Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Ambush

Wang Yang walked cautiously toward the passage, but suddenly the mist shifted, the passage vanished without a trace, and stone walls on all sides began to close in rapidly toward the center. A chill ran down Wang Yang’s spine. He hastily formed a seal and drove a low-grade flying sword hard against one of the stone walls. With a bang, the wall dissolved into a cloud of mist and the sword cut nothing but air.

Much of Wang Yang’s spiritual power was spent, the sword strike a futile gesture. His divine sense reached into the mist but found only a gray haze—neither Ge Qian nor the man they’d been following was anywhere to be seen.

He cursed inwardly. An illusion formation! He was exposed while his enemies lurked in the shadows—he had become a sitting duck. Every moment was tense, his nerves stretched taut as he guarded against unseen attacks, his energy slowly ebbing away as he maintained a constant state of readiness.

Frustration surged in Wang Yang and he shouted, “Cowards! If you have any guts, come out and fight me fair and square! If you don’t, you’re nothing but my grandchildren!”

Not far behind, Ge Qian and Liu Jie stood watching. Ge Qian offered a faint smile and said, “Friend, how about we join forces to take down this man and split the spoils evenly?”

Liu Jie’s large eyes darted back and forth. “You take me for a fool because I’m young, don’t you? I know a thing or two about formations. After we kill him, you’ll trap me with another formation and take everything for yourself, won’t you? I might even be killed for the loot. I’m not foolish enough to fall for that.”

Ge Qian nodded. “You’re shrewd for your age. If I’m not mistaken, you’re headed to Five Peaks City as well. The Five Wolves of the Wang Clan are tough to deal with. Why not cooperate? We can look out for each other on the road.”

Liu Jie was eager to reach Five Peaks City and replied, “That’s reasonable, but we’ll both swear a heart demon oath to seal the deal.”

Ge Qian smiled. “You’re cautious to a fault. I may not be a saint, but my word is iron. Since you’re a few years younger than me, I’ll agree for your peace of mind.”

Liu Jie thought that in the world of cultivation, genuine men of integrity were rare. He promptly made the heart demon oath, and Ge Qian followed suit. The atmosphere between them relaxed considerably.

After a brief discussion, Liu Jie’s round eyes grew sharp with killing intent. He formed a seal, pointed, and his flying sword turned into a streak of light and slashed fiercely toward Wang Yang.

Wang Yang was terrified at first, but when he saw the sword strike, his tension eased. This was just what he wanted—a target, an outlet for his killing intent.

The two swords clashed, weaving up and down in a dazzling display of light. After a few exchanges, Liu Jie’s strength began to wane. Whether in swordplay or spiritual power, he was no match for Wang Yang, who was a level higher.

Wang Yang, experienced in magical duels, quickly spotted Liu Jie’s weakness. He gathered his power, formed a seal, and his sword strikes suddenly quickened.

He didn’t know why the other person still hadn’t attacked, but was certain they were lurking, waiting for an opportunity. He had to kill this one quickly, then deal with the real threat in hiding.

As Liu Jie faltered and was clearly only a few moves from death, a flying sword unexpectedly shot toward Wang Yang’s back. But Wang Yang’s divine sense was already spread wide; he detected the ambush instantly and redirected his sword to slash at the tail of the incoming blade.

Ge Qian formed a seal and sent his sword surging upstream. The two swords collided in a flash.

Wang Yang was delighted. “Overconfident fool, attacking me from behind. You’ll see what I can do. This is child's play to me—I’ll finish you with a surprise strike.” He poured his remaining energy into his flying sword.

Ge Qian changed his tactic, using the momentum to his advantage. Wang Yang’s sword was deflected to the side.

Taking the chance, Ge Qian flung out a flying needle talisman. Ten needles shot out in a flash, aiming straight at Wang Yang.

The two swords, their energies already colliding, seemed to clash with full force—yet Wang Yang suddenly felt as if his sword had hit nothing but air. He was shocked—a strange sword technique! This man was no ordinary opponent. He quickly changed his seals to recall his sword.

Just then, his divine sense flickered—ten points of light flashed before his eyes. With a scream, ten blood jets burst from his back. He collapsed, dead on the spot, eyes wide with disbelief.

Ge Qian and Liu Jie walked up to Wang Yang’s corpse. Liu Jie looked at Ge Qian with a hint of apprehension. He knew that faced with such an uncanny sword technique, even if he used all his skills, he would be hard-pressed to escape unscathed.

Ge Qian showed no courtesy. With a wave, he summoned the storage pouch to his hand, then cast a fireball to reduce the corpse to ashes.

He would never reveal his Demon Ghost Gourd to outsiders and invite trouble.

Liu Jie smiled. “Ge Daoist, your swordplay is truly unpredictable. I’m deeply impressed. You dispatched a cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Gathering in just a few moves. If we get a chance, I’d love to spar with you.”

Ge Qian, unhurried, emptied the pouch and said, “You’re too kind, Liu Daoist. It was only because you wore him down first, and my ambush was so obvious it made him overconfident. He never expected the real attack was the flying needle talisman. Honestly, it was a bit unfair. We share the credit for this kill.”

Liu Jie nodded, pleased. Ge Qian wasn’t arrogant, but humble—a rare quality. Looking at the spoils on the ground, Liu Jie’s heart leapt with joy.

There were three bottles of Bone Washing Pills, sixty low-grade spirit stones, five low-grade flying swords, one Small Restorative Pill, and two furnaces of spiritual herbs for refining Bone Washing Pills. Most exciting for Ge Qian were two main ingredients for Water Spirit Pills.

Ge Qian smiled. “I value honesty and won’t cheat you. All three bottles of Bone Washing Pills are yours, we split the spirit stones, I’ll take two swords, while the Small Restorative Pill and the remaining herbs are mine. What do you think?”

Liu Jie had come out ahead—three bottles of Bone Washing Pills were extremely valuable, while the pills would cost a lot of spirit stones to make, and Ge Qian’s image in his mind grew ever grander. He had no idea that Ge Qian was a fourth-rank low-grade alchemist.

He replied gratefully, “You’re a true gentleman. Take all the swords, and only one bottle of Bone Washing Pills. As for the two Water Spirit Herbs, could I have them? To be honest, my sister is stuck at the fifth level of Qi Gathering and needs Water Spirit Pills to break through. I’m going to Five Peaks City to find an alchemist to make her the pills. These are the main ingredients. Please, let me have them.”

Ge Qian laughed. “Even with these herbs, you can’t make Water Spirit Pills. You’re still missing several auxiliary herbs. Besides, I can guarantee that a low-grade alchemist can’t succeed, and a mid-grade alchemist’s fee would be beyond your means.”

The Mortal Path to Immortality, Chapter 38: Ambush, complete.