Top-tier Unruly Master-Chapter 1726 - 1763: Ambush

The next day, Ding Fan spent the morning copying the "Devouring Technique" again, and he also kept all the insights and guidance left by the village chief. After Ding Fan finished these, he personally gave the "Devouring Technique" to Shan Shan, and then Ding Fan met up with Long Ren at the downhill junction of Giant Peak.

When Ding Fan arrived at the downhill junction, he didn’t expect that he would be greeted not only by Long Ren. Besides Long Ren and Elder Wang, there were also ten elders from the Thirty-Six Caves, all at the Spirit Severing stage of cultivation. This lineup certainly surprised Ding Fan.

Seeing this, Ding Fan couldn’t help but ask Long Ren with a puzzled expression:

"Why so many people? Are we going to war?"

"Haha. Brother, even if we go to war, we would certainly not be at a disadvantage!" Long Ren joked, laughing. The elders who overheard Long Ren and Ding Fan also couldn’t help but laugh heartily...

"What’s going on?" Ding Fan asked with a look of suspicion in his eyes.

"Brother, these elders all belong to different parts of the Thirty-Six Caves. You could say that if these elders gather together, they could establish another Thirty-Six Caves. The Dayang Sect has just been established not long ago, so I have these elders follow us to see if they can offer any help. Rest assured, brother, they are quite powerful."

Long Ren spoke sincerely, somewhat worried that Ding Fan would disagree.

But Ding Fan immediately agreed, saying, "Alright, let’s go then."

Ding Fan knew that Long Ren wouldn’t harm him, even though Ding Fan wasn’t very familiar with these elders. However, Ding Fan trusted Long Ren. Moreover, Ding Fan was unaware of how the Dayang Sect was developing at the moment. Regardless of how rapid the development was, the Dayang Sect was still a newly established sect.

Ding Fan understood that Long Ren had a point. The Dayang Sect had many aspects that weren’t perfected yet, especially regarding its system. Therefore, if the elders of the Dayang Sect could gain the experienced teaching of these seasoned elders from the Thirty-Six Caves, it would undoubtedly be a rare opportunity.

Then Ding Fan, Long Ren, and the others directly descended the mountain, heading toward the Heavenly Pool where the Dayang Sect was located. Ding Fan, Long Ren, and the others had such intimidating cultivation levels that they had to conceal their cultivation. At this time, Ding Fan, Long Ren, Elder Wang, and the sect leaders of the Thirty-Six Caves all appeared to be ordinary cultivators.

Their cultivation wasn’t fully suppressed to avoid trouble on the road. After all, they might encounter bandits and such groups. However, Ding Fan and the others seemed to have a cultivation at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, which, even if such cultivation was placed within the Cultivation World, would be fairly strong.

Thus, Ding Fan and the others passed several bandit groups, but their opponents didn’t dare to attack Ding Fan. The journey went smoothly, rushing during the day and resting by the campfire at night. In fact, everyone was a Spirit Severing stage cultivator.

Therefore, even during the night’s rest, no one wanted to waste time, and they all seized the moment to cultivate. Needless to say, Ding Fan estimated the distance; it would take at least a few more days. These times shouldn’t be squandered but are excellent for cultivation.

Previously, during cultivation at Giant Peak, Ding Fan had considerably stabilized his Divinity Soldier Third Grade cultivation. However, Ding Fan’s aspirations were not limited to Divinity Soldier Third Grade. To know, Divinity Soldier Third Grade was merely equivalent to a Nascent Soul Late Stage. Ding Fan’s vision wouldn’t settle for the Transcendance Tribulation Stage, let alone such trifles as Divinity Soldier Third Grade.

Time is precious, especially for cultivators, which was even more apparent to Ding Fan and Long Ren. Among Ding Fan’s group, it seemed Ding Fan’s cultivation was the lowest; merely Divinity Soldier Third Grade, equivalent to the Nascent Soul Late Stage.

While Long Ren and members of the Thirty-Six Caves all had cultivation levels above the Spirit Severing stage. Whether Ding Fan or these people were considered outstanding in the Cultivation World, excelling far beyond being merely talented. Many superior qualities contribute to excellence, like cherishing time, which Ding Fan already saw through nightly cultivation activities.

Throughout the journey, although everyone concealed their cultivation, Ding Fan and others only controlled their cultivation around the Nascent Soul Stage. Such cultivation within the Cultivation World was considered superior, coupled with the large group in Ding Fan’s expedition.

Therefore, whether it was Yuan Beasts or malicious individuals, none dared to approach Ding Fan’s group, and so far, everything was quite smooth. Everyone focused more on their cultivation, only chatting and exchanging expertise while traveling during the day.

Moreover, for Ding Fan’s party, encountering bandits or Yuan Beasts was insignificant. Even if a sect stops them to cause trouble, it can be effortlessly resolved. If it’s a small sect, straightforwardly marching against them is quite possible. For those small sects, having one or two Spirit Severing stage cultivators is already impressive. To try and stop Ding Fan’s army of more than ten Spirit Severing experts is simply impossible.

