Volume 4: Hidden Battles – Chapter 194: Killing Intent Surging

The shrill and clear voice startled Chu Tianyu. It was truly strange that someone would appear in this remote forest! He couldn’t help but look at his senior brother Liu Xiangshi with confusion, thinking, “Could it be that the recent mutations here have alarmed some cultivators in the vicinity? Or are those who have been tracking my brother back again? Well, then it’s not my fault—no one to practice against anyway.”

Liu Xiangshi was also pondering this issue when suddenly, a killing intent emanated from Chu Tianyu, shocking him. Without caring about what was happening over there, he focused on Chu Tianyu. He saw Chu Tianyu staring straight ahead, his face fierce and grim, his muscles bulging dramatically. A layer of yellow light emerged once more, glowing faintly with a chilling aura, exuding an overwhelming sense of murderous intent.

Liu Xiangshi naturally understood what Chu Tianyu was thinking—he must be thinking of those evil forces that might be tracking him, which explained such resentment and killing intent. With such a killing god here, if they really were those demons, they would surely suffer greatly. Yet Liu Xiangshi’s concern was not for them but for Chu Tianyu’s current state. He kept searching through his memories and ancient texts for any way to deal with this situation.

It seemed Chu Tianyu’s killing intent was growing stronger. Although his master had said that his junior brother had passed the trial of the Xuanji Sect’s supreme cultivation method, which should prevent him from being plagued by demons in the future, it couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t embark on a path of bloodthirsty slaughter under the influence of the Mo Long energy and the cold moonlight. Especially since Chu Tianyu said he could continuously absorb moon energy every night to strengthen himself, with his absorption speed and improvement rate increasing significantly after intense battles or when he expended a lot of energy during the day. This alone was likely enough to drive Chu Tianyu to constantly pursue martial skills and power, plunging him into endless killings and conflicts. The fact that he had unconsciously devoted himself to improving his skills over the past two days, neglecting the task of finding a way out and locating Ouyang Ziyi and the others, was a clear sign. Clearly, even Chu Tianyu himself wasn’t aware of this situation…

The sound did not continue but stopped. Chu Tianyu looked at Liu Xiangshi thoughtfully and couldn’t help but interrupt his thoughts, asking eagerly, “Senior brother, shall we go take a look? Could it be those demons that were chasing you? If so, we can settle both old and new accounts at once!”
After hearing this, Liu Xiangshi looked at Chu Tianyu’s murderous expression and had no immediate solution. Anyway, there was no rush right now. It might be better to go check the situation over there first…
Before Liu Xiangshi could reply, a strange, special vibrating sound suddenly came from the direction where the noise had originated. Chu Tianyu and Liu Xiangshi’s expressions changed at the same time, and they exclaimed in unison, “Yunmen Shock Sound!”
Immediately afterward, Liu Xiangshi slapped his thigh and said, “Oh no, this is bad! Tianyu, let’s hurry over! It’s urgent. We can talk as we go…”
Without further explanation, Liu Xiangshi gathered his vital energy, used the Yunmen movement technique, and rushed forward with Chu Tianyu in the direction of the sound.
Chu Tianyu, on the other hand, pushed off the ground with his toes and shot forward like a cannonball. He didn’t avoid trees or obstacles in his path but crashed straight into them. Nothing could stop him; he was nothing but a force of nature, moving at an astonishing speed. Even Liu Xiangshi, who considered his own lightness skills to be exceptional, shook his head in admiration, realizing he could barely keep up.
This was only because Chu Tianyu had slowed down slightly to accommodate his senior brother, who was using all his strength. Taking this opportunity, Liu Xiangshi briefly explained the situation to Chu Tianyu, saying, “A while ago, the fog temporarily suppressed Amber’s aura, allowing me to stabilize and find a fixed location. That’s when I had the chance to send out the Yunmen signal. I originally wanted to contact our master or the two uncles—to resolve Amber’s issue and also team up to deal with those persistent demons. It seems we’ve encountered fellow disciples. The two different sounds from the signal likely mean they’ve run into enemies and are sending out a localized shock sound warning to inform me.”

Hearing these words, Chu Tianyu’s already murderous intent grew even more urgent. The energy channeled through his feet increased, raising his speed by another level as he gradually widened the gap with Liu Xiangshi. Liu Xiangshi, who was struggling to keep up, was shocked—since he was right behind him, he could see clearly that Chu Tianyu no longer needed to touch the ground; a yellow glow emerging from beneath his feet was sufficient to support his rapid movements.

