"I asked you — who are you! Don't you have the guts to tell me your name?" Lei Jian Hong trembled from head to toe as he asked in a low voice. He had paid no attention to the opposite party's insult and ridicule; neither had he glanced at the horrible corpse of his brother disciple that lay on the ground below.
Third disciple Fang Piao Hong looked at her senior's corpse. Her entire body shuddered, and she was unable to speak-up.
The intense fighting had suddenly stopped. Zhao Wu Ji's men had escaped from the danger. So, they were rejoicing incessantly. Their enemies had lost interest in them since that person had arrived. This person had arrived a bit later than expected, but they didn't seem to care about that at this moment.
[It doesn't matter whether he came late or early… it's fine as long as he has shown-up. Isn't preserving one's life above everything else?]
Everyone had stopped. But, the prevailing atmosphere in the battlefield had become increasingly depressing.
Suddenly, the red-clothed man chuckled and raised his hand. His sleeve made a "snap!" sound. A sharp explosive sound emanated as his palm hit thin air. It was obvious that he had hit nothing but empty air. However, it seemed like he had struck at a solid object.
A slight 'swishing' sound was produced in the wind. Then, suddenly and quietly, the silhouettes of many people appeared in the surroundings.
The flames reflected light off each and every new comer's body. They were clad in red clothes. Each one of them stood calm and still. However, all of them had a cold and terrifying light flashing in their eyes. It seemed like a pack of blood-thirsty wolves were waiting for a command from their alpha.
The shadows of two people floated forward in the air, and arrived besides the first red-clad assailant. Their bodies glittered with a dark blue light as they stood facing Lei Jian Hong and Fang Piao Hong. However, the visual impact of their arrival had sent Lei Jian Hong's party into a shock.
All three of these assailants were Sky Xuan experts.
If one would look around… they'd see that many of the new-comers were covered with a bright earthen-yellow light; these people were Earth Xuan experts. There were around ten people who were at the Earth Xuan realm. The rest shone with the misty color of rain; Jade Xuan. There were thirty-to-forty Jade Xuan experts amongst them!
Lei Jian Hong's heart instantly became cold.
As cold as piece of ice…
[How can we fight this battle?!]
[The enemy's strength far-exceeds ours! And, our side only has third sister-disciple and me!]
"My name? Ha ha! Senior Lei, you're not new to this world. I'm an assassin from the Blood Sword Hall. How can I tell you my name? I may not care about you two, but how can I not care about Lei Wu Bei? He's the Great Master Lei! As for whether I have 'guts' or not — you can ask your second brother disciple. He would know it very clearly." the man in red tilted his head and answered Lei Jian Hong.
"Very good! Blood Sword Hall it is. I'll certainly remember you!" Lei Jian Hong glanced at them with grief and indignation. He then turned and spoke, "Junior sister, we'll shall leave now."
"Stop!" suddenly, the red-clad man shouted.
Lei Jain Hong halted his steps.
"Why? Don't tell me that you think that you can keep us from leaving?" Lei Jian Hong gave a plaintive laugh. "Your strength is far above us and we can't match you. But, do you think that you have the strength to restrain the two of us?"
Lei Jian Hong had spoken the truth. Both the sides were led by powerful Sky Xuan experts. It wouldn't be very difficult for the Blood Sword Hall to defeat Lei Jian Hong's side if they wanted to. However, it would be impossible for them to restrain Lei Jian Hong and Fang Piao Hong. These two could cut their bloody path of escape as long as they wanted to leave.
"He he, Elder Brother Lei misunderstands this younger brother's good intentions. You're the Great Master Lei's sole blood relative. We won't dare to commit such an offense!" the red-clad man spoke unhurriedly, "It's just that… your junior's corpse… don't you wish to take it with you? Are you going to leave it in this open wilderness?"
Lei Jian Hong snorted coldly, but didn't pick-up the corpse. He then rose into the air, and pulled Fang Piao Hong with him. He wasn't going to utter a single sentence in such a situation. The branches on the nearby trees oscillated several times as they disappeared into the night's sky.
Lei Jian Hong was aware that carrying Zhou Jian Ming's body would be a very heavy burden. In fact, it would prevent them from leaving. The red-clad man had spoken those words with clear evil intentions, but it was important for him and his sister-disciple to leave that place in order to avoid misfortune.
[A new enmity has been established, and it has left no room for any leeway. That red-clothed man and his companions will use any extreme methods to capture us if we try to retrieve the second brother's body. What difference would it make if my father is the Great Cold Blooded Master? There would be no one left alive to bear as witness if we both die here and the Li Family's warriors are caught in the same net. Then, even if my father decided to take vengeance… he wouldn't know whom to take it on!]
[The opposite party clearly has the strength of kill us if we tarry!]
Therefore, he made a prompt decision and left.
