Drawing back the curtain, Yu Ci revealed his face.
Upon seeing him, the approaching man quickened his pace, a genial smile adorning his face. "Brother Yu," he greeted.
Yu Ci responded with a grunt, "I'm tending to a patient and can't be disturbed. Please convey my message to Brother Ma for me, Brother Zeng. If there's something urgent, kindly ask Brother Ma to come over."
Without waiting for a reaction, he let the curtain fall, isolating himself from the outside. The man outside stood stunned for a moment before finally responding and walking away.
Inside the carriage, Yu Ci closed his eyes to rest. The man who had just been shouting outside was named Zeng Liang. Although he himself was not particularly important, his master, Ma Cheng, was the second most powerful figure in the hunting group, only surpassed by You Gongquan. Unlike You Gongquan's cautious and steady demeanor, Ma Cheng was more sociable, a man of the world who was popular within the hunting group. His influence was subtly greater than You Gongquan's, but he always appeared aloof, showing no interest in competing for power.
In accordance with Ma Cheng's character, it wasn't long before a hearty laughter echoed from outside the carriage. "Is Brother Yu there?"
"It's Brother Ma."
The master-disciple titles were quite chaotic, but Yu Ci didn't mind. He stepped out of the carriage, standing atop the carriage shaft, looking down with a smile. "What brings Brother Ma in such a hurry?"
"It's not urgent, just wanted to discuss a business matter with Brother Yu."
Ma Cheng had a broad face, a prominent nose, and a large mouth, giving him a formidable appearance. He had walked over, striding alongside the fast-moving Cloud Floating Carriage with ease, as if he were simply taking a casual stroll. His cultivation level was indeed impressive.
Yu Ci gave a faint smile, not responding immediately, but instead surveying the surroundings.
Through the thin mountain mist, a narrow path along the mountain ridge was visible. It was unclear when it had been carved out, but it was extremely treacherous. Ordinary carriages would certainly not be able to pass, but the Cloud Floating Carriage was different. This carriage had no wheels, but instead operated on some kind of Rune Array, drawing in the earth's energy to generate a certain buoyancy, gliding several feet above the ground at a fast speed, yet very stable. It was not restricted by the terrain and could easily follow the cultivators of the hunting group over mountains and ridges.
There were two other such carriages in the hunting group. However, they were not used to transport patients, but to carry large spoils of war that could not fit in Storage Rings, ready to be sold in Cliff City after the hunt. Although this slightly slowed the group's progress, no one would let money get in the way.
At this time, the direction of the hunting group's caravan was a gentle slope of a mountain ridge ahead. There were signs of human activity here, as people traveling between Sky Rift Valley and Cliff City often passed through, making the path increasingly clear.
"Brother Yu?"
Seeing his distracted look, Ma Cheng called out again, his expression perfectly timed. Looking at this face, Yu Ci felt a flicker of impatience. He couldn't help but wonder, if he had indeed gone with Zeng Liang earlier, what expression would this man be wearing now?
Leaning forward slightly with his hand on the edge of the carriage, Yu Ci met Ma Cheng's gaze, about to speak, when suddenly a quarrel broke out behind them, escalating quickly into a fight.
The caravan came to a halt.
Both Yu Ci and Ma Cheng turned to look back, witnessing two cultivators from the hunting party, who usually didn't get along, blushing with anger and drawing their swords after a few heated exchanges. Such incidents were not uncommon among temporary hunting parties. Often, it was these disputes that caused the entire party to disband. Now, it was time for the party's leader to step in.
You Gongquan promptly appeared, shouting "Stop!" and swiftly inserted himself between the warring parties. At this moment, Yu Ci turned his attention away from the scene and instead, fixed his gaze on Ma Cheng.
Ma Cheng, a skilled cultivator, immediately sensed Yu Ci's stare and looked back, somewhat taken aback. Just then, a burst of sword light flashed, accompanied by several muffled groans, causing many in the hunting party to exclaim in shock.
With a couple of sharp clangs and a sudden piercing scream, silence fell over the scene.
You Gongquan's face was expressionless. One of the quarrelling cultivators lay on the ground, silent, while the other retreated with a shriek, quickly putting ten feet between them. However, his chest bore a severe wound that penetrated to his core. After retreating another twenty feet, he too collapsed.
What started as a "dispute" quickly turned into a bloody tragedy. Many were stunned, but those who had seen the entire incident harbored no doubts about You Gongquan's ruthless actions. Before he drew his sword, a black iron badge flew out from him, blocking the deadly poison sword of the fallen cultivator as if it had a mind of its own, and then parried another's flying dart before he made his lethal strike.
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Without a doubt, this was an assassination. Only, the target of the assassination was tougher than anyone could have imagined.
Beside the Cloud Floating Carriage, Ma Cheng's face suddenly darkened. At that moment, a voice echoed in his ear: "Under heavy reward, there may be brave men, but not necessarily good assassins."
Ma Cheng's heart skipped a beat, and before he could recover, a voice shouted from the side of a mountain, pressing down with several accusations: "You Gongquan, you've massacred innocent people, violated wives and daughters, today is the day of your retribution!"
As soon as the voice started, more than a dozen others joined in, all of them strong and vigorous, their voices echoing through the mountains.
The cultivators in the hunting party on the mountain path looked up in shock, only to see one figure after another descending from the mountain ridges, all of them powerful fighters. Meanwhile, the mountain mist, which had somehow grown thicker, was swept over the caravan by the mountain wind, blurring everyone's vision.
