You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

Su Meng's voice was filled with anxiety.

"The Peregrine's right thruster was damaged and its shield collapsed, but it can still fly. I'm fine."

As Chen Yang answered, he spread his divine sense like mercury across the ground, carefully scanning the side path and the surrounding rock walls. Sure enough, in several hidden recesses in the rock walls, he detected faint signs of life and energy fluctuations—infantry lying in ambush!
"There's an ambush. They must be cultivators who used covert methods."

Chen Yang said in a low voice, slowly reducing the speed of the "Peregrine Falcon," which looked severely damaged and unable to maintain high-speed flight.

Just as the Peregrine Falcon was about to pass through what appeared to be an ordinary rock face depression, a sudden change occurred!

Five dark figures sprang up from the shadows of the rock wall like ghosts! They were dressed in black, tight-fitting combat suits that blended almost into the night, and wore hideous ghost masks on their faces. Their movements were incredibly swift.

What they held in their hands were not firearms, but strangely shaped melee weapons that shimmered with a dark light—scimitars, rapiers, and splitting daggers, their blades flowing with light that was clearly coated with poison or protective runes!

The five worked together seamlessly. Two of them leaped into the air and attacked the "Peregrine" cockpit, while two others flanked from the left and right, blocking any escape routes. The third person landed behind them, forming a hand seal. A chilling mental wave instantly spread out, attempting to directly impact Chen Yang's sea of ​​consciousness!

"I'm waiting for you!"

Chen Yang's eyes flashed with a sharp light. The moment the opponent pounced, he did not try to dodge or activate the damaged thrusters. Instead, he slammed his palm on the emergency ejection button on the canopy!

"boom!"

The sturdy hatch exploded, and Chen Yang's figure, like a wisp of smoke, was ejected from the cockpit at the last second, narrowly avoiding the two poisoned blades that were thrusting straight at him!
The damaged Peregrine Falcon, having lost control, wobbled and crashed into the nearby rock wall, exploding into a fireball. The scattered debris forced the men in black to temporarily dodge.

While Chen Yang was still in mid-air, before he landed, the Qingwei Yuanjiang Great Technique was already operating at full power, dispelling the cold spiritual impact that had invaded his sea of ​​consciousness.

He already held the Xuan Sword in his hand, its blade gleaming with a hazy light.

"This is a tough one! Form ranks!"

The leader of the men in black, who was lagging behind and responsible for mental interference, shouted sharply, his voice hoarse and unpleasant.

The five men in black quickly changed positions, forming a simple combined attack formation that surrounded Chen Yang, who had just landed.

The spiritual light emanating from them varied in depth, revealing them to be cultivators! Moreover, judging from the refinement of their auras and the ruthlessness and decisiveness of their attacks, they were no ordinary people; they were at least at the mid-to-late stage of Foundation Establishment. The leader even faintly exuded the aura of a Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivator or even a Pseudo-Core cultivator!
What caught Chen Yang's attention even more was that their eyes were flashing with an abnormal, crazed red light, their muscles were bulging, and their veins were bulging. They had obviously used some kind of drug to forcibly stimulate their potential and enhance their combat power, just like the black-clad assassins he had encountered before, but their aura was even more violent and powerful!

"For the Holy Lord! Kill!"

At the leader's command, the five men moved in unison, their blades flashing and carrying sharp winds and strange energy fluctuations as they attacked Chen Yang from all directions! Their attacks were ruthless and direct, a fight to the death, and combined with the strange formation, they even made Chen Yang feel a bit of pressure for a moment.

The Xuan Sword flashed, its sword energy crisscrossing, constantly colliding with the opponent's weapon, producing a piercing metallic clang.

Chen Yang discovered that these people's weapons were made of a special, extremely hard material, and the eerie light emanating from them did indeed have the effect of weakening protective true energy and eroding the mind. If it weren't for the extraordinary nature of the Xuan Sword itself, coupled with his pure and profound magical power, he probably would have suffered a minor loss.

"We can't delay any longer!"

Chen Yang's mind raced.

This is still enemy-controlled territory. The explosions and fighting just now will soon attract more enemies. We must finish this quickly!

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and his internal magical power circulated rapidly along a mysterious path as he uttered a low shout.

"Mysterious Yin Decree: Wandering souls and ghosts, heed my command—Suppress!"

The Profound Yin Soul-Seizing and Spirit-Severing Technique!

In an instant, centered on Chen Yang, an invisible wave carrying extreme cold and a powerful attraction suddenly spread out! This canyon was already desolate and lifeless, having buried countless lives. Now, drawn by this Yin Law technique that governs souls, a chilling wind suddenly swept through!

"Uuuuuu——"

"Ho ho..."

