Chapter 128: Sword Formation

The night passed peacefully.

Early the next morning, Mu Feng bid farewell to the He family’s old house and continued his journey. Unbeknownst to anyone, the group now had an additional invisible female ghost hidden within the Eighteen Blood Witch Commands.

Before leaving, Jing Wushuang specifically visited the Old Woman’s bedridden husband and left half a bottle of Plum Blossom Powder.

With the female ghost He Liushuang gone, the He family’s old house was no longer filled with eerie ghostly energy. The rooms were now filled with abundant Yang Energy and good air circulation. Combined with the half bottle of Plum Blossom Powder that could regenerate flesh and detoxify, the old man who had been unable to walk due to Yin Energy invasion would likely recover soon. Having both major worries resolved at once, the Old Woman was naturally extremely grateful, and her complexion seemed much better overnight. Before they left, she insisted on giving them many local specialty products.

The carriage, which had stayed in Puyang Ancient Town for a day, sped along the official road once more.

Throughout the journey, the carriage driver wearing a Large Bamboo Hat remained silent and aloof, even eating and lodging separately. Though he was solitary, his driving skills were truly exceptional. Under his control, the carriage maintained a nearly constant speed—fast but not bumpy—making the injured Jing Wushuang much more comfortable, allowing her injuries to gradually heal.

After entering Jianshui territory, the temperature gradually became hotter. Slowly, the terrain opened up, transitioning from mountainous areas to plains. Along the way, flowers, grass, and trees became increasingly abundant as they drew nearer to Jianshui City. Pulling aside the curtain to look at the flowers and plants along the official road, Jing Wushuang felt her mood improve considerably.

Throughout the journey, she freely admired the scenery on both sides of the road, while Mu Feng remained seated cross-legged in the carriage. Though he appeared to be meditating or resting with his eyes closed, he was secretly alert to any dangers along the way. Thinking of the black-clad figure encountered at the He family ancestral grave, a shadow crossed his face as he recalled the terrifying Blind Master.

Given the other’s cultivation and personality, he would definitely not give up until he achieved his goal. Mu Feng knew without a doubt that he was preparing another ambush. However, where and when the sudden attack would occur remained unknown. They had narrowly escaped death at Green Kill Pass last time; the later the second ambush came, the more dangerous it would inevitably be!

Mu Feng focused his spirit and secretly heightened his vigilance, but three days passed without incident.

During these three days, they encountered bandits on the road, and at roadside inns, they came across local ruffians, hooligans, and thieves. However, with his calm and low-key handling, all situations were resolved without real danger. During the quiet of the night, he even found time to instruct the female ghost He Liushuang in her cultivation, teaching her the Spirit Cultivation Art obtained from the North Flow Twin Ghosts, intending to train her into an Artifact Spirit for the Eighteen Blood Witch Commands.

The Eighteen Blood Witch Commands were originally called the Eighteen Yin Wind Tokens, the treasure of the Yinfeng Sect. Each transformation—attracting, suppressing, killing, devouring—was incredibly powerful. With an Artifact Spirit presiding over them, their power would be even greater. Especially since He Liushuang, being a ghost, was inherently a Spirit Body, making her more suitable than anyone else to serve as the Artifact Spirit for this set of magical tools. After leaving a Blood Shaman mark in her mind, Mu Feng no longer worried that this female ghost might one day get out of control.

Boom…

That day, the sky had been sunny, but soon dark clouds rolled in, accompanied by flashes of lightning and claps of thunder, and a heavy downpour began.

The rain grew heavier, and the already uneven official road became muddy and increasingly difficult to traverse. To make matters worse, after traveling for several hours until nightfall, they couldn’t find any place to lodge. There were no villages, no roadside inns—just desolate emptiness. Outside, it was pitch black, impossible to see even a hand in front of one’s face. The carriage driver carefully urged the carriage forward.

Overhead, muffled thunder rumbled intermittently, and startling snake-like lightning streaked across the sky. It felt as if the sky itself was tearing apart, increasing everyone’s unease.

“Plum blossoms, Brother Mu Feng, look, so many plum blossoms!”

Jing Wushuang had been holding the curtain open, hoping to catch a glimpse of a village. After a long while, as a snake-like lightning bolt flashed, she didn’t spot any village but inadvertently noticed that the road was lined with blooming plum blossoms. Though the weather was getting warmer, for some reason, the plum blossoms here were still in full bloom. Looking out from the carriage window, the pure white plum blossoms stretched as far as the eye could see, as if they had accidentally entered a sea of plum blossoms.

Plum blossoms?

Mu Feng frowned and moved closer to Jing Wushuang. Using the lightning’s illumination, he indeed saw white plum blossoms everywhere.

The plum blossoms, in the dark rainy night, looked extraordinarily enchanting. But the more he looked, the more Mu Feng felt something wasn’t right. Before he could order the carriage to stop for a closer look, a long whistle suddenly pierced the darkness. The next moment, whooshing sounds came from all directions as gusts of strong wind swept in. With the help of another flash of lightning overhead, he saw agile figures emerging from the plum blossom groves on both sides of the road.

Without a word, they wore identical white robes, broad Bamboo Hats on their heads, and held sharp longswords, exuding a murderous aura!

The sudden appearance of the White-robed Swordsmen gave Mu Feng an unprecedented sense of danger.

At a glance, each one had at least cultivated to the Middle Mortal Realm, with many even at the Mortal Realm Peak, and even some whose strength was unfathomably profound. They numbered in the hundreds. Standing motionless, their sharp, murderous intent pressed forward, locking onto the carriage.

Swordsmen!

All were battle-hardened, incredibly powerful swordsmen!

Mu Feng’s heart sank, realizing the second wave of ambush had finally arrived.

That old Devil Leader, the Blind Master, had indeed calculated everything perfectly, choosing such a rare opportunity and such a place.

If over a hundred such formidable swordsmen swarmed forward, even the Chief Transmission Disciple Mu Tie himself might not be able to break through and fight his way out! Moreover, observing the positions where the numerous White-robed Swordsmen stood, it seemed there was a hidden mystery—they had formed a terrifying Sword Formation. Having lain in ambush here for a long time, conserving their energy, once they struck, it would undoubtedly be a thunderous, all-out attack!

“Charge, don’t stop, keep charging forward!”

Mu Feng made a quick decision. While giving the order in a deep voice, he leaped through the window, flipped onto the carriage roof, and coldly faced the surrounding swordsmen. A red light flashed around him as a fierce, blood-red Blood Armor appeared. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh… numerous menacing Blood Vines burst from his body, raising their tips high like venomous snakes to protect the carriage below.

Facing the enemy’s carefully laid ambush, purely defending would be hopeless. Only by gritting their teeth and charging forward relentlessly might there be a sliver of hope!

In that split second, Mu Feng resolutely made up his mind, fearlessly confronting the pressure of over a hundred swordsmen alone.

“Kill!”

Before he could steady himself on the carriage roof, a cold voice echoed from the darkness. The next moment, all hundred swordsmen moved simultaneously. Lightly tapping their toes on the ground, they surged forward like lightning across the puddles.

Clang…

In a tenth of an instant, a sharp longsword appeared before him, aimed directly at Mu Feng’s brow.

A figure as straight as a spear, trailing a faint afterimage, was the first to arrive in front of him!