Ding Fan’s team, walking through the Cultivation World, is absolutely top-tier, even if encountering a Great Gate Sect. If Ding Fan and his people want to forcefully challenge, there would be heavy losses. After all, from Ding Fan to Long Ren to Elder Wang, any one of them was enough to intimidate any sect. Not to mention, behind them were also ten Spirit Severing masters, making them practically invincible.

Moreover, the most important factor is that Long Ren’s Thirty-Six Caves completely cover the Donglai Continent. Almost anywhere, there are disciples of the Thirty-Six Caves. Even if encountering an enemy once in a millennium, with one call, countless disciples from the Thirty-Six Caves would swiftly gather around.

Therefore, throughout the journey, no one was worried in the slightest. Except for Ding Fan, who slightly missed the Great Ocean Sect, most of the elders treated this trip as a leisurely journey to enjoy nature. Of course, this was just their mindset. As for the business of traveling, those elders naturally dared not delay.

The group’s pace of travel was swift. Sometimes they traveled using Sword Control, sometimes they rode horses and carriages, and sometimes they marched quickly on foot. Thus, in just four days, they were less than a hundred kilometers away from the Heavenly Pool where the Great Ocean Sect was located. As night fell, Ding Fan and the others set up camp and planned to rest there, continuing their journey the next day.

That night, after a brief chat with Long Ren, Ding Fan entered a state of cultivation. During these days of traveling, Ding Fan had already cultivated the "Sword Drawing Technique" to the Seventh Sword Form. Although the progress in that book "Sorcery" was slightly slower, Ding Fan also learned the Invisibility Technique, Mutating Technique, Flying Technique, and so on.

However, during this time, Ding Fan hadn’t had the chance to cultivate the "Devouring Technique." First, he had already cultivated this technique to the third level, which was quite sufficient. Second, the time was limited, and Ding Fan’s energy was also limited. He had already spent most of his time in these days cultivating those two martial arts, so naturally, there wasn’t much time left for the "Devouring Technique." Moreover, Ding Fan deeply realized that this "Devouring Technique" was not easy to cultivate when he first started it.

At this moment, after Ding Fan had cultivated for a while, he couldn’t help but frown. If observed carefully, one would notice that Ding Fan’s ears were moving, as if listening to something.

Swoosh!

Suddenly, a sharp sound pierced the quiet night sky. A dark arrow emitting cold light flew towards Ding Fan’s head. Aiming precisely, the arrow was directed at Ding Fan’s temple without the slightest deviation, showing the archer’s superb archery skills.

Clang!

With a swift strike from his flying sword, with a crisp sound, Ding Fan deflected the dark arrow less than a centimeter away from himself. Ding Fan sprang to his feet and immediately dashed towards the depths of the forest.

"What’s going on?"

Almost at the same time Ding Fan struck, Long Ren, who was cultivating in a nearby tent, rushed out instantly, asking with a hint of panic.

Soon after, the crowd from the Thirty-Six Caverns quickly gathered. At some point, a Spirit Severing Elder had already retrieved the dark arrow Ding Fan deflected, bringing it in front of Long Ren and Elder Wang, with a face full of seriousness:

"It’s this, exceedingly poisonous!"

Long Ren stared at the poisoned arrow, still a bit panicked at heart. To any cultivator, poison remained deadly. Even for a Tribulation Stage cultivator, some terrible poisons could be fatal. They might not die immediately but could hold on for a while, yet most were still likely to meet their end.

At this moment, Elder Wang observed the poisoned arrow closely, his expression serious, and said, "It’s the Poison King’s doing."

"Are you sure?" Long Ren, hearing Elder Wang’s words, was somewhat surprised and asked.

"I’m sure. It’s the same poison that was used against me before! I’m absolutely sure!" Elder Wang stated firmly. He was too familiar with this poison. He had once offended the Poison King over a treasure and almost got poisoned by him. Back then, Elder Wang suffered significantly, taking half a year to recover fully. This memory was etched in his mind, so he knew he wouldn’t be mistaken.

Listening to Elder Wang, the other elders were taken aback. They were aware of the Poison King’s notorious reputation. He was said to be a Spirit Severing Stage cultivator, but his use of poison was extremely lethal. Even Tribulation Stage cultivators could be easily killed by his poison. He was a highly dangerous figure in the Cultivation World.

The crowd couldn’t help but feel a wave of fear at the thought. They couldn’t imagine that if that poisoned arrow was intended for them, they knew clearly they couldn’t avoid it. Everyone’s guard had relaxed too much, as their journey had been exceptionally smooth so far.

After all, only some higher-ups from the Thirty-Six Caverns knew about this mission, and outsiders wouldn’t be aware, so they hadn’t worried about potential enemies from the Thirty-Six Caverns plotting against them. Additionally, they had concealed their cultivation levels before leaving the Giant Peak, making it impossible for outsiders to detect anything unusual about them.

Consequently, they had been traveling in a relaxed state, and their vigilance had significantly weakened. However, they had confidence that even without much vigilance, ordinary cultivators wouldn’t be able to attack them successfully. After all, they were Spirit Severing Stage cultivators, with strong self-defense capabilities, and some alertness was inherently present in their subconscious.

But who would have thought they would actually be ambushed by the Poison King!