113: Chapter 113 Perilous Situation

The team walked deep into Black Wind Ridge for about two hours, and the fog gradually thinned, revealing a cluster of scattered black stone cliffs ahead.

Dark purple vines entwined the cliff walls, emitting a "rustling" sound whenever the wind blew, exuding an indescribable eeriness.

Zhang Wen stopped, raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and Lightning Radiance quietly gathered in his palm.

"There are Spiritual Qi fluctuations ahead, more than one; it looks like people are fighting."

Zhao Meng immediately held his breath and followed Zhang Wen's gaze, indeed seeing several figures entangled in a fight below the black stone cliffs.

One side was wearing the attire of the Black Wind Stockade, while the other side consisted of three unfamiliar Cultivators, all of whom appeared to be in the Forming Realm Late Stage based on their aura.

They were being forced into a retreat by the Black Wind Stockade members, and one round-faced Cultivator's arm was already bleeding, his long sword barely held in his hand.

"It's people from the Black Wind Stockade!" Lin Muer whispered.

"They really do have accomplices!"

Xiaoya gripped her short sword tightly and looked at Zhang Wen: "Brother Zhang Wen, should we help? Those people look like they can't hold on much longer."

Zhang Wen did not answer immediately; his gaze swept across the surroundings of the black stone cliffs, discovering two more Black Wind Stockade members hidden in the dark.

Their auras were stronger than those in plain sight, surprisingly at the Subtle Realm Early Stage.

Clearly, they intended to wait for the people on the surface to exhaust the opponent's stamina before coming out to finish them off.

"We can't wait."

As soon as Zhang Wen finished speaking, he dashed out, spinning the sky-splitting startling thunder spear in his hands. Lightning arcs surged along the spear tip, and with a "swish," he knocked away the short blade of a Black Wind Stockade man.

Before the man could react, he was struck hard in the chest by the spear shaft, flying backward to crash into the black stone, spitting out blood as he fainted.

"Who?!"

Upon seeing this, the two Subtle Realm Early Stage Black Wind Stockade members hidden in the dark immediately rushed out, one wielding an axe and the other a whip, their Spiritual Qi carrying fierce winds as they slammed toward Zhang Wen.

"Watch out!"

Zhao Meng and the others immediately followed, with Lao Wang raising his shield to block at the front.

Zhang Wen, however, was not the least bit panicked. He flicked his wrist, swinging the long spear horizontally, colliding with the axe and emitting a loud "clang."

The axe-wielding Cultivator felt a massive force travel up his arm; the webbing between his thumb and index finger split instantly, and he nearly dropped the axe.

At the same time, Zhang Wen exerted force under his feet, his figure moving like a ghost to get behind the whip-wielding Cultivator, striking out with palm Thunder Power that hit the opponent's back directly.

The whip-wielding Cultivator screamed, his internal Spiritual Qi instantly thrown into chaos, and he stumbled forward.

He happened to collide with an arrow shot by his own side; the arrowhead pierced through his shoulder armor, and the pain caused him to kneel on the ground on the spot.

Seeing that reinforcements had arrived—and that it was an expert capable of suppressing the Subtlety Realm—the Black Wind Stockade members on the surface immediately panicked.

One thin, short man tried to turn and run, but was struck in the back of the knee by Zhao Meng's saber.

With a "thud," he fell to the ground, and Lin Muer stepped forward, holding her soft sword against his throat.

Within a moment, the fight had ceased.

The three unfamiliar Cultivators let out a sigh of relief and put away their weapons. The round-faced Cultivator covered his injured arm and cupped his hands toward Zhang Wen.

"Many thanks to this brother for stepping in to save us! We are the Qingmu Squad, here in the Secret Realm looking for Spiritual Plants, but we didn't expect to encounter people from the Black Wind Stockade blocking the road to rob us..."

Zhang Wen nodded in acknowledgment, his gaze falling on the subdued Black Wind Stockade Cultivator, and he lightly kicked the whip-wielding Cultivator's back with his toe.

"Why are you people from the Black Wind Stockade here? How many more accomplices are there ahead?"

The whip-wielding Cultivator's face was deathly pale from pain, yet he gritted his teeth and refused to speak, his eyes full of defiance.

