Night Raven Tower Iron Mountain

[Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique +30]

Lin Zhao finished his cultivation, the last wisp of Internal Breath returning to his Dantian as he emerged from his quiet training room.

The wheat cakes and cooled tea on the table were still warm. He quickly ate, then walked through the corridor towards Chengyun Hall—this courtyard had a main hall and side rooms, with cyan pillars contrasting with vermilion doors and windows, lending it a certain grandeur.

Just past the ceremonial gate, Zhao Tieying, clad in armor, strode forward and bowed, saying, "Young Master, my old subordinates have found a batch of fine horses, called Crimson Wind Colts."

"Oh? What's the price?" Lin Zhao asked casually, his steps not faltering.

"Forty taels of silver per horse."

"The price is quite fair," Lin Zhao said, his hand brushing the bluestone railing along the corridor. "But I've never heard of the Crimson Wind Colt. How do they compare to the Dragon Steeds of Hetao?"

Zhao Tieying quickly explained, "Young Master, rest assured. My old subordinates say these horses are from Crimson Soil Slope and were originally the mounts of the Tatar Blood Wolf Tribe. Those Blood Wolf tribesmen are all master horsemen; they relied on these horses for charging into battle. In terms of speed and endurance, they are no weaker than the Hetao Dragon Steeds.

Later, when the court pacified the northern frontier and established garrisons to settle the tribes, this breed of horse remained. However, they are notoriously fierce, having startled riders and injured their owners on the battlefield."

He added with a wry smile, "Some say these horses carry the fierce spirit of the nomadic tribes, and ordinary people cannot control them. A while ago, a Marquis bought a batch of these horses but returned them within days. My old subordinates specifically stated that these horses are sold as is, with no returns or exchanges."

"I see," Lin Zhao nodded. He urgently needed warhorses and had no other choice. "Buy five to test them out. If I can tame them, I'll purchase another forty-five. Even if it doesn't work out, we can afford the loss of these five." A hint of determination flashed in his eyes. With his max-level Beast Taming skills, coupled with the Heart of Beast Taming and the Internal Breath guidance method, he didn't believe he couldn't subdue a few wild horses.

Zhao Tieying acknowledged and was about to withdraw when a commotion erupted from the front courtyard, mixed with the shouts of soldiers.

Lin Zhao frowned and quickly walked to the bright window of Chengyun Hall, pushing open the carved wooden window to look down. He saw two guards in uniform escorting a raggedly dressed tenant farmer towards the hall.

"Young Master, I'll go see," Zhao Tieying said, placing a hand on the long sword at his waist and turning to go downstairs.

"What's all the commotion?" Zhao Tieying's voice rang out in the front courtyard, carrying a hint of authority.

One of the soldiers, his face flushed red, angrily retorted, "Lord Zhao, this scoundrel was caught peeking at Cui'er, the daughter of Old Man Zhang, while she was bathing. We've caught him red-handed and brought him here for the Young Master to deal with!" This soldier had a secret crush on the girl. Thinking of his beloved being insulted, he couldn't help but kick the tenant farmer in the waist.

The tenant farmer yelped and collapsed onto the ground, clutching his waist and trembling. "Young Master, spare me! I am Liu Afu, and I've been framed! My black chicken flew into Old Man Zhang's yard, and I went to catch it. I accidentally glimpsed her, I wasn't intentionally spying!" He kept his head down, his shoulders shaking. To the soldier, this was clearly a sign of guilt.

Lin Zhao narrowed his eyes upstairs. After cultivating the Blood Poison Spider Breathing Technique, his senses far surpassed ordinary people. He could faintly detect a familiar, chilling internal energy from the tenant farmer, something no ordinary farmer would possess.

"Look up! State your name!" Zhao Tieying also sensed something was amiss. He drew his long sword with a swish, the tip pointing directly at the tenant farmer.

Before he finished speaking, the tenant farmer suddenly lunged, his hands forming claws as he attacked Zhao Tieying's lower body.

Zhao Tieying was already prepared and dodged the attack with a slight shift of his body. The tenant farmer seized the opportunity to stand up, his body swelling like an inflated balloon, muscles bulging, veins popping. His dark hands reached directly for the waist knives of the two soldiers.

