Chapter 43

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Chapter 43: Directionally Challenged!

Only a handful of trustworthy individuals knew that Xue Feishuang was alive; to outsiders, she was presumed dead.

It was obvious—this was a trap.

And the mastermind behind it was undeniable.

"This proves that you Demon Slayer Team members still aren’t afraid. Well, this time, I’ll make sure you don’t dare set foot in the Vast Forest ever again," Zhang Yang declared.

Without informing anyone, he mounted the Ironback Blue Bull and set off.

Everyone was preoccupied with their training, fully aware that sooner or later, the Seventh Prince would lead the Demon Slayer Team’s army in an assault. Strengthening themselves before the decisive battle was the priority.

So, no one paid him any mind.

The Ironback Blue Bull’s speed was unmatched as it charged southwest, its powerful strides causing the towering Sycamore Trees to sway in its wake.

Several hundred meters above the ground, a Purple-Eyed Spirit Bird hovered, carrying Ning Feixiao—the expert archer who had once served beside Lu Fang.

He sneered. "Zhang Yang, your arrogance in the Vast Forest is your downfall. This time, you’re as good as dead."

Urging the Purple-Eyed Spirit Bird higher, he streaked across the sky toward the southwestern edge of the Vast Forest, beyond the tree line.

There, Lu Fang awaited.

Seeing Ning Feixiao return, Lu Fang’s eyes lit up with anticipation. "Did Zhang Yang take the bait?"

"Of course, he did," Ning Feixiao scoffed. "Using Xue Feishuang to lure him in? Naturally, it worked. That woman would die for him."

Lu Fang clenched his fist and swung it excitedly. "Excellent. Then, let’s finish this. Feixiao, the woman resembling Xue Feishuang is from your Arrow Battle Team, so you’ll be in charge of drawing Zhang Yang out of the Vast Forest."

"No problem," Ning Feixiao responded, taking the lead.

Lu Fang then turned to a man exuding a chilling aura. "Leng Jiu’ou, are your assassins from the Black Cloak Pavilion in position?"

Leng Jiu’ou, a top assassin from the Black Cloak Pavilion, nodded. "Ninety-seven Ascending to Heaven realm assassins are ready, along with two hundred sixty-seven Touching Heaven realm assassins. Everything is in place."

"Perfect. You’ll command them. Once I give the signal, strike immediately," Lu Fang ordered.

Leng Jiu’ou nodded once before vanishing like a ghost.

Lu Fang then turned to a tall, slender man. "Ding Yunpeng, how about your side?"

Ding Yunpeng chuckled. "Everything is set. Two hundred Purple-Eyed Spirit Birds are ready to work with Brother Ning’s Arrow Battle Team to eliminate Zhang Yang and reclaim the path to the Vast Forest."

Lu Fang clapped his hands. "Good. If we kill Zhang Yang this time, I’ll personally report your contributions to the Seventh Prince."

Ding Yunpeng laughed and departed.

Now, only Lu Fang remained.

He waited.

Waited for Zhang Yang to appear.

As long as Zhang Yang came within twenty miles, Lu Fang would know immediately and could take action.

Lu Fang couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.

As a renowned young genius of the Southern Region and one of the top prodigies of the Great Xia Empire, Lu Fang had both status and strength. Yet, every time he thought of Zhang Yang’s monstrous fighting ability, an involuntary shiver ran down his spine.

Taking deep breaths, he calmed himself.

He found a rock, sat cross-legged upon it, and waited.

A quarter of an hour passed.

Half an hour passed.

An hour passed.

Zhang Yang did not arrive.

There were no reports from the scouts stationed in the surrounding areas.

Lu Fang’s brow furrowed.

"This doesn’t make sense."

Given the Ironback Blue Bull’s remarkable speed, even if Zhang Yang wasn’t rushing, he should have arrived by now.

Doubt crept into Lu Fang’s mind.

Ding Yunpeng and Ning Feixiao also grew impatient and approached him for answers.

Only Leng Jiu’ou, the assassin, remained eerily composed, showing no signs of frustration.

Lu Fang exhaled and said, "Yunpeng, send some people to check again. But tell them—don’t get too close."

Ding Yunpeng nodded and left to relay the order.

Lu Fang added, "We’ll wait a little longer."

Their expectations for this ambush had been high.

The Reality…

Meanwhile, deep in the Vast Forest, an Ironback Blue Bull spun in circles, confused and disoriented.

On its back, Zhang Yang sat with a deadpan expression, his patience wearing thin.

"Bull, didn’t we agree to head southwest? Where the hell are you going?"

Frustration was evident in his voice.

His Ironback Blue Bull—for all its speed and strength—was completely directionally challenged.

