A week passed.
The caravan had already travelled through most of the outer region of the Ten Thousand Mountain Range, and after days of navigating the winding mountain paths, they were finally approaching the forest's exit.
The mood within the group had gradually relaxed.
The dangers they had encountered along the way were certainly not insignificant, but compared with what everyone had originally imagined, the journey had been surprisingly smooth. Apart from a few foolish robbers who had mistaken the caravan for easy prey and several fierce beasts that had attempted to attack during their journey, nothing truly troublesome had occurred.
Even the beasts had been dealt with quickly.
The escorts had already begun discussing how they would celebrate once they reached Anping County.
"Another half-day."
"At most."
"Once we leave the forest, we'll be on the official road."
Tu Bing laughed while adjusting the saber hanging from his waist.
"After that, even if someone wants to rob us, they'll have to think twice."
Several escorts laughed.
Su Yang merely smiled.
He sat near the side of the carriage, his eyes occasionally sweeping across the surrounding forest.
Something about the atmosphere felt different.
The trees were becoming thinner.
The sunlight filtering through the branches was gradually becoming brighter.
Even the road beneath their feet had become wider.
They were indeed close to the exit.
Su Yang relaxed slightly.
For the past two weeks, he had maintained a cautious state almost continuously, but even he couldn't remain tense forever.
Besides...
His cultivation had progressed considerably during this journey.
His Qi-Blood had become increasingly vigorous, and the eighteen jin tendons throughout his body were slowly being tempered toward perfection.
At present, he had already reached the Minor Achievement of Tendon Refining.
Every breath he took caused his tendons to stretch and contract rhythmically beneath his skin, while his Qi-Blood circulated through his limbs like a warm current.
He could feel it.
Another breakthrough wasn't far away.
Once the package reached Anping County...
He should be able to attempt the Major Achievement of Tendon Refining.
Su Yang's eyes contained a trace of anticipation.
Unfortunately...
He never noticed the faint movement hidden among the distant trees.
Nor did anyone else.
The caravan continued forward.
Then—
Whoosh!
A sharp sound suddenly tore through the forest.
Su Yang's pupils contracted.
"Enemy!"
Before the warning could completely leave someone's mouth—
Thud!
An arrow pierced directly through Tu Bing's chest.
The silver-badged escort's body jerked violently.
Blood sprayed from his mouth as he staggered backward.
"Tu Bing!"
The surrounding escorts were stunned.
But before anyone could react...
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
An entire rain of arrows descended from the forest.
They came from every direction.
Above.
Behind.
From both sides of the road.
Even several arrows had been fired from beneath the branches, their trajectories carefully calculated to converge upon the caravan simultaneously.
"DEFEND!"
The command erupted through the caravan.
The escorts immediately drew their weapons.
But it was too late.
The arrows struck.
Several Acquired Realm escorts were pierced before they could even raise their weapons.
Some collapsed instantly.
Others fell while clutching their limbs, their faces rapidly turning dark.
The Innate Realm escorts reacted considerably faster.
Their bodies moved like phantoms as they dodged the majority of the arrows, while several used their weapons to deflect the incoming projectiles.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Metal collided with metal.
But then—
One of the surviving escorts suddenly staggered.
His face changed.
"Poison..."
The word immediately caused everyone's expression to become solemn.
The arrows were poisoned.
And the poison was frighteningly potent.
The Acquired Realm escorts had already lost consciousness or died, while even some of the Innate Realm martial artists who had merely been grazed by the arrows could feel their Internal Energy becoming sluggish.
Su Yang's eyes narrowed.
"Everyone take the detoxification pills!"
The experienced escorts immediately understood.
They had travelled dangerous roads for years.
Naturally, they carried antidotes.
Several pills were swallowed immediately.
At almost the same moment—
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Several black daggers shot from the surrounding forest.
The surviving escorts hurriedly scattered.
The daggers flew past them before embedding themselves into the wooden carriage.
The next instant—
Figures emerged from the forest.
Black robes.
Black masks.
Cold weapons.
There were too many.
Dozens.
Then more appeared behind them.
They had clearly been waiting for this exact moment.
A black-clothed man slowly stepped forward.
His gaze swept across the weakened caravan before finally settling upon the sealed carriage.
"Surrender the package."
His voice was cold.
"You may live."
The surviving escorts exchanged glances.
The situation was obvious.
They had already lost most of their Acquired Realm members.
Several Innate Realm escorts were poisoned.
Only two Silver Badge escorts remained capable of fighting at full strength.
Under normal circumstances...
Surrendering would have been the logical choice.
But Tu Bing, despite the arrow still lodged within his chest, suddenly laughed.
"Since when..."
"Did a bunch of rats hiding in the forest become so generous?"
The black-clothed man's eyes narrowed.
