The carriage moved slowly along the road, driven by a strong and capable coachman, while an old man and a young man sat inside.
These three were Ye Yi and his group. Ye Yi and Li Yuanhuai had quietly slipped out of Chang'an and were cautiously heading to Jiangnan.
Crunch, crunch—the sound of wheels rolling over gravel.
"Elder, now that we've left Chang'an, who knows when we'll be able to return?" Ye Yi asked, sitting cross-legged.
Upon hearing Ye Yi's voice, Li Yuanhuai showed no reaction. He shook his head slightly and said...
"I have spent enough of my life in Chang'an, and I am tired."
Just as Ye Yi was about to continue speaking, his ears twitched slightly, and his eyes immediately sharpened.
"It seems someone doesn't want you to make it to Jiangnan alive, Elder," Ye Yi said softly.
"Sigh," Li Yuanhuai sighed helplessly.
"I have given up everything, so why are these people still unwilling to let me go?"
"Hehe, let's take a look first." Ye Yi said softly, comforting the grieving Li Yuanhuai.
"By order of my master, we are escorting the Prime Minister on his journey." A large group of men in black appeared outside the carriage, the leader of whom spoke with a cold tone.
However, Ye Yi remained indifferent and watched, and even Li Yuanhuai was not worried about the large number of men in black appearing outside.
"A bunch of scum, I don't care whose dogs you are. I'll crush your heads myself!" the burly man driving the car roared.
The men in black were startled by the roar, and then, enraged, they swarmed and attacked.
The burly man leaped up with his arms outstretched like a roc spreading its wings and plunged into the crowd, quickly eliminating the men in black in no time.
Seeing this, Ye Yi couldn't help but chuckle and say.
"I don't know what to say. The people who sent you to kill Elder are really underestimating your background as a prime minister of three dynasties."
"Alas, I'm already this old. Why won't they let me go?" Li Yuanhuai ignored Ye Yi's teasing and looked up with a sigh.
Then the carriage slowly started moving again.
The carriage slowly drove to a small riverbank, and the driver stopped the carriage as soon as they reached the river.
The river was quite ordinary, but an old man was fishing by the riverbank, while a woodcutter rested with his firewood and axe beside him. On the river, a boatman was leisurely rowing his boat, and a couple was drinking wine on board.
Those observing from the shadows couldn't help but sigh upon witnessing this scene.
"That's ruthless."
Because of the five people in this battle, three are at the Life and Death Realm, and the other two are at the Immortal Realm with one foot in the way.
Such a lineup is indeed unimaginable for ordinary people in Xia Kingdom, a country where Venerables are the pinnacle.
"Old fisherman, we have been waiting for the Prime Minister for a long time. Please leave Ye Yi as payment for crossing the river," the old man said in a hoarse voice as he reeled in his fishing hook.
At this moment, the boatman on the river also spoke up in agreement.
"Please do me a favor, Your Excellency."
The other three didn't speak, but their expressions clearly conveyed the same meaning.
"Heh~ Who do you think you are, daring to ask my master for a favor?" the coachman said disdainfully.
As the coachman unleashed his aura, everyone noticed that he too possessed a half-immortal realm.
The woodcutter immediately realized that things wouldn't be so easy to resolve, and promptly stood up with his axe and said...
Please enlighten me.
The woodcutter's aura suddenly became immense, revealing him to be at the mid-stage of the Life and Death Realm.
"Come on~" The coachman licked his lips and slowly picked up the whip.
The other four people, seeing the woodcutter make his move, had no intention of helping and simply watched quietly.
"Kill!" With a loud shout, the woodcutter picked up his axe, drew a large circle in the air, and cleaved it down heavily towards the coachman as if splitting Mount Hua.
The coachman sighed as well.
"Good timing."
He then brandished his riding whip and charged forward.
In an instant, the two started fighting fiercely, each determined to kill the other.
The battle between the two sides was extremely fierce, drawing everyone's attention.
Suddenly the driver narrowed his eyes and then shouted.
The horsewhip in his hand lunged at the woodcutter like a coiled snake.
"Hmph~" The woodcutter grunted, and the axe he had raised high in his hand stopped.
