Chapter 83

Night——

Bai Chen found himself destined for a life of toil. He thought that coming to Qingzhou City, where Yuan Long and A Lan were also present, would finally give him a few days of respite.

But who knew he would be assigned another arduous task, one that could end in his death at any moment.

Mu Wan'er and Bai Chen crouched on a high slope, observing the movements in the camp below.

Bai Chen was a hundred percent unwilling to have this companion.

However, he had no choice but to team up with Mu Wan'er, as she needed to send messages back to the sect.

If the Tang Sect received the message, they would not sit idly by, and neither would the Wanhua Valley.

If these two sects took action, the sects coerced into submission by the Shence Army would no longer be a problem.

At that time, the Tiance Army reinforcements would only need to focus on the Shence Army.

Therefore, Zhao Mo paired her with Bai Chen. Mu Wan'er's cultivation was not to be underestimated, and Bai Chen's strength was well-known; together, they were the perfect team.

If they could work together...

If it weren't absolutely necessary, Zhao Mo would never have paired these two rivals.

He could almost imagine the trouble they would encounter on the way. Bai Chen wasn't worried about causing chaos, but with Mu Wan'er's temperament, if pushed too far, she might really kill Bai Chen on the way.

The camp below was not a Shence Army base but a group of martial artists.

However, there were quite a few of them, including two innate experts.

These were clearly the "roadblocks" Zhao Mo had mentioned. As the saying goes, "Those who stay close to vermilion turn red, and those who stay close to ink turn black." These martial artists, though forced to join the Shence Army, had begun to act as recklessly as the Shence Army, committing all sorts of atrocities.

Even before hiding on the slope, they had heard the cries of women from the tents in the camp.

If not for Bai Chen's restraint, Mu Wan'er might have already rushed down in a fit of rage to slaughter them all.

"If those women can still be saved, I won't stop you, but they are already dead," Bai Chen said through gritted teeth, suppressing his anger.

Mu Wan'er fell silent. She had already smelled the pungent blood when they arrived.

There were no dead bodies around, so the only source could be the tents in the camp below.

"Are we just going to let them go?" Mu Wan'er glared at Bai Chen with hatred. If Bai Chen had said yes, Mu Wan'er would have attacked him immediately.

"Will a few petty thieves satisfy you?" Bai Chen glanced at Mu Wan'er with disdain.

Every time Mu Wan'er saw this look, she had an urge to tear this bastard apart.

But at the moment, she managed to keep her composure, knowing it wasn't the time for internal strife.

"Speak, what do we do?"

"There are definitely more than just this group of bandits around. I'll go down and draw their attention. If they realize they can't handle me, they'll signal for reinforcements. You set up an ambush on the way. Tonight, we'll have a big slaughter!"

Mu Wan'er was taken aback. She saw the excitement and bloodlust in Bai Chen's eyes when he mentioned the slaughter.

Bai Chen explained his plan, and Mu Wan'er understood.

There were many experts in the camp below. Bai Chen's goal wasn't to kill them all but to buy time.

As long as they felt Bai Chen was a tough opponent, they would call for reinforcements.

This would give Mu Wan'er the opportunity to set up an ambush. The main reason for this strategy was the power of the Tang Sect's traps, which were unparalleled.

On the way, Mu Wan'er had already demonstrated the power of the Tang Sect's secret techniques multiple times.

Subtle and hard to defend against, these traps could kill silently. The most memorable to Bai Chen was the "Rain of Pear Blossoms" needle, a large-scale killing weapon that was essentially a primitive landmine.

Once triggered, there would be no life within ten feet, especially with the needle's piercing power, which even Bai Chen couldn't withstand, let alone others.

After planning, Bai Chen boldly jumped down the slope, crushing a poor soul's head with his foot.

"Who are you?!"

The bandits in the camp immediately noticed Bai Chen and quickly armed themselves, surrounding him.

Bai Chen grinned, "Butcher!"

"Nonsense." The bandits wouldn't believe a butcher could kill a companion with his first move.

The two leaders had cold eyes. One had black claws, a poison expert, and the other carried a long sword, standing with a haughty demeanor.

"Special killer of beasts!" Bai Chen's killing intent rose, and he unleashed a powerful punch, sending a charging man flying with a bloody hole.

"Bold!" The poison expert, an innate expert, moved first, grabbing a pair of claws coated with deadly poison. A single scratch could incapacitate even an innate expert.

This person was not only highly skilled but also extremely agile, with a vicious and cunning claw technique.