By the time Chu Tianyu and Liu Xiangshi reached the location from where the voices came, they had already left the forest and arrived on a flat area backed by mountains on three sides. A rugged path stretched in from the northeast but ended abruptly at the edge of the forest. Clearly, the local people also knew of the forest’s terror and dared not go any further, stopping at the edge.

At that moment, two groups stood facing each other in the clearing—more precisely, one group was surrounding the other. On the outer perimeter, six old men in plain clothes stood on the open ground, each holding a Cloud Gong Sword, securing all angles. Behind them stood two more men, one fat and one thin, also dressed in strange attire.

In the center, surrounded by them, were three middle-aged men, dressed similarly in flowing green robes. Two of them held dust fans, while the third carried a sword at his back—only the scabbard remained, as the blade was already in his hand. He watched the surroundings warily.

The arrival of Chu Tianyu and Liu Xiangshi drew the attention of both groups. As for Liu Xiangshi, whether friend or foe, everyone knew him well, so most of their gazes turned to Chu Tianyu, with puzzled thoughts: “How did this wildman appear out of nowhere?”

Needless to say, the two opposing groups were the villains who had followed the amber trail and the Yunmen disciples who came to rescue them. It seemed neither side yet knew each other’s identities; otherwise, they would have started fighting instead of just standing there in a standoff.

“Wahaha! Liu, you really are hard to find, yet you end up here effortlessly! I didn’t expect to find you here. The spiritual energy appeared twice from different directions just now—I thought you’d run away again! Haha…” One of the two old men at the outermost perimeter, a man with a purple face, stood there and spoke loudly. His arrogant and triumphant laughter was deafening.

Although Liu Xiangshi and the others had taken so many detours, their skills in light movement and concealment were self-evident. Yet the old man who spoke didn’t make any unnecessary moves; he simply turned around to face Liu Xiangshi. Clearly, at this distance, he was confident he wouldn’t let him escape again. In the past, Liu Xiangshi had been able to evade pursuit because he never allowed his pursuers to get close, giving him enough room to maneuver and just barely avoid them. But as long as Amber’s presence continued to emit its aura, it was impossible for him to completely escape.

But today, Liu Xiangshi had no intention of running. On the contrary, after assessing the situation, he secretly sent a message to Chu Tianyu: “Junior brother, don’t make a fuss for now. These two old men are extremely powerful. Even if our master were here, they could still fight against him for over a hundred rounds. Moreover, the six people surrounding our uncle are known as the Cloud Gong Six Demons; they specialize in sword formations. It was they who surrounded me the first time, though back then there were only two of them, and each was highly skilled. Let’s not act rashly for now. Let’s observe the situation. It seems they still don’t know our uncle’s identity; it’s just a coincidental confrontation. We’d better draw their attention first…”

It would have been fine if Liu Xiangshi hadn’t reminded him, but with this reminder, Chu Tianyu’s spirit was immediately lifted. A fighting spirit surged within him, his face filled with murderous intent. From his expression, it seemed he was trying hard to restrain himself, but inwardly, he longed to strike immediately and settle things once and for all!

Seeing the situation worsening and Chu Tianyu looking on the verge of losing control, Liu Xiangshi quickly stepped forward, grabbed Chu Tianyu’s hand, and said, “Junior brother, hold on! Just hold on for now!”

In his urgency, Liu Xiangshi didn’t use telepathy but spoke out loud. Although his voice wasn’t loud, everyone present heard it clearly!

The few demons were slightly puzzled—why was Liu Xiangshi addressing a wild-looking man with a fierce expression as his junior brother—but otherwise, they didn’t feel anything special.

However, the three middle-aged men trapped in the middle showed signs of excitement, their eyes gleaming as they sized up Chu Tianyu from head to toe. But when they saw Chu Tianyu’s appearance, they were filled with confusion. Clearly, the “junior brother” mentioned by Liu Xiangshi was very different from the person they had heard about. With his murderous aura, fierce demeanor, and well-proportioned muscles, there was not the slightest resemblance.

The other old man, who had stood on the periphery without saying a word, now had sharp triangular eyes, taking in the expressions of everyone in the room. Especially when everyone was distracted by Liu Xiangshi’s baffling words, the three people surrounded by them also showed changing expressions, clearly familiar with either Liu Xiangshi or that wildman. It was important to get the job done; to avoid unnecessary complications, they should deal with Liu Xiangshi first! With this in mind, he used telepathy to inform the purple-faced old man to join forces in the attack, while Yunluo Liu Jian stayed behind to handle the three people inside the circle. In an instant, the battlefield was filled with fighting spirit and murderous intent…