16: Chapter 16 Assault

Two figures, one large and one small, walked along the wide official road.

Qingyuan County gradually faded behind them, while the mountains and forests ahead seemed endless.

Though their steps appeared slow, each stride covered the distance of ten; their movement was as light and swift as a passing breeze.

"Don't be so nervous, just relax a bit."

Seeing his son's face stiff and tense, with his hand constantly resting on his sword hilt, Su Yang couldn't help but speak up.

"The more nervous you are, the easier it is to make mistakes. This is a major taboo when traveling the Jianghu."

"Even in a life-or-death situation, you must maintain a calm head to find a way out of a desperate situation."

Su Xuanheng's expression softened slightly upon hearing this.

He also felt he was being too tense, thinking they would be ambushed the moment they left Qingyuan County.

However, things didn't unfold as he expected; they had already traveled over ten li from Qingyuan County and hadn't seen a single soul.

"Others aren't fools. Anyone who has just left Qingyuan County will be cautious. They won't ambush us now. They'll wait until we let our guard down to strike a fatal blow by surprise."

"But what if the opponent anticipates this mindset and does the exact opposite?"

Su Xuanheng's sudden counter-question took Su Yang aback.

His mouth twitched slightly as he said, "That's a chain of suspicion; thinking too much will just trap you. However, your reasoning isn't wrong; such a possibility does exist. We need to stay vigilant at all times, but there's no need to be overly tense."

"I understand, Father."

Su Xuanheng nodded seriously, feeling he had learned a lot.

The father and son's small talk dispelled the tension, and the next hour or so of travel passed without incident.

Just as Su Xuanheng's nerves were beginning to relax, a strange noise from the forest made him alert again.

A woman in tattered clothes, looking like a refugee, ran out of the forest in a panic.

Upon seeing Su Yang and his son on the official road, she burst into tears and cried out hoarsely, "Help! There are bandits behind me! I escaped from their mountain stronghold, please save me!"

Su Xuanheng extended his Divine Sense.

Sure enough, there were three burly men in the forest wielding cleavers. They were covered in something foul-smelling and were cursing loudly, clearly having suffered a great loss because of the woman.

Hearing the commotion behind her, the woman's face turned pale, and she ran toward Su Xuanheng in a panic.

"Draw your sword!"

Su Yang's voice rang out in Su Xuanheng's mind.

"What?"

Su Xuanheng was stunned for a moment, and in that brief hesitation, the woman had already approached within three steps of them.

Suddenly, a cold, glinting dagger appeared in the woman's hand, and with a chilling killing intent, she lunged straight for Su Xuanheng's heart!

The sudden turn of events made Su Xuanheng's pupils shrink, and the hair all over his body stood on end.

What made his heart sink even more was seeing from the corner of his eye that his father had no intention of helping him at all.

The shock lasted only an instant.

Su Xuanheng almost instinctively followed his father's earlier teaching.

The more critical the situation, the calmer one must be.

Suddenly, spiritual power erupted like a suppressed volcano, and with a clang, his longsword unsheathed.

A sword light flared up, swift as a startled swan!

The Sword Qi he swung out in haste crisscrossed to form a sharp barrier, which not only precisely parried the fatal dagger thrust but also allowed the sharp blade to slash upward, carving a deep, bone-chilling wound into the woman's arm.

The woman let out a miserable cry, the dagger flew from her hand, and blood splattered as she stumbled backward.

At the same time, the bandits who had been cursing at the edge of the forest lost their look of panic and anger, replaced by a bone-chilling killing intent.

Their figures vanished from the spot like ghosts, reappearing without warning within ten feet of Su Yang.

Three large sabers shimmering with an eerie light, accompanied by the whistle of tearing air, hacked toward Su Yang from tricky angles.

The biting saber wind kicked up dust three feet high, and the Protective Aura caused the ground to crack inch by inch.

All three were actually Innate Martial Artists!

Su Yang's expression remained calm, as if he had anticipated this.

His left hand quickly formed complex hand seals, and three Golden Light Spells transformed into shields of golden radiance, protecting his entire body in layers.

He flicked his right sleeve violently, and three Thunder Talismans wreathed in purple light shot out as if they possessed a spirit of their own.

Rumble!!

The three large sabers, imbued with the Martial Artists' Protective Aura, slammed heavily against the Golden Light Shields.

The first layer of the shield shattered on impact, but the second layer held the blades firmly at bay.

Immediately after, thunder swept down, and the three Martial Artists' expressions changed drastically as they scrambled to retreat and dodge.

One of them couldn't dodge in time and was instantly blasted charred black by the lightning, falling to the ground with a thud.

Su Yang's eyes were cold, giving the opponent no chance to breathe.

A Magical Artifact Flying Sword flew swiftly from his storage ring, turning into a streak of light nearly invisible to the naked eye as it suddenly attacked the fallen Martial Artist.

Fast! Too fast!

The Martial Artist only felt a flash of cold light before his neck felt a chilling sensation.

He didn't even have time to assume a defensive posture before his head was sent flying in an instant, and blood gushed like a fountain from his headless neck, staining the yellow earth beneath him red.

"How is this possible!"

"This..."

The remaining two Martial Artists were struck dumb with terror by the scene.

They realized the intelligence was definitely wrong; this damn guy was absolutely not at the Qi Refining Second Layer!

"Retreat!"

One of the Martial Artists shouted and immediately turned to run, as if using every ounce of his strength.

The woman and the other Martial Artist reacted just as quickly.

Realizing the situation was dire, they had already prepared to flee.

In an instant, the three of them scattered in a panic, fleeing in three different directions with expressions of terror and dread.

Su Yang no longer hid his cultivation; the spiritual power of the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining erupted, and his figure became as fast as lightning.

Just as he pierced the head of one Innate Martial Artist with his sword, he blocked the path of another in the next instant.

As he raised his hand to deliver another sword strike.

He suddenly noticed the opponent's face was flushed red, and his body was emitting a crimson Protective Aura.

Su Yang decisively pulled back and threw out ten Flying Sword Talismans.

The Talismans shot out like sharp Flying Swords, turning into golden streaks of light aimed at the Martial Artist's vital points.

The opponent let out a violent roar, his blood and Qi surging as his crimson Protective Aura grew by thirty percent.

Facing the incoming Flying Sword Talismans, he swung his blade frantically in succession, hoping to take the opportunity to get close to Su Yang.

His secret technique's burst couldn't be sustained for long; he had to end the fight quickly.

However, just as he thought he had destroyed the ten Flying Sword Talismans and could close in on Su Yang.

He saw Su Yang wave his hand again, and twenty more Flying Sword Talismans shot toward him as brilliant golden light...

"This..."

The Martial Artist's eyes nearly split from their sockets, and a mouthful of blood sprayed from his mouth.

"Aaaaaah!!"

He swung his blade with all his might, eventually shattering all the Flying Swords, but also ruining his own large saber.

He immediately collapsed to his knees with a thud, his aura rapidly withering away.

Su Yang manipulated his longsword to flash past, taking his head.

He turned his gaze toward his son.

He saw the woman clutching her throat with both hands, unable to stop the spraying blood; she eventually lay on the ground, twitched a few times, and went silent.

Su Xuanheng's face was ashen, his hand holding the sword was trembling, and he was crouching under a tree, vomiting uncontrollably.