Chapter 14: Desperate Flight

Xie Quan's expression was solemn as he stepped forward to meet the challenge.

*Clang!*

Xie Quan's long spear struck first, hitting the blade of the ring-pommel saber. A surge of internal energy erupted from the spear tip, breaking Zhang Jinkui's force.

Zhang Jinkui was prepared this time. He merely took a step back to forcibly stabilize his stance, then transitioned his saber from a hacking motion to a slicing one. Executing the "Mountain Lord Probing Claw" technique, he swept the blade toward Xie Quan with a roar

"Li Yong, I'll tie him down! Attack his left flank, quickly!"

Zhang Jinkui knew that Manager Li practiced a second-rate cultivation method; even if he hadn't broken through to the internal energy stage, his strength was still considerably higher than his own. Thus, he intended to exert his full strength to entangle Xie Quan and create an opportunity.

But just as Zhang Jinkui was fighting for his life, Manager Li's figure retreated violently. Using lightwork footwork, he bolted toward the valley entrance!

Zhang Jinkui's eyes nearly split with rage

"Li Yong, you coward! You'll die a horrible death!"

Xie Quan seized the opportunity to press his attack

"Haha, Zhang Jinkui, are you still going to resist futilely? Li Yong has already fled; you are absolutely no match for me alone!"

Shaken in spirit, Zhang Jinkui was repelled by Xie Quan's internal energy. The spear shaft struck his chest and abdomen, causing him to spray blood. Yet, he roared through the pain

"I've been roaming the martial world for over twenty years! If I were afraid of death, I wouldn't be called the Savage Vajra! Dammit, I'll fight you to the end! Even if I die, I'll tear a piece of your skin off!"

With a ferocious expression, he raised his saber and charged at Xie Quan again like a mad tiger, heedless of everything.

Because Zhang Jinkui was fighting with his life on the line, even though Xie Quan held the upper hand, he could not finish him off immediately.

As the two were locked in combat, Manager Li took the chance to rush to Wu Dong's side. He thrust his sword forward and shouted

"Give it your all!"

Hearing this, Wang Cong and the other two also exerted their full strength, attacking Wu Dong.

Surrounded by several attackers, including Manager Li—a peak Bone-Refining stage martial artist—Wu Dong was forced to retreat.

Wang Cong and his companions were overjoyed and intended to continue their assault, but Manager Li turned and ran toward the valley entrance, shouting sternly

"Don't linger in the fight! Follow me and break out!"

Wang Cong and Zheng Jun immediately activated the "Tiger-Subduing Steps," the lightwork technique inherent to their Tiger-Subduing Strength, to keep up with Manager Li. Zhao Shan, however, froze in place, stunned.

Manager Li turned and glared at him

"Don't just stand there, run for your lives! Do you want to die?"

Gritting his teeth, Zhao Shan followed.

The four of them rushed toward the valley entrance, and any bandits they encountered along the way were dispatched by Manager Li's casual thrusts.

Throughout the journey, he shouted incessantly

"The Black Wind Fortress is too powerful to face! Our only chance of survival is to break out of this valley!"

The guard unit was already on the verge of collapse. Hearing these words, their morale vanished completely. With a collective cry, they turned and charged toward the valley entrance.

Chen Yuan had been watching Manager Li's movements. Seeing this, he suddenly erupted with immense strength, hacked down a Bone-Refining bandit in front of him, and used the Tiger-Subduing Steps to follow the four men.

Wu Dong's expression changed. He raised his saber and chased after them, cutting down two guards who had fallen behind, and shouted

"Hold the valley entrance! Block them!"

The Black Wind Fortress bandits clung tightly to the Hundred Weapons Hall guards nearby, while the bandits guarding the valley entrance surged forward with sinister grins. They hacked down with chaotic blades like they were mowing grass, filling the valley with screams of agony.

Having lost their fighting spirit, the guards only wanted to escape; they had become lambs to the slaughter, no harder to kill than pigs.

However, they were not without utility. To intercept them, the formation of the bandits guarding the valley entrance became much looser, providing Manager Li and the others an opportunity to break through.

