Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Mission Accomplished
"Damn it."
On the southern side of the army, the Ning Family Elder’s expression was ugly as he looked at the numerous figures surrounding him.
He thrust out a palm, the sharp force of the blow tearing through the air. A torrent of immense Power surged forth, sending more than a dozen men flying, but before he could even catch his breath,
a piercing sound suddenly cut through the air, and an immense pressure washed over him.
’This is bad!’
Sensing the lethal danger, the Ning Family Elder spun around, his Power erupting as he threw a punch to meet the attack.
BOOM!!!
A dull thud echoed as a powerful shockwave swept through the area.
Assailed by the terrifying force, the Ning Family Elder was thrown back violently, spitting a mouthful of blood.
His internal organs trembled, and the immense Power felt as if it were tearing his body apart.
The Ning Family Elder’s eyes filled with a trace of fear as he looked at the tall, burly man before him.
’Peak of Neutralizing Force!’
His organs injured from that single clash, the Ning Family Elder turned to flee without hesitation.
"Trying to run?!"
"Stay put for this General!"
The burly man roared, his muscles tensing as he pounced like a ferocious tiger, his body shrouded in a black aura.
The very air around them seemed to compress.
A sonic boom erupted.
A fist wreathed in black light smashed toward the Ning Family Elder like a heavy hammer.
’It’s over...’
The Ning Family Elder’s heart sank as he felt the power emanating from the blow.
But just at that critical moment, a ghostly figure appeared and blocked the attack for the Ning Family Elder.
BANG!!!
A dull sound rang out, like two iron hammers colliding, and the burly general was sent flying back over ten feet.
"Fang Xing!"
The Ning Family Elder was overjoyed to see who it was.
"Go!"
Fang Xing lightly tapped the Ning Family Elder’s back, and a surge of potent Power instantly sent him flying out of the encirclement.
"Retreat!"
Fang Xing’s voice rang in his ears. The Ning Family Elder didn’t have time to think; he activated all his Power and sped away from the army.
’A master!’
The burly general stared at Fang Xing, his gaze grave.
The surrounding soldiers had him encircled, weapons in hand, but none dared to approach.
"Attack!"
"Kill him for me!" the burly general ordered, and the surrounding soldiers charged forward without hesitation.
SHIIING—!!
But in that instant, his long saber hummed, and an invisible wave of Sword Qi shot out. The Sword Qi tore through the air, its frosty glint illuminating the scene.
With a single slash, a dozen men were killed outright, and a hundred more were knocked back.
SWOOSH—!
In a single leap, Fang Xing appeared before the burly general with incredible speed.
A faint blue light flickered as a palm, swift as the wind, landed on the burly general’s chest.
THUD—!!!
The blow sent him flying forty or fifty feet away. He slammed heavily onto the ground, coughing up blood.
A scorching Power burned inside him like a raging fire, and the burly man’s face instantly turned ashen.
Beads of sweat dripped down his cheeks.
Not even a warrior at the Peak of Neutralizing Force could withstand the Blue Flame Strength of the Red Fire Divine Skill.
WHOOSH—!
Fang Xing flickered and vanished. In the next instant, a head hit the ground, and blood gushed forth.
The burly general, still reeling from the burning Blue Flame Strength, was instantly beheaded, his life extinguished.
Absorbing the crimson essence, Fang Xing moved as if carried by the wind, vanishing before everyone’s eyes like a phantom.
—
At Qingshui Bay, in a clearing, the commotion gradually subsided.
The army’s forces gathered together. Countless torches were lit, their flames soaring into the sky.
A dozen or so generals appeared before the main tent of the army.
Their expressions turned foul as they looked at the corpses lying in front of the main tent.
"Did you capture anyone alive?" a low voice asked.
"N-no... They... they got away," a Commander stammered in reply.
"Bastards!"
Hearing this, one of the generals’ faces filled with rage.
