A secluded tree-lined path, the shadows of trees dancing on either side.
A robust, blue-maned horse had been shot through the head, the carriage overturned and smashed onto the ground, raising a cloud of dust, the horse dragging a large trail of blood across the earth.
However, this was just the beginning—
Whoosh!
The second arrow sliced through the night, violently piercing the wooden frame of the carriage on both sides, creating clean holes.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
One arrow after another burst forth in rapid succession.
The direction they headed… was all towards the carriage!
In just a few dozen breaths, a full forty to fifty sharp arrows had struck the carriage, almost turning it into a beehive.
As Xu Bin's quiver emptied, and he could no longer draw out any arrows, he stopped, then drew his large broadsword, cautiously staring in the direction of the carriage.
Neither Xu Bin nor Wang Liuhe, even after witnessing the carriage being shot into a beehive, rushed out rashly, but instead carefully observed the situation.
Clearly, the pressure Xie An had brought them at the examination grounds was too great. Coupled with the report from Shopkeeper Wang of the pharmacy, that Xie An had begun to collect Tiger Bone Essence Soup, they judged that Xie An's strength had definitely reached the peak of the Refined Flesh Realm.
Caution is never a bad thing.
However, the two men observed for quite a while, but did not see any movement from the overturned carriage.
The younger Xu Bin breathed a slight sigh of relief, "Brother Wang, Xie An and that girl should be dead. Otherwise, they would definitely crawl out and beg for their lives."
Wang Liuhe deeply agreed, endorsing Xu Bin's opinion, "That should be the case. There is no moon tonight, the light is poor. No matter how strong Xie An is, he couldn't possibly avoid Brother Xu's heavy bow. It's most likely over."
Seeing Wang Liuhe agree with his opinion, Xu Bin felt a bit more confident, "Then let's go out and collect the bodies. Taking the corpses to present to Hall Master Fang will be a great achievement."
Thinking of this, Xu Bin's face was full of smiles, "Brother Wang, rest assured. If I really become the Blood Ridge Master one day, I will never forget our camaraderie today."
"Hahaha. With Brother Xu's words, I am content. Let's go, let's go collect the bodies." In order to show initiative, Wang Liuhe took the lead, walking out from behind the stone, carrying his broadsword, and approaching the carriage.
Xu Bin followed closely behind, step by step, perhaps because the future the two men were envisioning was too beautiful, too exciting. This caused the two to relax their vigilance, and they were convinced that everyone in the carriage was dead.
When they were less than three meters away from the carriage, the two became a little more vigilant again, and Wang Liuhe was about to kick the coachman. After all, the coachman had already been shot through by arrows and should be dead.
As a result, his foot landed and found that the coachman was rock-hard.
The feeling was very unusual.
"Hmm?"
Wang Liuhe keenly realized something, immediately tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, and lowered his head to look at the coachman.
Xu Bin was stunned for a moment, "Brother Wang, what's wrong?"
"The feeling of this corpse is not right, it's rock-hard, and there's a smell of rotting flesh…" Wang Liuhe opened the coachman's robe and lit a fire stick to illuminate, and was shocked to see that the coachman's body was covered with corpse spots, and at close range, there was a strong stench.
Clearly, this coachman had been dead for many days.
Clang!
The two immediately realized that something was wrong, and suddenly raised their broadswords, Xu Bin vigilantly looking around, "Something's wrong, Brother Wang, quickly go check the carriage."
"Okay."
Wang Liuhe also knew that there was no turning back, so he immediately rushed over with his sword, splitting open the wooden frame of the carriage with one slash, and as wood chips flew, the situation inside the carriage was revealed.
Empty!
Hiss!
Wang Liuhe stared with wide eyes, staring for a long time before finally waking up, followed by a bone-chilling chill sweeping through his body, "Damn, we've been tricked."
Xu Bin was also on pins and needles, his throat choked, "Quick, send a signal to the Deputy Hall Master."
Wang Liuhe immediately raised the fire stick in his hand and waved it three times towards the forest in the distance.
