"Ming Emperor, you’d better have a backup plan; we’re in for some major trouble."
Ku Daoist stared intently at the strange Taoist not far ahead, speaking in a low voice, "I’m not his match. This person claims to be Xuansha Daoist. Like me, he’s from the Taoist Sect, but was expelled mid-way for practicing evil techniques, and later joined the Bone Transformation Tower."
As this Xuansha Daoist pulled out an old rectangular wooden token from the tattered wide sleeves of his robe, the next second, a powerful wave of spiritual power spread out.
Simultaneously, the few wooden houses nailed shut with planks shattered instantly, and over a dozen puppets emitting dense corpse qi stepped out, forming a line behind Xuansha Daoist.
"Half-step Nether Realm!" Upon realizing the true strength of this person, the Trickster was horrified, his heart sinking to the bottom.
And now, even though he wanted to escape, there was no opportunity; just in the moment of distraction among the crowd, the ambushers behind them also revealed themselves.
Unlike the entrance of Xuansha Daoist, the ones appearing behind Yang Xiao truly gave him quite a shock, because even with a Human Bone Staff in hand, Yang Xiao had not detected anyone lying in ambush behind him.
And the way these guys made their entrance was extremely strange as well, seeming to "emerge" from the ground.
They really did emerge, akin to bamboo shoots after a spring rain, breaking through the soil little by little, just at a much faster speed.
Yang Xiao, now considered quite knowledgeable, quickly realized there was something wrong with the soil.
This was not mountain soil but a dark-red blood soil, which was a space-type magical artifact. These people had been hiding below, waiting for them to walk into the trap.
As those in the blood soil fully revealed themselves, Yang Xiao’s gaze fixed on the person in their center.
This group was as thin as ghosts, clearly disciples of the Withered Bone Pavilion. The central figure wore a blood-red robe adorned with gold thread like a Kasaya, but it was broken and old, making him appear outlandish.
However, Yang Xiao dared not underestimate this person at all, for he was truly the strongest on site, with spiritual power even surpassing the half-step Nether Realm Xuansha Daoist.
There could be no other; this person was indeed the top master in the Withered Bone Pavilion aside from the patron, undoubtedly the Great Protector!
Because the Provincial Bureau had no data on the Great Protector, Yang Xiao was not fully informed about him.
The several protecorates of the Withered Bone Pavilion he had previously captured and killed were also unaware of the Great Protector’s background, only knowing he remained hidden for years, a figure as rare as it was powerful.
Among the ranks of the Withered Bone Pavilion present, there were several high-level Nether experts, but Yang Xiao had yet to see the Second Guardian Blood Sun True Man.
Unclear whether it was Vice Director Zhao’s intelligence that had malfunctioned, or if what he provided was false, this was a fabricated drama.
But Yang Xiao leaned towards the former; he judged that even Vice Director Zhao did not know the details of intelligence at this level.
Now the situation was nearly one-sided; their path ahead blocked, and their way back cut off. Relying on just them to contend against two half-step Nether Realm experts, along with over a dozen Nether and Fierce level apostles was surely a pipe dream.
"Don’t be afraid, we’ll hold our ground, reinforcements will soon arrive!" As the backbone of the team, Yang Xiao naturally could not waver, much less fear.
Seeing that Yang Xiao still wished to put up a desperate fight, the Great Protector cast him a cold gaze, "There will be no reinforcements. The team sent for your support has already been intercepted by my men, and won’t break through in a short time. Prepare to meet your end in peace."
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao understood that the Second Guardian must also be nearby. It’s just that the Great Protector had ordered him to lead people in intercepting the reinforcements sent by the Huai Shuo Province Office.
"So, you’re the one who hunted down several protecorates from our Withered Bone Pavilion; you truly have quite the courage, Yang Xiao." The Great Protector directly revealed his true name.
"I am the Yu Yuan Sect Nether Emperor, Ye Xiao." Yang Xiao sternly replied.
"I don’t care whether you’re called Ye Xiao or Early Hours, anyway, dare to oppose us and you’ll pay the price. Once I capture you, I’ll make you wish for death."
