On the official road where the cold wind howled, a caravan consisting of dozens of carriages and horses moved forward slowly. At both the front and rear of the caravan, two Celestial Element Realm Martial Artists held the line.
In the middle, dozens of Earth Element Realm Martial Artists accompanied them, all gazing cautiously at the dense forests in every direction.
Within the caravan, Lin Huang wore coarse hemp clothing. He was dark and thin. Braving the biting cold wind, he sat at the front of a carriage, swinging his whip to strike the horses fiercely. From the luxurious carriage behind him, a refreshing, delicate fragrance wafted out from time to time.
The owner of this caravan was, naturally, the wealthiest man in the Xitang Dynasty, Jia Wanjing.
Previously, Lin Huang had asked Wang Fugui to make arrangements for him to join the escort guard, only to be met with Wang Fugui’s disdain. The minimum requirement for recruiting guards was at least the Earth Element Realm. However, Lin Huang was only at the Human Element Eighth Heaven! Even if Wang Fugui possessed immense influence, there was nothing he could do if Lin Huang’s own strength fell short. Fortunately, under Wang Fugui’s arrangement, Lin Huang became the coachman for Jia Wanjing and his daughter.
Three days had passed since the caravan left the Xitang Dynasty. During these three days, apart from the increasingly severe weather, the group had not encountered any trouble, which made Lin Huang somewhat suspicious. Although Jia Wanjing had already handed the Hundred Treasures Box over to Xuanyuan Tibing, he was, after all, its former owner and had come into direct contact with the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers. No matter what, someone should be monitoring his every move.
Yet over the past three days, Lin Huang had not noticed anyone blocking their path or tailing them. This was entirely too strange. Even if they weren’t after the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers, there should at least be someone eyeing Jia Wanjing’s wealth.
"Changsheng, tell everyone to rest here for a bit," a woman’s sorrowful voice suddenly rang out from the carriage as evening approached.
"Miss Xuanxuan, it’s getting dark. If we don’t hurry to find an inn, we’ll have to spend the night in the freezing wind!" Lin Huang frowned. This place was desolate and uninhabited, surrounded by dense forests. At a glance, it was the perfect spot for highway robbery. Resting here was definitely not a good choice.
"My father is in poor health and cannot endure the bumps any longer. Tell them the commission will be doubled, but we absolutely cannot travel any further today," the woman inside the carriage said after a moment of silence. Though her voice was gentle, her attitude was extremely resolute.
Hearing the coughing from within the carriage, Lin Huang shook his head helplessly. He then called for the group to stop and set up camp for the night.
After night fell, the crowd lit campfires to dispel the chill in the air. Only then did Jia Wanjing and his daughter step out of the carriage to eat something.
The flickering firelight in the dark night illuminated their haggard faces with a reddish glow. Jia Xuexuan wore a pale purple dress, her features as picturesque as a painting. However, her clear and beautiful face was somewhat pale and sorrowful, inciting pity. Although Jia Wanjing was slightly plump, one could tell that he had rapidly lost weight recently. His high cheekbones were exposed, his face withered, and he frequently covered his mouth to cough.
Having suddenly suffered a great disaster, both of their faces carried a trace of sorrow. As they watched the rustling snow falling into the night, they painted a picture of profound desolation.
"Master Jia, Miss Xuanxuan, the wind and cold are biting out here. You should head back to the carriage and rest early. We can handle things here," a middle-aged, bearded man said loudly, his large, bell-like eyes subtly staring at Jia Xuexuan.
Lin Huang didn’t pay attention to this. He sat near the campfire, leaning against a rock and feigning sleep, yet keeping a constant watch on every movement around him. Although their surroundings seemed peaceful, Lin Huang didn’t dare lower his guard in the slightest. This stemmed from the instinct and caution honed after being hunted by Liu Cangsheng for ten years.
In the world of Martial Artists, no one ever knew what would happen in the next moment. It was just like Jia Wanjing—one moment, he possessed unparalleled wealth, and the next, his family was destroyed and lives were lost.
The winter night was cold and silent. Aside from those keeping watch, everyone else had fallen asleep around the fires. However, Lin Huang remained vigilant. Even with Celestial Element Realm Martial Artists holding the line here, he only trusted himself.
Around midnight, Lin Huang suddenly opened his eyes.
His body remained completely still, but his cold gaze peered into the void. Deep within the drifting snow, there was a Blood Shadow. Ordinary people simply wouldn’t be able to see it, and even if they did, they wouldn’t pay it any mind.
The only reason Lin Huang could detect it was due to his innate, extreme sensitivity to danger. He felt the prying eyes from midair, and that sensation of being watched sent a chill through his entire body. As Lin Huang looked at the Blood Shadow in the void, the shadow seemed to open a pair of blood-red eyes as well, staring back at him from afar. A terrifying aura immediately followed.
Lin Huang’s expression changed drastically, and he quickly closed his eyes. He felt an incredibly evil power surge into his body, charging recklessly straight toward the depths of his sea of consciousness.
He exclaimed inwardly, "Soul Capturing Technique!"
Lin Huang guarded his mind in a panic, defending against the Soul Capturing Power. However, with his current strength, it was very difficult to fight back. The Soul Capturing Power invaded his mind as if entering an uninhabited land. With overwhelming force, it gradually seized control of his sea of consciousness.
Even while leaning next to the campfire, Lin Huang felt his entire body turn freezing cold. Once the Soul Capturing Power fully occupied his sea of consciousness, he would completely turn into a puppet at the mercy of others.
Just as Lin Huang’s defenses were about to entirely collapse, the Martial Soul in his Profound Sea suddenly trembled. A surge of power belonging to the Tyrant Path launched toward the Soul Capturing Power.
