The Transmigrator’s Cultivation

Arc 21: Breaking Through Nascent Soul Stage | Chapter 397: Ambush

Xu Ziqing frowned. Whoever had released this insect onto him must have been within three feet of him, and it must have been done within a few hours… Aside from his shixiong, there was only that Wei Huan. There were no other possibilities. He had no grudges with Wei Huan; why would he want to harm him like this?

Yun Lie picked up the jade talisman with his fingers; with just a thought, the sword intent within could destroy it.

Seeing this, Xu Ziqing hurriedly interjected, “Shixiong, wait.”

Yun Lie raised his eyes to look at him.

Xu Ziqing continued, “We don’t know if Wei Huan is connected to this creature. If he dies, it might be discovered.”

Upon hearing this, Yun Lie refrained from acting and instead stored the jade talisman in his storage ring.

Xu Ziqing pondered in his heart, wondering if Wei Huan thought they had found relics and treasures, igniting his greed. That would be rather reckless. Moreover, the Yinhui Worm only harmed him; it was possible that Yun Lie could have sensed something, so what good would it do?

… No, that’s not right.

Xu Ziqing suddenly felt a shock: “Shixiong, you need to check! If I’m afflicted by this Yinhui Worm, how could he let you go?”

Yun Lie nodded slightly and closed his eyes to investigate.

It wasn’t that Xu Ziqing didn’t want to act like his shixiong had just done; it was just that his primordial spirit wasn’t as strong as Yun Lie’s. He had also sustained some damage earlier, making it truly inconvenient.

Before long, Yun Lie opened his eyes, and a fine thread slowly extended from his brow.

The thread was stiff and lifeless.

Seeing this, Xu Ziqing let out a sigh of relief.

It turned out that because Yun Lie had refined his sword soul, his primordial spirit was filled with sword intent. The Yinhui Worm could indeed devour the primordial spirit, but upon encountering the sword intent, it was instantly crushed.

Thus, nothing in this world was without a way to counter it. While the Yinhui Worm posed a significant threat to others, if it was detected, destroying it wasn’t difficult—it just needed to be forced out of the primordial spirit, and there would be no need to fear it.

However, anger surged within him; that person not only wanted to harm him but also intended to harm his shixiong!

If it wasn’t for greed and the desire to kill, then there must have been enmity between them!

Though one of the two worms was dead, if the person casting the spell remained unaware, that would be fine. But if they discovered it… Xu Ziqing contemplated; it might not matter. As long as one of the worms was still alive, their scheme wouldn’t be considered a complete failure. He also knew his shixiong was a sword cultivator, so he would probably just be on guard and wouldn’t easily give up. When they met, as long as he kept calm and acted well, they should be able to gain something. What worried him was if that person had set a trap and if there were higher-level cultivators involved…

After thinking through all of this, Xu Ziqing shared everything with Yun Lie.

Yun Lie paused for a moment and said, “If there’s anything unusual, you should release Rongjin and not leave my side.”

Xu Ziqing nodded, “If anything seems off, I will flee immediately.”

Naturally, the two made further preparations. There were many puppets in the ruins, so Yun Lie chose several from the Divine Transformation Stage and the Nascent Soul Stage, placing spirit stones within them, learning the hand seals, and using his blood to recognize them as his own. With such powerful means, even if they only bought themselves a little time, it would be enough for them to escape.

Therefore, no matter what methods they employed, even against high-level cultivators of the Great Ascension Stage, they could release those giant puppets, making it difficult for their enemies to prevail and ensuring their escape.

Given this, Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie lost interest while watching the auction.

Though the atmosphere at the venue was extremely lively, for the two of them, their minds were calm and undisturbed.

As the auction neared its end, Xu Ziqing felt settled and even competed with others to bid on some ancient, undeveloped spiritual herbs and obtained some spiritual wood that only had its trunk left. The rest of the items didn’t attract their attention.

Gradually, the auction came to an end.

It had only taken about three to four hours.

Leaving the auction venue, Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie arrived at a corner where they removed their hoods.

The two then walked hand in hand toward the tavern across the street.

And there, Wei Huan was indeed waiting in front of the building.

Seeing him, Xu Ziqing felt a sense of displeasure in his heart.

If he had felt some sense of camaraderie toward this person before, it was now entirely gone.

Regardless of why this person had targeted the two of them, it was clear that he was now an enemy.

For cultivators above the Golden Core stage, the primordial spirit is their life. If he was so ruthless as to want them dead, he wouldn’t hold back.

Even while thinking this, Xu Ziqing maintained a slight smile on his face, revealing no hints of his true feelings.

Yun Lie remained cold and expressionless, appearing just as he always had.

Neither of them showed any signs of weakness.

Wei Huan noticed the two, and his gaze flickered slightly. If Xu Ziqing hadn’t been paying close attention, he might not have caught it.

At this moment, he became even more convinced that this person was responsible.

Yun Lie, in his heart, naturally felt even more murderous intent toward Wei Huan.

However, his control over his killing intent was so meticulous that it was very easy for him to keep others from noticing.

Soon, Wei Huan exchanged a few pleasantries with the two before leading them into the tavern.

Inside, many cultivators were dining, and the atmosphere was exceptionally lively.

If there were any schemes to be hatched here, it would be inconvenient.

Sure enough, Wei Huan smiled and said, “I appreciate the two of you accompanying me, so I came out early to reserve a private room, where I’ll treat you to a meal to show my gratitude.”

Xu Ziqing thought to himself: Just as I suspected. He then smiled and declined, saying, “It’s just a small favor; there’s no need for such trouble.”