Manager Li's Autumn Water Sword thrust out with ancient, simple movements. The blade seemed slow but was actually incredibly fast, killing several blocking bandits in succession. He barked

"Don't worry about the others! Quickly, follow me and break out!"

The four Bone-Refining martial artists—Chen Yuan, Zhao Shan, Wang Cong, and Zheng Jun—also gave their all. Their moves were ruthless, and bandits fell one after another, greatly relieving the pressure on Manager Li.

A moment later, the five reached the valley entrance, only a dozen steps away from freedom.

But at that moment, Wu Dong caught up from behind, swinging his saber toward Zheng Jun, who was at the rear.

A flash of malice crossed Zheng Jun's face. He suddenly reached out, grabbed Chen Yuan's shoulder in front of him, and exerted sudden force to fling him backward.

But Chen Yuan seemed to have anticipated this. He spun around and slammed an elbow heavily into Zheng Jun's forearm!

*Crack!*

The blow was so heavy that Zheng Jun's forearm snapped. He let out a piercing scream

"Ah! You... ugh..."

He suddenly staggered, using his ring-pommel saber to prop himself up against the ground to barely stay standing. Looking down, he saw an arrowhead protruding from his left chest, glistening with blood.

*Puff!*

Wu Dong caught up from behind and swung his saber, slicing across Zheng Jun's neck.

As Zheng Jun slumped down, Jiang Feng, standing in the distance, gave a cold smile. He drew a second feathered arrow, aimed slightly, and pulled the bowstring taut.

*Swish!*

The arrow shot out, aimed directly at Manager Li.

The timing was exquisite. Manager Li had just killed a Bone-Refining bandit; his previous momentum had dissipated, and his new strength had not yet gathered. In his haste, he could only manage to turn his body to avoid a strike to his heart.

*Squelch!*

The arrow struck Manager Li's right arm. He let out a muffled groan, his wrist jerking so hard that the Autumn Water Sword nearly fell from his hand.

*Swish!*

Jiang Feng immediately fired a third arrow, aimed at Manager Li's vital organs in his chest and abdomen.

Manager Li had lost the space to dodge and seemed destined to die under the arrows.

Zhao Shan stopped in his tracks and lunged forward, crying out in alarm

"Master!"

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed, and he slightly slowed his pace.

Wang Cong was closest to Manager Li, but after the man was hit by the arrow, he did not stop. Instead, he accelerated, looking as if he were about to overtake Manager Li.

In this life-or-death moment, a flash of ruthlessness appeared in Manager Li's eyes. He swung his left hand forcefully, and a thin, nearly invisible white silk thread flew out from a ring on his finger. It wrapped around Wang Cong's arm and yanked him backward with great force!

Like a wild horse caught by a lasso mid-gallop, Wang Cong lost his balance and jerked violently to the right, landing perfectly in front of Manager Li.

*Squelch!*

The arrow pierced through Wang Cong's left chest, the arrowhead protruding from his back.

Zhao Shan's body jerked to a halt as he stared at the scene in disbelief.

Chen Yuan's expression also shifted slightly, his hand tightening instinctively on his saber.

As the two slowed their pace, the Black Wind Fortress bandits guarding the valley entrance cowered to the side, not daring to attack.

The only Bone-Refining bandit had just died under Manager Li's sword; the remaining bandits were only at the Skin-Refining stage and did not dare provoke the three men.

Wang Cong's eyes were wide, staring fixedly at Manager Li with a face full of resentment, blood gushing from his mouth

"Ugh... Li Yong... you... you'll die a horrible death..."

With a cold expression, Manager Li flicked his left wrist, throwing Wang Cong toward the approaching Wu Dong.

Wu Dong struck out with a palm from his left hand, knocking Wang Cong aside, then channeled his strength to attack Manager Li.

The saber whistled through the air with a sharp cry, but Manager Li remained unfazed. He slightly flicked his left wrist upward.

