Chapter 84: Laying an Ambush in Advance
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The century-old Silver Jiao did not return to its old lair. The area around the pond remained eerily quiet, yet traces of the past battle between Sun Qianyi’s group and the Silver Jiao could still be seen.
Neither Chen Fei nor Su Ran found this surprising. An injured Silver Jiao would not recklessly return to its exposed lair to recuperate.
Fortunately, Chen Fei knew where the Silver Jiao had last hidden after sustaining injuries. Without hesitation, he led Su Ran toward the pond where the beast had concealed itself before.
When they were still dozens of miles away from the pond, a flying beast, adept at scouting, spotted Su Ran and Chen Fei.
As a dominant ruler in the region, the Silver Jiao had countless weaker beasts serving under it. Even while healing, it would not leave its surroundings unguarded.
Thus, the Silver Jiao had dispatched hundreds of low-powered, flight-capable beasts to act as its eyes, patrolling a thirty-mile radius around its recuperation site.
“Chen Yang!”
“He actually dares to return to Luo Xuan Valley?”
“Does he think that just because I’m injured, I won’t strike back?”
Upon receiving news of Chen Yang’s presence in Luo Xuan Valley from one of the scouting beasts, the Silver Jiao’s heart burned with rage and murderous intent.
“My inner core’s injuries are severe. There’s no way I can recover in a short period.”
“But if I can kill that human and take whatever secret he possesses, not only will I recover quickly, but I might even advance further.”
“Since you’ve delivered yourself to my doorstep, don’t blame me for being merciless.”
With that thought, the Silver Jiao soared out of the pond and moved toward the location where Chen Fei and Su Ran were.
Although it was determined to kill, the Silver Jiao was not reckless. Relying on the reports from its scout beasts, it selected a strategically advantageous ambush site, aiming to take Chen Fei by surprise and end the battle swiftly.
However, what the Silver Jiao did not know was that Chen Fei had come precisely for it. Who was the hunter, and who was the prey? That remained to be seen.
“Big Brother, it looks like the Silver Jiao isn’t far from us!” Su Ran suddenly alerted Chen Fei. “I just noticed many flying beasts circling above us continuously.”
“Really?” Chen Fei curiously looked up at the sky. He saw only a few birds flying overhead, so weak that calling them demonic beasts seemed absurd.
“Those birds are demonic beasts?” he asked Su Ran, puzzled.
“Even though they’re weak—so weak that an ordinary person might defeat them—they’re not regular animals. They are indeed demonic beasts, just of mixed and diluted bloodlines.”
“There are many such beasts, which often mislead people into thinking they’re common birds. But in reality, they serve as the perfect sentries for powerful demonic beasts.”
Su Ran explained.
Chen Fei nodded in agreement. If Su Ran hadn’t pointed it out, he would never have known.
He had to admit, Su Ran’s knowledge far exceeded his own. She hardly seemed like someone from a small city like Huangwu City.
Miao Yue had once told him that Su Ran had been wandering outside since childhood. No one knew what she had gone through. If the family’s ancestor hadn’t discovered her by chance, she might still be a vagrant.
“What exactly did my wife experience in her years away from home?”
“Or could it be, as Su Xiangwu suggested, that this Su Ran is not actually the eldest daughter of the Su family?”
Chen Fei’s heart was filled with curiosity. The more he interacted with Su Ran, the more unfathomable she seemed.
Not only was she knowledgeable and composed in crisis, but she also possessed Phoenix bloodline, practiced Spirit Master cultivation methods, and wielded divine abilities…
All these things pointed to Su Ran’s extraordinary nature.
Thanks to Su Ran’s warning, Chen Fei became even more cautious. He knew they were now very close to the Silver Jiao’s last hiding spot.
If the Silver Jiao hadn’t changed locations, it had likely already detected their presence. Given the vengeful nature of demonic beasts, it would surely attack, even if injured.
At that moment, Chen Fei heightened his Spirit Cat perception to the limit. Within a thousand meters, he could sense even the movement of an ant crawling on the ground.
With such keen perception, even Spirit Masters or demonic beasts at the Spirit Controlling Realm would find it impossible to move undetected.
After walking another ten miles, they arrived at a rocky mountain pass. The stones scattered about did not seem naturally formed but rather the remnants of some great battle.
For humans, the narrow paths through the rocks would hinder movement, making it an unsuitable battleground. But for a massive creature like the Silver Jiao, which could fly, this terrain provided a great advantage.
Through his Spirit Cat perception, Chen Fei noticed an unnatural pattern in the vegetation—some plants had been flattened as if a serpentine creature had slithered through.
“There it is!”
“It’s hiding next to that rocky mountain.”
Though Chen Fei couldn’t directly perceive the Silver Jiao’s body, the distinctive snake-like gap in the foliage was too obvious to ignore.
“How do Spirit Controlling Realm masters and demonic beasts suppress their aura so completely that even my perception fails to detect their presence?”
Chen Fei had always been curious about this. Back when he had stumbled into Sun Qianyi’s ambush, the Spirit Eye Serpent had failed to detect any sign of them.
Even now, with his vastly improved perception, he still couldn’t see the Silver Jiao’s form, which astonished him.
How could flesh and blood creatures seemingly vanish from perception? It was as if they could turn invisible.
“Little Sister, the Silver Jiao is hiding by that rocky mountain,” Chen Fei whispered to Su Ran. “It has indeed detected us and is planning to ambush us along our path.”
“The rocky mountain?” Su Ran gazed at the jagged terrain, only a thousand meters ahead, and frowned slightly.
“The area is filled with scattered rocks, limiting our movement. It’s not an ideal battlefield for us. But for the Silver Jiao, with its ability to fly, this terrain works to its advantage,” Su Ran observed.
“We can’t let the battle take place there. This spot is perfect,” Su Ran continued. “When we get a little closer, we’ll pretend to sense danger and retreat in panic. That will force the Silver Jiao to strike.”
“Should we prepare anything?” Chen Fei asked.
“Prepare what? I don’t have the materials for setting up a formation, and at this close distance, if we tried, the Silver Jiao isn’t blind—it would notice immediately.”
“Big Brother, we have no choice but to fight head-on. This will be a tough battle, so you must protect yourself. Otherwise, I won’t be able to face Chen Fei,” Su Ran warned.
After finalizing their strategy, the two moved forward. When they reached about five hundred meters from the Silver Jiao’s hiding spot, Chen Fei feigned sudden alarm, grabbed Su Ran, and began retreating hastily.
The Silver Jiao, having been poised to launch a sudden strike, was startled when its prey seemed to sense the danger and flee.
“Hmm?”
“He noticed?”
“This brat is tricky, but today, you won’t escape!”
The Silver Jiao’s heart trembled slightly with surprise, but it no longer bothered to conceal itself. It immediately soared into the air with a furious roar and lunged at Chen Fei and Su Ran.
