The Immortal’s Trap

“Hey! Wait up…”

Wu Tian couldn’t stop him. Wu Yuan dashed out without a second thought!

The coachman in front was startled, quickly pulling the carriage to a halt. The sudden appearance of a person wielding an iron staff threw him into a panic.

Before anyone could react, Wu Yuan’s single strike with his staff shattered the carriage!

Seven or eight bandits spilled out from inside the carriage, immediately recognizing Wu Yuan.

“Hm?! It’s a disciple from Mufu Mountain! What are they doing here?”

“Hmph! It’s just one of them. Let’s all go!”

The bandits exchanged glances, then raised their weapons and swarmed him.

From their perch in the trees, the other disciples hurled hidden weapons to provide cover, while Wu Tian took aim with his longbow and fired arrows.

In no time, only one bandit remained on the field. Jiang Yu’s fan flew out like a boomerang, severing the bandit’s head before returning to his hand.

****

“P-please, brave heroes, don’t kill me… I was just forced to drive for them!” The coachman knelt, kowtowing repeatedly, though no one had any intention of harming him.

The iron cage at the back was then opened, and a maidservant, followed by a young lady, stepped out.

“Thank you, noble heroes, for saving us. We shall certainly visit Mufu Mountain another day to express our gratitude.”

“Oh? You recognize Mufu Mountain, young lady?” one disciple asked, approaching with a hint of a smile.

“Young hero, you jest. Mufu Mountain boasts many formidable experts, a den of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. They eliminate evildoers daily, and their reputation is known throughout the entire Wu Kingdom.”

These words made the disciples’ faces glow with pride.

“Stay here and wait for us to eliminate the bandits before we descend the mountain together,” Wu Tian instructed the three.

“Young hero, there are hundreds of bandits on the mountain…” The coachman’s expression was tense.

“These bandits only possess rudimentary skills. The other team should have already arrived…”

The group continued their ascent toward the peak. Many scouts were hidden along the mountain path, but they deftly bypassed them all, careful not to alert anyone.

Not long after, they spotted a bamboo watchtower with four archers standing guard.

“See that? That’s the watchtower ahead. We need to deal with it stealthily, without being discovered.”

The others exchanged glances. The watchtower was too far for hidden weapons to reach. While Lin Tian could hit it with his gun, the sound would be too loud, and it would be impossible to kill all four instantly.

“We have a plan.” Four disciples discussed among themselves, then turned and left.

Moments later, they reappeared dressed in bandit attire and walked directly to the base of the watchtower.

“Brothers, it’s shift change! You can go rest now,” one disciple called out loudly to those above.

“Huh? So early today?”

“Who cares! It’s just in time for dinner.”

The four above climbed down the watchtower. In a flash, the disciples silently dispatched them all. They then signaled below, and the main group advanced.

“Heh, those lads really have their ways,” Jiang Yu chuckled.

“Boring. If it were me, I’d just tear the watchtower down,” Wu Yuan declared.

“Let’s go quickly…”

****

Continuing their climb to the mountain peak, they walked for a while until the trees thinned out, revealing a faint green banner in the distance.

The banner marked the entrance to a cave, which served as the bandits’ back door. Outside, on the yellow earth, lay a pile of corpses, clearly the work of the other team.

“It seems they’ve already entered the cave…”

“What? They attacked first? Didn’t we agree to attack together?” Wu Yuan grumbled, a hint of indignation in his voice.

“Then we’ll have to adjust our strategy…” Wu Tian mused, stroking his chin.

“What strategy are you talking about? The bandits will all be dead by the time you decide!” Wu Yuan, iron staff in hand, charged forward, rushing directly into the cave, unstoppable.

“Sigh… let’s go too…”

****

As they reached the cave entrance, they saw Wu Yuan conversing with a disciple from the other team.

“Oh? A few petty thieves managed to wound you this badly?” Wu Yuan gloated.

The disciple was gravely injured, dragging one arm, blood trickling from the corner of their mouth. They spoke with a rigid, strained voice:

“You… retreat quickly!…”

“Retreat? I alone can wipe them all out!” Wu Yuan declared, about to charge in again, but Wu Tian firmly pulled him back. He then addressed the injured disciple:

“Tell us slowly, what happened inside? Are there traps set at the back entrance?”