Lost in the Vast Forest

The Ironback Blue Bull shot Zhang Yang a disdainful glance, as if saying, "You’re the one who needs to figure out which way is southwest!"

Zhang Yang looked around, utterly confused. Despite his keen eyesight and ability to perceive the smallest details, he simply could not determine the right direction.

He was hopelessly directionally challenged.

A man and his bull—both completely lost.

Finally, unable to come up with a better solution, Zhang Yang sighed. "Alright, Bull, let’s keep things simple. We’ll move in circles. If we don’t run into any members of the Demon Slayer Team, at least we might find our way back to Howling Wolf Palace."

Unfortunately, they couldn’t even manage that.

To the southwest of the Vast Forest, just outside the woods, Lu Fang sat impatiently on a rock.

Two hours had passed.

Twenty-three search teams had been sent out, yet not one had found a trace of Zhang Yang.

A Purple-Eyed Spirit Bird swooped down from the sky, carrying Ding Yunpeng, who had gone to investigate personally.

"Did you find Zhang Yang?" Lu Fang asked.

Ding Yunpeng shook his head. "No. I searched all the way to Howling Wolf Palace—he’s not there. I’m certain of it."

Lu Fang furrowed his brows. "Could he have gone to look for Xue Feishuang’s burial site?"

"It’s possible," Ding Yunpeng admitted. "We never managed to locate her resting place. That’s the only flaw in our plan. If Zhang Yang is cautious, he might have gone searching for it instead of heading into our trap."

Lu Fang exhaled in frustration. "With his monstrous fighting ability, the fact that he’s also this careful makes him nearly impossible to trap."

Ding Yunpeng hesitated before asking, "Should we continue waiting?"

Lu Fang sighed. "What’s the point? He must have figured out it’s a trap. If he’s smart enough to realize we’re lying in wait, why would he walk into it? Let’s pull back."

With a wave of his hand, the hidden ambush squads emerged from the shadows.

Leng Jiu’ou gave Lu Fang a brief nod before silently leading the assassins of the Black Cloak Pavilion away.

Ding Yunpeng whistled, and over two hundred Purple-Eyed Spirit Birds soared into the sky, carrying Ning Feixiao and the Arrow Battle Team as they withdrew.

In the Vast Forest, each unit had operated separately, maintaining strategic distance. They had never been gathered in one place.

Watching them depart, Lu Fang felt a strange sense of defeat. With another wave of his hand, figures emerged from behind rocks, trees, and bushes—five hundred elite fighters from his ten battle teams.

Ever since the battle at the Divine Forbidden Gate, Lu Fang had realized that sheer numbers were useless against Zhang Yang unless they numbered in the tens of thousands.

So this time, he had only brought the best.

"Let’s move out," he ordered.

Lu Fang led the way, and the five hundred elite warriors followed him into the depths of the forest.

After traveling three or four miles, a sudden, dull sound echoed behind them.

Lu Fang and his men instinctively turned to look.

There, riding atop the Ironback Blue Bull, was Zhang Yang.

"It’s you!" Lu Fang’s expression wavered. "You’re even more cunning than I thought. You must have gone straight to Xue Feishuang’s grave, realized something was off, and deliberately hid in the shadows. You waited until we abandoned our positions before making your move. Now that you’re back in the forest, you think you’re invincible."

In reality, none of that was true.

The real reason Zhang Yang hadn’t shown up earlier?

He was just completely lost.

Of course, he couldn’t admit that.

So instead, he smirked. "As long as you understand that trying to outsmart me is a fool’s errand, that’s enough."

The Ironback Blue Bull also straightened its posture, as if it had never been confused about directions in the first place.

Lu Fang scoffed. "Hmph! Zhang Yang, don’t get too full of yourself. Did you really think I wasn’t prepared? I anticipated this scenario, which is why I have a trump card ready. Now, witness my ultimate move!"

Then, without hesitation, he spun on his heel and bolted.

"RUN!"

His five hundred elite fighters scattered like startled birds, vanishing in all directions.

Zhang Yang blinked, then chuckled.

"With people ahead of me, there’s no way I’ll get lost this time. Bull, let’s chase!"

"Mo!"

The Ironback Blue Bull let out a confident snort and charged forward.

Ignoring the other fleeing warriors, Zhang Yang and his bull focused solely on Lu Fang.

But just as they surged ahead by thirty meters, something unexpected happened.

One of the ordinary Demon Slayer Team members—one they had completely overlooked as he blended into the scattering crowd—suddenly raised his hands.

A brilliant flash of white light burst forth.

BOOM!

In an instant, a White Jade Tower materialized out of thin air, slamming down and trapping Zhang Yang and the Ironback Blue Bull inside.