Chapter Thirty-Eight: A Strange Ambush

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Sunlight bathed the world.

Lei Xiang, who had always been fond of sunny days, now found himself growing weary of the incessant brightness. “It’s sunny all day long, and my eyes are numb from it,” he muttered.

He idly waved the wordless bamboo slip in his hand, and it burst into flame. This was the reason he frequented the library so often—before coming to the Academy, Senior Linghu Chong of the library had told him that the library was a secret rendezvous point, and that messages and orders were transmitted by means of this very bamboo slip.

Glancing helplessly at the sun, Lei Xiang left the library and made his way toward the Hongji Training Field.

After three months of theory classes, today they were to head to Hengyang Mountain for field practice. Lei Xiang decided not to skip class this time, chiefly because of the message on the bamboo slip.

“There is a spy from the Blood Fiend Alliance among the new students of the beginner class.”

Field practice was meant for newcomers; perhaps he could find some clues there, so Lei Xiang tagged along.

Once again, they boarded the dragon boat, carrying more than fifty students and two teachers. In no time, they reached the mountainside of Hengyang Mountain. Disembarking, the group split into two teams, each led by a teacher, and began their ascent separately.

Lei Xiang’s group followed Teacher Zhang. Among the twenty or so students, only two were girls. It was then that Lei Xiang finally understood why Chen Junxi was attending so diligently—because of Situ Yan.

Situ Yan was a striking girl. Her features, though not exquisitely delicate, blended together in perfect harmony. Her figure wasn’t exactly voluptuous, yet possessed a graceful allure. Another reason for her crowd of admirers was her father, the current dean of Hongji Academy.

Now, Situ Yan walked right behind Teacher Zhang, with Chen Junxi and Ma Zhiyuan flanking her like two persistent flies. Lei Xiang and Dugu Yixiao walked in the middle, while Ma Tao trailed cautiously at the rear. If a ferocious beast appeared, Ma Tao would doubtless be the first to flee.

As they climbed, Lei Xiang’s group, with Teacher Zhang’s help, had already slain more than a dozen third- and fourth-rank beasts. Spirits were high and laughter frequent, the liveliest of all being Liu Tian. He bounded back and forth, chatting with Situ Yan, then with Lei Xiang, and next with Ma Zhiyuan, seemingly tireless.

The line of students stretched farther apart, so much so that Ma Tao at the end was now out of sight. Lei Xiang tried to strike up a conversation with Dugu Yixiao, but the latter remained silent.

Suddenly, without warning, Lei Xiang rolled sideways and kicked Dugu Yixiao squarely on the backside. Dugu Yixiao was sent flying at an angle, but instantly retaliated, his hand slashing out a faint golden blade of light toward Lei Xiang.

But Lei Xiang was already sliding along the ground, darting into the dense woods on the right like a bird vanishing into the forest.

Clang! Crack!

Five icicles smashed into the spot where Dugu Yixiao had just passed, shattering on impact. He gripped his Golden Serpent Sword, his face as cold and hard as granite, unreadable as ever.

An incense-stick’s time later, Lei Xiang returned. This time, Dugu Yixiao spoke first. “You didn’t catch him?”

Lei Xiang nodded. “Whoever made the sneak attack is stronger than either of us. Even together, we might not be his match.”

After their joint battle with Chen Junxi, Lei Xiang had noticed Dugu Yixiao had grown less hostile, so he ventured, “Could they have been after your bundle?”

Dugu Yixiao rejected the notion without hesitation. Lei Xiang grinned, his canine teeth showing. “You cradle that bundle like it’s a treasure every day. Aren’t you afraid someone will come after it?”

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Seeing Dugu Yixiao fall silent again, Lei Xiang teased, “Granite, what exactly is the treasure you’re hiding there? Can I have a look?”

Dugu Yixiao’s eyes, usually half-closed, snapped open. “Anyone who looks inside my bundle dies. No one alive has seen it.” He turned away, his words cold as frost. “That includes you.”

Lei Xiang stuck out his tongue. “This guy really is as stubborn as granite.”

Suddenly, a dark cloud swept in from ahead. The ground erupted with a pale gold blade of light, which struck the cloud, causing a violent explosion.

As the cloud dispersed, it revealed a monstrous bird. Its head was as large as a basin, its body as plump as a pig, yet its two legs were as spindly as chicken claws. How such slender limbs could support that massive body was a mystery.

Apparently enraged by the golden blade, the creature spread its wings—nearly ten meters across—and swooped straight at Dugu Yixiao.

Dugu Yixiao raised his Golden Serpent Sword, timing his strike perfectly for the monster’s left wing. “Down you go!”

But the bird’s wings were tougher than steel, and the sword left only a faint white mark. The creature retaliated with a blast of fire from its beak, engulfing Dugu Yixiao in flames.

A fifth-rank beast!

Lei Xiang cried out in alarm and rushed to Dugu Yixiao’s side, flinging three Black Cloud Rain Talismans into the air. With a snap of his fingers, torrents of water as thick as buckets poured forth, dousing the flames.

Dugu Yixiao—now singed and blackened—still wore his granite mask, squinting coldly at the monster above while his hands began forming seals at lightning speed.

But Lei Xiang felt a sudden, nameless sense of danger. The threat did not come from the bird, so he hurriedly cast a beast-hide shield, wrapping them both within its protection.

The monster shrieked and spat out another wave of flame, causing the beast-hide to hiss and sizzle. Suddenly, Dugu Yixiao’s eyes snapped open as he roared:

“Cold Yin Finger!”

A beam of white light, as thick as a finger, shot from his index finger toward the bird’s left eye. The beast, now possessed of intelligence, crossed its wings to block.

