Chapter 158: Only the Undead Find It Hard

The robed elder and the girl in pink sat leaning against a large blue stone, half a zhang long, enjoying the cool shade.

Seeing Li Musheng and the others arrive, the robed elder slightly narrowed his eyes, while the girl in pink kept her gaze fixed on Li Musheng as he stepped down from the carriage.

She recalled the scene she had seen from afar last night, her eyes flickering uncertainly, as if trying to detect some flaw in Li Musheng.

Yet no matter how she observed, she found not a trace of martial qi within him—he did not seem to possess any hidden martial cultivation.

The girl in pink faintly furrowed her delicate brows, yet her doubts did not lessen; she felt something was off about Li Musheng.

At that moment, Hu Rui, who stood beside Li Musheng, noticed the girl's gaze and his expression changed.

First Shen Anran had relentlessly pursued Li Musheng, and now a little girl was fixated on him—he knew Li Musheng's martial cultivation was profound, yet he still couldn't fathom why this prince was so irresistibly appealing.

Li Musheng naturally sensed the girl's gaze and glanced at Hu Rui.

He felt a naked jealousy in Hu Rui's eyes—after all, who could match his own handsomeness and charm, winning the affection of both young ladies and little girls?

"That kid clearly got hungry—go give her one of our roasted chickens."

Li Musheng rubbed his chin and gave Wu Shang an order.

Soon, the girl in pink stared at the roasted chicken Wu Shang brought, her face blank with disbelief, utterly speechless.

Meanwhile, Shen Anran, leading her white horse, rested in the cool shade beneath the cliff not far from Li Musheng and the others.

She kept a proper distance from Li Musheng and his group—enough to clearly show her feelings without appearing too forward.

Thus, the group rested for about half an hour; cool breezes blew along the cliff, and the horses no longer panted or sweated from heat.

At that moment, urgent hoofbeats echoed from the road behind—a lavish carriage and a dozen riders galloped closer and closer.

Seeing this, the robed elder and the girl in pink both subtly shifted their expressions, while Wu Shang exchanged a glance with Cheng Zhong and frowned, saying gravely:

"It's the Luoshen Peak people."

"Whoa!"

As a flurry of sharp reins pulled, the Luoshen Peak group came to a sudden halt before the cliff where Hu Rui and the others stood.

Then, a young man in cloud-peak black robes reached out and pulled back the curtain, his gaze dark as he fixed it on one spot:

"Shen Anran, you're here?"

Shen Anran, seated on a smooth little stone, naturally saw him too, but she merely furrowed her elegant brows and had no intention of speaking further.

Seeing Shen Anran's cold, distant demeanor, the young man's eyes flickered with hidden malice.

He slightly narrowed his eyes and spoke with a false smile:

"I traveled great distances, enduring hardship, to participate in your martial contest for marriage—and now your Zhanlu Manor says 'no contest' and dismisses us like servants? Do you even recognize Luoshen Peak?"

As he spoke, he gave a subtle signal; the dozen Luoshen Peak disciples quietly spurred their horses forward, subtly surrounding Shen Anran and her white horse.

Seeing this, Shen Anran's expression changed; she gripped her short blade at her waist, looked up at the young man atop the carriage, her eyes filled with wariness.

The young man suddenly sneered coldly:

"Shen Anran, since we've met, come back with me to Luoshen Peak—my courtyard still needs a female watchdog. At least this trip won't be wasted."

Along the journey, he had long harbored a bellyful of rage, and Shen Anran had now walked straight into his trap.

Moreover, he was certain that even if he kidnapped her and took her back to Luoshen Peak, Zhanlu Manor would dare not utter a single word.

Once the deed was done, even Shen Juesheng would have to grit his teeth and accept it.

Inside the carriage, Dai Shi watched all this without a word—he had clearly approved of the young lord's actions.

If this were Zhanlu Manor with Shen Juesheng present, they would never dare act so boldly—but here, far beyond the manor's reach,

without Shen Juesheng as a threat, as members of Luoshen Peak, they could do as they pleased.

"Seize her!"

The young man waved his hand—his action swift and decisive, signaling his disciples to move.

Simultaneously, he glanced at Hu Rui and the others and warned coldly:

"Luoshen Peak is handling affairs—no outsiders interfere!"

Clearly, he knew Hu Rui and the others were not easy targets, so he directly declared their identity.

He was certain that anyone with even a shred of sense would avoid provoking Luoshen Peak, such a colossal force in the martial world.

