Family Cultivation: My Ancestral Home Gets Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 115 The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind

Eight black figures emerged one after another from the depths of the surrounding dense forest.

One of the burly men crossed his arms, looked toward the churning flames, and sneered, "They said it was so amazing, but it turns out it's nothing special."

"If we had known it was this kind of stuff, we wouldn't have bothered making such a fuss."

The others also relaxed, some nodding, others about to speak in agreement.

A sudden change has occurred!

Two streaks of dark, cold light suddenly shot out from the rolling flames, heading straight for the two men in black standing on the left!

"Be careful!"

The first person to notice shouted in disbelief.

The two had no time to dodge and could only slap themselves to activate the defensive talismans.

A person was enveloped in a hazy white light, which condensed into an eggshell-like light shield;

The soil beneath the other person's feet surged and quickly covered his entire body, transforming into a layer of hard stone armor.

"Bang! Bang!"

The two beams of black light struck almost simultaneously.

The stone armor-clad man's body was instantly covered by earth and stone, which shattered and scattered dust everywhere.

A flying sword pierced through his chest, disappearing all the way to the hilt.

He swayed, then collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

The person protected by the white light shield had their shield flicker violently, and after only a moment, it shattered like glass.

Although the flying sword's momentum had waned, it still pierced the chest.

He did not die instantly; he lay curled up on the ground, his throat emitting intermittent screams.

At this moment, the flames that had enveloped the stone finally dissipated completely.

His clothes were completely burned, and large patches of his exposed skin were charred black, with occasional red burn marks showing through.

Two blood holes of different depths were slowly oozing blood from his chest, likely from the ice spikes earlier.

However, he stood ramrod straight, his red eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

Before the remaining six men in black could recover from this sudden counterattack, Stone had already grabbed a long knife from the ground and sprang into action, charging forward at a terrifying speed!

"This—this guy's still alive?! What kind of monster is he?!"

A younger man in black cried out in alarm, his voice trembling.

The burly leader's pupils also constricted, but he suppressed his shock and shouted sharply, "Hei Zi, Tie Niu, push forward! The rest of you, continue the attack!"

Before the words were finished, the two most burly men in black responded in unison and stepped forward.

They each pulled a heavy black iron shield from their storage bags and slammed it down in front of them with a "thud," the edges of the shields embedding deeply into the soil.

The other men in black hurriedly made hand seals and chanted incantations, various colored lights gathering at their fingertips, attempting to use magic to blast the stones away from their path.

At that very moment, a sharp whooshing sound came from behind them!

The burly man leading the group suddenly turned his head, his face turning deathly pale.

Suddenly, four or five chilling ice spikes appeared silently, only a few feet away from their backs!

There was an ambush!

"hide----"

His warning had barely been uttered when the ice spikes arrived.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

The two men in black were precisely pierced through the neck by ice spikes, and they collapsed to the ground without uttering a sound.

The others had ice spikes piercing their backs or thighs. Although they did not die on the spot, they bled profusely, collapsed to the ground and howled in pain, completely losing their fighting ability.

Only the burly leader managed to twist and lunge to the side at the last second, narrowly avoiding the attack.

He looked around at his seven companions who had been laughing and talking just moments before; now, some were dead, some were wounded, and the forest was filled with the stench of blood.

A chill ran from the soles of my feet straight up to the top of my head.

The burly leader, terrified, no longer cared about Hei Zi and Tie Niu, who were raising their shields to defend themselves. He scrambled to his feet and tried to flee into the dense forest for his life.

But he had only taken two steps when a black figure wearing a mask silently blocked his way.

The burly man was shocked, instantly realizing that this was the man who had launched the sneak attack!

He was both shocked and furious, and growled, "Who are you? How dare you oppose our 'Rebirth Society'?!"

His response was a sharp ice spike that shot towards his face.

The burly man hurriedly dodged to the side, but before he could catch his breath, a flying sword flew out from the other man's sleeve, its light flashing like lightning, aimed straight at his throat.

The burly man had no choice but to grit his teeth and parry, and he also took out a square magic artifact from his storage bag and flew up to meet it.

"Clang! Clang clang!"

The sound of metal clashing suddenly filled the forest as the two men engaged in a fierce battle.

Now look at the rocks.

Having been attacked without provocation and narrowly escaped death, he was already seething with rage.

Seeing the two shields pressing down like mountains, he exhaled and shouted, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly with both hands, and unleashed the "Wind and Thunder Sword Technique".

The longsword transformed into a blurry blade shadow, accompanied by the faint sounds of wind and thunder, each strike heavier than the last, slamming fiercely into the shield!

"Bang! Bang! Bang—!"

One loud bang after another, like a heavy hammer repeatedly striking an anvil.

Hei Zi and Tie Niu, holding their shields, felt as if they were in the midst of a raging tidal wave, enduring wave after wave of immense force.

The first cut caused both men's tiger's mouths to split open, and their arms to feel sore and numb.

With the second strike, he lost his footing and stumbled back several steps.

With the third strike, he could no longer hold on, and the shield flew out of his hand!