With a dull thud, the iron-hard wings were pierced, leaving a hole the size of a finger. The monster shrieked and circled in the sky, then dropped two round, egg-like objects. When they hit the beast-hide shield, they exploded with thunderous force, blasting two basin-sized holes in the defense.

A Clumsy Pig Chicken!

Lei Xiang gasped. He recalled reading about this creature in the Hongji Library—it had no comb nor tail, yet could fly and drop explosive eggs like bombs. The power of its eggs was second only to the legendary Heavenly Crystal Beads.

A sudden idea struck him—why not modify the Black Cloud Rain Talismans to launch explosives as well?

Whoosh! The razor-thin chicken claws swooped down. Instinctively, Lei Xiang raised the Eight-Treasure Dragon Lance to block. Since the beast-hide shield was ineffective, and the Blue Lotus Disc—a truly supreme treasure—could not be revealed, only this lance could contend with the beast.

The claws were repelled, and with a whirl of its wings, the Clumsy Pig Chicken attacked again. Lei Xiang planted the lance upright and, with a slap to his storage pouch, unleashed fourteen flying swords. With a flicker of light, a brown triangular flag appeared in his hand. With seven deft movements—three left, four right—the swords arranged themselves into a boundless sword formation.

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With a point of his triangular flag, Lei Xiang sent the Boundless Sword Array hurtling toward the Clumsy Pig Chicken, enveloping its massive form. Fourteen sword blades spun like a windmill, feathers raining down as the monster thrashed in the air.

A breeze scattered the feathers, carpeting the ground.

Now the Clumsy Pig Chicken in the air had been reduced to a bald, tailless quail. It struggled and flapped its naked wings, latching onto the Eight-Treasure Dragon Lance with its claws. With a jerk of its rump, it launched a watermelon-sized egg directly at Lei Xiang’s head.

Lei Xiang remained unfazed. With a flick of his flag, the Boundless Sword Array intercepted, a dozen sword flashes reducing the egg to fragments, which exploded midair in a deafening blast.

Dugu Yixiao, watching, was deeply shaken. For the first time, a grave look crossed his granite features. “Lei Xiang is a monster. To control so many artifacts at once, and fight a fifth-rank beast alone—can he really still be at the Qi Refining stage? Even an early Foundation Establishment cultivator couldn’t manage that.”

By now, the Clumsy Pig Chicken had exhausted its tricks. Beating its naked wings, it fled down the mountain. Dugu Yixiao breathed a sigh of relief, and Lei Xiang retrieved his sword array and lance—it was clear that the now-intelligent beast recognized the futility of fighting on and chose to retreat.

Suddenly, as Dugu Yixiao finally relaxed, he sensed a violent surge of spiritual power behind him. The blue-flowered bundle on his back was snatched away by a giant hand shrouded in black mist. There was no time to form seals; in desperation, he flung his Golden Serpent Sword.

A finger extended from the black hand, flicking the sword away as if it were nothing. The hand, clutching the bundle, began to withdraw.

Just then, a sharp spike erupted from the ground, five stories high, stabbing straight into the palm of the black hand. The hand paused, then dissolved along with the black mist.

Lei Xiang walked over, plucked the blue-flowered bundle from the impaled spike, and handed it back to Dugu Yixiao. “They really were after your bundle. These people are skilled and smart, timing their move for the moment we let our guard down after defeating the Clumsy Pig Chicken.”

Dugu Yixiao took the bundle without a word, but his heart was in turmoil. “This Lei Xiang is impossible to fathom. It’s as if everything unfolds according to his design—when did he plant that spike?”

A violent explosion erupted a hundred yards behind them. “Not good—Ma Tao’s in danger.” Lei Xiang realized that the battered Clumsy Pig Chicken must have gone after the cowardly Ma Tao.

In a flash, they covered the distance. In the distance, the bald Clumsy Pig Chicken was raining explosive eggs from the air, while Ma Tao, shielded by a glowing barrier, was desperately fleeing in all directions. “No wonder that beast’s belly is so big—it was storing all those eggs.”

Suppressing a smile, Lei Xiang unleashed the Boundless Sword Array, surrounding the Clumsy Pig Chicken. The beast, sensing danger, tried but failed to escape. With a series of frantic squawks, its belly suddenly bulged like a frog’s, and it spat out a fist-sized blood-red egg threaded with crimson veins.

Lei Xiang’s heart sank. That was no ordinary egg—it was the beast’s demon core. Clearly, it was fighting for its life. With a gesture, he recalled the sword array and flung out the Eight-Treasure Dragon Lance. The lance shot toward the demon core; the monster spat flames, wrapping the core as it soared upward. But the lance arrived first, its dragon-horned tip crackling with lightning, pinning the demon core in place and dispersing the flames instantly.

Deprived of its demon core, the Clumsy Pig Chicken shrank visibly. Its beady eyes darted about as it tried to escape, but Lei Xiang would not let it go. The Boundless Sword Array sealed off its path, and with a knife-hand, he unleashed a blue spiral of light, severing the monster’s huge pig head.

With a call, Lei Xiang summoned back his lance. “This demon core is mine. Any objections?”

Dugu Yixiao walked away in silence, while Ma Tao nodded so vigorously it looked like he was pecking rice. “Senior Lei killed the beast alone of course it’s all yours. Yes, yes, as it should be.”

Grinning, Lei Xiang inspected the demon core, then tossed it into his storage pouch. The blue spiral flew again, and pale blue blades circled the Clumsy Pig Chicken, slicing off its wings and those spindly chicken claws.