Surviving in a world of demons and monsters to achieve martial arts sainthood

The second team set off, galloping westward to explore the Misty Gorge.

Chu Chunqiu held a gun in his right hand and looked coldly ahead. He and Xiao Chen did not move out immediately, but waited quietly to observe the situation.

Xiao Chen's right arm was wrapped in bandages. In his previous battle with Shen Lian, the opponent had a large number of people and he did not gain any advantage. Instead, he was ganged up on and injured.

On the other side, Shen Lian lay prone behind a boulder, his eyes fixed on what lay ahead. Behind him, Zhang Meng, Li He, and the others held their breath, each holding a weapon.

Shen Lian said in a low voice, "Chu Chunqiu will definitely send someone to test us. Their strength must be considerable, so we must not be careless."

Zhang Meng nodded: "We set up traps in advance, all of them are powerful crossbow bolts. As long as they step into the traps, we can annihilate them in one fell swoop."

Li He frowned and said, "If Chu Chunqiu comes directly with his men, we're probably no match for them. Are we going to have to confront them head-on?"

Shen Lian said, "Although Chu Chunqiu is arrogant, he's not brainless. He will definitely send people. Let's take him out first. Qin Lie and Lin Qing'er are ready. As soon as Chu Chunqiu shows up, they will make their move immediately. At that time, we will attack from both sides. Even if he is at the peak of the fifth level of the Heavenly Realm, he will not be a match for us."

Footsteps suddenly came from afar.

Shen Lian immediately raised his hand to signal, and soon several figures slowly advanced. The leader was burly and held a long sword. He was Wang Man, a capable subordinate of Chu Chunqiu, with the strength of the peak of the fourth level. Behind him were seven followers, all of whom were at the mid-stage of the fourth level. The group walked steadily and vigilantly observed their surroundings.

"Chu Chunqiu is not here." Shen Lian narrowed his eyes, understanding that Chu Chunqiu had sent these people to test them in order to lure them out.

Wang Man stopped and gestured for everyone to stop.

"There's probably an ambush here," Wang Man said in a low voice.

A lean martial artist behind him said, "Brother Wang, why don't we fire an arrow to test the waters first?"

Wang Man shook his head and said, "If there really is an ambush, probing will only alert them. Young Master Xiao sent word that Shen Lian has only a dozen or so men under his command, and most of them are wounded. The nine of us are all elites, so we can just advance directly and suppress any resistance with swift and decisive measures."

Wang Man then led the group forward.

Shen Lian sneered. Chu Chunqiu's subordinates were indeed arrogant, which was exactly what he wanted.

Wang Man led a few people closer to the rocky slope. He scanned the surroundings with great caution.

Shen Lian was somewhat surprised. Wang Man was able to become Chu Chunqiu's capable subordinate, so he was naturally no ordinary person.

"Brother Wang, it's too quiet here," a dark-faced man holding a long knife whispered. "Not even a bird chirping. Something's definitely up."

Wang Man nodded, but did not stop: "Shen Lian's group is nothing but a bunch of defeated soldiers. Even if there is an ambush, what kind of decent trap could they set up? Pass down the order: advance in groups of three, and watch your step and your head."

The team immediately changed formation and slowly advanced. Just as they stepped onto what appeared to be a flat patch of gravel, a soft 'crack' sound came from beneath their feet.

"Retreat!" Wang Man reacted quickly and immediately shouted.

More than ten poisoned crossbow bolts shot out from the crevices in the rocks on both sides.

The two warriors were unable to dodge in time and were pierced through the shoulders and thighs by arrows.

Almost simultaneously, the ground collapsed, and three martial artists fell into a deep pit. The bottom of the pit was covered with sharpened wooden spikes, which, although not fatal, rendered them unable to fight.

"There was an ambush!" Wang Man roared, slashing his sword to deflect two crossbow bolts. "Everyone, move together!"

