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Chapter 2135: An Inch of Ashes

"Who are you calling stupid?" Zhao Ya retorted, raising an eyebrow as she stood up. She could tolerate insults directed at herself, but not at her teacher.

"The person I'm talking about knows full well!" Wu Xiaoxiao pouted. "If you're so weak, you shouldn't wander around unsupervised. Otherwise, you'll just get into trouble and need others to rescue you again..."

"That's enough!" Teacher Mo Yun interjected sternly from the side.

"Teacher..." Wu Xiaoxiao looked up at him.

"Not another word!" Teacher Mo Yun frowned, then turned to Zhao Ya and Zhang Xuan. "Xiaoxiao is still young and doesn't know proper etiquette. Please forgive her if she's offended you."

"It's fine," Zhang Xuan replied, shaking his head. Having traveled across the Master Teacher Continent and the Firmament, his state of mind was already as stable as iron; he wouldn't stoop to bickering with a young girl.

After capturing the Swift Sand Ferret, Teacher Mo Yun seemed to interrogate it using a special method. He then quietly slipped away from the group and searched for nearly an hour before returning with a deep frown. Clearly, he had also sensed something amiss but hadn't found the Ancient Blue Beast Herb.

As for Zhang Xuan, he didn't arouse much suspicion. Considering the speed of the Sand Ferret, the fact that even he couldn't catch it meant that this ordinary deity, who seemed to know almost nothing, wouldn't have recognized it even if he saw it, let alone captured it.

The night passed uneventfully, and at dawn, the group set off. With the mission accomplished and the senior's instructions fulfilled, Teacher Mo Yun breathed a sigh of relief. The group proceeded out of Lingji Mountain. Having traversed this path before, Teacher Mo Yun and the students were familiar with the route. Additionally, with the spiritual energy depleting, most of the ferocious divine beasts in the mountains had already fled, so they didn't encounter any significant danger.

They continued their journey for three days. During this period, with Teacher Mo Yun, a Middle-rank God, handling the hunting, food was no longer a concern. With replenished energy, Zhang Xuan's Heaven's Path aura gradually recovered, and his internal injuries fully healed. Although he was still unsure when he would achieve a breakthrough in cultivation, he was at least no longer as weak as before.

"We should be able to leave the mountain range today!" Teacher Mo Yun announced. "However, everyone must remain vigilant. Outside Lingji Mountain, there are many bandits and brigands who are utterly ruthless!" As spiritual energy declined, many cultivators turned to banditry for survival, preying on merchant caravans and travelers between towns. Although the City Lord's Mansion frequently launched encirclement campaigns, their efforts had little lasting effect. Like wildfires, they burned ceaselessly, only to rise again with the spring breeze. Unless the problem of spiritual energy depletion was thoroughly resolved, this situation would persist indefinitely, and no one could avoid it.

Upon hearing about bandits and brigands, everyone's expressions simultaneously grew more somber. In this trial, the dangers within the mountains proved to be less significant than those encountered on the journey from the forest to Night冥 City.

"You heard him," Wu Xiaoxiao said with a cold snort, looking at Zhang Xuan and the others. "Don't wander off on the road. And if we encounter bandits, don't expect us to protect you!"

Zhang Xuan nodded. He had always relied on himself, never expecting help from others, no matter the situation.

"Zhao Ya, if we truly encounter bandits, just stay behind me. I'll ensure your safety..." Shen Cheng offered, stepping closer.

"No need!" Zhao Ya dismissed him curtly, moving to stand behind her teacher.

"Oh..." Shen Cheng looked somewhat embarrassed by the blunt refusal.

Seeing this, Wu Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth once more.

To avoid any unforeseen incidents, the group traveled through the night. "Teacher, let's rest for a bit," Wu Xiaoxiao suggested. "We're only about two hours from the city. There's no need to rush through the night. It wouldn't be too late to leave at dawn."

After traveling for most of the night, everyone felt their bodies were nearing their limits. Surprisingly, Zhao Ya and the others, despite their weaker cultivation, remained silent and showed no signs of fatigue.

"Very well!" Seeing that the city was not far, Teacher Mo Yun also sighed in relief and nodded.

The group found a low-lying spot, lit a bonfire, and settled down. Just as they were preparing to rest, hurried hoofbeats suddenly echoed from a distance. The ground began to tremble, indicating a group of people was rapidly approaching.

"Oh no!"

Unexpectedly, they would encounter people so close to the city, and late at night. Teacher Mo Yun's expression changed. With a wave of his hand, he extinguished the bonfire and quickly rose to look in the direction of the sound.

*Whinnying sounds*

The hoofbeats ceased as over a dozen figures, mounted on tall horses, arrived and swiftly encircled the group. The middle-aged man leading them wielded a guandao. A single streak of gray in his dark hair fell across his face, creating a stark contrast with his otherwise pale complexion.

"One Inch Ash?" Teacher Mo Yun's pupils constricted, and his body trembled slightly. While many bandit groups operated around Night冥 City, with varying levels of strength, the most notorious and powerful among them was undoubtedly One Inch Ash! No one knew this bandit's true name. He was called "One Inch Ash" because of a single streak of gray-white hair. He was not only ruthless, but his strength surpassed even Teacher Mo Yun's, having already reached the peak of the Middle-rank God realm.

"It seems my reputation precedes me!" One Inch Ash chuckled, pulling on the reins of his magnificent steed.

"Of course, boss, your reputation is legendary!"

"Since you know the boss himself is here, stop wasting time," one bandit interjected. "We're only after your valuables. Don't make things difficult and lose your lives!"

