18: Chapter 18: Counter-Ambush

Fortunately, he had changed his appearance, and fortunately, they were arrogant...

He felt secretly relieved. If he had been recognized just now, or if the opponents hadn't bothered with courtesy and directly attacked, being besieged by four Late Stage Cultivators of Qi Refining, no matter how many Talisman treasures he had, he probably would have met his doom on the spot.

Walking far away, the grievance and anger in his heart grew stronger and stronger.

Guarding against them like this all the time, hiding here and there like a mouse, when would it ever end?

The more Xiao Yuan thought about it, the more unwilling he became.

If one day he accidentally revealed a flaw, it would be eternal damnation! He had to... find something for them to do!

A bold and cold plan quickly formed in his heart.

His gaze turned cold, and instead of moving forward, he quietly turned back. Relying on the extraordinary stealth ability brought by the Minor Achievement of the Great Turtle Breathing Technique, he lurked in a dense tree canopy about ninety meters away from the ambush point of those four people, conducting reverse surveillance!

His Divine Sense was like an invisible spider web, quietly shrouding those two groups of people.

As for the opponents, although their cultivation was high, they did not have Divine Sense, and their perception range was only about ten meters, so they simply could not discover his existence.

A sneer hooked the corner of Xiao Yuan's mouth.

Time passed bit by bit.

People came and went at the market entrance, but "Xiao Yuan" never came out.

The two groups of people grew more and more anxious while waiting.

"Did that brat die inside? Why hasn't he come out yet!" One of the groups cursed in a low voice.

"Go in and look for him!" Zhao Mingfang also lost his composure.

Each side sent a person into the market to start searching.

About half an hour later, the two returned one after another, their faces very ugly.

"Not found! That brat seems to have... disappeared!"

"What?!" The Qi Condensation 9th Layer Disciple sent by Chen Yin was so angry that he punched a tree.

"Trash! You can't even keep an eye on a single person!"

Cursing a few words, seeing that nothing could be done and worrying about being exposed, he finally waved his hand unwillingly, quickly evacuated with his companion, and disappeared into the forest.

On Zhao Mingfang's side, they did not discover the existence of the other group of people.

His face was so gloomy that water could drip from it, his eyes flickered, full of anger and incomprehension.

"He let him run away again? How is that possible! Could it be that an expert is helping, or... is there some escape art we don't know about?"

Zhao Mingfang gritted his teeth and said in a low voice to his companion of Qi Refining Stage 8 beside him, "We can't wait any longer! That scum Chen Yin must be watching too! Long nights bring many dreams!"

A hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes: "Go straight to his dog kennel! Find a chance to kill him directly!"

Obviously, the consecutive failures and extreme desire for the jade talisman treasure, coupled with the competitive pressure from Chen Yin, made Zhao Mingfang completely lose his patience, and he was ready to take a risk!

Xiao Yuan, who was lurking behind, heard these words clearly.

The killing intent in his heart burst forth, and he was also very lucky.

Fortunately, he kept his wits about him and came back to monitor.

Otherwise, if the opponent really managed to sneak to the Scrap Yard, the consequences would be unimaginable.

He looked at Zhao Mingfang and that companion of Qi Refining Stage 8, and after identifying the direction, sure enough, they were walking along the route returning to the Sect and heading towards the Scrap Yard.

Xiao Yuan's eyes grew colder and colder. They wanted to scheme against him? Then let's see who schemes against whom!

One of the opponents was at the Peak of Qi Refining Level 9, and the other at Qi Refining Stage 8; if he fought them head-on, his chances of winning were not high.

But if he caught them off guard with a full-force sneak attack, plus the terrain advantage and treasures... even if he couldn't kill them, he could definitely seriously injure them.

Moreover, he had already thought of a malicious plan of 'killing two birds with one stone'.pic

Since those two guys both wanted the jade talisman treasure and wished the other would die... then he would help these two 'deepen' their relationship.