Wei Huan was unwilling to let him leave like this and hurriedly replied, “If you don’t let me show some appreciation, how could I not be seen as greedy? Please, don’t refuse me this time and just give me a little face.” With his words reaching this point, he had lowered his stance so much that it would be difficult for anyone to refuse again.

Xu Ziqing had initially only been feigning politeness, and his refusal was merely a test. He smiled and said, “In that case, it would be disrespectful not to accept.”

Yun Lie’s expression remained cold, and he merely followed his junior brother’s lead.

Hearing this, Wei Huan’s smile deepened: “Then please, both of you, follow me.”

The private rooms in this tavern were actually a few small courtyards, specifically prepared for cultivators who preferred tranquility.

However, the prices were quite expensive, often costing thousands of low-grade spirit stones to book for a day. Unless one came from a wealthy and prestigious family, ordinary cultivators would prefer to eat outside rather than waste their resources in such a manner.

Wei Huan led the two of them to one of the small courtyards.

After walking about a hundred steps, the small courtyard came into view.

As Xu Ziqing chatted and laughed with Wei Huan, he discreetly surveyed his surroundings.

At this time, Yun Lie landed slightly behind, gradually extending his spiritual sense outward. Before long, it spread out widely. He deliberately avoided Wei Huan, so he did not let him notice.

Gradually, as his spiritual sense approached the small courtyard, it suddenly stopped just before making contact.

Faintly, Yun Lie sensed something unusual within the courtyard. He feared that if he touched the courtyard wall, the people inside would detect him.

Indeed, there must be others in the courtyard.

Ordinary cultivators might not be able to notice, but since Yun Lie practiced swordsmanship, he could isolate external objects with his sword intent, making him even more sensitive to external auras.

Having sensed this, Yun Lie slightly shifted his body and quietly walked alongside Xu Ziqing.

In a moment, they had moved, and Wei Huan was completely unaware of any abnormality.

Soon, they arrived at the small courtyard.

Xu Ziqing suddenly felt a sense of foreboding, as if “a storm is brewing and the wind fills the building.”

There must be something suspicious in the courtyard.

At that instant, both he and Yun Lie tensed up, fully on guard.

Wei Huan smiled and cheerfully pushed open the courtyard door: “Please come in, my friends. This is the place.”

Xu Ziqing’s eyes also sparkled with a smile as he took Yun Lie’s hand and stepped inside together.

As they entered, it was as if the world turned, and the scenery changed in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, Wei Huan had vanished before their eyes.

Before they could scan their surroundings, two powerful forces surged from either side, both intensely hot, as if a volcano were erupting, threatening to crush them instantly.

From the other side came a chilling murderous intent, something descending with the might to shatter the heavens, ready to suppress them!

Dozens of vines suddenly shot out, surrounding Xu Ziqing completely, while Yun Lie raised his hand, a small sword appearing, shooting sword intent skyward!

With several booming sounds, the hot currents rushing toward them were all blocked by the demon vines, and the sword intent surged up, forcing the descending object back with a single strike!

In the blink of an eye, a skirmish began.

Indeed, there were ambushers!

Immediately after, several waves of killing intent surged from different directions, a strong pressure spreading in all directions. Soon, various techniques transformed into swirling flames, rushing forth unceasingly. Yun Lie raised his hand, a small sword in his palm, slashing down as boundless sharpness turned into a torrent, colliding with the attackers.

Xu Ziqing’s brow moved, and countless green needles transformed into a fine rain, densely spreading out. Wherever they passed, all things turned to wood, causing those “woods” to wither and decay.

This was the reverse-flowing “Ten Thousand Woods Transformation Technique” infused with the Green Cloud Needle technique. Although he had not comprehended it for long, it was already showing some effect at this moment.

The demon vines quickly split apart, instantly multiplying to hundreds, covering the sky and forming a blood net.

They danced joyfully, weaving in and out. Suddenly, as if they had found something, they stabbed fiercely—

In an instant, a scream rang out, and the blood-red color on the demon vines suddenly brightened.

At the same time, Yun Lie swung his arm and slashed, a ray of black-gold radiance streaking from the small sword.

This radiance condensed the sword intent into a single line, incredibly refined and sharp. With a faint whisper of wind, it seemed to split something apart, producing a sound like shattered glass.

In the next moment, the scenery before them changed once again.

From the time the two brothers stepped through the courtyard door to when they broke through this formation, it had only been three to five breaths of time.

Indeed, there had originally been a formation set up in this courtyard.

Thus, after they entered, Wei Huan silently vanished, making it impossible for them to detect him.

Under the formation, they could not see any figures within the courtyard, only catching glimpses of images when techniques approached, or hearing the sounds of the wind. Aside from that, everything else was a blank white. The situation was extremely unfavorable.

But now, it was different; the formation had been broken, and the scene in the small courtyard was clearly presented before them.

As they had suspected, Wei Huan had indeed set up an ambush, and he was not alone in laying this trap.

Standing opposite them, aside from Wei Huan, were three men and one woman, all at least at the Nascent Soul stage, with one of the men being a Divine Transformation stage cultivator, all eyeing them like hawks.

Xu Ziqing looked closely and confirmed he did not recognize any of them.

However, upon closer inspection of their demeanor and poise, he could tell that they had likely received guidance from a renowned master.

Thus, they were not rogue cultivators; they should belong to a sect.

Yet Wei Huan was clearly from a faction of rogue cultivators.

Translator: Lynn

Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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