The five flashes Kim Loan had just sent confirmed that the group outside was already entering the rear route.
Darkness gradually settled over the low mountain ranges surrounding the old Fire Qilin Tribe. The crescent moon left only a faint layer of silver along the edges of the rocks and the tips of the sharp thorns, while most of the path had already sunk into the gray-black shadows of the desert night. Wind passed through Dragonmist Thorn Forest, carrying the scent of damp earth, bitter resin, and cold sand, making every sound in the area seem even clearer.
The section of road Lanh Hoa had chosen was not wide. On both sides stood cliffs worn into long grooves by years of wind and sand, leaving only a passage five or six zhang across. It was spacious enough for a few people to move through, but once fighting began, a larger group would have difficulty deploying all at once.
Lanh Hoa crossed to the opposite side, followed a low rocky slope, then climbed onto a protruding outcrop above the road. He gave the rope a testing pull, making several clumps of Dragonmist Thorn behind him tremble.
Hao Nhien chose a low thorn bush below, where overlapping shadows from the cliff and branches were enough to conceal his body. Once in position, he restrained his aura and kept his spiritual awareness spread only across a reasonable range around the ambush site.
On the outcrop above, Lanh Hoa became completely still as well.
They did not have to wait long.
The first sound from the entrance to the rear route was extremely faint, but in the silent ravine, Hao Nhien could still distinguish it clearly. First came the soft crunch of feet on dry sand, then the brushing of cloaks against thorn branches, and only after that did voices reach him.
Luu Tan spoke from somewhere ahead.
"Another half a watch past this section and we'll reach the outer edge of the Fire Qilin Tribe. This is also where we encountered that group."
A man's voice immediately snapped in a low tone.
"Keep your voice down. Are you afraid they won't know we're coming?"
Luu Tan fell silent.
Through a gap in the leaves, Hao Nhien saw five figures gradually emerge.
At the front was a tall man carrying a heavy saber. His aura was clearly stronger than those behind him, and even a brief sense was enough to tell that he had reached late Foundation Establishment. Three other cultivators followed behind, all carrying weapons, while Luu Tan walked slightly off to the rear. His shoulder was wrapped in cloth, his face pale, and he looked exactly like someone who had just escaped from a battle.
Hao Nhien did not move.
Just as the five entered several more zhang into the passage, a thread of killing intent suddenly leaked from the rocky outcrop above.
It was not strong enough to erupt openly, but it was more than clear enough to be noticed.
That killing intent, together with the mid-stage Foundation Establishment aura Lanh Hoa deliberately revealed, immediately drew most of the group's senses upward. Hao Nhien had already concealed his own aura within the darkness, making him even less likely to become the first target of their attention.
The man with the heavy saber raised his head.
His gaze locked onto the outcrop.
"Someone's there."
One of the men behind him immediately asked,
"Captain?"
The saber-wielding man did not answer at once. He observed for a moment before saying coldly,
"Mid-stage Foundation Establishment."
At that exact moment, behind the outcrop, a tall clump of Dragonmist Thorn suddenly trembled and shifted sideways, as though someone who had realized he was exposed was slipping away through the shadows.
The saber-wielding man narrowed his eyes.
"Trying to run?"
He tilted his head.
"One of you come with me. The other three hold the road."
A gray-robed man immediately stepped forward, his longsword already drawn.
The two almost simultaneously rushed toward the outcrop.
Hao Nhien still did not move.
The late-stage cultivator and one mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator had both been drawn away from the road by Lanh Hoa. Only two remained below, along with Luu Tan.
That was exactly the result Hao Nhien wanted.
There were less than ten zhang between them and his hiding place.
The late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator pushed off hard, his body shooting upward from the ground. But at the exact instant his foot was about to touch the edge of the rock, the force of his leap had just run out and his balance had not yet fully settled.
Lanh Hoa struck.
The ancient sword swept horizontally from a blind angle above the rock, Fire spiritual power bursting across the blade as it cut straight toward the man's ribs.
The late-stage cultivator reacted with astonishing speed. His heavy saber immediately turned downward to block.
"Clang!"
The two weapons collided violently, sparks scattering from the edge of the rock.
Had he already been standing firmly, that strike might not even have forced him half a step backward. But he had only just finished his upward leap and had not yet planted his feet securely. The impact instantly broke his balance and forced him sliding off the edge.
Below him, the gray-robed man was rushing upward at that exact moment.
He looked up and saw the late-stage cultivator falling directly toward him, forcing him to twist aside in midair to avoid a collision.
The late-stage cultivator reacted much faster. The moment his body brushed past the cliff face, he turned, planted one foot hard against the stone, and used the force to launch himself upward again.
Below, the other two had only just looked up when Hao Nhien moved.
Tieu Dao Sword left his hiding place first.
A streak of silver cut through the darkness and shot straight toward the nearest man.