"If you weren’t from the Yu Yuan Sect, I might have left you a whole corpse, but unfortunately, you are. You will have to face the pain of having all your blood drained by the Blood Prison. Trust me, you will regret it," threatened the Great Protector in a menacing tone.
"What, just because our Sect Master’s half-step Nether Realm power exploded your patron’s head, making it impossible for you to hold your head high in the world of martial arts?" Yang Xiao, with his taunts at full power, jabbed at the opponent’s weakest points.
"You sharp-tongued brat, I hope you’ll keep that bravado when you fall into my hands," chuckled the Great Protector coldly.
"I say, are you both done yet? Quickly, kill him and let’s leave. If the Patrol Defense Office detects anything wrong here, stronger reinforcements will follow, and none of us will escape!" Seeing the verbal exchange going on endlessly, Xuansha Daoist grew anxious; he had no time for delays. If not for the large sum the Withered Bone Pavilion spent to recruit him, he wouldn’t bother meddling in this mess.
However... Xuansha Daoist fixed his gaze on Ku Daoist, more specifically on the corpse-controlling copper bell at Ku Daoist’s waist, his eyes faintly gleaming.
It was indeed a good item; he hadn’t expected to gain an unexpected prize on this trip.
"I’ll handle the Great Protector. Ku Daoist and One-Eyed Monk deal with Xuansha; the rest hold off those grunts. Our reinforcement will arrive in up to 5 minutes!"
Without wasting words, Yang Xiao immediately deployed his newly acquired samurai puppet. Right now, he was the only one who could stall the Great Protector momentarily. Forcing Ku Daoist and his allies to face the Great Protector might lead to immediate defection.
With the samurai puppet’s appearance, it instantly drew attention. The Great Protector frowned, while the distant Xuansha Daoist was amazed, "Wow, a half-step Nether Realm puppet! Where... where did you, young one, get this from?"
"Bone Refining, I’m adding a condition to our prior deal. After you kill this kid, you must leave the puppet to me!"
Xuansha Daoist shouted hoarsely, feeling rewarded for the trip. First came the corpse-controlling bell from Ku Daoist, then a half-step Nether Realm high-level puppet, styled like a Japanese product, it was quite the lucrative deal.
Battle erupted instantly; Ku Daoist gritted his teeth and struck first, shaking the corpse-controlling bell with his left hand, waving a peach wood sword with his right, taking down two puppets charging at him.
Indeed, Xuansha Daoist lived up to his reputation. He merely pointed the token at Ku Daoist lightly, and the next moment, a Heavenly Thunder exploded from nowhere, and an eerie lightning bolt with a purple glow descended from the sky.
Yet, Ku Daoist did not avoid; he continued gritting his teeth to duel with the Xuansha Daoist’s Yin corpses. Just as the purple lightning was about to fall on Ku Daoist’s head, it suddenly seemed to be interfered with by an unknown force, unexpectedly skewing slightly to strike a tree beside Ku Daoist instead.
A terrifying scene unfolded; the struck tree showed no signs of being scorched but wilted rapidly. Within a few blinks, all the leaves fell off, and its trunk was covered in weird holes of various sizes.
But the One-Eyed Monk who took this hit for Ku Daoist wasn’t feeling well; the disparity in strength between him and Xuansha Daoist was far too great. At this point, his only hope lay with the reinforcements arriving soon.
He trusted the Ming Emperor, not for his conscience, but knowing full well that this person cherished his own life.
He had a space-type magical artifact yet did not flee alone, proving that reinforcements were definitely nearby and would soon arrive.
What he didn’t realize was that Yang Xiao releasing the samurai puppet was merely a feint, the true goal being to buy him time to use the Soul-Capturing Mirror to retreat.
However, the unforeseen was that the opponent had long seen through his plan. Currently, the Great Protector didn’t hesitate to waste a large amount of spiritual power to replace the nearby land with the Blood Fertile Soil.
The opponent’s abilities were quite mysterious; his space power was severely limited on this land, even showing signs of being "polluted."
If he forcibly used it, whether he could break through was uncertain, but he might first suffer backlash from the artifact.
No choice, the opponent’s spiritual power was far superior to his. Even among half-step Nether Realm figures, this guy was undeniably a top expert.