At this moment, a figure rushed out of the forest across the road, "Why are you so slow to do things, are they all dead?"
It was Wang Ziwen who had come.
Clearly, he was more cautious than Xu Bin and Wang Liuhe, and had been hiding in the back, only coming forward after Wang Liuhe sent the signal. Previously, the two sides had agreed that each would ambush on both sides of the road, and once there was a situation, they would wave the fire stick to send a signal.
Wang Liuhe told the story of what happened with a face full of shock.
Even Wang Ziwen, this old fox, couldn't help but gasp after hearing the process, "Empty carriage, corpse coachman…"
Then, the experienced Wang Ziwen turned to look at the corner of the road ahead, "At the corner of the road, the other party got out of the car, tied the corpse outside the carriage, and patted the horse to come. We… have been exposed."
It is said that old horses know the way.
Well-trained horses can find their way home for dozens of miles, and powerful horses can even cross thousands of miles to return home. Even ordinary horses can walk a distance on their own without any problem.
Xu Bin was greatly horrified and immediately stated: "Deputy Gate Master Wang, I absolutely did not leak the news!"
Wang Liuhe quickly cupped his hands and echoed, and swore to the heavens, fearing that Wang Ziwen would suspect him.
Wang Ziwen weighed it and felt that these two people had both taken action, so there was no turning back, and it was unlikely that they would leak the news, so he said: "Alright, let's talk about it when we get back. This time he escaped, consider him lucky."
Wang Liuhe and Xu Bin breathed a sigh of relief, sheathed their swords, and followed Wang Ziwen away.
Just after the three of them left, two people suddenly walked out from behind a large tree in the distance.
It was Xie An and Yu He.
"Go, follow them."
Xie An spoke softly, cautiously following the three of them.
Now Xie An's strength has reached the Five Viscera Realm, not only is his skin and bones as tough as copper and iron, but his five viscera are also strong, like an iron plate, and he can lift a breath internally, so he can walk lightly and silently.
Unknowingly following the three of them, it couldn't be easier.
The reason why he didn't choose to take action here was simply because he didn't see Fang Baiyu come forward. If this person was hiding in the distance, seeing himself kill Xu Bin and the others, Fang Baiyu would probably become a frightened bird and escape from then on.
It would be difficult to find him again.
Xie An doesn't pursue speed in doing things, but he pays attention to neatness, preferably neatly.
There's no rush.
After Chen Qing came to report the news earlier, Xie An realized the danger. He also secretly sneaked back to the hall and saw Xu Bin and Wang Liuhe hurriedly going to change into night clothes…
At that time, Xie An felt that Fang Baiyu might take action against him tonight.
After all, Xie An rarely left the Black Market in the past year. He even had Yu He do the work of claiming the medicinal supplements from the hall many times.
This time out, on the way back to the Black Market… it was naturally an excellent opportunity for Fang Baiyu to ambush.
Xie An could think of it.
Since the other party was ambushing Xie An, then why couldn't Xie An use a trick?
For this reason, Xie An went to the coffin shop in Shuideng Town, gave the shopkeeper some silver, bought a corpse of a dead vagrant, smeared it with spices to cover up the corpse odor, and then tied it outside the carriage.
Just now, when the carriage arrived at the corner, Xie An, who had excellent senses, noticed that someone was ambushing, so he pulled Yu He out of the car and lay in ambush, letting the carriage move forward, while hiding in the dark to observe the situation.
Sure enough, he saw Xu Bin and Wang Liuhe taking action… even Wang Ziwen came forward.
Unfortunately, Fang Baiyu didn't come forward…
This old fox is really cautious.
The night was deep, and Xie An followed along the forest all the way forward, and soon returned to Shuideng Town, seeing the three of Xu Bin entering the hall.
Xie An and Yu He had to stop at the street corner across from the house.
"Master, they have entered the hall, we…"
"If I'm not mistaken, Fang Baiyu is inside. They are going to report to Fang Baiyu."
