However, since Bai Yunfei and his companion had come specifically to rescue the captives, how could they possibly allow him to succeed?
A streak of blue light flashed before Li Shanhu's eyes. His right arm went limp, while an intense chill rapidly spread from his left arm. He hadn't even felt pain, only a terrifying numbness spreading through his limbs. He halted his charge, staring dumbfounded at the perfectly round hole piercing the joint of his elbow, his eyes utterly vacant.
Bai Yunfei had been intently watching Li Shanhu's every move since the moment he had punched him away. He had noticed the young women nearby earlier and refrained from rushing in recklessly precisely because he feared they might be harmed in any ensuing fight. His right hand, however, had silently moved behind his back. With a subtle flick, the Ice Spike materialized in his grasp.
The instant Li Shanhu surged forward, Bai Yunfei's right hand lashed out like lightning. The opponent's hand had barely extended when the Ice Spike shot through it in a blur.
No sooner had the Spike left his hand than Bai Yunfei charged after it. Giving Li Shanhu no time to react, he delivered a full-powered kick squarely into the man's abdomen, sending him sailing diagonally through the air!
Without a moment's pause, Bai Yunfei pursued, closing the over-ten-meter distance in a flash. His long spear thrust forward with lethal precision, piercing straight into Li Shanhu's chest just as gravity began to reclaim him!
BOOM!!
Li Shanhu's body was hoisted aloft on the spearhead. Streaks of crimson energy bled from his form before a deafening detonation tore him apart. A grisly rain of blood, fragmented bone, and pulverized flesh sprayed down.
Utterly shattered into fragments!
......
Watching the group of traumatized women, supporting each other, disappear in the direction of the village, Li Chengfeng turned to Bai Yunfei. "Yunfei, what's our next move? Blackwood Mountain lies just half a day's journey east from here. Should we press onward immediately?"
Bai Yunfei swept his gaze across the field littered with corpses, lowering his head in deep contemplation for a long moment. Finally, he shook his head. "No. We wait right here. We'll lie in wait like guarding a tree stump for rabbits! We've eliminated two of Heimu Stronghold's Hall Masters. If my guess holds true, another one should come looking for them..."
Though Li Chengfeng didn't grasp the meaning of "guarding a tree stump for rabbits," he understood Bai Yunfei intended to ambush the next group of bandits arriving here.
"Alright, your call. But next time, if there really is a Hall Master among them, let me engage him first. I feel I'm on the very cusp of breaking through to the mid-stage Soul Apprentice level. If I can gain some insight in combat, the breakthrough should be swift. Should I truly prove no match, you can step in then."
Bai Yunfei blinked, a flicker of surprise and pleasure crossing his face. "Oh? So close to a breakthrough already? Excellent! Then, once you reach the mid-stage Soul Apprentice level... we storm Heimu Stronghold and wipe them out!"
......
Tu Dazhuang, one of the Four Great Hall Masters of Heimu Stronghold. His nickname was "The Butcher," owing to his peculiar weapon of choice: two hefty cleavers usually associated with slaughtering pigs. To the uninitiated, he genuinely resembled a village butcher.
He was currently galloping along a mountain trail on horseback, leading twenty of his men.
"That damned Li Shanhu!" Tu Dazhuang, his face a mass of jowls framed by a thick beard, thought with mounting irritation as he rode. "Skulking down the mountain behind the Stronghold Master's back! Sure, the Deputy Master tacitly allowed it, but it's been a full day and night without a word! What's going on? Could something truly have happened?" A sense of foreboding gnawed at him.
"Hall Master! Look, up ahead on that open ground... there are people! Men from our stronghold!" one of his riders shouted.
Tu Dazhuang raised his head, squinting. Indeed, on a patch of open ground not far ahead, figures lay sprawled haphazardly. Though the details were unclear at this distance, their attire unmistakably marked them as Heimu bandits.
"Hmm? Did these drunken louts pass out and sleep through the night? Impossible!" A chill ran down his spine. "Forward! Double time! Check it out!" he barked the order. The group spurred their mounts, surging towards the clearing.
The moment they neared the prone figures, the unmistakable coppery tang of blood assaulted their nostrils. Tu Dazhuang's face darkened. As they drew close, the horrifying truth became undeniable: the ground was strewn with corpses!!
Moreover, the bodies had been deliberately arranged, obscured from clear identification at a distance…
"Ambush! Everyone, defensive posi—!"
Bandit warnings never seemed to get finished, or perhaps Bai Yunfei simply never allowed them the chance. The instant Tu Dazhuang cried out, two figures erupted from the gruesome pile of bodies, launching themselves at the nearest stunned brigands!
Bai Yunfei's fight was a foregone conclusion. The ordinary bandits fell before him with terrifying ease.
The battle between Li Chengfeng and Tu Dazhuang, however, raged on considerably longer. In truth, Li Chengfeng's cultivation was noticeably inferior. But Bai Yunfeo, having swiftly dispatched his own opponents, stood nearby, spear held loosely but watchfully. This looming presence shattered Tu Dazhuang's focus.
