Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

"Martial Saint, Sir, the camp is right ahead."

In the dim tunnel, Xu San pointed toward the exit ahead and whispered, "If nothing goes wrong, the chief should be inside."

The breathless, pale-faced martial artist was the rogue that Wang Chen had captured earlier.

To save his life, he had become Wang Chen's guide.

The rogues harassing Red Cliff City were not just one group but a temporary alliance formed by over a dozen teams of various sizes. They coordinated with each other in their attacks and retreats, causing constant turmoil in the Red Cliff region.

Xu San's group was just one of them, and not a particularly strong one at that.

The chief of the alliance was Gao Yuan, an expert at the peak of the Acquired level.

Aside from the strongest, Gao Yuan, there were two other Acquired martial artists, and even more at the level of Marrow Refinement.

A team of rogues with three Acquired experts was indeed a rare sight!

Lately, Gao Yuan had led hundreds of rogues divided into different teams to frequently attack the Holy Ancestor's Way and the villages in the Red Cliff area.

They had reaped a sizeable reward.

Based on the complex terrain of the Holy Ancestor's Way, they had established several bandit camps.

Xu San had informed Wang Chen of all this intelligence.

To save his own life, the rogue had spilled all the secrets of his group to the very last detail.

Wang Chen glanced at the faintly lit entrance ahead then shifted his gaze back to Xu San.

He didn't say anything but the look in his eyes carried a hint of mockery.

Feeling unnerved under the scrutiny, Xu San trembled and asked, "Martial, Martial Saint, Sir, you, you…"

Wang Chen suddenly smiled, "You're quite bold. If I'm not mistaken, a trap has already been set inside, hasn't it?"

Wang Chen's suspicion was not unfounded. Xu San's behavior had raised doubts.

It was normal to betray comrades to save oneself, but Xu San had been too eager to lead Wang Chen here, insisting on hurrying despite his injuries, as if he couldn't wait for the other rogues to die.

Of course, that alone wasn't enough to make Wang Chen suspicious; Xu San could simply have been desperate to show his loyalty.

But the few words he had just spoken gave away a hint of guilt.

Furthermore, since stepping into the Innate realm, Wang Chen's perception abilities had increased significantly, granting him an innate intuition for sensing danger.

He had felt the presence of danger ahead!

Putting aside Transcendent cultivators who had entered the Entry Tao, even though Innate experts were at the pinnacle among martial artists, they were not invincible.

With several hundred elite samurai, plus two or three Acquired experts, using formations and weapons, and most importantly willing to sacrifice themselves, it was possible to kill an Innate expert in a specific environment.

Thus, Wang Chen had decided to test the waters.

Xu San's face drastically changed, no longer able to hide his inner panic, and he suddenly dashed towards the exit.

Throughout the journey here, he had been under tremendous pressure.

Now that Wang Chen had hit the nail on the head, he was unable to maintain his composure any longer.

This completely exposed him.

But the rogue had only managed a few steps when a brilliantly flashing blade swept past his neck instantaneously.

A head soared into the air!

[Qi-Blood +500]

Wang Chen shook his head and sheathed his Moon Slaying Saber.

He could now be certain that Zhao Zhenxuan's deduction was absolutely correct.

The group that kept attacking Red Cliff City was not ordinary, or rather, not a normal gang.

Their goal was very likely to lure Zhao Zhenxuan out of the city to ambush him or to employ a strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain to carry out other schemes.

Xu San's team was clearly just bait.

Such bait teams were certainly not limited to one or two; the rogue alliance had sent them out as a ruse to fall into their trap.

And this Xu San must have known some of the insider information; otherwise, in complete ignorance, he wouldn't have given himself away even in the slightest.

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It's just that this guy is somewhat clever, but not clever enough.

If he had told Wang Chen the truth, Wang Chen would have really kept his promise to spare his life afterward.

He would not have ended up with his body and head separated.

But from this alone, it was obvious that Xu San believed the Rogues Alliance had the strength to deal with an Innate cultivator.

So, what kind of trap had they set?

Curiosity filled him, Wang Chen urged his Innate True Qi, combined with a wisp of nature's spiritual energy drawn from the Reincarnation Pearl, and channeled it into the cloak he was wearing.

The Magical Treasure was activated instantly, with strange fluctuations appearing on its surface that allowed Wang Chen to blend into the surroundings silently and seamlessly.

This method of controlling Magical Treasures had been taught to him by Elder Yao.

However, since nature's spiritual energy was so precious, it could only be used occasionally and was not a viable tactic in regular combat.

In the next moment, Wang Chen's figure dashed forward like a ghost, and within a breath, he shot out of the cave entrance.

The space before him suddenly opened up, and a huge cavern loomed into view.

Caverns like this one were common underground; the large ones could accommodate an entire village, while the smaller ones could serve as resting places for travelers.

This cavern was filled with hanging stalactites, and its floor was littered with bizarre rocks; hundreds of people could hide within without being noticed.

However, Wang Chen instantly spotted the thieves hidden among the jumbled rocks and behind the stalactites!

As Wang Chen had guessed, the Rogues had already laid a net of heaven and earth, waiting for the big fish to take the bait.

But they never expected that the big fish would actually come.

And it was a great white shark!

Before the thieves could react, Wang Chen firmly stepped on a rock, used it to propel himself into a high leap.

While mid-air, he took off the Sunset Bow and fired three arrows in quick succession.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The three arrows each aimed at a different target, with speeds comparable to falling stars and lightning, leaving no chance for the thieves to dodge.

"Ahh!"

Screams erupted abruptly as three Rogues hiding among the rocks were pinned to the ground, alive.

Wang Chen landed smoothly and immediately leaped forward again.

He fired a second volley of arrows.

"Stop him!"

Only then did the Rogues snap out of their daze, as someone bellowed fiercely, "Kill those who fear the enemy without mercy, reward those who kill the enemy with a bounty of ten thousand gold!"

Hundreds of Rogues emerged all at once, each wielding a crossbow, and shot arrows at Wang Chen.

But their arrangement had been completely disrupted; Wang Chen was not going to be their target. Again, he landed on the ground, dodging crossbow arrows and darting into the jumble of rocks.

The Sunset Bow was simultaneously switched for the Overlord Spear!

Crack!

The spear thrust forth like a dragon, hitting a large nearby rock squarely, its tip pierced through with terrible force, sending the stones flying in an instant.

Two Rogues next to it failed to dodge in time and were struck in the face and chest by the fragmented rocks, their features instantly mangled and their bones shattered!

The spear continued its straight trajectory, piercing through the body of a Rogue in an instant.

Wang Chen exerted force with both arms to lift the body and fiercely hurled it away.

It collided with another thief.

In such close-quarters combat, the divine might of the Overlord Spear was undeniable!

And at that moment, two figures, one from the left and one from the right, converged on Wang Chen simultaneously.

Their roars were like thunder!

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The first update is here.

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