Seeing this, Zhao Meng stepped forward and stomped on his injured shoulder armor, shouting sternly.

"Don't be ungrateful! You still dare to be stubborn? If you don't talk, we'll throw you to the Yao Beasts!"

Once these words were spoken, the whip-wielding Cultivator finally panicked; his Adam's apple bobbed twice, and his voice trembled.

"A... ahead, behind the black stone cliffs is our stronghold. The boss is there with most of the men... We were just ordered to guard here and not let anyone else get close..."

"How many people are in the stronghold? What Realm is your boss?" Zhang Wen pressed.

"There are... there are over twenty brothers. The boss is in the Subtle Realm Late Stage... there is also a gentleman in a cloak who is very powerful, I don't know his specific Realm..."

The whip-wielding Cultivator did not dare to hide anything and spilled it all out at once.

Zhang Wen and Zhao Meng exchanged glances, both seeing gravity in the other's eyes.

Hei Sha was in the Subtle Realm Late Stage, and there was also a mysterious person of unknown background; this strength was stronger than they had anticipated.

The round-faced Cultivator from the Qingmu Squad turned pale upon hearing this. "Subtle Realm Late Stage? Even if we join forces, we might not be a match..."

Zhang Wen was silent for a moment, then looked at everyone: "There must be a secret of the Black Wind Stockade hidden behind the black stone cliffs. They are guarding this place to keep people away, so there might be some great treasure. But it's too risky to force our way in now; we need to find a way to figure out the situation in the stronghold first."

Zhao Meng nodded in agreement: "I'll go scout. I've stayed in Black Wind Ridge before, I'm familiar with the terrain, and it won't be easy to be discovered."

Zhang Wen, however, shook his head: "No, the opponent has a Subtle Realm Late Stage Cultivator; your aura is easily detected. I'll go instead. My Thunder Power can conceal my aura, and I'm fast; even if I'm discovered, I can escape."

Without waiting for the others to argue, Zhang Wen had already strapped the sky-splitting startling thunder spear to his back. His aura instantly concealed, as if he were merging into the air, and he moved lightly toward the back of the black stone cliffs.

Meanwhile, in the Black Wind Stockade stronghold, Hei Sha was standing in front of a stone house, listening to his subordinate's report with a gloomy expression. The people guarding below the black stone cliffs had gone silent without even sending back a message.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!" Hei Sha kicked over the stone table nearby. Just as he was about to vent his anger, the voice of the mysterious person came from inside the stone house: "Hei Sha, come in."

Hei Sha took a deep breath and pushed the door open to enter the stone house. He saw the mysterious person standing in front of a stone wall, his fingertips glowing with a faint, eerie light. Strange patterns were being drawn on the stone wall, and a Shimmer faintly flickered on the wall, resembling some kind of Formation.

"Sir, the people outside have lost contact; they must have been dealt with by the people who killed our brothers earlier," Hei Sha said in a deep voice. "Should I take the brothers out now and wipe them out?"

The mysterious person did not turn around, still focused on drawing the patterns, his voice flat: "No need. Since they dare to come, they will surely deliver themselves to our doorstep. What you need to do now is guard this place well and don't let anyone disturb me while I break this 'Spirit Gathering Formation'—once the Formation is broken and the things inside are obtained, even if more Subtle Realm Cultivators come, it won't be enough for us to kill."

Hei Sha looked at the Shimmer on the stone wall, a look of greed appearing in his eyes, and the previous anger was instantly suppressed: "Good! I understand! I'll go make arrangements now. Even if it's a fly, I won't let it fly in!"

After speaking, Hei Sha turned and walked out of the stone house, summoning his subordinates to strengthen the defenses, and the entire stronghold instantly became heavily guarded.

As for the mysterious person in the stone house, after Hei Sha left, the eerie light at his fingertips suddenly brightened. The speed at which the patterns on the stone wall formed also accelerated, and one could faintly see that something emitting rich Spiritual Qi seemed to be hidden behind the stone wall...

Zhang Wen dashed forward, sticking to the shadows of the black stone cliffs. With a trace of weak Thunder Power gathered at his fingertips, he silently knocked unconscious the Black Wind Stockade Disciples patrolling along the way. He deliberately avoided their vital points, letting them only lose consciousness temporarily to avoid making too much noise and exposing his whereabouts.