Meanwhile, Shen Anran's expression was solemn, yet she showed no fear toward the Luoshen Peak disciples; instead, she looked at the young man and said:

"I already have someone I love—I cannot possibly proceed with the martial contest. If you seek revenge for this, I, Shen Anran, will not stand idly by."

As she spoke, she suddenly drew her short blade—a flash of cold light erupted, her blade qi sharp as it slashed toward the Luoshen Peak disciples rushing toward her.

Nearby, the robed elder and the girl in pink exchanged a glance and both gave a slight nod.

In the next instant, the robed elder vanished from his spot, transforming into a gust of wind as he rushed toward the carriage where the young man and Dai Shi sat.

The girl in pink remained standing, motionless—as if she had done nothing at all.

At the same time, Hu Rui, seeing Shen Anran under attack, could not stand by.

Moreover, their mission was to exterminate Luoshen Peak—they had no reason to fear the sect's power.

Thus, the robed elder and Hu Rui moved almost simultaneously.

The young man had assumed Luoshen Peak's name alone would intimidate these people—but he did not realize it had become their death sentence.

After all, one group had been lying in wait on the road to kill them, and another was already on its way to obliterate their sect, Luoshen Peak.

To now encounter two groups who utterly ignored Luoshen Peak, a colossal force in the martial world—it could only mean their fate was sealed: even if they wanted to live, it was impossible!

Boom—

A thunderous crash echoed as the carriage carrying the young man and Dai Shi was instantly shattered into fragments by a sweeping palm wind.

"How dare you!"

Dai Shi, a towering, burly giant, roared, his martial qi surging violently; thick, heavy energy coalesced into faint, mountain-like silhouettes.

He punched upward, meeting the robed elder's strike midair; both recoiled backward, leaving only a detonation of residual qi that blasted a deep, dozens-of-zhang-wide crater where they had stood.

At this moment, Dai Shi dragged the still-uncomprehending young man back several zhang before halting, his eyes cold as he stared at the robed elder across from him:

"Who are you? Why attack us?"

However, the old man in hemp clothes said nothing more; he merely moved his body and suddenly reappeared beside Bei Shi and the other.

The old man's movement technique was extremely fast, nearly imperceptible to the naked eye; his strikes were likewise swift as thunder, unleashing a hundred afterimages in the blink of an eye.

Within those dark afterimages lay countless terrifying palm imprints and surging martial Dao true qi; the afterimages overlapped, each move combining with the next, instantly condensing a mighty power that turned the very space where Bei Shi and the others stood into a dark zone.

"Fissure Abyss Divine Force!"

Bei Shi dared not slacken; he exerted himself to circulate his martial Dao true qi, drawing the surrounding heaven and earth true qi to gather around his body.

His entire body swelled up a size; the already extremely burly giant directly grew nearly one zhang taller.

Between his swollen muscles gathered rows of pale golden纹路; he raised both fists toward the sky, causing a blurred mountain shadow to rise, shaking the void as if to撑open the entire heavens above his head.

Meanwhile, while Bei Shi fought the old man in hemp clothes, the Fallen Spirit Peak disciples besieging Shen Anran were naturally no match for a single strike from Hu Rui'an.

He merely waved his hand casually, swirling martial Dao true qi around the necks of those dozen-plus people, and the entire group of Fallen Spirit Peak disciples perished instantly.

"Thank you, Uncle Hu, for your assistance."

Shen Anran sheathed her short knife and immediately thanked Hu Rui'an.

Regarding Hu Rui'an's affairs, she had already learned them from her own mother's mouth.

Concerning the past between Hu Rui'an and Ruan Zhenhui, Shen Anran felt deep regret, yet she had no standing to judge this matter.

However, from her mother's deeds, she only grew more determined in her resolve to become a woman who dares to love and hate.

For instance, since she had set her sights on Li Musheng at first glance, she must bravely pursue him, so that in the future she would not regret a lifetime over missing her true fate.

Thinking this, Shen Anran turned her gaze to Li Musheng before the cliff face; after meeting his burning gaze, Li Musheng raised an eyebrow and thought inwardly:

"Fortunately, my lord Hu intervened; if I had saved her, wouldn't this Miss have been instantly bewitched by me?"

A girl with a love-brain is truly hard to bear.

Li Musheng coughed, shifted his gaze, and instead looked at the pink-clad little girl not far away.

