Chapter 338: Water Concealed in the Great Sea

The night grew deeper. Cui Hao and others climbed over mountains and crossed ridges, bypassing the broken mountain path, continuing to follow Meng Qi’s trail. The sound of the earlier explosion confirmed to them that the assassins from the Bureau of Ruthlessness had not given up and were making a final desperate attempt. They wondered whether the masters of the External Scenery had intercepted them in time. If so, they could still use this golden-tier assassin as a test of their abilities and claim the reward.

The mountain path stretched into the darkness, with cold winds piercing through layers of pine forest as they skirted cliffs and rocky corners. They arrived at a naturally sheltered spot where the north wind weakened significantly, blowing only lightly. Ahead stood a mountain shrine by the roadside, with a dim, warm, yellowish glow seeping through.

A slightly oppressive airflow entered their mouths and noses when suddenly Cui Hao felt discomfort in his nasal passages. He immediately shouted, “Everyone, be careful! There’s residual toxic fog ahead. Although mostly dissipated, the wind is weak here, and prolonged inhalation may still affect us. Quickly take an antidote pill.”

Though the residual poison had mostly lost its potency, caution was still warranted. Taking an antidote pill was not a difficult task.

Jiang Qing, encountering such a situation for the first time, was visibly excited. After popping an antidote pill into his mouth, he continued walking toward the shrine, asking, “Cui Shier, there must have been a fierce battle ahead. I wonder who won? And how many assassins from the Bureau of Ruthlessness were killed?”

If it had been a red-tier assassin, could that bold and proud rider in the blue robe have escaped unscathed?

Cui Hao replied steadily, with a hint of sigh: “Assassins always strike when their target is most vulnerable, hence often defeating stronger opponents. After the earlier probing before dusk, they must have understood the blue-robed rider’s strength well. They dared to blow up the mountain path, indicating they were fairly confident…”

A person’s cultivation level is fixed, but their combat effectiveness often fluctuates. When one is in a bad mood, angry, or relaxed and complacent, their effectiveness inevitably changes.

Timing, terrain, and other factors affect combat strength. For assassins, skilled in observation and timing, their strikes usually target the opponent’s relatively weaker moments.

Therefore, for experts, maintaining a balanced mind and readiness to enter combat at any time, minimizing fluctuations in combat effectiveness, is essential.

Suddenly, someone ahead halted and whispered, “There’s a corpse!”

Cui Hao was nearby and rushed toward the voice. He saw a corpse in a blue robe, with a thin face and distinctive features. Strangely, the body was covered in a layer of ice, as if frozen, though the fatal wound was a sword mark between the eyebrows.

Hmm, this looks familiar… Cui Hao’s mind raced through local renowned figures, gradually grasping something.

At this moment, he noticed the thickest ice was on the corpse’s hands, seemingly emanating from within the blood vessels and bones. A sudden realization struck him, and he exclaimed, “The Demon Shadow Cold Palm!”

The surrounding martial artists held their breath. “Demon Shadow Cold Palm” Jiang Ding was a notorious left-path expert in Di and Qin provinces, once a feared figure responsible for numerous bloody crimes. Hunted relentlessly, his superior skill in footwork allowed him to escape and eventually develop into a half-step External Scenery cultivator, hailed as a future dark sect grandmaster.

Unknown to many, due to his excessive crimes, he eventually suffered a backlash, his Cold Palm technique going out of control. Though he barely survived, his strength greatly diminished, nearly causing a drop in cultivation level. Each use of his palm technique brought increasing cold backlash.

Yet, even in this weakened state, he remained a genuine half-step External Scenery expert, with unparalleled footwork and Cold Palm technique. If he didn’t overexert himself, he could still fight for over ten minutes before gradually weakening. By then, his speed would make him difficult to pursue, thus still feared by most Qi-opening experts and a few half-step External Scenery cultivators in Di and Qin provinces.

Who would have thought he would die here!

“Was he an assassin from the Bureau of Ruthlessness?”

“Could the blue-robed rider have killed him?”

Murmurs of disbelief filled the air, with people drawing cold breaths.

Cui Hao exhaled, “Regardless of whether he was an assassin, the attempt to intercept the blue-robed rider was terrifying.”

Even more terrifying was that Demon Shadow Cold Palm was dead. Looking at the scorched and muddy ground, the knife marks and footprints, it was clear a fierce battle had occurred. The blue-robed rider had forced Demon Shadow Cold Palm to use his ultimate technique early, suffering backlash, and then killed him with a single sword strike. How terrifying!

Did he kill the strong enemy and leave?

“There’s another corpse!” someone pointed ahead.

Startled, the shocked Jiang Qing looked closely and saw a corpse near the pine forest, bald with distinctive features, surrounded by signs of fire and lightning.

“The Flame Demon!”

“One of the nineteen demons of the Heaven-Annihilating Sect!”

This corpse was easily recognizable, and many identified him as Flame Demon, one of the top five demons.

“He’s dead too?”

“It seems he teamed up with Demon Shadow Cold Palm to kill that person earlier?”

