Chapter 103: A Hundred Ingenious Stratagems

“At the time of the Great Sea Vessel, I happened to catch a glimpse of Ye Mo and his group. Ye Mo was accompanied by a woman, two male cultivators, and the traitor Lin Zhi. Among these five, the only one truly skilled in combat is Ye Mo himself. Even Lin Zhi is merely adept at poison; his fighting ability is mediocre.

On our side, we have He An and Brother Gui, both formidable. We can easily suppress Ye Mo. They would never expect us to appear here, and we know the strength of every single one of them. With forethought against their ignorance, victory is certain!” Master Hou revealed a sinister smile.

“Good, let’s teach that brat a harsh lesson! The graduation assessment forbids us from killing other candidates, but crippling them is allowed! Let’s go, take action!” Excitement and ferocity flashed across Zheng Yiqing’s face.

He had wanted to cause trouble for Ye Mo for a long time. Now, having run into him by chance on this wild island, he saw a golden opportunity he would not let slip.

...

At the cliff.

A five-zhang-tall barrier of sturdy spiritual wood sealed off the only narrow pass leading up the cliff. Yang You watched from a concealed arrow tower behind the fence, holding a spiritual wood spear, alert. The entire island was shrouded in a misty dawn fog; his vision extended barely ten zhang.

A short while ago, the burly man surnamed Gui had performed a water-type invisibility spell—Water Veil Technique—and stealthily approached the spiritual wood fence, observing for some time. Yang You noticed nothing amiss, so the burly man soon left the cliff, returning to report to Zheng Yiqing and the others.

He failed to notice a fiery red fire crow perched on a nearby rock. In its flaming eyes, his figure was reflected.

The fire crow fluttered upward, flying into the cave above the cliff and landing on Ye Mo’s shoulder with a cry.

“Enemies approaching?”

Ye Mo had risen early; he was instantly alert. With a wave, Lin Zhi, Mo Ling, and Wang Hu followed him swiftly out of the cave and hid behind a high rock near the arrow tower.

Yang You remained focused atop the tower, oblivious to Ye Mo and his companions lurking nearby.

“A scout approached—Yang You didn’t notice, but the fire crow did. He must have used invisibility! They’ll probably launch a surprise attack soon,” Ye Mo whispered to his companions.

“Haha, someone’s going to try a sneak attack under cover of the morning mist. They’re walking right into our trap! I haven’t had a good fight in days; this time, I’ll make sure they regret it!” Wang Hu gripped a spiritual wood spear, with sword and shield slung on his back, excitement gleaming in his eyes. He flexed his fingers, eager to begin. “Should we warn Yang You?”

“No! Yang You is unaware and acting normally, which will fool them. If we warn him, they might sense something’s wrong,” Lin Zhi replied quietly, an evil smile on his lips.

Ye Mo nodded slightly. The opponents were likely very cautious cultivators. It was best not to alert Yang You—let them come, and avoid any sign that their ambush had been discovered.

After a brief wait.

Zheng Yiqing and the others followed the burly Gui into the dense thicket, heading swiftly for the cliff. The woods were tangled with vines, with only one cleared area—where Ye Mo and his group had felled trees. Climbing toward the cliff, the burly man noticed nothing strange and reached within several dozen zhang of the spiritual wood fence.

The morning fog was thick; beyond several dozen zhang, visibility was gone. From the arrow tower, nothing could be seen of the distant activity.

“This is the place! Over that fence is an arrow tower. Only one guard is posted; the others are likely unprepared,” the burly man surveyed the heights.

“Good, use your invisibility to subdue the guard! If you can’t, injure him severely. With one less, they won’t stand a chance,” Zheng Yiqing urged.

The burly man cast Water Veil Technique again and cautiously climbed over the five-zhang fence, creeping toward the concealed arrow tower.

Zheng Yiqing and his group followed in silence, ready to scale the fence and storm the cliff as soon as the burly man succeeded.

Just as the burly man was about to subdue Yang You atop the tower, two sharp whistling sounds suddenly split the air from the rocks above.

A shadow swooped down like a falcon striking a rabbit.

...

“Damn, it’s an ambush!” The burly man heard the piercing sound and instantly realized the danger, crying out in alarm. He swung his fist, barely deflecting the two spiritual wood spears that shot at him.

But he could not avoid the sword that followed.

Ye Mo’s golden spiritual sword slashed at the burly man’s arm, the blade biting deep with a sickening sound.

The burly man staggered back, his face ashen.

“We’ve been ambushed! Gui is finished—he’s trapped in there!” Master Hou gasped.

“Kill! Get in there and rescue him! With one less, we won’t survive on this island much longer!” Zheng Yiqing’s eyes were bloodshot as he roared.

Still outside the fence, Zheng Yiqing, He An, and two others tried to force their way in, but were met with fierce resistance—not just spears, but spells as well.

Yang You on the arrow tower was alerted; Wang Hu and Lin Zhi hurled spiritual wood spears toward He An, who was trying to climb over the fence to rescue Gui.

Mo Ling cast Fireball Technique. The fire crow circling overhead spat a fireball at Zheng Yiqing.

Lin Zhi, as he threw his spear, also shot a poison pellet into the crowd below. The pellet burst on the ground, releasing a cloud of black smoke that enveloped several zhang.

“He An, fall back! Lin Zhi’s poison—be careful! Gui can’t be saved, retreat!” Master Hou saw the smoke and, knowing Lin Zhi was among Ye Mo’s team, shouted urgently.

He An cut down the incoming spears with his sword, but could not get past the fence. Cursing, he retreated through the poisonous mist, covering Zheng Yiqing and the others as they fled down the cliff.