The two soldiers reacted quickly, drawing their sabers to strike. However, the disparity in strength was too great. In an instant, the tenant farmer snatched the sabers from their hands.

He held the sabers in both hands, a dark energy swirling around the blades, and slashed fiercely at Zhao Tieying.

In a flash, the two exchanged several blows.

Although Zhao Tieying was a skilled soldier with exquisite swordsmanship, his age had significantly weakened his strength. He was no match for this suddenly attacking strong man and was quickly forced into a corner by a pillar, struggling to defend himself.

Lin Zhao, on the second floor, had no time to think. He grabbed the Mystic Iron Hard Bow hanging on the wall, nocked four wolf-tooth arrows, and drew it taut like a full moon. With four sharp whooshes, the arrows shot like meteors towards the strong man's back.

All four arrows hit their mark, but the strong man seemed completely unfazed. Not only did he not fall, but he turned around and sneered, completely ignoring the arrows stuck in his back.

He parried Zhao Tieying's attack with his right hand, while his left hand thrust the saber directly at Zhao Tieying's abdomen.

Zhao Tieying urgently circulated his Internal Breath, channeling a force of Entangling Force along his sword. With a crack, he shattered the strong man's right saber, but his own long sword also broke.

He inwardly cursed his misfortune, but still thrust forward with his broken sword.

The strong man didn't dodge. His dark palm directly grabbed the broken blade. Even though his hand bones felt like they were about to shatter from the force of the Entangling Force, he didn't care.

Using this desperate move, he fiercely plunged his left saber into Zhao Tieying's abdomen.

At this moment, soldiers who had rushed over surrounded the strong man. However, because Zhao Tieying was being held hostage, they were afraid of friendly fire and dared not shoot.

Lin Zhao had already donned his armor and leaped down from the second floor. The soldiers behind him immediately tightened their encirclement. To their surprise, the strong man suddenly pulled the injured Zhao Tieying in front of him, using him as a shield.

With a swish, a grappling hook shot out from the strong man's sleeve, accurately hooking onto the eaves of Chengyun Hall.

Holding Zhao Tieying, he looked down at Lin Zhao and sneered, "Young Master Lin, dare you pursue?"

Lin Zhao's expression turned as dark as water. This strong man had subdued Zhao Tieying within a few moves. His cultivation was at least at the peak of the Entering Martial Master level, possibly even approaching the Heavenly Gang Realm Grandmaster Warrior. He was already a top-tier expert in the martial world.

Not to mention the familiar grappling hook—it was clearly the work of the "Night Raven Tower" organization!

"Young Master, what should we do?" Squad Leader Wang Er asked, his voice trembling with sweat beading on his forehead.

"Select ten elites and follow me in pursuit!" Lin Zhao said sternly. "Wang Er, you take men to guard the four gates of Lin Family Fortress and secure the inner compound, guarding against any accomplices!" With that, he strode through the side courtyard to the rear courtyard's animal pens. Inside were the three Mystic Arm Snow Apes he had tamed. The leader, "Yuan Da," had long been tamed by him with the Heart of Beast Taming and understood human commands.

Lin Zhao mounted Yuan Da's broad back, along with the other two Mystic Arm Snow Apes, and headed towards the mansion's Duanli Gate, following the direction the strong man had fled.

The Mystic Arm Snow Apes' sense of smell was far more acute than hunting dogs, capable of tracking and also possessing combat strength.

"Night Raven Tower!" Lin Zhao gritted his teeth, a fierce killing intent flashing in his eyes.

Repeated tolerance had only led to escalating provocations.

Now that his wings were growing stronger, he no longer needed to endure. This debt needed to be settled properly!

Although Zhao Tieying was merely a retainer, he was Lin Zhao's right-hand man.

Now that he had been abducted and his fate was unknown, how could Lin Zhao not rescue him?

Moreover, the "Night Raven Tower" had attacked multiple times. If this wasn't resolved, Lin Family Fortress would never know peace.