"Just wonderful. All of you, and you couldn’t even stop a few people. What good are you?" The general’s fury was immense, his gaze sweeping over the crowd as if he wanted to devour them.
Hearing this, the soldiers all lowered their heads.
A dead silence fell.
"General Wang, you can’t blame them. These people were all extremely strong. One of them, in particular, even killed Vice Marshal Xu. Several generals at the Peak of Neutralizing Force also died at his hands."
A voice rang out from a tall, thin general.
Hearing this, the other generals also nodded in agreement.
"That’s right. The man is incredibly strong and unbelievably fast. Given that it was a night raid, it’s normal that we suffered losses. We had too little time to react."
"If we had faced them head-on, we definitely could have taken them down."
Another general chimed in.
General Wang was silent for a moment before he said, "First, let’s tally the casualties. Then we’ll discuss the situation."
The group of generals and commanders nodded.
They then began giving orders, and the soldiers started to get busy.
...
At the Qingshan County Yamen, the Inner Hall was brightly lit in the dead of night.
County Magistrate Zhang Chen, County Magistrate Lin Zheng, Xu Qingshan of the Defense Army, and the leaders of the Five Great Forces were all gathered together.
The Inner Hall was completely silent.
No one spoke.
Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.
No one was certain if the surprise attack would be effective.
It was even possible that Fang Xing and his group would not return at all.
Until they received definitive news, no one could rest easy.
Time ticked by, second by second.
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
Just as the sky began to lighten, a figure hurried into the Inner Hall.
The gazes of Zhang Chen and the other seven immediately fell upon the newcomer.
"What’s the situation?"
Zhang Chen asked with a grave expression, looking at Constable Yang Bo.
Yang Bo caught his breath, a look of joy on his face. "My lords, good news! Lord Fang and the others have all returned! They’ve already entered the city and are on their way to the County Yamen."
"They’ve all returned?!"
Hearing Yang Bo’s words, the eight of them were stunned.
’They launched a surprise attack on an army of 20,000 and managed to retreat unscathed?’
’Could it be that something went wrong and they didn’t attack?!’
"Were they injured?" Lin Zheng immediately asked.
"Aside from Lord Fang, the others were all injured, but their lives don’t appear to be in danger."
Yang Bo replied.
Hearing this, the eight of them couldn’t help but exchange a look.
’Injuries meant they must have fought.’
’It seems the raid was carried out after all.’
"Good. Send someone to receive them at once," Lin Zheng ordered immediately.
"Yes!"
Yang Bo nodded and turned to leave the Inner Hall.
The eight people watched Yang Bo’s departing figure with mixed expressions.
No one dying was certainly good news.
However, as for how well the raid went... that they didn’t know.
Their nerves remained on edge.
They would only know the details once Fang Xing and his group arrived.
Suppressing their curiosity, the eight of them managed to calm down and wait patiently.
Before long, Fang Xing and his group appeared at the entrance to the County Yamen’s Inner Hall.
The gazes of the eight leaders instantly fixed on Fang Xing’s group.
Aside from Fang Xing, the other five all had pale faces, their clothes were somewhat torn, and their auras were unstable. They were all injured to some degree.
The five great leaders looked at their own people and breathed a sigh of relief.
Although they had prepared for the worst, having them return alive was undoubtedly the best outcome.
Especially at a time like this, the strength of one more Neutralizing Force Martial Artist was a significant boost.
"Fang Xing, what is the situation?" Zhang Chen rose and asked.
"I have not failed the mission," Fang Xing nodded and replied nonchalantly.
Hearing this answer, the eight leaders were startled.
From Fang Xing’s tone, it wasn’t hard to tell that the raid had succeeded, and it seemed to have gone very smoothly.
’But in an army of 20,000, with numerous Martial Dao Masters present, even with a night raid, could it really have gone so smoothly?!’
Along with their joy, a sliver of doubt began to surface in the minds of the eight leaders.