Tu Dazhuang fought with stifled aggression, constrained and cautious. Li Chengfeng, conversely, reveled in the furious exchange. His twin daggers danced like silver serpents, leaving shallow gashes across his opponent's arms and torso. He bore his own share of wounds, but his key advantage lay beneath his clothes: the reinforced soft armor.
Mid-combat, Li Chengfeng's strikes suddenly gained a noticeable surge in speed and power. Watching, Bai Yunfei felt a surge of elation: He's actually advancing! Breaking through to mid-stage Soul Apprentice right here in the thick of battle!
The tide turned inexorably. Depleted and unnerved, Tu Dazhuang found himself increasingly on the back foot. Ultimately, worn down by the relentless assault and the insidious effects of Li Chengfeng's enchanted daggers, "The Butcher" was butchered himself!
With the fight concluded, Bai Yunfei dragged a semi-conscious bandit – deliberately spared for questioning – and dumped him aside. He then tossed a vial of healing medicine to Li Chengfeng. "Rest. Patch yourself up. Then... we'll extract some specific intelligence about Heimu Stronghold's layout and defenses..."
......
Within Heimu Stronghold, in a spacious main hall, sat a man who appeared refined and scholarly – Han Xiao, the Stronghold Master. To his left, in the first subordinate seat, sat a powerfully built man with a sallow complexion: Deputy Stronghold Master Yang Tian. Seated further down was a man of unremarkable features: Xiao Chen, the sole remaining member of the Four Great Hall Masters.
All three wore grim expressions as they listened to the report of a bandit kneeling in the center of the hall.
CRACK!
Han Xiao's face grew increasingly livid. Finally, unable to contain his fury, he slammed his palm down, shattering the armrest of his chair. "Will someone please tell me WHAT IS GOING ON?!" he roared, his refined facade cracking into pure rage. "Li Shanhu deserts his post, descends the mountain without authorization, and vanishes! The Butcher I sent to find him hasn't returned a whisper! Even the scouts dispatched afterward – multiple teams! – none have come back! What catastrophe has struck?! Are there man-eating beasts roaming the foothills? Not a single trace of the living or the dead! Is someone... targeting Heimu Stronghold?"
His usually gentle features were now twisted with fury. The reporting bandit felt Han Xiao's icy glare and instantly crumpled, collapsing to the floor, his face ghostly pale, trembling uncontrollably. "S-stronghold M-master... I... I truly don't know..."
"Stronghold Master, restrain your anger," interjected the rugged-looking Deputy Master, Yang Tian, his voice surprisingly calm amidst the storm. "If formidable enemies truly lurk outside, losing composure only invites disaster. The situation is murky. We must not sow chaos amongst ourselves and grant our foes an opening."
"Then what is your assessment?" Han Xiao demanded, forcing himself to take a breath.
"Hall Masters Li and Tu missing without a trace... I fear they have likely met their end," Yang Tian stated gravely. "Both were late-stage Soul Apprentices, leading dozens of men. Yet not one returned. I deduce our adversaries are Soul Masters themselves, likely formidable. Most critically... they are almost certainly targeting Heimu Stronghold deliberately!"
"But... every major faction in the surrounding cities knows Heimu Stronghold has the backing of the Sect!" Han Xiao countered, frustration bubbling anew. "Even the local officials turn a blind eye! Who would dare move against us?"
"The enemy eliminated all our scouts to conceal their identities," Yang Tian reasoned grimly, "and to exert psychological pressure. I advise we cease sending men down the mountain immediately. Fortify our defenses here. Draw the enemy up to us. However..." His expression darkened further.
"However what?" Han Xiao pressed, unnerved by Yang Tian's deepening frown.
"Hall Master Zhong... the timing... he should have returned from delivering the Sect's tribute days ago. Yet now..." Yang Tian trailed off ominously.
"WHAT?!" Han Xiao shot to his feet, eyes wide with dawning horror as he locked onto Yang Tian. "You mean to suggest... Hall Master Zhong has also fallen prey to these enemies?!"
Seeing Yang Tian's grim nod, Han Xiao slumped back into his shattered chair, the fight momentarily draining out of him. He waved a weary hand at the assembled men. "All of you... dismissed. Follow the Deputy Master's plan. Strengthen the mountain defenses immediately. Report any sign of intrusion!"
......
At the base of Blackwood Mountain, hidden within a dense copse of trees, they had a clear view of the single winding path leading upwards.
Li Chengfeng watched Bai Yunfei lean against a tree trunk, resting after his spear practice drills. A note of doubt crept into his voice. "Yunfei, there's been no movement from the bandits for three days now. Are we just going to keep waiting down here? While we have ample supplies, we can't match the stores of an entire stronghold. What if they don't come down for a month... or two?"
