Masked Man

Golden Bell Temple.

Backyard meditation room.

Two Barbarians, disguised as monks, knelt on prayer mats.

Outside the door, the sounds of clashing weapons and screams were incessant.

"Helm Master."

The sharp-mouthed monk said nervously, "Xiang Tingchun has sent people to surround Golden Bell Temple. What should we do? If the Jade Key also falls into their hands, won't that be..."

The man called Helm Master was calmer.

He took a piece of jade from his embrace and handed it to the sharp-mouthed monk.

"Helm Master?!"

The sharp-mouthed monk's expression was panicked. "Absolutely not! The Immortal Treasure is of great importance, how can you give it to me?"

"Xiang Tingchun knows me."

The Helm Master said faintly, "He will definitely focus on me. If the item is in my hands, it will be even less safe. I will stall the guy named Xiang. You find a way to escape. If there's no other way, hide the Jade Key."

The sharp-mouthed monk carefully took the item. "Are we truly going to die here today? It's all the fault of that damned rebel who actually handed over the Immortal Treasure to someone else. Otherwise, the Tuoba and Yuwen tribes would have already united the grasslands, broken through the Great Sheng Dynasty's court, and taken their place. It would have been just around the corner!"

"There's no need to panic so much."

The middle-aged man truly resembled an enlightened monk, speaking slowly and calmly. "Even if we fail, the Cult Master and the Great Khan still have backup plans. At most, it will be an exchange of interests with the old emperor of the Sheng Dynasty."

"He's coming soon. You should go."

"Yes!"

The sharp-mouthed monk secured the Jade Key and disappeared through the window.

"Bang--"

A corpse, like a massive stone, crashed through the wooden door of the meditation room.

Xiang Tingchun stepped over the corpse and entered, his reedy knife dripping blood. He said word by word, "Give me the item."

"Sigh~"

The Helm Master sighed softly and produced two bronze maces from behind him. "Lord Thousand Households doesn't even know what the Immortal Treasure is, why go to so much trouble?"

"Once you're dead, this official will naturally find out."

Inside the meditation room, sword light flashed.

About twenty minutes after the signal arrow was fired.

People began to flee towards the guards lining the narrow path on the mountain.

"Prepare!"

General Flag Fang raised his hand, ready to give the order.

"Help!"

"The monks at Golden Bell Temple are killing people!"

"..."

As the crowd drew closer, the soldiers realized something was wrong.

There were at least nearly a hundred people running down the mountain.

The Witch God Cult wasn't attacking with a large army. If they were sneaking in through the wilderness paths, dozens of people might be possible, but how could there be so many?

It was immediately clear that the majority of them were ordinary civilians.

"Wait a moment!"

General Flag Fang hurriedly stopped the archers who were preparing to shoot and shouted at the crowd, "Stop! Do not descend the mountain, everyone stop!"

"Sir, the monks at Golden Bell Temple are killing people!"

"Help us, sir, let me go, please let me go!"

"..."

The panicked crowd refused to listen.

"Pfft--"

General Flag Fang drew his Wild Goose Feather Saber and shouted sternly, "I told you to stop, don't you understand! Anyone who takes another step forward will be considered a Witch God Cult follower, and will be killed without mercy!"

Seeing the gleaming blade, the people were finally forced to stop.

Chen Sanshi looked at the chaotic scene before him, knowing that many innocent civilians would surely die today.

It seemed that in order not to alert the enemy, this Lord Thousand Households was willing to let more civilians die.

"No one moves! Anyone who moves will be shot dead!"

General Flag Fang said vigilantly, "Officer Ma! Most of the Witch God Cult members are Barbarians. Take a squad and go up to check and question them one by one!"

Fortunately, they were still foreigners. Even if their clothing and appearance were disguised, their faces and accents would still have differences. Coupled with questioning their family background and residence, it would take some time, but they could eventually be identified.

It was clear they couldn't hide any longer.

The Witch God Cult members in the crowd couldn't hold back.

