Chapter 10, Ambush in the Desolate Valley

Liu Yiye clearly saw the other person's attire, and after a brief moment of surprise, immediately declared his identity: "I am Liu Yi, the commander of the Flying Fish in the Nine Dragons Division, here to serve. Brothers outside, speak with your command tokens!" As he spoke, he reached up and removed a small copper plate, about the size of an infant's palm, hanging around his neck, and waved it towards the outside.

Outside the cave entrance stood several figures, appearing scattered yet actually arranged with a certain order, clearly having established a specific formation, waiting for the individuals inside to emerge. Upon closer inspection, there were a total of nine people outside the cave entrance

Liu Yi was taken aback and quickly shook his head: "This... is not good, right? What if he... the subordinates might be in danger of losing their lives"

To put it plainly, such matters may be something even a fool could conceive, yet perhaps an old hand might ponder for a lifetime without grasping it. It is merely a matter of whether one can be blessed with insight at that moment.

Suddenly, a brilliant golden light erupted beside Liang Xin, momentarily blinding everyone. Liu Yi let out a fierce shout, gripping the embroidered spring knife with the swiftness of a weasel, and lunged towards the nine elderly figures in green who were blocking the exit.

The tunnel is not particularly spacious, but it is wide enough for three people to pass through in single file. Liu Yi could no longer endure Liang Xin's incessant questioning and ran to the front to lead the way

The rock walls of the tunnel are crisscrossed with scars resembling those made by knives and axes. Even Liang Xin can clearly understand that this tunnel was carved out by a tremendous force, stroke by stroke.

The other party remained silent. Liu Yi turned to glance at Qu Qingshi and Tush, and after the latter nodded, he suddenly changed his tone and said with a smile to those outside, "In this pitch darkness, you can't see my brother's nameplate, can you? That's easy to fix!" With that, he raised his hand and threw out his own nameplate.

As soon as the words fell, Liu Yi suddenly leaned in, grasped Liang Xin's shoulders, and executed a powerful throw that slammed him heavily to the ground. Following that, she briskly clapped her hands and said, "My lord, the test is over, and you still act like that!"

However, the current Liang Xin is still an ordinary young man, and he is not even dressed.

Liu Yishen took a deep breath and continued to shout, "My master, Qu Qianhu, is also here; why do you not quickly reveal your identity!"

Bathed in the clear moonlight, Liang Xin gazed outward from behind his two companions. He could see nine individuals outside the cave entrance, all of whom were rather short in stature and hunched over, appearing to be elderly. Upon closer inspection of their attire, it seemed strikingly familiar.

Liang Xin could not retrieve his clothes and sat on the ground in a huff. The three of them stared at each other in bewilderment, and finally burst into laughter, almost in unison asking: "What on earth is going on?"

After experiencing the great calamity, Liang Xin developed a deep affection for Qu and Liu, treating them with complete intimacy. There were no distinctions of rank or status, no notions of wealth or poverty, as if they were all children from the same street of sinners. This feeling brought Liang Xin immense comfort

Liu Yi swiftly executed the Nine Swords of the Willow, as fast as a thunderclap. In the blink of an eye, nine elderly men in blue robes had all been felled by him. At that moment, Liu Yi could only exclaim in astonishment: "They are all dead... they have been dead for countless years!"

Among the nine elderly men in blue, there were neither tragic cries nor bloodshed; instead, they emitted a series of light cracking sounds, all falling down and scattering on the ground

The two skilled performers were left dumbfounded, using their bodies as a medium to connect the jade disc and the stone vein. This idea was astonishingly simple, yet utterly unfathomable.

Qu Qingshi let out a muffled shout as he raised the sinister bow of longevity. Although his hands were old and withered, they remained as firm as rock, steadily drawing the bowstring taut. Just as he was about to issue a sharp command, he unexpectedly exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the people outside, causing the longbow in his hand to involuntarily tilt downward.

Qu Qingshi's expression was somewhat puzzled, and he murmured, "It shouldn't be like this!"

Their bodies lay scattered on the ground, devoid of flesh and blood, all that remained were some grayish-white skeletal remains

Liu Yi laughed heartily and said, "This kid woke up hungry!"

Liang Xin raised his hand and moved gracefully, even demonstrating two moves of the Taizu Long Fist, and it felt entirely appropriate

Liang Xin was utterly confused, blinking and asking, "What are you all talking about?"

Just as they rushed breathlessly, their faces filled with hope, to the end of the mine, Liu Yi, who was leading the way, suddenly exclaimed: "There are people outside forming a formation!"