Xie An weighed it slightly, and finally made a decision, "Go in and send them on their way neatly."
When he stepped into the Refined Flesh Realm, Xie An didn't take Fang Baiyu seriously. Not to mention that he has now stepped into the Five Viscera Realm…
Xie An just wanted to develop steadily.
But Fang Baiyu dared to take the initiative to kill.
Then… this son cannot be kept.
Just knowing that he has taken the action to kill himself, even if he is killed in the hall, he can explain it to the Tiger Wolf Gate. Moreover, the hall is quiet at the moment, and no one has noticed him.
…
Hall, Central Courtyard.
Living Room.
Fang Baiyu sat high in the chief seat, drinking tea while listening to his subordinates report.
In fact, when the incident happened, he had already been ambushing in a more distant place, just seeking caution and not coming forward.
After the report ended, Xu Bin and Wang Liuhe bowed, their foreheads dripping with cold sweat, fearing that they would cause Fang Baiyu's dissatisfaction.
"How could the news be leaked so well?"
Fang Baiyu pondered: If this time fails, he will probably be a frightened bird in the future, and it will be difficult to find such an opportunity again…
It seems that he needs to let the Jade Copper Envoy go directly to the Blood Ridge Black Market to kill this person.
Thinking of this, Fang Baiyu felt much more at ease and waved his hand: "This time, consider Xie An lucky. You all go down."
At this moment, there was a knock on the door.
Knock knock knock.
The sound was neither loud nor soft, but it was particularly harsh in the quiet courtyard.
"Who's coming in the middle of the night?" Wang Liuhe muttered, "I'll open the door."
Wang Liuhe thought that he was, after all, a latecomer, and it took a lot of effort to please Fang Baiyu at the beginning, so now he should lower his posture and continue to please him.
And so, Wang Liuhe strode to open the door.
Creak.
Wang Liuhe impatiently pulled the door open, blurting out, "Who is it, disturbing the Hall Master so late at night? Don't you know the Hall Master needs to rest? How is it you... Hiss!!"
Before he could finish, Wang Liuhe was suddenly shocked. He was about to draw his saber, but he couldn't draw it out. He saw a finger suddenly press against his brow, followed by the sound of a "crack" as his skull shattered.
His skull had been pierced by a finger, leaving a large hole. He died on the spot!
Fingers like steel.
Swish!
The people in the living room, seeing this scene, all stood up and stared intently at the doorway. They then saw Wang Liuhe collapse in a pool of blood, and a very familiar person walked in with a maid.
Who else could it be but Xie An?
Xie An walked towards the living room with his hands behind his back, his solemn expression revealing no joy or sorrow. His voice was also devoid of emotion.
"Fang Baiyu, long time no see."
Clang!
Xu Bin and Wang Ziweng simultaneously drew their sabers, pointing them at Xie An.
Even with broadswords in hand, the two felt their mouths dry and cold sweat trickling down their foreheads.
They had all witnessed Xie An's killing of Wang Liuhe.
Fingers like steel.
This was clearly the strength of the Iron Bone Realm.
Previously, they felt that Xie An's strength was only at the Great Perfection of the Refined Flesh Realm when he first came to the dispensary to collect Tiger Bone Essence Soup, preparing to break through. So, four Refined Flesh Realm experts besieging a Refined Flesh Realm Great Perfection expert who had mastered the Heavy Mountain Saber still had a good chance of winning.
Unexpectedly...
Xie An displayed the strength of the Iron Bone Realm upon entering.
It was simply shocking.
Terrifying to the extreme.
Da da da.
Xie An's footsteps sounded particularly crisp in the quiet night, like a tune of a soul-reaping ghost.
Finally, Xie An stopped outside the threshold, glanced at Wang Ziweng and Xu Bin, who were pointing their sabers at him, and said, "You also know that I just used Fingers Like Steel. The person I'm looking for today is Fang Baiyu, and it has nothing to do with you. Put down your sabers, and you can be safe and sound."