One man, disguised as a wealthy elder, raised his hand and struck the back of an old man in front of him with a palm strike.

The old man vomited a spray of blood mist and died on the spot.

The crowd, which had finally been brought under control, descended into chaos again. Everyone screamed and fled in all directions in panic.

"Brothers, charge! Fight our way out with blood!"

The Witch God Cult members no longer pretended. They drew their concealed weapons and attacked amidst the chaos.

"Don't panic!"

General Flag Fang shouted, engaging the disguised elder in combat. He continued to command, "Squad Leaders, form teams, cooperate with each other, and surround and kill them!"

The Witch God Cult members were clearly scattering.

Therefore, they didn't encounter many people, only seven or eight, and there were no experts at the Bone Tempering realm. It seemed the experts had broken through in other directions.

Chen Sanshi directed his subordinates, cooperating with another officer, to surround a one-eyed man.

Zhu Tong, Wang Li, and others wielded long spears, thrusting at the cult members from all directions.

The man was likely at the Minor Accomplishment stage of Blood Refining. He wielded dual sabers, slashing and hacking wildly. With great effort, he managed to get close to the soldiers, but was immediately forced back by the shield and saber infantry, falling back into a desperate struggle.

Coupled with the army's cooperation, including an officer also at the Minor Accomplishment stage of Blood Refining, the Witch God Cult member was exposed within ten rounds and riddled with bloody holes from the chaotic spear thrusts.

This was the army!

The sects of the martial world didn't possess this kind of combat power.

Chen Sanshi wasn't idle either. He drew his large bow like a full moon, the string twanged, and an arrow shot out.

The wolf-fang arrow flew through the gaps in the chaotic crowd and pierced the face of a Witch God Cult member over a hundred paces away. His head struck a tree trunk with a "thud," killing him instantly without pain.

"Die—"

A Witch God Cult member at the Minor Accomplishment stage of Blood Refining crept up from the flank, raising his curved saber to launch a sneak attack.

How could Chen Sanshi not hear this?

He had been waiting, and the moment the attacker raised his saber, he turned and fired an arrow.

The distance between them was only ten paces. The impact of the two-stone bow sent the attacker staggering backward. Before he could even hit the ground, a long spear caught up to him, its blade slicing across his neck. His head separated from his body and rolled down the slope like a kicked ball, traveling a considerable distance.

The melee didn't last too long.

The army, with its superior numbers, quickly cornered the Witch God Cult members. Even with their stubborn resistance, they likely wouldn't last much longer.

"I wonder how the main battlefield is doing."

Chen Sanshi looked in the direction of Golden Bell Temple.

Did Xiang Tingchun get what he wanted?

He gripped his reed leaf spear, ready to help quickly resolve the battle.

"Rustle—"

Dozens of yards away, the sound of snapping branches indicated movement.

Someone had been hiding for a long time and was now trying to escape in the chaos.

A survivor!

Chen Sanshi immediately pursued the sound.

Through the trees, he glimpsed a brownish-yellow figure flash by.

The forest ahead was dense, and his vision was largely obscured.

Chen Sanshi relied on his hearing and the tracks on the ground to follow, while also maintaining caution and not advancing too rashly. After all, he didn't know the opponent's realm. It was always wise to be careful.

It wasn't until he had traveled several miles and the terrain opened up that he could finally see the person he was looking for.

It was a monk with a pointed mouth and monkey cheeks, with a shaved head and wearing a saffron robe. However, the earring holes on his ears indicated he had worn jewelry, clearly not the style of a Great Sheng Dynasty citizen.

Chen Sanshi drew his bow, about to shoot, when another group of people rapidly approached.

These people carried ordinary long swords, all dressed in black and with their faces covered by black cloth. There were four of them, completely blocking the path and intercepting the pointed-mouthed monk.

A third party?

Chen Sanshi felt a sense of familiarity among the masked figures. "Is that him?"

He concealed his presence and observed from the shadows.