Daqian Martial Saint

As a well-known market in the surrounding region, Red Maple Market naturally had its own defensive measures and warning systems.

However, this band of raiders was exceptionally cunning. They initially disguised themselves as a merchant caravan. It wasn’t until they were close that the people of Red Maple Market realized something was wrong and sounded the great bell.

But by the time the alarm was raised, the band of raiders was already very close.

"Brothers, take the market ahead! Everything inside is ours!"

The man in the lead was bare-chested, with a thick mat of hair and a ferocious face. He emanated the Martial Dao aura of the Inner Qi Realm.

"Kill!" the fierce-faced leader roared, leading the charge with his Tiger-Headed Refined Steel Saber.

"Charge!" Twenty to thirty men followed him, wielding all sorts of weapons as they stormed toward Red Maple Market.

At this moment, atop the walls of Red Maple Market, the defenders were in a state of utter disarray.

In truth, it had been many years since the market’s founding that such a brazen, armed assault had occurred—an open charge with the intent to conquer it.

Atop the high wall, the leader of the defense wore a peculiar expression.

’They’ve got some nerve!’

’Just twenty or thirty men, with only one at the Inner Qi Realm, daring to charge Red Maple Market? What do they take this place for? What kind of backwater bandits are these? They don’t know the first thing about how things are done!’

He waved his hand and bellowed, "Fire!"

As his command rang out, a dense volley of arrows flew toward the distant figures. They lacked practice together, so while their coordination had some issues, their overall performance was still acceptable.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!...

Arrows filled the sky, raining down on the raiders.

CLANG!

The fierce-faced leader swung his Tiger Head Saber, his Inner Qi surging around him as he shattered and deflected the incoming arrows one after another.

Though the Red Maple Market side had greater numbers, most of their archers had yet to enter the Martial Dao; they were simply men of superior strength. Arrows shot by the likes of them posed no threat whatsoever to an Inner Qi Martial Artist like the fierce-faced leader.

But the defenders’ target wasn’t the fierce-faced leader. They hoped the arrows would weaken the forces following him.

But to everyone’s surprise, the arrows had little effect on the men behind him.

The expression of the man leading the defense on the high wall hardened.

"Again!"

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!...

The arrows flew out once more, heading for the charging group.

This time, however, the expressions of those on the Red Maple Market side changed completely.

BOOM!

Apart from the fierce-faced leader, five or six of the twenty-odd men behind him erupted with the aura of the Inner Qi Realm. The others all unleashed the martial aura of those at a High Level of Qi and Blood.

"That’s... the Concealing Breath Technique!" The Inner Qi Realm expert on the market’s side turned pale.

Clearly, the attackers were not the common raiders they had imagined, but a group of organized and disciplined brigands!

This was a premeditated attack!

But by the time he realized this, it was too late. The attackers had already reached the front of the market.

With their sudden burst of power, some of the attackers leaped onto the high wall. Like wolves among sheep, they began a merciless slaughter!

"Damn it!" the Inner Qi expert in charge of the market’s defense cursed. He had barely gotten the words out when a dark figure leaped high, descending upon him from above and bringing a Tiger Head Saber down with brutal force.

The captain’s expression changed. He instantly raised his own saber horizontally to meet the blow, his Inner Qi surging as he pushed it to its absolute limit!

As the Guard Captain of the market, he was justifiably confident. Among those in the Inner Qi Realm, he was considered a formidable fighter!

But...

The Tiger-Headed Refined Steel Saber crashed down. The instant it met his blade, he felt an irresistible, immense force slam into him!

"This..." The Guard Captain’s face was a mask of terror. Before he could make another move, his eyes bulged, and all consciousness faded.

SHLICK!

A blade flashed, and blood sprayed.

In a single exchange, the Guard Captain of Red Maple Market was dead.

THUD!

The fierce-faced man landed steadily on his feet. Having killed his opponent in an instant, he looked like a true Demon God.

"Captain Wu... Captain Wu is dead!"

The crowd descended into chaos.

More and more attackers leaped onto the high wall, clashing with the market’s defenders. In terms of overall strength, the attacking side clearly held a crushing advantage.

Within just a few exchanges, they had seized a massive advantage.

...

By the time Chen Ping’an and his group arrived, the high walls at the front of the market had been all but conquered. Raiders were leaping down from the ramparts, rampaging and looting the shops within the market.

The market was in utter chaos.

In fact, besides the market’s official guards, the individual shops also had considerable defensive forces. However, in a situation like this, everyone was only concerned with their own affairs. Before disaster struck their own doorstep, they stood idly by, unwilling to help others. But when trouble finally came for them, they found they were unable to stand on their own.

The defensive power of the market’s shops, though formidable, was not effectively integrated. They were like loose sand, completely unable to hold their ground against such powerful raiders.

Fortunately, the market’s core protectors arrived at that very moment. Seeing the interests of the shops being harmed, a representative from the shopkeepers’ alliance following behind Chen Ping’an could no longer hold back.

Without waiting for a word from Chen Ping’an, he leaped into action, his pair of Iron Fists blasting toward the nearest raider.