The blade flashed again, like a bolt of cold lightning striking the sky.

Two heads, their expressions still showing shock, spun into the air, accompanied by a jet of blood shooting into the sky.

The long stone knife pointed diagonally at the ground, and fresh blood dripped down the tip.

His chest heaved violently, but his bloodshot eyes had already looked beyond the mess on the ground and were fixed on the two people fighting fiercely dozens of feet away.

He knew in his heart that if the masked man in black hadn't suddenly launched an attack and disrupted the enemy's formation, he would never have been able to break the deadlock so quickly.

In this battle, I owe the other party a favor.

He drew his sword, took a step, and began to quickly approach the battle, his eyes constantly scanning the mysterious helper.

Upon closer inspection, the figure of the man in black, moving and turning, seemed vaguely familiar.

Especially the breathtaking curves outlined beneath the tight-fitting night clothes, created by the intense movements, undulating like surging waves with the ebb and flow of offense and defense—

Could it be her?

The image of a woman suddenly flashed through my mind.

In the blink of an eye, he had already closed in on the battle.

Without further hesitation, he suddenly activated the "Soaring Cloud Step" under his feet. At the same time, his spirit boots, which could reduce the weight of his body, flashed with a faint light, and his speed suddenly increased again. His figure almost turned into a blurry afterimage as he rushed straight to the side and back of the leading big man!

Upon seeing this, the masked man swiftly changed his sword technique, unleashing a barrage of flying swords that instantly covered all of the burly man's vital points, forcing him into a frantic state where he had no time to spare.

The burly man inwardly groaned, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shi Tou raise his long knife high, its cold blade reflecting the dim light of the forest.

In the face of life and death, he could no longer care about anything else. With his back wide open, he suddenly pulled out a "Golden Light Talisman" and a "Lightness Talisman" from his pocket and slapped them onto his body at the same time.

A pale golden light shield instantly appeared, protecting his body. At the same time, his body felt lighter, and he tried to leap to the side to escape.

The masked man's flying sword struck the golden light barrier with a "clang," causing the barrier to ripple violently, but it failed to break through immediately.

Upon seeing this, Shi Tou's lips curled into a smile.

A faint light flashed in the storage bag on his left hand, and a short, jet-black spear was already in his grasp.

This spear was obtained from the treacherous cultivators who raided Qinglu Mountain; it is a mid-grade magic weapon specifically designed to break through shield-type defenses.

In the past, when he competed with Lu Xuanfeng, he used this spear to pierce through Lu's protective spiritual light.

He lowered his waist slightly, drew his right arm back like a fully drawn bow, channeling his strength into his wrist and arm, and suddenly launched the "Heaven and Earth Throw"!

"call out!"

The short spear flew from his hand, transforming into a nearly invisible black streak of light, emitting a short, sharp whistle.

Just a moment later, it precisely nailed itself to the golden light shield.

With a soft "pop," it sounded like a bubble bursting.

The seemingly solid golden shield crumbled instantly.

The short spear, still in its trajectory, easily pierced the burly man's back, a spray of blood gushing from his chest.

With its remaining force, it flew more than ten zhang away, and with a "thud," it deeply embedded itself in the trunk of a tree that required several people to encircle, the spear tip still trembling incessantly.

The burly man staggered forward, looked down at the large, bowl-sized hole in his chest, his eyes quickly dimmed, and he collapsed to the ground.

Stone didn't glance at the corpse again, slowly turned around, and turned his gaze to the masked man not far away.

Just then, the other person also looked up.

Eyes facing each other.

Although the other person's face was covered with a veil, only a pair of bright eyes were visible.

But in that instant, the vague guess in Stone's mind suddenly became clear.

That figure, those eyes, are clearly the same beautiful woman who lured him into her trap in the night!

His brow furrowed immediately, his tone wary: "You're here for revenge?"

The masked man suddenly raised his hand and tore off the black cloth covering his face.

Sure enough, what was revealed was that charming yet somewhat fierce face.

Upon hearing this, she seemed somewhat displeased, raising an eyebrow: "Bah! Do you think I'm the kind of person who repays kindness with enmity?"

"I came here today because I heard that your life was in danger."

"Even if I repay the kindness of not killing you back then, we're even."

Having said that, she stopped looking at the stones, turned around and walked towards the men in black lying on the ground, and began to clean up the battlefield with nimble hands and feet.

The scattered ritual implements and the deceased's storage bag were removed one by one and gathered together.

Stone was stunned by this completely unexpected answer.

help me?

In his mind, the two were clearly enemies, not friends.

But in that battle just now, she did indeed strike in time, killing a powerful enemy and helping her turn the tide of the battle.

For a moment, grudges and favors were intertwined, and it was difficult to distinguish friend from foe. He didn't know how to face this woman.

In the brief moment he hesitated, the beautiful woman had already cleared the battlefield, piling up valuable spoils.

She carried the pile of things back to the stone, her gaze inadvertently sweeping over his body before suddenly stopping.

Then a half-smile curved her lips, her gaze lingering on his lower back, and she said teasingly, "Hey, don't you think this look is pretty dashing?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Tou was taken aback and subconsciously looked down.