He then glanced at the driver and uttered two words softly: "Good weapon."
After saying this, he lowered his head and looked at his chest. The coachman pulled the whip out of the woodcutter's heart, and the woodcutter collapsed with a thud.
Those around were stunned by the driver's fighting prowess.
But before they knew it, the boatman's boat slowly approached the shore.
"I'll take over next," the boatman said.
He then put down the bamboo pole and walked to the shore empty-handed.
The remaining three people continued to stand by and watch.
When the coachman saw that the boatman was unarmed, he couldn't help but want to put down his weapon as well.
At this moment, the boatman spoke up.
"My martial arts skills are all in my fists and feet, so you don't need to put down your weapon. Otherwise, I'm afraid it would be an unfair victory for me."
As he spoke, the boatman's aura rose high, and upon closer inspection, he was just a hair's breadth away from reaching the late stage of the Life and Death Realm.
"Please~" Seeing this, the driver also made a gesture of invitation.
The boatman, wielding the "Vajra Body," roared, his entire body turning golden, and then charged fiercely at the coachman.
The coachman frowned slightly, instantly realizing that he couldn't let the boatman get close.
He retreated rapidly, simultaneously brandishing his whip to create a protective barrier in front of him, preventing the boatman from getting close.
The boatman's fists and the coachman's whip clashed loudly, the sounds drawing everyone's attention.
Faced with such an opponent, the driver was on high alert, because one wrong move could result in him being punched and seriously injured.
Boom~~
The explosion rang out between the two men, and everyone gasped in shock.
When everyone looked down, they saw that the ground beneath their feet was cracking inch by inch.
The solid official road was shattered by the aftershocks of the two men's actions.
Although the two caused significant damage to the surrounding environment, neither of them at the core suffered any fatal injuries.
Upon seeing this incomparably domineering boxer before him, the driver couldn't help but pant, his eyes filled with admiration.
Because even with his own existence at the half-step immortal realm, he was unable to suppress the boxer in front of him who was only at the mid-stage of the life and death realm.
Meanwhile, those watching from the sidelines were filled with apprehension towards the coachman.
Although the coachman didn't know the boatman's identity, those watching the fight understood that this boatman was a supreme boxer with a stellar reputation in the martial arts world of Xia Kingdom.
The coachman had no idea who the person in front of him was. In his mind, the person in front of him was just an ordinary expert in the Life and Death Realm, an enemy of his master who had fallen from grace.
"Continue~" The driver's eyes were filled with excitement, and at the same time, he was in a frenzied state.
Upon seeing this, the boatman on the other side couldn't help but shudder, a sense of fear rising within him.
But the next moment, the boatman mustered his courage and shouted loudly, continuing his attack on the boatman.
Faced with such a swift attack, the coachman couldn't help but swing his long whip again. The whip left several afterimages as it was swung, making countless people understand how swift it was.
The two sides fought evenly for a time, but the coachman frowned.
Because there was a hint of hesitation in the boatman's fist.
This is fatal for martial artists; once a martial artist feels fear, then that martial arts path is not far from failure.
Therefore, the coachman couldn't help but feel disappointed, because a martial artist who had lost his martial spirit was no longer worthy of being called his opponent.
The coachman immediately shouted, and his long whip shot out like a spear, carrying endless sharpness.
After the long whip slashed through the sky, a hint of longing and resentment appeared in the boatman's eyes, but it was replaced by satisfaction the next moment.
The boatman died, by his own hand, or you could say he died of his own heart.
His martial spirit began to waver in fear, and so he was defeated.
Seeing the boatman defeated, everyone couldn't help but sigh with deep emotion, because at the moment the boatman died, they all understood that he had lost the heart of a warrior.
But that's fine too; dying in battle is a glorious exit for a martial artist.
The coachman placed the blood-stained whip in front of him, then looked at the remaining three men with a defiant gaze.
After exchanging a glance with the two immortal couple, the old man stepped forward.
He spoke to the coachman in his hoarse voice.
"What a formidable opponent! I, the old man, am actually reluctant to take action against the Prime Minister. What a pity... what a pity..." The old man didn't finish his sentence, his eyes filled with regret.
