Today was the day the Xu Family and several other Qi Cultivation Clans had agreed to evacuate together.
In about two days, the Qingfeng Ridge Wang Family would also withdraw their guards and patrols, deactivate the Grand Array, and abandon this Marketplace for good.
According to the idle gossip among other shopkeepers in the Marketplace, the Wang Family was using this opportunity to shed an unprofitable burden. They would consolidate their strength and strike out anew, "conquering mountains and seizing territory" in the Wilderness to acquire resources and open a New District.
This would allow their family to advance even further.
If they could just produce a Fake Core Cultivator and a few more Foundation Establishment cultivators, then with their current foundation of a Dual Foundation Establishment, it wasn't impossible for them to ascend to the status of a Noble Family.
Cultivation is like rowing a boat upstream; if you don't advance, you fall back.
This was true for individual Cultivators, and it was true for their families.
...
By now, Lin Changheng had already stored all the valuable and useful items from his residence on his person, but as he was about to leave, he still slung a bundle over his shoulder.
He was acting as if he didn't have a Storage Bag.
After all, should a "pauper" like him run into trouble, Tribulation Cultivators would surely give him a pass. They would more likely go after the empty-handed cultivators who were obviously carrying Storage Bags.
This naturally lessened his own danger.
When the Ink Master came downstairs and saw Lin Changheng's appearance, he couldn't help but pause. He walked over and clapped him on the shoulder, sighing inwardly. 'This young man is so meticulous and cautious! I can't compare.'
If he had possessed even a tenth of this caution back then—no, even a twentieth—he probably wouldn't have been so severely injured. Despite all the medicine he had taken, the latent injuries were impossible to heal, cutting short his path on the Immortal Dao.
Of course, only the Ink Master knew that Lin Changheng had a Storage Bag; the other workers, apprentices, and the shopkeeper did not. Shopkeeper Xu Qianyou had even cheerfully asked if he wanted to store an item or two, as the shop's storage bags had plenty of extra space. He had politely declined, and seeing that his bundle wasn't large, the shopkeeper didn't press the matter.
As the group exited the Marketplace, a Middle Stage Qi Cultivation cultivator from the Xu Family had already prepared a sufficient number of Half-Spirit Steeds.
Lin Changheng's eyes flickered, but he didn't find anything wrong with riding horses.
After all, only a Foundation Establishment Clan could afford to deploy large numbers of Spiritual Cranes or Large Flying Ships. The Xu Family was just a Qi Cultivation Clan, possessing only a Magical Artifact Flying Ship—a Dharma Ship for short—which could carry no more than two or three people.
And right now, there were a full twelve of them.
They could only ride horses.
But these were no ordinary horses. Each one was magnificent, standing more than half a head taller than the Ferghana horses of his past life, and they were incredibly fast, capable of traveling five hundred li in a single day.
They were bred from a cross between Demon Beasts and prized mortal horses and were known as Flood Dragon Horses.
"Everyone, mount up and stay alert! It will take about five days to get back to the clan."
Xu Qianhuan, at the Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation, agilely mounted his horse and barked the order.
"Yes, sir." Everyone, including the Ink Master, nodded in assent and mounted their horses without hesitation.
"Assume the predetermined formation! Everyone else, follow me! Let's go!"
After a sweeping glance at their surroundings, Xu Qianhuan's expression turned grim. With a sharp command, he spurred his horse into a gallop.
The three Middle Stage Qi Cultivation cultivators who came with him reined their horses into position on the left, right, and rear, following him as they swarmed away.
Lin Changheng was sandwiched in the center of the Horse Array, the thunder of hooves filling his ears.
He felt a sudden premonition and looked back. Through the billowing, ochre-colored dust, he could faintly make out the gray-brown silhouette of the Purple River District, where he had spent twelve years. It was now slowly fading into the dust, as if being gently erased by an invisible hand.
'So, this is how ties to the Immortal Dao are severed... with nothing more than a cloud of dust from galloping hooves...'
After a quiet sigh, Lin Changheng's gaze immediately hardened. He looked only at the road ahead, spurring his horse onward.
