Chapter 35: Chapter 34: Night of Slaughter
"You aren’t even as loyal to your Buddha as you are to the Zhu Family."
Chen Yuan casually kicked Uncle Zhou’s head right off the cliff.
Up ahead, Zhu Chengzu’s heart sank when he heard Uncle Zhou’s tragic scream.
Uncle Zhou was different from the other Guests. He was a Tributor of the Zhu Family and a sworn brother to his father, Zhu Chaofeng. He was the kind of elder one could absolutely trust.
Besides, Uncle Zhou was very strong. He was a disciple from a Major Sect like the Vajra Prajna Temple, incomparable to those low-level Jianghu People.
’But Uncle Zhou couldn’t even stop that guy. Just how terrifying is his strength?’
When Zhu Chengzu finally made it down the narrow mountain path from Sunrise Peak, he heaved a sigh of relief.
But before he could fully exhale, a voice that filled him with terror suddenly sounded from behind.
"You’re a slow runner. That old Monk desperately held me back so you could escape, but you didn’t treasure the time he bought you."
Zhu Chengzu didn’t even dare to turn his head, frantically channeling his Inner Strength to run forward.
But as the ring of a saber sounded, he found his vision getting lower and lower.
By the time he saw a headless corpse still running forward on momentum, his head had already hit the ground, rolling over and over.
Seeing this, the surrounding Zhu Family Guests immediately scattered and fled.
They were all just Guests who took the Zhu Family’s money; they weren’t loyal to the family like Uncle Zhou.
Besides, Zhu Chengzu was dead. Why should they risk their lives?
Chen Yuan didn’t chase them far, only pursuing and killing the Zhu Family Guests within his line of sight.
’Leaving them alive will be more effective in spreading panic throughout the entire Zhu Family.’
「As darkness fell, inside the Zhu Family Manor.」
Zhu Cheng’an felt a little uneasy.
’But Uncle Zhou went with him. There shouldn’t be any problems.’
Just then, something was suddenly thrown into the manor.
A Zhu Family servant went to check and found it was Zhu Chengzu’s head. They screamed in panic and rushed to report to Zhu Cheng’an.
Hearing this news, Zhu Cheng’an swayed, his face instantly turning pale.
’It’s over!’
「A quarter of an hour later, in the Zhu Family’s main hall.」
Zhu Chaofeng’s hand covered Zhu Chengzu’s face. He wanted to close his son’s eyes, but found he couldn’t, no matter how he tried.
Just as Zhu Cheng’an was about to speak, Zhu Chaofeng swung a fierce slap, striking him so hard that the corner of his mouth started to bleed.
"Your fourth brother is dead! It’s because of your carelessness that your fourth brother was killed!"
Zhu Chaofeng’s hands trembled, his eyes filled with rage and grief.
This was his most beloved fourth son!
"Father, calm your anger! Eldest Brother didn’t mean for this to happen."
"Yes, Father. The most important thing right now is to find the person who killed Fourth Brother and get revenge."
The two of them tried to console him from the side.
One was a man in his late thirties with a square face and the strength of the Qi Casting Realm. This was the second son, Zhu Chenguo.
The other was in his early thirties and slightly short in stature. This was the third son, Zhu Chengze.
Zhu Chaofeng took two deep breaths, suppressing his grief and anger, and said in a cold voice, "The person who killed Fourth Brother... what is his background? Even Old Zhou died at his hands."
Zhu Cheng’an lowered his head and said, "I sent men to capture one of the Guests who fled and asked him what happened."
"Fourth Brother already mentioned the Blazing Sect, but the other party was still insistent on wiping out our entire Zhu Family."
"However, according to the Guest, the man is incredibly strong, not like an ordinary Jianghu Person. He must have a powerful background!"
"Nonsense! Old Zhou came from the Vajra Prajna Temple. Could an ordinary Martial Artist kill him?"
Zhu Chaofeng cursed, his gaze as cold and sharp as a falcon’s.
"I don’t care what his background is. Even if someone from the Murong Family wants to destroy my Zhu Family, we will not surrender without a fight!"
Zhu Chaofeng said in a grave voice, "Eldest, take fifty men with Crossbow Arrows and blockade the mountain road. Let no one in or out."
"Second, you and I will each take fifty Guests and search for that bastard’s tracks within Lonely Mountain City."
"Third, you will stay behind with the remaining Guests to guard the manor."
"Yes, Father!"
Zhu Chaofeng’s deployment was quite reasonable.
There was only one mountain road. With Zhu Cheng’an and the Guests guarding it with Crossbow Arrows, the enemy wouldn’t be able to escape even if he wanted to.
And besides Zhu Chaofeng himself, the strongest in the Zhu Family wasn’t the eldest son, Zhu Cheng’an, but the second son, Zhu Chenguo.
With these two leading elite Guests, as long as they found a trace of Chen Yuan, they could overwhelm him with sheer numbers.
After the orders were given, over a hundred Zhu Family Guests marched out of the manor in a formidable procession, beginning a city-wide search for Chen Yuan.
Meanwhile, Lonely Mountain City was in an uproar, with everyone discussing the Zhu Family’s misfortune.