The man reacted quickly. His heavy saber immediately rose.
"Clang!"
Tieu Dao Sword was knocked aside.
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But the instant the collision sounded, Hao Nhien burst from the thorn bush. Dark-red patterns lit across the Fire Spirit Sword in his hand as he thrust straight toward the man's chest.
The man immediately retreated half a step and angled his heavy saber to block.
"Clang!"
Fire Spirit Sword struck hard against the body of the saber. Fire spiritual power traveled through the metal, making the man's expression change slightly as his grip tightened.
Behind him, the remaining cultivator had just started forward to help when a figure suddenly closed in from the side.
Luu Tan.
The sword in his hand slashed down from behind.
The mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator spun quickly and raised his heavy saber horizontally.
"Clang!"
The backlash forced Luu Tan several steps backward. The wound on his shoulder immediately began bleeding again, but he managed to stay on his feet.
The man recognized the one who had attacked him, and his expression turned cold.
"Luu Tan."
He said nothing more. His heavy saber was already sweeping across.
Luu Tan had no choice but to raise his sword and block.
The second collision drove him back even harder, and blood immediately appeared at the corner of his mouth. The difference in cultivation was too great, and with his injuries on top of that, he could not hold a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator head-on for long.
But Hao Nhien did not need him to win.
He only needed Luu Tan to hold him for a few breaths.
On the other side, Tieu Dao Sword had already circled back.
One sword pressured from the front while Tieu Dao Sword constantly changed angles behind the opponent, forcing Hao Nhien's enemy to divide his attention between two directions. The man's cultivation was higher and his spiritual power deeper, but in the narrow passage, those advantages were not easy to turn into complete dominance.
Hao Nhien slashed again.
The man blocked.
Tieu Dao Sword immediately pressed in from the left.
He was forced to turn his saber.
At that exact moment, Hao Nhien stepped forward half a pace and drove Fire Spirit Sword straight toward his chest.
The man sneered and shifted his heavy saber with both hands.
But just as his arms began to move, the Spirit Sword within Hao Nhien's Sea of Consciousness shot forth, striking the man's Divine Soul at the exact instant he was changing his stance.
His movement froze for less than half a beat.
It was incredibly brief.
But it was enough.
Fire Spirit Sword slipped through the gap between the heavy saber and his chest and pierced straight into his heart.
Fire spiritual power erupted along the blade.
The man only had time to widen his eyes. The sneer was still frozen on his lips, but his body had already gone rigid, and the strength rapidly drained from the arm holding the saber.
Hao Nhien immediately pulled the sword free and turned toward Luu Tan.
The other mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator had just slashed across Luu Tan's shoulder. Blood immediately soaked through a large patch of his clothing. The next saber strike was already raised, clearly intended to give him no chance to retreat again.
Tieu Dao Sword arrived first.
The man was forced to lean aside.
The descending saber immediately deviated from its path and only cut through the edge of Luu Tan's robe.
Hao Nhien poured spiritual power into Spirit Wings.
The translucent wings appeared behind him for a brief instant, suddenly accelerating his body forward.
Fire Spirit Sword led the charge, driving straight into the opening that had just appeared.
The man turned his saber to block.
"Clang!"
The force of the collision jarred both their arms.
The man immediately shifted from defense to attack, sweeping his heavy saber across Hao Nhien's ribs. Hao Nhien leaned aside to evade, while Tieu Dao Sword attacked again from the right, forcing his opponent to step left.
Luu Tan seized the opportunity and slashed from the other side.
Three directions closed in at once.
The mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator had no good choice. He lowered his body and rolled across the sand to escape the two crossing sword paths.
Hao Nhien immediately closed the distance.
The moment the man raised his head, he saw Fire Spirit Sword in Hao Nhien's hand and instantly brought up his heavy saber to meet the expected slash.
But Hao Nhien did not slash.
His right foot stamped down and swept forward.
The man immediately lowered his saber, clearly intending to cut straight into Hao Nhien's leg if the kick continued.
Just before contact, Hao Nhien changed the angle of his foot.
He did not kick the man.
Instead, he swept hard across the sand.
A sheet of fine sand exploded upward from point-blank range.
The man instinctively turned his face and raised his saber to shield himself, but a large amount of sand still struck his eyes, neck, and exposed skin. His vision was instantly disrupted, and his movements slowed for a brief moment.
Tieu Dao Sword was already waiting behind him.
A silver streak tore through the darkness.
"Pu!"
The blade pierced through his back and burst from the front of his chest.
The man's body stiffened.
Hao Nhien gave him no chance to struggle. He immediately recalled Tieu Dao Sword, and the man's body collapsed onto the sand as his heavy saber fell beside him.
Luu Tan staggered several steps away, one hand clutching his shoulder. He looked at the two bodies lying in the sand, then back at Hao Nhien. The fear in his eyes had not completely disappeared, but when the two words left his mouth this time, his voice was entirely different from before.