Faint, chilling cries, whispers, and wails rose from nowhere, and blurry, distorted, grayish-white phantoms, exuding resentment and gloom, were forcibly pulled out from the cracks in the rocks, from the ground, and from the air!

They had no clear consciousness, only residual instincts and fear and desire for the yang energy of the living and the magic power of the spellcaster. Driven by Chen Yang, they were like piranhas that smelled blood, frantically rushing towards the five men in black!

"what?!"

"Ghost?!"

The five men in black were terrified.

The medicines and techniques they used were biased towards evil and violent, and should have a certain resistance to these ghosts and spirits. However, the number of these wandering ghosts summoned by Chen Yang was large, and they were enhanced by the Xuan Yin Technique, which was full of chaotic corrosive power, specifically designed to interfere with the mind and erode the protective spiritual light!

In an instant, ghostly figures loomed around them, and shrill screams assaulted their eardrums and souls, while icy, bone-chilling yin energy relentlessly tried to penetrate their bodies.

Their formation immediately fell into disarray, and their offensive stalled. They had to divert some of their attention and energy to defend against these annoying ghosts.

"It's now!"

Chen Yang spotted an opening, and the sword light of the Xuan Sword shone brightly. The clear and subtle sword energy was as fine as silk, and silently pierced through the protective aura of a black-clad man on the left who was moving slightly slower because he was possessed by a ghost, and accurately pierced into his throat!
"Uh……"

The man in black stared wide-eyed, the red light in his eyes quickly dimmed, and the curved knife in his hand clattered to the ground.

Chen Yang's swordplay continued unabated, his body moving with the sword, weaving among the remaining four men in black like a ghost. With the ghosts restraining him, the pressure on him was greatly reduced, and his swordsmanship was displayed to its fullest extent. Every strike was cunning and ruthless, aimed directly at vital points.

"puff!"

"Hey!"

Two more muffled thuds of blades piercing flesh and the sound of protective aura shattering followed. The two men in black clutched their bleeding chests and necks, collapsing unwillingly.

"Bastard!"

The leader's eyes widened in fury. He roared and suddenly pulled out a scarlet potion, plunging it into his own neck!
His aura surged again instantly, his muscles bulged so much that his combat suit ripped, his eyes glowed red as if they were about to bleed, and the strange rapier in his hand burst out with a ghastly green light, carrying a fierce momentum of mutual destruction as he charged toward Chen Yang!
The other surviving man in black also joined the attack frantically.

Chen Yang's eyes were cold. He neither flinched nor dodged. The clear light flowed on his Xuan Sword. He pointed out with his sword. It seemed slow, but in fact, he instantly met the leader's pale green stab!
"Ding--!"

A crisp, resounding clang rang out! The leader's rapier, clearly a magical artifact, had its tip slightly bent by the touch of the Xuan Sword! Chen Yang flicked his wrist, and a tremendous force traveled along the blade, causing the leader's hand to crack and the rapier to fly out of his grasp! At the same time, Chen Yang's left hand formed a hand seal, and a condensed palm lightning bolt struck another black-clad man attacking from the side without warning, striking him squarely in the face!
"what!"

The man in black screamed and fell backward, his face charred black.

Seeing this, the leader knew he was no match for them, and without hesitation turned to flee, while his other hand reached for his waist, as if he wanted to detonate something.

"Want to leave? It's too late!"

How could Chen Yang let him have his way? With a thought, he instantly summoned the remnant spirit of the woman who had been hiding in the side, waiting for an opportunity to strike!
The woman's remnant spirit appeared without warning, gently blowing a breath at the fleeing leader.

There was no sound, no light or shadow, but the leader's fleeing movements suddenly froze, his eyes instantly became empty and confused, and a strange expression that seemed to be both sad and happy appeared on his face, as if he had fallen into some kind of inescapable illusion, and even his self-destruction action stopped.

Chen Yang took a step forward, and the Xuan Sword flashed like lightning, slicing across his neck.

A head wearing a ghost mask flew up, the headless corpse swayed, and collapsed to the ground.

The battle, from start to finish, lasted only two or three minutes. All five powerful black-clad cultivators, who had used enhancement potions, were annihilated.

Chen Yang breathed slightly, then sheathed his Xuan Sword. Summoning and controlling a large number of ghosts had taken a toll on his spiritual energy, and the battle just now had required his full strength.

He quickly scanned the battlefield and confirmed that there were no survivors.

"Thank you for your hard work. Go back and rest now."

Chen Yang nodded to the remnant female spirit floating beside him. The remnant female spirit nodded slightly, her figure faded, and she returned to the Sumeru Space on her own.

