I was standing on a tree branch, keeping watch in all directions, when I sensed a suspicious aura approaching. This place was the entrance to the path leading into the village, so I had to keep a constant watch. After about six days since I first arrived at Mangliang, I was starting to get bored when, suddenly, in the afternoon, the enemy appeared.
There were ten auras in total. Judging by the size of the auras, they were definitely Jinyiwei.
'Even a Qianhu is among them.'
They were about 70 to 80 paces away from me, and I quickly climbed down from the tree and hid. They didn't notice me and passed by. I confirmed they were heading towards the village and immediately changed direction to head towards the secret passage at the back of the village.
"The enemy has arrived."
Mangliang and Xianqian Daoist were tense upon hearing my report.
"Hmm, they've come!"
"The shaman will surely appear in the village soon."
We were using a shed with a secret passage as a temporary base. Initially, we stayed at an inn, but since there was no proper means of communication, we decided to eat and sleep here to quickly retreat to the back of the village and head to the square if necessary.
Mangliang said,
"This is the crucial moment. We don't know when the shaman will appear, so we must act swiftly to effectively separate them."
"We need to head into the village."
"Hurry. The shaman will definitely appear near the square, so let's wait there in advance."
Creak
The three of us quickly packed our belongings and headed into the secret passage inside the well. As we walked through the secret passage, Xianqian Daoist said,
"Our disciples must have already crossed Lianchuan... I regret not being able to coordinate with them."
"This is fate. Three of us are enough, so let's do our best."
We arrived at the kitchen, and since we had already confirmed the effective use of the secret passage, I opened the kitchen window and jumped out without hesitation. It was better to directly enter the mansion rather than stealthily infiltrate to avoid drawing attention.
Thud
Xianqian Daoist then grabbed Mangliang's neck and leaped out of the building. Mangliang, feeling dizzy from the sudden drop, turned his head and said,
"Kungfu practitioners are really monsters. The height is at least two zhang, yet you jumped down without hesitation."
"This is not the time to grumble. Are you ready?"
"Of course. Just take me to my position."
It didn't take long for us to reach the square by quickly running across the rooftops. When we climbed onto the roof of the tallest six-story pavilion, the people below didn't seem to notice us. People rarely look up at such heights. Mangliang smiled.
"This place is perfect."
Mangliang then confidently entered the room at the top of the tallest pavilion. Inside, the owner of the pavilion and a merchant guild was leisurely enjoying the outside scenery.
Thud
I rushed in and struck his pressure points, knocking him unconscious before he could sense anything. After covering the unconscious merchant's eyes and laying him under the bed, Mangliang began preparing his spell with the Wuhua Qijin Xian.
To use a treasure, a place to concentrate was needed, and the spellcaster was vulnerable while manipulating flames from a distance, so a safe location was essential. This room on the sixth-floor pavilion roof perfectly met those conditions.
Here, Mangliang would use the Wuhua Qijin Xian to control the flames and attack the Jinyiwei, and also assist Xianqian Daoist and me.
Xianqian Daoist, who had been watching the entire process, gave me a disapproving look.
"This is not a good thing."
"There was no other choice. Please understand. Didn't I explain beforehand?"
"Ah... I trust Mangliang, but you must apologize to the person involved."
"I will definitely do so."
Bullshit. I'll definitely do it.
I inwardly rolled my eyes at Xianqian Daoist's words. After all, we were doing this to eliminate the Jinyiwei's threat; why expose our identities and apologize? But I didn't say that out loud.
Xianqian Daoist, looking down, said,
"Let me ask again. Is there a peak expert capable of casting a powerful spell among them?"
His gaze fell on a skilled expert hidden among the villagers. Xianqian Daoist could sense auras, so he noticed that despite the man's ordinary appearance, he was actually an outstanding first-rate expert. Of course, we were lowering our auras to avoid being detected.
"Most likely not. They seemed to hold very high positions in their organization, and if we hadn't been discovered, they wouldn't have come here personally. Think of them as having one or two peak experts and about ten outstanding first-rate experts."
"Hmm... Even hearing it again, it's an incredible force... The aura of that man alone is at least that of a top disciple of our sect. With that, they could wipe out a medium-sized sect in one night. Where did such people come from?"
Xianqian Daoist's sigh was understandable. The strength of a single Jinyiwei squad, led by a Qianhu, surpassed most martial arts sects. I had seen with my own eyes how one Qianhu and two Jinyiwei, just three people, could fight on equal terms with Xianqian Daoist, who was using all his strength. If these people attacked a civilian village, there would be no resistance.