This person could subdue Zhao Tieying within a few moves, so he was by no means ordinary.

Lin Zhao knew clearly that this would be a tough battle.

He mounted the Mystic Arm Snow Ape, Yuan Da, bringing along two other Mystic Arm Snow Apes, and pursued them into the mountain forest.

Not long after, in a clearing ahead, the burly man was clutching his profusely bleeding right hand, black energy swirling around it.

Zhao Tieying was discarded to the side, his life or death unknown.

Lin Zhao suppressed the anger in his heart and asked in a deep voice, "We have no enmity, who sent you here?"

The burly man merely sneered, "At death's door, and you still want to gather information?" Before he finished speaking, his entire body shot forward like a cannonball, his left fist, wrapped in black energy, aiming directly for Lin Zhao's face.

Lin Zhao stomped his foot, his body like an arrow, drawing the Frost Condensation sword. The Three Talents Slash, carrying a fierce entangling force, met him head-on!

With a clang of metal, the burly man was forced back half a step, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

He hadn't expected a mere youth to be able to wield such exquisite sword techniques.

Lin Zhao pressed his advantage, his sword light raining down.

The three Mystic Arm Snow Apes also closed in from the sides. For a time, roars echoed through the forest, and dust flew.

Several accompanying soldiers took the opportunity to carry Zhao Tieying down the slope to a physician for emergency treatment.

Although Lin Zhao was worried, he couldn't afford to be distracted. He could only pour all his rage onto the enemy before him.

However, the burly man's physique was astonishingly strong. Even the ape's claws could only leave a few shallow bloody marks.

The four wolf-tooth arrows stuck in his back were already ignored by him.

"This must be a top-tier breathing technique!" Lin Zhao's heart grew serious.

The two sides exchanged blows, each strike fatal. Lin Zhao's armor was already cracked, black energy swirling around his arms and neck. The Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique was running at full power, three internal energy seeds pulsing violently in his chest.

In the fierce battle, the Frost Condensation sword could no longer bear the strain and shattered into pieces with a mournful cry.

"Without your sword, what can you do now?" the burly man sneered, swatting away a soldier who tried to sneak an attack. His movements were like shadows as he charged at Lin Zhao again.

Lin Zhao drew the Dragon Vein Mystic Iron Dagger with his backhand, advancing instead of retreating, the poisoned blade stabbing directly at his throat.

The burly man grabbed the dagger with one palm. The sharp blade cut a wound deep enough to see bone on his palm, and the black energy was instantly torn apart.

"You actually use poison?" he roared, smashing his other fist like an iron hammer into Lin Zhao's chest.

"Pfft—"

Lin Zhao was sent flying backward, spitting out two mouthfuls of blood.

But he threw up his hands, scattering a handful of white powder towards the burly man.

"Throwing lime?" The burly man instinctively protected his eyes but accidentally inhaled some.

Lin Zhao seized the opportunity to close in, the dagger thrusting directly at his weak point.

The burly man cried out in pain and lunged forward, the two of them grappling in a tangle.

By this point, Lin Zhao was at the end of his strength, his ribs faintly broken, and his blood churning within him.

Though the burly man was covered in wounds and bleeding profusely, he was still as fierce as a ferocious god.

At this critical moment, the burly man suddenly trembled, his nose bled profusely, his blood vessels bulged, and his entire body seemed to suffer a heavy blow, crashing to the ground.

"Fool, that wasn't quicklime, it was Blood Poison Qi Breaking Powder," Lin Zhao's lips curled into a cold smile.

Without hesitation, he called out to the soldiers to fire arrows indiscriminately, riddling the fallen burly man with them. He then picked up the broken sword and cleanly severed the man's limbs to prevent him from feigning death and counterattacking.

Blood rained down, and the forest was filled with the pungent smell of blood mixed with herbs.

Lin Zhao leaned on his broken sword, gasping for breath. Though the rage in his chest had not subsided, his eyes had regained a cold clarity.

In today's battle, he not only rescued Zhao Tieying but also wanted to let the "Night Raven Tower" know that he, Lin Zhao, was no longer a lamb to be slaughtered!