Chapter 33: Lurking Ambush

Clang!

A sword swung down.

In a life-or-death moment, the swordsman focused all his strength into his blade and deflected the strike with its side, causing sparks to fly. The force of the impact left the swordsman’s face even paler, a trickle of blood appearing at the corner of his mouth.

“Haha! This is the price for defying me.”

With a swift motion, the burly man wielded his golden-bladed ring saber once more, forcing the swordsman to retreat continuously. Soon, the burly attacker delivered a powerful kick to the swordsman’s chest.

Chen Luo did not witness the rest of the battle; instead, he seized the opportunity amidst their clash to swiftly distance himself from the scene.

The burly man’s relentless strikes severely injured the swordsman’s internal organs. Although the swordsman narrowly avoided fatal damage, there was no way to reverse his deteriorating condition. His energy, replenished by medicinal pills, rapidly depleted, making defeat inevitable.

After leaving the mountain ravine, Chen Luo followed the clues from his memories, activating General Fan’s ‘brain’ to navigate towards the location of the jade mine.

As he ventured deeper, it grew increasingly quiet.

The nighttime forest brimmed with dangers, but for Chen Luo, the greatest peril came from other martial arts experts. Fortunately, they were still on the outskirts, yet to pinpoint the exact location.

After about an hour, as dawn began to break, Chen Luo stopped at a valley. According to his memory, this was where the Qing Ya County Magistrate had discovered the mine entrance.

Due to the presence of unique spirit minerals, the County Magistrate silenced everyone present and promptly reported it to Prince Ning. What happened afterward remained known only to him. General Fan, upon arriving later, uncovered this location through covert investigations by his subordinates.

Chen Luo managed to find this spot by utilizing Magistrate Lou’s letter, Third Uncle’s assistance in locating the feng shui meridian points, along with insights from General Fan’s knowledge. Combining these elements allowed him to arrive here ahead of others.

“The intersection of sun and moon.”

Chen Luo leaped onto a high platform and patiently awaited the appointed time.

This spirit mine was not just any ordinary cave; entry required a specific moment aligned with celestial events. When Chen Luo first learned of this, he was astounded but quickly became even more exhilarated.

Such a mystical phenomenon undoubtedly indicated involvement from legendary cultivators.

His path of exploration was indeed on the right track!

The journey to becoming a Zongshi seemed arduous, leaving his hopes firmly placed in cultivation.

With no one around, Chen Luo once again took out the jade booklet to study its contents. Although he had memorized it by heart, holding the jade booklet gave him a peculiar sensation, especially when accessing the knowledge of the imperial lineage, intensifying the feeling even further.

‘The Heavenly Dao operates without accumulation, thus all things come into being.’

These familiar words resurfaced in his mind, guiding him into a wondrous state - neither fully dreaming nor completely awake.

In this altered consciousness, Chen Luo replayed the encounter between the burly man and the sword-wielding figure, instantly grasping aspects that were previously unclear.

Zongshi!

It was more about embodying a realm.

Compared to them, what he lacked was a sense of intent, a mysterious power hidden within their bloodlines. Zongshi possess this enigmatic force, allowing them to harness their inner qi fully, thereby unleashing capabilities far beyond the Bone Tempering Realm. For those in the Bone Tempering Realm, their inner qi is akin to stagnant water; each activation requires conscious effort. In contrast, a Zongshi’s inner qi is ‘alive,’ capable of actively defending itself. The so-called “Zongshi’s True Qi Protection” is a manifestation of this activated inner qi.

With this realization, Chen Luo began contemplating his path to becoming a Zongshi.

However, as he pondered, he soon hit a dead end, finding no clear direction.

Creating something from nothing was beyond his current level of understanding. To truly grasp the essence of the Zongshi’s path, he first needed to become one himself. But if he had already achieved that status, why would he need to deduce its principles? It was akin to the age-old question of whether the chicken or the egg came first.

This revelation left Chen Luo momentarily stunned.

Was he stuck in an endless loop?

“Oxie, hang on, don’t you dare die!” A sudden voice interrupted Chen Luo’s thoughts. Looking towards the sound, he saw Old Man Tian, visibly anxious, dragging his nephew up the mountain. By sheer luck, while others struggled to find the valley, these few stumbled upon it accidentally.

“Fifth Uncle, just leave me behind.”

“Bullshit! If I let your father see me abandoning you, he’d skin me alive.” Enraged by such words, Old Man Tian forcefully smacked the back of his nephew’s head. Had it not been for the young man’s injuries, the blow would have been even harder.

“Fang Cun, Fang Shan, quickly support my Fifth Uncle and let’s move out. It was my fault this happened to him. If only I had listened earlier, we wouldn’t be in such dire straits.” Breathing heavily, Tian Daniu realized he couldn’t persuade his uncle, so he turned to address his two brothers.

Even Chen Luo, hidden on the raised platform, observed clearly.

Tian Daniu’s leg bore an arrow, from which blood gushed steadily. Only someone with his rugged constitution could endure such bleeding without fainting.

“Boss,”

The two guards hesitated upon hearing Tian Daniu’s command. Having been brought up together by Tian Daniu from the same village, they naturally dared not harm Old Man Tian.

“Don’t waste time, hurry up and help me! Once those two devils finish their fight behind us, none of us will survive.”

Impatiently, Old Man Tian kicked the young men, urging them to assist and quicken their pace.

This scene brought amusement to Chen Luo.

Dragons have their paths, rats theirs as well.

Without delving further, it was evident that Old Man Tian’s survival skills far surpassed those of his nephew, Tian Daniu. No wonder he dared to take jobs along this treacherous route; his reflexes were swift. Earlier, he must have been momentarily intimidated by Tian Daniu, otherwise, he would have fled alongside Chen Luo much sooner.

“Lucky fellow indeed,” Chen Luo muttered, unable to suppress a smile.

Unable to contain himself, Chen Luo burst out laughing.

For now, comprehending the path of a Zongshi seemed elusive, so he decided not to dwell on it. After all, he had no intention of pursuing this route relentlessly. Perhaps with some luck, he could skip martial cultivation altogether and directly become a cultivator.

“Who’s there?!”

Chen Luo’s sudden voice startled everyone below, prompting Fang Cun and Fang Shan to instantly draw their swords.

However, Chen Luo paid them no further attention after that single utterance, choosing instead to continue studying the jade booklet. Although he couldn’t fully grasp its contents, pondering over it might still prove beneficial.

Besides, having already perfected the Black Tiger Fist, he currently had nothing else to occupy his time.

Although he remained silent, the group below noticed him, especially Old Man Tian, who reacted as if seeing his own father. With a thud, he fell to his knees.

“Great Hero, please save us!”

Throughout their journey, Chen Luo had saved Old Man Tian from danger multiple times. When they parted ways from the caravan, Chen Luo even warned him specifically, but blinded by foolishness, he trusted his nephew’s stupidity, leading to their current predicament.

“This place may not be entirely safe either.”

Setting aside the jade booklet, Chen Luo kindly cautioned the four individuals.

His words were genuine.

This location was the entrance to a spirit mine, and when the appointed time arrived, unusual phenomena would undoubtedly occur. Once that happens, powerful experts will surely come to investigate, transforming this area into a battlefield akin to hell on earth.