Nulang, the leader of this group, was the most powerful among them, having just broken through to the Qi Manipulation Realm. His internal primordial energy was particularly restless at this stage, making practitioners at this level prone to anger and easily swayed by various emotions. The other seven or eight people were mostly at the Body Tempering Realm, with a few at the Primordial Qi Opening Realm, but their strength was not very high; they were numerous in number, that was all.
Nulang had naturally heard of Yang Kai’s strength, so he didn’t take Yang Kai seriously. The only one he was wary of was the woman who accompanied Yang Kai, who didn’t seem to be an easy person to provoke.
But upon further consideration, this woman probably wasn’t anything special. After all, she didn’t look very old, and there didn’t seem to be anyone like her among the famous disciples of the Lingxiao Pavilion.
Moreover, if she really had great strength, why would she need to buy a horse to travel? Once a practitioner reached a certain level, their own speed would far surpass that of a horse.
With this thought, Nulang put his mind at ease.
What he didn’t know was that Xia Ningshang bought the horse to take care of Yang Kai. After all, Yang Kai was only at the fourth layer of the Primordial Qi Opening Realm; how fast could his legs be?
The group of disciples from the Fengyu Tower quickly prepared and followed the hoof prints.
Yang Kai and Xia Ningshang were also galloping on their horses, but no one knew that two groups of people were already following them from behind, and neither group had good intentions.
Although Xia Ningshang’s strength was decent, she hadn’t yet condensed her divine sense, so she couldn’t detect the surroundings over a large area.
The two of them galloped along, hardly speaking to each other. Xia Ningshang led the way, and Yang Kai followed closely behind. The two fast horses ran one after the other, their hooves pounding the ground.
It wasn’t until nightfall that they found a place with a water source to make a fire and rest.
They took out the food they had bought in Wumei Town, ate a little, and then sat by the campfire to rest.
After a day of traveling together, Yang Kai had a good understanding of this junior sister’s temperament. She was timid, shy, and her ears would turn red after just a few words. Her voice was soft and gentle, as if she had no temper at all.
Given her personality, Yang Kai didn’t want to initiate conversation, so as not to startle her.
Since that day when he comprehended the mystery of the Proud Bone Golden Body and mastered the mysterious martial technique of Unyielding Pride, Yang Kai found that the True Yang Art had changed.
When he cultivated the True Yang Art in an environment with yang energy, he could absorb yang energy and refine yang liquid.
In an environment without yang energy, he could still cultivate the True Yang Art, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, which would then be refined by the true yang primordial energy in his body and absorbed by the Proud Bone Golden Body.
The constraints of the cultivation environment were suddenly gone, which was a tremendous piece of good news for Yang Kai.
After three days of travel, the two finally arrived at a small town a thousand miles away from the Lingxiao Pavilion. They left their horses in the town and found an inn to stay in temporarily.
According to Xia Ningshang, they wouldn’t need the horses for the next part of the journey, as they would be entering the mountains, and horses couldn’t go in.
Deep into the night, the inn was quiet.
Yang Kai and Xia Ningshang stayed in adjacent rooms, both with their lights on. Yang Kai was meditating, while Xia Ningshang was lost in thought.
During these three days of travel, the two of them had spoken less than ten sentences. Xia Ningshang felt quite awkward, as she had come to seek his help but had been so distant to him, which seemed inappropriate.
However, every time she wanted to talk to him, Xia Ningshang couldn’t muster the courage. She was used to secretly observing him, and now suddenly facing him directly, she didn’t know what to do.
Moreover, this junior brother seemed to be a man of few words. If she went to talk to him, would it make him annoyed?
While Xia Ningshang was frowning, two other groups of people in the inn were quietly paying attention to their movements.
In one room, Long Hui and a group of Blood Battle Gang’s elite members were sitting inside. The dim candlelight flickered, distorting Long Hui’s face.
The Blood Battle Gang members had received the news and chased after them, but they had started a bit late and only caught up today.
After a moment of silence, Long Hui suddenly said, "Hall Master Wen, when are we going to make our move? Yang Kai is staying in this inn. With Hall Master Wen’s skills, capturing him shouldn’t be difficult, right?"
Wen Feichen was a middle-aged man, already at the fifth layer of the True Essence Realm, and was a hall master of the Blood Battle Gang. Because Long Hui had accurate information, he had brought a high-level expert to ensure the capture of Xia Ningshang.
In addition to Wen Feichen, there were several experts at the Separation Realm, about six or seven in total. It was clear that Long Hui had made a grand effort to ensure success.
Wen Feichen smiled, "Young Master Long, if you want me to make a move now, it’s not a problem. Although this is a small town, with my skills, dealing with them will be easy. I won’t alarm anyone or leave any traces."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Long Hui’s expression brightened, "Yang Kai must die, and the woman must be captured alive. It’s said she’s a beauty. Since he dared to have designs on my woman, I’ll make him taste the feeling of his own woman being targeted."
Wen Feichen, who knew Long Hui’s nature well, didn’t react much, but said, "But have you considered why they traveled a thousand miles to this place?"
"Why?" Long Hui asked in a deep voice.
Wen Feichen pondered for a moment and then said, "I believe they have a specific purpose. Perhaps... they are going to enter the Black Wind Mountain to search for some rare treasure!"
Long Hui frowned, "What does this have to do with us? There are many treasures in the Black Wind Mountain, but not everyone who enters finds them."
Wen Feichen shook his head, "Young Master Long, you are mistaken. They could have entered the Black Wind Mountain from the Lingxiao Pavilion, but they rode a thousand miles to stop here. If I’m not mistaken, they will enter the mountain from here tomorrow. Their purpose is so clear, so we can be certain of one thing: they know where the treasure is and will definitely find it. If we quietly follow them, once they find the treasure..."
It had to be said that Wen Feichen’s observations were very meticulous, and his analysis was quite accurate, befitting a seasoned veteran.
Long Hui’s eyes lit up, "Then we can make our move and seize it!"
Wen Feichen smiled, "Young Master Long is right. However, if you can’t wait to have the beauty, I can make a move tonight and won’t disappoint you."
Long Hui hesitated, his expression uncertain.
Wen Feichen said appropriately, "But if we wait a few more days, not only will you have the beauty, but you will also have the treasure. Think about it, if they go through great hardships to find the treasure and we take it from them, Yang Kai will probably be so angry he’ll spit blood."
Hearing this, Long Hui’s hesitation turned to determination, "Alright, since they can run but can’t hide, let Yang Kai live a few more days, and we’ll reap the benefits!"
Wen Feichen smiled lightly, "Being able to endure what others cannot, Young Master Long is destined for great things. I admire you!"
"Haha, Hall Master Wen is too kind," the flattery made Long Hui extremely comfortable.