Joy of Life: Me, the Second Prince? Summon Yuan Tiangang!

The heavy rain had stopped, but thick, dark clouds still hung overhead, making everyone feel gloomy. The air was filled with the earthy smell and the stench of decaying vegetation.

The mission trudged through the mud with great difficulty. After days of travel, both the horses pulling the carriages and the accompanying guards showed signs of extreme fatigue.

Although the seven Tiger Guards led by Gao Da maintained a vigilant formation, firmly protecting the carriage where Fan Xian and Yan Bingyun were located in the center, the bloodshot eyes and heavy steps of them all spoke of their limits.

Wang Qinian rode a skinny old horse alongside the carriage, yawning and muttering to himself:

"My lord, although the rain has stopped, the road is still too difficult to walk on. My old bones are about to fall apart from all the jostling. When we get back to the capital, you must treat me to a good meal at 'Yishiju', or I won't be happy."

Inside the carriage, Fan Xian sat cross-legged, eyes closed, meditating and circulating his powerful internal energy to repair the hidden injuries he sustained in Northern Qi.

Hearing Wang Qinian's complaint, he didn't even open his eyes, and retorted irritably:

"Enough with the nonsense. Once we get back to Kyoto, I'll book the entire Ishikyu restaurant for you to drink to your heart's content, not just Ishikyu. On the condition that you make it back alive."

Sitting opposite Yan Bingyun, he still had that icy expression. He held the long sword in his arms and scanned the terrain on both sides of the official road with sharp eyes through the crack in the carriage window.

"Ahead lies a canyon called 'Fallen Eagle Gorge,'" Yan Bingyun said coldly. "The cliffs on both sides are steep and the forests are lush, making it an excellent place for an ambush. Everyone, be on your guard."

Upon hearing this, Fan Xian slowly opened his eyes. He stopped circulating his inner energy, took a deep breath, and adjusted himself to his optimal state.

"Wang Qinian!" Fan Xian lifted the carriage curtain and called out in a low voice.

"Yes, sir!" Wang Qinian immediately dropped his playful demeanor, his hand unconsciously reaching for the hidden weapon pouch at his waist.

"Notify Gao Da to be on high alert and tighten formation. Have the delegation's civil officials and servants retreat to the rear, with the Tiger Guards holding the front." Fan Xian's eyes turned cold. "I have a feeling that these last three days of travel will not be peaceful."

The order was quickly relayed.

The atmosphere in the entire team instantly became tense and tense.

Gao Da drew his long sword from his back, the blade gleaming with a chilling aura in the dim light. The seven Tiger Guards, like seven iron towers, surrounded the carriage completely.

The convoy slowly drove into "Fallen Eagle Gorge".

The canyon was dimly lit, and the cliffs on both sides looked like two giant swords piercing the sky, giving people a strong sense of oppression.

Only the clatter of horses' hooves in the mud and the crunch of wheels rolling over gravel echoed through the canyon.

It's too quiet.

It was so quiet that there wasn't even a bird chirping or an insect chirping.

Fan Xian's heart began to beat faster and faster uncontrollably. The domineering true energy in his body seemed to sense the threat from the outside world and began to surge wildly in his meridians.

"stop!"

Gao Da suddenly shouted and abruptly reined in his warhorse.

The moment he finished speaking, something unexpected happened!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Four extremely sharp whooshing sounds rang out almost simultaneously from the dense forests on both sides of the canyon, like the shrieks of death, tearing apart the suffocating silence.

There were no shouts of killing, no unnecessary words.

Four dark figures, like four black spiders crawling out of hell, swooped down from the cliff in a bizarre manner that defied the laws of physics.

They were all dressed in tight-fitting black night clothes, and their faces were covered with black masks that only revealed their eyes. On the forehead of the mask, there was a blood-red, ferocious spider!

The Net! A killer of the highest caliber!

Four top-tier eighth-grade experts made their move, creating a deadly situation!

The four worked together with such perfect coordination that it was as if they were not four people, but a killing machine with four brains and eight arms.

"Enemy attack! Form ranks!"

Gao Da roared, and the long sword in his hand transformed into a streak of lightning, slashing fiercely at the first assassin who charged down.

"when!"

A deafening clang of metal rang out.

The assassin had somehow acquired a strangely shaped serrated short sword, which he actually managed to block Gao Da's powerful strike.

The two separated as soon as they touched. Using the force of the recoil, the assassin twisted his body strangely in mid-air, as if he had no bones, and slid towards Gao Da's side, his short sword stabbing straight at Gao Da's ribs.

Gao Da was terrified. As the Tiger Guard Commander with the strength of the eighth rank, he had not gained the slightest advantage from this strike. The ruthlessness of the opponent's moves and the strangeness of his movements were unprecedented in his life.

At the same time, two other assassins had already slipped into the Tiger Guard's formation like ghosts.

The two men's weapons were a pair of high-strength steel grappling hooks connected by thin iron chains. In their hands, the chains were like living venomous snakes, weaving a deadly metal net in the air that instantly enveloped the three Tiger Guards.

"Hiss hiss hiss!"

The sound of a sharp blade slicing through flesh rang out. In just one exchange, several deep, bone-revealing gashes appeared on the two Tiger Guards, blood gushing out. Had they not been wearing heavy armor and possessed extremely rich combat experience, managing to avoid vital organs at the last moment, they would likely have perished there.

But the most deadly threat does not come from these three people.

The fourth assassin was the one whose aura was the most concealed and whose killing intent was the most restrained among the four.

The moment the other three launched their attack, he seemed to vanish into thin air. When he reappeared, he was already as close as a ghost to the carriage where Fan Xian and Yan Bingyun were.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the sturdy roof of the carriage was blown off by a massive burst of true energy.

Amidst the flying sawdust, the assassin swooped down like a roc spreading its wings, a long, slender, jet-black rapier in his hand. The tip of the sword emitted a ghostly blue light, a sign that it had been coated with a potent poison.

This sword strike was devoid of any fancy moves, displaying only extreme speed and pure killing intent. The tip of the sword was locked onto Fan Xian's throat!

"court death!"

Inside the carriage, Yan Bingyun let out a cold shout, and the long sword in his arms was instantly drawn.

A dazzling sword light shot into the sky, carrying an unwavering determination, to meet the fatal blow.

"Ding!"

The two swords collided in mid-air, bursting into a dazzling shower of sparks.

Yan Bingyun groaned, feeling an extremely cold true energy surge into his body through the sword, causing his blood to churn. He felt a sweet taste in his throat and almost spat out a mouthful of blood. His strength had already been damaged and was not yet healed in Northern Qi. Now, facing a peak eighth-rank assassin in his prime, he was instantly at a disadvantage.

The assassin's attack sent Yan Bingyun flying, but without pausing, he flicked his wrist, and the black rapier transformed into a sky full of stars, enveloping Fan Xian, who had just rushed out of the carriage.