Upon seeing this, he was immediately mortified!

It turned out that those fireballs had burned his clothes to ashes.

At this moment, he was in excruciating pain all over his body and did not even realize that he was completely naked!

His ears burned with embarrassment, and he hurriedly stabbed the long knife in his hand into the ground. He frantically took out a set of spare clothes from his storage bag and quickly put them on.

The beautiful woman made no attempt to hide her interest, watching with great interest as he hurriedly dressed, her smile deepening.

After Shi Tou was dressed, the beautiful woman said seriously, "We shouldn't stay here any longer. I know a rather secluded cave nearby. Let's go there to take shelter and treat our injuries."

These words startled Stone again.

Is their relationship such that they can go to a secluded mountain cave together?

He immediately shook his head, his tone curt: "No need. I need to rush back to Qinglu Mountain."

"I will remember your help today, and in the future—"

"Hey, wait a minute!"

The beautiful woman hurriedly interrupted him: "Look at yourself! How many external injuries do you have? And the aftereffects of that Blood Burning Curse are about to start."

"If you rush back like this, and run into another thug on the way, will you even have the strength to wield a knife?"

She had previously ambushed monks who used the Blood Burning Curse and was well aware of the aftereffects of this secret technique.

Although what she said made sense, Shi Tou remembered his father's advice about women, and his wariness had not subsided. He really did not want to have any further involvement with her: "I often walk this road, and it has always been peaceful. I have my own way of dealing with minor injuries."

"What about these spoils of war? Don't you want a share?"

The beautiful woman held up the string of storage bags in her hand and waved them in front of him, then said, "Besides, don't you want to know who's trying to take your life this time?"

When the ambush was mentioned, a chill ran through Stone's eyes.

This was indeed the most dangerous battle he had ever fought since he entered the world of cultivation. Not only was his skin torn and bleeding, but the Blood Burning Curse technique also directly shortened his lifespan by more than ten years.

Even if he eats his father's spiritual food every day from now on, it will probably take several years to fully recover.

Having paid such a price, how could this grudge not be avenged?

However, looking at the woman before him, his doubts remained: "You came all this way to save me, and now you want to heal my wounds and share your spoils—what are you after?"

Upon hearing this, the beautiful woman's eyes flickered, and a hint of unease appeared on her face.

But she concealed it very well. She immediately raised her eyebrows and her voice several decibels: "You heartless bastard! I meant well, and you doubt my intentions?"

"Let me tell you, I'm a person who always distinguishes between gratitude and resentment. I will repay any wrong done to me and any kindness shown to me!"

"You could have killed me last time but you let me go. I'll repay that favor today!"

"I invited you to the cave only because you're a decent man. I didn't want you to die from your injuries halfway there, making all my efforts go to waste!"

""

Stone was speechless for a moment after being bombarded with her rapid-fire retorts.

Upon reflection, what she did today did indeed save her life.

If there were truly malicious intent, simply standing by and watching would have likely resulted in my own demise.

Thinking of this, his guard relaxed slightly, and his tone became apologetic: "I'm sorry—I was overthinking it and shouldn't have doubted you. In that case, I'll trouble you to lead the way."

Seeing him soften and admit his mistake, the beautiful woman's anger receded like a tide, replaced by a bright smile, as if she had been a completely different person just moments before: "That's more like it! Come with me!"

After saying that, she turned and walked towards the nearby woods.

During the battle, Stone's half-spirit horse was trapped by the quicksand spell. Now that the spell's effects have worn off, it is pacing restlessly in place.

The beautiful woman walked forward lightly, took the reins, and nimbly mounted the horse, sitting in front of the saddle.

Then, she spurred her horse to the rock and stretched out her hand: "Get on, you probably can't walk on your own like this."

Stone hesitated for a moment: "You—didn't you come on horseback?"

The beautiful woman raised an eyebrow, her tone slightly teasing: "What's wrong with riding together?"

"Last time in the dark, you did everything you should and shouldn't have done for me, and now you're being so fussy?"

These words instantly shattered the deep-seated memories hidden in the stone.

That night, in the darkness, her body, white as jade, felt smooth to the touch, and her breath was hot—

Various images uncontrollably flooded my mind.

His face flushed with embarrassment, and he dared not utter another word. With a light touch of his toes, he landed on the horse's back and sat behind the beautiful woman.

The saddle was narrow, and the two bodies were inevitably close together. He could even smell a faint fragrance coming from ahead.

"Hold on tight!"

The beautiful woman said no more, flicked the reins, and gave a soft shout: "Giddy up!"

The half-spirit horse neighed softly, took off, and instead of following the official road it had come from, turned to the side into the depths of the dense forest, trotting lightly over the thick layer of fallen leaves.

Stone sat on the horse's back, swaying slightly with the horse's movements.

He didn't pay much attention to where the beautiful woman was taking him; his thoughts were still on the memories that had just been stirred up.

A familiar yet unfamiliar fragrance lingered around my nose, while the wounds on my body still burned with pain.

But another kind of heat was subtly rising from deep within the body—

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