Yun Qiang deflected a hit with the shaft of his spear while moving to the side just in time to dodge another attack.
He took a few steps back, his mind racing as he assessed the situation.
Two Foundation Realm cultivators were attacking him, while twelve cultivators were assaulting his subordinates. By the looks of it, his teammates could still hold on even when at a disadvantage.
However, his own situation wasn't that good. The two cultivators attacking him had good coordination and were slowly pushing him deeper into the forest, into unknown territory, and away from his team.
He rolled to the side. Soon after that, a sword hit where he was standing, cutting a nearby tree in half.
'It can't go on like this!'
Suddendly Yun Qiang recovered his footing and launched his counterattack. As he lunged forward, a sword put itself between him and his target, deflecting his attack. However, Yun Qiang didn't want to stop his momentum. In an instant, he formed a small dagger made of Qi and launched it at the nearest enemy.
Yun Qiang still hadn't mastered the "Sacred Blade," and his dagger was destined to disperse in a few seconds. However, he didn't need it to damage his enemy. What he needed was the opening it would create.
Sure enough, his enemy dodged to the side, leaving himself open to other attacks; like a snake, Yun Qiang weaved his spear forward, pushing away one of his opponents' swords before pouncing his weapon towards the other's head.
His strike was about to connect in a deadly way. However, his opponent was an experienced fighter, and at the last second, he threw himself to the side, only getting hit on the shoulder. His companion recovered from the shock and attacked Yun Qiang, trying to prevent him from causing more damage.
However, Yun Qiang wasn't finished there. He knew that if he let his two opponents recover and stabilize, then he would fall into a complete disadvantage. He had to keep his momentum going.
With swift movement, he threw his spear at the attacker, forcing him to dodge mid-attack before pouncing at the grounded opponent with another Qi dagger.
This time, the dagger struck its target, exploding his opponent's head in a bloody shower.
Yun Qiang turned around. The remaining opponent wasn't bothered by his companion's death, and instead of attacking, he kicked away Yun Qiang's spear away.
Now the fight was him against a weaponless Yun Qiang.
Yun Qiang's face darkened. His body was still filled with adrenaline. However, he had lost his spear and had a little more than a quarter of his Qi left.
With a slow movement, he summoned a small Qi dagger. Now only a sliver of Qi was left in his dantian.
Then he moved forward. His speed was almost blinding. His target was the enemy's throat.
However, his opponent wasn't a newbie, and he reacted swiftly. With a simple movement, he let his sword collide with the golden dagger, shattering it into pieces.
A wicked gaze flashed in Yun Qiang's eyes. The moment his dagger had shattered, he extended his hand forward.
'Blood Spear'
Yun Qiang's complexion instantly became paler as a blood spear consumed his blood and sped forward, impaling his enemy.
Yun Qiang let his opponent's body fall lifeless to the ground. At this moment, he could feel everything about his body with extreme precision. He could feel his heavy breathing, his head pulsating, his heart beating; he could even feel his blood slowly trickle out of his shoulder. However, he didn't stop. His team was still in danger, so he recovered his spear and charged in the direction he believed his team was.
Sun deflected a spear while tightening the formation. He didn't know how long the fight had lasted, but he knew they couldn't live for long. Two of his teammates were already downed, and Bren was taking care of his injuries, while the rest had formed a circle formation, desperately trying to protect them.
Sun's expression was bitter. Even if he was young, he had lived an eventful life full of highs and lows; he could tell this was a desperate situation.
A sense of unwillingness burned within him, his past grudges slowly resurfaced, giving him energy. Pushing him forward.
Suddenly, a hateful face flashed before his eyes.
The fire of revenge that he kept within him started burning brighter. He refused to stop fighting.
'I refuse to die because of his schemes.'
Maybe if something like this had happened in the past, when he was still in the sect, spending his time fishing and living with his friends, he could have accepted dying. But now; Now he couldn't!
He had lost his friends he had been imprisoned and forced to fight in a useless conflict.
He couldn't die here!
With determination burning in his eyes, he advanced forward, briefly breaking formation to kill an opponent before concentrating his Qi in his hand, creating a small barrier to block an attack coming from the side.
A third attack came for him. His rage had blinded him, and now that he had left the formation, he had opened himself to more incoming attacks.
Seeing a spear coming for him, Sun's eyes shone with determination. He already knew it. He couldn't dodge this spear. This, was his death.
However he was decided to face his death with his eyes open. Even if he was about to die, he wouldn't show fear even in his last moment.
Then the spear stopped. Shock flooded his enemies' eyes; their pupils trembled as if they saw a demon.
Sun cast his glance behind him, his curiosity having the better of him.
The moment he turned, he saw it too. Yun Qiang was running towards them at maddening speed. His robes and armor were dyed red with blood, he had a wicked smile, and his eyes emanated an almost palpable killing intent.
Even if a lush forest surrounded him, nobody noticed it. In that moment, Yun Qiang was the only thing they could see in their field of vision.
As Yun Qiang got closer, the surroundings seemed to become quieter and quieter, while terror started filling the enemies' hearts.
Then, crack, Yun Qiang's spear swept down on a soldier, sending his body flying, completely destroying his neck.
