Chapter 59 Ambush

The western side of the Stone Forest is open, and the moonlight that falls is obscured by the mist, making it difficult to see anything within a thirty-foot radius.

Shen Lian, Lin Feng, and Chen Yun lay hidden behind a stone pillar, concealing their auras, and stared at the relatively open woodland in front of them.

Chen Yun's palms were slightly sweaty, and she subconsciously gripped the knife handle tighter.

Lin Feng remained motionless behind the stone pillar, his gaze fixed intently on what lay ahead.

Shen Lian activated [Combat Power Detection] and carefully surveyed his surroundings, quickly identifying three targets.

[Combat Strength]: 25~32

[Combat Strength]: 26~33

[Combat Strength]: 24~31

Shen Lian lowered his voice and said, "Fifty feet to the left, there is one under a crooked tree. Sixty feet to the right, there are two people between two large rocks."

Lin Feng's eyes turned cold: "One person each, finish this quickly."

Shen Lian pressed down on his shoulder: "Don't alert anyone else. See that protruding rock? We can go around it from there and launch a surprise attack from the flank."

The three moved like cheetahs in the night, skimming the shadows of the stone pillars, their footsteps so light they made almost no sound.

When they got within twenty feet, Shen Lian made a gesture, and the three of them stopped at the same time.

The man under the crooked tree was yawning. He leaned against the trunk, his long knife casually stuck in the soil beside him, and occasionally glanced towards the stone forest.

"Too lax," Shen Lian thought to himself, then made a few hand gestures to Lin Feng and Chen Yun.

Lin Feng nodded, and with a flash, he flanked from the left. Chen Yun, on the other hand, circled around to the right, blocking the opponent's retreat.

Fifteen zhang, ten zhang, five zhang...

Just three zhang away, Shen Lian suddenly stepped on a dry branch.

Click!

The man under the tree suddenly awoke with a start, instinctively grabbing his long knife: "Who?!"

Before he finished speaking, Shen Lian shot out like an arrow, his long sword flashing coldly in the moonlight.

The man hurriedly raised his knife to parry.

clang!

The force from Shen Liandao surged like a tidal wave, causing the opponent's tiger's mouth to crack and the long sword to fly out of his hand.

"Enemy—" Just as the man was about to shout, Lin Feng attacked from the side, slamming the back of his neck with the back of his blade.

boom!

After a muffled thud, the man collapsed limply.

Chen Yun quickly stepped forward to check: "She's fainted, she won't wake up for at least two hours."

Shen Lian took the other party's jade talisman and gently touched it to his own. A flash of light appeared, and the points transfer was completed.

Points: 90

"Only twelve points? It seems they really didn't hunt many monsters." Shen Lian stuffed the empty jade talisman back into the other person's arms. "Hide him in the crevice of the rock, so the monsters won't find him."

After hiding their unconscious opponent, the three continued moving towards the north side of the stone forest.

At the north entrance of the Stone Forest, two martial artists from Heishan County were vigilantly watching the passage.

One was tall and thin, wielding a long spear. The other was short and stocky, carrying two short axes. Both were at the peak of the third level of the Body Tempering Realm, stronger than the previous man.

"Old Zhao, do you think Senior Brother Zhou's plan will work?" the short, stocky martial artist asked in a low voice. "What if they don't break out from the east or north?"

The tall, thin martial artist snorted coldly: "Junior Brother Wang, you're overthinking it. The western side of the Stone Forest is open, and a breakout would expose them to everyone. Unless Shen Lian is a fool, he would never choose the western side. The eastern and northern sides have complex terrain, suitable for concealment, and are their only option."

"But……"

"There's no 'but' about it," the tall, thin martial artist interrupted. "Senior Brother Zhou and Chen Yuan have already led men to guard the east side. We just need to guard this place. Once we detect any movement, we'll send a signal immediately."

boom!

As the two were talking, a loud bang suddenly came from the east side of the stone forest, followed by the sounds of fighting, which sounded extremely intense.

"A fight has broken out!" The short, stocky martial artist's spirits lifted. "Send the signal quickly!"

The tall, thin martial artist took out a bamboo tube from his robes and was about to pull the trigger when he suddenly felt a chill down his back.

Years of life-or-death battles had honed his instincts, causing him to lunge forward.

laugh!

A flash of light grazed his scalp, shaving off a lock of hair.