Xiao Yuan hesitated no more. His figure like a leopard merging into the shadows, he silently left ahead of time, speeding toward a remote mountain road that Zhao Mingfang and the other had to pass through to return to the Sect.

Xiao Yuan arrived in advance at a mountain road corner where the trees were dense and the terrain rugged. The field of vision was limited here, making it an excellent location for whacking people behind the back and launching sneak attacks.

He found a shrub-grown earth pit to hide well. The Great Turtle Breathing Technique operated at full capacity, instantly converging his aura to the extreme. His heartbeat, breathing, body temperature, spiritual power fluctuations... all dropped to the lowest, almost merging into one with the surrounding soil and fallen leaves.

As long as they didn't walk right in front of him, even a Qi Condensation 9th Layer Cultivator could never hope to discover him!

Xiao Yuan was full of confidence in this "divine skill of survival" of his, after all, it was a premium product upgraded by the creation cauldron.

He clutched ten First-Rank Top-Grade attack Talismans in his hand, calculating in his heart: One Talisman equals the full-force strike of the Peak of Qi Refining Level 9, ten fired together... that would be ten Peak of Qi Refining Level 9 powerhouses beating up the two of you! He didn't believe those two guys wouldn't be blasted to death!

To make the frame-up play complete, he had also used disguise techniques in advance to turn his ordinary middle-aged Loose Cultivator face into the appearance of Chen Yin!

Even if this didn't kill them, it would make them think that scoundrel Chen Yin was the one who made the dirty move!

Before long, Zhao Mingfang and his companion of Qi Refining Stage 8 hurried over in this direction as expected.

Their expressions were vigilant, obviously also worried about an ambush, keeping their perception power externalized and scanning the surrounding ten-meter range.

Seeing this scene, Xiao Yuan felt a little nervous inside.

This was the first time the Great Turtle Breathing Technique was used for practical concealment, and he wasn't entirely sure how the effect would turn out!

Watching the two step into ten meters, eight meters, five meters of his ambush point... the opponents showed no abnormal reaction, still conversing in low voices, complaining about Xiao Yuan's cunning and worrying that Chen Yin would preemptively enter the Scrap Yard.

His heart settled greatly, but his spirit was highly concentrated.

At the very moment when Zhao Mingfang and the other walked to about five meters directly in front of him, almost parallel to his hiding spot.

Right now!

Xiao Yuan's eyes turned fierce, and he suddenly burst into action!

"Go!"

With a flick of his wrist, ten spirit-glowing Talismans were activated, like hornets leaving their nest, dividing into two waves and smashing towards the two people head-on!

Among them, seven took care of Zhao Mingfang, and three greeted that Qi Refining Stage 8!

The moment the Talismans left his hand, terrifying spiritual power fluctuations erupted with a roar!

"Not good! There's an ambush!" Zhao Mingfang and his companion's expressions changed drastically, scared until their souls flew away and spirits scattered!

Their reactions were also extremely fast. Instantly, they propped up protective spiritual light while each sacrificing a Medium Grade Spiritual Artifact shield to block in front of them!

But, it was too late! The distance was too close! The Talismans were activated too fast!

"Boom, boom, boom, boom—!!!"

Deafening explosions rang out in succession! Fireballs, ice picks, wind blades, golden light... equivalent to the full-force strike of ten Peak of Qi Refining Level 9 Cultivators, blasted open on the narrow mountain path!

For a time, flames soared into the sky, spiritual power ran amok, and soil and gravel flew everywhere!

"Ah!" That Qi Refining Stage 8 Disciple bore the brunt. Although the power of the three Talismans was partially blocked by the shield, the shockwave of the explosion still caused him to spew blood wildly, the shield shattered, and his whole body was blown away like a broken sackcloth bag, heavily crashing a dozen meters away, obviously suffering heavy injuries!

Zhao Mingfang was even more miserable! The concentrated fire of seven Talismans had a terrifyingly peerless power!

His Spiritual Artifact shield only lasted less than a breath before shattering into pieces with a snap! The protective spiritual light was torn apart like paper!