Over there, the old man in hemp clothes fought the Fallen Spirit Peak elder Bei Shi to a stalemate, while she stood in place, her pair of pitch-black eyes rolling about, clearly harboring some other thought in secret.

Li Musheng narrowed his eyes slightly, glanced at the pink-clad little girl, and a hint of doubt flashed in his gaze.

At this moment, after helping Shen Anran, Hu Rui'an immediately returned to Li Musheng's side; he looked toward the old man in hemp clothes and asked:

"Young Master, shall I intervene?"

Hearing this, Li Musheng pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

Soon, a tremendous boom suddenly erupted from the old man in hemp clothes' side; an entire stretch of green cliff face collapsed and broke apart amidst the residual waves of their battle.

Amidst the sky-filling flying stones and dust, the Fallen Spirit Peak elder Bei Shi suddenly coughed violently, then was struck by a palm from the old man in hemp clothes and sent flying, his body unstable, falling straight into a ground fissure blasted open by the residual true qi.

"Hmm? He won that so easily?"

Upon seeing this, Hu Rui'an's face showed surprise.

From their earlier exchange, the martial Dao strength of the Fallen Spirit Peak elder Bei Shi and the old man in hemp clothes was nearly equal; neither could gain the upper hand for at least a hundred moves.

Yet Bei Shi fell so quickly, which clearly exceeded Hu Rui'an's expectations.

Boom!

At this moment, the ground fissure where Bei Shi fell suddenly exploded violently; then he leaped out from the earth shooting skyward and immediately fled at extreme speed toward the distance.

Seeing this, the old man in hemp clothes showed no intention of letting the other escape; he narrowed his eyes, moved his body, and pursued in an instant.

Not long after, the old man in hemp clothes returned, his clothes torn and slightly disheveled.

In his hand, he carried the Fallen Spirit Peak elder Bei Shi.

Bei Shi's body, once a zhang tall, had now returned to normal; his face was as pale as paper, completely subdued by the old man in hemp clothes' methods.

After returning with Bei Shi, the old man in hemp clothes tossed him before the pink-clad little girl.

Then he turned to face Li Musheng and the others and said:

"Now we are all in the same boat; leave this person to me, the old one. Do any of you have objections?"

Hearing this, Hu Rui'an naturally had no objections.

Not only did they have no interest in that Fallen Spirit Peak elder, but since Bei Shi was defeated solely by the old man in hemp clothes, he rightly belonged to the other's disposal.

Nevertheless, Hu Rui'an still looked at Li Musheng to seek his opinion.

After seeing Li Musheng wave his hand, Hu Rui'an then spoke to the old man in hemp clothes:

"Please proceed as you wish!"

The old man in hemp clothes nodded lightly, glanced at Li Musheng, then returned to the pink-clad little girl's side.

He flicked his finger to release the Fallen Spirit Peak elder Bei Shi's mute acupoint at the throat and directly asked:

"What manner of death do you desire?"

Hearing this, Bei Shi, his face as pale as paper, opened his mouth, then looked at the old man in hemp clothes and cried out in shock and rage:

"Despicable! You secretly struck and poisoned me!"

As he spoke, his glance swept toward the ruins of a cliff face ahead, where lay a severed limb of a young man.

Earlier, while fighting the old man in hemp clothes, he had originally intended to protect that young peak master, but then the poison in his body erupted; at the critical moment, to dodge the old man in hemp clothes' fatal strike,

he had no choice but to use the young man as a shield, feinting a move and barely escaping, yet this caused the young man to be nearly pounded into dust by a single palm from the old man in hemp clothes.

"Using poison is nothing; against you people of the Fallen Spirit Peak, I, the old one, can spare no means."

The old man in hemp clothes spoke calmly, then glanced at the pink-clad little girl beside him and said:

"Do you wish to act, or shall I?"

Hearing this, the pink-clad little girl's red-lipped, white-toothed face showed a smile; she said:

"I will."

However, after glancing at Li Musheng and the others, she then added:

"There are too many people here; let us find a place with no one and act then."

The old man in hemp robes said nothing more; with a slight lift of his hand, he tossed the battered stone onto the mule's back.

Having finished all this, the old man in hemp robes and the little girl in pink prepared to pack their things and leave.

Yet just then, the great road ahead echoed once more with the thunderous sound of hooves.

Not long after, a column of armored cavalry, kicking up rolling dust, escorted a carriage forward; their hooves shook the earth without ceasing, the sound reverberating through the mountains.

(End of this chapter)