses. I’m just passing by and thought I’d pick some to exchange for Spirit Stones.”
Lu Hangzhi finally relaxed a little, but being in such a eerie place for the first time, he couldn’t shake off his wariness.
…
“Hehe, the guests are here.”
Watching the Divine Crane flash across the sky and land in the valley ahead, a cleverly disguised bush emitted a strange laugh, followed by two pairs of cold, gleaming eyes:
“A large white Divine Crane, one male and one female. Targets confirmed.”
“The young lady of the Zhu Residence in Violet Cloud Town, a Third Rank Peak Cultivator. She must be quite wealthy.”
“To become a Third Rank Peak Cultivator at such a young age, how can us old folks stand it? Since we’re going to kill her anyway, why not let me taste her first? It’s been a long time since I’ve savored the flesh and blood of a female Cultivator.”
“Suit yourself.”
After speaking.
Two dark figures shot out from the bush and raced toward the small valley.
Hmm?
Lu Hangzhi frowned slightly and looked outside the valley.
After advancing to the late Second Rank and cultivating in the Spirit Gathering Array for half a month, his strength had improved slightly. Now, he was close to the Second Rank Peak. His hearing, sight, and senses were sharper than before, so he naturally heard the sound of trees being crushed about a hundred meters away.
Two people!
Heading straight this way!
Are they after the Profound Yin Black Lotuses? Impossible! Damn! They have killing intent!
After sensing the sharp, cold aura from the two through his Spiritual Energy perception, Lu Hangzhi felt the rapid buildup of Art Technique fluctuations from them and was startled.
At that moment, the Divine Crane also sensed the rapidly approaching intruders and let out a soft cry of warning.
Enemies!
With the Spirit Beast sounding the alarm, Lu Hangzhi didn’t dare delay. He quickly cast the Mystic Armor Art on himself and took out the Wood Spirit Sword and Talismans.
As soon as he finished these actions, he heard two faint whistling sounds.
Crack!
The Mystic Armor trembled violently twice in a row and was struck head-on by a dark figure, shattering instantly.
“Huh? Weren’t we told he was only a Second Rank initial stage Cultivator? How could an ordinary Mystic Armor withstand three Second Rank Peak Art Techniques?”
“Dammit! The intel was wrong! This kid is clearly a mid to late Second Rank Cultivator!”
Damn!
Three Second Rank Art Techniques.
The opponents were Third Grade Cultivators!
Lu Hangzhi was terrified.
Feeling the overwhelming force coming at him, Lu Hangzhi gritted his teeth and released the Fire Stream Art he had been charging up…
Go!
Whoosh!
The scorching stream of fire appeared, instantly dispersing the cold aura around them. The Second Rank Peak Art Technique fluctuation was no less powerful than the previous three Art Techniques, startling the two:
“Fire-based Art Technique!”
“Damn it, I hate dealing with fire.”
“Don’t worry, it’s just Fire Stream Art… Huh? Oh no! Dodge!”
The two cultivators saw Lu Hangzhi make his move and were stunned for a moment. They recognized this Art Technique, but before they could even sneer, they suddenly saw the Talisman in his hand unleash a hurricane-force wind. The fire snake, which had only shown a Second Rank Peak aura, swelled in the storm into a giant serpent over a meter in diameter and was still growing toward the form of a fire dragon…
Boom! Boom!
The two had rushed all the way from the valley entrance and were too close to escape. They were sent flying, horrified.
“Crap!”
“Who said this kid was just a rookie cultivator who just entered the Second Rank? I’ll kill him when I get back!”
“Stop talking nonsense now! That girl is out!”
Zhu Fuqin had picked the Mystic Yin Black Lotus and rushed out of the cave. She saw Lu Hangzhi using the Hurricane Art Talisman with Floating Fire Art to fight two against one, sending two Evil Cultivators with Third Grade cultivation flying. She broke out in a cold sweat.
Just now, if Lu Hangzhi hadn’t stopped them…
Not only would Lu Hangzhi have died here, but even she might have been in grave danger under the assault of two Third Grade cultivators. Not to mention her plans to re-enter the Xuanxin Sect and take control of Violet Cloud Town.
“Die, all of you!”
Zhu Fuqin had no time to think about how her whereabouts had been exposed. She snorted coldly and struck in anger.
“Sword Control Art?!”
The two Evil Cultivators saw a small Flying Sword appear beside Zhu Fuqin and were terrified. They forgot about Lu Hangzhi, turned, and ran, truly grasping the essence of dealing with enemies.
But…
They had only taken a few steps when they felt the ground give way beneath their feet.
They looked down and were horrified!
The solid ground under their feet had somehow turned muddy, like a swamp.
Swish!
The Flying Sword swept past one of their necks, and his head flew into the air.
An ordinary Second Rank defensive spell was like thin paper before the Flying Sword.
“Even if I die, I’ll take one with me!”
The remaining Evil Cultivator saw his companion die and went mad with rage. He viciously pulled out a black Talisman.
However…
Before he could use it, he saw Lu Hangzhi holding the Wood Spirit Sword and slashing toward him with a sword strike that cut through the air. At the same time, Lu Hangzhi opened his mouth as if to speak.
Wood Spirit Sword Qi!
Armor shattered!
Tongue Sword Art!
The Evil Cultivator’s movement was halfway done when his forehead trembled. He was directly pierced through the head by the Tongue Sword true energy, which shattered all his life force. He fell straight to the ground.
The valley returned to calm.
“Junior Brother, are you okay?”
“Thankfully, Senior Sister returned in time and scared off these two evil ones. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have made it.” Lu Hangzhi forced a bitter smile, still feeling scared looking back—he almost died before achieving anything.
Zhu Fuqin also had a fine layer of cold sweat on her back. She gritted her teeth and said hatefully,
“Damn Evil Cultivators, daring to come deep into Xuanxin Sect territory. When I return to the sect and report to the Elders, we’ll sweep through the marketplaces and towns within a thousand miles and crush the arrogance of these desperate scoundrels.”
Lu Hangzhi looked at Zhu Fuqin, hesitated to speak.
“Junior Brother, what are you thinking?”
“I just find it strange. What they said earlier about intel or something was very odd. It seems they knew we would stop here all along.”
Lu Hangzhi said with a bitter smile.
Zhu Fuqin frowned, as if she thought of something, but didn’t say it out loud.
She turned to look at the two Evil Cultivators’ bodies and said,
“These two were both Third Grade cultivators. They probably have some belongings. See if there’s anything you can use.”
“Okay!”
Lu Hangzhi turned and started searching.
The two Evil Cultivators were indeed Third Grade cultivators. They had two money pouches each containing a hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, plus over forty loose Spirit Stones, two stacks of Talismans, and most importantly, a technique manual was found on them.
“We struck it rich, Senior Sister.”
“Just a little money. Keep it for yourself.”
Zhu Fuqin waved her hand, clearly not focused on this.
“Hehe, then thank you, Senior Sister.”
“What are you talking about? I should be thanking you today for holding off two Third Grade cultivators by yourself.” Zhu Fuqin said, “You deserve these spoils.”
Afterward, Zhu Fuqin stored the two Evil Cultivators’ bodies in the Qiankun Pouch and told him they should get going.
Lu Hangzhi had learned his lesson this time. Sitting on the Divine Crane’s back, he activated Mystic Armor Art and counted his gains. When he saw the technique manual, he grinned from ear to ear.
Sharp Gold Sword Qi.
An attack and defense spell with Sharp Gold armor-piercing effect, a Second Rank Peak spell.