After riding for about an hour, they reached a stretch of road flanked by woods at Pingyao. Li Muzhan suddenly said, "Master, there's an ambush ahead."
With a sharp whinny, the horse Zhuzhao stopped. Li Muzhan and Wen Yinyue immediately pulled their reins, bringing their own mounts to a halt.
"Right up ahead?" Mistress Zhuzhao squinted her almond eyes toward the woods a hundred paces away.
Li Muzhan nodded and smiled, "They've hidden themselves exceptionally well. Did Master not notice?"
Mistress Zhuzhao swept her almond eyes over the surroundings a few times and shook her head. On both sides were pine forests; though it was the dead of winter, they remained lush and green, offering only a wall of color, impenetrable to the depths within.
"Hiding here, it is indeed hard to detect," Wen Yinyue admitted.
She turned to look at Li Muzhan, "Junior Brother's divine abilities are truly mysterious."
Mistress Zhuzhao declared, "Indeed very useful. Hmm, if they intend to ambush us, then let's toy with them a bit. Let's ride back!"
Li Muzhan laughed, "That's a brilliant idea. Let's see if they can stand it!"
The three turned their horses around and started retracing their steps.
Wen Yinyue asked, "Junior Brother, how many of them are there?"
Li Muzhan replied, "Five."
"Only five?" Wen Yinyue frowned delicately.
Li Muzhan corrected, "These five are worth fifty, maybe five hundred. They are all figures at the Elder level, no less skilled than the experts of Five Peaks Mountain."
Wen Yinyue and Mistress Zhuzhao’s faces instantly paled.
"It's them!" Mistress Zhuzhao’s deliberately emphasized eyebrows furrowed, "These fellows actually have the leisure for this. Could it be that they discovered our assassination attempt?"
Li Muzhan shook his head, "If they had discovered it, they wouldn't send only five people."
Mistress Zhuzhao frowned, thinking for a moment, "It seems we have no choice but to flee. Let's go!"
She lashed her whip hard against the horse's flank. The fine steed let out a painful cry and bolted forward wildly. Li Muzhan and Wen Yinyue spurred their horses on, keeping pace.
The three riders surged forward like arrows, and from the woods behind them erupted a long cry—a sound like spring thunder rolling—pressing down directly upon them, deafeningly loud.
For the three cultivators, the sound itself was nothing, but for the three horses, it was enough. Their legs buckled, and they collapsed onto the ground one after another.
The three figures drifted down lightly, continuing their desperate flight without pause.
"Stop right there!" A furious roar echoed from behind them, like a clap of thunder in a clear sky.
The three paid no heed, only increasing their speed, vanishing into the distance like three wisps of light smoke. Five elderly figures emerged from the woods, chasing them with their feet barely touching the ground.
Suddenly, Li Muzhan grasped Mistress Zhuzhao's small hand and channeled a surge of his Neili—pure to the extreme.
………………………………………………………………
Mistress Zhuzhao turned to give him a smile, then turned back, "Yinyue, let’s join forces!"
As she spoke, she extended her right hand, and Wen Yinyue extended her left. Their two snow-white, slender hands clasped together. Li Muzhan felt a sudden tightening on his arm as Mistress Zhuzhao pulled him forward, dramatically increasing their speed.
Everything before them rushed backward; the wind lashed their faces, and their robes snapped loudly—he could feel the resistance created by the fabric, wishing he could tear his clothes off.
He was astonished inwardly. He hadn't realized his Master and Senior Sister possessed a combined attack technique. Once their hands met, their internal energies connected and merged, as if one person wielded the power of two. Only the Miaolian Jing could achieve such marvels; the Canghai Shen Gong could not.
He had intended to take his Master's hand and employ the Randeng Shu technique, but now it seemed unnecessary. He allowed his Master to hold his hand, dragging him forward.
He slightly lowered his eyelids, observing with his Xukong Zhi Yan (Void Eye). The five pursuers possessed extremely high lightness skills (Qinggong); they neither fell behind nor managed to close the gap, maintaining a distance that was neither too near nor too far.