The opposite party didn't see any sense in stopping them — just as Lei Jian Hong had determined. Therefore, no one tried to stop them.
Suddenly, a milky-white mist started to rise in the dim light of night. It covered the entire area, and started to get increasingly dense. It appeared as if it had formed a thin protective screen.
The nights and early mornings were always misty in the wooded mountains. So, no one paid much attention to it. Moreover, a fresh burst of air had passed through the mountain trees along with that mist. This had a serene effect on everyone's heart, and they couldn't help but take deep breaths as they felt their spirits rise.
However, they were unaware that Jun Mo Xie had climbed down the tree, and had let out a deep sigh.
He secretly shouted at his misfortune.
[It's such a pity! Lei Jian Hong and his people left a bit too early! He would've been able to see it if he had remained for a moment longer. It is such a pity that I've had to put-in such efforts, and suffer untold hardships to make this Ecstasy Fragrance. Unfortunately, the two of them were able to escape this trap.]
The Ecstasy Fragrance was unsuitable for use in the battle at an earlier time since there had been a formidable flow of Xuan Qi. It was very likely that it would've been blown away without being able to achieve the desired effect.
However, Jun Mo Xie had realized that the situation had now become stable-enough for him to use his trump card. The Ecstasy Fragrance had been made from the Hongjun Pagoda's Aura. It was formless to the point where it was invisible; it was traceless to the point of secrecy.
However, there was little flavor to it. Nevertheless, it was fresh, cool and elegant. Anyone who smelled that fresh and elegant mist would lose their strength. Even a Xuan Qi expert would see their Xuan Qi decline very significantly. In effect, they'd lose considerable fighting-strength if they breathed-in that fragrance.
This was Jun Mo Xie's biggest trump-card for this operation.
"You… have finally come." Zhang Cun Xiao had suffered many injuries to his body. He limped-over with the use of a support as he welcomed the newcomers. Zhao Wu Ji also walked close besides him. He looked at the red-clad men with an expression of unbridled fear, but it was mixed with unlimited gratitude.
"Ugh, we had an unexpected accident a while back. That delayed us a little," the red-clothed man replied expressionlessly. "Where are the crossbows?"
Zhang Cun Xiao looked at Zhao Wu Ji. He understood that gesture, and went towards the carriages with some people in tow. However, he didn't stop at the carriages. Instead, he moved forward to the horses that had been drawing the carriages. He took down their saddles. Then, he removed loops of a transparent leather belt from the lower portion of their bodies. He then removed a thin and indiscernible pelt of fur from there. And suddenly, several brightly glittering crossbows fell down with a 'crashing' noise.
That's where Zhao Wu Ji had tied the crossbows!
This scheme was very surprising. In fact, it was exceptional.
Even if a thief wanted to get his hands on those items — he would start with the carriages. And, he would run to another direction to search if the carriages didn't have them. Who would care about what looked like mere 'carriage horses' at a glance?
"There are 350 crossbows in total; twenty more than expected. We've come to deliver them all. The original 'manufacturing-blueprint' has been burnt. A batch of twenty crossbows is tied to the belly of each horse. The remaining horses have batches of special arrows tied to their bellies. The arrows count to a number of 7000. And, this is only the first batch of these arrows. The second batch is being prepared at a quick pace."
Zhao Wu Ji bowed his head in fear and trepidation. He didn't know why he felt that the red-clad man — who was overflowing with a cold aura — seemed dissatisfied with him.
"Very good! You've accomplished your task properly!" the red clad man seemed gratified now, "This place shall allow you to rest. And, you'll also be given a reward…"
"Many thanks…" Zhao Wu Ji was overjoyed. He bowed his head to pay his respect and show his thanks. However, his head fell on the ground with a "Thud!" His face was smiling in gratitude, but it had been beheaded by the red-clad man.
"Fool!"
This was the final comment the red-clothed man had left for Zhao Wu Ji to hear.
"The reward I've given you is that you can follow your younger brother and reunite with him. You can rest in Hell permanently!" the red clothed man stated in a measured manner.
"Senior… you… why?" Zhang Cun Xiao looked shocked as he asked. The red-clad man quickly hit Zhang Cun Xiao's head, and instantly ruptured his brain. His victim was on the verge of death, yet he struggled and asked, "But… why?"
"Why? I thought that you were somewhat smart. But, you turned out to be an idiot as well! You're actually asking me the reason for this?!" The red-clad man wiped the blood from his hands as he smiled, "Do you idiots really believe that the Blood Sword Hall would be willing to cooperate with that idiotic pig of a Second Prince?! He also deserves this only!"
He then waved his hand, and sternly commanded, "Finish the task!"