Even with Flame Demon and Demon Shadow Cold Palm teaming up, they both perished, their bodies lying side by side, hard to believe.

Surveying the surroundings, which clearly indicated an intense and perilous battle, and observing the thin knife wound on Flame Demon’s throat, with electric burn marks nearby, Cui Hao felt as if in a dream. How terrifying was the blue-robed rider’s strength? What kind of thrilling and dangerous battle had occurred earlier?

The night was dark, the firelight dim. Looking at these two corpses, everyone involuntarily shivered, as if standing in a hellish ruin.

“There’s another corpse…” a female martial artist’s voice trembled slightly. By the shrine’s entrance, on the steps, in the shadows, lay a female corpse, with a jade flute lying beside her.

Another corpse… everyone muttered in disbelief.

With many martial artists present, someone quickly recognized the female corpse:

“‘Soul-Stealing Flute’ Lin Biyu…”

“The three of them teamed up, yet all died here…” Cui Hao swallowed hard, unable to imagine such an ambush failing. The blue-robed rider was clearly not a half-step External Scenery expert.

Likewise, he could hardly imagine the details of the previous battle, which seemed unfathomable and beyond comprehension!

Lin Biyu and Demon Shadow Cold Palm were both killed by sword wounds. None of the three used swords. Flame Demon had a knife wound, but among the three, only he used a thin blade, and the wound didn’t match, thus ruling out mutual betrayal.

The three corpses lay silently on the snowy mountain path, leaving everyone speechless.

Given their strength and the fact they had teamed up, it was understandable they dared to blow up the mountain path, unafraid of being surrounded after a prolonged delay. Yet the outcome was unimaginable!

Could there have been help?

But there were no signs of any External Scenery or other half-step External Scenery experts intervening!

Knife and sword wounds… Suddenly, Cui Hao thought of someone, but quickly dismissed it. Only a few top ten ranked fighters could eliminate Flame Demon, Demon Shadow Cold Palm, and Soul-Stealing Flute in one battle!

Of course, if the martial art was adept at group combat and life-or-death situations, the requirements could be slightly relaxed.

“Search the nearby area. The three corpses and their belongings will be handed over to the Six Ministries for exchange into medicinal pills, gold, and silver. Everyone present will receive a share!” Cui Hao shouted, to prevent anyone from secretly taking items and causing chaos or conflict.

Although his martial arts experience was shallow, he could still offer theoretical advice.

The pursuing officers, hearing this, quickly regained composure and maintained order to prevent any killings.

The crowd dispersed, searching the area, hoping to secretly find a corpse and hide its belongings.

In the pine forest, several martial artists passed a pile of dead leaves, lifeless and concealing a tree hollow.

After they passed, the leaves suddenly scattered, and a figure stood up, dressed in black, with bare hands and an “ordinary” face.

This was none other than Meng Qi!

He had jumped over the mountain stream, using branches to leap, making a large detour back to the shrine where the battle occurred!

He knew his own limits. How far could he run in ten breaths? In winter, with less water in the stream, following it would not hide his form, only eliminate his scent. Thus, he decided to create a false trail and hide back at the battleground, creating a psychological blind spot.

This place was naturally sheltered from the wind, the blood scent lingering and drifting into the forest. Even if he still had a faint smell, he wouldn’t be suspected.

Then, Meng Qi hid himself in the tree hollow covered by dead leaves, completely suppressing his spirit and gaze, and using the Eight-Nine Profound Art to simulate the heartbeat and breathing of a hibernating animal, entering a deep meditation without the slightest ripple.

He was completely unaware of the arrival of the External Scenery experts and the red-tier assassins until he heard the insult, realizing the most dangerous moment had arrived. He remained motionless, relying on the Eight-Nine Profound Art’s marvels, like a real hibernating creature.

After a brief inspection, the two terrifying enemies pursued further, but Meng Qi still dared not move, patiently waiting until Cui Hao and the martial artists arrived over the mountains before changing his appearance with the Art and some materials, leaving his hiding place when they began searching.

The effects of the Great Replenishing Pill slightly spread, restoring a bit of his strength. He pretended to be a weak martial artist and joined the searchers.

“Hey, buddy, find anything?” Meng Qi approached a searcher, greeting him warmly.

The searcher looked at this unremarkable young man, vaguely unsure if they had met, and casually replied, “What luck. Brother, you seem injured?”

“Yeah, we climbed the mountain together earlier, but I slipped and hurt my left arm, falling behind,” Meng Qi lied.

The searcher acted as if he suddenly remembered, “Oh, right.”

They had climbed together earlier, but in the dark and with no prior familiarity, how could one remember his face?

With Meng Qi intentionally drawing closer, the two soon became chatty, as if they had known each other for ten years.

After the search, returning to the group, Meng Qi used this searcher to become familiar with others nearby, fully integrating into this “team,” continuing to pursue the blue-robed rider.

In the sky, a black-robed figure holding a treasure bottle watched Cui Hao and others pass, not paying much attention. Then noticing the chaos in Longyan City subsiding and sensing a powerful presence approaching, he sighed and turned, vanishing into the darkness.