The Legend of the Netherworld

Chapter 183 Ambush

Lin Xiao quickly left the battlefield and avoided areas where he might be exposed.

He knew that although he had dealt with the black-armored monk, there were far more enemies lurking around.

The plains tonight are destined to become a bloody place, full of dangers, and every step must be taken with extreme caution.

"Since this black-armored monk was able to find me, it means someone has already spotted me."

Lin Xiao thought as he walked, his eyes focused slightly, and then he quickened his pace and moved towards the small island deep in the plain.

The small island at the edge of the plain is slightly higher and has a wide view. It is an excellent place to observe the battle situation and also a great choice for ambush and counterattack.

...

At the same time, in another cave.

Murong Rui and Xiang Shouyi have already hidden in a place with an excellent view, from which they can clearly see the movements in the plain area.

"Young Master, tonight will definitely be our chance." Xiang Shouyi whispered, his tone full of excitement and anticipation.

"Yes." Murong Rui nodded, his eyes cold and sharp, his fingers stroking the long sword at his waist. "As long as we can capture that Jiayin Eighth Realm guy, our plan can move forward. Although he is powerful, he is ultimately no match for our combined strength."

"Young Master is wise." Xiang Shouyi complimented him and handed him a scroll. "This is a simple layout map of the area. Our people have set up ambushes at several key points, just waiting for him to be captured."

Murong Rui took the scroll, glanced at it, and a cold smile appeared on his lips: "Very good. Tonight, I want to make Lin Xiao understand that relying on one's own strength will not make it to the end."

...

Lin Xiao had already reached the small island in the center of the plain. He quickly chose a large coconut grove and hid himself there. From here, he could not only overlook the entire island but also detect potential threats in a timely manner.

Lin Xiao set up a few simple traps and smeared the poison he had found on previous contestants on the tree trunks at several key locations. Anyone who accidentally touched them would be attacked by the poison and instantly lose their combat effectiveness.

He also took advantage of the terrain, placing several huge rocks on the edge of the hillside and connecting them with thin wires. As long as he pulled the mechanism, the huge rocks would roll down, forming a natural killing trap.

After finishing all this, Lin Xiao sat cross-legged, quietly waiting for the night to come. With his ears pressed to the ground, he could clearly catch the echoes of footsteps and conversations in the distance.

As the clock struck midnight, the entire plain was shrouded in a dead silence, broken only by the occasional chirping of insects. Lin Xiao, hiding in the coconut grove, stared coldly at the figures approaching from a distance.

There were two groups of people approaching the island from different directions.

The three on the left, dressed in dark blue robes and possessing a reserved aura, were clearly a team renowned for their speed and agility. The five on the right, clad in black and armed with spears and giant blades, walked with steady steps and exuded a powerful aura.

"Two groups of people? Interesting. It seems that the show tonight will be more exciting." Lin Xiao sneered in his heart.

The two groups seemed to notice each other, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

"People in blue robes, you'd better be sensible. This area is our territory. Retreat immediately!" The leading man in black shouted coldly, his tone full of threats.

"Hehe, the night is long and dreams are many. You should give way." The leader of the blue-robed team retorted, with spiritual energy flashing in his hands, and it was obvious that he was ready to start a war at any time.

...

Lin Xiao took advantage of the confrontation between the two groups to quietly emerge from his hiding place and circle around behind them. A sneer flashed across his lips, and he quickly formed seals with his hands, unleashing the "Blue Sky Sword Rain Weaving" technique. Countless sword energies descended from the sky, enveloping the entire battlefield!

"What!" The leader of the blue-robed team was shocked and quickly waved his sword to resist.

The leader of the black-clad team also changed color and shouted angrily: "There is a sneak attack, be careful!"

Sword energy rained down like rain, tearing through the air and instantly throwing the people on the field into a panic. Lin Xiao took the opportunity to once again perform his "Illusionary Body Skill: Imitating Phantom Moves" and summoned two clones, who rushed into the battlefield with his original body and began to harvest.

In a short moment, the two teams fell into chaos, and people fell one after another. Lin Xiao's sword moves were sharp and his body movements were agile. The three figures shuttled across the battlefield like the wind. In the flash of swords and shadows, he was almost unstoppable.

In the end, Lin Xiao won.

After the battle, the plains and islands were littered with corpses, with only Lin Xiao standing alone in the center. He had collected a number of resources from both teams, including several bottles of precious elixirs, a map marked with special symbols, and a dagger emitting a cold glow.

"It seems these people have other plans." Lin Xiao picked up the map and frowned slightly. "Could this marked location be the key to the next collapsed area?"

