47. The Ambusher
“Tsk…”
Gong Yiling looked at the men who had chased them to the cave entrance and clicked her tongue.
Tracking by bloodstains was common knowledge for someone like her, who had read countless novels, watched numerous TV shows, and spent three months in the demonic sects.
But she couldn’t blame the Xi brothers. Given their injuries, they were lucky to have escaped the encirclement alive. Asking them to clean up their tracks was too much to ask.
“Well, well, well.”
The one who unleashed the sword qi was Lei Che.
His cultivation had reached the early Soul Origin realm, and he stood before Gong Yiling with renewed confidence. “Isn’t it Miss Lü?”
“Are you blind? Do you need to state the obvious?” Gong Yiling rolled her eyes. “Or have you already forgotten the slap I gave you?”
“What did you say!?”
Although the situation was clearly in his favor, the girl’s casual remark made his blood boil.
He immediately rushed forward, trying to subdue her, but Miss Gong, having deliberately provoked him, was prepared.
Before he could take two steps, a giant vine erupted from the ground, lashing out at him.
Although it couldn’t break through his defenses, it still made him stumble.
And what greeted him was the girl’s approaching palm.
Again!?
Lei Che, now much stronger, reacted much faster. He immediately drew his sword to counter.
—Let’s see which is harder, your palm or my sword!
As he thought this, he saw the girl’s hand about to strike his blade.
And at that moment, an unseen smile appeared on Gong Yiling’s lips.
With a “clang,” the sound of metal clashing echoed. Lei Che’s hand went numb, and he was completely bewildered.
What was going on? Where was her sword?
In his surprise, the girl’s palm blade flicked his sword away, and her left palm struck his chest.
In a panic, his protective shield appeared.
He thought it would at least hold her off for a moment.
But unexpectedly, it didn’t even last half a second before being shattered by Gong Yiling’s claw attack, which, in another half a second, transformed into a blunt object even more powerful than a fist, sending him flying.
Was that a palm sword, a palm claw, or a palm hammer?
Lei Che was completely bewildered by this combination of techniques.
The same result, with a different recipe.
And as she attacked, Qiu Shui and Lan Suqin also engaged the other men, forcing them back. The three of them, covering the injured, were about to escape.
But Gong Yiling suddenly noticed something on the wall. She quickly pulled Qiu Shui into her arms, shouting, “Get back! It’s a trap!”
“—Boom!!!”
What was on the wall were explosive talismans.
As Gong Yiling retreated, over a dozen of them detonated simultaneously, their combined force collapsing the long passage leading to the cave entrance.
A massive shockwave surged towards them, and Gong Yiling, at the forefront, took the brunt of it.
Spiritual energy, shockwaves, heat, and shrapnel slammed into her, sending her flying over ten meters and making her cough up a mouthful of blood.
When the sound of falling rocks subsided, she finally let out a sigh of relief and looked at Qiu Shui in her arms.
“Master—Senior Sister!?”
Qiu Shui, finally realizing what had happened in the darkness, touched her back and felt a handful of blood, her heart sinking.
“It’s all my—”
“Shh…” Gong Yiling, enduring the pain, pressed her fingers to the girl’s lips. “Don’t say such things. I’m your master and your senior. Of course I have to protect you.”
Her words warmed Qiu Shui’s heart.
She held back her tears and nodded firmly, her voice trembling slightly. “Senior Sister, don’t move. I’ll heal you.”
A green light flickered on Qiu Shui’s hands as she gently touched Gong Yiling’s back.
The tingling sensation made Gong Yiling shiver slightly.
She quickly tried to distract herself. “Damn it, that bastard Lei Che, playing dirty. It hurts like hell.”
Qiu Shui nodded, her voice low. “Next time I see him, I’ll break his legs.”
For her to say such a thing, it was clear that Lei Che was now on her enemy list.
“Speaking of which,” Gong Yiling raised her voice slightly, “Miss Lan, and the Xi brothers, are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“We were at the back, we’re not injured.”
Well… so she, the one leading the way, was the unluckiest. She would never do such a thankless job again—unless it was to protect her girls.
After exchanging a few words, Gong Yiling’s external injuries were mostly healed. She put on a robe Qiu Shui handed her and stood up, looking at the blocked entrance.
If it were just the entrance, it would be fine. But Lei Che had completely sealed the ten-meter passage with rocks.
They would have to risk a cave-in to break through.
And what awaited them wasn’t a clear path, but Lei Che and other unknown pursuers.
And they couldn’t afford to wait. If Wen Qiyin arrived, they would be trapped like turtles in a jar, buried alive.
“So this rain… had another purpose?”
Even Gong Yiling was starting to feel frustrated.
To ensure fairness, the competition forbade the use of spatial artifacts, forcing everyone to carry their belongings.
Her luggage was filled with food, not the paper needed to draw a random teleportation talisman.
And using such a talisman in a mountain was risky. You could end up teleported into a rock crevice, like the Monkey King—but without his durability.
So, unless this cave had a second exit…
Just then, Qiu Shui’s voice came from behind.
“Senior Sister, look over there!”
Gong Yiling turned, puzzled, and in the green light created by Qiu Shui, she saw a large crack in the wall, seemingly caused by the earlier tremor.
This… was this wishful thinking?