"Then die."
His hand dropped.
"Kill them."
Boom!
The surrounding assassins erupted forward simultaneously.
The two Silver Badge escorts charged first.
Their Internal Energy exploded.
One carried a saber.
The other wielded a heavy iron rod.
Their attacks immediately smashed into the approaching assassins.
Clang!
Boom!
Blood splattered.
Su Yang's eyes sharpened.
He drew his sword.
His feet stepped forward.
Spring Swordplay.
The first assassin rushed toward him with a short blade.
Su Yang didn't retreat.
Instead, his sword curved gently.
Like a branch growing toward the sunlight.
The blade brushed past the assassin's weapon before sliding directly across his throat.
Blood sprayed.
The assassin collapsed.
Another figure immediately replaced him.
Su Yang twisted his waist.
His sword turned.
A gentle movement became an explosive thrust.
Pu!
The blade pierced through the second assassin's chest.
He withdrew the sword without hesitation.
Two True Qi Realm assassins.
They were no threat.
But then—
A powerful pressure suddenly descended.
Boom!
The surrounding air seemed to become heavier.
Su Yang's expression changed.
A black-clothed figure stepped forward.
His Internal Energy surged violently.
The surrounding leaves began flying backward.
"True Essence!"
The assassin's voice contained killing intent.
"You've killed enough."
His palm swept forward.
A crescent-shaped blade of Internal Energy tore through the air.
Su Yang's pupils contracted.
He immediately shifted his body sideways.
The attack grazed his shoulder before slicing through several trees behind him.
Boom!
Three enormous trees collapsed.
Su Yang's expression became serious.
True Essence.
This was an opponent several times more aggressive than himself.
But instead of retreating...
His eyes became increasingly calm.
Spring Swordplay unfolded once again.
The sword moved like a branch bending beneath the spring wind.
The aggressive slash approached.
Su Yang didn't clash with it directly.
He redirected it.
The sword tip gently touched the edge of the incoming Internal Energy before guiding it sideways.
The attack passed beside his body.
The assassin's pupils contracted.
"What?"
Su Yang stepped forward.
His sword followed.
The Spring Swordplay contained no overwhelming killing intent.
It relied upon continuous growth and momentum.
One movement connected to another.
One sword led into the next.
Like spring itself...
It appeared gentle.
Yet once the momentum accumulated...
It became difficult to stop.
Clang!
The assassin blocked the first strike.
Clang!
The second.
Then the third.
His expression gradually changed.
Su Yang's sword became faster.
Each strike seemed to contain another layer of momentum.
The assassin finally understood.
"This isn't merely Sword Technique..."
"You're using Martial Concept!"
Su Yang didn't answer.
His sword suddenly accelerated.
The assassin was forced backward.
But then—
A dagger flew from the side.
Su Yang's eyes flickered.
He immediately lowered his body.
The dagger passed above his head.
The assassin who had attacked him from behind charged forward.
Su Yang's left hand suddenly flicked.
A small packet of powder exploded directly into the man's face.
"What—"
The assassin inhaled instinctively.
His eyes immediately burned.
His vision disappeared.
"Poison!"
He staggered backward.
Su Yang's sword flashed.
Pu!
Blood sprayed from the man's throat.
He collapsed.
Su Yang immediately turned.
The battle had already become chaotic.
More assassins were emerging from the forest.
Ten.
Twenty.
Thirty.
The caravan was completely surrounded.
Su Yang's expression became increasingly solemn.
Three powerful auras appeared among the assassins.
Three True Essence cultivators.
And judging from their fluctuations...
They had clearly come prepared.
One of the Silver Badge escorts was already fighting one of them.
The second had been forced into a desperate battle against another.
The third...
Was approaching Su Yang.
The man's eyes were cold.
"Young brat."
"You have some ability."
"But..."
"You won't leave this forest alive."
His Internal Energy exploded.
The surrounding leaves were blown away.
Su Yang tightened his grip around the sword.
His heart was beating rapidly.
Yet his mind remained calm.
He couldn't defeat this opponent through brute strength.
His cultivation was too low.
His only advantage...
Was his swordplay.
And the strange insights he had gained from the Four Season Swordplay.
Spring represented growth.
Continuous momentum.
Never-ending advancement.
Su Yang slowly exhaled.
His sword lowered.
Then—
He moved.
The first sword was gentle.
The second became faster.
The third carried more force.
The fourth connected seamlessly with the fifth.
The assassin's expression changed.
"What kind of sword technique is this?"
Su Yang's sword continued forward.
Every strike seemed to build upon the previous one.
The assassin repeatedly blocked.
Yet he gradually found himself retreating.
One step.
Two.
Three.
Su Yang continued advancing.
But suddenly—
The assassin smiled coldly.
"That's enough."
