Chapter 30: Chapter 27: Entering the Mountain Village_1
"First, let’s find a place to settle down."
Lu Yan strode toward a dense forest.
He had no intention of going back to find Ma Pengxin and the others.
Going into the mountains to eradicate bandits was not what he desired.
Isn’t it good just to cultivate in peace and stability?
Even if there are rewards, with so many masters on both sides, what merits can he gain and how much reward can he obtain?
Now he has an excuse.
When the time comes, he’ll say he was injured while being chased by the young people of the Wu Family, just barely escaped, found a place to heal, and is unable to fight anymore.
Perfect.
But he hadn’t gotten far, when hurried footsteps sounded in front of him and a group of people appeared before him.
Lu Yan looked and was shocked.
All of them were Wu family’s men, more than ten of them.
One of them was surprisingly Wu Chaokong.
Lu Yan turned and ran.
Are you kidding? Wu Chaokong, touted as the first among the young generation of the Wu family, had reached the Fifth Breakthrough in his cultivation, possessed top-tier martial arts, he, as he was now, was no match even if he gave it his all.
"It’s a Red-clad Guard."
"Only one, chase!"
Wu family’s men also spotted Lu Yan, and someone wanted to give chase when Wu Chaokong stopped them.
"It’s just an ordinary Red-clad Guard, there’s no need to waste time, we must hurry to where the alarm sound came from."
Wu Chaokong said.
"Ma Pengxin and the others are in danger."
Lu Yan sighed.
Right now, it wasn’t about whether or not he wanted to rescue them, but about the fact that he just didn’t have the power to do so. Rushing in blindly would only get himself killed.
"I’m sorry."
Lu Yan murmured.
Just then, footsteps came from another direction, and more than ten figures emerged.
The one in the lead was actually Liu Xingren.
Lu Yan was speechless. If he wanted to get through this mission undetected, it would be really difficult. Biting his tongue, blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
Liu Xingren and his men had obviously seen Lu Yan and quickly came over.
"Lu Yan, it’s you, why are you alone here?"
Someone recognized Lu Yan and asked.
"We ran into two of the Red Sleeve Army. We were about to take them to Young Master Liu when we were intercepted by the Wu family’s people. I managed to escape in the chaos to inform others, but was pursued by one of the direct descendants of Wu family. It was only with great difficulty that I managed to shake them off and just happened to run into you."
Lu Yan quickly thought of an excuse.
This excuse might hint at cowardice, but for him, a person at the first or even the second limit-breaking stage, facing a direct descendant of the Wu family, running away was very normal. If he didn’t run, he would die.
The Red-clad guards were not martial soldiers.
Martial soldiers were bound by strict discipline, and desertion was punishable by death.
The Red-clad guard, on the other hand, was relatively more relaxed, not so harsh.
Strictly speaking, the Red-clad guard were like workers in a factory in his previous life. As long as they worked for enough years, they could leave at any time.
Of course, compared to the martial soldiers, their treatment was much worse and they had no access to the core secrets of the Feudal Lords.
"Was the alarm sound just now blown by you?"
As expected, Liu Xingren didn’t say much, but instead asked.
"Yes, Young Master Liu, I just saw Wu Chaokong and his men heading that way. Ma Pengxin and his people are in danger."
Lu Yan replied.
"Move!"
Liu Xingren took the lead and dashed toward the direction from where the alarm sound had come.
Lu Yan had no choice but to follow.
Thud!
When they arrived, they just happened to see Wu Chaokong’s giant palm, like a fan, shattering Ma Pengxin’s head.
As for the other three Red-clad guards, they had all been killed.
"Wu Chaokong, you’re asking for death."
Liu Xingren’s face was cold as he strode forward, knocking a Wind Patrol guard with a fifth breakthrough cultivation off his feet, and chopped his palm at Wu Chaokong.
"Liu Xingren, it’s been a year since we last fought, let’s see how much you’ve improved."
Wu Chaokong, his eyes revealing strong fighting intent, counterattacked.
Clang, clang!
The two exchanged a few lightning-fast blows, then retreated, neither gaining the upper hand.
Other people from the Liu family also arrived and confronted the Wu family’s men.
"Wu Chaokong, hand over the members of the Red Sleeve Army, and we’ll forget about your killing of the Red-clad guards."
Liu Xingren said coldly.
His true aim was the two members of the Red Sleeve Army.
As for the death of Ma Pengxin and the others, he did not care at all.
They were merely servants to the Liu family. If they died, they died.
