Chapter 37: Ambush

After entering Basil City, Saisile led the two of them through several streets with ease, arriving at a relatively remote district in the western part of the city. The residents here were all ordinary civilians, living in low, dilapidated houses with narrow, crowded alleys—completely different from the noble quarter in the east.

"I've been here before. There's an innkeeper I know—he's tight-lipped and cheap." Saisile said as they walked, "Let's check in there first, then figure out how to investigate Count Peili."

Linlei nodded, his gaze sweeping the surroundings. This place was indeed suitable for hiding—crowded and chaotic, so no one would notice a few strangers.

The inn was small, only two stories tall, with a tiny tavern downstairs. The owner was a short, stout man in his fifties. When he saw Saisile, he froze for a moment, then rushed forward warmly, shouting, "Old man, you're still alive!" Saisile laughed and scolded him as they embraced, then introduced Linlei and Aikesi as "friends," and booked two rooms.

As they climbed the stairs, Saisile whispered: "He used to be an adventurer too. He owes me his life. He's trustworthy."

The room was small but clean. Aikesi and Linlei shared one room; Saisile had the one next door. Beibei leapt onto the bed as soon as they entered, rolled over, and settled down comfortably.

"What's the next step?" Aikesi asked.

Saisile leaned against the doorframe, stroking his chin as he thought: "I've watched Count Peili's manor before. I know they always leave through the east gate, heading northeast. Based on timing, the next shipment should arrive within these few days. We can lie in wait outside the city and strike as soon as they appear."

"Are you sure it's these days?" Linlei asked.

"Almost certain." Saisile said, "Before I was captured, I overheard them talking—they said they had to send it off before month's end. Today's the twenty-eighth. At the latest, the day after tomorrow."

Linlei looked at Aikesi.

Aikesi nodded: "Let's try it."

"Then it's settled." Saisile said, "Rest well tonight. We leave the city at first light and find a good spot to ambush."

Night fell, and the lights of Basil City gradually lit up.

Aikesi stood by the window, watching the streets below. Noisy voices drifted up from the tavern—men drinking, shouting over dice, arguing loudly. This city was no different from others he'd visited—equally prosperous, equally noisy, equally full of filth.

Linlei sat on the edge of the bed, polishing his heavy sword. Beibei lay asleep on his lap.

Early the next morning, the three left the inn and exited the city through the east gate.

Outside the city lay a hilly region, undulating and densely forested. Saisile led them along the main road for a stretch, then turned into a forest and found a small hill with an open view.

"Here." He pointed down at the road, "From here we can see several li ahead and behind. We'll spot them before they pass. And the forest provides cover—we won't be easily noticed."

Linlei studied the terrain, then nodded. The position was excellent—about two hundred meters from the road, elevated, with easy access for advance or retreat.

The three began to wait.

They waited all day.

Day passed, evening passed, night fell. The road remained empty except for a few caravans and scattered travelers—no convoy in sight.

"Could the intel be wrong?" Linlei asked.

Saisile frowned: "That shouldn't be…"

"Wait one more night." Aikesi said. "If there's still nothing tomorrow, we go back into the city and investigate directly."

Saisile nodded. There was nothing else to do.

The forest at night was quiet, broken only by occasional insect chirps. The three took turns keeping watch while others rested. Aikesi guarded the second half of the night, sitting cross-legged beneath a tree, cultivating while watching for movement on the road.

Just before dawn, hoofbeats echoed from afar.

Aikesi opened his eyes and looked toward the road. Through the morning mist, a convoy was slowly approaching. At the front rode over a dozen mounted warriors; in the center was a prison cart; behind followed several escort soldiers.

He immediately woke Linlei and Saisile.

The three crouched on the hillside, watching the convoy draw near.

Inside the prison cart were several shadowy figures—gender indistinguishable, but their silhouettes suggested both adults and children. The escort warriors all wore uniform attire, with the Radiant Church's emblem embroidered on their chests.

"It's the Church's people." Saisile whispered, his voice tinged with excitement, "And this shipment's large—there are at least seven or eight people in the cart."

Linlei's gaze fixed on the prison cart, his eyes turning cold.

Aikesi also observed. Among the warriors, the ones leading the front carried formidable auras—at least Eighth-Rank. Several behind were even stronger—likely Ninth-Rank.

"Six Ninth-Rank." He whispered. "The rest are Eighth and Seventh-Rank."