But for the coachman, the chivalrous couple actually aroused his vigilance.
"Come here." Although the coachman cared about the couple, he still uttered a single word with a cold expression.
"Okay." A hoarse voice rang out, accompanied by a hint of excitement.
The driver slid forward a step, and then the tip of the whip pierced straight out.
The sudden attack startled everyone, but the next moment, everyone was even more surprised.
The old man transformed into four old men, and there was absolutely no difference between them in appearance or aura.
In the driver's eyes, the four men were no different from each other; they were exactly the same.
If it wasn't an illusion, then the coachman would be facing four powerful individuals at the late stage of the Martial Arts Life and Death Realm, although the coachman was very confident.
Such fighting prowess made the coachman dare not underestimate them; to do so would be arrogance.
So the coachman also became focused.
Seeing the driver's serious expression, the old man couldn't help but speak in his hoarse voice.
"I practice the Three Corpses Technique, which allows me to create three clones of myself with the same strength and combat power as me."
Hearing the old man's words, everyone was shocked, because if that were the case, the old man would definitely be an invincible being among those of the same level.
Even against equally matched opponents, they can absolutely crush them.
However, the next moment, everyone's attention turned to the driver, because their reason told them that if the driver didn't have a backup plan, he would die.
But deep down, I felt that the coachman wouldn't die so easily.
The coachman ignored everything and continued his relentless attack with his whip.
Faced with the attack of the long whip, the old man neither dodged nor avoided it. The two men made their moves: one blocked the driver's attack, and the other went straight to the driver's face, trying to get close to him.
Instantly, the driver felt a chill run down his spine; a sense of threat spurred him on.
Boom~~
One of the old men blocked the driver's attack, while the other unleashed a powerful strike in an instant.
The explosion engulfed the coachman.
Everyone thought the driver was doomed, but the four old men suddenly became serious.
The old man felt as if he had struck steel during the attack.
He knew he had not caused the driver much harm.
Although he knew he couldn't cause any harm, when the smoke cleared and he saw the driver standing in front of him unharmed, the old man couldn't help but gasp.
That attack could have easily killed any expert in the Life and Death Realm, but the coachman was completely unharmed.
So the old man couldn't help but take it seriously.
The hidden experts all gasped in surprise.
Because many people ask themselves honestly, they would have absolutely no way to survive that attack.
However, the driver survived unharmed, so many people began to back down.
"Continue." The driver's face was tense, and his eyes revealed madness.
The long whip lashed out rapidly, enveloping the four old men.
The whip was gentle, but everyone's hearts were filled with the fear of death, and they dared not have any other thoughts.
Boom~
The whip struck an old man.
But the next moment, everyone's eyes widened in surprise, because the old man who had been hit did not die immediately, but instead spat out a mouthful of blood along with the four other old men.
The driver's eyes were filled with both madness and astonishment.
The four old men spoke at the same time.
"The four of us are one body; if one of us is injured, all four of us will share the responsibility."
Upon hearing the old man's words, a hint of surprise appeared in everyone's eyes.
"Continue." Although his attack had failed, the coachman did not give up and continued his attack, brandishing his whip. Faced with this attack, the old man stopped fighting the coachman and dodged out of the coachman's attack range, speaking up.
"The old man has lost; please, Your Excellency, spare him."
At the same time, he still bowed respectfully.
Upon seeing this, the coachman frowned. Although he wanted to continue hitting the carriage, he stopped after glancing at his master's carriage.
Because one's own owner is very important.
Seeing this, the old man used his lightness skill to leave the battlefield.
However, the old man's displayed strength made these hidden people dare not say anything more.
At this moment, the chivalrous couple appeared in front of the coachman.
Everyone's eyes lit up immediately, after all, these two heroes were even stronger than the old man, and they should be able to easily deal with Shang Xiang now.
The coachman thought the same thing. His eyes became very serious, and he even secretly began to circulate his internal energy.
These two are absolutely dangerous.
Seeing the coachman's serious expression, the female knight-errant among the two heroes spoke up.
"Please forgive us, Your Excellency, but my husband and I have no other choice."
After saying this, they bowed to the carriage, then drew their long swords from their waists and pointed them at the coachman.
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