*Whiz!*

A three-inch short arrow shot out from his sleeve, nearly silent and as fast as lightning, aimed straight for Wu Dong's throat!

With no way to dodge, Wu Dong's hair stood on end. He let out a wild roar and thrust his left hand up to block.

*Squelch!*

The short arrow pierced Wu Dong's left arm, bringing a spray of blood with it.

Manager Li turned and ran toward the valley entrance. Chen Yuan leaped to follow, not forgetting to shout back to Zhao Shan

"Senior Brother, hurry up!"

Zhao Shan jolted awake. Ignoring everything else, he followed Manager Li toward the valley entrance, but he quietly increased the distance between them.

Bandits are cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong. Seeing that even Wu Dong was injured, they did not dare block the three men.

However, with Wu Dong watching from behind, they could not simply step aside. They could only offer symbolic resistance before feigning defeat to clear a path.

Eager to save their lives, Manager Li and the others did not linger. Once the bandits retreated, they immediately burst through the valley entrance.

Watching the retreating backs of the three men fleeing for their lives, Wu Dong did not pursue immediately. Instead, he raised his left arm, pulled out the short arrow, and carefully inspected the wound.

Blood spurted from the wound, bright red. After a light sniff, finding no unusual odor, Wu Dong finally felt relieved.

At this time, Jiang Feng arrived at the valley entrance. Seeing Wu Dong inspecting his wound, he asked with concern

"Brother Dong, are you alright?"

Wu Dong tore a piece of cloth from his waist, wrapped the wound haphazardly, and grinned

"I'm fine. The sleeve arrow wasn't poisoned, and luckily my reaction was fast enough that it didn't hit anything vital. I'll just go back to the fortress to have Doctor Mo take a look."

Jiang Feng breathed a sigh of relief, then said with murderous intent

"Big Brother said we can't leave anyone from the Hundred Weapons Hall alive. I'll take men and chase them down to kill them all!"

Wu Dong shook his head

"No, I'll go alone. The forest is dense, and your archery won't be effective here. It's better if you stay in the valley and guard the entrance so no one else escapes."

Jiang Feng hesitated

"But your injury..."

Wu Dong waved his left arm off dismissively

"It's just a superficial wound, no big deal. That Li Yong was hit in the right arm by your arrow; his strength is greatly diminished. I'll take three Bone-Refining brothers with me; it'll be foolproof."

"Very well." Jiang Feng nodded, glancing up at Xie Quan, who was still fighting fiercely with Zhang Jinkui. "Zhang Jinkui is indeed brave. I'll go assist Big Brother."

Wu Dong laughed loudly

"If Li Yong had teamed up with Zhang Jinkui, it might have been a hard fight. But who would have thought he was such a coward? What a waste of the name 'Six Yang Sword'! However, all his scheming was for nothing. In these deep mountains, he won't escape my grasp!"

...

Half an hour later, in a dense forest, Manager Li and the other two were hacking through thorns and vines, struggling to climb up the mountain.

Their black martial attire had been reduced to rags, and their skin was covered in small cuts from the thorns, bleeding profusely.

From behind them, Wu Dong's shouts could faintly be heard

"Keep up! Don't let them get away..."

After escaping the valley, Manager Li had only used some wound salve to treat his right arm and swallowed a blood-stanching pill before Wu Dong's men caught up.

The guide who knew the paths had died in the valley. The three dared not take the mountain road they had come from, so they chose a random direction and fled into the forest.

The forest was thick with thorns and vines, forcing them to hack out a path, which was an ordeal in itself.

Wu Dong led the bandits in a relentless pursuit, forcing them to never stop moving.

However, the gap between the two parties was closing. After fleeing this long, they were on the verge of being caught.

*Crack!*

Zhao Shan forcefully hacked through a vine, and the three arrived at a clearing filled with boulders halfway up the mountain.

Manager Li stopped, panting heavily, and said

"We can't run anymore. We don't know the mountain paths, but the Black Wind Fortress operates deep within the Chiman Mountains; they know the terrain and the methods of tracking in the forest. If we keep this up, we'll be caught sooner or later!"