Chapter 193 - 146: Trapped Beast (Part 2)
In addition, the bandit outposts throughout Boundary Mountain received orders to blockade the area, preventing the Martial Scholars who had already entered from leaving.
"Heh. Patriarch Feng, aren’t you afraid of completely infuriating Mansion Master Zhu by doing this? If you kill all these Martial Scholars, I’m afraid there will be no place left for us in Shanyang Prefecture."
At that moment, Feng Lie was the only one left in Juyi Hall.
A flirtatious voice rang out. A faint, pinkish mist filled the air, and from the darkness emerged a bewitching woman clad in tight, black-and-red leather armor, a long whip in her hand.
The woman was stunningly beautiful.
Her every movement was a captivating sway.
The whip in her hand writhed like a living serpent.
Her long black hair floated around her as if stirred by an unseen wind.
The skin-tight, fiery-red leather outfit clung to her exquisite curves, making her look both sexy and seductive.
Her long, pale thighs and firm, rounded buttocks were left exposed.
"Hah. The grand plan is on the verge of success anyway. Once the Prince perfects the Great Pill and replaces the current Emperor, what will a mere Mansion Master of Shanyang Prefecture matter then!"
As he watched the beautiful woman approach, a hint of apprehension and vigilance appeared in Feng Lie’s eyes.
His words, however, were brimming with confidence; he truly didn’t give a damn about the governor of Shanyang Prefecture.
"You speak the truth, Patriarch."
The bewitching woman offered a faint smile and said,
"Once the Prince perfects the Great Pill, the Mansion Master of Shanyang Prefecture will indeed be insignificant.
But now is no time for carelessness. You must understand that the more critical the moment, the more cautious we must be. If you jeopardize the Prince’s grand plan, not even nine heads would be enough to save you from the chopping block!"
Feng Lie frowned slightly at her words, though he still didn’t think a hundred-odd Martial Scholars would be difficult to handle.
Still, seeing her serious expression, he gave a nod.
~~~~~~
In the ranges of Boundary Mountain, the unceasing cries of battle had thrown everything into utter chaos.
The numerous bandits scoured the mountains high and low.
But the Martial Scholars were all formidably strong. As long as they didn’t encounter a large contingent of bandits or one of the dozen or so chieftains, they could move about freely.
In fact, seeing the bandits swarm out from their stronghold, many Martial Scholars had no intention of lying low.
Instead, they sought opportunities to assassinate a chieftain.
As a result, cries of battle now rang out intermittently throughout the forests.
Time trickled by.
The sun set, and the night grew deep.
"Phew... To think a small Bandit Stronghold like this would have such power! The Government Office really threw us to the wolves this time!"
Somewhere in the forests of Boundary Mountain, Wang Mangzi had a coughing fit and spat out a mouthful of dark blood, his face etched with exhaustion.
He had really taken a fall today.
He had planned to charge straight in, strike down a bandit chief with lightning speed, and then make a quick escape.
But he hadn’t even breached the stronghold’s gate before a Qi Sensing Martial Master drove him out and began a relentless pursuit.
Although he knew Martial Arts, his opponent’s skills were far superior.
That was why he had no choice but to flee to this spot.
Wang Mangzi was incredibly frustrated.
’This whole trip was a bust.’
"Heh heh, I’ve finally caught you, you little rat. Let’s see you try and run now!"
Just then, before Wang Mangzi could even catch his breath, he heard a cold sneer from behind him.
Wang Mangzi’s expression changed slightly.
A figure slowly emerged from the darkness. It was none other than the bandit’s Fifth Master, the one who had injured him and chased him all this way.
"Are you going to surrender quietly, or should I, Old Niu, smash every bone in your body before you give up?" Niu Jin, the Fifth Master of Tenglong Stronghold, grinned, revealing a mouth full of large, yellow teeth.
A ruthless glint flashed in Wang Mangzi’s eyes. He knew he couldn’t escape now; his only option was to fight to the bitter end.
The two men unleashed their full strength and clashed violently.