Saisile sucked in a sharp breath: "That many?"

Linlei stood up, already channeling his Dragonblood power.

Dragon transformation complete.

His skin was covered in dark-blue scales, a thick dragon tail lashed behind him, his hands became dragon claws, his eyes turned to vertical pupils. A wild, violent aura radiated from him, causing nearby trees to tremble slightly.

Saisile's eyes widened, his mouth opening but no sound coming out.

He knew Linlei was a Dragonblood Warrior, but witnessing the transformation firsthand still stunned him.

"Don't stare." Aikesi's voice pulled him back to reality. "Your turn."

Saisile snapped back, took a deep breath, and began chanting.

Arcane syllables spilled from his lips; the temperature plummeted. Black Magic Arrays surfaced on the ground, pouring forth dense death energy. Skeletons crawled from the earth, followed by zombies, ghosts, and several massive undead creatures.

Undead Legion.

The escort party soon noticed the anomaly—horses neighed in panic, warriors drew their swords.

But it was too late.

Linlei charged out first.

He moved with blinding speed, reaching the front of the convoy in an instant. His dragon claw slashed down—a Ninth-Rank Warrior had no time to react, was smashed into a tree by the roadside, and fell silent.

The remaining warriors finally reacted, forming a battle formation. Three Ninth-Rank Warriors simultaneously rushed Linlei, swords flashing, battle aura erupting.

Linlei held his own against three, showing no sign of weakness. His dragon-transformed body possessed astonishing defense—Ninth-Rank blades left only faint white marks on his scales. His attacks, however, were brutally overwhelming—each claw strike forced his opponents into desperate evasions.

On the other side, the Undead Legion moved.

Hundreds of skeletons and zombies surged toward the escort party. Though individually weak, their sheer numbers made them impossible to eliminate. Seventh- and Eighth-Rank warriors were overwhelmed, struggling to hold their ground. Several Ninth-Rank Mages tried to clear the area with magic, but ghosts slipped soundlessly behind them, disrupting their incantations.

Saisile stood atop the hill, his hands constantly shifting seals, directing the Undead Legion. His face was pale, but his eyes burned brightly—he had never summoned so many undead in combat before, and the results far exceeded his expectations.

Aikesi did not rush in. He remained on the hillside, observing the battlefield.

Linlei had stabilized his position, forcing the three Ninth-Rank Warriors into steady retreat. The Undead Legion, though rapidly depleted, was continuously replenished by Saisile—those of the Radiant Church could not break free for now.

His gaze swept the entire battlefield, finally settling on the three figures at the rear of the convoy.

Those three had not moved, standing still, watching the battle ahead. From their auras, they were all Ninth-Rank—and the strongest three among them—likely the leaders of this escort.

One of them wore a red robe, with intricate golden patterns embroidered on the chest. A Red Cardinal.

Aikesi moved.

He did not charge down the slope; instead, he immediately activated Teleportation. His figure flashed, appearing ten meters behind the three of them.

The three sensed it simultaneously and spun around violently.

The Fallen Heart Flame had already condensed into a Huoyan Changqiang in Aikesi's hand; the spear was entirely crimson, and the surrounding air was scorched into distortion.

"Seeking death!" the Red Cardinal roared in anger, raising a hand to unleash a beam of Holy Light.

Aikesi did not block it head-on; his figure flashed again, dodging the Holy Light while appearing on the other side. The Huoyan Changqiang flew from his hand, heading straight for one of the Level 9 Warriors.

That Warrior reacted extremely quickly, swinging his sword to block. The instant the blade collided with the Huoyan Changqiang, his face changed drastically—that was no ordinary flame; the temperature was absurdly high. His sword turned red in an instant, and the base of his thumb was numbed by the shock.

The Huoyan Changqiang dissipated, but Aikesi's second spear had already arrived.

This time he held nothing back; the Fallen Heart Flame was driven to its full power. The Huoyan Changqiang was twice as thick as before, the spear shaft coiled with eerie crimson light.

That Warrior had no time to dodge and could only raise his sword to block once more.

Boom!

The flame exploded, engulfing the Warrior entirely. He managed only a single scream before being burned into a lump of charcoal.

The Red Cardinal and the other Level 9 Warrior's faces changed drastically. They finally realized that this young man before them was far more dangerous than they had imagined.

"Attack together!" the Red Cardinal barked, and the two struck simultaneously.