“N-no… We killed most of the bandits, but then an immortal appeared. We were no match… Apart from two female disciples who were captured, everyone else died…”

“An immortal? Are you saying a cultivator?” A disciple behind them asked curiously.

Before they could answer, footsteps echoed from within the cave. Wu Tian’s expression changed, and he quickly urged:

“Quickly, retreat outside!”

Everyone hurriedly backed away, moving to the open ground outside the cave. As Lin Tian retreated, he tossed a grenade inside.

“Boom!!”

The grenade exploded, and several wails and screams erupted from within.

“What happened?” The others were momentarily stunned, somewhat confused.

Immediately after, Wu Tian drew his longbow and fired an arrow inside, while the others also hurled their hidden weapons into the cave.

“It hit! Let’s just block them here and kill them all!” The disciples rejoiced, confident that if they blocked the entrance, no one could escape.

“Swish!”

A flying sword shot out, its speed causing everyone’s expressions to change drastically. Wu Tian, standing in the center, couldn’t dodge in time and was impaled directly through the throat!

“Senior Brother Wu!” Everyone recoiled a step. After piercing his throat, the flying sword flew back, and the people inside surged out.

Watching Wu Tian’s body on the ground, their hearts turned cold. Such a talent, dead just like that? He had been calmly directing them moments ago, and now…

For a moment, all the disciples found it impossible to accept.

“Hmph! Mufu Mountain disciples? You dare to trespass on our Qingyun Mountain?” roared a burly man with a scraggly beard. The bandits behind him surrounded the group.

Lin Tian paid no mind to the burly man, instead staring at an old man beside him. The sword in his hand was the very one that had flown out moments ago!

“Exalted Immortal, if not for you this time, these youngsters truly might have wiped us out.”

“I helped you, old man, but why have I not yet seen what I requested?” the old man questioned.

“Uh… Exalted Immortal, please calm your anger. Let’s deal with these youngsters first. The goods you requested will be sent to you free of charge, how does that sound?”

The old man’s expression softened. He glanced at the surrounded disciples. “Very well, you can serve as entertainment. I didn’t expect Mufu Mountain to have such beautiful female disciples.”

Hearing this, goosebumps rose on Lin Tian’s arms. Jiang Yu and Wu Yuan immediately stepped forward to block:

“Old man, if you want a fight, come at me!”

“Junior Sister Yingkong, this person might really be a cultivator. We’ll hold him off; you two retreat first.”

“Bang!”

Lin Tian raised his hand and fired his gun. The old man was startled at first, then the sword in his hand automatically blocked the bullet, sparking a tiny flame.

The bearded strongman froze for a moment, then gave an order:

“Capture them!”

“Capture us?” The disciples spun around and unleashed a barrage of attacks. These bandits were mere mortals, and after several were killed, they dared not advance further.

“Your subordinates truly are useless!”

The old man’s face was solemn. He narrowed his eyes, glancing at Lin Tian’s pistol. If not for the magical sword in his hand automatically protecting its master, he might have been injured by that shot.

“Swish, swish, swish!”

The old man made a few gestures, and the flying sword darted towards the group with extreme speed.

“Quickly, retreat!” Jiang Yu held his iron fan in front of him, but the fan was like paper, instantly pierced!

The flying sword’s speed did not diminish, and it shot directly out from Jiang Yu’s back!

The disciples behind had no time to dodge. The flying sword spun in the air, killing three people!

Lin Tian leaped back ten feet, aiming his gun at the old man, who hurriedly recalled his flying sword.

Another shot rang out, blocked by the flying sword, leaving a slight dent on its surface. The old man was visibly distressed.

“Hmph! What kind of hidden weapon is this? It seems I must deal with you, little girl, first!”

The flying sword thrust towards Lin Tian. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he twisted his body eerily, evading the attack.

He raised his gun at the old man once more, forcing him to retract his sword again.

After several disciples were killed, the bandit horde surged forward. Wu Yuan, meanwhile, charged directly at the old man, bringing his staff down in a vertical chop!

Lin Tian kept his gun aimed at the old man, ready to fire whenever an opening appeared.

At the same time, he continuously dodged the bandits’ attacks, having consumed two invigorating pills, pushing his Flowing Body Movement technique to its limit.