Chapter Forty-One: Breakthrough

Above the hollowed crest of Sunset Mountain, hundreds of corpses lay scattered in disarray, among them the leader of the Golden Prestige, Jin Ding. Blood trickled slowly from the bodies, winding its way downward. Upon hearing Jin Ding’s command, Jiang the Bald immediately led over two thousand bandits racing through the curtain of rain. Just as he reached the ridge above the hollow, his eyes froze. In the sea of corpses, a man clad in a golden robe stood out starkly. “No…” he roared, rushing forward.

“Boss…” Jiang the Bald clasped Jin Ding’s lifeless body and shook him desperately, but no matter how he shook, there was no response. A devoted subordinate, Jiang’s eyes reddened at the realization of Jin Ding’s death. He bellowed, “Long Ba, I’ll make sure none of you ever find peace in the afterlife!”

At that moment, a group of people emerged from the hollow, led by Wang Wu. Jiang the Bald, lost in grief, was oblivious to the world, but his men remained vigilant. Noticing the newcomers, a bandit with a red scarf around his arm rushed to Jiang’s side and whispered, “Chief, someone’s coming out!”

“Kill them!” Jiang issued the order without a moment’s hesitation.

“Yes!” the red-scarved bandit replied respectfully, then rose and shouted to the rear, “Brothers, leave not a single one alive—kill them all!”

At his command, hundreds of archers immediately took aim at Wang Wu’s party.

A hail of arrows whistled through the air, like a torrential downpour, raining upon Wang Wu and his companions.

Wang Wu had barely stepped out of the hollow when he heard the arrows. His face changed, and he cried out, “Jiang the Bald, it’s me! It’s me!” In panic, he both shouted toward Jiang and used his saber to deflect the incoming arrows.

Jiang the Bald laid Jin Ding’s body upon a large boulder, then spun around and roared, “I know it’s you! If not for you, Boss wouldn’t be dead. You’ll pay with your life!” In his madness, Jiang blamed Wang Wu for Jin Ding’s death—if Wang Wu hadn’t sent word, Jin Ding might still live.

In an instant, several of Wang Wu’s men fell. His face green with terror, Wang Wu hadn’t expected Jin Ding’s death, nor that Jiang the Bald would turn so ruthlessly. With no other choice, he shouted, “It’s death if we advance, death if we retreat! Brothers, let’s fight!” He raised his saber and charged.

“Loose the arrows!” As Wang Wu’s group charged, Jiang the Bald waved his hand, unleashing a second volley.

Wang Wu screamed wildly in the rain, his saber swinging in a desperate dance, its cold gleam flickering through the downpour. The metallic clatter of arrows filled his ears, the relentless storm pinning him in place.

The arrows fell unceasingly.

Attrition—it was a battle of attrition. Jiang the Bald intended to wear Wang Wu down; he had arrows to spare and no fear of exhaustion. Watching Wang Wu’s desperate defense, Jiang let a cold smile curl his lips. “I want you to die in despair!”

An arrow struck Wang Wu’s right arm. His hand jerked, dropping the saber. Ignoring the pain, he sidestepped another arrow, but more followed. Exhausted of inner strength, Wang Wu leaped up with a final roar, “Jiang the Bald, damn you—” His curse was cut short as countless arrows struck him midair, his body crashing down like a pincushioned hedgehog.

“Chief…” Seeing Wang Wu fall, many of his men faltered.

In such chaos, distraction meant death; a dozen more of Wang Wu’s followers fell in an instant. Jiang the Bald looked down on their corpses with disdain. “Seeking death indeed!”

In the blink of an eye, Wang Wu and his fifty-odd men were utterly wiped out, each one bristling with arrows.

Seeing their demise, Jiang the Bald burst into laughter. “Good! Serve you right! Hahaha…” Suddenly, his laughter stopped short as he fixed his gaze on another group emerging from the hollow—Lei Yan and his party. “More survivors? Wait—Cui Ba hasn’t come out yet? Where is he?” He searched, but could not find Cui Ba, unaware that Cui Ba was already dead.

