Boundless Legacy Chapter 35:

AMBUSH

The night before the attack, the camp was quiet.

Shen Chen sat by the fire, his eyes fixed on the flas. The bandits had retired to their tents, their bodies heavy with exhaustion. Tomorrow would be the most dangerous day of their lives.

Old Liu settled beside him, his voice low and thoughtful.

"Are you ready, boy?"

Shen Chen nodded slowly. "I'm ready. Are you?"

Old Liu laughed, a warm, fatherly sound. "I've been ready for this my whole life. It's not every day you get to strike a blow against the powers that be."

Shen Chen smiled, a genuine expression. "You're a good man, Old Liu. A good leader."

Old Liu shook his head. "I'm just a survivor. Sa as everyone else out here."

They sat in companionable silence, the fire crackling between them.

"Chen," Old Liu said, his voice soft. "Whatever happens tomorrow, I want you to know... I'm proud of you. You've beco a fine man, a fine cultivator. You've made this old man proud."

Shen Chen felt a lump form in his throat. "Thank you, Old Liu. For everything."

The old man put a hand on his shoulder, his grip warm and steady. "Now get so rest. Tomorrow, we make history."

---

The morning of the attack was cold and still.

Shen Chen crouched behind a rock formation, his body pressed against the rough stone, his eyes fixed on the narrow pass below. The convoy would be coming through any mont now, its wagons laden with treasure, its guards alert and watchful.

Patience. Wait for the right mont.

He could feel the bandits around him, their auras subdued, their breathing controlled. They had been in position for hours, waiting, watching, preparing.

The sun crept higher, casting long shadows across the desert floor. And then, he saw it.

A plu of dust on the horizon, growing larger with each passing mont. The convoy.

"Here they co," he murmured, his voice barely a whisper.

The wagons erged from the dust—five of them, heavily laden, their wheels groaning under the weight of their cargo. The guards were nurous, their auras blazing with spiritual energy. There were at least twenty cultivators, led by a man whose aura was unmistakably Golden Core Realm.

The leader. He's the biggest threat. I'll need to take him out first.

He watched the convoy enter the pass, their movents slow and cautious. The narrow canyon walls funneled them in, leaving them with nowhere to run.

"Wait," Shen Chen whispered, his voice carrying to the bandits hidden nearby. "Wait for my signal."

The convoy moved deeper into the pass, their guards scanning the cliffs above. They knew they were being watched. They knew the Desolation was dangerous.

But they didn't know how dangerous.

Now.

Shen Chen raised his hand, then brought it down sharply.

The first wave of arrows rained down from the cliffs, their tips coated with a fast-acting paralytic poison. The guards scrambled to defend themselves, their auras flaring, but the arrows found their marks. Half a dozen cultivators collapsed, their bodies seizing as the poison took hold.

"Attack!" Shen Chen shouted, his voice echoing through the canyon.

He leaped from the cliff, his blade flashing in the morning light. The bandits followed, their war cries filling the air.

The battle was brutal, a chaotic clash of steel and spiritual energy. Shen Chen moved through the chaos like a ghost, his Void Step carrying him through the enemy ranks. His blade found throats, hearts, and exposed flanks.

But the enemy leader was a formidable opponent. His cultivation base was at the Golden Core Realm (3rd Level), his techniques refined and deadly.

"You're a child," the man sneered, his blade eting Shen Chen's. "You think you can defeat ?"

Shen Chen smiled, a cold, predatory expression. "I think I can do a lot of things."

He attacked, his blade flashing with spiritual energy. The man was powerful, but Shen Chen was faster. His Void Core pulsed within him, his body moving with the grace of a dragon.

The man stumbled, his eyes widening with shock. "Impossible. You're just a Golden Core cultivator. How—"

Shen Chen didn't give him ti to finish. His blade found the man's throat, and the battle was over.

---