Chapter 017
Chapter 17: Under Siege
Given the situation unfolding now, if that person was allowed to continue unchecked, it would not take long before the Martial World birthed another great demon cultist whose poison arts shook the heavens.
Cang Yin Yue was caught in hesitation. She wasn’t fully confident she could handle such an opponent. If they pressed onward, encountering this formidable foe seemed unavoidable.
At this moment, Li Mu Sheng’s voice broke the silence. Mounted atop his mule, he glanced at Yu Chang Lu and said, “Turning back is impossible. My poor mule barely managed to climb up this mountain path. If you ask it to turn around now, it’ll probably kick you first.”
As if to prove his point, the pack mule beneath him cooperatively stomped a hoof and let out a loud snort.
Hearing this, Cang Yin Yue glanced briefly at Li Mu Sheng. The memory of being effortlessly immobilized by his distant acupoint sealing flashed vividly through her mind. After a pause, she voiced her concerns, adding, “Continuing forward isn’t impossible, but we’re likely to run into that Grandmaster skilled in poison arts. With your abilities, you should have no trouble protecting yourself, and I can escape easily enough. Still, we must be wary of that person’s poison.”
Li Mu Sheng nodded thoughtfully. “True, the enemy is ruthless, but indirectly they’ve cleared our path of Bloodbath Alliance members. So, at least there’s one small benefit.” He raised an eyebrow toward Yu Chang Lu, who stood frozen beside the mule. “Why are you still standing there? Move forward.”
Yu Chang Lu’s expression was utterly miserable. He had overheard every word Cang Yin Yue and Li Mu Sheng had said. [Easy for you two to say—you both have ways to protect yourselves from that poisonous demon cultist, while I’ll be the one heading straight to my death.]
He desperately wished to flee immediately, but knowing his martial skills were no match for Cang Yin Yue’s, and his inability to perform decent lightness skills, he knew escape was a dead-end. Left without choice, he turned grimly around and trudged on along the mountain path, silently praying that experts from his alliance would do their job properly and take down the deadly demon ahead.
As they continued onward, the frequency of corpses along the path gradually decreased. It seemed likely that most Bloodbath Alliance members stationed here had already fallen to the mysterious attacker.
After about an hour’s journey, twilight descended upon the mountains. Just as they were about to crest another hill and leave this dangerous region behind, a dazzling burst of firelight illuminated the sky ahead, accompanied by the noisy clamor of voices carried by the mountain wind.
Yu Chang Lu, walking in front, immediately halted. Glancing back at Cang Yin Yue and seeing her nod in agreement, he cautiously moved closer toward the distant firelight.
Soon, Yu Chang Lu crept near a large boulder, peering secretly into the brightly lit valley. His heart leaped joyfully at the sight before him.
Nearly a hundred people filled the valley below, each holding blazing tung oil torches, turning the surrounding woods as bright as daylight and tightly sealing off the valley. Most importantly, these people were all from the Bloodbath Alliance!
Yu Chang Lu’s excitement rose, and just as he was considering how to signal for rescue, Cang Yin Yue’s chilling voice whispered from behind him, “Before deciding anything, ask yourself carefully—which will move faster, your feet or my blade?”
Feeling as if doused in icy water, Yu Chang Lu hastily stepped back and dared not move another inch.
Cang Yin Yue and Li Mu Sheng dismounted and approached the rocky vantage point, observing the scene below.
In the valley center, atop a massive, moss-covered stone, four figures sat cross-legged. Meng Shan and two others were clearly recognizable, along with a mysterious masked woman dressed in gray.
Leading the Bloodbath Alliance group were a black-robed middle-aged man and two white-haired elders. They had formed a triangle formation around the seated quartet but dared not advance further, wary of the blue-black mist swirling ominously within three feet of those seated.
“Your Excellency, which sect from the Martial World dares act so ruthlessly, killing so many of my Bloodbath Alliance brothers?” demanded the black-robed man, his voice cold as death, eyes burning with undisguised killing intent.
Yet the masked woman remained silent, eyes closed in meditation, utterly indifferent to his threats.
Infuriated, the black-robed man slowly rotated his broad palm, knuckles protruding sharply. Immediately, a whirlwind surged from the ground, gathering scattered dry leaves toward his palm. With a sudden thrust, he sent forth a massive palm formed entirely from those leaves, crashing down toward the seated figures.
Only then did the masked woman respond. Her eyes flashed open, glowing eerily. Her hand, previously resting before her abdomen, swiftly curled into a claw and grasped toward the descending palm imprint. Instantly, the bluish-black mist surrounding her surged upward, transforming into a shadowy claw to meet the incoming attack.
Before everyone’s eyes, the leafy palm was swiftly corrupted by the sinister mist, dissolving into a blackened puddle that fell harmlessly to the ground.
Meng Shan and Yuan Mei, watching this terrifying scene, felt chills run down their spines. They didn’t recognize this masked woman. Earlier, when fleeing the Bloodbath Alliance, they’d nearly been captured due to overwhelming numbers. At that desperate moment, the mysterious woman had appeared and effortlessly driven off their enemies. Though she aided their escape, her cruelty and mastery of horrifying poison arts left even them terrified.
Meng Shan and Yuan Mei had witnessed countless victims of this poison: their suffering was beyond description, truly worse than death. Thankfully, this fearsome woman had protected them thus far, sparing them the poison’s horrors.
Regrettably, the Bloodbath Alliance’s forces here were strong and vast. Before the trio could escape the region, reinforcements had cornered them in this valley. Yet, the enemy hesitated to attack directly due to fear of the masked woman’s terrifying poison, resulting in the current tense standoff.
Meng Shan knew they couldn’t linger indefinitely. He gathered his courage, carefully suggesting, “Senior, the longer we delay, the more likely enemy reinforcements will arrive. Shouldn’t we consider breaking through quickly?”
When Meng Shan raised his head, he caught sight of a sinister smile curling the woman’s eyes. Her voice slithered like a venomous serpent beside his ear.
“What’s the hurry? The longer we stay, the deeper their poison sinks. They’ll only die more painfully.”