His aura erupted.
The pressure of True Essence exploded outward.
Su Yang was blasted backward.
His feet dug two deep lines into the ground.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
The difference in numbers was still too large.
The assassin immediately charged.
His saber descended.
Su Yang raised his sword.
Clang!
The collision sent him sliding backward.
His wrists went numb.
Another slash.
He blocked.
Another.
He dodged.
A third struck his shoulder.
Blood appeared.
Su Yang gritted his teeth.
He couldn't continue like this.
His gaze swept across the battlefield.
The caravan was collapsing.
Several escorts had already fallen.
The two Silver Badge escorts were barely holding their opponents back.
The package...
Was still inside the carriage.
And the assassins clearly intended to seize it at any cost.
Su Yang's eyes gradually became cold.
If he wanted to survive...
He had to break through their formation.
His sword suddenly changed.
Spring disappeared.
The next movement carried a trace of Summer.
Explosive.
Violent.
Overwhelming.
Boom!
His Qi-Blood erupted.
His muscles expanded.
His sword suddenly became several times heavier.
The True Essence assassin's expression changed as Su Yang's sword smashed toward him.
"Get back!"
Clang!!
The collision produced a deafening sound.
The assassin was forced backward several steps.
Su Yang immediately followed.
One sword.
Two.
Three.
The Summer Swordplay erupted with overwhelming force.
The assassin's expression finally became serious.
"You..."
"How can an External Martial Artist possess this much strength?"
Su Yang didn't answer.
He continued attacking.
But while he was forcing the assassin backward...
Another figure quietly appeared behind him.
A cold blade descended.
Su Yang sensed it at the final moment.
He twisted his body.
The blade pierced his side instead of his heart.
Blood flowed.
Su Yang's pupils became cold.
He grabbed the assassin's wrist.
Then—
Bang!
His forehead smashed into the man's face.
The assassin staggered.
Su Yang's sword immediately swept across his throat.
Another body collapsed.
But the situation remained unchanged.
There were simply too many enemies.
Su Yang looked toward the distant forest exit.
They were close.
Very close.
If they could break through...
They could escape.
But the assassins clearly understood this as well.
More figures began blocking the road.
Then—
A terrifying aura descended.
The entire battlefield became silent.
The black-clothed assassin standing at the rear slowly stepped forward.
Unlike the others...
He carried no ordinary weapon.
Only a thin black sword.
His aura was oppressive.
Su Yang's expression changed.
Xuan Gang!!!!
The pressure was suffocating as the Gang Field was unleashed.
The man's eyes swept across the battlefield.
"Enough."
"All of you..."
"Step aside."
The surviving assassins immediately retreated.
The Xuan Gang assassin slowly raised his sword.
His gaze settled upon Su Yang.
"You've exceeded my expectations."
"But..."
"This is where you die."
Su Yang's pupils contracted.
His fingers tightened around the sword.
The gap between True Essence and Xuan Gang...
Was enormous.
He couldn't fight this man.
Not yet.
But then he remembered the jade container hidden within his robes.
His master had given him several strange Rank explosive orbs before he left.
Lin Sheng's instructions had been simple.
"Only use them when you're facing an opponent you absolutely cannot defeat."
Su Yang's hand quietly entered his robe.
The Xuan Gang assassin moved.
His figure disappeared.
A black sword descended.
Su Yang's eyes widened.
He threw himself backward while simultaneously pulling out the small orb.
"Now!"
He smashed the orb directly toward the assassin.
Boom!!
A terrifying explosion erupted.
Brilliant light swallowed the forest.
The Xuan Gang assassin's expression changed for the first time.
The orb exploded directly before him.
Violent energy tore through his Gang Qi.
His protective aura shattered.
Blood sprayed from his mouth as his body was blasted backward.
Su Yang didn't hesitate.
"Everyone!"
"Run!"
The surviving escorts immediately rushed toward the forest exit.
Su Yang followed.
Behind them...
The Xuan Gang assassin slowly emerged from the smoke.
His robes were torn.
Blood stained the corner of his mouth.
His eyes were filled with disbelief.
"A Rank Two explosive artifact..."
"How does this caravan possess something like that?"
But by the time he recovered...
Su Yang and the remaining escorts had already crossed the boundary of the forest.
The assassin stared toward their disappearing figures.
His expression became cold.
"Forget it."
"The package has been delayed."
"We'll report back."
Meanwhile...
Su Yang continued running.
His side was still bleeding.
His Qi-Blood was violently circulating as he suppressed his injuries.
Yet his heart was beating with strange excitement.
They had survived.
The package was still safe.
And Anping County...
Was already ahead.
He didn't know what was inside the sealed package.
He didn't know why so many powerful assassins had risked their lives to seize it.
He certainly didn't know...