...
"The clan residence is just ahead! We'll be there in less than an hour! Everyone stay sharp for this final stretch!"
More than four days of travel had passed in a flash.
Xu Qianhuan was still full of energy, showing no signs of fatigue. He issued the reminder in a booming voice, like a lion's roar.
The Cultivators were fine; their physiques were strong enough that while the jostling of the saddle was uncomfortable, it was still tolerable.
But it was a different story for the few workers and apprentices. They felt like their bones were about to be shaken apart, their hips and legs bruised black and blue. Their suffering was immense.
Even so, they didn't dare ask to stop and rest, so they could only endure.
The journey so far had not been as chaotic as the rumors suggested. It had been calm and uneventful.
This had caused even the three Middle Stage Qi Cultivation cultivators from the Xu Family to grow a bit lax and weary, which was why Xu Qianhuan had issued such a reminder.
His words struck them all like a clap of thunder. Everyone jumped, their bodies trembling, and were instantly alert.
At that very moment,
"WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!"
The sudden sound of something tearing through the air shattered the tranquility of the mountain path. The leaves of the trees on both sides of the forest path trembled violently as dozens of flashes of magical light rained down like a torrential storm.
Water Arrows, Fire Bombs, Wooden Spikes, Ice Blades, and more all shot toward the Xu Family's procession on the path.
"Ambush!"
Xu Qianhuan, at the Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation, roared, his reaction swift.
The Jade Pendant Magical Artifact at his waist instantly unfurled a cyan light shield, pushing outwards to collide directly with a portion of the incoming Magic.
"BANG! BANG! BANG..."
By the time the first wave of violent explosions rocked the surface of the cyan light shield, the three Middle Stage cultivators had only just managed to cast their first wave of Magic.
Golden Radiance Shield, Water Wall Skill, Rock Shield Skill...
They were trying to protect the people in the center.
But there were too many incoming attacks. The collision of Magic was like a burst of fireworks.
Seeing that they couldn't block everything, they hastily activated Magical Artifact Shields, Talismanic Light Shields, and more...
They focused on protecting the two Pill Masters and one Shopkeeper in their midst.
"PFFT!"
A Golden Radiance Shield at the very front was breached. An Ice Blade shot through the gap, striking the young girl named Xu Ruolan.
"Ah!"
With a short, sharp cry of pain, half of her body was sliced off. She fell from her horse into a pool of blood, her eyes open in death.
The appearance of this brutal scene threw the already chaotic formation of the central Xu Family group into even greater disarray.
One of the workers, horrified beyond belief and utterly terrified, fell from his horse. With a sickening CRACK, his leg was trampled and broken, and he began to wail endlessly.
The Ink Master and Shopkeeper Xu were also startled, but they kept their composure, activating Magical Artifacts and Talismans to protect themselves.
The Ink Master still had some strength to spare. His eyes sought out Lin Changheng as he called out urgently, "Changheng... do you have any Talismans for protection?"
But he saw that Lin Changheng had already half-dismounted, his feet still in the stirrups, his entire body tucked under the horse's belly for protection.
A Golden Shield Talisman flew from his sleeve. Before the talisman paper even hit the ground, it burned to ash, transforming into a golden shield that appeared on his other side, protecting his vitals.
'This... such a quick reaction! So agile!'
The Ink Master's old eyes widened in surprise, clearly stunned by the speed of his decision-making and the appropriateness of his response. He still used his Magical Power to fling a Lower Grade Water Curtain Talisman into Lin Changheng's hand.
"Thanks, Ink Master! You be careful too."
Lin Changheng shouted, tucking away the other Middle Grade Golden Light Talisman he had hidden in his sleeve and gripping the Water Curtain Talisman instead.
Life-saving measures shouldn't be wasted; they must be used at critical moments.
He had a nascent theory about the situation—
'These attacks may be just Low Tier techniques, but their coordination is exquisite. This is clearly a long-planned ambush!'
'I wonder if they're old enemies of the Xu Family, or if they followed us from the Marketplace to lay this trap and kill us.'