Chapter 8: Ambush on the Way Home
The shadows of trees danced beneath the sunlight, and the gentle murmur of a nearby stream mixed with the occasional roar of wild beasts, lending this stretch of dense forest a primal and untamed atmosphere.
Yet Ling Province was far more than just a primitive wilderness. Ferocious carnivores, classified spirit beasts, and cunning, cultivation-attuned creatures prowled these lands.
Even cultivators risked death while traversing such terrain, let alone mere mortals.
Unwilling to tarry, Song Luding and his group moved swiftly, not pausing for even a moment.
But in the wavering shadows of the forest, dark-robed figures had silently closed in, forming a deadly encirclement ready to swallow them whole.
Song Changsheng frowned, a vague unease prickling his heart. He turned to Song Luding. “Uncle, I can't shake this ominous feeling… It’s like eyes are watching us.”
“Is that so?” Song Luding’s heart sank. A cultivator’s instincts were rarely wrong. Though he had yet to notice anything amiss, he chose to trust Song Changsheng’s intuition.
Silently, he drew a yellowed talisman from his qiankun pouch and muttered, “If something happens, take the children and run. We’ll hold them off.”
“No! The sons of the Song Clan do not flee from battle. I will fight beside you!” Song Changsheng refused without hesitation. He would not become a coward.
“Fool! These children are the future of our clan. You must bring them home safely. That is an order!” Song Luding’s voice was low but firm, his expression stern.
Song Changsheng’s expression shifted multiple times before he finally gave a silent nod.
Only then did Song Luding show a trace of relief. In truth, there was more he didn’t say, Changsheng is the true hope among us. If he can return safely, these old bones of mine are a small price to pay.
In the gloom beneath the trees, a masked figure curled his lips into a cold smile. He bellowed, “Do it!”
Boom!
In an instant, a bloody glow erupted above their heads, as if a sea of blood had been upturned, suffused with murderous intent.
“Zha!”
Prepared in advance, Song Luding activated the talisman in his hand. The yellowed paper turned to ash as a brilliant sword light burst forth, cleaving the blood sea in two, dissipating it into nothingness.
“A second-rank low-grade Heavenly Sword Talisman? This old bastard had such a treasure on him?” The masked man’s expression twisted in fury at the sight of his carefully laid ambush being shattered.
With the sneak attack foiled, brute force was now their only option.
Dark-clad figures emerged from all directions, exuding a suffocating aura of blood and malice, disturbing flocks of birds from the trees.
“Demonic cultivators…” Song Luding’s heart sank as he gazed at their approaching foes.
There were ten enemies. Four were late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators. The masked one was clearly their leader, had reached the peak of Qi Refinement. They were no match.
Though the Song clan members had silently exchanged glances beforehand and were mentally prepared, the children huddled in terror, never having seen such a battle formation before.
“Brother, what now?” Song Luzi drew his longsword, his face grim.
“I’ve already sent a message to Fifth Elder. We’ll stall them here, Changsheng will take the children and escape.”
Song Luzi didn’t reply, simply nodded solemnly.
Changjiu and Changying exchanged a glance. Though panic flickered in their eyes, there was no room left for retreat.
“You demonic scum! A Song Clan Foundation Establishment elder is only two hundred li away. Have you grown tired of living?!” Song Luding shouted.
“The Song Clan? Worthless trash.” The masked man sneered and waved his hand.
“Kill!”
The black-robed men pounced like tigers descending a mountain, unleashing a torrent of spells and flying artifacts.
Song Changsheng immediately summoned his Water-Fire Treasure Gourd, spewing blazing fire that forced several attackers back.
“Changsheng! Don’t get drawn into the fight, leave now!” Song Luding, with a massive cauldron hovering above him, shouted as he clashed with the masked man.
Reluctantly, Song Changsheng swept his sleeve, using spiritual energy to envelop the frightened children. In a flash, they shot through the newly opened gap and fled.
“Capture them!” the masked man roared.
Five black-robed cultivators broke off and gave chase.
“Damn it, stop them!” Song Luding shouted, desperate.
But already outmatched, they struggled just to hold their ground. Song Luzi managed to intercept one late-stage cultivator by staking everything, but the remaining four surged ahead in pursuit.
Song Luding’s heart twisted with rage and despair. He tried to get out of battle, but the masked man's ruthless onslaught left him with no opening.
Meanwhile, Song Changsheng dashed through the forest with the children in tow, frustration burning in his chest. If only I were stronger… It was his first journey beyond the clan and already, he was reduced to a fugitive.
With the enemy closing in, Song Changsheng knew he couldn’t outrun them for long while protecting so many.
“One at Qi Refinement ninth layer, one at eighth, and two at fourth… They really think highly of me,” he muttered bitterly.
Whoosh-
He pulled out the stack of talismans he had exchanged for before departure and hurled them backward at the pursuing demonic cultivators.
He didn’t expect the talismans to defeat them, just to buy time.
Sure enough, over a dozen talismans exploded into dazzling flashes, momentarily throwing their pursuers into disarray. Song Changsheng used this window to activate a Swift Movement Talisman, widening the distance.
The scenery blurred as it streaked past. Thinking quickly, he resolved to make a stand. If I can just set up a formation, I might still have a chance…
Sweeping the area with his spiritual sense, he quickly spotted a cave and rushed over. He placed the fourteen children inside and said sternly, “No matter what happens, do not leave. Do not make a sound. Understand?”
He left them all his food and water, then began setting up a first-rank superior-grade Concealment Array at the entrance.
Under peak Qi Refinement, absolutely no one would detect it. And if he could hold out just a little longer, his mother would arrive and then they’d be safe.
With that done, Song Changsheng turned and ran in the opposite direction. Predictably, the demonic cultivators soon caught his trail.
“Well, aren’t you a slippery one. Now, where did you hide the brats?” The Qi Refinement ninth-layer cultivator growled darkly.
“Hmph, none of your business.” Song Changsheng snapped his sleeve, releasing twelve formation flags. They embedded into the ground in a precise, mysterious pattern.
As he moved, each step activated a fleeting array glyph on the ground.
“He’s forming a battle array! Kill him now!” the lead cultivator roared, brandishing a black chain that morphed into a venomous serpent and lunged for Song Changsheng’s face.
The others followed with their own magic tools, aiming for his vital points.
Calm under pressure, Song Changsheng activated a silver-white Water Element Shield, a mid-grade first-rank magical tool, which expanded into a large barrier, absorbing all incoming attacks.
He retaliated by unleashing flames from his gourd, turning the area into a sea of fire that scattered the enemies in chaos.
Despite the battle, his steps were measured. As he moved, the array lines shimmered and began to interlink. He tossed ten spirit stones into precise positions.
With a brilliant flash of light, the first-rank superior-grade Blazing Sun Formation was complete!
(Chapter End)