Gun and Force

On the hillside, the Purple-Robed Man, surrounded by his followers, waved his hand.

At his command, hundreds of cultists shouted as they charged down the slope, surrounding the mountain village from all directions! These cultists were clearly more elite, and the weapons they carried were of higher quality.

"Team Leader Wang?"

In front of the altar, several Registered Martial Masters looked at Wang Ping. "Let's retreat."

"Retreat?!"

Wang Ping pointed at the fallen people around them. "If we retreat, this operation will have lost hundreds of Overseeing Bureau Inspectors, dozens of Rank A Students from the Military Academy. How will we ever show our faces in Xing City again?"

"Team Leader Wang, what do you want to do?"

Someone asked.

Wang Ping looked up at the man in the purple robe on the hillside, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "That person should be the Tranquil God Sect's leader. If we rush over and capture him, we still have a chance to turn this battle around!"

He was very confident in his own strength, and with three teammates, he didn't think the Tranquil God Sect had the power to stop four Registered Martial Masters.

The three teammates exchanged glances and nodded.

"Alright, let's risk it!"

"Charge!"

Wang Ping took the lead, rushing out first, with the other three close behind.

These four Registered Martial Masters were as fast as galloping horses, and in the blink of an eye, they leaped over the wooden walls of the mountain village and charged out!

The four of them charged towards the man on the hillside who was suspected to be the Tranquil God Sect's leader.

The Purple-Robed Man looked at the four Martial Warriors charging towards him and smiled confidently, raising his hand. "Prepare."

As his voice fell, more than twenty cultists stepped forward with rifles in their hands!

The first row crouched, the second row stood, their gun muzzles aimed at the four Martial Warriors charging up the hillside.

The rifles in their hands were Eagle Strike Type-IIs, imported from Western countries in the early days of the Mingxin Reform. The Great Blue Dynasty's domestically produced Tiger-style Rifle was modeled after the 'Eagle Strike'.

The Great Blue Dynasty established itself through martial prowess, and its people had a fierce spirit. Initially, armor was forbidden, but knives were not, and crossbows were forbidden, but bows were not.

In other words, the imperial court wouldn't interfere if the common people collected knives and swords, but if they privately collected armor, it would be treated as treason!

Similarly, collecting bows was allowed, but privately owning crossbows was not.

Later, as the Mingxin Reform began, the Great Blue Dynasty introduced Western gunpowder weapons on a large scale, and the imperial court raised the prohibition level on firearms to the highest.

However, after more than five hundred years of feudal empire, there were too many accumulated problems, and the imperial court's control over the regions continued to decline. The local powerful figures, Jianghu sects, and aristocratic families almost all privately possessed firearms, and some could even manufacture their own guns!

In this context, it was not surprising that the Tranquil God Sect could obtain more than twenty Eagle Strike Type-II rifles.

"Defend!"

Wang Ping shouted immediately upon seeing this.

The four Martial Warriors quickly changed their charging formation, with a man holding a round shield at the very front, while Wang Ping and the other two hid behind him.

The Martial Warrior holding the shield shouted loudly, and a dark black aura surged from his skin, enveloping his entire body and the shield in his hand.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—

A burst of dense gunfire rang out, some bullets hitting the opponent's shield and being deflected.

Some bullets hit the Martial Warrior's body, disappearing like mud sinking into the sea.

The opponent was completely unaffected, continuing to charge forward while enduring the bullets!

"Mystic Stele Force? Good."

The Purple-Robed Man standing on the hillside smiled slightly, seemingly not worried at all.

The next second, a three-meter-long crimson snake flew out from behind the shield-bearing man, like an arrow released from a bow, quickly flying towards the hillside! It was Wang Ping's Crimson Scale Force, created from his own Innate One Qi.

This force transformed into a snake shape, carrying astonishingly high temperatures.

Before the crimson snake even got close, the people on the hillside could already feel a heatwave sweeping over them.

The cultists standing in the second row subconsciously opened fire at the crimson snake, but the bullets passed through it without any effect, and its speed remained undiminished.

Just as the crimson snake was only ten meters away from the crowd, a figure rushed out.

This person was entirely cloaked in black robes, tall and imposing, with a mask covering their face, and wielding a nine-ring broadsword.