Bai Chen was forced to retreat, but no matter how hard the poison expert attacked, Bai Chen remained steady.

Even when the claws touched Bai Chen's body, they only sparked, unable to penetrate his defense.

"Qiu Tian, it seems you can't handle him alone," the other innate expert laughed mockingly.

Qiu Tian, enraged, attacked even harder, but still couldn't break through Bai Chen's defense.

"Wang Buyin, if you don't act now, I'll report to the master that you let the enemy escape, accusing you of incompetence and disloyalty." Qiu Tian was desperate, as Bai Chen's counterattacks, though rare, were powerful and unsettling.

Wang Buyin frowned, a murderous look in his eyes. After a moment's thought, he drew his sword.

A sword cry echoed, and Bai Chen felt a chill down his spine. He quickly activated the "Fire Brand Robe."

The "Fire Brand Robe" made Qiu Tian and Wang Buyin retreat several steps, amazed by this strange technique.

"What kind of martial art is this?"

Wang Binyin's face was serious, "I've never seen such a martial art. This person is not easy to handle. Summon nearby allies and don't let him escape."

Bai Chen twisted his neck, seeing a signal flare rise, knowing his goal was achieved.

But he didn't know how Mu Wan'er's preparations were going.

Mu Wan'er had been hiding in the dark. This wasn't the first time she had seen Bai Chen's "Fire Brand Robe," but each time he used it, it gave her a chilling feeling.

Each time, she wondered how she would counter him if they were to face off.

When the signal flare rose, she snapped back to reality and hurried to set up traps.

Mu Wan'er had absolute confidence in her traps. Whether it was the "Mother and Child Array" or the "Rain of Pear Blossoms" needle, anyone who entered would not leave alive.

Soon, the first group of intruders arrived, a team of over twenty led by an innate expert.

Unfortunately, this innate expert, who was at the front, was the first to step on a death trap.

When he stepped on the key point of the "Mother and Child Array," he thought it was just a stone and kicked it away.

But once the array was activated, dozens of stones of various sizes shot up within ten feet, stopping a few feet from the ground.

The intruders were confused, but as they realized what was happening, the stones suddenly exploded, shooting out countless fragments.

The "Mother and Child Array" could turn one into a hundred. The individual fragments weren't highly lethal, but with thousands of them shooting from all directions, even an innate expert would have to think twice.

This was a slaughterhouse, and in an instant, the ground was covered with bodies.

This level of destruction was even beyond Bai Chen's capabilities.

Mu Wan'er didn't reveal herself, as she didn't have time to clean up. The second group arrived quickly.

This time, there were over a hundred people, and Mu Wan'er noticed that there were at least a dozen innate experts among them.

Mu Wan'er was excited. If she could ambush and kill this entire group, it would be her greatest achievement.

"Stop!" The leader suddenly ordered the group to halt before the trap.

He dismounted, looking at the bodies around, his face grim, "There's a Tang Sect expert here! This place is a death trap. Retreat and find another way."

"Sir, this person must be hiding nearby. Why don't we search the area?"

The leader sneered, his voice loud and clear, "Fool, if it's a Tang Sect expert, how do you know there aren't more traps? The Tang Sect is the most despicable and cunning. Can you guarantee you'll escape unharmed? Moreover, this person set up an ambush here, guessing we would pass. The camp ahead must have allies. If we avoid the trap and reach the camp, we can capture his allies and find him."

Mu Wan'er cursed silently. This person was familiar with Tang Sect traps and had seen through their plan.

Though she had no fondness for Bai Chen, the situation was not about personal grudges. Without Bai Chen, she couldn't break through the encirclement.

The number of people in this group was too large, and Mu Wan'er was not good at direct confrontation. She had no way to stop them from retreating.

The only thing she could do was to inform Bai Chen before this group reached the valley.

Bai Chen had been holding back, hoping to make them send more distress signals.

But instead of Mu Wan'er's success signal, he saw over a hundred experts charging into the valley.

"Damn, I shouldn't have trusted that girl." Bai Chen wasn't suspicious of Mu Wan'er's intentions but was angry at overestimating her traps.

"Sir, why did you come personally?" Qiu Tian saw the leader and immediately stopped fighting, approaching to flatter.

This person was none other than Kaiyang, one of the Seven Stars. Kaiyang's origins were mysterious, and his cultivation was extremely high, making him the second strongest of the Seven Stars, just below the leader, Tianzhu.

Kaiyang glanced at Bai Chen, his brow slightly furrowed, "Why is there only this small fish?"