Chapter 45: Entering the Game
“You’re courting death……”
Those words seemed to pierce some hidden nerve in Shen Yanzhou, causing his eyes to turn blood-red in an instant.
He was filled with rage and immediately swung the branch he had snapped off the tree, hurling it toward the men.
However, before the branch could strike them, it was shattered by the protective gang qi surrounding their bodies.
The branch burst apart into scattered leaves, falling into the muddy soil.
Seeing this, Shen Yanzhou froze in place, as though he had not expected his counterattack to be so feeble.
His face flushed crimson with humiliation.
“Hahaha……”
The several experts from Luofu Cloud Cavern burst into loud laughter.
“Did this wastrel really think we’d let him vent his anger on us like his household servants and retainers do?”
“How naïve. This is Hidden Moon Mountain. To die here is worse than sinking into the Eastern Sea. Within a day, every bit of you will be gnawed clean by beasts and insects, not even bones left intact.”
They laughed mockingly.
One of them even rolled up his sleeve, revealing a muscular, bronze-colored arm—only for tiny black specks, like grains of soil, to crawl out from beneath his skin.
Within moments, the man’s arm was swarming with countless wriggling insects, an utterly horrifying sight.
Shen Yanzhou’s face turned deathly pale as he instinctively backed away, seemingly never having seen something so grotesque before.
“Don’t frighten this delicate little noble too much……”
They snickered, signaling for their companion to recall the gu worms.
While their tone was relaxed and mocking, Shen Yanzhou suddenly retched violently, then cried out, “Someone—help!” before turning pale-faced and stumbling back the way he came, down the muddy trail.
His once pristine robes were quickly covered in dirt and grime.
The drizzling rain soaked his hair, strands sticking to his face, making him look utterly disheveled.
“Heh, this fellow still thinks he can run?”
The experts of Luofu Cloud Cavern hadn’t expected Shen Yanzhou to actually flee, and they laughed, utterly unconcerned.
Each of them was a Sixth Rank, Witch-Priest Realm cultivator within the Witchcraft Path, capable of channeling Spirit Mediums and riding the winds.
To catch Shen Yanzhou would only take a single thought.
In that moment, they even developed a cat-and-mouse sort of amusement.
The Demon Suppression King once held unmatched authority across the southern frontier, subduing all directions and forcing hidden sects into reluctant submission.
Yet now, his son was fleeing through a rainy night like a stray dog……
High upon the cliff, Fu Yuying furrowed her brows as she watched the scene unfold from afar.
“Wumu and Wuheng—aren’t they going a bit too far?”
The old woman beside her couldn’t help but speak; she was aware of the inside story.
Fu Yuying felt a strange tightness in her chest.
Over the years, Shen Yanzhou had always pretended to be a foolish, useless man just to survive in the imperial capital, enduring ridicule and scorn.
But soon, she collected herself and shook her head slightly.
“Only this way can Shen Tian be drawn out. For now, we can only let Young Master Shen suffer a little grievance……”
The old woman nodded.
……
Rain misted the muddy ground as Shen Yanzhou stumbled down the path, brushing against thorny vines.
His luxurious robe, once of fine make, was torn and ruined.
His face was pale, his expression panicked, utterly flustered—running without direction.
Behind him, the Luofu Cloud Cavern experts followed unhurriedly, gliding on gentle winds.
Invisible auras surrounded them, keeping the rain at bay so they remained dry.
In contrast, Shen Yanzhou was drenched and caked in mud.
Anyone who saw this scene would think a pampered noble was being chased by roadside bandits.
From afar, within the thick canopy of an enormous tree, Shen Tian silently watched the scene, cold and motionless.
When Shen Yanzhou had caused a commotion and fled from the miasma-filled gorge earlier, Shen Tian had already noticed.
He hadn’t expected Shen Yanzhou to have escaped the Nether Cult’s hands.
But soon, his attention turned to the experts chasing him.
After a brief thought, Shen Tian understood—it must be the Nether Cult’s trap, deliberately releasing Shen Yanzhou as bait to lure the Bureau of Immortal Inspection and the Chilin Guards into a rescue.
So, he chose to remain still.
The Bureau and the Chilin Guards were being held back by the beasts of Hidden Moon Mountain and could not reach this place anytime soon.
“Before then, the Nether Cult wouldn’t dare kill Shen Yanzhou.”
“I haven’t seen any Nether Cult members along the way—most likely they’re lying in ambush at the gorge’s entrance.”
“These men’s strength is considerable—Sixth Rank, it seems—and they don’t have any others with them.”
“But if I kill them, I’ll definitely draw the attention of the remaining cultists.”
“My only target is Shen Yanzhou. As long as he dies, that’s enough.”
A cold gleam flashed in Shen Tian’s eyes.
He reached behind him and retrieved the sword case he carried, laying it flat before him.
Inside rested three short swords, each barely three inches long and white as jade.
The middle sword was pure and flawless, its crystalline texture like that of a delicate artwork.
The two on either side were engraved with cloud and snow patterns, named Xiuyun and Huixue.
Each blade, once unleashed, could slay a low Third Rank cultivator.
“To die under this sword, Shen Yanzhou, your life won’t have been wasted.”
Shen Tian drew Huixue, concealing it within his sleeve.
He suppressed his aura completely, becoming a predator hidden in the shadows, razor-sharp fangs ready to strike.
Whoosh!!!
Just as Shen Tian was waiting for the perfect moment, a sharp sound split through the air—like a thunderous bowstring snapping, piercing through the rain and fog of the night.
A blinding flash of weapon-light tore apart the mist, carrying an overwhelming force that shook the rain into explosive sprays.
With a resonant hum, it shot toward the group of Luofu Cloud Cavern experts leisurely chasing along the muddy trail.
Their expressions changed slightly as they swiftly dodged midair.
The streak of weapon-light embedded itself deep into a massive tree trunk behind them with a dull thud, shaking down countless leaves.
It was a long spear with crimson tassels fluttering.
“Who’s there?”
They immediately grew wary, gazing toward the ancient forest shrouded in rain and mist.
Shen Yanzhou, who had been fleeing, froze in place, catching his breath as his eyes fell on that familiar red-tasseled spear.
Shen Tian hadn’t appeared—but Wu Ruyue had arrived first?
“Senior, can you sense any killing intent?” he asked through thought.
“There are several in the shadows,” Lin Qingcang’s voice sounded, “but the densest killing intent lies a few miles east. He conceals himself well, but he cannot hide from me……”
Shen Yanzhou nodded slightly, his gaze calm.
So, Shen Tian was hiding in that direction.
That man was cautious indeed—he had arrived long ago yet still chose not to reveal himself.
To play this scene convincingly, he had certainly gone to great lengths.