Chapter 188: Chapter 151: Blood-Soaked Journey Home (Part 2)

After all, once Song Xianming recovered from his injuries, the likelihood of him breaking through to the Purple Mansion Stage was immense. This was undoubtedly a massive threat to the Lieyang Sect. Anyone in their shoes would try by any means necessary to crush such a threat in its cradle.

So, it remained to be seen what tricks the Lieyang Sect had up its sleeve...

As the warm sun began to rise, the Flying Ship skimmed over a vast, dense forest. Song Changsheng stood with his hands clasped behind his back, vigilantly watching for the slightest disturbance from any direction. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

It was the third day since they had left Luoxia City, and they were less than a day’s journey from Fengxi Port. Yet, the Lieyang Sect’s attack had still not come.

This didn’t put Song Changsheng at ease. On the contrary, it made him uneasy. Although they had changed their route several times, it wouldn’t be difficult for a group like the Lieyang Sect to pinpoint their location. The complete silence was far too strange.

Watching the scenery rapidly shift below, Song Changsheng wondered, ’Just what are you scheming?’

Suddenly, Song Changsheng’s brow furrowed. His expression then changed dramatically as he roared, "Stop the ship!"

Though Song Xianyun didn’t know why, he chose to trust Song Changsheng’s judgment. He brought the Flying Ship to a halt as quickly as possible before asking, "Changsheng, what’s wrong?"

"Something seems wrong up ahead. Please wait while I go take a look." With that, Song Changsheng directed his Spirit-Slaying Gourd and slowly approached the area ahead.

They were currently thousands of feet in the air. The surrounding sky was empty, save for a few clouds drifting lazily by. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

But Song Changsheng’s intuition as an Array Master told him something was wrong. After advancing less than a hundred zhang, he dared not go any further.

He swiped two fingers across his eyes, and an uncanny pattern materialized within them.

Upon activating his [Eye of Truth], the world before Song Changsheng’s eyes underwent a drastic transformation. Amidst a now gray and white landscape, a cage constructed from a dense web of colorful lines materialized within a cloud less than a hundred zhang away.

The cage encompassed an area of several hundred zhang in radius. At its four corners were phantoms of four Divine Beasts: the Vermilion Bird, the Cyan Dragon, the Black Tortoise, and the White Tiger. They lay dormant in mid-air, their aura utterly intimidating.

Waves of shock crashed through Song Changsheng’s mind. ’A Tier Two Top-grade [Four Symbols Heaven Imprisoning Array]!’ This was an incredibly powerful Trapping Array, and extremely difficult to break. Once caught inside, a cultivator’s strength would be suppressed by at least thirty percent!

After the initial shock, Song Changsheng felt a profound sense of relief. He was fortunate to have detected it early. Otherwise, once the Cloud-Sailing Ship flew headfirst into the trap, they would have been utterly doomed, with no hope of escape.

’No wonder they’ve been so quiet. They were waiting for us here,’ Song Changsheng cursed inwardly, but his face remained impassive as he feigned a casual observation of his surroundings.

Inside the [Four Symbols Heaven Imprisoning Array], not far away, a group of Lieyang Sect disciples led by an elderly man lay in ambush. Among them were Qii Feiyun and others Song Changsheng had encountered before.

This time, they had clearly spared no expense. Not only had they brought the four Foundation Establishment Cultivators who attended the Great City Lord’s birthday banquet, but they had also urgently dispatched three more Elders from the Sect—two at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection and one at Late-stage Foundation Establishment.

Thus, the number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Lieyang Sect lying in ambush reached a total of seven. In addition to the three new Elders, the other four consisted of one at Late-stage and three at Early-stage Foundation Establishment.

This force was equivalent to seventy percent of the entire Song Clan’s strength. And yet, they still weren’t satisfied, even setting up an array for a sneak attack. They were being absurdly cautious!

Qii Feiyun, being young and impatient, couldn’t contain himself seeing the rival who had once humiliated him. He turned to the elder beside him and said, "Master Yu, there are only two of them. Let’s just attack now!"

The "Master Yu" he spoke of was the leader of this ambush: Yu Chengbo, the Third Elder of the Lieyang Sect.

Yu Chengbo shook his head. "The two of them must have an ace up their sleeve. Attacking rashly might allow them to escape. Let’s wait. Once they enter Junior Brother Mao’s [Four Symbols Heaven Imprisoning Array], they’ll be like turtles in a jar, completely at our mercy."

This "Junior Brother Mao" was the other Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivator on the mission, a Tier Two Top-grade Array Master and the Fourth Elder of the Lieyang Sect—Mao Wuwei.