"Liu Xingren, you’re not a fool, are you really thinking that I’d hand over the people over to you just because you asked?"
Wu Chaokong mocked.
"The Red Sleeve Army soldiers were found by my Liu family first." Liu Xingren said.
"Just because you found them first, they’re yours? In this world, the capable take all. Don’t you understand this? Once they fall into our hands, they are ours." Wu Chaokong retorted.
"Do you think you can take them away from here?"
A glint appeared in Liu Xingren’s eyes. His Qi-blood surged, enveloping his body in a red fog. His hands with their red scales gleamed with a strange light.
"Let me try."
Wu Chaokong smirks, revealing his white teeth. Paired with his unnaturally bulky arms, he looked like a monster.
Both sides were at their breaking point, on the cusp of conflict, the air feels heavy as if it had frozen solid.
However, neither made a move, as neither side had complete confidence in clinching victory.
"How about this, let the Red Sleeve Army soldiers lead the way, and we can go to the Red Sleeve Army’s base. We shall each do our best to see who is more effective in killing the bandits. Whoever beheads the bandit leader will be victorious. How does that sound?"
One of the Liu retainers proposed at this point.
Wu Chaokong and a few of the Wind Patrol masters murmured hurriedly among themselves. "Fine, let’s do that."
He knew full well that if a fight broke out, it would only end in mutual defeat. No one would be able to take away the Red Sleeve Army soldiers.
"No, we must not go to the mountain stronghold. It’s a demonic lair. If we go there, we will all die."
"Please, leave this place."
The two Red Sleeve Army soldiers pleaded loudly.
"Lead the way, or die now. You choose."
Wu Chaokong’s eyes were chilly, revealing intentions of killing.
The Red Sleeve Army soldiers turned pale, full of fear. In the end, they could only chose to lead the way.
The two parties set off towards the mountain, keeping a certain distance between them.
Despite the Red Sleeve soldiers’ eerie warnings, they were unafraid.
The combined forces of the two noble families were undeniably strong, with more than a few warriors who had made the Fifth Breakthrough amongst them.
Regardless of what anomalies they might encounter, they were confident they could crush them all.
Along the way, reinforcements from both sides found their way to them - clearly, they’d heard the signal for help.
In the end, they had gathered over twenty people.
Six of them were martial artists who had undergone the limit-breaking transformation five times.
As the day wore on and they ventured further into the desolate outer edges, their path becoming more remote. At this point, it was getting close to dusk, the setting sun obscured by mountain peaks, and the world slowly turned dark.
Just as everyone was getting frustrated, assuming that the Red Sleeve Army soldiers were playing them, they finally spotted the furtive valley that the hideout was located in. A large swath of grey buildings stood eerily in the dim light, reminiscent of a gaping maw about to swallow anyone whole.
For some reason, everyone felt an inexplicable chill in the air.
"Gentlemen, we’re at the bandit hideout now. Can we...can we not go in? You really can’t go in there."
One of the Red Sleeve Army soldiers pleaded, his fear growing stronger by the moment.
"Dead men, don’t have to go in."
Wu Chaokong replied coldly.
The group held their breath, treading lightly as they neared the stronghold.
The location of the fortress was well-chosen; the terrain was difficult to traverse, making it easy to defend and hard to attack. If the gates were kept shut, they’d have to exert a considerable effort to breach the stronghold.
But now, the gates were wide open and there was not a single person guarding them.
Although they sensed something amiss, they had come too far to turn back now.
They stepped through the gates and found the compound eerily empty. There wasn’t a soul in sight.
What’s more, it was eerily quiet, too quiet. A faint, white fog hovered in the air.
"Earlier you guys mentioned that the people here had gone mad and would kill anyone they saw. How come we haven’t seen a single corpse?"
Wu Chaokong gave the two Red Sleeve Army soldiers a cold stare.
"We...we don’t know either."
The two Red Sleeve Army soldiers stammered in response.
"Humph!"
A flash of murderous intent appeared in Wu Chaokong’s eyes.
They continued towards the center of the fortress, and upon their arrival, they stopped and gaped at the shocking scene.
In the middle of the hideout was a crimson altar.
The altar wasn’t made from red clay. No, it wasn’t clay at all. The altar was made from human flesh and blood mixed with mud. The strong smell of blood was everywhere, and splintered bone fragments could be seen in the mud.
On top of the altar stood around a dozen figures.
Surrounding the altar were another hundred figures or more.
The figures on top of the alter had vacant eyes. Their eyeballs were nowhere to be found, and where their chests should be, there was just a gaping hole. Their hearts had vanished.
