From bone collectors to the supreme ruler of humanity

Chapter 122 Ambush

Lin Yan stopped in his tracks.

Wu Meng also stopped, and Yang Tie turned around in front.

"There are indeed three people behind us, and they've been following us for at least three hundred miles," Lin Yan said in a low voice. "I saw two of them in the attic, but I don't really remember the third one."

Sweat poured down Wu Meng's face even faster. He licked his lips. "Damn it, I knew my neck had been feeling cold these past few days. Turns out there really were three little bastards following me. Brother Lin, when did you spot them?"

"I noticed them when we were only two hundred miles from the capital, but they were still far away then and weren't following us this closely." Lin Yan said, secretly observing the aura, his perception spreading out like ripples to sense the movements behind him.

A hundred paces away, three concealed auras were slowly approaching them.

"Three people, all of them at the third rank." Lin Yan opened his eyes. "Moreover, they are all deliberately concealing the fluctuations of their true energy as they travel. They have been following us all the way, so it seems they are up to no good."

"That's obvious." Wu Meng spat. "These bastards have followed us this far; they couldn't possibly be here to invite us for drinks. I think we should just go back and catch them off guard!"

Yang Tie shook his head and said, "That's not a good idea. The other side is also at the third rank. Three against three, the variables in a head-on confrontation are too great. We should speed up our pace. There's a dense forest ahead. If we go in, they might not be able to catch up. We can just shake them off."

"Why run?" Wu Meng glared, lifting his animal-skin vest to reveal the bulging muscles on his arms. "They dare to follow us because they think they can definitely take us down. If we run away this time, what about next time? What if we enter Cangwu Mountain with monsters in front and pursuers behind? That would be a dead end."

Lin Yan didn't reply, but took out a map and drew a few lines on it.

"Look, if we go another twenty miles, we'll come to a valley. The rock walls on both sides of this valley form a narrow path, less than five zhang at its widest point." He pointed to the lines on the map. "Wu Meng's words make sense. Since they've been following us for so long, let's wait for them there and see what they're up to."

Wu Meng's eyes lit up. "Ambush them?"

"That's right." Lin Yan put away the map. "They've followed us this far but haven't made a move yet, which means they're definitely unsure of our strength. They don't know we've been followed. In that case, let's give them a chance and let them think they've figured out our location."

Yang Tie remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "Brother Lin's plan is feasible. How should we divide the ambush locations?"

"Brother Wu is hiding behind the rock wall on the left, Brother Yang is hiding in the tree on the right, and I will stay in the valley as bait to lure them in."

Upon hearing this, Wu Meng shook his head. "This won't do. It's too dangerous. Three Rank 3 cultivators attacking together, Brother Lin, even if you were made of iron, you couldn't withstand it."

"It's alright." Lin Yan patted the Zhenyue Blade on his back. "They definitely won't attack immediately when they come up. Besides, I have a body tempering technique, so I'm tough. If things turn bad, I'll run away on my own."

Lin Yan wasn't just showing off.

He has already cultivated the first level of the "Dragon Elephant Body Forging Technique" to the middle stage of the Skin Refining Realm, which has increased his skin toughness by 10%. In addition, the third level of the "Yan King's Heart Sutra" has increased his physical strength by 35%. With the protection of his body by the Eight Meridians Circulation True Qi of the Unceasing Realm, his physical strength has reached a level that other early-stage third-rank martial artists can only dream of. It is no problem for him to withstand several attacks from third-rank martial artists in a short period of time.

In a three-on-three situation, Lin Yan is not without a chance of winning.

The key is that he needs a chance to strike decisively. Once he takes out one of them, the scales of victory will tip in his favor.

The three of them made up their minds and quickened their pace.

In less than half an hour, the valley appeared before the three of them.

The terrain of the valley was exactly as Lin Yan had described: a winding, narrow path sandwiched between two steep rock walls, with the ground covered in pebbles and dead branches.

The rock face on the right is covered with lush, verdant trees, and there is a person hiding inside, who would be completely invisible if you didn't look closely.

Wu Meng found an inconspicuous crack in the rock wall and crawled inside, placing the heavy axe across his knees. He shrank into a dark shadow and became one with the crack.

Yang Tie then swayed and disappeared into the trunk of a large tree, tucking his long staff behind his back and concealing his aura.

Lin Yan sat alone on a large rock by the roadside in the valley, took off the bundle on his back and put it at his feet, pretending to drink water and rest.

He closed his eyes, his [Aura Observation] continuously locking onto the three auras chasing after him.

Nearly.

Two hundred steps.

One hundred steps.

Fifty steps.

A series of soft footsteps rustled on the gravel.

The first person to appear at the entrance to the valley was a burly man with a ring-pommel sword slung over his shoulder and a face full of scars.

He saw Lin Yan sitting on a large rock, and was surprised to find him resting with his eyes closed. He paused in his tracks.

A middle-aged man in a military officer's robe followed closely behind, his left hand tucked into his sleeve, which was slightly bulging, clearly concealing something.

The third person was dressed in a black outfit, his face mostly covered by a hood, only his eyes were visible, and he was holding two short daggers.

"Oh, isn't this General Lin? What a coincidence, running into you on my way here." The burly man grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth. "Are you resting here all alone? When I left the capital, I saw you weren't with three people. Where are your two companions? Did they abandon you, an official, and go their own way?"

He spoke, but his feet didn't stop. The three of them spread out in a fan shape, subtly surrounding Lin Yan in the middle.

"So, General Lin, would you like to come with us? Don't worry, we won't abandon you like those two..."

Lin Yan stood up, dusted himself off, and said, "The three of you have been following me for over 500 miles. You didn't come all this way just to recruit me as a team, did you? That would be too kind of you."

The smile on the burly man's face slowly faded.

He glanced back at the man in black to his left rear, then at the middle-aged man in a military robe to his right, and finally fixed his gaze on Lin Yan, his smile turning into a fierce expression.

"You knew we were following us all along?"

Lin Yan didn't speak, but his hand was already on the hilt of the Zhenyue Blade, and a faint white aura was surging around his body.

He was already gathering his strength, ready to draw his sword at any moment.

"Alright." The burly man took the ring-pommel sword from his shoulder, the tip pointing to the ground. A ferocious smile appeared on his fleshy face. "I was going to play around with you, but since you're courting death, don't blame us for being impolite. Let's do it!"