The great sun was setting in the west.
At dusk, the convoy finally arrived at the foot of the ancient pass city.
“Is this Yu Hai Pass? It’s said that this place was once an important city a long time ago, but it was destroyed a hundred years ago in a war between Southern Qi and Great Yan. Although Yu Hai Pass was rebuilt afterward, the population suffered heavy casualties, and it’s far from what it used to be. I didn’t expect it to be like this.”
Beside the last carriage of the convoy, Nong Yu said with some emotion.
Upon closer inspection, the appearance of this pass city was now fully visible.
Although it looked quite tall, it was quite old, or rather, dilapidated would be a more fitting description.
The two heavy, hard wooden gates, if not riddled with holes, at least had many gaps and even severe signs of decay, clearly indicating they hadn't been properly maintained for many years.
The Northern Yan banner fluttering on the city wall was also old and yellowed, somewhat blurry.
Not to mention compared to the various Fu Cities, even the county towns below the Fu Cities were much better than this.
There were only a handful of pedestrians beneath the city gate, all looking sallow and emaciated.
Lin Sheng lifted the curtain, glanced at Yu Hai Pass in front of him and the hurried pedestrians below the city, but didn't pay much attention.
“If you feel unwell later, you can ride a horse alone; there’s no need to force yourself.”
After instructing Nong Yu, Lin Sheng lowered the curtain.
He had no interest in Yu Hai Pass; since Dark Star had already arranged everything and he didn't need to worry about anything, he just let it be.
This time, when changing horses, he specifically moved to the back of the convoy.
This was naturally to facilitate his cultivation of the Supreme Heavenly Demon Scripture, as the backlash after devouring demonic charm, when released, was simply unbearable for ordinary people.
Even to be safe, he had lengthened the ropes of the horses pulling the carriage a bit, so as not to affect the horses' travel.
“Okay, Young Master.”
Upon hearing this, Nong Yu immediately recalled the bone-chilling cold she felt when Lin Sheng was in seclusion back in Hai Cao Town, and instinctively shivered, quickly nodding.
Although she didn't know what that cold sensation was, her instinctive feeling still made her subconsciously keep her distance.
At this moment, the convoy reached the city gate.
An Hidden Star Envoy in the convoy, dressed like a Escort , had already walked towards the soldiers guarding the city gate with a smiling face.
“Officers, we are the Zhao Family Merchant Group from East Sea Prefecture. This time, we are transporting some military supplies to the front line. Here is the personal seal of the front-line military supply officer.”
The Hidden Star Envoy said, handing over a well-sealed letter, while simultaneously stuffing a bulging money bag with his other hand.
“East Sea Prefecture? Zhao Family Merchant Group? It seems there was a heads-up. In that case, go on in.”
The city gate guard was a tall, burly man with a full beard. He merely glanced at the letter without any intention of taking it to inspect, but instead grabbed the money bag, then waved his hand directly, opening the city gate.
Such decisiveness surprised the Hidden Star Envoy for a moment, but he quickly reacted and waved, and the convoy entered the pass city.
The Hidden Star Envoy then went to Water Leech and Bai Can.
“How was it? Any trouble?”
Water Leech asked indifferently.
“Reporting, my lord, none at all. It was even smoother than expected. They didn't even check the prepared seal; they just asked for money.”
The Hidden Star Envoy said with a relaxed smile on his face.
“Hmm? They didn’t even look at the seal?”
Upon hearing this, Water Leech's brows furrowed slightly.
This seal had been obtained with some effort, and its purpose was to ensure smooth passage through Yu Hai Pass.
After all, although Yu Hai Pass was dilapidated, it was still a border pass city, and its inspections for those leaving the pass could be considered strict.
“My lord, everything was arranged in advance, so it’s probably normal that the seal wasn’t needed.”
Seeing Water Leech’s reaction, the Hidden Star Envoy immediately said.
“Brother Water Leech, I don’t think there will be any problems. After all, it’s just a small border town, far from the emperor. Such laxity is quite normal.”
Bai Can, who was beside him, also spoke at this moment.
“You’re right. Let’s go then. Inform everyone not to linger in the city, but to pass through directly and leave.”
Water Leech nodded, still somewhat uneasy as he gave the instruction.
“Understood.”
The Hidden Star Envoy immediately went to inform everyone.
At Water Leech’s signal, the convoy did not linger in the city for a moment, moving at a fast pace.
After all, it was just a small border town, even smaller than a county town. There were few shops and traveling merchants, and from time to time, fully armed soldiers in armor and carrying weapons could be seen passing by.
At the back of the convoy, Lin Sheng sat cross-legged in the carriage, his eyes slightly closed, already immersed in cultivation. Wisps of cold Qi also slowly emanated from him as the center.
However, it did not spread too far, only confined within the carriage.
After all, he had just begun refining, and the backlash of the demonic charm could still be suppressed.
As for Big Yellow and Little Black, they did not follow the convoy but bypassed it from the air, waiting outside the pass.
