Chapter 68: Fierce Battle! A Glint of Cold Light Arrives First
Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Fierce Battle! A Glint of Cold Light Arrives First
Normally, the men from the Slave Capture Team should have relaxed upon seeing the lights here.
The lights meant two things. First, the horses they had left behind were safe. They could mount up immediately, bring along these Scavengers who could barely walk, and quickly ride back to their stronghold.
It also meant that the people from Flame Camp hadn’t discovered this location.
That they were safe.
Once these two thoughts took hold, the tension coiling inside them would slacken.
And that would be the perfect moment for Tang Wen to launch a sneak attack.
He picked his spot, scrambled up a crooked tree in a few quick movements, and hid himself behind the trunk, lying in wait.
Time slowly trickled by.
Suddenly, Tang Wen opened his eyes from his perch in the tree.
In the distance, a dark mass of figures was approaching—a bustling crowd of about a hundred people.
Tang Wen focused, observing them carefully.
The ones in the middle were clearly the Scavengers. Their mouths were gagged, and their bound hands were strung together by a long rope.
If they wanted to run, the entire line would have to move in perfect sync in the same direction.
Otherwise, if they scattered, they would just end up in a tangled heap.
Tang Wen first focused on the two men leading the way at the front.
One of them held a long spear, the other a blade and shield.
The other six were scattered to the rear, left, and right.
These eight men surrounded the hundred or so Scavengers, leading them along by the rope as if herding sheep, moving with a steady gait.
Judging by his footwork, the man on the left at the front had a steady and powerful gait. He left almost no trace as he walked, a clear sign of superior footwork technique.
He had to be a Martial Artist.
The other Martial Artist was obscured by the crowd, bringing up the rear.
Tang Wen stared at him for a few moments, but the man didn’t react.
This confirmed Tang Wen’s judgment. ’There are stronger and weaker Martial Artists. This one’s perception isn’t very keen, so his strength can’t be that great either.’
’By my calculations, the General should be arriving soon.’
’And I’ve gotten a good read on the enemy’s strength.’
’If I don’t strike now, when will I?’
He reached out and retrieved three smooth, oval-shaped pebbles, clutching them in his hand.
Through numerous experiments, he had found that pebbles of this shape were not only hard but also flew the fastest when thrown.
If they were blocked by a weapon or another hard object, they would shatter into a sufficient number of fragments.
This would create ample killing power.
The enemy drew closer and closer.
’Better to take one out completely than to injure all of them.’
’First, kill the Martial Artist in the front!’
A cold light glinted in Tang Wen’s eyes. He released the tree trunk and kicked off it with explosive force!
Like a gliding nighthawk, he shot out horizontally, several meters in the air.
"What was that?"
"GAK GAK!"
The Martial Artist roared, and a Blood Crow shrieked.
WHOOSH!
The shouts and shrieks were drowned out by a terrifying sound of something tearing through the air.
"Look out!"
The leading Martial Artist instinctively realized the Hidden Weapon was aimed at him.
His reaction was incredibly fast.
Facing the three Hidden Weapons flying in a triangular formation, he knew he couldn’t dodge.
Without hesitation, he dropped to one knee, avoiding the one aimed at his head.
At the same time, he raised his round shield with his right hand and swung his steel blade with his left arm.
CLANG! CLANG!
After two nearly simultaneous, jarring impacts, a scream of agony followed.
"AHHHH!"
The round shield was struck by a high-speed pebble, and both shattered at the same time.
The shield had protected its master well.
However, the wrist and arm holding it had absorbed a terrifying impact. His hand and wrist were completely shattered, exposing ghastly white bone fragments.
Simultaneously, his blade struck the other pebble, causing both the blade and the stone to break.
The stone exploded in front of his face, slashing his left eye and leaving him a bloody mess.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Tang Wen pressed his advantage, relentlessly launching more Flying Stones.
Despair filled the leader’s eyes. He rolled on the ground in pain, trying to dodge, but he was a step too slow. A stone slammed into his chest. He didn’t even make a sound before his vision went black, and he fell to the ground, spread-eagled and unconscious.
"Third Master!"
"It’s just one person."
"Surround him!"
"Use your arrows!"
Crossbow Arrows sliced through the air.
Tang Wen drew his blade, knocked them all aside, and landed on his feet.
Before he could even steady himself, a figure rushed at him from behind with the force to shatter trees and level mountains, throwing a punch straight at his chest!
A Second-class Martial Artist!
’It seems this is the stronger one, the Fourth Master!’
Locked on by the man’s killing intent, the hair on Tang Wen’s body stood on end.
He felt like a wild beast facing its natural predator!
At this critical moment, his mind became a clear void as he rapidly sketched a scene in his thoughts: A Fireball soaring up and bombarding a mountain!
The image complete, he gripped his blade with both hands and brought it down fiercely!
BOOM!
A shockwave erupted. The gale force from their collision swept up the dead leaves and withered branches on the ground, sending them flying in all directions.
Tang Wen’s hands felt slightly numb, but before he could even catch his breath...
...the thrum of a bowstring reached his ears.
’Damn Archers!’
The Fourth Master had met his long blade with a fist. Even with a Fine Steel Fist Glove, he had still suffered a small loss.
His charge had been halted by Tang Wen’s strike, and he was now in the process of recovering his strength.
He hadn’t expected someone with such a youthful face to be able to use Visualization Power with a long blade!
That was the mark of a Veteran Martial Artist.
Even more unexpectedly, Tang Wen’s hasty strike, made before he’d even steadied himself, had been so powerful and heavy.