Lin Huang’s spirit was greatly invigorated. Coordinating with his Martial Soul Power, he resisted the invading Soul Capturing Power with all his might. Subsequently, his Primordial Qi circulated and followed right behind the Asura Power, chasing down the Soul Capturing Power much like a rabid dog.
It took a full half a quarter of an hour before Lin Huang let out a long sigh of relief. His entire body was drenched in sweat. Recalling what had just happened, he couldn’t help but feel a lingering fear. He was only a few breaths away from turning into a puppet, but fortunately, he had the Celestial Asura Martial Soul.
The Martial Soul Celestial Asura could slay any power that entered his body!
Feeling the pure power transformed from the Soul Capturing Power after it was devoured by the Celestial Asura, Lin Huang smiled in a daze and thought, "Is this a blessing in disguise?"
Just now, he had actually borrowed the Soul Capturing Power to slightly loosen the Profound Gate to the Human Element Ninth Heaven.
In the dark night, Lin Huang quietly opened his eyes and cautiously looked into the void once more. However, he found that the Blood Shadow had already vanished without a trace, as if it had never appeared at all.
Lin Huang then swept his gaze over the surrounding crowd, his heart full of vigilance. Since that Blood Shadow could use its soul-capturing abilities on him, could someone among these people have already fallen victim to it and become a puppet? At this thought, Lin Huang became entirely alert. He was merely a Human Element Eighth Heaven Martial Artist, and now he was likely already trapped in a Blood Cave.
Lin Huang then felt puzzled. Who was controlling that Blood Shadow? And what did they want to get from the Jia father and daughter?
During the long night, Lin Huang let out a soft sigh. He seemed to be asking for trouble. He was already facing danger from the Four Great Sects, and now he had gotten himself involved in the matter of the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers.
The night passed peacefully.
When the first light of dawn broke on the horizon, the caravan set out on the road again, heading toward the Blood Triangle. Given the peace of the previous night, many let out a long breath of relief, and their vigilance relaxed significantly. Only Lin Huang truly couldn’t relax; the danger of last night was still fresh in his mind. Now, he didn’t even dare to sleep.
In the blink of an eye, the group had been away from the Xitang Dynasty for ten days.
The journey had been smooth over these ten days, without any incidents. This caused everyone to lower their guard. They had initially thought this would be a grueling task, but in reality, aside from the wind and snow, there was no real danger.
Even Jia Xuexuan, who rarely showed her face, relaxed quite a bit, occasionally managing to squeeze out a smile. However, Jia Wanjing’s physical condition was deteriorating by the day. From the looks of it, if he weren’t consuming highly nourishing supplements every day, he probably wouldn’t have survived the bumps of this journey.
"Father, did you really give the Hundred Treasures Box to Xuanyuan Tibing?" Jia Xuexuan’s gentle voice rang out from within the carriage. Over the past few days, the father and daughter had rarely spoken, and each time, they would intentionally or unintentionally avoid the topic of the Hundred Treasures Box.
"What else could I do but give it to him? That was Xuanyuan Tibing, the current Human World Myth. Even if your father possessed unparalleled wealth, how could I possibly fight against the number one Martial Artist in the world today!" Jia Wanjing said weakly.
"But what about the one hundred and eighty-three lives of the Jia Mansion? Are we just going to let it go? The situation the Jia Family is in today is all thanks to the Xuanyuan Family’s Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers!" Jia Xuexuan said softly, her delicate yet melancholic face filled with resentment. Faced with such a monstrous blood feud and the tragic ruin of her family, even the gentlest and kindest of women would be filled with hatred.
"Xuanxuan, your father is old. I only hope that our family can live in peace from now on. Don’t think about revenge. We can’t defeat them," Jia Wanjing sighed mournfully. He seemed to harbor endless sorrow in his heart as he added, "I never want to experience a parent burying their child again."
Outside the carriage, Lin Huang listened to their conversation with complicated thoughts.
This was the helplessness of the weak. In this world where Martial Arts reigned supreme, it didn’t matter if you were loaded with money or possessed unparalleled wealth. In the face of powerful Martial Arts factions, you were insignificantly lowly.
Clearly, there were inextricably linked connections between Xuanyuan Tibing, Jia Wanjing, and the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers. In Jia Xuexuan’s eyes, the slaughter of the entire Jia Mansion was seemingly Xuanyuan Tibing’s doing. And regarding this point, Jia Wanjing hadn’t offered the slightest rebuttal.
However, Jia Wanjing’s earlier words, "We can’t defeat them," allowed Lin Huang to catch onto something. Jia Wanjing had said "them," not "him."
From this, he could deduce that the ones who wiped out the Jia Mansion were either an entire faction or Xuanyuan Tibing alongside others. But if Xuanyuan Tibing had taken action himself, why would he need anyone’s help to destroy the Jia Mansion?
This was a paradox!
He pondered, "Perhaps there is a hidden truth in all this!"
Outside the carriage, Lin Huang recalled the mysterious Blood Shadow he had encountered a few days ago and secretly speculated, "If it wasn’t Xuanyuan Tibing’s doing, then there must be a mysterious faction operating within the East Spirit Realm!
"Their destruction of the Jia Mansion must have been for the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers. Could it be that they know the true secret of the Ancient Scroll?"
While Lin Huang was deep in thought, the caravan suddenly ground to a halt. The steeds neighed loudly, and the surrounding crowd immediately went on high alert.
Lin Huang looked up, only to see a towering, treacherous mountain pass rising from the ground ahead. It looked like the gaping, bloody maw of a crouching behemoth. The entire pass stood tall amidst the mournful wind and snow, giving off an aura of desolate deadliness!
Above that pass, several figures stood indifferently in the wind. Their powerful auras repelled the falling snow, leaving them completely untouched. With impassive expressions, they looked down condescendingly at the meandering caravan below...