The remaining warriors quickly gathered together, cautiously surveying their surroundings. However, the anticipated encirclement did not occur.

"They're stalling for time." Wang Man instantly understood Shen Lian's intention. "They want to wear down our fighting strength. By the time Senior Brother Chu's main force arrives, we'll have already suffered heavy losses. We can't let them succeed!"

Just as he was about to order a forced breakthrough, a person slowly emerged from behind a boulder in front of him.

It was Shen Lian.

Alone, holding a long sword, he calmly looked at Wang Man: "Did Chu Chunqiu send just a few of you to your deaths?"

Wang Man's pupils contracted: "Shen Lian! You really are here, but do you think you can stop us all by yourself?"

Shen Lian did not answer, but simply raised his left hand. The next moment, dense footsteps suddenly rang out from the stone forest on both sides, and Zhang Meng, Li He and five others appeared with weapons in hand. Although they were all injured, their eyes were sharp and their killing intent was chilling.

"And now?" Shen Lian asked calmly.

Wang Man's face was gloomy. Five of the eight men he brought had already been killed. With only three men left, plus himself, they were no longer outnumbered by Shen Lian and his seven men. Moreover, the enemy had the advantage of terrain and the aid of traps.

But he couldn't retreat. Chu Chunqiu hated those who retreated in the face of battle the most. If he went back in such a disgraceful manner, even if he didn't die, he would have no place to stand in the future.

"Kill!" Wang Man gritted his teeth and gave the order, charging towards Shen Lian first. He knew that as long as Shen Lian was tied up, his three men would still have a chance of defeating the other wounded soldiers.

Wang Man's longsword cut through the air. He also practiced a fire-attribute sword technique, which, although not as domineering as Chu Chunqiu's "Overlord Spear Technique," was still fierce and violent.

"Wave-Cutting Style!"

Shen Lian neither dodged nor evaded, but instead used the Tiger-Taming Stance footwork, his body sliding along the blade like a fish, and then thrusting his blade straight at Wang Man's ribs with a backhand strike.

Wang Man hurriedly parried with his sword, and with a clang, the impact made his arm go numb.

"This kid... his swordsmanship has improved again!" Wang Man was shocked. He had long heard that Shen Lian's swordsmanship was very strong.

On the other side, Zhang Meng and his group were already engaged in battle with three martial artists.

Although they had the numerical advantage, Zhang Meng and Li He were still recovering from their injuries, which greatly reduced their fighting strength, and the two sides were deadlocked for a time.

Shen Lian glanced at the battle and knew that he had to end it quickly.

Wang Man was at the peak of the fourth level of the Heavenly Realm. A prolonged battle would be disadvantageous for him, so he immediately swung his long sword and unleashed the three moves of the "Demon Subduing Sword Technique" in succession.

Wang Man strode forward, his sword strikes wide and sweeping, yet he could never touch Shen Lian.

"This can't go on!" A ruthless glint flashed in Wang Man's eyes, and his longsword instantly burst into flames. "Crimson Flame Slash!"

This move was a killing move he had painstakingly honed over three years, and he had used it to severely injure a martial artist at the early stage of the fifth level of the martial arts world at the Qingzhou Martial Arts Tournament.

"Shen Lian, prepare to die!"

Wang Man swung his sword at Shen Lian, the long blade bringing with it a scorching wave of air as it slashed fiercely towards Shen Lian's face.

"Mountain-Slaying Style!"

Shen Lian slashed horizontally with his longsword, unleashing a solid blade aura that met the raging flames head-on. The two forces collided, producing a deafening explosion.

"Shen Lian, you managed to withstand my Crimson Flame Slash and survive, so you're not bad looking." Wang Man grinned maliciously, raising his blade again, the flames on the blade intensifying. "Unfortunately, you will die today!"

After saying that, Wang Man's blood and qi surged, and he once again unleashed the "Crimson Flame Slash" and slashed down at Shen Lian. This slash was even more ferocious than the previous one.

