Chapter 54: Wingborne Sect
"Not good!" Wu Xiong's eyes blazed with a mixture of rage and terror. He only had himself to blame for his carelessness. In his determination to avenge his fallen subordinate, he had forgotten that ensuring Wu Yuan's safety was his true first priority!
"No!"
"Young Master," cried the five hundred-soldier captains of the city guard, their voices filled with panic. They could only watch helplessly from 100 meters away as thirteen armor-piercing bolts, deadly and precise, hurtled toward Wu Yuan.
"Quickly! Protect the young master." The four hundred-soldier captains beside Wu Yuan were equally alarmed. Their strength was inadequate to fend off the onslaught of armor-piercing bolts. Even blocking a single projectile would result in serious injuries.
If there had been three or four bolts, perhaps they could have hoped to shield Wu Yuan from harm. But thirteen? The odds were stacked heavily against them.
The thirteen black-armored figures had been biding their time to get a clear shot. With the speed of the bolts, the guards had no time to react.
...
"Thirteen massive armor-piercing crossbows, worth thousands of gold. Only four Adepts protecting him, resistance is futile."
"The one being protected in the center should be Wu Yuan, aim to kill him directly."
The ten or so black-armored figures focused intently on the group of riders. Among them, the lead figure exuded a palpable thirst for blood.
Had they unleashed the volley of crossbow bolts from the start, the ten Adepts might have stood a chance of preserving Wu Yuan's life.
The first wave of a crossbow ambush was always the most difficult to evade. Hence, they had cleverly orchestrated a diversion, employing a horde of bandits to launch a large-scale attack. The aim was to divert the attention of the guards and split them up before firing their crossbows. They had successfully achieved their goal.
Once Wu Yuan was killed, their mission would be accomplished.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Before these black-armored ambushers entered the line of sight of Wu Xiong and his men, the powerful armor-piercing bolts were already before Wu Yuan. One of these bolts shot straight towards Wu Yuan's skull, unimpeded by the guards!
Whoosh!
Out of nowhere, a peculiar blade ray materialized, splitting into thirteen streaks of light and enveloping Wu Yuan’s group.
Boom~ Boom~ The thirteen armor-piercing bolts met the blade rays with uncanny precision, exploding into fragments.
The life-threatening crisis Wu Yuan faced was instantly resolved. Not a single armor-piercing bolt came close to Wu Yuan.
"What on earth...?"
"Was that the steward?" The four hundred-soldier captains, bracing themselves for a battle of life and death, gaped in astonishment at the figure that had suddenly leaped forward, wielding a saber with unbelievable skill. It was Gu Ji!
With a single swing of his saber, he shattered thirteen armor-piercing bolts!
Such terrifying strength! Was this expert secretly sent by the sect to protect Wu Yuan?
"Everyone, hold your ground." Gu Ji's voice was icy as he mounted Wu Yuan's horse, saber in one hand and the other arm around Wu Yuan. Swiftly tugging on the horse's reins, he abruptly brought the steed to a halt.
"Huh!" The four hundred-soldier captains quickly pulled on their reins.
"Young Master, I am here to safeguard you. The rest of you, go and assist Captain Wu and his men in eliminating every last one of them!" Gu Ji's voice was chilling, emanating a palpable killing intent. "Remember, leave only a few alive for questioning."
"Yes!"
"Charge!" Spirits roused, the four captains immediately turned their horses around. Accelerating sharply, they charged up the hill slope.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The shrill shrieks of ten armor-piercing bolts soared through the air.
A glimmering ray of steel flashed.
Boom! Boom! Boom! In a sequence of thunderous explosions, the ten or so bolts either exploded or were deflected aside. None came close to Wu Yuan.
No one doubted Gu Ji’s strength any longer.
The third wave of bolts never arrived.
That was because the first group of guards led by Wu Xiong had already intercepted the black-clad figures, forcing them to abandon their crossbows and draw their sabers in response!
"Captain!"
"How can there be a first-rate Adept?"
"What do we do?" These black-armored figures were terror-stricken.
Although they were well trained and held their ground in battle against Wu Xiong and his men, their strength paled in comparison! Of the black-armored figures, only two were third-rate Adepts, the rest were merely martial virtuosos.
As for the large group of land bandits? Confronted with such an overwhelming disparity of power, they had dispersed completely. Their leader was frightened out of his wits after witnessing Gu Ji's strength.
A second-rate Adept could dodge the armor-piercing bolts, maybe even split three or five. But to split thirteen in an instant? Impossible! The bandit leader was consumed by terror.
To shatter thirteen armor-piercing bolts with a single stroke meant that Gu Ji was, at minimum, a first-rate Adept!
There are clearly no first-rate Adepts in Li City. That old fellow from Dongye Municipality has lost his former strength. So, where did this expert emerge from?
How did a first-rate Adept get entangled in this mission? The leader of the land bandits desperately fled into the depths of the dense forest. Not an ounce of courage to fight remained.
If the enemy was a second-rate Adept, they might stand a chance by relying on their numerical advantage and the power of their armor-piercing crossbows.
But a first-rate Adept? In terms of physique, they were at least three times stronger than a third-rate Adept, not to mention the enormous gap in skill.
The power discrepancy could not be merely defined as a tenfold difference. A third-rate Adept would typically be killed in an instant by a first-rate Adept.
Boom! The air roared.
The chieftain of the land bandits whipped around in terror, only to witness Gu Ji hurtling towards him at astonishing speed, Wu Yuan in one arm.
With every stride Gu Ji took, billowing dust rose in his wake. As his blade gleamed, the fleeing bandits fell one by one, akin to mown grass. Their throats were all slit open!