They swung the blade at the crimson snake, the nine-ring broadsword emitting a terrifying chill, and where the blade passed, the air froze into frost!

Puchi!

The chilling blade struck the crimson snake, and a large cloud of white steam billowed out, creating a gust of wind on the spot! The masked figure was forced back several steps, but they also dispersed Wang Ping's Crimson Scale Force.

"A Force-Refining Martial Warrior?!"

Wang Ping, standing behind his companions, revealed a look of surprise.

Martial Warriors who reach the Qi Transformation Stage can be called Martial Masters. Those who can refine Innate One Qi into a special force are Force-Refining Martial Warriors, considered experts within the Qi Transformation Stage.

Wang Ping never expected that a cult would have a Force-Refining Martial Warrior. With their strength, they could easily pass the examination to become a Registered Martial Master of the imperial court, and there was no need to associate with a small cult.

It felt like he was leading people to hunt rabbits, but a wolf jumped out of the rabbit's den! As his Crimson Scale Force was dispersed, his other two companions rushed out from behind the shield-bearing man, wielding revolvers and firing at the gun-wielding cultists on the hillside.

In the past, Registered Martial Masters of the imperial court might have received special training in archery and hidden weapons, but with the introduction of firearms, everyone now practiced marksmanship.

Unless one was a Martial Warrior specializing in hidden weapons, a revolver was better than any hidden weapon.

The two Registered Martial Masters held 'War Halberds,' a type of double-barreled revolver that could fire two bullets at once.

The two Martial Masters fired as they charged up the hillside.

Their intention was to use their pistols to disrupt the gun-wielding cultists on the hillside, creating an opportunity to get close, but they never expected these cultists to be so fearless. Even when facing the gun muzzles, they did not waver, steadily pulling the bolts, loading bullets, and raising their guns to fire.

Bang, bang, bang, bang

A series of gunshots rang out, and several cultists fell to the ground, shot. The two Registered Martial Masters were also hit by several bullets.

However, they were wearing protective clothing made from Exotic Beast hide, which, while not completely resistant to rifle bullets, could reduce the impact. Coupled with the defense formed by the Implants in their bodies, the bullets were stopped in their muscles.

Unless a vital point was hit, even taking a few shots was not a major problem.

The two Registered Martial Masters seized the opportunity to leap the final distance and plunged into the crowd!

It was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep. With every move, they unleashed powerful force, easily breaking bones and tendons, and killing the gun-wielding cultists one by one!

Just as the two were about to charge towards the Purple-Robed Man, suspected to be the Tranquil God Sect leader, two more figures in black robes and masks leaped out, each facing one of the Registered Martial Masters.

The two sides quickly engaged in a fierce battle.

Wang Ping, not far away, finally began to panic at this sight.

Because the two black-robed men who had suddenly appeared were also Force-Refining Martial Warriors! The wolves jumping out of this rabbit den were not one, but three!

The Cessation of Hostilities Bureau had records of all Martial Masters and Force-Refining Martial Warriors in Xing City and maintained close surveillance. So, Wang Ping couldn't understand where these three Force-Refining Martial Warriors had come from.

Three Force-Refining Martial Warriors plus a Spirit Transformation Stage mage, surrounded by so many cultists, caused Wang Ping's resolve to waver.

To deal with a local cult like the Tranquil God Sect, which had no deep roots, the Cessation of Hostilities Bureau had dispatched four Registered Martial Masters, along with a hundred Overseeing Bureau Inspectors, dozens of Rank A Students from the Military Academy, and several Special Grade Instructors with the strength of Martial Masters. This was already a lineup of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Normally, it would have been an overwhelming victory!

But no one expected that such a small cult would have such strength.

Although Spirit Transformation Stage mages couldn't directly confront Martial Masters, if they hid to the side and provided support, they would be quite troublesome.

"Withdraw!"

Wang Ping shouted loudly.

He finally gave up the idea of capturing the Tranquil God Sect leader alive and reversing the situation in one fell swoop, intending to leave with his teammates.

As for the Overseeing Bureau Inspectors and Military Academy students who had fallen asleep in the stronghold, they could only rely on fate.