Chapter 39: Ambush in the Forest

Tang Chun Xi did not meditate for long. Only a few minutes after entering a meditative state, an inexplicable unease settled in her heart. At first, it was a faint restlessness, a whisper in the most instinctive part of her mind, but it quickly began to grow.

'Where is this feeling coming from? Why am I so unsettled?' she thought, opening her eyes and scanning the surroundings with a sharp gaze.

The forest remained the same—leaves rustling in the wind, small animals moving among the branches, the steady and organic rhythm of nature. And yet, something was wrong. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise slightly, a clear sign of imminent danger.

'It's getting stronger.'

Even without identifying the source of the threat, her experience told her that she needed to be in the best possible condition to react. Without hesitation, Tang Chun Xi retrieved three ripe fruits from the Inferior Qi Tree from her spatial ring and quickly consumed them. A warm and vibrant wave of energy surged through her body, replenishing her strength to the fullest.

The moment she felt her Qi stabilized, she activated her concealment ability, making her presence vanish like a flame extinguished by the wind. However, she did not move. She was in a naturally hidden space, a location that gave her time and an advantage to react to any attack directed at her.

She took a deep breath, expanding her senses in all directions, picking up even the smallest disturbances. The unease intensified with each passing second. Then, a sharp ripple in her perception made her eyes widen.

'They're here.'

Two cultivators entered her detection range, moving stealthily between the trees. The moment she sensed them, she instinctively knew they were the source of her anxiety. And as if they could feel her awareness of them, they reacted immediately.

The burly man, with sharp features and a predatory gaze, made a quick hand gesture and pointed in her direction. Her heart raced.

'This is bad!'

Before she could react, he threw a talisman directly at her. The parchment ignited and shattered in the air, transforming into multiple blades of light wrapped in metallic energy, slicing through space toward her.

Tang Chun Xi deactivated her concealment instantly, becoming visible as she leaped downward, using the trunk of a tree to evade. The metallic blades whizzed past her, tearing through the branches where she had been just a moment before.

But there was no time to rest.

The middle-aged female cultivator, her hair tied in a tight bun and her gaze as cold as steel, advanced with impressive speed. From her sheath, she drew a curved sword that danced in her hand like a serpent ready to strike. Her movements were direct and efficient, each strike carrying a lethal intent.

Tang Chun Xi activated the Phoenix Winged Step technique, enveloping herself in a flaming aura and gliding between the trees with agile and precise movements, dodging the curved blades that sought to cut her down. However, the woman was relentless, her sword whistling dangerously close each time. Chun Xi could feel the metallic chill of the blade passing mere millimeters from her skin.

Then, the burly man rejoined the fight, lunging at her with a fist wrapped in earthen energy. Each punch he threw made the air vibrate around him, demonstrating his overwhelming strength.

— "Why are you attacking me?" — Tang Chun Xi asked as she dodged, searching for an opening to counterattack.

The two did not respond, but the malicious gleam in their eyes said everything. Greed. They were after something.

Finally, she found her opening. With a swift spin, she twirled the Lunar Umbrella, infusing its blade with a stellar flame aura. When the woman's curved sword slashed toward her, it met the reinforced guard of the umbrella, locking their blades upon impact.

— "Amplify Weight."

The Lunar Umbrella's weight doubled instantly.

The middle-aged cultivator, unprepared for the sudden increase in force, felt the impact reverberate through her arms. Her fingers tingled as she lost grip, and the sheer force of the strike sent her crashing against a tree with a loud thud.

The man seized the opportunity and launched a direct punch at her exposed flank. But Tang Chun Xi had anticipated it.

At the last moment, she activated [Phoenix Wings].

A burst of flames erupted around her, catching the man off guard. He instinctively tried to pull back, but it was too late. Chun Xi shifted her position at the precise instant and countered his punch, concentrating her flame aura into her fist.

— Crack!

A sharp sound echoed through the air as the impact struck his arm, making him stagger back with a numbed limb. His clothes were scorched in the process, and a pained expression spread across his sweaty face.

'Damn… I underestimated her.'

Tang Chun Xi didn't give him the chance to recover. With the Lunar Umbrella in hand, she launched a rapid and relentless sequence of attacks. Her flaming blade struck with precise cuts, forcing the man to retreat awkwardly.

'She's too fast!'

Just as she found an opening and aimed a decisive strike toward his chest—

— a ripple in the aura around her erupted from behind.

Tang Chun Xi leaped to the side at the last second, barely avoiding being impaled by earthen spears that shot up from the ground.

The middle-aged cultivator, now disheveled and her fierce glare making her scar look even more menacing, had recovered and activated another talisman. The burly man, equally enraged, pulled out yet another talisman and hurled it toward her.

Tang Chun Xi barely dodged in time, but now she was cornered. The woman lunged forward, the blade of her sword gleaming with lethal intent. But Chun Xi responded in kind.

She pulled out a first-level talisman and threw it at the man while simultaneously clashing against the woman's sword with a counter infused with earthen aura.

The man saw the sudden attack and roared:

— "Damn brat!"

But he had no time to react. The next instant, flaming Qi blades rained down on the ground where he had stood just moments before, forcing him to throw himself aside to avoid being shredded. The impact made the earth explode in flames, leaving charred marks in its wake.

He clenched his teeth, quickly pulling out a small vial and gulping down a healing pill.

The battle was far from over.

Tang Chun Xi felt sweat trickle down her temple. Her enemies were persistent, and even wounded, they still had enough strength to keep going. But she wouldn't let them overwhelm her.

'These two together are annoying to deal with. Every time I try to take one down, the other interrupts me.' — she thought irritably.

The woman was preparing to strike again. The man, now furious, pulled out multiple first-level talismans.

Tang Chun Xi narrowed her eyes.

Her body tensed, ready to react to their next move.