If it weren't for the concern that Little Black couldn't withstand the demonic charm backlash he emitted, Lin Sheng might have chosen to ride Little Black for the journey.
In less than half an hour, more than half of the journey was completed.
Water Leech rode on his horse, his gaze occasionally sweeping across the desolate streets.
For some reason, as soon as he entered the city, he felt that something was off, and as time passed, this feeling grew stronger.
When his gaze swept over the surroundings again, he suddenly felt a jolt.
He immediately called the previous Hidden Star Envoy and asked in a deep voice.
“Xuan Gui, didn’t you come to Yu Hai Pass before? Was Yu Hai Pass like this at that time?”
“This… no, I remember that although there weren’t many people in Yu Hai Pass back then, there were still quite a few shops and traveling merchants. Also, it seemed there weren’t so many soldiers patrolling…”
The Hidden Star Envoy, code-named Xuan Gui, glanced around and answered subconsciously.
Upon hearing this, Water Leech's expression immediately darkened, and his ominous premonition almost reached its Peak.
Bai Can, who was beside him, also realized something at this moment.
It should be said that most of the people in the convoy noticed something was wrong, because at this moment, there was no one else on the long street except for their convoy.
Even the armored soldiers from before had disappeared.
“Go! Full speed ahead!!”
Water Leech shouted in a deep voice.
Upon realizing something was amiss, everyone immediately whipped their horses with all their might and galloped forward.
However, they had only gone a few dozen meters when a muffled sound came from the long street.
In an instant, a huge spider phantom appeared in mid-air. Giant spider silk, as thick as a person's arm, shot out like a tidal wave, enveloping nearly half of the long street.
The entire convoy was like flies trapped in a spider web, with nowhere to escape.
“Hahaha… are you surprised, Water Leech?”
The dense spider web parted, and several figures dressed in black walked in with cold smiles.
The leader was a burly man with a black saber hanging at his waist, his gaze, a mix of amusement and mockery, swept over the somewhat panicked convoy members and landed on the grim-faced Water Leech.
“Lu Mei, it’s you!!”
Water Leech's gaze swept over the figures, and his expression immediately turned extremely ugly.
“Colluding with Southern Qi, you Dark Star rebels are simply courting death.”
Lu Mei slowly drew the steel saber from his waist, a hint of mockery in his eyes.
“Do you really think these petty tricks can deceive the heavens and cross the sea? If it weren’t for the Purple Spider Demonic Array of Yu Hai Pass, to prevent you, the big fish, from escaping, you wouldn’t even have made it past Mount Xiaoyuan.”
“How could this be?”
Bai Can struck out with a palm.
The fierce force landed squarely on the spider web to one side, yet the pure white silk merely trembled slightly before showing no other reaction.
Meanwhile, Jin Yang, who was sitting in the leading carriage, instantly erupted, and his scorching Qi, as fiery as flames, landed on the spider silk.
The spider silk only turned slightly charred before being extinguished by the sticky liquid coating it, causing extremely limited damage.
“Don’t waste your energy.
Even a Peak Divine Transformation Realm martial artist might not be able to break through the Purple Spider Demonic Array in several hours.”
Seeing the actions of Bai Can and Jin Yang, Lu Mei’s face showed no anxiety, only a mocking smile.
Jin Yang and Bai Can exchanged glances, their hearts instantly sinking to rock bottom.
“What should we do, Water Leech?”
Neither of them had expected that after a smooth journey, they would arrive at Yu Hai Pass only to find a net laid out, waiting for them.
Clearly, word had leaked somewhere, but now was not the time to discuss such things, but rather how to overcome the current predicament.
“We must find a way to break through.
Since the Purple Spider Demonic Array is difficult to break, we can only fight with our backs to the wall and eliminate them to have a slim chance of survival.”
Water Leech clenched his fists, his voice as gloomy as water, and slowly spoke.
Although he said this, he knew that since the other party could set up such a grand array to await them, the chances of escape were slim.
Lu Mei’s strength was at the eighth level of the Divine Transformation Realm, on par with his own.
Although the three individuals behind him seemed slightly weaker, they were also experts at the fifth or sixth level of the Divine Transformation Realm.
In terms of combat power, they were clearly superior to their side, not to mention the presence of this pass-guarding array.
However, there was still a sliver of hope if they fought; otherwise, there was only a dead end.
Thinking of this, a determined look appeared on his face, but his gaze swept over the last carriage of the convoy, and he secretly transmitted a message.
“Brother Bai, Brother Jin, I will try my best to hold them off.
If we can carve out a sliver of hope, you two try to take Lin Sheng away…”
“Brother Water Leech, you…”
Upon hearing this, Bai Can and Jin Yang both opened their mouths but did not continue speaking.
They understood that the other party had already embraced the idea of death.
No sooner had he spoken than Water Leech’s figure vanished from their sight.
Like mud, he sank into the ground.
