Chapter One: Ambushed on the Road (Part One)

This time, their return was not as rushed as their journey here. Although many had been lost, those who remained were all people who sought the Way of Heaven with unwavering hearts. They were able to let go and move on, all except for the two Yuanmu brothers, whose expressions were tinged with sorrow. The three brothers had shared hardships for centuries, and just as they were about to attain the Way of Heaven, disaster struck—a war that left one dead and one gravely wounded. Yuan Sen would never again have the chance to cultivate immortality.

Among the eight travelers, it was Xiao Ying and Boss Li who appeared most carefree. The two bickered incessantly along the way, their banter filling the air. Even the little creature was as cheerful as a bundled piglet, hopping from Boss Li to Xiao Ying’s arms, occasionally launching sneak attacks on Gu Linglong.

Gu Linglong, who at their first meeting had been as cold as an icy peak, seemed to have her heart thawed by the aftermath of war. Sometimes, she would let slip a faint smile—especially when the little creature jumped into her embrace, she blushed like a young maiden awakening to love. This transformation left Qiufeng staring in astonishment.

When had anyone ever seen the grand City Lord Gu show such demeanor? Qiufeng sighed to himself, “I offer my heart to the bright moon, but the bright moon shines only on the ditch.”

Just as Xiao Ying reached out to pinch the flesh on Boss Li’s back, the little creature perched on Boss Li’s head amidst his tangled hair suddenly let out a sharp cry.

Li Chengzhu’s heart skipped a beat. He halted abruptly and whispered, “Stop! Something’s wrong!”

“What is it?” Xiao Ying looked around, puzzled.

“The little creature is warning us! There’s something strange about this place,” Boss Li scanned the surroundings, trying to spot what was amiss.

Boss Li trusted the little creature’s keen senses implicitly; many times on the battlefield, its early warnings had saved him from deadly blows. So when the creature let out that urgent cry again, Boss Li was certain they were being targeted—and by formidable adversaries.

“What’s so strange?” Xiao Ying looked around for a while but found nothing, pouting in dissatisfaction. “You’ve just become jumpy from all the fighting, haven’t you?”

“Silence!” Boss Li glared furiously. He had just sensed a hint of danger, only for Xiao Ying to interrupt, prompting him to rebuke her.

“Hmph!” Xiao Ying turned away, pouting.

The group paused in place, but there was no movement. Boss Li felt no fluctuation in spiritual pressure, yet his countless battles had left him with an uneasy feeling, like a white mouse under the gaze of a python.

“Let’s take a different path!” Boss Li decided instantly, waving his hand.

Before anyone could move, a sharp attack shot up from beneath the ground, aiming straight for Yuan Sen, whose cultivation had been utterly destroyed.

The powerful spiritual pressure startled everyone. Yuanmu reacted fastest, instantly teleporting himself and his brother Yuan Sen out of harm’s way.

Everyone else retreated quickly.

Suddenly, Boss Li felt his body grow heavy, sinking downward as if a mountain had pressed down upon him. In panic, he summoned his Nascent Soul’s power to steady himself and grabbed Xiao Ying, who was about to fall.

Of the group, only Xiao Ying’s cultivation was comparatively weak; the others merely wavered, unable to remain floating leisurely in midair and had to descend to the ground.

Once everyone had steadied themselves, they saw that the attack had been a rotating, circular magical artifact, spinning in the air.

“Who dares to ambush your grand master?” Boss Li shouted, his voice resonant, displaying the swagger of Li Yuanba.

At that moment, three mighty spiritual pressures appeared out of nowhere, and three figures slowly emerged from the mound of earth before them.

Boss Li cursed inwardly—these three spiritual pressures clearly belonged to immortals.

The three men looked at Boss Li coldly. One of them casually formed a hand seal, and the spinning artifact targeted Li Chengzhu again.

Boss Li instantly summoned Meteor, struggling to form seals and directing Meteor to intercept the artifact. At the same time, he released the Nine Heavens Grand Cauldron, and two hundred forty swords of various shapes howled to life around him.

After eight months of war, Boss Li’s physical cultivation had broken through the Out-of-Body stage, reaching the early Divided Spirit stage; his Nascent Soul had leapt to the early Integration stage. The Nine Heavens Grand Cauldron could now unleash two hundred forty flying swords through his physical body.

Meteor met the circular artifact with a sharp clang, then was knocked back. The artifact halted its attack.

Boss Li breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had fused his avatar into Meteor, or that strike would have severely wounded his soul. Even so, he could feel his avatar within Meteor scattering, almost vanishing. These foes were indeed formidable.

Moreover, their location was odd—he was being suppressed, his power diminished by thirty percent, able to exert only seventy percent of his strength.

Glancing at his companions’ expressions, Boss Li understood: they had stepped into someone’s trap, and an array had certainly been set here.

Boss Li sighed, cupped his hands, and said, “Who are you? I am Li Chengzhu, a sixth-rank battle general of the Celestial Court. Have you mistaken us for someone else?” He straightened the insignia on his chest, symbolizing his rank.

The man who attacked Li Chengzhu sneered, “Do you think we’d make a mistake?”

Boss Li laughed, “Not really!” He shook his head, “But I don’t understand—do we have any grudge between us? If I recall, this is our first meeting, isn’t it?”

The three men remained icy, none answering him.

Li Chengzhu persisted, shaking his head, “So someone wants us dead? Could you tell me which immortal we offended, to warrant three immortals sent to assassinate us?”

“I have no interest in talking to the dead,” the man replied, then commanded the artifact to strike again. The other two swiftly formed seals.

At once, everyone felt the mountain above grow heavier. Boss Li nearly buckled to his knees. Xiao Ying fared even worse, dropping heavily to the ground.

“Be careful, this is a ‘Shearing’ formation!” Qiufeng’s voice called from behind.

Boss Li quickly directed his two hundred forty swords and Meteor to block the “hula hoop” aimed at Xiao Ying.

In just one exchange, half the swords were destroyed by the artifact. Boss Li hurriedly conjured replacements.

That thing must be an immortal artifact! Boss Li calculated. Of all present, only Yuanmu managed to teleport safely out of the “Shearing” formation, but he carried the powerless Yuan Sen on his back.

Boss Li tried to teleport using his Nascent Soul’s power, but failed.

Immortals were indeed on another level, Boss Li cursed inwardly.

PS: Something came up today. It’s only about 7:30 now, so I’ll post this update early. I should be able to return tonight.