Gulp.
Wang Ziweng and Xu Bin swallowed their saliva, looked at Xie An, and then at Fang Baiyu, who was sitting in the chief seat in the living room. They were in a dilemma.
In the end, Xu Bin didn't dare to face the pressure of the Iron Bone Realm and took the lead in putting down his saber.
At that moment—
Swish!
Xie An stepped out, his finger suddenly stabbing at Xu Bin's brow. The finger was so fast that it was impossible to dodge. Before Xu Bin could react, he felt a chill between his brows, and then vaguely heard a "crack." It felt as if something had drilled into his skull.
With his last remaining consciousness, he said, "Didn't you say that if I put down my saber, I would be safe and sound..."
Before he could finish, Xu Bin had already lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground. Blood was spurting out from between his eyebrows, along with foul-smelling brain matter.
"Dead, isn't that permanently safe and sound?"
Xie An replied coldly. But Xu Bin could no longer hear him.
Clang!
Wang Ziweng could no longer hold his saber, and even less dared to point it at Xie An. He dropped his broadsword and immediately knelt on the ground, wailing for help, "Lord Xie, spare me! I was coerced!"
Bang bang bang!
He kowtowed frantically, repeatedly hitting his forehead on the bluestone bricks, wearing away the skin and drawing blood, but he didn't dare to stop. This pain was much lighter than having his skull pierced by Xie An.
Xie An ignored Wang Ziweng, and instead stepped over the threshold, walking towards Fang Baiyu step by step, "Hall Master Fang, I only wanted to live a peaceful life, but you forced my hand at every turn… Why did you make things so difficult?"
He thought Fang Baiyu would definitely be afraid, but unexpectedly, Fang Baiyu smiled.
Xie An suddenly stopped, alert and focused.
The powerful backer Chen Qing mentioned?
Before entering, Xie An had peeked over the wall and carefully sensed the movements in the courtyard. He found nothing unusual, and didn't feel any… that is, there were no other living people.
Where did he get his confidence?
However, the smile on Fang Baiyu's face made Xie An feel uneasy.
Are there other experts in this courtyard?
Impossible.
His senses couldn't be wrong.
He asked himself if he had been very careful.
"Hahahaha."
Fang Baiyu suddenly became exceptionally excited, "I was just saying that you ran away, consider yourself lucky. It will be difficult to find a better opportunity next time. Unexpectedly, you are so stupid as to deliver yourself to my doorstep. Iron Bone Realm… you think you can easily take Fang's life? Do you think Fang has been Hall Master all these years for nothing?
Hahahaha!
I really didn't expect there to be such a stupid person in the world as you. Hahaha!"
After laughing, Fang Baiyu suddenly stood up and knelt down towards the back hall, "Respectfully invite Jade Bronze Envoy!"
Jade Bronze Envoy?
Including Xie An, Wang Ziweng and Yuhe were all very surprised.
Where did the Jade Bronze Envoy come from?
At this moment—
Thump thump thump.
As a series of footsteps approached, a humanoid monster, entirely bronze in color, slowly walked out from the back hall.
This monster had a gaunt face and a thin body. Its wrinkled skin clung tightly to its bones, like a dried corpse. Moreover, its skin was like tree bark, and its eyes emitted a ghostly green light.
It was extremely terrifying.
Wang Ziweng was so frightened that he trembled and didn't dare to move on the ground.
Seeing this monster appear, Fang Baiyu felt incomparably confident, and his expression became extremely fierce, "This is Fang's trump card, which should not have been known. Now that you know, then… none of you here will survive.
Xie An, Fang is not afraid to tell you, the Iron Bone Realm is not enough in front of the Jade Bronze Envoy. Unless you're in the Five Viscera Realm, perhaps you can barely exchange two moves with the Jade Bronze Envoy."
Hehehehe.
The Jade Bronze Envoy made a hoarse sound, and its gaze towards Xie An revealed greed.