I asked Xianqian Daoist,
"Xianqian Daoist, can you sense any evil aura?"
"I can't. It's so peaceful and quiet that I can't believe such a wicked shaman will appear."
"......"
We might have to spend the whole day here. Preparing for a prolonged battle, I calmly began to monitor the square.
An unexpected change occurred about an hour later, as the sun began to set. I was looking out the window, Mangliang was ready to activate his spell, and Xianqian Daoist, who had been meditating, suddenly opened his eyes and shouted,
"No! Such evil...?!"
Boom
At that moment, a dark sphere appeared in the center of the square, and a sudden gale swept through, creating a chilling atmosphere.
"Ah!"
"What... What is this?!"
Pedestrians screamed or fled in panic at the sudden change. As the dark sphere disappeared, a familiar figure emerged.
"He's out!"
I shouted as if in a panic.
A man in yellow robes, the Flute Demon!
It was indeed a monster, not a human, suddenly appearing.
'Using strange spells to appear suddenly was true!'
Despite the chaos and confusion in the square, his presence was overwhelming.
He slowly raised one arm, as if to spread madness, and brought the flute to his lips. Knowing that once the performance began, those nearby would go insane, I thought we needed to act immediately.
Whoosh!
"Evil scum!"
Xianqian Daoist and I almost simultaneously dropped like stones from the sky. In reality, we used the technique of a thousand-pound weight to increase our falling speed and landed as lightly as feathers, then immediately launched our martial arts techniques. Xianqian Daoist was the first to attack the Flute Demon, who seemed startled by the sudden assault and fumbled with his hands.
At that moment, a presence blocked Xianqian Daoist's sword.
Clang!
"Heh. Strong."
A black-robed figure, whose arm was tingling from the sword clash, was shaking slightly. He had entered the square unnoticed and was watching for the shaman's appearance. His identity was easy to guess.
Qianhu Liu!
The leader of the Jinyiwei squad of ten had appeared. From the way he blocked Xianqian Daoist's attack, he was undoubtedly a peak expert. I frowned when I saw his face.
'Qianhu Liu.'
Coincidentally, the leader of the sixth squad I had seen in my fifth life was here. The Flute Demon, having escaped, stumbled backward, and the Jinyiwei sixth squad had silently appeared beside him. There were ten of them, all waiting to target the square.
'They must have known the shaman would appear in the square.'
In an instant, the situation became 2 against 11.
Qianhu Liu looked at me with a sly smile and said,
"You, the kid, didn't attack me even though you had the chance. Why not?"
I replied to his question.
"If I had, your ten men would have ambushed me."
Indeed, I could have attacked the Flute Demon as soon as I landed, just like Xianqian Daoist. But my intuition was strangely soft, and upon closer inspection, I saw the ten Jinyiwei subtly directing their killing intent at me. If I had moved, they would have launched a coordinated attack on me or Xianqian Daoist.
"Hahaha... Impressive. To reach such a level of martial arts at your age."
Qianhu Liu laughed, but his eyes didn't. He looked around at the Jinyiwei and said,
"The plan has changed. Eliminate these people here."
"Eliminate... Is it that easy?"
"Hmph. You, a mere martial artist, are challenging us when you don't even know who we are."
Qianhu Liu sneered. From his perspective, with the full strength of a Jinyiwei squad, two people attacking would be suicidal. Xianqian Daoist, too, would be overwhelmed by numbers and could be killed.
But I laughed at him.
"You're the one who doesn't know who we are, yet you're acting so confidently."
Whoosh!
Boom
"......!!"
At that moment, Mangliang activated the Wuhua Qijin Xian. Dozens of fire pillars erupted outside the village, not just one but enough to illuminate the entire village. Qianhu Liu's composure visibly wavered, and it didn't take long for the entire village to be engulfed in flames.
Crackling
"Ah!"
"Kyaah!!"
People, terrified, fled in all directions. Although the flames didn't spread to the town and weren't extremely hot, the massive wall of fire outside the village was enough to drive them into panic. Of course, Mangliang was controlling the flames with the Wuhua Qijin Xian, so innocent people wouldn't be harmed. Instead, it eliminated unnecessary distractions, making things easier for us.
As the village was surrounded by flames, Qianhu Liu shouted in panic,
"Retreat! The plan has failed! Secure the shaman and escape!"
"It won't be that easy."
