Chapter 25: The Ambush

If there were only one such beast, it would pose little threat to those present. However, as the creature leaped out, the woods began to shake incessantly. Various ferocious beasts—wolves, insects, tigers, leopards, mountain demons, and wild boars—emerged, totaling over twenty, and surrounded the group.

Lao Qifeng spoke up, "One each. Be careful of the venomous Gu insects inside these beasts."

"Hero Li and Elder Yin, please stand guard for us."

With that, the group charged at the beasts together.

***

At the entrance of the Miao King’s tomb, disciples left behind by several major sects were waiting anxiously. It had been half a day since Li Miao and the others had entered.

Those who went inside were all masters of at least second-rate caliber; in terms of travel speed, this much time was enough to cover hundreds of miles. Even if the tomb were vast, it could at most span a dozen acres. With no movement by now, they feared an accident had occurred.

The people inside were either sect leaders, direct disciples, or elders with real power. If they were all trapped, these major sects would struggle to recover for years. Bound by the previously established rules, the remaining disciples dared not rush in rashly. They could only stand outside the tomb, fretting and calculating how many more hours they should wait before forcing their way in.

Just then, they heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats approaching. Everyone turned to look, their faces turning pale with alarm.

"Junior Brother! What happened to you!?" exclaimed a disciple of the Hengshan Sect.

Coming on horseback was a Hengshan disciple covered in bloody lacerations, looking as though he were breathing his last. He lay draped across the horse's back, seemingly unconscious. A Hengshan elder stepped forward, stopped the horse, lifted the disciple down, and began channeling internal energy to heal him.

After a long moment, the disciple slowly awakened.

The Hengshan elder asked urgently, "What happened to you? Weren't you sent to Shaolin to invite Master Xingchi? Why are you wounded like this? Who did this to you?"

This disciple was one of those sent to the Shaolin Temple to request the presence of Master Xingchi when the major sects were at a stalemate outside the Miao King’s tomb. Master Xingchi was a man of great virtue and high seniority. Of course, he was not the only one sent; other direct disciples from various sects and a nine-bag elder from the Beggar Sect had accompanied him.

It was precisely because they had failed to return that the major sects, fearing that long delays would lead to further complications, had hastily set the rules and entered the Miao King’s tomb together. They never expected that only he would return, and in such a state!

His injuries did not appear fatal, but his body was riddled with dense wounds, and he had lost too much blood. The bumpy journey combined with the exhaustion of his internal energy had left him on the brink of collapse. Upon returning and finally letting his guard down, he had passed out.

Now that he had regained consciousness, he looked around in terror. Once he recognized the face of his elder, he spoke urgently:

"Elder, it's bad!"

"Shaolin has been attacked! When I fled, the mountain gate had already been breached!"

"Master Xingchi sent people to help us escape, but the fellow disciples and martial arts allies who went with me are all dead!"

"It was the Ming Cult! Ji Tianrui is still alive!"

***

Lao Qifeng landed a "Subduing Dragon's Regret" on the forehead of the beast before him, forcing it back. He retreated a few steps and shook his hands.

The "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms" was the signature martial art of the Beggar Sect, a top-tier skill in the world of martial arts, no less formidable than the "Divine Skill of the Wedding Gown." As the leader of the Beggar Sect, while he had not reached the supreme level, he lacked neither resources nor diligence in his practice, and he had mastered all eighteen palms. A single strike from him could leave an imprint on solid rock.

Yet, the beast had taken his full-force strike head-on, stumbling only a few steps. Despite some torn flesh and a shaken head, it acted as if nothing had happened and prepared to pounce on him again.

Li Miao, watching from the sidelines, stroked his fingers and pondered secretly.

"These beasts are of the same ilk as the Ming Cult's Gu soldiers... but they seem more 'refined'."

"In comparison, the Ming Cult’s Gu soldiers are like a 'budget version,' while these beasts are the original."

Back in Tai'an City, two Gu soldiers were enough to force Mei Qinghe into a life-or-death struggle, and four had nearly killed Zhou Yingxue. Although that was partly due to their inability to maneuver and their depleted energy, the level of difficulty was evident.

The beasts before him were far stronger than the Ming Cult’s Gu soldiers. Lao Qifeng, a first-rate master and leader of the Beggar Sect, was using a world-renowned technique yet was deadlocked with one beast, finding himself in danger several times.

The others were also struggling to keep up. They were already outnumbered, and with many only second-rate, they were only surviving by bullying the beasts' lack of human-like intelligence and coordination, relying on mutual support.

It seemed the Miao people’s schemes were well-prepared. Even if all the traps inside the tomb failed and these people emerged unscathed, they would still fall to these beasts.

The leader of the Kongtong Sect rescued a disciple and shouted to Li Miao, "Hero Li, is your method for repelling Gu insects effective against these beasts?"

Li Miao replied, "It is only effective against insects outside the body; it has no effect on those inside."

Hearing this, the hearts of those present sank.

The martial arts Li Miao had displayed were only at a first-rate level, slightly inferior to Lao Qifeng’s. Yin Minjun was even worse, merely a mid-level first-rate martial artist. Even with their help, the situation would not change much. Under the weight of such despair, many lost their edge, and the situation grew increasingly perilous.

Li Miao smiled and turned to Yin Minjun: "Elder Yin, would you like to do these people a great favor?"

Yin Minjun was not at all worried about the current situation. According to Deng Boxuan's description, even if the number of these beasts were multiplied by ten, they would still be nothing in Li Miao's hands. She was still lost in her own chaotic thoughts, and being addressed by Li Miao so suddenly made her flustered.

"Ah, Master, what was that?"

Having seen much in the world, Li Miao understood her state. He did not point it out and repeated what he had just said.

"I will not intervene. You handle it, Elder Yin."

Without waiting for her answer, he reached out and grasped her pulse. Yin Minjun did not struggle, keeping her head low, not daring to meet his eyes.

Suddenly, she felt a surge of extremely rigid, masculine, and vigorous internal energy pouring in from her pulse, coursing through her meridians. Acupoints that had been difficult to break through despite years of hard work were instantly opened one after another.

In just a few moments, Yin Minjun felt her internal energy increase several times over. Li Miao had casually created a "half-step supreme" master!

He withdrew his hand, clapped, and said to her:

"Elder Yin, this 'Divine Skill of the Wedding Gown' of mine is my own derivation and differs from the original. This internal energy will only last for a short while."

"Go and save them. Do them a favor; it will make things more convenient for you to work for me in the future."

"Go."