“Let’s pursue them and finish them off!” Lin Zhi produced a vial, pouring out several fragrant antidote pills. “Take these—keep them in your mouths against the poison! He An has already been exposed; if he runs much more, the poison will soon take effect. They have only three left—they’re no threat!”

“Wait, don’t pursue!” Ye Mo suddenly raised his hand. “There are fewer and fewer people on this island. We may have already been targeted. The situation below the cliff is unclear—there could be other teams. All we need to do is hold this cliff!”

“That means we won’t get their four tokens?” Wang Hu was reluctant.

“We need fifty assessment tokens to earn a city lord nomination. Four tokens mean little to us. If we hold out till the end, our chances of making the top ten will rise!” Ye Mo shook his head calmly.

“Agreed! Tokens are secondary; there’s no need to risk an ambush by other candidates for a few more,” Lin Zhi said, suppressing the urge to give chase.

He glanced back at Zheng Yiqing’s injured companion.

The burly Gui was half-kneeling near the arrow tower, clutching his wound and activating the assessment token at his waist with spiritual power. He was seriously hurt, unable to escape, and would need urgent treatment aboard the Great Sea Vessel.

...

Zheng Yiqing fled down the cliff, terror-stricken. Their failed ambush and subsequent counterattack shattered his confidence. He bore several burns, inflicted by Fireball Technique.

“Young master, Ye Mo’s group isn’t pursuing! We can stop running!” Steward Cao gasped, hurrying to report.

“No, Ye Mo is cunning and treacherous—he must have another trick up his sleeve! We need to get far away from here, as far as possible!” Zheng Yiqing was like a frightened bird, unwilling to linger. He had once suffered a humiliating defeat at Ye Mo’s hands, and could not bear to lose to him again.

“Let’s go. I accidentally inhaled some of the poison mist—I feel dizzy and weak! We should find somewhere to rest,” He An said.

Suddenly, a shadow shot out from the grass three zhang away, aiming straight at Zheng Yiqing.

Zheng Yiqing was terrified—the distance was too short to dodge. The shadow came into clear focus: a sharp spiritual wood spear.

“No—!”

Zheng Yiqing nearly lost his soul in fright. The spear was aimed straight for his chest—there was no escape.

...

He An, behind him, lunged forward, knocking Zheng Yiqing aside. The two crashed to the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop.

“Hahaha, it missed me!” Zheng Yiqing, shaken, felt the joy of survival.

His laughter abruptly ceased.

Five black-armored cultivators stood before them, swords drawn and pointed at Zheng Yiqing, He An, Steward Cao, and Master Hou.

“Brother Tang, ranked thirteenth?! I surrender! I surrender! I’m willing to hand over my assessment token!” Seeing the black-armored cultivators emerge from the grass, Zheng Yiqing’s face turned pale. He lost all will to resist and activated the token at his waist with spiritual power.

“You’re Zheng Yiqing, ranked eighty-third on the City Lord Potential List? I remember you. To have lasted until the fourth day—you have some skill. Smart move, handing over your token. Save yourself a beating,” the leader, a young man in black armor, sneered down at Zheng Yiqing.

“Brother Tang, there are several others atop the cliff—I know their details. Their leader, the city lord candidate is—” Zheng Yiqing pointed toward the cliff, eager to explain.

“Shhh!”

“Silence!”

Suddenly, a dazzling sword light flashed. A Foundation Establishment cultivator from Azure Cloud Immortal Academy descended and interrupted Zheng Yiqing with a stern shout.

“As a defeated candidate, you’ve lost the right to continue the assessment. Without that right, selling information to other candidates is considered cheating and is forbidden. You have no authority to reveal any assessment information to anyone else.

Of course, if both sides are still participating and exchange intelligence for strategic reasons, that’s permitted. Now, all of you, leave the island with me,” the Foundation Establishment cultivator said coldly, giving Zheng Yiqing a harsh warning.

Chastened, Zheng Yiqing shut his mouth, handing over his token to the black-armored cultivators.

The four candidates—Zheng Yiqing, He An, Steward Cao, and Master Hou—were escorted off the wild island by swordflight.

“If only I’d revealed Ye Mo’s situation before surrendering!” Zheng Yiqing regretted. But in his fright, he’d conceded instantly, and afterward had no chance to tell Ye Mo’s secrets.

...

As the sun rose, the morning mist on the wild island gradually dissipated.

The perilous cliff finally revealed its grim face.

“Too bad Zheng Yiqing didn’t finish his sentence! Otherwise, we’d know the true strength of those on the cliff. Maybe we could have seized it!” one black-armored cultivator lamented.

“Exactly. We’ve been circling here since yesterday, but the cultivators on the cliff defend it like a porcupine—no way to break through,” another agreed.

“Who says we have to take the cliff? I never intended to attack it,” Tang Dong’an said with a cold smile, gazing at the cliff.

“Boss, why did you bring us here then?”

“This cliff stands out—many candidates will notice it and try to claim it. But the defenders are clearly veterans. Their defense is flawless—it’s nearly impossible to take. Any attacking team will suffer casualties. What we need is to lay low below the cliff. The cliff is a piece of meat—we’ll wait for the attackers to retreat in defeat, then pick up the spoils!

Zheng Yiqing was the perfect example—crushed with ease! I have forty-two tokens now; eight more and I can leave,” Tang Dong’an said with a cold grin.

“Haha, as expected, the boss is genius!”

“We’re using the cliff defenders as our shield, easily eliminating other candidates! Truly brilliant!” The four black-armored cultivators exchanged looks, their eyes gleaming, and laughed.