Chen Yang immediately took action, throwing the five corpses, along with their fallen weapons, into the Sumeru Space. He instructed the female remnant spirit inside to guard them carefully to prevent any self-destruct mechanisms on the corpses or to prevent them from being remotely tracked.

After doing all this, he glanced at the detector. Only five android dot lights remained, and they were widely scattered, being surrounded and intercepted by the enemy. They probably wouldn't last much longer.

Without further hesitation, he identified the direction of the other exit of the canyon, used his movement technique to swiftly disappear like a wisp of smoke, and no longer relied on any vehicle.

He was incredibly fast, and in less than ten minutes he burst out of the canyon, where he found himself in a rolling hilly area.

The terrain here is more open than the canyon, but that also means it's easier to be spotted. At the same time, the undulating terrain provides more possible ambush points.

Chen Yang slowed his pace, activating the stealth function of the "Shadow Stalker" node to its maximum, while simultaneously concentrating his divine sense, scanning everything around him like a radar.

He moved silently through the shadows of the hills like a vigilant cheetah.

He knew he had successfully drawn a large number of enemies, wiped out an elite ambush squad, and destroyed their pre-positioned artillery positions. The enemy would not let this go easily; a larger encirclement was likely unfolding in this hilly area.

He was neither in a hurry to go deeper nor to get away. Instead, he chose a relatively secluded high point from which he could observe his surroundings and lay in ambush.

He would wait, wait for the enemy to come to him, wait for further news from Luanhuang, or wait for an opportunity to completely tie down the enemy's main force here.

Sure enough, not long after, the detector transmitted Su Meng's communication, which was slightly noisy, indicating that the signal had been interfered with.

"Sect Leader Chen... how are things on your end? The signal... was just interrupted by strong interference... and dropped..."

Chen Yang responded in a low voice.

"I'm fine. I took down five ambushing cultivators and have already left the canyon. I'm currently in the hilly area. How are Jiang He and Luan Huang doing?"

"Minister Jiang's forces have attracted about one-fifth of the total enemy strength, and they are currently engaged in combat. The pressure is considerable, but they are holding on. The Phoenix Team..."

The signal is weak, but a fragment of information has just been transmitted back. They have successfully connected to a secondary data link of the enemy and are attempting to crack the core area's defense map... Progress is going well!

Su Meng's voice was initially excited, but then turned to worry.

"Sect Leader Chen, you have entered their heavily fortified hilly artillery zone! The automatic defense turrets and sensor minefields here are very dense!"
Furthermore, according to the energy scan, at least two squadrons of mobile forces are closing in on your approximate location! This is extremely dangerous! I suggest you evacuate immediately via the alternative route!

Chen Yang's gaze swept over the outlines of the automated turrets disguised as rocks, which were faintly visible among the distant hills, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Evacuate? No, Director Su, please give Luanhuang another push. Tell them that I'll find a way to invite most of the remaining 'guests' over here!"

"Sect Leader Chen! You..."

Su Meng wanted to persuade her again.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Keep in touch and let me know about Luanhuang's progress."

After Chen Yang finished speaking, he temporarily suspended close contact, but kept the signal channel open.

He stood up and looked into the depths of the hills, where, according to the edge scan of the detector and the vague sensation of his divine sense, an aura mixed with violence, coldness, and killing intent was surging towards the area where he was like a tide.

In the air, the hum of rotors cutting through the air and the low roar of jet engines could be heard.

Chen Yang flexed his wrist, and the Xuan Sword reappeared in his hand, its blade reflecting the night sky above the hills, which was gradually being dyed red by firelight and searchlights.

"The feast has only just begun."

He muttered to himself, his figure blending into the shadows, and quietly moved towards the direction from which the enemy was closing in.

Chen Yang's figure darted through the shadows of the hills, not fleeing in a straight line, but deliberately taking a roundabout route, gradually leading the pursuers—a mix of ground vehicles, low-flying aircraft, and cultivators—to the entrance of another, deeper and more winding canyon not far away.

The terrain there was rugged and the rocks were jagged, making it more complex than the previous one.

"Whoosh whoosh—!"

Energy beams and physical projectiles continuously fired from behind and flanks, exploding on the rocks around Chen Yang, sending debris flying and filling the air with dust. There were even precise snipers attempting to lock onto his movement trajectory.

However, Chen Yang's movements were as elusive as a ghost. Combined with the interference of the "Shadow Hunter" node and his own powerful divine sense prediction, most of these ranged attacks missed. Occasionally, those that got close were blocked by his protective Qingwei magic power or Xuan Sword, at most causing his blood and qi to churn slightly, but they could not cause any substantial damage.

He was like a slippery eel, weaving through a hail of bullets, always maintaining a distance that was both close and distant. (End of Chapter)