https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-245-The-Righteous-Path-of-the-Jianghu-Arrives/12536382/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-247-Unexpected-Turn-of-Events-in-the-Secret-Valley/12536388/
Chapter 246: Trap in the Canyon
Chapter 246: Trap in the Canyon
"So the Five Great Villains were imposters. That means..." Jiang Feng mused.
"There were indeed Five Great Villains in Guan Mei Manor at the time," Lian Xing added.
Jiang Feng thought for a moment. "Even with Tou Jiaojiao's masks, it would be difficult for a chubby man like Haha to evade everyone's eyes."
"So their speculation is correct. It's highly likely that Tou Jiaojiao was with Haha at the time," Lian Xing said immediately.
A flash of realization crossed Jiang Feng's eyes. "In that case, they must have known that the Ouyang brothers would bring several Xing Xiang, and that Bai Kaixin would lead a group of martial arts experts to surround them."
Lian Xing clenched her fist, "So they disguised themselves as those people, anticipating that they would be captured. Since that's the case..."
Jiang Feng and Lian Xing exchanged a glance, both saying simultaneously, "The Five Great Villains must have set a trap for these people!"
"Not on the road..." Lian Xing said with a smile at the corner of her mouth.
"But in the secret valley they mentioned!" Jiang Feng asserted.
Yao Yue looked at Jiang Feng and then at Lian Xing, wanting to interject, but not knowing what to say. Her expression turned gloomy once more.
"What a great opportunity!" Jiang Feng said with a raised eyebrow and a smile.
This time, Lian Xing didn't understand, and curiously asked, "What opportunity?"
Jiang Feng counted with his fingers, "The Murong, Nan Gong, and Pili Hall families, the Yellow Mountain and Mount Wutai clans, Mount Hua, Mount Fubo, the Huainan Kings, and the Luoyang Xiaos..."
Lian Xing couldn't help but smile, "All renowned figures and influential sects in the Central Plains' martial arts world."
Yao Yue also understood Jiang Feng's intention. She first shook her head in disdain, then recalled Jiang Feng's words at Guan Mei Manor and remained silent.
"It's just a matter of lifting a finger. Why not?" Jiang Feng said with a smile, looking at Yao Yue, "But at that time, Yao Yue will have to take action. With your skills, handling this situation should be a piece of cake."
Unconsciously, Yao Yue smiled. Of course, she took pride in her unparalleled martial arts skills.
Lian Xing pouted. Although she didn't want to admit it, Yao Yue's martial arts were indeed superior to hers.
The three of them hung back at a distance, neither too close nor too far from the group ahead. They were all top-notch masters, and even Jiang Feng's lightweight and internal strength had surpassed that of Bai Shanjun, Tie Zhan, and Murong Yong, among others.
Thus, the group ahead was unaware of their presence and continued on their way, escorting the villains from Evil Valley and the Four Great Xing Xiang up the mountain.
Xuanyuan Sanguang carried the fake Du Sha, Tie Zhan carried the fake Li Dazui, Bai Shanjun carried the fake Tou Jiaojiao, and Xu Xuanzhen carried the fake Haha, leading the way and pointing out directions. After exiting the mountain gate of Huicang Sect, they took a remote path up Mount Jiuhua.
"Over there!"
"That way!"
The four led the way, with Huang Ji, Master Xiaoyun, and the others surrounding them. Following them were the Ouyang brothers, Mayiyun, Hu Yushi, and Xian Guo, with Murong Yong and the remaining martial artists forming an enclosing circle around them.
In this way, the four great villains and the four great Xing Xiang found themselves trapped within the encirclement of numerous martial artists.
"After crossing this ridge, there's a mountain path."
"The mountain path leads downward into the mid-mountain area."
"From there, we'll come across a small canyon."
"After passing through the canyon, we'll turn onto a trail alongside a mountain spring."
"The trail leads downward, and then upward again. After passing a cliff, we'll reach the entrance to the secret valley."
"That secret valley is very well-hidden, and it only has one entrance."
"Yes, there's only one exit. Otherwise, it wouldn't be so secretive. Even with Haha as our guide, we traveled for quite some time and almost got lost."
"Currently, apart from the five leaders, there are less than ten people left in the secret valley who followed the villains from Evil Valley.
Before they had even covered half the distance, the fake villains had revealed the location of the secret valley where the Five Great Villains were hiding, as well as information about the remaining members of their group.
However, saying it was one thing, but they still had to lead the way since the mountain paths were treacherous and difficult to navigate. It was easy to get lost, and they had shared this information solely to speed up the process.
Thus, they crossed the mountain ridge and entered a mountain path, traversing the mid-mountain area until they reached a small canyon.
This canyon, though not particularly tall or wide, spanned several dozen zhang in length and width. The path within was barely over ten zhang wide, and after entering, the steep cliffs on either side made climbing difficult. While it wasn't a true "skyward passage," it was relatively treacherous.
However, the group paid it no mind because they were still far from the secret valley, and as martial artists, they didn't consider such a location to be of any strategic importance.
So, they entered without a second thought.
Then, just as they reached the middle, they triggered a hidden mechanism.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Xuanyuan Sanguang, Tie Zhan, Bai Shanjun, and Xu Xuanzhen were all top martial artists of their time, and they immediately sensed the hidden weapons. However, they were too close, and there was no time to dodge.
Despite their diverse martial backgrounds, their reactions were remarkably similar. They all raised the captives they were carrying in front of them, using them as human shields. Four miserable screams rang out, and the imposters met their demise.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The next moment, several plumes of smoke burst forth in the canyon, grayish-black in color and carrying a faintly putrid odor.
"Poison smoke!"
"Hold your breath!"
Everyone reminded each other, and the group split in two. One half rushed towards the front exit, while the other half retreated towards the rear.
But before they could take more than a few steps, several figures appeared above the canyon, and a rain of stones as large as fists and even heads began to fall, mixed with hidden weapons.
"Watch out for hidden weapons!"
"Ah!"
A pitiful cry echoed as everyone turned to look. It was Bai Kaixin, who had been struck by a hidden weapon at his pressure point.
The others could dodge and block, but Bai Kaixin, with his pressure points sealed, couldn't utilize his martial arts at all. No one was paying attention to him at the moment, so how could he possibly escape this treacherous attack?
Thus, he was the first to fall. A stone the size of a bowl struck him directly on the head, and with a miserable cry, he tumbled to the ground, blood flowing from his head wound. It seemed he wouldn't survive.
On the other side, due to the separation, the group fleeing towards the front was led by the four great villains and the four great Xing Xiang. Although Xu Xuanzhen, Huang Ji, and Xiaoyun were also with them, in terms of combat prowess, they were no match for these villains.
However, this was not the time for internal strife. As hidden weapons rained down on them indiscriminately, the top priority for everyone was to escape the canyon.
But, as the hidden weapons fell...
Xuanyuan Sanguang and Tie Zhan exchanged a glance and suddenly took action in unison. Each of them grabbed one of the Ouyang brothers, who had been left behind, and held them up as shields over their heads.
The Ouyang brothers' faces drained of color as they cried out in shock.
"Brother Xuanyuan!"
"Brother Tie!"
At the same time, Bai Shanjun also grabbed Xian Guo, striking her pressure point and using her as a shield along with Mayiyun, as they rushed towards the canyon exit.
Hu Yushi's face turned pale. Taking advantage of the chaos, he shrunk his body to less than three feet tall and rolled towards the edge, hiding himself in a corner where he remained perfectly still.
(End of Chapter)
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