Ultimate True Lord

Almost at the same time.

On the left, another member of the Yuanzhen Sect stepped into a bear trap while running.

With a snap, he let out a piercing scream and staggered two steps, losing his balance.

Before he could regain his balance, he bumped into a tripwire buried in the rotten leaves and tumbled to the ground.

"Snap!"

It's another bear trap, forming a chain of traps.

The man landed on his buttocks and was caught in the clamp, his pants immediately gushing blood, a truly pitiful sight.

The tearing sensation in his buttocks caused him excruciating pain. The follower used his right hand to support himself as he tried to stand up again.

"Snap!"

The third trap struck his wrist squarely, clamping down firmly.

At this moment, he had one animal trap clamped between his feet, another between his buttocks, and another in his hand.

He groaned as if he were dying, his legs twitched, his groin became wet, and he fainted from the pain in an instant.

Ahead, Old Man Li heard a series of cracking sounds and shrill screams behind him, and subconsciously turned around to glance back.

Dust billowed in the forest, bloodstains were everywhere, and several Yuanzhen Sect members, covered in animal traps and bleeding profusely, collapsed to the ground in agony.

That's terrible, so terrible!

It hurts, it hurts too much!

Even from a distance, Old Man Li felt a pang of pain and his teeth ached when he saw the horrific scene.

He was suddenly jolted, and it dawned on him instantly.

No wonder the mysterious voice kept telling him to go left and right, and even urging him to jump away. It turned out that the other party had already laid a series of treacherous traps in this forest.

The route he had just run was actually the only safe way out.

"Luckily, I listened carefully to that person's words and didn't make a single wrong move while running away. Otherwise..."

He shuddered, a wave of fear washing over him.

In the dense forest.

Old Li continued running desperately ahead, while Jiang Ming was also moving quickly a dozen meters to the right of the dim bushes.

He remained hidden in the shadows, not revealing his appearance or mannerisms, and did not want to make a move that might expose his martial arts style.

Only by remaining hidden in the shadows and observing the enemy's movements in the open can one seize the initiative. Maintaining mystery is the key to remaining invincible.

"I'm mysterious, I'm very mysterious..."

Jiang Ming muttered to himself, his steps never faltering, as if he were disappearing into the darkness.

He had just crossed a large tree when two sentries coming from the other side of the woods ran right into Jiang Ming.

The three of them stared at each other, wide-eyed and confused.

"Quickly! Someone's escaped! The mage told us to stop them immediately!" Jiang Ming shouted anxiously, his voice urgent.

The light was too dim for them to see his face clearly, but they sensed a familiar tone in his voice and quickly asked, "Which way did he run off to?"

"To the left front, to the right of that dead tree, hurry and chase after them! The sorcerer said there's a reward for catching the escapee!" Jiang Ming kindly reminded him.

"Thanks for the reminder, bro!"

"I'll treat you to drinks once we catch them!"

Without further thought, the two men knew that capturing the man and collecting the reward was the priority, so they immediately turned around and rushed to the left front.

A few breaths later.

Click!

Click!

"Ahhhhh!"

Following Jiang Ming's instructions, the two sentries each stepped on one of the animal traps, their ankles throbbing with pain and bleeding profusely.

"How could this be...?"

"Bang!" "Bang!"

A pair of thick fists, like swinging iron hammers, came swiftly and slammed into the back of the two men's heads.

Two muffled thuds sounded almost simultaneously, and the two of them collapsed to the ground without even making a sound, fast asleep.

Jiang Ming went straight over and delivered two more punches to make sure the two were completely asleep before mysteriously disappearing back into the darkness.

……

……

Fifteen minutes later, on the flat plain outside Lijiazhuang.

As the sun completely sank below the mountain, darkness quickly descended, and the surrounding woods were enveloped in a hazy twilight.

Old Li was holding his knees, panting heavily, his clothes tattered and in a sorry state.

He stared intently at the Li Family Village hidden in the night in the distance, his eyes filled with fear. That place was no different from a cannibalistic den of demons.

Old Li never imagined he would escape from the village alive. All of this was thanks to the mysterious person who came to his aid.

He exhaled a breath of stale air, and his whole body relaxed slightly. But just thinking about his son made Old Man Li's chest ache.

He was trapped in Lijiazhuang by the Yuanzhen Sect for a month. His son couldn't hold on and died. A perfectly good village was destroyed by such an evil sect as the Yuanzhen Sect. They have done so much harm.