Boom
Suddenly, a spark fell from far away outside the village, turning into a river of fire. A wall of flames shot up, separating the Jinyiwei's formation. Trapped in groups of three, Qianhu Liu seemed to sense something artificial.
He glared at me and said,
"Is this your doing...?"
"It's the work of me and my companion."
I wished Mangliang could eliminate these people with the flames, but that was impossible. Mangliang was paying a heavy price for activating the treasure beyond his limits: ten years of his life, dozens of Qimen Dunjia formations, and the restriction of not killing, all while maintaining intense focus.
With the non-lethal condition, he could barely satisfy the treasure's spirit. At best, he could only separate and reduce their numbers.
"Madman. Do you know who you're attacking?"
"I know very well."
I glared at him, emitting a fierce killing intent.
"Murderer! You're willing to massacre thousands for 20 gold taels, a salary, and advancement!"
"......!!"
Qianhu Liu's face hardened even more. The other Jinyiwei, too, stiffened upon hearing my words, realizing I knew their true identities.
"Whether you know or not, your fate is sealed."
Qianhu Liu, without further ado, unleashed a fierce attack. With their retreat blocked and the motivation to eliminate us, he shouted,
"Kill! If you can't kill these people, you won't leave this place!"
I growled in response.
"Not leaving? You can't!"
Clang!
Qianhu Liu and Xianqian Daoist's sword auras clashed fiercely. I launched myself at the remaining seven Jinyiwei. To finish today's mission, I had to deal with the rest while Xianqian Daoist faced Qianhu Liu.
I gathered my strength and leaped forward like a tiger.
"Let's see what you've got!"
The seven Jinyiwei were all seasoned and refined first-rate experts. Some were even close to peak level. They looked at me with disbelief, showing no hesitation.
"Haha?"
"Grasshopper!"
The Jinyiwei in front raised his sword and attacked me with a swift and agile technique, like a snake flicking its tongue. As expected, his skill was on par with mine.
I clenched my teeth.
'Let's see.'
Fighting seven skilled Jinyiwei simultaneously, who were roughly my level, was something I wouldn't have attempted before.
But I trusted Mangliang and charged in.
I recalled our strategy discussion a few days ago.
[How do you plan to deal with a Jinyiwei squad? Well, depending on the situation, you and Xianqian Daoist can combine your strength to fight them. But even if not, it shouldn't matter much.]
[What do you mean it shouldn't matter much?]
Mangliang chuckled and said,
[You haven't noticed? You're overly cautious, but Xianqian Daoist was quite wary of you when you met. And 80% of my decision to come here was for you.]
[What are you talking about?]
Mangliang confidently said,
[You're too timid for your abilities. With your inner strength and potential, you've never used them to their full extent...]
[Hmm.]
[When you fight the Jinyiwei, just do your best. You're much stronger than you think.]
Boom!!
"Aaaaaah!!"
"Kraaaah!!"
The Ling of Thunder energy exploded. Simultaneously, one of the Jinyiwei blocking my path with a snake-like sword technique had his upper body torn apart, and another using a saber lost an arm.
My sword, not satisfied, spun half a circle and sliced through a Jinyiwei standing a zhang away, from his forehead to his groin. The Jinyiwei, too fast to react, split in two, his eyes losing focus as a fountain of blood erupted.
Thud
I still had strength left and attacked another Jinyiwei head-on. The Jinyiwei, wielding a cotton saber, was deflected and barely maintained his balance, having been thrown three zhang away.
"......!!"
I had simply used my full inner strength and unleashed my sword technique. Seeing three Jinyiwei fall in less than three seconds, I was surprised. My inner strength, attack range, destructive power, and sword speed had become incredibly powerful!
"What...?!"
Clang!
Clang!
Qianhu Liu, who was struggling against Xianqian Daoist, was visibly shaken by my sudden prowess. Xianqian Daoist took advantage of the distraction and gained the upper hand. I smirked at Qianhu Liu and raised my sword.
"Shall we finish this?"
"You... brat."
"Don't underestimate me!"
The remaining four Jinyiwei, enraged, rallied their fighting spirit. Despite the absurd death of their comrade, they didn't seem discouraged, being the elite of the imperial guard. But I no longer felt any fear. I had realized how strong I truly was.
'Right. The five years of hard training weren't in vain!'
The five years of relentless practice to walk the path of a martial artist and master the Lei Shen style. But my master Li Guang had eventually given up on me, and Jin Suqing had been disappointed. Since then, I had lacked a worthy opponent and had grown increasingly frustrated, not knowing my true strength.