"But—" Qii Feiyun started to protest.

But a cold voice cut him off. "Our target this time is the Green Sky White Jade Pill, not settling your personal vendetta. Back down!"

In Mao Wuwei’s presence, Qii Feiyun didn’t dare utter another word and could only nod meekly in agreement.

Watching the unmoving Flying Ship, Yu Chengbo frowned. "That kid is an Array Master, Junior Brother Mao. You don’t think he’s spotted something, do you?"

Mao Wuwei scoffed. "I admit the boy has some talent, but in the Dao of arrays, he is still far too inexperienced. You can rest easy, Senior Brother Yu."

The words had barely left his mouth when Song Changsheng suddenly retreated at top speed.

Yu Chengbo’s expression twisted. "He’s found us!" he roared. "Attack! We can’t let them get away!"

With that, he shot toward the Flying Ship.

Mao Wuwei’s face was now as grim as if he’d eaten shit. This was a direct slap in the face!

Qii Feiyun, who had been itching for a fight, followed his fellow disciples and lunged toward Song Changsheng like a pack of ravenous tigers.

"Veer left! There’s an array up ahead!" Song Changsheng used [Fleeting Shadows], returning to the Flying Ship in a flash. Song Xianyun immediately revved the ship to full power, preparing to break out.

"You’re not going anywhere!"

Yu Chengbo’s hair and beard bristled with fury. With a wave of his great sleeve, he cast out a shimmering golden net. It expanded rapidly in mid-air, threatening to blot out the sky.

"Damn it. It’s old fiend Yu’s [Heaven-Encompassing Net]." Song Xianyun’s expression flickered. From his Qiankun Bag, he produced a small copper mirror.

It was a High-Grade Spiritual Artifact, the [Celestial Light Mirror]. This was Song Xianyun’s Lifebound Spiritual Artifact, its power no less than that of the [Heaven-Encompassing Net].

The [Celestial Light Mirror] shot into the sky, furiously absorbing the Supreme Yang Qi emanating from the sun. It then unleashed a straight beam of golden light, which lanced toward the massive, sky-blotting net.

"Don’t get so arrogant!" Mao Wuwei likewise summoned a pitch-black banner, the High-Grade Spiritual Artifact [Earth Battle Banner].

With two High-Grade Spiritual Artifacts pressing down at once, the pressure on Song Xianyun mounted instantly.

Seeing this, Song Changsheng immediately brought out his [Luwu Bell] to counter the [Earth Battle Banner]. Having broken through to the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment realm, he could finally unleash the artifact’s full power.

For a moment, four High-Grade Spiritual Artifacts dominated the sky, blazing with golden light in a magnificent and powerful display. The sheer force was enough to make Qii Feiyun and the other Early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators hesitate to join the battle.

Fortunately for the Lieyang Sect, their two Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators were still in reserve. They each summoned a Middle-Grade Spiritual Artifact. Instantly, six Spiritual Artifacts were locked in a deadly struggle, forming a massive storm of Spiritual Power.

This was the true measure of a powerful sect’s foundation. An ordinary faction would find it difficult to produce even a single Spiritual Artifact, yet four High-Grade Spiritual Artifacts had appeared in this one battle. It was a collection that would make even a Purple Mansion Cultivator green with envy!

"We are at an absolute disadvantage in both numbers and Spiritual Artifacts," Song Xianyun said grimly. "In a moment, I’ll use a Tier Three Talisman to clear a path. We split up and break out. Their target is me, so you just head for Luoxia City. They won’t dare touch you once you’re inside the city walls."

As he spoke, Song Xianyun pressed a yellowed talisman to Song Changsheng’s chest. It was a Tier Two Top-grade [Divine Movement Talisman], capable of boosting Song Changsheng’s speed beyond that of a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivator for one hour.

Song Changsheng clenched his jaw, not wasting breath on foolish words about escaping together. The enemy’s preparations were far too thorough; staying with Song Xianyun would only hinder him.

If they split up, he could draw some of the enemy’s attention. It wasn’t a boast; if they wanted to kill him, they would need to send at least one Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivator to do it!

Seeing no objection from Song Changsheng, Song Xianyun immediately activated a pure white talisman. Instantly, wind howled and clouds surged. A cyan vortex began to coalesce high above the battlefield, radiating a suffocating aura.

Yu Chengbo’s face drained of color. "A Tier Three Low-Grade [Celestial Spirit Wind Evil Talisman]?"

"Fall back!" he commanded, pulling out an earthen-yellow talisman of his own as he ordered the retreat. They, too, had come thoroughly prepared for this ambush!

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