Even whilst carrying another person and dispatching enemies along the path, his speed surpassed that of a galloping steed. He charged straight for the leader of the land bandits.
"Senior, spare me! Spare me! I can give you valuable information!" The leader of the land bandits abruptly knelt, kowtowing repeatedly as he begged for mercy.
Fight? He could not win!
Run? He could not escape!
Only by begging for mercy was there a glimmer of hope for survival. The leader of the land bandits did not want to die just like that.
"Swoosh!" A terrifying blade ray swept past, splitting into four rays in an instant.
"Ah!" The leader of the land bandits cried out as the rays of light swept over his arms and thighs, severing the tendons in his limbs.
His entire body was launched into the air, smashing heavily back onto the earth. A violent fit of coughing seized him, and he expelled crimson droplets from his lips. Saturated in his own fresh blood, he could barely crawl.
"Too terrifying, run!" Upon witnessing this scene, the resolve of these land bandits finally crumbled, any notion of resistance dissipating. Some even abandoned their weapons, cursing the inadequacy of their own speed.
Despite carrying Wu Yuan by his inner armor with one hand, Gu Ji was still alarmingly fast. The glint of his blade illuminated the darkness, one bandit after another falling to his relentless onslaught.
The hundred-soldier captains divided into groups of four in a coordinated manner, charging towards the outskirts of the battlefield. They split up further into pairs, relentlessly pursuing and killing the land bandits who were attempting to escape.
In the span of a fleeting moment, the battle cries that once filled the air dissipated. The slope of the hill was swallowed by an eerie silence. The only remnants of the brutal conflict were the scattered bodies and pools of crimson.
Finally, Gu Ji halted, gently lowering Wu Yuan to the ground. Wu Yuan drew in deep breaths, his gaze sweeping over the gruesome sight that surrounded them. A trace of fear lingered on his face.
"Young Master, I apologize for the fright," Gu Ji said in a low voice. "But if we hadn't eradicated these land bandits, word of our presence might have leaked, inviting trouble upon us."
"I understand. Thank you for saving me, Uncle Ji," Wu Yuan replied, his voice barely above a whisper, his face pale as if forcing himself to maintain composure.
Gu Ji nodded slightly.
"Young Master!"
“We deeply regret scaring you." Wu Xiong, along with the group of guards gathered around Wu Yuan, their clothes smeared with blood. Worry was etched onto Wu Xiong's face.
"Do not blame yourselves. Who could have expected a band of land bandits to possess so many armor-piercing crossbows?" Wu Yuan shook his head, not faulting Wu Xiong and his men in the least.
"I hope to never witness such occurrences again," The normally silent Gu Ji spoke, his voice cold, "Remember, our duty is to ensure the safety of the young master until he reaches the sect."
"Furthermore, erase my existence from your memories. Do not whisper a word of me to anyone," Gu Ji's piercing gaze swept over each guard.
"Yes!" Wu Xiong and his men all bowed their heads without question.
Wu Yuan did not disclose Gu Ji's identity, but the strength he had revealed said it all. Wu Xiong and his men are not fools. They understood that the sect had arranged for this expert to covertly protect Wu Yuan. One could only imagine how important Wu Yuan was to the sect.
"These bandits are weak, they cannot possibly possess so many armor-piercing crossbows." Gu Ji said coldly, "Those men in black armor are well-trained, most of them would rather die than surrender. Only a single survivor is left among them. Swiftly interrogate him to uncover the motive behind this ambush."
"Yes." Wu Xiong and his men promptly scattered. Some set off to interrogate the captives, while others began scouring the bodies for any clues or wealth. Bandits traditionally hid their treasures on their persons.
Just a few minutes later, the interrogation bore fruit, and the bandit leader and the remaining survivors were silenced. At this point, all those involved in the ambush had met their demise.
"Young Master, this ambush was premeditated," Wu Xiong no longer treated him like a junior and reported solemnly, "According to the black-armored man's words and some evidence from his body, the perpetrator of this ambush is the Wingborne Sect of the Dong Continent."
"The Wingborne Sect?" A flicker of confusion passed through Wu Yuan's eyes.
"The Wingborne Sect, one of the eight major sects of the Dong Continent, is even stronger than our Cloudstride Sect in terms of overall power." Gu Ji interjected, his voice steady. "If we were to assess the Cloudstride Sect's enemies, Great Jin unquestionably holds the top position, while the Wingborne Sect stands as second."
Wu Yuan nodded subtly. The Middle Land was an expansive realm with a tapestry of intricate histories woven into each of its continents. Despite reading extensively over the past few months, he only considered himself somewhat familiar with the Jiang and Chu continents. As for the other continents, he only had a vague understanding of them.
His impression of the Dong Continent was that it ranked second among the thirteen continents, second only to the Holy Continent occupied by the Great Jin Empire. In terms of both size and population, the Dong Continent dwarfed the Jiang Continent.
To be ranked among the top eight sects of the Dong Continent, one could imagine the strength of the Wingborne Sect.
"We dispatched a decoy, so how could the Wingborne Sect have prepared an ambush so swiftly? Could someone have leaked our plan?" Wu Yuan questioned, his brow creased in concern.
Wu Xiong replied solemnly, "This is just one of the Wingborne Sect's ambush teams. According to the Wingborne Sect disciple, they were uncertain which direction we would depart from, hence they sent four teams to lie in wait along different possible routes. The strength of the other three teams is not inferior to this one.
Gu Ji frowned slightly.
"Four teams?" Wu Yuan's face was a picture of astonishment.
"The Wingborne Sect committed such vast resources and manpower just to kill a special recruit? Have they lost their minds?"
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