For years, the Zhu Family had dominated Lonely Mountain City, acting tyrannical, arrogant, and incredibly ruthless.
Anyone who dared to defy the Zhu Family would have their family ruined at best, or wiped out at worst.
Especially since not long ago, the Zhu Family had even exterminated the Chu Family, who had always been peaceful and kept to themselves. This made everyone in Lonely Mountain City fear for their own safety.
Now, seeing the Zhu Family’s misfortune, they didn’t dare say much openly, but secretly, they were all gloating.
However, while they gloated, they didn’t really believe the Zhu Family could actually be wiped out.
Zhu Chaofeng and his four sons were all quite strong, and the entire Zhu Family still had several hundred Guests.
For a single person to claim he would annihilate the Zhu Family seemed far too fantastical.
Under the cover of night, Chen Yuan, dressed in black, was hidden in a tree less than fifty zhang from the Zhu Family, watching their movements intently.
After throwing the head, Chen Yuan hadn’t left. He had been hiding here the whole time.
The Zhu Family would never have imagined that Chen Yuan would be so bold as to hide right in their vicinity.
Three groups of men left the Zhu Family estate. The many Guests held torches, appearing like three conspicuous fiery dragons in the night.
Seeing that Zhu Cheng’an’s group was even carrying Crossbow Arrows, Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly.
’The Zhu Family is truly audacious to have these things.’
’But You Province is far from the Emperor’s reach, so no one really bothers to control such matters.’
For a Martial Artist at the Qi Casting Realm, dodging a single Crossbow Arrow was easy, and shattering it wasn’t difficult either.
But a volley of dozens of Crossbow Arrows was a different story; the power was quite astonishing.
Even if you could block it, how much strength would you have left after a few volleys?
In his youth, Zhu Chaofeng had served in the Great Xia Military. He was very experienced in dealing with individually powerful Martial Artists.
Lonely Mountain City wasn’t large. Chen Yuan estimated the time, and once the three groups were far enough away, he moved, leaping directly into the Zhu Family Manor.
The slaughter was about to begin.
"Enemy attack!"
The moment Chen Yuan set foot in the Zhu Family Manor, a Guest immediately let out a roar.
Hearing this, Zhu Chengze, who was left to guard the manor, had his expression change drastically.
He hadn’t yet reached the Qi Casting Realm. Guarding the Zhu Family manor was supposed to be the safest assignment, but he never expected this guy to play so unconventionally, actually daring to charge right into the manor!
"Fire arrows! Beat the drums! Archers, ready! Shields, forward!"
Zhu Chengze steadied his mind and began to command calmly.
Zhu Chaofeng came from a military background, and his training of the Zhu Family’s Guests bore many traces of the Great Xia Military’s methods.
Arrows wrapped in oil-soaked cloth flew into the air as the drums began to beat—partly to rally the troops, and partly to alert Zhu Chaofeng and the others that the manor was under attack.
More than ten Guests with shields stood at the front, while behind them were Guests holding various weapons, surrounding Chen Yuan in the center.
The man-high Fine Iron Giant Shields were held before them, constantly advancing on Chen Yuan, creating astonishing pressure.
Chen Yuan’s figure flashed. He activated his Surging Waves and Flowing Clouds Technique, channeling his acupoint inner strength. In an instant, a powerful force erupted, surging like a colossal wave.
The Cyan Dragon Blood Drink left its sheath. A sky full of saber shadows scattered down, blooming with brilliant light in the dark night.
Autumn Water Shocking Swan, Autumn Wind Slash!
As a series of explosive rumbles echoed, hideous gashes appeared on the surrounding Fine Iron Giant Shields. Some were even slashed straight through.
The Zhu Family Guests behind the giant shields couldn’t withstand this immense power and fell back one after another.
The Guests at the Meridian Passage Realm fared slightly better; the skin between their thumbs and forefingers was merely torn and bleeding.
Some Guests who had only reached the Body Tempering Realm and had not cultivated any Inner Power were killed outright, their Inner Viscera ruptured by the Giant Power of Chen Yuan’s strike!
Someone was the first to fall, and an opening instantly appeared in the shield formation.
Chen Yuan charged directly into the gap. His saber was a blur, and in a flash, the area was littered with severed limbs and mangled bodies!
Zhu Chengze’s face was filled with horror. ’What kind of monster is this!?’
In truth, his Combat Technique wasn’t wrong. The Great Xia Military often used this tactic when surrounding and annihilating powerful experts.
The weapons weren’t wrong either. Although the material of these Fine Iron Giant Shields was ordinary, they were as thick as a palm. Even a Profound Soldier would have difficulty breaking through them on the first strike.
The problem was that Chen Yuan was too strong, and this band of Zhu Family Guests was too weak.
When the Great Xia Military employed this tactic, they didn’t use ordinary soldiers, but the elite of the elite.
The shield-bearers in the front row had to be Martial Artists who cultivated Horizontal Training Techniques to be able to withstand an expert’s first wave of attacks.
But the quality of the Zhu Family’s Guests was uneven. They cultivated all sorts of Cultivation Techniques and could only be said to be slightly better than a disorderly mob.
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