He glanced down at the dagger and sighed inwardly, "This dagger is made of a special material. It can be used to supplement my weapon control skills."

Lin Xiao put his loot into a cloth bag and scanned the surroundings. He knew that after the great battle, no one would approach this area for a while, but he couldn't stay for long. "We need to move quickly to avoid causing more trouble," Lin Xiao whispered.

With his keen sense of the terrain, he quickly located an area of ​​dense brush. It was a natural hiding place with limited visibility, perfect for a short rest. Lin Xiao took a deep breath and unleashed his "Dragon Swimming Across the Seas" technique. Like a swimming dragon, he swiftly swept into the jungle, leaving an empty battlefield behind.

...

On the other side, Murong Rui and Xiang Shouyi's plan started

In the dark of night, Murong Rui and Xiang Shouyi quietly sneaked into the plain. Their purpose was to find Lin Xiao and kill him.

"Young Master, the formation we set up has covered this area. As long as Lin Xiao steps into it, he will be trapped." Xiang Shouyi said with a hint of pride in his tone.

Murong Rui sneered, "Lin Xiao is indeed difficult to deal with, but the stronger he is, the more worthy it is for us to deal with him personally. Go ahead, I want to see if he can escape from my grasp."

The two stood on a high ground, their magical instruments flashing in their hands, activating the long-established formation. A faint blue light rose around the plain, forming a huge, closed barrier.

...

Just as Lin Xiao was about to rest in the bushes, he suddenly felt a strange wave coming from all directions, and the air was filled with a faint spiritual energy. His eyes fixed, and he whispered, "Formation? It seems someone has set their sights on me."

He circulated his spiritual energy, carefully sensing the workings of the formation, and found himself trapped in a huge closed barrier. This formation did not directly harm him, but suppressed his perception ability and sealed off the surrounding space, making it impossible for him to leave easily.

Lin Xiao snorted coldly, "Interesting! They've actually set up such a massive formation to deal with me." He raised his finger slightly, gathering his sword energy, and attempted to break the formation with the "Sword Qi Horizontal Technique." However, when the sword energy touched the barrier, it only caused a ripple, failing to truly shake the core of the formation.

"Lin Xiao, I advise you not to waste your energy." Murong Rui's voice came from a distance, with a hint of teasing and chilling. He walked slowly, followed by Xiang Shouyi. The two of them were full of momentum, obviously coming prepared.

Lin Xiao stared coldly at the two of them: "Murong Rui? It seems your goal is to kill me."

Murong Rui sneered, "Indeed, you are doomed to die tonight. Lin Xiao, although you have some strength, it is still not enough in front of me."

Xiang Shouyi stood aside, watching coldly, ready to strike at any moment. He gripped the longsword tightly in his hand, the runes engraved on the blade flickering slightly, clearly an extremely sharp magical weapon.

Murong Rui's hand flashed with a flash of light, and a long sword gleamed with cold light appeared in his palm. He gently swung the blade, and a sharp sword energy rushed straight towards Lin Xiao. At the same time, Xiang Shouyi also summoned a bronze shield, trying to suppress Lin Xiao's movement space.

Seeing this, Lin Xiao did not retreat, but sneered: "You dare to stop me?" He mobilized the strength in his body and performed the "Imitation Move Phantom". Two clones of his strength quickly appeared and fought together with his original body.

Lin Xiao's original body unleashed "Sword Dance Spin", transforming his sword energy into a whirlwind, dissolving Murong Rui's sword energy. Simultaneously, his two clones attacked separately, one unleashing "Shadow Spirit Sword Stab" and the other unleashing "Sword Qi Horizontal Decision", closing in on Xiang Shouyi.

Murong Rui sneered: "Lin Xiao, it seems that you haven't realized that you have fallen into my trap." He formed seals with his hands, activated the restrictions in the formation, and forcibly suppressed the speed of Lin Xiao's spiritual energy flow.

Lin Xiao felt his energy stagnate, as if he were being held down by an invisible mountain. However, he remained calm and unfazed. Instead, he swiftly activated his cultivation technique, forcing his way through the pressure. Simultaneously, he summoned a floating dagger to protect himself as he engaged the opponent.

Xiang Shouyi seized the opportunity and swung his sword. His swordsmanship was fierce and sharp, and combined with the suppression of the formation, he quickly tangled with Lin Xiao. Lin Xiao used his agility as an advantage, constantly looking for the opponent's flaws, gradually leading the battle in a favorable direction.

The battle lasted for nearly half an hour, and Lin Xiao gradually figured out the weakness of the formation. He took advantage of Murong Rui's distraction in manipulating the formation and suddenly unleashed "Blue Sky Sword Rain Weaving", breaking a node of the formation.