The cultivators in the hunting party were all experienced fighters and immediately sensed something amiss in the mountain mist. Some held their breath, but none detected any poison.
You Gongquan let out a sharp whistle, his Sword Energy tearing through the mist, aiming to take the lead and crush the incoming forces. However, before he could fly ten feet, a hearty laughter rang out from the hazy vision:
"You Gongquan, let me, Fu Long, see whether your Dragon Sparrow Sword is still as sharp as it used to be?"
The air trembled abruptly, followed by a thunderous roar. The fog cleared to reveal two figures clashing and entwining in a fierce mid-air battle.
The laughter of Fu Long sent shockwaves through the experienced Cultivators in the hunting party. Among the Lone Cultivators in the Three Lakes region of the North, he was a renowned figure. His Cultivation Level had once reached the Golden Elixir Upper Level. However, due to his arrogant actions, he offended Da Fang Yu Shi of the Clear Void Moral Sect, who lightly punished him with a single strike that forced him to flee, causing his Cultivation Level to drop twice.
Despite his humiliation, Da Fang Yu Shi was one of the few Authentic Cultivators in the Jade Purification Alliance. Escaping from his hands only increased Fu Long's fame, earning him a reputation in the entire northern Cultivation World.
A person's name, like a tree's shadow, always carries weight. Especially now, although he was only at the Initial Stage of Golden Elixir, his experience at a higher Cultivation Level surely gave him an edge in battle. Comparing him with You Gongquan, anyone would underestimate the latter.
Ma Cheng calmed himself. Despite the unexpected events, the overall situation remained unchanged. Whether it was the shouting from the mountains, the surging fog, or Fu Long's challenge, they all served the same purpose: to make the majority of the Cultivators in the hunting party stand by and isolate You Gongquan.
The fog was thick, but due to his proximity, he could still see clearly. Using a certain channel, he instructed his men to shout from the periphery: "We only aim to kill the ruthless You Gongquan, all others are irrelevant!"
This caused another stir among the hunting party. Although such a strategy was obvious, people's subtle psychology always led them to step into the trap time and again.
Next to him, Sword Energy flowed in streams, quickly forming an inwardly focused energy barrier around the Cloud Floating Carriage, which remained silent.
Ma Cheng quickly turned his face, not wanting anyone to see the smile on his face. He had a clear grasp of the mindset of most of the experts in the hunting party. At this point, it was impossible for anyone else to help You Gongquan. Only Yu Ci on the nearby Cloud Floating Carriage was unpredictable. But now, this man clearly intended to protect himself, which was more than ideal.
The previous oddities were probably due to this man's clear-sightedness. Heh, aren't there always such self-proclaimed smart people in this world?
He seized the opportunity and whispered, "Brother Yu Dao, the situation is unclear, we..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he let out a low cry and fell backward.
Faster than his reaction, a sword aura flashed violently, a chilling coldness falling from above, almost bisecting him. Fortunately, a layer of black light flickered, and amidst the humming sound, it blocked the Sword Energy outside his body.
This is Ma Cheng's "Black Gold Law Card," a self-activating talisman in times of peril, capable of shielding its master from lethal external attacks. It was the most precious protective magical instrument he possessed, and it had just saved his life!
However, it could only save his life. The Black Gold Law Card could block Sword Energy, but it could not stop the sharp killing intent that erupted along with the Sword Energy. This killing intent was like a red-hot needle piercing straight into the brain, causing his entire body to shudder violently, his Divine Soul was already damaged!
Ma Cheng, disregarding his image, rolled on the ground and quickly got up to flee, all the while cursing the Zhao brothers in his heart for causing him this trouble.
He had once asked the three men who had fought with Yu Ci about Yu Ci's background. Except for the one who was knocked out instantly, the Zhao brothers' accounts were consistent: they all said that Yu Ci's swordsmanship was fierce, but what was even more terrifying was his soul-shaking sorcery. The brothers were caught off guard, their minds were shocked, and they were kicked and sent flying by Yu Ci, who abandoned his sword and used his leg, ending up in a sorry state.
Now having experienced it firsthand, Ma Cheng wanted to spit his anger and fear onto their faces: Your mother's sorcery! This was clearly a superb Sword Way, where the Sword aura transformed from virtual to real, shaking souls and intimidating spirits. Just this one sword was an unsurpassed secret that these Lone Cultivators didn't even dare to think about. He had only seen it on those big Sect Cultivators when he was at the Three Lakes in the North!
Who could tell him what was the origin of this Yu Ci?
In mid-air, You Gongquan was already engaged in battle with Fu Long. True Sha flowed, filling a radius of several meters. Cultivators with weaker cultivation levels felt as if they were being cut by a strong wind. The Cultivators who were flying down from the mountains were already close at hand. However, at this moment, there was a sudden change on the side of the second-in-command, Ma Cheng. Most of the hunters in the hunting team felt dizzy and their fighting spirit had already diminished by seventy percent. The idea of preserving their lives and cherishing their bodies had surfaced.
At this moment, someone let out a sharp scream: "Leave none alive, kill!"
The sound of the words shocked the Cultivators of the hunting team. On the other side, atop the Cloud Floating Carriage, Yu Ci shouted:
"Lichen Sect's Yu Ci is here, which audacious villain dares to act recklessly here?"
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