Chapter 213
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Regardless of the number of people, once their courage and spirit were gone, the group was reduced to nothing but a mob that was destined to be crushed!
At this moment, Yan Liqiang felt as though he was pursuing a group of hares rather than men .
The ruthless Blackwind Bandits, who killed people like scything flax among the northwestern provinces, were completely reduced into nothing but a group of feeble chickens before Yan Liqiang .
Yan Liqiang rode on his rhinodrake steed as though he was hunting . Every time he drew his bow and his arrow left the bowstring, a Blackwind Bandit running in front of him would be shot off his steed and would land heavily on the ground . Every time a Blackwind Bandit flew off his steed, the rest would grow more terrified . They were no different than stray dogs before Yan Liqiang . They didn't even have the courage to turn their heads back and look behind them .
Every blood-curdling scream that rang out from behind them, every sharp noise that broke through the air, and every vibration of the bowstring made them quiver uncontrollably . They were stuck in a nightmare they couldn't rid themselves of .
It wasn't like these Blackwind Bandits had never met anyone who had attained the Third Heavenly Layer in archery . In fact, their leader, whose life had been taken by Yan Liqiang's first arrow, had attained the Third Heavenly Layer in archery . Due to this reason, he was given the heavy responsibility of leading two hundred men here to make up for their failure in Wolf Fang Valley .
Although their leader had attained the Third Heavenly Layer in archery, he couldn't use such a powerful bow . The bow he used was only two piculs and his accuracy could still be compared to Yan Liqiang's over a shorter distance . However, over a longer distance, that person became the first offering to Yan Liqiang before he could even touch a hair on Yan Liqiang's head .
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In addition to a powerful bow, a person with perfect accuracy could become the nightmare of every warrior on the battlefield .
What terrified those Blackwind Bandits was the fact that they knew they could still wake up from normal nightmares . However, this nightmare they encountered today never had the plan to let them wake up from it in the first place and it was already their worst nightmare . Since the start of the battle, Yan Liqiang had been restlessly drawing that deadly powerful bow which could reap people's lives from a thousand meters away . He continued shooting quiver after quiver full of arrows, as though using powerful bow like that didn't consume any stamina . A person like this was already beyond the knowledge and understanding of those Blackwind Bandits . They hadn't even heard of someone like Yan Liqiang . Under normal circumstances, archers could only draw powerful bows of five piculs at most within a short span of time . That in itself was already a considerable achievement . Anyone who could draw and release more than a quiver full of arrows would be a superhuman . Up until this point in time, Yan Liqiang had already depleted over three quivers of arrows . Out of the two hundred people in the opposing party, about half of them were killed by the same person . Yan Liqiang was no longer human . He was a devil who was devouring their lives, flesh, and blood on the battlefield .
"Sagedan . . . "
Someone among the terrified Blackwind Bandits finally screeched involuntarily when they were running hither and thither like wolves and rats .
"UGH…!" As soon as the first Blackwind Bandit screamed, his throat was instantly pierced through by a sharp arrow and he fell backward . Although his body had already fallen onto the ground, one foot was still hooked onto the stirrup . In just the blink of an eye, half of his body turned into mangled flesh from being dragged across the ground by the sprinting rhinodrake steed, leaving behind a dark red trail on the ground .
This further alarmed the remaining Blackwind Bandits . In the end, their escape plan as a group completely fell apart as every Blackwind Bandit started urging on their steeds in every possible escape route . They didn't even have any courage left to turn their heads back .
Unbeknownst to the Blackwind Bandits, their final defeat had allowed them a chance of survival instead .
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Yan Liqiang was initially planning to massacre every last of these Blackwind Bandits from behind . However, he didn't expect their dispersal at this moment to instead prevent Yan Liqiang's interception . Despite the impressiveness of the warbow in his hands, he didn't have any cloning techniques . Hence, he could only chase after the biggest crowd of Blackwind Bandits .
… . . .
Ten minutes later, the moment his bowstring vibrated again, a bloody flower finally bloomed on the back of that final black figure on a hill two hundred meters ahead of him . The figure instantly collapsed onto the ground . The sight before Yan Liqiang's eyes was finally clean .
Snowstorm Cloud neighed . It immediately raised its moving body before it heavily stomped its front hooves against the ground and came to a halt .