“Arrows!” As Lei Yan stepped from the hollow, he saw Wang Wu and his men lying there, their bodies bristling with shafts. A loud laugh drew his attention to Jiang the Bald, behind whom a dense horde of bandits loomed, their dark forms blending into the night. If not for Lei Yan’s keen eyes, he might have missed their numbers entirely.

“Archers will be trouble,” Lei Yan muttered, frowning.

“Loose arrows!” Without hesitation, Jiang the Bald ordered the attack.

“Fight… to the death…” As Jiang the Bald gave the order, Lei Yan’s furious howl, thick with killing intent, pierced the sky. He leapt forward, pulling the hood of his blood-red robe over half his face.

“Another fool courting death!” Jiang sneered as Lei Yan jumped, but his smile froze as soon as he saw the man’s actions. From Lei Yan’s right hand, a milky-white barrier formed, blocking the hail of arrows. Seeing this outward projection of inner strength, Jiang blurted in shock, “Innate Qi Shield!”

Innate Qi Shield was an advanced form of inner power, able to manifest as a barrier. But Lei Yan’s technique was not that, merely an application of the Water-Form Fist. He gathered his energy into his right fist and released it slowly, forming a shield against the arrows. The method drained him quickly; he could not sustain it for long. He knew he had to eliminate the archers swiftly.

The archers hesitated, thrown off by their arrows’ defeat. That brief pause was all Lei Yan needed. In a flash, he darted into their ranks, flicking a saber from the ground into the chest of an archer before him, the blade piercing through before the man could react.

Lei Yan lunged forward, kicking the impaled archer away, then yanked the saber free as blood sprayed in an arc. Even before the droplets hit the ground, his blade flashed again, felling several more archers nearby. The rest panicked, drawing their own sabers and swords to surround him.

Lei Yan’s roars echoed as he hacked down one attacker, splitting head and torso with a single blow, blood splattering onto his already crimson robe.

His ferocity ignited the blood of Leng the Second and the others. The word “fight” pounded in their minds like stones hurled into a human tide, and they plunged into the fray.

With their support, the tide began to turn. For every fallen bandit, another stepped up, but soon no one remained within a meter of Lei Yan’s whirling blade.

Amid twisted bodies, Jiang the Bald gripped his heavy saber ever tighter, his hands bloodless. “How can this be? They’re only a few dozen!” For the first time in his life, fear pricked Jiang’s heart—though he could not understand why, for the enemy was but a handful.

The crack of breaking bones and agonized screams reddened Jiang’s vision. “You want to go all out? So can I!” He charged into the chaos, bellowing.

Lei Yan dodged his onslaught, knowing that to face Jiang directly would be a contest of stamina—one he might win but could not hope to escape alive from. The chaos of battle offered its own advantage: other bodies could be used to intercept attacks. Lei Yan darted unpredictably through the throng, always killing to defend. Jiang chased relentlessly, but every time he raised his heavy saber, one of his own men would stumble into the path.

Frustrated, Jiang yelled, “Zhang Qing, form up!”

Ten bandits, led by a red-scarved man, instantly surrounded Lei Yan. These ten differed from the others: their composure unshaken by the carnage, eyes fierce, steps and breaths steady—clear signs of formidable inner strength. Lei Yan’s brow furrowed; such a formation would not be easy to break. He shouted to Leng the Second and the others, “Old Second, take everyone and break out!”

Before he had finished, Qing Ling kicked aside a bandit, panting, “I won’t go!”

Leng the Second, cutting down an enemy, looked back. “Lei Ba…”

Lei Yan was now tightly encircled by the ten, caught in a simple yet deadly Five Serpents Formation—five attacking, five defending, their movements as swift as snakes and as unyielding as pythons. Lei Yan, beset on all sides, saw an opening and surged forward, taking several blows to his back but smashing three bandits aside. Swallowing the burning pain, he shouted, “That’s an order—take Qing Ling and go, now!”