As the Crossbow Arrow flew toward him, Tang Wen pinpointed its location by sound alone. He didn’t even try to dodge. He performed another Visualization and raised his blade for another strike.
This time, his feet were planted firmly on the ground. Power surged up from his very soles, and he unleashed an explosive force dozens of times greater than that of an ordinary person.
With a thunderous crash, the Tiger Head Blade cleaved through the Steel Fist Glove and crushed the man’s right knuckles.
The Fourth Master retreated again and again.
THWAP! THWAP! THWAP!
Tang Wen’s steps faltered. He had been hit by three arrows.
A look of delight appeared on the Fourth Master’s face.
’I used Armor-Piercing Arrows! He’s a dead man!’
But Tang Wen, with three arrows sticking out of him, charged forward like a madman, completely ignoring his wounds, and raised his blade to strike.
"Hah!"
The Fourth Master sneered. He no longer met the attacks head-on, instead using a Power Burst to put distance between them.
’This young Martial Artist is about to fall!’
He knew very well that the few Archers in his team were black-hearted; they had definitely coated their arrowheads with poison.
’Since that’s the case, why bother clashing head-on?’
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
The sound of something cutting through the air came again. He rolled on the ground and hid behind a tree.
The Flying Locust Stone missed, disappearing into the darkness beyond.
Tang Wen dodged the arrows and plunged his blade into the ground.
He flipped out more stones with both hands and unleashed a barrage at the surrounding Archers and others.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Dust flew up from the ground, as if the area was being shelled by artillery.
"Look out! Ah—"
"I can’t dodge! Ahhh—"
A series of screams rang out as three Archers were killed one after another by the Flying Locust Stones.
The more cautious ones scrambled for cover, not daring to show their heads.
As for the Scavengers, ever since the screaming started, they had all instinctively crouched down on the spot, covering their heads like ostriches.
One could only say that this, too, was a kind of survival instinct.
The Fourth Master led his men to charge Tang Wen, so the battlefield had moved slightly away from them.
This ended up saving their lives.
Tang Wen stretched his arms, shaking his Scale Armor.
The Armor-Piercing Arrows were indeed impressive, but against the 130-pound-plus heavy Scale Armor he was wearing, they could barely penetrate a single layer.
And he was wearing two layers of that same heavy Scale Armor.
Even if both layers were pierced, he still had his Hard Qigong!
The Bow and Arrow were destined to fail against him.
"AH!"
Tang Wen found an unlucky Lancer behind a tree. With one strike, he severed the man’s long spear, and without losing momentum, his blade split the man’s iron helmet. Under the immense pressure, the man’s skull was crushed.
In the blink of an eye, of the eight men, four were dead and two were injured.
Of the two Martial Artists, one had lost the ability to fight, and the other’s hand was wounded.
’Why hasn’t the poison taken effect yet?’
Hiding behind a tree, the Fourth Master’s heart sank.
’Damn it!’
’Don’t tell me those three idiots forgot to poison the arrowheads?’
While he was stewing in suspicion, a few more screams rang out.
It was Tang Wen, crippling someone’s limbs.
The Fourth Master grew even more frantic. ’This is bad. I can’t wait any longer. Those idiots might have really forgotten the poison.’
He roared, "This is bad! Scatter and run!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the last member of his team darted out from behind a tree and fled wildly.
But the Fourth Master stayed hidden, not moving an inch.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
He heard the sound of stones tearing through the air, followed immediately by his subordinate’s scream.
Only then did he explode into motion, darting out from behind the tree and sprinting back the way he came.
His eyes flickered. ’This stone-throwing technique... with such brutal power, it must be some kind of ultimate explosive move from a Contemplation Method.’
’Since it’s an ultimate move, the cost can’t be small.’
’Even if Tang Wen is a Martial Artist, how many times can he use that kind of explosive power while wounded by arrows?’
’Therefore, I will definitely get out of here alive!’
’You little brat!’
’Just you wait until I come back!’
A savage look appeared in his eyes. He spared no effort, infusing his legs with Observation Method Power to produce a series of continuous bursts.
Like an arrow released from a bow, accelerating multiple times, he disappeared into the forest.
Tang Wen gave chase from behind.
As for the Cannon Fist Observation Method, he currently only knew how to apply it to his fists and weapons.
He knew nothing about speed bursts. To catch up, he could only rely on his monstrously strong Constitution and his Master Level Traceless Step.
Even so, Tang Wen was gradually closing the distance.
SWISH!
The Fourth Master cursed Tang Wen for a monster and threw his damaged fist glove behind him.
Tang Wen tilted his head to dodge it, his speed unceasing.
The next second, he threw a Flying Locust Stone.
The stone cut through the air, but it lacked its earlier terrifying power.
’He’s exhausted!’
The fleeing Fourth Master was overjoyed. He leaped to the side to avoid the stone and continued to run.
Another stone came!
Hearing the wind whistle past his ear, he quickly dodged behind a tree, and the stone struck the trunk.
Tang Wen kept firing a continuous stream of Flying Locust Stones from behind. The fleeing Fourth Master had to use ninety percent of his focus to defend against the attacks from his rear.
Even the direction he was running was an unconscious choice to return the way he came.
THWACK!
He dodged another stone.
He could see the place where the horses were tied up just ahead.
Hope blossomed in his heart.
’As long as the two guys left on guard can hold up that monster behind me for just a moment, I can escape!’
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
The Flying Locust Stones kept him so busy defending that he had no capacity to think.
Suddenly, his temples throbbed, and a deep sense of unease washed over him.
SHINK!
A long spear shot out from behind a tree, striking like a viper, its cold tip aimed straight for his waist.