The surrounding bandits burst into raucous laughter.

Taking a step forward, Teacher Mo Yun gritted his teeth. "I am Mo Yun, a teacher from Night冥 Academy! We are merely out on a trial with our students and possess no significant wealth. I implore you, One Inch Ash, to let us pass..."

"Students, you say? In that case, hand over all your weapons and that Sand Ferret!" One Inch Ash said, frowning as he surveyed the group.

Teacher Mo Yun hesitated.

"Why should we give you the Sand Ferret we worked so hard to catch?" Wu Xiaoxiao stepped forward defiantly. "Move aside at once and let us return to the city, or else... Do you believe I can have my father wipe you all out?"

"Your father?"

"Indeed! My father is Wu Fangqing, the City Lord of Night冥 City! He's a powerful Heavenly God realm expert. I advise you to be sensible. If you dare to rob even me, he will surely capture and execute every last one of you!" Wu Xiaoxiao stood tall, her posture radiating arrogance. As the dignified daughter of the City Lord, she could tolerate being outshone by a few pseudo-god girls, but these mere bandits daring to covet their Sand Ferret—they clearly had a death wish.

"The City Lord's daughter?" One Inch Ash paused, then burst into roaring laughter, turning to his subordinates behind him. "Lads, tell her: have we ever feared that City Lord?"

"Afraid? If we were afraid, we wouldn't be living this life on the edge of a blade!"

"Excellent! Let's tie up this little lady and have her father send ransom money!"

"That City Lord has been relentless in his pursuit of us over the years. Capturing this woman is the best way to make him understand our power..."

A murmur of agreement swept through the bandit group.

"What do you think you're doing?" She had expected that merely revealing her identity would send a band of petty thieves fleeing in terror, not daring to cause trouble. Instead, the opposite happened, and Wu Xiaoxiao's pupils constricted in shock. Her father was a Heavenly God! In all of Night冥 City, who would dare defy his name once it was uttered? Yet these bandits showed no concern... Were they truly not afraid of death?

"What are we doing?" One Inch Ash chuckled. "I thought you were just a group of poor students, but it turns out we've caught a big fish! Lads, seize them all! Don't let a single one escape! Once we have them, we can truly celebrate!"

"Alright!" The bandits roared with laughter, dismounting from their steeds and forming a tight circle around the group.

"Shen Cheng, find a way to lead the others in a breakout..."

Unprepared for such an escalation, Teacher Mo Yun's face turned ashen. It was too late for words now. He lowered his voice, then, with a swift movement, charged directly towards One Inch Ash. Their only hope now was to somehow defeat him and use that leverage to escape.

*Whoosh!*

His sword qi permeated the air, creating an intense pressure. Though Middle-rank Gods were still at the lower tiers of the God Realm, their strength and agility far surpassed those of Low-rank Gods. Furthermore, as a teacher, Mo Yun possessed exquisite techniques, making his sudden assault extremely threatening.

"You're asking for death!" As if he had anticipated the move, One Inch Ash raised his guandao and, without any elaborate motion, brought it straight down. It appeared deceptively simple, yet it carried an immense force that compelled immediate defense. Teacher Mo Yun hurriedly brought his sword back to block.

*Crack!*

A surge of power hammered into his longsword, making it vibrate violently. Teacher Mo Yun felt a searing numbness in his hand, and blood trickled from his palm. Overwhelmed by the immense force, his knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground. Leveraging the guandao's power and the commanding height from his horse, One Inch Ash shattered all of the teacher's techniques in a single blow.

"Overwhelming force trumps cleverness..." Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed. When Wu Xiaoxiao had just blurted out her family's name, Zhang Xuan had already sensed trouble. While the City Lord was indeed powerful, they were outside the city, and facing bandits. To speak like that was practically inviting death. It was clear that the girl was not only spoiled but, more importantly, completely lacked any experience or understanding of the wilderness. Otherwise, she wouldn't have acted so recklessly.

Of course... even if she hadn't spoken, Zhang Xuan didn't believe the bandits would have simply let them go. Everyone admitted to Night冥 Academy was a genius from the city, each with a considerable family background. To simply rob their possessions and then release them would be to invite future trouble for the bandits. Given that One Inch Ash had terrorized Night冥 City for years, steadily growing in notoriety, Zhang Xuan didn't believe he would show mercy just because they were students. His claim that he only wanted their swords and the Sand Ferret was merely a tactic to lull them into a false sense of security. Precisely because they anticipated this, neither Zhang Xuan nor Teacher Mo Yun attempted to stop Wu Xiaoxiao, even though they knew her spoiled outburst would only invite further disaster.

As Zhang Xuan pondered this, One Inch Ash's guandao swung horizontally, striking Teacher Mo Yun. With a single blow, the teacher was sent hurtling sideways, his body rigid and unable to move.

"Bind him!"

*Rattle!*

Two subordinates stepped forward, produced ropes, and quickly bound Teacher Mo Yun tightly.

"How about that? Still want to resist?" Having gravely wounded the formidable Teacher Mo Yun in just two moves, One Inch Ash smiled faintly, surveying the group with an arrogant expression.

"This..."

Shen Cheng, Wu Xiaoxiao, and the others all turned pale. They had expected their teacher to at least hold off the enemy, perhaps not winning, but buying enough time for them to escape. To be defeated in just two moves was completely unforeseen. If even a Middle-rank God like their teacher couldn't withstand two blows, how could they, in their current state, possibly last even one?

Just as they stood there, at a loss, the young man named Zhang Xuan, wearing a seemingly foolish expression, slowly walked forward.

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