UGB 49. Horror
49. Horror
As dusk settled, the stench of blood on the official road grew stronger. The last rays of the setting sun were swallowed by the distant mountains, leaving only a poignant dark red on the horizon, reflecting the scattered corpses and the wrecked caravans.
Lin Mo stood frozen before the most luxurious caravan in the middle, its lid open, revealing a seven-story dark gold pagoda inside. Runes flowed across the pagoda, shimmering with a faint light, emanating an ancient and desolate aura of sealing. Inside, the phantom figure in a plain white dress remained serene and silent, as if asleep in an eternal dream.
"Qinglan..."
The name, like a blood-stained hook, was ripped from Lin Mo's trembling lips with difficulty, each syllable accompanied by a soul-tearing pain. Images from his past life surged and exploded uncontrollably in his mind—a glance back in the misty Jiangnan region, the zither music of drinking under the moon, the resolute figure on the cliff edge, and that dazzling yet cruel, deadly streak of light from his closest brother, Yama…
"puff--"
Overwhelmed by rage and the internal energy turbulence from the previous battle, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, staggered, and his face turned deathly pale.
"leader!"
Han Li and the others were shocked to see this and rushed forward to help him up.
"Get out of here!"
Lin Mo waved his arm, and an invisible yet powerful force erupted, pushing Han Li and the others who were approaching back several steps. His eyes were bloodshot and bloodshot as he stared intently at the phantom in the tower. His gaze was a mixture of indescribable pain, deep-seated love, and overwhelming hatred, almost burning with rage.
He reached out, his fingertips trembling violently with intense emotion, wanting to reach through the cold tower walls to touch that face that was so close yet so far away.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch the tower, the dark golden tower seemed to be a ferocious beast awakened. The runes on the tower suddenly burst out with dazzling light, and a powerful and strange repulsive force surged out, slamming hard into Lin Mo's fingertips.
"Buzz—"
A deep humming sound emanated from the tower. Lin Mo felt a chilling, bone-piercing force surge up his arm and into his heart, causing his blood and qi to churn. He had no choice but to withdraw his hand and take a step back. Inside the tower, Ye Qinglan's illusory figure seemed to move extremely slightly. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly as if bearing a tremendous weight, but ultimately she failed to open them.
This subtle, almost imperceptible reaction struck Lin Mo like a thunderbolt. She could still sense the outside world? Her consciousness hadn't completely vanished, but was instead trapped in this eternal cage, enduring torment?
This realization fueled a volcanic eruption of remorse and rage within him, threatening to burst his chest. He not only wanted to kill her, but also to imprison her soul with such vicious methods!
"Chief! We can't stay here any longer!" Han Li, enduring the pain in his shoulder, stepped forward again, his voice urgent and low. "The commotion was too great; reinforcements from the four great families could arrive at any moment! We must evacuate immediately!"
Han Li's words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly jolting Lin Mo out of his deep grief. He abruptly looked up, his bloodshot eyes scanning his surroundings. The setting sun had completely disappeared, twilight enveloped the earth, and the shadowy trees lining the official road seemed to conceal countless dangers. In the distance, the sound of rapid hoofbeats seemed to drift, growing clearer and clearer as they approached.
It's reinforcements from the powerful families! They arrived so quickly!
Reason forcefully suppressed his turbulent emotions. At this moment, he was no longer the lone assassin of his past life, free to exact revenge; he was the leader of the entire Nascent force. He could not fall here, nor could he allow Qinglan's sealing artifact to fall into the wrong hands again!
"Clean up the battlefield! Take all the spoils, especially this caravan! As for the prisoners… knock them unconscious and abandon them by the roadside!" Lin Mo's voice was hoarse but carried an undeniable decisiveness; each word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth. "Be quick!"
"Yes!" Han Li's spirits lifted, and he immediately turned around and roared, "Quickly! Do as the leader says! Take all the valuables and this caravan, knock out the prisoners and throw them out! Hurry!"
The men sprang into action immediately, with remarkable efficiency. Some quickly packed up the gold and silver treasures from the first few caravans, while others worked together to harness the still-intact horses to the heavy caravan carrying the dark gold pagoda. Still others roughly knocked out Murong Qiu, Nangong Wen, and the remaining few caravan guards, then casually tossed them aside beside the pile of corpses by the roadside.
Lin Mo took one last deep look at the phantom in the tower, his eyes filled with complex emotions—pain, hatred, and an almost insane obsession. He abruptly raised his hand and slammed the heavy lid of the box shut, shutting out the scene that terrified him.
"Qinglan, wait for me..." he murmured to himself, then turned around, his tone icy cold, "Go!"
He leaped onto a stray horse, pulled on the reins, and galloped off along the planned escape route. Han Li and the others followed closely behind, carrying the captured supplies and the crucial caravan, quickly disappearing into the deepening twilight and the dense forest beside the official road.
Less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn after they left, a large group of people carrying torches arrived at the ambush site with lightning speed. Leading them were several elderly men with powerful auras and richly dressed, the top experts dispatched by the four great families after receiving the distress signal.
The flickering firelight illuminated the horrific scene on the official road: broken caravans, scattered goods, and especially the countless corpses—many of whom were the family's carefully trained guards and hired experts.
"Damn it!" A hot-tempered elder of the Zhao family, seeing the carnage before him, bristled with anger and punched a tree as thick as a bowl, snapping it in two.
"Where are Murong Qiu and Nangong Wen?" another, more composed elder of the Li family asked in a deep voice.
Soon, Murong Qiu and Nangong Wen, who had been knocked unconscious and abandoned by the roadside, were found. After being awakened, the two looked ashen-faced and, with the fear of surviving a disaster, recounted the ambush in fits and starts, especially the terrifying strength of the mysterious expert and his violent reaction to the special cargo.
"A mysterious expert... a clear target... knowledgeable about the sealed artifact within the tower..." The Li family elder squinted, catching the crucial information, his expression growing increasingly grave. "Investigate! Immediately mobilize all resources to investigate! This person, and the forces behind him, must be uncovered!"
He paused, his voice suddenly turning icy: "Pass down the order, in the joint name of the four great families, issue the highest-level 'Jianghu Wanted Poster'! A portrait… based on Murong and Nangong's descriptions, be drawn overnight! A reward of ten thousand taels of silver will be given to anyone providing valid clues! A reward of one hundred thousand taels of silver will be given to anyone who takes his head, and he will also receive a treasured martial arts manual from one of the great families! I want to make sure this madman can't walk an inch in the Jianghu!"
"Yes!" The crowd behind him responded in unison, their voices echoing across the surrounding area.
The firelight illuminated their angry and sinister faces, and the lifeless family members on the ground. A storm that would sweep across the entire martial world officially began with the issuance of this wanted notice.
Meanwhile, Lin Mo and his group had already ventured deep into the dense forest, hurrying along the rugged and secluded path towards the manor base. Lin Mo, mounted on his horse, was still pale, but his eyes had regained their usual calm and depth, though beneath that depth lay a raging fire capable of incinerating everything.