At the same time, Lu Mei felt a strong threat coming from beneath his feet.
Without hesitation, he drew his steel saber, plunging the entire blade into the ground.
He knew that although Water Leech’s name contained the character for “water,” he was quite skilled in earth-burrowing techniques and was very troublesome.
Even he dared not be careless.
However, Lu Mei quickly realized something was amiss and quickly warned the few people behind him.
“Be careful!”
Unfortunately, these individuals were clearly not as quick to react as he was.
Just as they realized something was wrong and before they could react, two of them were directly dragged into the ground.
“Seeking death!”
Seeing this scene, Lu Mei was enraged.
He slapped a fist-sized purple spider egg in his hand, and instantly, dozens of strands of spider web from the surroundings branched off and burrowed into the ground.
Bang…
With a muffled sound, the Golden Seal Divine Constable who had been dragged underground was already thrown towards Lu Mei and the others.
At the same time, Water Leech’s figure, like a ghost, followed closely behind, even arriving first, clutching a black longsword that shimmered with cold light, aiming directly for Lu Mei’s chest, a vital point.
However, at this moment, two phantom figures shot out from beyond the array, passing through it without obstruction, silently and swiftly heading straight for Water Leech, their speed as fast as teleportation.
This sudden change made Water Leech’s expression shift.
He didn’t even have time to dodge and could only force a breath, pushing his protective Qi to its limit.
Pfft…
His protective Qi only lasted for an instant before being pierced by the two phantom figures.
Water Leech used all his strength to barely avoid a vital spot.
Two bright splashes of blood bloomed from his body, and Water Leech’s figure rapidly flew backward, smashing into the carriage, shattering it, and scattering red crystal stones all over the ground.
“Brother Water Leech!”
Bai Can and Jin Yang immediately came closer and helped him up.
However, upon seeing Water Leech’s condition, both of them couldn’t help but gasp.
At this moment, one of Water Leech’s arms had vanished, and his chest was almost completely pierced through, missing his heart by mere inches.
Even so, Water Leech’s current state was quite dire; his aura was weak, and he was clearly severely wounded.
“Yao… Yao Beast Dragon Whisker Teng Snake…”
Water Leech’s face was as pale as paper as he looked at the two strange sea snakes suspended in mid-air, fighting over his right arm, and murmured.
Having been in the East Sea Prefecture for many years, he naturally knew the name of the Dragon Whisker Teng Snake, for it was the favored beast of the Vast Sea City Lord, Dragon Demon Xiahou Qi, and a true Yao Beast.
Moreover, its troublesome nature even surpassed that of ordinary Yao Beasts.
Each one was no less powerful than himself at his Peak, and now there were two of them here.
Water Leech closed his eyes, a look of despair on his face.
He understood that this time, he and his companions had no chance whatsoever.
“Tsk tsk… As expected of the City Lord’s favored beasts; even I, Lu, am inferior to them…”
Lu Mei chuckled softly as he looked at the two sea snakes suspended in mid-air.
The reason he hadn’t acted immediately was that he was waiting for the arrival of these two Yao Beasts.
He knew Water Leech’s strength.
Although they had a numerical advantage, if the opponent fought to the death, there might be some losses.
To be safe, he had delayed for this reason, waiting for their arrival.
“The flesh and blood of a Divine Transformation Realm Martial Artist isn’t much different from Yao Beast flesh and blood.
I imagine the City Lord’s two favored beasts will have a good meal this time.”
He said with a smile.
Meanwhile, the two Dragon Whisker Teng Snakes in mid-air had already completely devoured the arm, and their gazes once again fell upon Water Leech, their eyes filled with bloodlust.
Bai Can and Jin Yang were both on high alert, ready to fight to the death at any moment.
However, the Dragon Whisker Teng Snakes seemed to be attracted by something even more tempting, turning their bodies and focusing their azure eyes on the last carriage of the convoy.
“Oh no, Young Master!?”
Seeing this, Bai Can immediately realized something, and his expression changed.
The next instant, the Dragon Whisker Teng Snakes shot into the carriage like arrows.
“It’s all too late…”
Water Leech clenched his fists, then slowly shook his head.
Unlike the despair on this side, Lu Mei chuckled softly.
“It seems there’s something inside you that the Dragon Whisker Teng Snakes are even more interested in.
This Divine Constable is quite curious, what could be inside the carriage…”
Bang—
But before he could finish speaking, an explosion erupted from within the carriage.
Immediately, a rapidly expanding figure, like an ancient Divine Demon, appeared in everyone’s sight.
Extremely scorching golden flames rose up.
A massive giant, over six meters tall, was bathed in fire.
In its huge, sky-obscuring demonic claw-like hands, it held two constantly struggling strange sea snakes, like toothpicks.
“Yao Beast!?”
The huge giant’s two gilded vertical pupils contained strands of black Qi, and as it looked at the Dragon Whisker Teng Snakes in its hands, its eyes held confusion and… joy…