Jiang the Bald, seeing Lei Yan’s plight, finally exhaled and laughed triumphantly. “Don’t think you can escape. If it’s a war of attrition, I’ll see you all dead here!”

“Take this, you bastard!” Lu Kai appeared seemingly from nowhere, his mountain-like form descending with the power of a god, swinging a huge axe down upon Jiang the Bald.

With a clang, Jiang reflexively raised his saber to block, the force numbing his hands and nearly sending the blade flying. With a snap, the weapon broke under the pressure. Quick as lightning, Jiang clasped the axe blade in both hands, infusing it with inner strength and barely stopping Lu Kai’s blow. Seeing his feet sunk deep in the earth, cold sweat broke out—if not for his quick reflexes, he would have died then and there.

“Hmph!” Lu Kai snorted, swinging his axe at Jiang’s waist.

“No!” Jiang tried to dodge but found his hands stuck fast to the axe. With a ripping sound, Lu Kai’s blade tore through him, severing his lower body. Jiang released his grip and fell, unwilling, to the ground.

Lu Kai threw back his head and laughed. “You think dodging my axe is so easy?”

“Lu Kai, it’s time to go!” Though reluctant, Leng the Second obeyed Lei Yan’s command. The thirty-six bandits loyal to Lei Yan gathered without a word.

Leng the Second flashed to Qing Ling’s side, cutting down the nearest enemy. “Madam, we must leave!”

“I won’t! I want to stay with Brother Lei!” Qing Ling stubbornly kicked another bandit aside, charging forward, though clearly weakened by her drained strength.

“Forgive me, madam!” In a flash, Leng the Second struck her neck with a chopping hand; before she could react, darkness claimed her and she collapsed. Quick as ever, Leng hefted her onto his shoulder and shouted, “Charge!”

The thirty-six bandits, led by Yin You, pushed forward with Leng the Second. Lu Kai looked back at Lei Yan and roared, “Lei Ba, we’ll wait for your return!” Then he plunged into the night.

Hearing Lu Kai’s words warmed Lei Yan’s heart, but there was no time for sentiment. Surrounded by ten skilled foes, he dared not let down his guard, using his abilities to dodge as best as he could.

“If this keeps up, I’ll be worn down!” A glint flashed in Lei Yan’s eyes as he made a decision.

He charged straight into a saber gleaming with milky light—yes, he took the blow head-on. The blade slashed across his shoulder, but Lei Yan pressed on, grabbing the waist of the red-scarved bandit and channeling his inner strength through his palms. He could almost hear the man’s organs rupture.

With a thud, Lei Yan smashed the bandit to the ground, rolling away just in time to avoid another attack. He barreled through the ranks, shoving aside those in his path, and ran for his life.

With all their leaders dead, the Golden Prestige bandits descended into chaos, leaving only the remaining nine of the formation doggedly pursuing Lei Yan. Feeling the last reserves of his strength fading, Lei Yan pulled the dormant Blood Orchid Demon from his clothes. “Little Lan, wake up—I need your help…” He shook it, but the flower spirit remained unresponsive. With no choice, he stuffed it back into his robe.

“It’s do or die!” Sensing the nine bandits closing in, one almost within ten meters, Lei Yan gritted his teeth, took out a Foundation Pill from his demonic artifact, and swallowed it. Only a few of these pills remained, so he gambled on the hope that it might grant him a temporary surge of power.

The pill dissolved instantly, a rush of heat flooding Lei Yan’s body. In a blink, his dantian brimmed with inner strength, the sensation only growing. With renewed power, his speed surged, leaving afterimages in his wake as he vanished from his pursuers’ view.

(P.S.: Tomorrow is New Year’s Day. Here’s wishing everyone a happy holiday in advance! I’ve worked hard to make this chapter extra long. Also, thanks to all of you for your continued support! One more thing—I’ve never checked my book on mobile before, so I didn’t know people were leaving comments there until today. I’m really touched. I won’t list your names, since I don’t know how to type them, but I remember you in my heart! I’ll pay more attention to your mobile comments from now on. Thank you, truly, for your support!)