This developed into a stalemate, and he couldn't help but chuckle. He feared a war of attrition the least, thanks to the miraculous nature of the Tianyuan Tunnashu (Heavenly Origin Breathing Technique).
With this thought, he directly channeled his Neili, letting the flowing energy pour into Mistress Zhuzhao's meridians, entering her Dantian, replenishing the energy the two of them were expending. The power of the Tianyuan Tunnashu grew stronger, and the absorption rate of Neili became extremely fast. The absorbed energy was entirely transferred into Mistress Zhuzhao’s meridians, completely offsetting the consumption.
Under these circumstances, there was no fear of running out of Neili. As long as their physical bodies held up, they could run for days and nights without issue.
"Master, let's turn slightly west," Li Muzhan directed.
Mistress Zhuzhao’s eyes brightened; she understood his intent, and so did Wen Yinyue. Their minds were now connected, and their movements shifted westward.
The five elders behind them were stamping their feet in frustration, chasing relentlessly but utterly powerless to affect the situation.
The three ran west for a while, then suddenly changed direction again, heading south. This trajectory naturally led toward the direction of Canghai Mountain. If they continued this way, they would eventually reach the mountain range. If they did, the five pursuers, despite their strength, would find it difficult to escape once they entered the territory under Canghai Mountain's influence.
"Lend me your strength!" a thin, small elder suddenly shouted.
The large elder behind him gave a forceful push, and the small elder instantly accelerated, closing the gap to within twenty meters like a gust of wind—but alas, he only managed to narrow the distance by twenty meters; further progress was impossible.
Li Muzhan and the two women arrived at a pine forest, gliding swiftly just above the treetops. Li Muzhan narrowed his eyes slightly, looking down with the Xukong Zhi Yan. The thin elder followed closely, only seventy or eighty meters behind.
He extended his little finger and waved it silently. The sword energy of the Canghai Shenjian (Azure Sea Divine Sword) manifested as if substantial, yet it was formless and colorless, slicing through the treetops behind him as easily as cutting tofu.
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The thin elder stared intently at the trio, grinding his teeth, desperate to close the distance. If he could only slow them down, the others would catch up, and escape would become impossible.
Just then, his feet found nothing solid beneath them, and he instantly lost his purchase, plummeting downward.
He sucked in a breath and slammed both palms down, borrowing force from the void to pull himself upward. He stepped onto a branch nearby.
Unexpectedly, the moment he landed, the branch dropped straight down. He stumbled again, falling straight down. He took another breath, coiled his body, and slapped his palm against the trunk of a nearby tree.
With a dull thump, he was thrown backward into the air, then gracefully used the momentum to pursue Li Muzhan’s group. However, by this time, the other four elders had caught up.
"Old Feng, what happened?" one elder asked with a frown.
"Damn confounding stuff!" the thin elder yelled.
The group closed ranks, forgetting other concerns, and continued the relentless pursuit.
"We need to think of a strategy, or the cooked duck will truly fly away!" a plump elder sighed, stroking his beard as he looked into the distance.
The other four nodded, becoming somewhat quiet, their expressions growing awkward.
They hadn't expected that—given their status and the fact that they had dropped all pretense to set an ambush—they would be discovered, and worse, that their quarry would escape and they would be unable to catch up. They doubted anyone would believe them if they told the story—five cultivators of their standing failing to touch even the hem of their robes after setting a trap. Moreover, they couldn't return empty-handed.
"We have no choice but to use the Secret Method," the thin elder surnamed Feng shook his head.
"Alas…" The other four shook their heads, then nodded, letting out a sigh.
"I'll do it!" Elder Feng bit out, suddenly tapping his chest several times rapidly, followed by several taps to his waist. Instantly, his face flushed crimson, and his entire body seemed to swell by a full circle.
"I'll go slow them down!" he roared, suddenly shooting forward, leaving the others far behind. In the blink of an eye, he reached the rear of Li Muzhan’s group.