In that brutal moment, rage surged through Sun, snapping him back to his senses. He thrust his spear forward, killing the soldier who had been about to kill him moments ago. Rage continuing to burn within him. There was no way they could stop them now.
That action seemed to start an unstoppable chain of reactions as the enemy soldiers ran away for their lives while Yun Qiang and Sun followed them.
One of them was like a beast following his prey, while the other was like a demon killing only to vent out his anger.
Soon enough, the rest of his companions started following them, intoxicated by the violent auras that these two individuals exuded in their mad chase.
The chase lasted for several minutes.
At first, the fleeing cultivators had tried to stay together, hoping to show some kind of resistance. However, this proved futile. Wherever Yun Qiang went, bloodshed followed, while Sun swept in to kill the stragglers who managed to escape his captain's bloodlust.
After just a few kills, fear completely gripped the cultivators' hearts, scattering them in different directions.
When the last of them fell, Yun Qiang stopped.
His body seemed to remembered the injuries it had endured. His legs started trembling while his breathing became heavier, resembling that of a bear.
Sun quickly followed, stopping right behind him, his mind regaining its cool while processing what had happened.
As the silence settled around them, both remembered Voss's words about combat.
"Keep a tight formation, try to gang up on isolated members, don't panic, don't give chase to enemies."
The duo stood in silence for a moment, both of them realizing what they had just done. They had broken one of the most important rules of combat. Don't lose control. Don't panic. Don't give chase.
Suddenly, Yun Qiang broke the silence. His voice was tired and was amplified by the forest, making it sound like a series of groans.
"Regroup and take care of the injured."
He threw two healing pills toward Sun.
"I will check if their captains have anything useful on them."
Then Yun Qiang left, his bloodied figure disappearing into the forest, leaving Sun in a daze.
Only when he was gone did Sun realize that the others were looking at him.
He quickly regained his composure and made a mental count. Three people had already regrouped and were waiting nearby. Sun looked at them for a second. He could see the weight of expectation in their eyes, as if they expected him to guide them while Yun Qiang was absent.
"Go and check Brent's condition."
He threw a pill to Alivar.
"Check each other's conditions and give this to the most injured."
"I can already see Lee in the distance. Go back. I will call for him."
His phrases were short but clear, and with each word, his voice became more and more confident until it returned to normal.
Sun started walking in Lee's direction, while the others went back.
Half an hour later, Yun Qiang came back from the forest.
His robes were still bloodied, but the bloodlust that had filled his eyes was gone. His back was straight, and a calm and cold look shone in his eyes.
"How bad is it?"
Sun looked at the others.
"Most of them can walk. However, Brent has lost consciousness, while Simeon and Liam are dead."
There was a moment of silence. It wasn't the first time they had lost a team member, but that didn't make their deaths hurt any less.
Yun Qiang nodded, his eyes showing regret and sadness. However, his next words still sounded as commanding and authoritative as ever.
"We leave in a minute. Can someone carry Brent? What about the healing pills? Did you use all of them?"
Sun nodded. Even if he didn't know Simeon well, his death still pained him. However, he knew their current situation and priorities. He unhesitatingly responded.
"Brent was the only one to consume it. His unconsciousness is because of blood loss; he isn't in any life-threatening danger."
He looked around for a moment.
"As for who will carry Brent..."
Sun let his words hang in the air for a second. Carrying someone didn't just mean carrying extra weight; it also meant becoming a target for any attacker, so whoever Sun chose would have his life at risk in their next engagement.
Before Sun could choose, Aru stepped forward.
"I will carry him."
Aru's voice sounded indifferent, and nobody in the group knew if he did this because of friendship or duty. Either way, nobody objected to it.
Soon they ventured deeper into the forest, following overgrown paths; leaving the bloodshed behind them.
That night, they camped in total darkness.
They ate in silence, only letting out a small cheer when Bren woke up from his coma.
Then they lay on the ground and slept. The injuries they had suffered during the battle were manageable, but everyone was exhausted.
The next morning, they left before dawn.
Their goal wasn't too far, and they could reach it directly by cutting through the forest in a straight line. However, Yun Qiang knew it would risk exposing them to any patrol that came to investigate the area.
So he pushed his group south, further distancing them from their previous battlefield. Only after they had put enough distance between themselves and that area did he gradually curve their trajectory toward the river.
By midday, their surroundings started to change. Trees started becoming sparse and the ground wetter.
The group stopped briefly to rest before continuing.
When they finally emerged from the thinning forest, a river stretched out before them.
It was wide enough for a medium-sized boat to pass through, while its treeless shores provided an unobstructed view of the opposite bank.
Finally, they had arrived.
Yun Qiang let out a long sigh of relief. They had reached their assigned area. Now they only needed to map the area and signal any threats that might endanger the main force for their mission to be considered a success.
He started giving out his orders, the relief in his voice was evident.
"Memorize the area and search for anything unusual. In the next two days, we will travel along the shore and be on the lookout for any passing patrol. If —"
Yun Qiang stopped. Someone was approaching them.
He raised his hand, signaling his team to take battle positions before turning south.
When the newcomers entered Yun Qiang's field of vision, his pupils trembled and his blood froze in his veins.
He unconsciously took a step backward.
"It's you..."