Yan Liqiang turned around to take a look . He had left Sun Bingchen's party behind him . There were still a few black dots fleeing for their lives in the wilderness around him . However, there was a considerable amount of distance between him and those black dots .
"Liqiang…" Liang Yijie, who was similarly blood-stained, trotted over on his steed . He threw Yan Liqiang a conflicted glance which Yan Liqiang had never seen before . His gaze lingered on the Horned Python Bow in Yan Liqiang's hands for a brief moment . "Lord Sun is still back there . Let us regroup first…"
"Alright!" Yan Liqiang turned his steed around, then followed Liang Yijie to Sun Bingchen's location .
When Liang Yijie saw Yan Liqiang chase after those Blackwind Bandits alone earlier, he followed after them . During the pursuit, the Horned Python Bow in Yan Liqiang's hands was still the thing that truly struck terror into the hearts of those Blackwind Bandits . Although Liang Yijie was highly skilled in martial arts, his skills still meant nothing if there was a distance between him and his opponents .
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Liang Yijie didn't question Yan Liqiang about his cultivation in archery, so Yan Liqiang didn't offer any explanation either . Both of them quickly rode back on their rhinodrake steeds in a single file .
When Yan Liqiang saw the corpse of a Blackwind Bandit, he suddenly called out to Liang Yijie . "Brother Liang, wait a moment…!"
Liang Yijie stopped his steed too . Yan Liqiang lifted the veil which had been covering the Blackwind Bandit's face with his Horned Python Bow from the back of his steed . The pale face of a Shatu man with a contorted expression beneath the veil immediately came into Yan Liqiang's view .
"Shatu people…" Liang Yijie cried out in shock .
Since the beginning of the battle between both parties, these Blackwind Bandits had their faces veiled and they kept quiet . Although Yan Liqiang had killed more than one Blackwind Bandit, he didn't expect for them to actually be Shatu people .
"As I expected…" Yan Liqiang exhaled . He had his suspicion when he heard those Blackwind Bandits utter the word 'sagedan' earlier . In Shatu language, the word 'sagedan' referred to 'the devil' . He didn't expect these Blackwind Bandits to really turn out to be Shatu people .
The Blackwind Bandits had earned their fearsome reputation among the northwestern provinces mainly because none of the caravans or travelers that encountered them could ever get away alive . The Blackwind Bandits always moved in a group . They never let anyone get away alive, and they never left the corpses of their comrades behind . They were always seen to be wearing black veils and black clothes which completely covered their bodies . Almost no one had ever seen their faces . Those who were fortunate enough to find out were mostly reduced to nothing but a pile of bones .
On their way back, Liang Yijie checked every Blackwind Bandit corpse they came across . His findings were exactly the same as Yan Liqiang's first discovery — these Blackwind Bandits were all Shatu people without an exception .
When Yan Liqiang returned to Sun Bingchen, he could feel the obvious difference in the way everyone gazed at him, especially those guards around Sun Bingchen and Sun Bingchen himself . It could be said that the way those guards looked at Yan Liqiang right now was the same as how they looked at Liang Yijie before, but with a bit more reverence and admiration .
The corpses of the Blackwind Bandits were strewn all over the place, and the riderless rhinodrake steeds roamed about in the wilderness . The area where the deadly battle had taken place earlier reeked of blood . The bloody scent wafted everywhere along the night wind that blew across the land, attracting stray wolves from nearby . The stray wolves started gathering around the edges of the battlefield, slowly creeping closer . . .
During the battle earlier, there were about thirty wounded and twenty deaths among Sun Bingchen's guards . The once lively faces paled, and their living warmth was lost in just the blink of an eye .
There was heavy sadness in the atmosphere here .
All the veils of the Blackwind Bandits were pulled down, revealing that they were all Shatu people without exception .
Yan Liqiang clenched his teeth and dismounted . Along with the other guards, he picked up the fresh corpses of the guards who had just died in the battle earlier and tied them onto the rhinodrake steeds . Everyone worked without stopping for a moment and led every rhinodrake steed they could bring toward their next destination: the market town .
… . . .
Tens of minutes after Yan Liqiang and his party left, a huge Blackwind Bandits cavalry arrived with the sounds of thundering iron hooves .