Bai Yunfei took a swig from his waterskin and chuckled. "Steady. It's them who should be anxious. Remember the intelligence we pried loose? The forces up there... besides the Stronghold Master at the Soul Warrior mid-stage, that Deputy Master Yang Tian alone, at late-stage Soul Practitioner, would give us both immense trouble. Add a late-stage Soul Apprentice Hall Master into the mix... charging up recklessly could trap us in grave danger..."
"But can we even trust that information we tortured out of that bandit? What if he lied?" Li Chengfeng pressed, skepticism clear.
"While we shouldn't take it as gospel," Bai Yunfei conceded, "it's hardly useless. At the very least, it revealed the rough strength of their forces, the general layout, and the locations of some hidden sentries." His gaze hardened as it swept towards the mountain path. "They won't come willingly. Very well. We go up tonight."
......
Deep in the night, Han Xiao was jolted awake from slumber by a sudden clamor. Instantly alert, he threw on his robes just as frantic knocking echoed on his door. "Stronghold Master!" a panicked voice yelled from outside. "Intruders! On the mountain! Hall Master Xiao is already heading towards the commotion!"
By the time Han Xiao reached the main hall, Deputy Master Yang Tian was also arriving, his expression tight with urgency. "Stronghold Master! We must hurry! That hotheaded fool Xiao Chen charged off without coordinating! We can only hope he can hold the intruders until we reach them..."
They led a large contingent of bandits out of the stronghold compound. The sounds of battle – chaotic screams and agonized shrieks – reached them long before they laid eyes on the clash.
The path up Blackwood Mountain narrowed near the base before widening significantly higher up. Now, at this transition point, over a hundred bandits had surged forward, though only a few dozen at the front were actually engaged in the vicious melee.
Li Chengfeng moved like a phantom panther, darting through the throng. His daggers flashed with deadly efficiency, leaving crimson trails; any bandit within his lethal reach fell instantly.
Slightly behind him, Bai Yunfei wielded his Flame-Tipped Spear, locked in combat with another spearman: Xiao Chen.
Though Bai Yunfei possessed greater raw power, Xiao Chen clearly possessed superior spear technique. Consequently, with Bai Yunfei deliberately holding back some strength, the duel remained fiercely contested.
Yanking his spear free from the chest of a bandit who had tried to flank him, Bai Yunfei ducked under Xiao Chen's sweeping blow and countered with a powerful thrust of his own, forcing the Hall Master several steps back. Bai Yunfei glanced upwards. Torchlight flickered near the summit – a large force of bandits was descending rapidly.
"Time's up! Prepare to withdraw!" Bai Yunfei snapped, unleashing a flurry of thrusts at Xiao Chen to drive him back further. He then snatched another opportunistic attacker lunging at his flank and hurled the man bodily towards Xiao Chen. Spinning around, he shouted to Li Chengfeng, already turning to disengage.
"Think you can just run? NOT THAT EASY!" Xiao Chen roared, batting aside the hurtling bandit. Seeing Bai Yunfei turn away, he lunged, his spear aimed straight for Bai Yunfei's exposed back.
He failed to notice the cold smile that flickered across Bai Yunfei's lips as he pivoted.
Using the planted foot as an axis, Bai Yunfei spun back around with explosive force. His Flame-Tipped Spear carved a blazing crimson arc, effortlessly deflecting Xiao Chen's thrust aside!
The sheer, unexpected power behind the parry jolted through Xiao Chen's arms, plunging him into horrified realization – he wasn't using his full strength before! Instinct screamed for retreat, but Bai Yunfei was already closing the gap, his feet driving him forward relentlessly.
His right fist drew back, coiled power visible even in the dim torchlight, aimed squarely at Xiao Chen's now wide-open chest!
Wave-Stacking Art! Triple Wave Fist!
Xiao Chen's spear tumbled from his grasp. His chest caved in grotesquely with a sickening crunch. Blood erupted from his mouth as he was hurled backward like a ragdoll.
Through relentless practice over recent days, Bai Yunfei could now unleash the Triple Wave Fist without the debilitating recoil. His spear became a blur, raining down strikes upon Xiao Chen's still-airborne body!
Bloody holes blossomed across the Hall Master's form before he even hit the ground. He offered no resistance, clearly lifeless. Yet Bai Yunfei did not relent. On the sixth strike, a fierce glint ignited in his eyes. He roared, "Now... EXPLODE!"
KA-BOOM!!
Under the petrified gaze of scores of bandits, Xiao Chen's body disintegrated instantly. A crimson mist rained down, drenching the front ranks of the terrified brigands.
This horrific spectacle was the first sight that greeted Han Xiao and Yang Tian as they finally crested the rise and beheld the battlefield.
Bai Yunfei cast a final, icy glance towards the large force swarming down the path from the summit. Without hesitation, he spun and vanished into the dark trail leading downhill, Li Chengfeng a shadow beside him. Not a single bandit dared pursue.
But a voice, imbued with chilling power and resonant enough to reach every ear on the mountainside, echoed up from the darkness below:
"Three days! In three days, Heimu Stronghold will be wiped from the face of this earth! Every soul remaining on this mountain... will be slaughtered! KILL!"