Melee

Melee

Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh—

In an instant, a great number of feathered arrows suddenly shot out from the dense forests on both sides.

The arrows packed the air like a rain of arrows, howling with the sharp whistle of rushing wind.

Thud thud thud thud—

Quite a few martial artists failed to react in time and were pierced straight through by the stray arrows.

"Ah! An ambush!"

A martial artist shouted as he watched those around him fall one after another with arrows in them, throwing everyone into chaos.

In an instant, dozens of martial artists died beneath the overwhelming rain of arrows.

"Don't panic! Everyone, form up, raise your shields, and close ranks inward!"

Li Wentao, the Black Armored Army captain responsible for this escort, roared.

At his words, the martial artists immediately took shields from the carts transporting the weapons and held them before themselves. Zhou Shan sat atop his horse in Black Armored Army armor, completely ignoring the arrows.

Even without the protection of armor, with sixty years of mastery in Eagle Claw Iron Shirt, these arrows posed no threat to him.

The Black Armored Army wore armor, and every one of them was a ranked martial artist. Ordinary arrows naturally found it difficult to harm them. Only a large Armor-Piercing Ballista used in sieges, capable of piercing heavy armor, could do so.

The armor-piercing arrows used by an Armor-Piercing Ballista were as thick as an arm.

At this moment, all the martial artists raised their shields and pressed close together.

Those at the sides planted their shields in front of them, while those in the middle held theirs overhead. Together, they formed an iron barrel that blocked the feathered arrows from every direction.

"Black Armored Guard, attack!"

Li Wentao drew the longsword at his waist and gave the command.

All two hundred Black Armored Army soldiers wore heavy armor and feared neither heaven-filling arrows nor arrow rain. They charged straight into the forest beneath the barrage, and before long, sounds of fighting rose from within the woods.

The arrow rain from all around soon ceased.

"Kill!"

"Kill them all! Leave none alive!"

Shouts rang out from the forest.

As the battle cries shook the heavens, the Blood Fiend Sect martial artists lying in ambush there, along with the bandits of the Thirteen Villages of Hengyun, all charged out.

As for true elite martial artists, the Blood Fiend Sect had brought only one hundred Blood Flame Army soldiers this time, while the Black Armored Army numbered two hundred.

Yet the Thirteen Villages of Hengyun had enormous numbers of bandits—at least three or four thousand in total.

Now that they had all rushed out, their momentum was earth-shaking.

The martial artists from the Iron Shirt Sect, Giant Bear Martial Hall, Black Tiger Gang, the two great families of Hengshan County, and the other forces could only fight back under duress, clashing with the bandits. The scene instantly became a tangled mess.

Neither the bandits of the Thirteen Villages of Hengyun nor the martial artists from Hengshan County's major factions had received formal military formation training. Once both sides collided, there was no formation to speak of. Everyone fought for himself, and the chaos was utter.

Zhou Shan also leaped down from horseback.

He cultivated Eagle Claw Iron Shirt, and all his power lay in his pair of palms. In this kind of melee, where both sides were tangled together, he could not properly unleash his skills from horseback.

"Kill!"

The moment Zhou Shan landed, two bandits charged at him with sabers raised.

"Courting death!"

Though Zhou Shan wore heavy armor, he was still incredibly fast. His body instantly became like an eagle soaring through the heavens, his bent fingers turning into eagle claws as they flickered swiftly through the air, darting toward the throats of the two charging bandits.

Rip—

Zhou Shan possessed sixty years of mastery and was a genuine First-class Martial Artist. He was so fast that the two bandits could not react at all. His eagle claws swept across their throats, instantly tearing open their throat bones and windpipes.

The two bandits made hoarse gurgling sounds, clutching their necks. Before long, darkness filled their vision, and they toppled to the ground.

Zhou Shan's five fingers were stained with blood. This was the first time he had killed someone.

But under these circumstances, there was no room for him to think. He had just killed two bandits when more bandits around him raised their sabers and hacked at him. If he did not kill them, they would kill him.

Since that was the case, he would let loose and kill to his heart's content.

"Die!"

Looking at the bandits charging in from all around, Zhou Shan's expression turned cold as he put on a pair of specially made iron gauntlets.

The iron gauntlets fully covered his palms and ten fingers, effectively protecting his hands. At the same time, their fingertips were incomparably sharp and could easily slice through iron and leather. They were essential weapons for martial artists who cultivated claw techniques.

Though Zhou Shan could kill with a single strike even without a weapon, using weapons was still much more convenient.

A cold gleam flashed. Before the bandits could react, their throats had been slit. Or rather, they might have seen Zhou Shan make his move, but seeing it with their eyes was one thing; whether their bodies could react was another.

Zhou Shan's hands darted out in rapid succession, reaping the lives of one bandit after another.

In barely more than twenty breaths, Zhou Shan had already killed over twenty bandits.

"Kill! All of you, die!"

The Great Chieftain of Savage Bull Village swung a pair of axes weighing a hundred jin. Any martial artist who met him head-on was split in two, entrails and blood scattering everywhere in a gruesome sight.

"Great Chieftain, there's a tough one here. He's already killed more than twenty of our brothers."

Seeing Zhou Shan's ferocity, the bandits were no fools. Rather than stupidly rushing forward to die, they immediately backed away and reported to the Great Chieftain of Savage Bull Village.

Soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals.

Since lowly foot soldiers like them were no match for him, the Great Chieftain would deal with him.

"I'll have a go at you myself!"

Hearing that more than twenty of his brothers had been killed, the Great Chieftain of Savage Bull Village's eyes turned red. He roared, swung his twin axes, and charged at Zhou Shan like a savage bull.

Seeing the Great Chieftain of Savage Bull Village rush toward Zhou Shan, the martial artists of the Iron Shirt Sect and the other factions all breathed a sigh of relief.

Otherwise, facing the Great Chieftain of Savage Bull Village, they would only be slaughtered.

With the Great Chieftain of Savage Bull Village gone, these martial artists were now able to fight the bandits blow for blow.

Facing the Great Chieftain of Savage Bull Village charging at him, Zhou Shan did not dare let down his guard either. He prepared to go all out.

Although these bandit leaders were generally only third-rate martial artists with around twenty years of mastery, and even second-rate martial artists with thirty years of mastery were rare, he still could not afford to be careless. Even a lion used all its strength to pounce on a rabbit.

"Die!"

The Great Chieftain of Savage Bull Village strode forward and chopped at Zhou Shan with both axes.

Rip!

The twin axes weighed a hundred jin. Borrowing the force of his charge, he built up power and brought them down in a furious chop, as though even the air had been split apart. The force was terrifying. Let alone a person, even a massive boulder would have been cleaved in two.

"Too slow!"

Like an eagle soaring through the heavens, Zhou Shan flashed past the Great Chieftain of Savage Bull Village's side.

The Great Chieftain of Savage Bull Village's attack looked fierce and powerful, carrying the force to split Mount Hua, but in Zhou Shan's eyes, it was riddled with openings. It had more than enough strength, yet the movements were far too clumsy and lacked agility.

Such an attack might work against martial artists of the same level, but Zhou Shan possessed sixty years of mastery. Even wearing heavy armor that weighed over a hundred jin, he easily dodged it.

(End of chapter)