Including Tang Youliang, there were a total of six Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Even Meng Changtu’s expression sank. It was an inescapable death trap.

Cultivators who reached their realm had typically trained for over a hundred years, and each possessed their own life-saving techniques. But with six Major Cultivators attacking at once and sealing off the entire area, not even Meng Changtu was confident he could escape unscathed, to say nothing of any other tricks they might have up their sleeves.

"Yu Gu, Chi Jingwei, Liu Jiafeng!"

Meng Changtu recognized three of them and spoke with a bitter expression. "So, you’re all in this together! No wonder you told me the situation was urgent and that I should come quickly without too many people, lest we alert the enemy..."

A glint appeared in Chen Che’s eyes.

Although he didn’t know these three personally, all of them were infamous.

When they had annihilated the Han Family, Meng Changtu had told him about several Tribulation Cultivators who committed robbery and murder for profit; some were even on the Primordial Sect’s wanted list. The monk-like Yu Gu was one such person.

He had struck against the Primordial Sect several times, stealing two Foundation Establishment Pills.

After one failure, he vanished without a trace. Rumor had it that he was hiding overseas and hadn’t been seen for decades.

Chi Jingwei carried a Soul-Calling Banner on his back. With his arms crossed, a malevolent aura emanating from his body, and his eyes crimson, he was clearly an Evil Cultivator. It was said that the Soul-Calling Banner was created by refining the blood of an entire sacrificed clan of Cultivators.

Liu Jiafeng was a one-eyed Beast Master.

A green and a red ten-foot-long snake coiled around his body. Although he had just reached Foundation Establishment, the Demon Qi of the two snakes was faintly linked, flowing between them, indicating they were an extremely rare pair of twin-born Snake Demons from a single egg.

These two were far more infamous than the Han Family.

They had committed countless bloody deeds.

The remaining two, a man and a woman in matching black and white robes, stood shoulder to shoulder and appeared to be a couple. Meng Changtu had never mentioned them, but since they were here with these Tribulation Cultivators to stage an ambush, they were surely cut from the same cloth.

"Brother Changtu, allow me to introduce these two."

Feeling that victory was in his grasp, Tang Youliang began his introduction with an air of relaxed confidence. "These two are Wei Dan and Hu Xuequn. You may not know them, but they’re the infamous duo known as the Male and Female Killers."

"Pfft!"

The female cultivator in white let out a soft laugh, clearly disdainful of the moniker.

Chen Che raised an eyebrow.

He recalled hearing rumors in the Market about a Female Cultivator who used her beauty to lure men away. Any Cultivator who left with her was never seen again.

Tang Youliang glanced at Meng Changtu and continued:

"Fellow Daoist Meng, to be honest, I really don’t want to kill you. It’s just that we’re terribly short on Spirit Stones this time. It’s because the Meng Family provides us cover that the six of us have remained at large. If you die, I’ll have to deal with the messy aftermath, which is quite a hassle!"

He sighed repeatedly as he spoke, as if he had been forced into making this decision.

’So they’re after the Meng Family’s influence,’ Chen Che thought to himself.

’But that makes sense. Rampant Tribulation Cultivators like them are thorns in the sides of many. A single casual word from Meng Changtu could probably clear them of any suspicion.’

Still, he was quite curious. ’Logically, with the combined power of six Tribulation Cultivators of their Realm, they should be able to scrape together at least ten thousand Spirit Stones. What could possibly drive them to take such a huge risk, even daring to ambush the head of a clan?’

"What for?"

Chen Che asked out loud.

"A Cave Mansion!"

Tang Youliang gave the young man a surprised look. Anyone else in this situation would have already tried to flee for their life or started a desperate fight. He hadn’t expected this junior to be so composed, even managing to pick up on the crucial part of his statement.

"Could it be True Master Chixia’s Cave Mansion?"

Just then, Meng Changtu also spoke up.

He could naturally tell that Chen Che was deliberately stalling to buy him time to break the array.

At the mention of the Cave Mansion, Tang Youliang’s face lit up, his expression extremely smug.

Clearly, he was the one who had discovered it.

But before he could speak, Liu Jiafeng, the one with twin snakes coiled around him, suddenly interjected.

"Enough chitchat. These two are just stalling for time, trying to break the array and escape. Meng Changtu’s status is a complication. If word of this gets out, it won’t matter if we’re exposed, but ruining our main objective would be a disaster!"

"Agreed!"

Wei Dan, who was dressed in a long white gown and looked pretty and deceptively innocent, glanced at Chen Che from the corner of her eye and announced loudly:

"I’ll kill this brat first, then we can all work together to finish off Meng Changtu."

"Che’er, run!"

Meng Changtu’s voice, trembling with every word, echoed in his mind via transmission, his rage palpable.

"Run? Haha, Meng Changtu, guess why I let him come up the mountain in the first place?"

Tang Youliang let out a great laugh, his eyes filled with scorn.

"It was to eliminate any witnesses, to make sure no news of this would get out. With the six of us here, do you really think he can escape alive? From the moment he set foot on this mountain, his fate was no longer his to decide. You should be more worried about yourself!"

According to their plan, they would lure Meng Changtu alone into the mountains, trap him in the Grand Array, and finally reveal themselves to kill him.

They hadn’t counted on Chen Che showing up, but since he was only at the Foundation Establishment Third Layer, Tang Youliang improvised and brought him into the mountains as well.