The moment the formation collapsed, Lin Xiao's momentum increased sharply. He shouted coldly: "That's it!" Three figures attacked at the same time, approaching Murong Rui and Xiang Shouyi at lightning speed.

Murong Rui's expression changed drastically upon seeing this, and he hastily raised his sword in defense, but was still wounded in the shoulder by Lin Xiao's sword. Xiang Shouyi, entangled by the Qi clone, was defeated step by step, and was finally sent flying by Lin Xiao's palm, crashing heavily into a tree and spitting blood.

Lin Xiao stood in front of the two men and said coldly: "Remember, next time, if you dare to make a move, I will not spare your lives."

Lin Xiao's figure gradually disappeared into the depths of the dense forest. Murong Rui knelt on one knee, clutching his injured shoulder, his eyes burning with uncontrollable anger. He stared intently at the direction where Lin Xiao left, gritted his teeth and whispered:

"Lin Xiao, this isn't over yet! I want you to pay a hundred times the price for what you did today!"

Xiang Shouyi struggled to his feet, his face pale and blood still lingering at the corners of his mouth. He walked over to Murong Rui and spoke with difficulty, "Young Master, now is not the time to be bravado. Lin Xiao's strength is far beyond our expectations. We must rearrange our plans."

Murong Rui didn't respond. Instead, he pulled a black jade talisman from his bosom, his eyes flashing with a fierce look. He held it high in the air and muttered an ancient and obscure incantation. A moment later, the talisman released a beam of black light that shot straight into the sky.

"This time, I will use the family secret method to kill Lin Xiao at any cost!" Murong Rui said coldly.

Xiang Shouyi's expression changed: "Young Master, the price of this jade talisman..."

"Shut up!" Murong Rui interrupted harshly, "Today's humiliation must be washed away with blood!"

After the black light, Murong Rui's aura subtly surged, and the surrounding spiritual energy became chaotic. Clearly, he had used the Murong family's secret technique to forcibly increase his strength, but the price that came with it was something no one could have predicted.

Lin Xiao didn't stop, but continued on, eventually reaching a secluded hillside. The area was picturesque, with a gentle breeze caressing his face and the faint sound of a stream gurgling in the distance. He chose to stop here, sit cross-legged, and begin to regulate his breathing.

Through this fierce battle, Lin Xiao clearly realized that although his strength had greatly increased, these methods were still not enough for the powerful. He channeled his energy, silently experiencing the subtleties of the Jiayin Eight Realms, while also trying to more closely integrate the combat skills he had previously learned with the illusionary body skills.

"Although the phantom body skill is powerful, it lacks sufficient attack depth. If it can be integrated with swordsmanship..." Lin Xiao pondered, and drew sword moves in the air with his hand. Invisible sword energy flew out and gradually formed a new form.

For a moment, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth seemed to resonate with it, the surrounding grass and trees trembled slightly, and a faint sword intent rose up.

Just as Lin Xiao was immersed in his cultivation, he heard a slight sound of footsteps, and then a figure walked out of the dense forest not far away.

He was a handsome man in white, holding an ancient longsword. He exuded an unfathomable aura. He slowly walked towards Lin Xiao with a faint smile on his face. "You are Lin Xiao, right? You are just as the rumors say."

Lin Xiao quickly woke up from his trance, looked at the newcomer with cold eyes, and asked in a deep voice, "Who are you?"

The man in white smiled slightly. "Me? I'm just a bystander. However, I'm very interested in how far you can go in this trial."

Lin Xiao was alert, but remained calm. He slowly stood up, his sword aura radiating faintly as he said calmly, "Since you're an idler, please return. Strangers are not welcome here."

The man laughed heartily upon hearing this. "Don't get me wrong, I have no hostility towards you. But Murong Rui, that brat, probably won't let you go easily. If you need anything, I can help you."

"What do you want?" Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes. His intuition told him that this person had bad intentions.

The man's eyes flashed with a hint of depth, and he said in a light tone: "What I want is very simple. If you are in danger, remember to call my name - Tianbai."

After saying this, the man's figure flashed and disappeared into the night, leaving only a faint lingering sword energy.

Lin Xiao watched the man leave, his heart growing increasingly wary. Tian Bai's appearance was like a boulder dropped into a lake, disrupting his original plan. He reassessed the situation and said silently, "It seems this trial is more complicated than I imagined."

In the distance, a low rumble could be heard, a precursor to the collapse of the plains. Lin Xiao knew the coming night would be even more dangerous. He looked up at the sky, a cold glint in his eyes: "No matter how many conspiracies and intrigues there are, I, Lin Xiao, will never retreat!"