But in reality, thanks to the Lei Shen style, I had become several times stronger, able to use my inner strength effectively. With the secret techniques of a prestigious sect, I could fight more precisely, eliminating my weaknesses.
Crackling
My sword, imbued with Lei Qi, hummed. As the Lei Ling energy flowed through the blade, my eyes glowed blue, enhancing my reflexes and speed. This was the realm of the Lei Shen style, the true method of using Lei Ling.
Concentration and explosion!
Those who form Lei Ling can move much faster and act more freely for a short time.
Whoosh
For a moment, the sound of my body breaking the air echoed. One of the Jinyiwei rushing at me had his head split into four pieces in an instant. As my foot lightly touched the ground, a trail of flame appeared on the ground.
Thud!
The sword dance continued. The Jinyiwei, who was trying to resist with forced sword qi, had his blade split in two, his left arm severed, and his heart exploded. Before the blood could even spray, I had already moved to the next target.
Swish
Swish
The sharp sound of the wind passed. As the Lei Ling reached its peak, there was no explosion. Five sword beams flashed, and the two Jinyiwei standing there stiffened, unable to move. Moments later, their bodies were sliced open, and blood fountains erupted.
Whoosh......!!
I turned my back to the blood mist and wiped the blood from my blade onto the ground, forming a circular blood line.
The entire process took less than ten seconds.
Xianqian Daoist and Qianhu Liu, who had been fighting fiercely, were now staring at me in shock. Xianqian Daoist, trembling, shouted,
"Wh-what is that? Does such a sword technique exist in the world?"
"Such madness..."
Qianhu Liu also spat out a curse, trembling. He must have realized that facing me directly would likely result in his death. I lowered my sword without responding to their reactions.
'I'm not the mad one. The Lei Shen style is the mad one.'
I had never been able to last a hundred moves against Jin Suqing, despite my skills. This was the moment I realized the Lei Shen sect itself was a monster. I swallowed my bitterness and said to Qianhu Liu,
"The battle is over. Will you surrender, or fight to the end?"
"......"
Qianhu Liu, separated from the other three by the wall of flames, knew he couldn't win against us two. He couldn't break through the flames either. He laughed maniacally,
"Kahaha! Madmen! Can't you see the flames? Does it matter who wins now? We're all dead!"
"That's your problem."
"What...?"
I calmly said to Xianqian Daoist,
"This man is a high-ranking officer, so he likely has a lot of information. Let's cut off his limbs and capture the shaman."
Xianqian Daoist nodded.
"Hurry."
Mangliang could control the flames with the Wuhua Qijin Xian for at most half an hour. We needed to finish this before then. Fortunately, the end was in sight. Qianhu Liu, seeing me and Xianqian Daoist slowly approaching, shouted in despair,
"You bastards!!! Attacking me together, how cowardly!"
I replied coldly,
"Who cares?"
Xianqian Daoist added,
"Non-human outsiders are not human."
Whoosh
Clang!
"Aaaaah!!"
As Xianqian Daoist and I launched a coordinated attack, Qianhu Liu was constantly on the defensive. Despite this, he managed to avoid fatal injuries by putting all his strength into defense. However, his desperate stance didn't last long. Within thirty seconds, his right arm was severed, and his left leg exploded, leaving him sprawled on the ground.
Thud
Crash
"K... k... k..."
I caught Qianhu Liu's falling arm and said,
"Xianqian Daoist, prevent him from committing suicide."
"Understood."
I then approached the shaman in yellow robes, who had been standing there watching. I frowned, knowing the face he was hiding. Seeing him again made me incredibly annoyed.
'Hmph, if he starts spouting nonsense again, I'll torture him until he dies.'
At that moment,
The shaman, the Flute Demon, extended his hand and said,
[ .... $&*#(@*$&*@!!]
It wasn't human language.
It seemed to be the shaman's spell.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a dark aura erupted from the shaman's hand, enveloping me. I tried to dodge quickly, but it seemed to be unaffected by speed, and I was hit.
He had been preparing a counterattack, not just standing there!
'Damn, I was too complacent, thinking he had no martial arts skills.'
I had also given him too much time.
I clenched my teeth, preparing for the possible death. I was ready to bite my tongue if the pain became unbearable.
......
Nothing happened.
'What? What is this?'
I looked at him with puzzled eyes. He was trembling, revealing long tentacles under his yellow robes, clearly shocked.
[This can't be! A mere human resisting my spell! This can't happen!]