Tumor Sword Immortal

Chapter 137 Encounter on a narrow road

The blockade was probably just to block the passage; the scene on the other side of the boulder was no different from the outside.

Everyone seemed a little nervous as they walked through that complex Five Constraints Formation.

Han Youzhi was much calmer. She had walked this road several times before when she was sending people off. She raised her hand, lit up her spiritual light, and still walked at the front.

"The stone path is 120 li long. Beyond it lies a desolate, uninhabited mountain. Based on previous experience, it should be relatively safe."

Han's childish voice echoed in the empty cave: "I'm only responsible for taking you to the other side of the cave entrance. After that, you'll have to walk on your own. I won't be responsible if anything happens."

Upon hearing this, some people in the group changed their expressions.

After all, three hundred taels is already a considerable sum of money for some second-level Su Masters. If the person who introduced Han Youzhi had not explained things clearly beforehand, it would be hard not to suspect that she was trying to rip people off.

But so what?
Sensing a commotion behind her, Han Youzhi only needed to turn around and glance at her. Under the light of the spiritual light, her beautiful face carried a hint of coldness, which was enough to suppress all the noise.

At the peak of the Transformation Realm and a Fifth-Level Master, Pei Xia wouldn't dare to provoke her.

“We’ll stop here and continue on our way. You can leave the mountain, and I’ll go home.”

A ray of light floated beside Han Youzhi, faintly illuminating the cave.

Pear nestled on Pei Xia's head, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Teach me that formation-breaking method later, okay?"

She knew Pei Xia was a treacherous beast; although the seventh realm's method of breaking the formation was profound, it could not escape the treacherous beast's eyes.

Pei Xia simply hummed in agreement. The transition from the fifth to the sixth realm was very difficult, and Lu Li needed to learn from her experiences.

However, his attention was not on that at all at the moment.

A 120-mile mountain road would be an enormous project even in modern society. Even with the help of top-tier cultivators, it would probably take King Xiao several years to complete its excavation.

This could not possibly have been a passage dug out by the Northern Barbarians after they migrated south to return home. Otherwise, it would be inexplicable why such a high-level formation as the Five-Binding Formation would be used to seal it off.

Is there some secret?

Pei Xia ran his fingers across the cave wall, and a surge of energy emanated from his fingertips, like a hot knife piercing into oil and sinking into the stone wall.

The spiritual energy then dissipated into the soil.

But after walking for a long time, they still found nothing.

That's right. The stone path is open, which means that King Xiao's project is complete. If he had any purpose, perhaps he has already achieved it.

Even if there were some traces left, Han Youzhi should have discovered them long ago after going back and forth several times; it wasn't his place to investigate.

Forget it, I shouldn't think about it too much. What I really need to think about is getting through the blockade by the Northern Barbarians, heading to Dongyou, and finding a ship to cross the sea.

The stone path was very clean, neither damp nor smelly, which was probably due to the formation. The path was flat and even easier to walk on than many dirt roads outside.

The lighting was dim and there were no landmarks, so people could only judge how long they had walked by feeling their bodies, and then estimate how far they had traveled.

Among the group were elderly vegetarians who were not walking very fast. Perhaps around the middle of the journey, some of them began to complain that they could not keep up.

Han Youzhi was very fierce, but when she saw the old man rubbing his feet with a pained expression, she pursed her lips and waved her hand, saying, "Never mind, never mind, let's rest for a while."

Having been a warrior for so long, they have no concept of what 120 li (approximately 60 kilometers) means. Even for a strong and robust young man, it would take seven or eight hours to walk that distance.

Everyone felt as if they had been granted a pardon, and they all found a place to sit down in the cave and took out the dry food and water they had brought with them.

Pei Xia and Li Zi were introduced by the young pharmacist, so they had little information and weren't prepared. Han Youzhi glanced at them, then reluctantly walked over and took out a wrapped dry biscuit from her pocket, handing it to them.

The pear's eyes lit up, and it took the pear and started eating it right away.

Han Youzhi glanced at Pei Xia with disdain: "Going out with a child, you don't even know how to be thoughtful, you rough man."

Pei Xiazhen never expected that she would be called "rough" by Han Youzhi.

He pointed with his finger: "You want to be detailed, huh? Then let me ask you, do you know that your business is almost finished?"

Han Youzhi blinked: "How so?"

"The young vegetarian who brought me here is only at the second level of cultivation. He's practically a complete novice in cultivation. The fact that he was able to lead me here shows that you're starting to become famous."

Pei Xia, also considering the dry rations and blankets, reminded her, "You won't be able to do this job once you become famous, otherwise trouble will befall you, understand?"

The northern barbarians set up checkpoints, and you crawled through tunnels. What, are you not submitting to the king's rule?
Han Youzhi reached out her slender fingers to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes darting around as she thought for a moment: "W-Will it?"

Yes, yes.

Han Youzhi was only being stubborn in front of Pei Xia. For a mere Saint-level cultivator in white to sneak into the Central Plains of Youzhou, she was either cautious or at least timid, or simply lucky.

After resting, the group set off again.

This time, not long after she left, Pei Xia silently swallowed the thought of "good luck" back into her heart.

Because from the other side of the passage came the sound of footsteps coming from the opposite direction.

Several vegetarian masters stared at Han Youzhi in astonishment: Wasn't it supposed to be an exclusive channel?
Pei Xia tilted her ear and listened carefully to the sounds coming from the other end of the empty stone path. She said, "The footsteps are dense, there are more people than us, and they landed steadily. They are likely all martial arts cultivators."

Upon hearing this, the vegetarian masters' expressions turned even uglier.

Most of them were below the fourth realm, with weak combat strength and almost no experience in fighting others.

The only one at the fifth realm, whose magical abilities are still not conducive to combat.

For a time, they could only place all their hopes on Han Youzhi, this senior who practiced dual cultivation.

Han Youzhi listened to Pei Xia's words, and her expression was also very unpleasant.

"That's impossible. I got the information about the secret passage in Zhu County and the unraveling of the formation by exchanging ten 'calculation cores'. Could it be that that guy traded it to someone else again?"

Han Youzhi pondered for a moment, but finding no answer, she could only turn to Pei Xia and ask, "Who do you think it could be?"

Although this young master of the Prime Minister's mansion had only average cultivation level, he seemed to have a wealth of experience in the martial arts world. When she couldn't make up her mind, she subconsciously asked him for advice.

Pei Xia stroked his chin: "A dozen or so martial artists banding together, they are not just idle cultivators. They must be organized and have power. You also said that there is a sealing formation on the other side of the stone path. If it is a sect from Youzhou, they can break the formation. The possibility is too low. I tend to think it is the Northern Barbarian military."

In fact, while Pei Xia was speaking, Han Youzhi gradually realized this as well.

She didn't deduce it from logic, but rather from the fact that the group at the other end of the passage had clearly noticed their presence and were speeding up their approach. As their footsteps became more frequent, a series of metallic clanging sounds echoed through the empty stone passage.

It's normal for martial arts practitioners to carry weapons, but such a subtle sound could only come from armor.

Pei Xia had no intention of adding fuel to the fire, but out of good intentions, he still offered a reminder: "If it's the military, the person who comes might be a military strategist."

In military strategy, the concept of "one orthodox and three unorthodox" is synonymous with combat effectiveness.

If it were a killer who could kill a thousand people, Han Youzhi, at the peak of the Transformation Realm, would still have a fighting chance. But if it were a killer who could kill ten thousand people, she would be considered very capable if she could escape!
(End of this chapter)