Wang Mangzi possessed innate Divine Power. Although Niu Jin was a Qi Sensing Martial Master, he was wary of his opponent’s desperate, life-or-death struggle, especially since he wanted to capture him alive. For a moment, the two seemed evenly matched.
But brute force can’t last forever. Soon, Wang Mangzi’s strength began to wane, while Niu Jin, still having energy to spare, pressed his assault relentlessly.
He quickly beat Wang Mangzi back, forcing him into a steady retreat. A moment later, Wang Mangzi took a punch and collapsed, completely unconscious. He was on the verge of being captured by Niu Jin.
But at that very moment, a sharp whistle suddenly cut through the air!
Then, as Niu Jin was about to capture Wang Mangzi, his face suddenly contorted. His eyes filled with terror, and without a second thought, he lunged forward.
Instantly, a blindingly fast black shadow pierced through his arm, sending a spray of blood into the air.
It shot past the spot where Niu Jin had been standing just an instant before.
The shadow embedded itself deep into a massive nearby tree, leaving only its black fletching quivering.
It was an arrow forged from refined steel!
Someone had launched an ambush from the shadows!
Niu Jin stared at the arrow, his face pale with the relief of a man who had just escaped death. A moment sooner, and that arrow would have pierced right through his body.
However, just then, alarm bells screamed in Niu Jin’s mind as the whistle sounded again. Another arrow was coming.
Niu Jin dodged instantly, throwing his dignity to the wind and rolling clumsily behind a massive tree.
Only then did the searing pain from his arm register. The arrow had pierced straight through.
The bone in his arm was shattered. The limb was essentially useless.
’Just as I thought. Even with a Fifteen-Stone Strong Bow, ambushing a Qi Sensing Martial Master isn’t a guaranteed kill. They can’t block the arrow, but they can sense the danger ahead of time and dodge!’
Fang Yue felt a pang of regret. After two shots, he still hadn’t managed to kill the bandit chieftain.
But it confirmed that a Qi Sensing Martial Master’s senses were incredibly sharp and their reaction speed was far superior to that of a Marrow Transformer Martial Artist.
But his opponent’s arm was now useless.
Fang Yue couldn’t possibly let such a golden opportunity—or his target—slip away.
If he could take this man’s head, his success in the Prefecture Examination would be guaranteed.
Fang Yue immediately moved, changing his position under the cover of darkness and closing in on Niu Jin.
He couldn’t hit a Qi Sensing Martial Master without a clear line of sight.
~~~~~~
「A quarter of an hour later.」
Niu Jin was panting heavily. He was in a wretched state, a far cry from the fierce warrior who had been hunting down the Martial Scholars earlier.
The fear of death hung over him.
His face was twisted in a grimace. One arm was temporarily useless, and his body was covered in bloody gashes where other arrows had grazed him.
"If you have any guts, come out and face me one-on-one! What kind of hero ambushes people from the shadows?" Niu Jin knew that if this continued, he would never escape.
He cursed his luck. ’If I hadn’t chased him so far, I would have been able to regroup with my brothers by now.’
He was so close. With just a little more time, he could reach the other bandits and survive.
But his instincts screamed at him not to run.
He couldn’t expose his back again.
With his stamina so depleted, he would never be able to dodge another ambush from behind.
So he stopped, taking a defensive stance. He hoped his opponent would face him head-on, giving him a chance to survive.
’Judging by the constant ambushes,’ he thought, ’the attacker’s strength must be inferior to mine. Otherwise, they would have finished me off in a direct confrontation long ago instead of just sniping from behind.’
But Niu Jin was doomed to disappointment. The only answer he received was another arrow of refined steel!
This time, however, he was facing his attacker and managed to dodge it.
Just then, a flicker of torchlight appeared in the distance, followed by the sound of shouting.
The sounds were getting closer.
It was clear that more bandits were approaching!
Niu Jin heard a familiar voice among the shouts and his face lit up with joy. It seemed he wasn’t fated to die today after all. If he could just hold on for another dozen breaths, he would be saved.