Just as Old Man Li was filled with resentment and sorrow, a tall figure slowly walked out from the nearby woods.

The newcomer was Jiang Ming. His face was covered with a coarse cloth, obscuring most of his features, leaving only his dark eyes visible, which made him appear very mysterious.

Jiang Ming deliberately concealed his appearance, fearing that he might leave a clue.

In case Old Man Li returns to Wangyue City and is targeted by the Yuanzhen Sect again, I won't be dragged into it and get into trouble.

It's best to be cautious in everything.

When people are in the shadows, they have countless methods at their disposal. But once they are brought into the open, they can only find themselves on the defensive.

Upon seeing Jiang Ming in the open space, Old Man Li immediately snapped out of his daze, quickly stepped forward, and said gratefully.

"Thank you so much for saving me! If it weren't for you, I, this old man, would probably be dead in the manor tonight."

He raised his palms in a gesture of respect and spoke earnestly.

"I truly don't know how to repay my benefactor for saving my life. I still have some savings in Wangyue City. If my benefactor doesn't mind, please come back to the city with me, and I will definitely treat you well in return!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ming replied in a low voice.

"I was just passing by and noticed something strange about Li Family Village. I happened to see you desperately trying to escape, so I just helped you out..."

He paused for a moment, then said calmly, "Once I've finished my business, I'll be leaving this area. I won't be going to Wangyue City."

Old Li was an honest and kind man who valued human relationships and morality the most.

Jiang Ming saved his life and gave him hope of avenging his son in the future. This kindness was as heavy as Mount Tai, and he would not have peace of mind if he did not repay it.

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly his eyes lit up, as if he had thought of something.

Old Li reached out and took out a thin booklet wrapped in gauze from his chest.

He held the booklet in one hand and handed it to Jiang Ming.

"Since my benefactor doesn't want money, I won't force him. I don't have anything valuable on me right now, except for this family's boxing manual passed down through generations. I've kept it close to my body for decades and it's never left my side."

"Today I present this to my benefactor as a token of my gratitude, and I urge you to accept it."

Jiang Ming glanced down slightly, a hint of hesitation on his face, and then spoke.

"This is a martial art passed down in your family. Giving it to me like this is probably not appropriate."

"There's nothing wrong with it, my benefactor, you must accept it."

Old Li shook his head, his tone serious, clearly indicating that he was usually a stubborn person.

Jiang Ming nodded, reached out, and took the secret manual wrapped in gauze.

Old Li breathed a long sigh of relief as he watched him accept the money, finally feeling much more at ease.

Immediately, the two stopped and walked quickly towards Wangyue City.

Night fell on the road, and all around was quiet.

Old Man Li, filled with sorrow, slowly began to recount his ordeal of being trapped in Li Family Village during this period.

"I originally just went back to the village to visit my hometown. Who would have thought that in just one or two months, the entire Lijiazhuang village would be completely transformed."

"Especially the clay statue in the center of the village, which looks like an unborn baby, is particularly eerie."

As Old Li spoke, he shuddered: "What's even more frightening is that if you kneel and worship that clay statue every day, your vitality will be gradually drained away. This is what I've observed in others over the past month..."

"If you worship that evil clay statue for a long time, you will become confused, numb, and easily manipulated by others."

He swallowed hard and continued.

"Moreover, a thin layer of red hair seems to slowly grow on the surface of that clay statue. I don't know if it's moss or something else."

"During the days I was imprisoned in the village, I happened to witness it once. When the sorcerer of the Yuanzhen Sect was distributing porridge, he would scrape off the layer of red hair that grew on the clay model and mix it into the porridge for the whole village to eat."

Old Man Li continued recounting his experiences in Li Family Village to Jiang Ming. Jiang Ming frowned slightly, his vigilance towards the Yuanzhen Sect growing even stronger.

If this were a prosperous dynasty, he would certainly not hesitate to anonymously report it to the government, so that the authorities could take decisive action.

However, the current situation is that the government offices in Wangyue City have been neglecting their duties for a long time and can only barely maintain a semblance of order. They can't even control the gangs in the city.

I reported it, but it didn't do any good.

As they walked and talked under the cover of night, the outline of the city wall of Wangyue City gradually appeared in the darkness.

The two stopped, said a brief goodbye, and parted ways after exchanging a few more words.

Old Man Li straightened his clothes, suppressed his deep sorrow, and walked towards the city gate.

Jiang Ming then disappeared into the shadows to the side, vanishing into the night in the mountains.

About half an hour later, he strode into Wangyue City through another city gate.