Shen Lian remained calm, and with a flick of his longsword, he immediately unleashed the "Wave-Slaying Style" from the "Demon-Subduing Sword Technique," the sword light rippling like waves.

clang!

A loud bang echoed through the forest, and powerful blade energy swept wildly in all directions.

Wang Man's sword strike was largely neutralized, and he was immediately startled.

"Wang Man, although you are at the peak of the fourth level of the Heavenly Realm, it is only because you have piled up pills to reach this level. Today, I will make you perish at my hands first," Shen Lian said coldly.

With a flick of his longsword, his entire aura changed abruptly, and his blood and qi surged like a river within him. Wang Man was greatly surprised by the changes in Shen Lian.

On the other side, Zhang Meng, Li He, and others defeated all seven of Wang Man's men.

Wang Man caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of his eye, and his brows immediately furrowed.

Shen Lian immediately stepped forward, his long sword sweeping horizontally forward, unleashing the "Mountain Splitting Style" to strike Wang Man's face.

Seeing this, Wang Man hurriedly swung his sword to block, but a powerful force swept over him, forcing him to retreat repeatedly, and a look of horror appeared in his eyes.

He was shocked. Shen Lian was clearly only at the mid-stage of the fourth level of the Heavenly Realm, yet the power he displayed was in no way weaker than his.

Before he could think any further, Shen Lian had already charged at him with his knife.

Wang Man immediately brandished his sword and engaged Shen Lian in battle. The two figures darted through the forest, the clash of their long swords echoing continuously.

"Wave-Cutting Style!"

Shen Lian suddenly roared and immediately unleashed the "Wave Slash" technique, delivering three consecutive slashes at Wang Man at an extremely fast speed.

Click!

Shen Lian slashed down with his sword, cutting Wang Man's longsword in two.

Bang!

Shen Lian then kicked out again, striking Wang Man hard in the abdomen, sending him flying into an ancient tree that snapped in half.

puff!

Wang Man fell to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

A figure sped past, and Shen Lian suddenly appeared in front of Wang Man, his long sword held horizontally in front of Wang Man, blood dripping from the tip of the blade.

"You've lost!" Shen Lian said coldly to Wang Man. "Hand over your jade talisman."

Wang Man looked at Shen Lian unwillingly, gritted his teeth, and threw the jade talisman to Shen Lian.

Shen Lian took the jade talisman and then examined it.

112 points!

not bad!

Shen Lian unceremoniously deducted Wang Man's points and then threw the jade talisman back to Wang Man: "Now tell me, what is Chu Chunqiu's plan?"

Wang Man shook his head and said, "I don't know!"

"Do you think I would believe that?" Shen Lian said coldly.

"I really don't know!" Wang Man immediately said, feeling Shen Lian's gaze. "We are all following Senior Brother Chu's orders. As for what his plan is, we really don't know. He didn't tell us."

Shen Lian held his knife and coldly stared at Wang Man. Chu Chunqiu was a local prodigy of Qingzhou Prefecture, with extremely strong strength, and naturally, he was extremely arrogant.

Wang Man said he was unaware of the plan, which is indeed possible.

"Brother Shen!"

Zhang Meng and Li He appeared beside Shen Lian. They defeated the others brought by Wang Man and also gained a lot of points.

"Are you alright?" Shen Lian asked.

Zhang Meng grinned and said, "Don't worry, with Brother Shen holding Wang Man back, the others are nothing to us."

Among them, Wang Man was the strongest, reaching the peak of the fourth level of the Heavenly Realm, but he was restrained by Shen Lian and had no chance to participate in their battle.

Shen Lian nodded slightly: "Let's retreat first."

Wang Man and his men were merely the vanguard, sent out by Chu Chunqiu to test the waters. Chu Chunqiu would soon learn of their defeat and would certainly launch a personal attack. Retreating now was undoubtedly the best option.

Zhang Meng, Li He, and the others nodded and left with Shen Lian.