Who would have thought his own scheme would be seen through by Chen Che, who even made the first move. Although things had deviated from the original plan, as long as they killed this brat, everything would get back on track.

"Hahaha!"

The other five all looked over and roared with laughter.

Chen Che heaved a long sigh.

’If it had been a stranger in this predicament, I would have turned and left without a second thought.’

’But Meng Changtu has helped me more than once.’

’Xiao Chan once said that he and I are the same kind of people: we repay every debt, whether of hatred or of kindness.’

"What’s with the sigh?"

Wei Dan gave a dazzling smile as she slowly descended from the sky. Her long hair billowed, a beautiful sight, but the killing intent radiating from her was as sharp and cold as ice. "What’s wrong? Are you scared?"

She brought her red-lacquered fingers together and drew them across her throat in a cutting motion.

"Don’t worry. It will be over with a single strike."

SHING!

The moment she finished speaking, her black hair whipped through the air and her dress billowed. With a flick of her finger, the longsword on her back shot from its sheath with a resounding CLANG.

Though her words were casual and contemptuous of Chen Che, the moment she struck, she used her full power.

BOOM!

The blade circled her once, and in the next instant, as her slender hand formed a Seal Technique, the Flying Sword shot toward Chen Che like a bolt of lightning.

The moment the Flying Sword was unleashed, it split into two, then four, and in the blink of an eye, multiplied into thirty-six thousand blades that blasted toward Chen Che. As they flew, a storm of violent Sword Qi erupted from them.

Everything in their path—trees and grass alike—was instantly torn to shreds.

In an instant, the scorched mountainside transformed into an Asura Killing Field.

"Run!"

Rage contorted Meng Changtu’s features. He clenched his fists so hard his hair stood on end like steel needles. His sleeves billowed as he reversed the flow of his True Essence, and his eyes turned bloodshot. He was clearly activating a desperate, life-risking Secret Technique, preparing to shatter the Grand Array by force.

"When your Cultivation is complete, remember to avenge your father..."

But the attack was far too swift. The moment it was launched, it had already locked down the entire area.

A flicker of regret appeared in Wei Dan’s eyes.

"You can only blame yourself for being in the wrong place at the wrong time!"

Tang Youliang’s face was a mask of smug satisfaction as he prepared to watch Meng Changtu’s young ward be torn to pieces.

The other Major Cultivators were equally unconcerned, as if they could already see Chen Che’s end. The monk-like Yu Gu even turned to watch Meng Changtu’s reaction. At that very moment, however, Chen Che slowly raised his head. He extended a right hand that seemed forged from jade and took hold of his Pure Jun Sword.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning streaked through the mountains.

VREEEEN!

A clear, ringing hum of a sword.

A heaven-shaking beam of sword light erupted like an explosion, sweeping out without warning to meet the sky-full of Flying Swords!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Wherever the beam of light passed, the very air above the mountaintop trembled. The thousands of swords, glinting with cold, murderous intent, were struck as if by lightning the moment the light grazed them, and every single one exploded violently.

In the end, only a single Flying Sword was left.

Everyone had expected a clash between equals. But who could have imagined that the instant the two swords met, her Flying Sword would prove so fragile? With a loud CLANG, it was sent flying, embedding itself deep into a nearby rock.

"This is bad!"

Wei Dan’s expression changed. She tried to retreat hastily, waving both hands.

Instantly, a Talisman covered in mystical characters appeared in each of her slender-fingered palms. As she poured True Essence into them, the sound of crashing waves and a mighty tsunami echoed across the dormant volcano.

Countless Water Elements rapidly converged, forming two enormous Water Dragons.

In the blink of an eye, their bodies were already half-formed, their tightly packed scales reflecting the light with an iridescent shimmer, giving them an ethereal beauty.

Tier Two Middle-Grade Talisman:

Sea Dragon Fury!

Each Talisman was equivalent to a full-power strike from a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

A glint appeared in Chen Che’s eyes. Wei Dan felt a vast wave of Divine Sense, like a monstrous tidal wave, crash violently into her mind. For a moment, her sea of consciousness reeled, and she felt her awareness about to be completely shattered.

"This Divine Sense..."

Overcome with horror, Wei Dan spat out a small, glowing Jade Bell.

The moment the Jade Bell appeared, it let out a clear, crisp chime.

In that instant, her chaotic sea of consciousness stabilized and her five senses returned. But Chen Che was already upon her.

SHLICK!

The sound was like tearing silk.

Before the astonished eyes of the onlookers, the two figures crossed paths. Chen Che’s form abruptly shifted from extreme motion to absolute stillness. Behind him, Wei Dan was frozen in place, a thin line of blood appearing on her throat. The shock and anger in her eyes faded, leaving behind no trace of life.

The nearly-formed Water Dragons trembled and, as Wei Dan’s body fell, they too dissipated into nothingness. A few streams of water lingered, swirling as if in reluctance.

The entire field fell deathly silent.

The Tribulation Cultivators, who had been watching the spectacle with amusement or disdain just a moment before, were now stunned. In the blink of an eye, their companion had been killed by this junior. The sheer casualness of the act, the stark contrast to their expectations, left their minds blank and reeling.

Amidst their stunned silence, Chen Che glanced at Wei Dan’s fallen body, then slowly turned. His gaze swept across the five remaining Tribulation Cultivators.

"I was sighing because you shouldn’t have appeared here!"