"Master, this is a higher level than the Azure Wood Black Corpse… a Bronze Corpse!" Yuhe said at this time, "Fang Baiyu has defected to the Corpse Refining Hall."
Fang Baiyu looked at Yuhe in surprise and laughed: "Your maid is quite knowledgeable. So what if you know? None of you will survive."
At this moment, the Dao Talisman in Xie An's mind fluctuated.
[Detected a wisp of Undying Qi! After subduing it, it can be absorbed. After absorption, it can urge the Longevity Fate to evolve. If enough Undying Qi is collected, the Longevity Fate can be advanced to Level 2!]
Holy crap...
No wonder his senses didn't see any other living people in the courtyard before. It turned out to be a Bronze Corpse without vitality!
Xie An felt very excited, and couldn't help but smile.
After working hard for a year, he was still saying that the progress of the Bright Jade Skill was slow… Isn't this another wisp of Undying Qi? To increase the Longevity Fate by two ten-thousandths?
Killing Fang Baiyu, and there's such an unexpected harvest?
The corners of Xie An's mouth curved into an arc, and he couldn't help but laugh.
Hmm?
Fang Baiyu sensed something was wrong, "You can still laugh when you're about to die!?
"I've really never seen such a stupid person as you. Fang Baiyu, I want to thank you." Xie An didn't waste any words, slowly drawing the broadsword on his back. The Qi and blood in his body became stronger and stronger, "Who told you… that I'm only in the Iron Bone Realm!?"
"Yuhe, watch them two, don't let them run away."
Clang!
Xie An suddenly drew his saber, Qi and blood surged, the five viscera converged, making an ethereal sound of the five viscera breathing and wriggling.
"Five Viscera Realm!!!!"
Fang Baiyu suddenly cried out, and before he could react, he saw Xie An slash at the Jade Bronze Envoy.
Saber Draw Cut.
Heavy Mountain Saber.
Nurturing the saber for a year, only for this moment.
In an instant, the saber light flashed and the saber rang out. The moment the saber left its sheath, it carried an invincible sharpness and gravity, like a mountain and river pressing down, slashing fiercely at the Jade Bronze Envoy.
The Jade Bronze Envoy was startled, clearly feeling a fierce tiger pouncing over. It instinctively raised its hand to block the saber. Suddenly, there was a "clang" of metal humming!
If it were an ordinary Five Viscera Realm swordsman, they really wouldn't be able to break the Jade Bronze Envoy's arm bones. But Xie An's strength was too great, so great that the Jade Bronze Envoy couldn't imagine it. Coupled with the unparalleled saber momentum of the Heavy Mountain Saber. The arm bones only blocked for a moment, and then they shattered with a "crack."
The saber momentum didn't decrease, continuing to slash forward.
"How could it be…"
The Jade Bronze Envoy felt terrified for the first time, and most of its body was chopped off, collapsing to the ground with constant wriggling, with no more resistance.
Thud.
Fang Baiyu was so frightened that he sat down on the ground with his butt, trembling, his eyes tearing apart, "One, one saber… Five, Five Viscera Realm…"
Xie An raised his broadsword and placed it on Fang Baiyu's neck, "Before killing you, I was still worried about finding an excuse. Now it seems… colluding with the Corpse Refining Hall is enough for you to die a hundred times. Fang Baiyu, be on your way. Go down below and apologize to Brother Wei and repent."
"Xie An, don't… Puff!"
Before he could finish speaking, his head had already moved house.
That head happened to roll beside Wang Ziweng, scaring Wang Ziweng half to death and frantically kowtowing for mercy.
Xie An ignored Wang Ziweng, and instead stepped on the wriggling Jade Bronze Envoy. He vaguely felt that although the Jade Bronze Envoy was about to die, it didn't seem afraid. Instead, it was silently chanting some kind of incantation.
Although Xie An didn't understand what it was chanting, he felt that it wasn't a good thing, so he immediately urged the Dao Talisman in his mind and silently recited in his heart:
Undying Qi, absorb!