The other red-clad men quickly set-about their task. They had intentionally or otherwise moved closer to the "lucky" survivors; they were nearly stationed beside them. The survivors had previously thought that the shadow of death had been dispersed from their tail with the arrival of such help. They had felt as if a big burden had been removed from their hearts. Hence, they hadn't taken even the slightest of precautions. They were killed and routed the moment the leader of the red-clothed men commenced the rebellion; they were chopped like melons. Even the very thought of resisting didn't occur in their heads. They just cried in misery as they went down.
The remaining red-clad men wordlessly chopped down with their swords, and beheaded the warriors of the Li Family who hadn't escaped with Lei Jian Hong.
These men had been led by the two Xuan Sky experts to attack their enemies. They had been on the winning side. And, the situation had completely overturned the next moment when three Sky Xuan, numerous Earth and Jade Xuan experts attacked them with full strength. Each one of the Li Family's warriors had felt despair when they had witnessed Lei Jian Hong depart. Therefore, they didn't even have the slightest of courage to resist, and were slaughtered in the blink of an eye.
There were only a little over ten red-clad men left in the battlefield at that moment. However, their strength was truly tyrannical. They attacked to kill; not a single one of their enemies was let-off injured.
The white mist that shrouded the mountain had become even denser.
"Hurry up and inspect! Confirm which horses carry the crossbows! Quickly tidy-up, and retreat!" the leader of the red-clothed men commanded with a sense of urgency.
"He he he… it's finally my turn! This has been fuc*ing exhausting… You guys play the game very fiercely… Most of you are still alive. That makes this Elder Brother very unhappy."
A mysterious laugh rang-out from thin air. It first came from the left, then from the right… then from the front… and then from behind. This phenomenon was unfathomable. One could only hear the words, "Blood Sword Hall is awesome! Your ability to select the most critical of moments… makes me admire you! But, if you're not working for the Second Prince… then, who are you working for? Perhaps I must ask this instead — who has the charisma to deserve the Blood Sword Hall's servitude? This Elder Brother is very interested in knowing, ah."
"Who's there? Who dresses-up as god but acts as the devil? Show yourself!" the leader of the red-clad men shouted while his eyes searched the surroundings.
"Humph… Humph…Humph! I'm your father! Your daddy!" The man in the shadows gave a vulgar smile. He then broke into a hearty laughter, "Is the clever son not sharp-enough to bow down and kowtow at his father's arrival?!"
"You court death!" the red-clothed man screamed in anger. He listened attentively, and then suddenly leapt up. His sword sent-out a long ray of blue-colored light. The blue light flew across, and made explosive noises as it hit several trees at their center. The ground made 'crackling' noises as the trees came crashing down. They pounded on the ground, and caused the dust to rise up in the air.
"Huh? How's this possible?" the red-clad man had killed a Sky Xuan expert with his the power of his attacks a moment ago. But, he had shouted this in a state of shock. He was shocked to discover that his Sky Xuan level Xuan Qi had dissipated to a great extent since the time he had sent his sword-attack a moment ago.
"Ha ha! There's only the unexpected in this world. Nothing is impossible. What can be considered as impossible?" the mysterious man hissed; he had remained hidden. He then roared, "Complete the task!"
There were explosions everywhere. The ground was suddenly overturned like waves in the sea. Silt and dust flew all over the place after the explosions. That was followed by several sturdy figures jumping out — people had suddenly started to appear from all sides.
A nimble figure suddenly appeared in mid-air, and unexpectedly made his way towards those Sky Xuan man. This mysterious expert flew towards them at a great speed.
The leader of the red-clad men cried, "Be careful!" However, he had barely finished crying-out when he saw a flash in front of him. Then, a black-clothed and masked man suddenly appeared right before him. The leader of the red-clad men was that mysterious man's true target. He quickly evaded backwards and raised his sword to go on the offensive.
However, his opponent followed him closely, and launched a quick attack. A cold light flashed to stab the red-clad man's throat. The cold light moved extremely quickly. In fact, it was faster than his eyesight could follow. He hadn't even seen the weapon when he heard a 'whooshing' sound. He then felt the cold sensation of something stabbing his throat.
The red-clothed man barely raised his sword as he retreated again. He then heard the 'whooshing' noise again, and realized that his opponent was about to attack his crotch. He quickly pulled-back his buttocks, and rejoiced in the fact that he had avoided that terrible attack. However, he became scared when he saw that light flash again. There was a thrust towards his eyes. But, he didn't have enough energy to tilt to the side to avoid the attack. He felt a stinging pain on his face, and realized that the dagger had pierced his skin. He then felt two elbows hit his chest. That was followed by a sudden pain in his lower region; every vulnerable area of his body had been ferociously struck.
The red-clad man was angry, in pain, and frightened…
The other side had copied the method he had used against Zhou Jian Ming. However, the roles had been reversed, and he was the one getting hit by the opposite party. Moreover, his opponent's speed was greater than his own; this man was more accurate as well.
[Is this divine retribution?!]