"Clan Head."
Hao Nhien did not answer.
Facing two mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators in succession had consumed a considerable amount of spiritual power. Using the Spirit Sword within his Sea of Consciousness once more sent a sharp ache through his head, while Tieu Dao Sword wavered for half a beat in the air before he forcibly stabilized it.
The battle was not over.
Above the outcrop, the sound of weapons colliding had grown increasingly fierce.
"Clang!"
A heavy impact rang out.
Immediately afterward, a figure was blasted off the edge of the rock.
Hao Nhien looked up and instantly recognized Lanh Hoa.
The older man had been thrown into the air, several long bloodstains already visible across his robes. Behind the edge of the outcrop, the late-stage cultivator and the gray-robed man had both pressed forward, clearly having just forced him out of position together.
Hao Nhien pushed off hard from a low rock.
Spirit Wings opened behind him for a brief instant, carrying him upward and allowing him to change direction in midair. His hand caught Lanh Hoa by the shoulder before the older man could crash into the broken rocks below, and the two of them fell together toward the lower stretch of sand.
Hao Nhien pulled hard, changing the angle of their descent.
They slid several steps across the sand before finally stopping.
Lanh Hoa planted the ancient sword into the ground and rose. A long slash crossed his left shoulder, another had torn open his right side, and blood had soaked through a large section of his robe. A third wound ran from the elbow of his sword arm down toward his wrist.
But his gaze remained clear.
Lanh Hoa spoke hoarsely.
"Clan Head, nothing vital was hit."
Hao Nhien glanced over his injuries, then tossed him a Qi Recovery Pill.
Lanh Hoa caught it and swallowed it immediately.
Hao Nhien said nothing more. Both men looked up.
The late-stage cultivator now stood at the highest edge of the outcrop.
He was larger than Hao Nhien had expected from a distance. His shoulders were broad, the heavy saber in his hand thick and weighty, and a long scar ran from near his left eye all the way down to his chin. His late-stage Foundation Establishment aura was no longer restrained as it had been when he first entered. It rolled down into the ravine, making the surrounding air seem heavier.
The gray-robed man stood behind him, thin currents of wind still coiling around the longsword in his hand.
Luu Tan stepped up behind Hao Nhien, breathing heavily.
"That is Ly Vinh. The man beside him is one of his trusted subordinates."
Ly Vinh looked down.
His gaze swept across the two bodies lying in the sand before settling on Luu Tan.
"Luu Tan."
His voice was not loud, but it had become completely cold.
"You did quite well."
Luu Tan tightened his grip on his sword and did not retreat.
Ly Vinh stopped looking at him and shifted his gaze toward Hao Nhien.
His eyes moved from the Fire Spirit Sword in Hao Nhien's hand to Tieu Dao Sword hovering behind him.
After a moment, the corner of Ly Vinh's mouth lifted.
"A flying sword, Fire spiritual power, and even a Wind-type technique."
He lightly turned the heavy saber in his hand.
"You must be the one Duong Quang has been searching for."
Hao Nhien did not answer immediately.
Ly Vinh continued,
"It seems the information sent back still underestimated you."
Hao Nhien wiped the faint trace of blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at him.
"You want to trade my head for merit?"
Ly Vinh gave a cold laugh.
"Since you delivered yourself to me, I have no reason to refuse."
He turned toward the gray-robed man.
The other man nodded.
Ly Vinh raised his heavy saber as the aura around him began to rise.
Hao Nhien tightened his grip on Fire Spirit Sword.
Beside him, Lanh Hoa had already steadied his breathing somewhat, and the ancient sword slowly rose from the sand. Behind them, Luu Tan was injured but still had not released his weapon.
The situation had temporarily returned to a balance.
In front of them stood one late-stage and one mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Hao Nhien's side had three people, but Hao Nhien, Lanh Hoa, and Luu Tan had all consumed a considerable amount of strength.
Ly Vinh had just begun to jump down when Hao Nhien's gaze suddenly shifted toward the distance.
At the high point at the far end of the rear route, where Kim Linh was watching the direction leading out from the Fire Qilin Tribe, a tiny flame suddenly appeared inside a dark rock crevice.
It opened, then vanished immediately.
After one breath, the flame appeared again.
Then a third time.
A fourth.
A fifth.
Five signals.
Hao Nhien immediately understood.
The remaining five had not stayed behind in Dragonmist Thorn Forest.
They were advancing from the opposite end of the rear route.
Lanh Hoa had seen it as well.
Hao Nhien looked at Ly Vinh on the outcrop, then toward the road behind them as it disappeared into darkness.
Their plan to force the enemy to divide its forces had succeeded.
But the battle had lasted longer than expected, and the two halves of the Heavenly Eye group were beginning to close in from both sides.