Li Muzhan surveyed the situation with his Xukong Zhi Yan and sensed the abnormality. Several strands of subtle finger energy had already been laid out, his fingers concealed in his sleeve, the sword energy formless and invisible.
The elder surnamed Feng slammed into the invisible barrier like a fly hitting a spider web—his momentum instantly checked, his robes tearing, blood weeping from all over his body. The sword energy of the Canghai Shenjian, though formless, possessed substantial sharpness, comparable to the Qingfeng Sword in its keenness. Had it not been for his powerful Neili protecting him, he would have been sliced into several pieces upon impact.
Elder Feng grunted, thrown backward, then let out another roar. He drew his sword, swirling a mass of cold light around himself, and charged straight toward Li Muzhan. Blood streamed down his body, and his eyes glared with a terrifying ferocity.
Li Muzhan extended his left hand and gently pressed his thumb—a sharp hiss and a clear ding… sound echoed continuously, causing the cold light surrounding Elder Feng to momentarily dim.
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Li Muzhan tapped out with his little finger; the silent sword energy struck. Elder Feng suddenly swung his sword, producing a crisp ding, and he was forced to step back.
Li Muzhan had one hand held by Mistress Zhuzhao, while the other wielded the Canghai Shenjian. This engagement did not delay their flight; their speed remained extremely high.
Elder Feng’s power and speed had multiplied. If Li Muzhan had not suppressed him with the Canghai Shenjian, the elder would have long since reached the front to block their path. Once blocked, even a moment's delay would allow the other four elders to catch up. Surrounded by five attackers, Li Muzhan would have been forced to use the Daming Wang Jing to escape certain death. But he had promised never to use the Daming Wang Jing again, even if his life were at stake.
With the Canghai Jian Shen ability, Li Muzhan could attack remotely, which was sufficient for defense. Mistress Zhuzhao glanced back, smiled, and paid no further mind, focusing only on maintaining their rapid pace.
Elder Feng’s eyes turned bloodshot with rage, yet he could not break through the invisible net of sword energy. The sword light surrounding him hampered his forward momentum, preventing him from closing the distance. Li Muzhan’s Neili was profound and pure, making the power of the Canghai Shenjian extremely potent.
Thus, Elder Feng found himself helpless, able only to push forward with great difficulty, making fruitless efforts under the suppression of Li Muzhan’s sword energy.
Seeing this, two of the remaining four elders enacted their secret techniques, surging toward Li Muzhan, hoping to seize the opportunity to close in and impede their speed.
Li Muzhan smiled faintly, his index and middle fingers moving slightly, separating from the ring and little fingers. He commanded each finger with a separate focus, equal to the coordinated effort of five people. Two streams of sword energy suppressed one elder; Li Muzhan managed this with ease.
The remaining three elders saw this and were instantly enraged. They exchanged a look, then rapidly tapped their chests and waists. Immediately, their faces flushed red as they charged forward.
Li Muzhan, utilizing five distinct thoughts to command five streams of sword energy, found the suppression of five individuals taxing.
He released Mistress Zhuzhao's hand and said in a deep voice, "Master, Senior Sister, you go first! I will hold the rear!"
He brought his right hand into the fray. Unable to focus his mind on careful control, he swung wildly. The sword energy crisscrossed erratically, leaving no discernible pattern, making it even harder to guard against.
Hiss! Hiss! Someone's robes were shredded, and blood sprayed out. The invisible sword energy struck their bodies like the Qingfeng Sword itself.
"You crazy brat!" Mistress Zhuzhao threw an arm around his waist, pulling him along at speed.
"And hidden weapons!" someone shouted. Instantly, a sky full of cold light enveloped them.
Li Muzhan flicked his sleeve; the myriad hidden weapons vanished into his sleeve. Then, with a shake, he sent them back out. The unexpected counterattack managed to injure one of the elders. None of their hidden weapons were poisoned, so although the elder was struck, he was not incapacitated and could still fight.