"Who goes there?!" The tall, thin martial artist rolled to his feet, sweeping his spear to force back the attacker.

Shen Lian gracefully retreated, landing steadily three zhang away, his long sword pointing diagonally at the ground: "Not bad reaction."

"Shen Lian?!" the short, stocky martial artist exclaimed. "What are you doing here? The commotion on the east side..."

Lin Feng emerged from the other side, a long sword in his hand. "Now you understand what happened, right?"

Chen Yun also appeared, and the three of them surrounded the other party.

The tall, thin martial artist's expression changed drastically, but he quickly regained his composure: "Do you really think that this guarantees victory?"

"Then let's give it a try." Lin Feng snorted coldly and charged forward with his knife in hand.

His target was the short, stocky warrior.

The short, stocky warrior swung his two axes simultaneously, the blades whistling through the air, and slammed them down fiercely towards Lin Feng's face.

clang!

Sparks flew as the axe blade clashed with the knife.

Using the momentum, Lin Feng spun around and followed up with a second strike. The force of the strike was like a storm, forcing the short, stocky martial artist to retreat repeatedly.

On the other side, Shen Lian faced off against the tall, thin martial artist.

"Let me see what you're made of." The tall, thin warrior flicked his spear, the tip of which transformed into countless cold stars—the "Meteor Spear Technique," the ultimate skill of the Demon Suppression Division of Black Mountain County.

Shen Lian stepped forward, activating the "Tiger Subduing Stance" footwork, his figure weaving through the shadows of spears, dodging the opponent's attacks.

"Excellent footwork!" the tall, thin martial artist exclaimed, his spear stance suddenly changing as his spear, like an angry dragon emerging from the sea, thrust straight at Shen Lian's chest.

A fighting spirit surged in Shen Lian's eyes, and he held his long sword horizontally.

clang!

The clash of swords and spears sent shockwaves flying, sending shards of stone flying everywhere.

A powerful force surged from the gun, causing the tall, thin martial artist's arm to go numb. He was secretly astonished: "How can he possess such strength?"

Just as he was filled with surprise and doubt, Shen Lian had already closed in on him.

The "Wave-Slaying Style" consists of three consecutive strikes, each faster and heavier than the last.

The tall, thin martial artist gritted his teeth and took the blows head-on, retreating a step after each strike. After three steps, his tiger's mouth was split open, and blood stained the spear shaft red.

"Impossible!" he thought in horror. "My 'Meteor Spear Technique' has reached a minor level of mastery, how could this be..."

"You're too weak," Shen Lian suddenly said, his fourth strike appearing like a thunderclap.

This strike, though not fast, precisely targeted the weakest point of the spear.

Click!

The gun barrel snapped in two.

The tall, thin martial artist stared blankly at the broken spear shaft in his hand, not yet reacting, when Shen Lian's blade was already pressed against his throat.

"I lost." He let go dejectedly, and the gun fell to the ground.

At the same time, Lin Feng also ended the battle.

The short, stocky warrior's two axes were knocked away, and a deep, bone-revealing knife wound appeared on his shoulder, dripping with blood. He knelt on one knee, panting heavily, his eyes filled with resentment.

"You flatter me." Lin Feng sheathed his sword, his expression remaining indifferent.

Chen Yun quickly stepped forward, took out healing pills, and gave them to the two of them: "Stop the bleeding and heal the wounds. You will be able to move freely in half an hour. However, if you force yourself to circulate your internal energy, the injuries will worsen."

Shen Lian took the jade tokens from the two of them, reaping a rich reward this time.

The tall, thin martial artist scored 38 points, while the short, stocky martial artist scored 42 points. Together, they scored a total of 80 points.

Adding the twelve points from the person on the west side, I have now gained ninety-two points.

"Zhou Yang and Chen Yuan are on the east side, about two miles from here." Shen Lian returned the empty jade talisman to the two of them. "You have two choices: one is to stay here to recover from your injuries, and the other is to go and inform Zhou Yang. But I suggest you choose the first one, because if I find out that you went to inform him, I won't be so polite next time we meet."

The tall, thin martial artist smiled wryly: "Brother Shen, rest assured, we are not ungrateful people. We are truly convinced that we are outmatched this time."

Shen Lian nodded and said to Lin Feng and Chen Yun, "Let's go and support Chu Wen."