Holy Light and Battle Qi wove together into a vast net, casting down toward Aikesi.

Aikesi did not engage in a direct clash; Teleportation activated again, instantly breaking him out of the encirclement. At the same time, he waved both hands, firing more than a dozen flame arrows at the two, forcing them to dodge.

In that brief moment, the battle on Linlei's side had already ended.

Three Level 9 Warriors lay on the ground; two were dead, and one was severely injured and unconscious. Linlei was covered in blood, but it was all the enemy's blood. He turned his head to look at Aikesi's side and charged straight over.

Seeing Linlei charge, the Red Cardinal's face grew even more grim. One Aikesi was already difficult enough to deal with, let alone adding this dragon-transformed monster—

"Retreat!" he decided instantly.

The two turned and fled.

But before they had taken a few steps, a huge black-striped cloud leopard suddenly burst from the woods, blocking their path. Heilu opened his mouth, revealing sharp fangs, and a low growl emanated from his throat.

Behind them, Linlei and Aikesi had already caught up.

With Heilu ahead and pursuers behind, the Red Cardinal gritted his teeth, pulled a scroll from his robes, and was about to tear it open.

Saisile's voice suddenly rang out: "Want to run?"

The ground suddenly cracked, and a huge bone hand emerged from underground, grabbing the Red Cardinal's calf. The bone hand's Strength Profound Mystery was immense; the Red Cardinal was yanked off balance, and the scroll flew from his hand.

Linlei seized the opportunity and slapped his back with a claw.

The Red Cardinal spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and collapsed to the ground.

The remaining Level 9 Warrior was utterly desperate. Surrounded by Heilu, Linlei, and Aikesi, there was no escape.

"I surrender!" He dropped his weapon and raised both hands.

Linlei paid him no heed and smashed his head with a single claw.

The battle ended.

On the slope, Saisile sat down heavily, panting in great gasps. Summoning so many undead and releasing that bone hand had nearly exhausted his Magic. Yet a smile was on his face, a very gratified smile.

"Thrilling, thrilling!" he panted, "It's been so long since I felt this thrilling!"

Linlei exited the dragon transformation state, his face somewhat pale. Although dragon transformation was powerful, the burden on the body was great, especially after sustaining combat for so long. He walked to the prison cart and opened the door.

Inside were eight people: four adults and four children. The adults were very young, the oldest appearing to be under thirty. The children were even younger; the smallest looked to be only five or six years old. They huddled in the corner of the cart, their eyes filled entirely with fear.

Linlei looked at them, remained silent for a moment, and said softly, "You're safe."

A young woman trembled as she asked, "You... you are..."

"The ones who saved you." After Linlei spoke, he turned and left.

Aikesi walked to the Red Cardinal, squatted down, and checked. The man was still alive, but the injury from Linlei's claw was severe; at least three ribs were broken, and the internal injuries were not light either.

Saisile walked over, kicked the Red Cardinal, and sneered, "Lampson, I never expected you to end up like this, did I?"

The Red Cardinal struggled to lift his head. Seeing Saisile, a flash of venomous hatred crossed his eyes: "It's you... you necromancer..."

"Correct, it is this old man." Saisile squatted down and patted his face. "When you captured this old man, did you ever expect to fall into this old man's hands?"

Lampson bit his teeth and said nothing.

Saisile was not in a hurry either; he stood up and said to Linlei and Aikesi, "This fellow is a Red Cardinal; he must know quite a lot. Let this old man ask slowly; whatever we get out of him, we can all use."

Linlei nodded.

Aikesi stood aside, watching as Saisile summoned the undead to drag Lampson to the side to begin the interrogation. The rescued people were untying each other's ropes; some were crying quietly, while others were praying in low voices.

He withdrew his gaze and walked to Linlei's side.

"Are you alright?"

Linlei shook his head: "The consumption was a bit high; a little rest will do."

In the distance, Saisile had already begun the interrogation. The torture methods of necromancy were far more cruel than ordinary punishments. Lampson's screams echoed through the valley, startling a flock of birds into flight.

Aikesi took a small bell from his robes; it was made of bronze, covered with densely packed runes. This was the sign-in notification that had sounded in his mind the moment the battle ended—the Gate of Eternity·Cleansing Bell.

He shook it gently, and a crisp bell sound rang out. That bell sound seemed able to penetrate the soul, clearing the mind.