Chapter 34: Fear Of Its Wrath
As it turned out, the massive explosion that shook the earth hadn’t been an attack on the convoy after all.
Outside the carriage, the tension slowly began to clear as the heavy dust settled over the dense pine tree line. The lead guard marched back toward the center of the convoy, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead with the back of his gauntlet. He raised his hand and signaled to the surrounding guards, telling them to lower their weapons and relax their rigid stances.
Inside the cabin, Lu Feng and Ye Chenxue exchanged a quiet, lingering glance. The static charge in the air remained thick and heavy against their skin, constantly reminding them that something powerful had just brushed past them.
"Stay here," Ye Chenxue murmured, pushing the heavy wooden door open and stepping down onto the dirt road to investigate the commotion firsthand.
Lu Feng stayed back in the carriage, watching through the narrow window slot as the situation unfolded outside.
A short distance away, a group of figures emerged from the shadows of the deep forest. There were half a dozen of them, clad in uniform dark leather armor inscribed with faint, glowing runes that pulsed with raw yet tamed energy.
They didn’t look like chaotic, disorganized cutthroats; they carried the undeniable presence of professional martial artists operating under a strict chain of command.
The lead guard stepped forward to address them, holding up a hand in a gesture of peaceful intent.
"We are a transport convoy belonging to the Grand Transport Agency," the lead guard announced clearly, raising his voice so the entire clearing could hear. "We are on our way to Crimson Vale City."
The leader of the armored group—a tall, imposing man with a scarred cheek and sharp, calculating eyes—nodded slowly. He lowered his hand from the hilt of his broadsword and offered a professional, measuring look.
"Gran Transport Agency, huh?" the mercenary leader repeated, his tone firm and resonant. "We were wondering who was kicking up dust on this restricted route. Our company has been contracted by the regional authorities to hunt down the rogue bandits that roam these paths, protect all passing legitimate convoys, and ensure safe passage through these zones."
As the discussion furthered, the two groups exchanged details about their respective missions. The mercenary leader explained the complex network of hidden arrays and traps they had laid out across the forest to catch the local outlaws, detailing their primary objective to secure the trade lines.
Listening closely to their explanation, the lead guard let out a heavy sigh of relief, leaning slightly on his sword.
"Well, if your goal is to hunt down the Bloodthorn pack, you can save your traps and save yourselves the trouble," the lead guard revealed, shaking his head. "They won’t be coming this way anymore."
The mercenary leader frowned, his eyes narrowing in sharp suspicion. "What do you mean by that? Those bandits with four other groups control this entire stretch of forest. They don’t just disappear."
"They didn’t disappear. They were wiped out," the lead guard replied matter-of-factly. "My security team and this young lady here already dealt with them on our way through last night."
Silence fell over the clearing as the statement hung heavily in the air.
The group of mercenary cultivators stared at the lead guard, completely taken aback. They had only arrived in the territory the previous day, spending hours meticulously setting up heavy tactical traps and concealed arrays after receiving information that the notorious bandits were heading toward this exact sector. To hear that a standard merchant convoy had completely obliterated the threat overnight sounded almost impossible.
Standing a few paces behind the lead guard, Ye Chenxue kept her piercing eyes locked on the armored martial artists. As the conversation continued, she quietly extended her spiritual sense to gauge their cultivation depths.
A cold shiver ran down her spine as she realized the terrifying reality of their strength.
Even the weakest member among the mercenary group stood firmly at the Third Level of the Blood Condensation Stage—a full level above her own current cultivation. They were absolute powerhouses compared to the local thugs they usually encountered.
"Is that so?" the mercenary leader asked, a heavy hint of professional respect creeping into his tone as he shifted his gaze to Ye Chenxue. "To wipe out an entire pack of seasoned outlaws in a single night... that is an exceptionally impressive feat for a traveling party."
"It was a necessity," Ye Chenxue replied coolly, keeping her voice completely level.
The leader nodded in acknowledgment. "Well, since you’ve already cleared the primary threat off the path, our updated objective still stands. We will guide your convoy safely through our remaining tactical traps so you can reach Crimson Vale City without any more delays."
The brief confrontation ended amicably. The lead guard thanked them for their cooperation and described the location of the bandits they’d slain.
After their discussion ended, the convoy slowly resumed its movement, carefully following the precise path carved out by the cultivator-mercenaries through the dense forest. Within an hour, the carriages had successfully crossed the hazardous perimeter and left the mercenary camp far behind.
As the last carriage rolled past the edge of the tree line and disappeared into the distance, two of the mercenary cultivators stood back in the shadows of the canopy, watching the trailing dust clouds settle.
The younger cultivator turned his head toward his senior, his expression uneasy.
"You felt something strange right as they passed, didn’t you?" the younger man asked, lowering his voice to a cautious whisper.
The older, more experienced mercenary nodded slowly, his face turning pale and tense. He kept his eyes glued to the empty road where the carriages had just vanished.
"I did," the older man replied, wiping a bead of cold sweat from his neck. "For a second, I wanted to extend my spiritual sense and investigate the passengers inside those carriages out of sheer professional curiosity."
"Why didn’t you do it then?"
"Because the moment I even thought about probing them, I sensed something overwhelming, ancient, and utterly terrifying locked away inside one of those vehicles," the older mercenary whispered, his voice trembling slightly as he shuddered. "It felt like a primordial abyss waiting to swallow our souls whole. I decided right then and there not to push further on the thing we’d sensed inside of the carriages, for fear of its wrath."
The younger cultivator swallowed hard, abandoning any thoughts of chasing after the convoy.
"Then what should we do now?"
The older mercenary straightened his armor, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves. "Forget about the carriages. Let’s head towards the place where the lead guard explained that they’d fought with the bandits. We need to check for the bodies and confirm if they were actually part of the outlaws on our official wanted list."