The figure in green outside remained silent, firmly standing in a blocking stance, not even shifting their posture in the slightest

The two malevolent entities, as if they were sworn enemies from a past life, engaged in a relentless and deadly struggle upon their first contact. They even had to expend energy to protect the "battlefield" to ensure that the fight would not end in a draw. Yet, they were evenly matched, leading to mutual destruction. Whether this was predestined by fate or an extreme coincidence remains unclear to anyone at present, unless one first understands the origins of the jade disc and the stone vein.

Liu Yizui quickly described his situation; upon entering the jade wall, he felt as if he were in an ice cellar. The piercing cold was so intense that he could not even hold on for a moment and soon lost consciousness. Qu Qingshi's condition was not much better than his. After all, he was merely a mortal, utterly incapable of contending with the malevolent energy that coalesced and circulated within the jade wall. He did not even have time to search for the demon's heart before he fainted.

Liang Xin turned his gaze towards the distance, where beyond the cave entrance lay a barren expanse, measuring several hundred zhang in circumference.

At this moment, another series of strange gurgling sounds entered the ears of the three individuals. Liang Xin was taken aback; the sound was clearly coming from his own stomach

These nine hunchbacked old men lying in ambush at the cave entrance are, in fact, all colleagues of Qu Qingshi, elite soldiers of the Qingyi Guard under the jurisdiction of the Great Flood's Nine Dragons Division

Qu Qingshi looked up and down at Liang Xin, who appeared unchanged from before. After a while, he furrowed his brows and asked, "Do you currently have any special feelings?"

The matters concerning Liang Xin are much more complicated. With animated gestures and lively speech, they finally clarified the entire sequence of events.

Dressed in an ink fish robe, with a wind shield held horizontally under their arm, a beautifully embroidered spring knife hanging at their waist, and a wide-brimmed sun hat pulled low over their face, obscuring their features. Both of their hands are concealed within their sleeves

It was not until this moment that Liang Xin saw that after the jade disc was destroyed, a winding tunnel suddenly appeared behind it. Although it was not spacious, it was sufficient to accommodate their passage

Behind Qu Qingshi stood the descendants of the Liang family, whom his ancestors had painstakingly sought to protect. Upon seeing the other party blocking the entrance with evident hostility, a murderous intent arose within him. He signaled Liu Yi to take action, while simultaneously drawing the wicked bow, dazzling the opponent with brilliant light to obscure their vision and cover Liu Yi's ambush

The red clay of Kowloon Tsing Yi is not an ordinary item, and fortunately, both of them sealed their life orifices with it; otherwise, the malevolent energy would have invaded, and they would have perished before Liang Xin could arrive

Qu Qingshi could not help but smile, supporting himself with the Yangshou bow as he stood up: "Let’s go, the jade disc is shattered, and there is a way out!" Saying this, he took the lead and walked towards the original position of the jade disc.

Liang Xin and others previously excavated the malevolent stone vein, which led them deep into the mountain's base. The tunnel before them winds upward, and the air is relatively fresh, suggesting that this tunnel indeed leads to the surface

Liu Yi lowered his body, concealing the knife behind him, his entire being coiled with energy, ready to pounce at any moment

Liang Xin's experience, whether viewed from the perspective of a martial artist, a cultivator, or even from the standpoint of demonic practices, should be regarded as a tremendous transformation. His body becomes incredibly resilient, and his strength thus becomes formidable

Liang Xin jumped up from the ground in a fit of anger: "What are you doing!"

The three individuals were suddenly filled with joy, supporting each other as they unconsciously quickened their pace, rolling and crawling towards the end of the pit. The closer they got to the entrance, the more apparent the light became; however, this light was not bright but rather hazy. Following Liang Xin's realization, it dawned on him that it must be dark outside, and what was filtering through the entrance was the light of the stars and the moon.

Liu Yidang understood Qu Qingshi's intentions and shook his head with a smile, saying: "The fact that he can survive is already a blessing from Lord Liang in heaven; as for the other matters, we will discuss them once we get out."

They had been walking for an unknown duration, and Liang Xin's steps were heavy. Even Liu Yi, who was leading the way ahead, began to sweat on his forehead. At last, a faint light emerged in the distance!

Qu Qingshi shook his head in silence, his brows filled with confusion, and then he exchanged a glance with Liu Yi.

Qu Qing, with a face full of wrinkles, said: "If you don't go, do you expect this old body of mine to try it?"

Having narrowly escaped disaster, Liang Xin felt invigorated and quickly followed behind Qu Qingshi as they entered the tunnel behind the jade disc, not forgetting to question Liu Yi, "Why did you push me just now?"

The mine was narrow, and the path sloped steeply upward. At this moment, they suddenly encountered an enemy, and all three felt a deep sense of despair. The current situation was extremely unfavorable for them; the opponent, even without making a move, could incapacitate them simply by throwing down a few stones.