Deep in the stronghold was a cluster of stone houses built against the mountain. The Spiritual Qi fluctuations in the central stone house were the strongest, also wrapped in a layer of faint, eerie aura.

Zhang Wen held his breath and circled to the ventilation opening on the side of the stone house. Just as he wanted to lean in to listen to the movement inside, he saw Hei Sha storming out of the house in a rage, roaring at his subordinates: "Guard all the entrances! Even if it's a mouse, don't let it slip in!"

After Hei Sha walked away, Zhang Wen tiptoed to the ventilation opening. The mysterious person's low voice came from inside, and he could intermittently hear the words "Spirit Gathering Formation," "breaking," and "things inside," accompanied by the "creaking" sound of stone walls rubbing.

A thought stirred in his heart—it seemed the Black Wind Stockade was guarding this place specifically to break this Formation, and the things hidden inside were likely what they referred to as the "big event."

Having figured out the situation, Zhang Wen did not linger and turned to head back the way he came to discuss countermeasures with Zhao Meng and the others.

But just as he retreated to the foot of the black stone cliffs, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly rang in his mind: "Ding! The System has detected a 'Great Opportunity' near the host, with a Spiritual Qi concentration far exceeding conventional spiritual objects. Please explore the specific location yourself, host."

Zhang Wen's footsteps paused, his heart jolting—a Great Opportunity? Could it be the thing behind the Spirit Gathering Formation? Or was there another mystery nearby?

He subconsciously slowed his breathing and scanned the surroundings with his Divine Sense, his gaze landing on an inconspicuous black stone not far away. The surface of that black stone was covered with cracks, but deep within the cracks, a faint golden Shimmer was vaguely visible, and the Spiritual Qi was emanating from there.

Just as he wanted to step forward to check, he accidentally kicked a piece of gravel. With a "clatter," the gravel rolled away, sounding exceptionally harsh under the silent black stone cliffs.

"Who's there?!" A shout of questioning came from a Black Wind Stockade Disciple not far away, and two streams of Spiritual Qi instantly locked onto Zhang Wen's position.

Immediately after, three men holding long sabers rushed over, the leader being the thin, short man who had been struck in the back of the knee by Zhao Meng earlier, and who had escaped after being subdued.

He still had a bandage wrapped around his leg, his eyes full of resentment: "It's you! The brat who ruined our good deed just now! Let's see where you can run this time!"

Zhang Wen inwardly cursed, bad. He had been distracted by the System's prompt and had committed such a rookie mistake.

He no longer concealed his aura; the Lightning Radiance in his palm suddenly surged, he activated Tremor Step Treading Thunder Marks, and turned to rush out.

But the three men had already surrounded him, their long sabers slashing out in a crisscross pattern, their Spiritual Qi carrying fierce winds to block his retreat.

At the same time, they didn't forget to roar: "Come quickly! There's an intruder! Below the black stone cliffs!"

The shouting instantly spread throughout the entire stronghold; chaotic footsteps immediately came from the direction of the distant stone house, and Hei Sha's roar could also be faintly heard.

"Dare to break into my Black Wind Stockade's stronghold? You're seeking death!"

Zhang Wen's eyes turned cold; he knew he couldn't stay long.

He flicked his wrist, swinging the sky-splitting startling thunder spear horizontally. The lightning arcs directly knocked away the long saber of the leading thin, short man, and the spear shaft followed through to strike the opponent's chest.

The thin, short man screamed and flew backward, spitting out blood as he fainted.

Seeing this, the other two men were so frightened that their steps faltered. Zhang Wen seized the Opportunity to exert force under his feet, his figure darting out of the stronghold like an arrow released from a bow.

But just after running a few steps, a fierce wind containing the Spiritual Qi of a Subtle Realm Late Stage Cultivator struck from behind—Hei Sha had arrived!

"Brat, stay here!"

Hei Sha's voice carried murderous intent, and the mountain-splitting saber in his hand slashed out a ten-foot-tall Saber Qi, heading straight for Zhang Wen's back.