Reborn Again

Reborn Again

In the wind and snow, transmitting signals was already extremely difficult. It was only after a powerful signal arrow of light rose from inside Baishi Village, followed by the next group of pirates, that they finally reacted.

They had never expected the brothers ahead to be so reckless. They had not even stopped to catch their breath, waited for them, or prepared themselves. They had simply charged straight in.

They had probably fallen into an ambush or trap. And since they had sent up a signal, that proved there were other ambushes nearby. They might even have already discovered the pirates' whereabouts.

Now, only one option remained for them: charge straight in.

If they fled, they would not be able to complete the task assigned from above. It was impossible to return dejectedly after not even fighting a single battle.

They had come all this way for the sake of earning a living. They were all people who licked blood from the edges of their blades—were they really afraid of these newcomers?

They had to teach them a harsh lesson.

Weren't there only a dozen or so of them? Kill them all!

The scar-faced leader spat, lowered his head, and trudged on through the snow, wrapping his robe tightly around himself. His low voice rang out. "No one needs to stay behind later. That Han Han must have failed."

"Not knowing whether they're alive or dead, we'll assume they're all dead. We'll avenge them."

The group ahead had originally been serving as bait. The people here were far stronger than them, so the scar-faced leader was not particularly surprised by their defeat.

They certainly had not expected Han Han to lead his people around to the southern gate of Baishi Village.

They came directly to the eastern courtyard wall. Thick snow covered the ground below, making it look not particularly tall. Still, ordinary people could not jump very high in the snow.

One pirate pulled out a Lava Turtle from his robes. The demon spirit immediately turned ethereal and fused with his body. As he gathered strength, smoke slowly rose from the thick gloves wrapped around his hands.

Then they caught fire and burned to ash.

His fists had turned into hard, charred-black rocks covered in fiery-red patterns, with flashes of flame occasionally bursting from them.

This man's strength, and that of his demon spirit, should no longer be at the low tier, right?

The people still cleaning up in the courtyard had yet to notice what was happening here.

They had just brought in the group of pirates outside the main gate and were helping bind them. Several of them had been knocked unconscious.

Ren Yuan, Old Zhao, Zhao Dun, and Zhao Chuan were all helping. Only Ming Shu was growing anxious. He wanted to climb up to the arrow tower again, but was afraid there would not be enough time.

Then he heard a thunderous pounding from the eastern wall.

The pirate's fists repeatedly struck the courtyard wall, knocking down all the ice and snow coating it with a clattering roar. The remaining wall had not been repaired for many years to begin with. After taking blow after blow, it soon split open.

The moment they heard the noise, everyone rushed over to defend this side.

Someone sat atop the courtyard wall. He raised a hand and gathered a demon art for a long while. When he saw Ren Yuan and Old Zhao charging over, he waved his hand, sending countless shards of ice and ice arrows shooting down.

Ren Yuan swung the staff in his hands, doing his utmost to block them.

Old Zhao also circulated his power and dodged. With a palm strike, he shattered several ice arrows flying toward him.

From behind them, Ming Shu saw this and quickly found the man in the Life Book. Demon spirit: Ice Turtle!

And behind the Lava Turtle pirate who had broken through the wall, another pirate carrying a Rock Ice Turtle was helping him.

The two of them quickly widened the breach in the courtyard wall into a large opening that people could pass through.

The other pirates also charged inside.

Zhao Dun and Zhao Chuan led the other guards and farmers, taking up knives, spears, staffs, and clubs as they organized a defensive line.

Old Zhao and Ren Yuan also stopped charging recklessly forward.

The two sides launched an offensive and defensive battle within the area inside the eastern wall.

The difficult part was the pirates' demon arts, which were impossible to guard against.

They could only rely on Ren Yuan and Old Zhao to help them withstand them. If they merely defended passively, Old Zhao would not be able to hold out for long.

He relied purely on Internal Power to block and fight.

Fortunately, Ming Shu was there to spot things in advance and warn everyone.

Several times, they managed to evade the attacks beforehand.

Ming Shu saw that the demon spirits of the two leaders were, respectively, Snow Moon Frog and Moonlight Snow Frog. They could only help their wielders gain strength in the wind and snow and reduce their consumption. They did not seem to possess any particularly powerful demon arts.

The two of them also remained outside the breach in the wall, showing no haste to attack and enter.

The other pirates kept trying to charge in. Several times, they scattered the defensive line.

Relying on Ren Yuan, who sent them back with one staff strike after another.

They soon discovered where the problem lay. Ren Yuan was not someone they could easily take down. Instead, Ming Shu could always detect the demon arts they were preparing in advance, and he could easily direct the others as well. At a glance, it was clear that he was an important figure.

Deal with him first.

The Rock Turtle would withstand the blows and hold Ren Yuan back. Although the Fire Cloud Turtle's condition had declined severely in this weather, holding Old Zhao back for a short time would still be no problem.

The deputy leader with the Moonlight Snow Frog also attacked. Zhao Dun and Zhao Chuan had no choice but to step forward and fight him. Although this deputy leader did not use a demon art, his martial skills alone already surpassed those of the other pirates.

He was even more troublesome.

The two men were highly experienced and barely managed to block his attacks. But with those two no longer available, the other guards found it even harder to resist the pirates' assault.

This deputy leader should also have the strength of a fifth-stage Martial Artist.

Ming Shu had no choice but to step forward and fight alongside the other farmers and guards.

He held a short spear specially made for him, only slightly longer than his height. It felt quite natural in his hands.

Those pirates who relied on demon arts were somewhat less skilled in martial arts. With one or two moves, they still could not easily take Ming Shu down.

Of course, they had prepared a trump card for him.

And Ming Shu had already seen it in the Life Book while he was hiding.

Demon spirit: Shadow Moon Frog.

Spirit of the Shadow Moon. Its demon art allowed it to conceal itself in shadows. Under moonlight, its strength and spell effects were increased. It could also move through water for a certain period of time.

Ming Shu was fishing as well. His Demon Spirit had not yet activated, and neither had the Demon Spirit within Ren Yuan.

This was the first killing move they had prepared. The second was to delay for as long as possible, waiting for Little Zhao to bring the Butcher and the others around to encircle them.

Old Zhao had lured the pirate carrying the Fire Cloud Turtle all the way to the front courtyard. Chong Li was sealing off the remaining pirates there.

Old Zhao should have had a way to deal with him; otherwise, he would not have been so confident about luring him away.

Ming Shu shouted while directing everyone to join forces and block the attacks, all the while personally joining the battle. Unknowingly, he had pushed ahead of everyone else.

The opportunity could not be missed.

The shadow beneath his feet suddenly began to writhe.

Ming Shu's own shadow finally stirred as well. A person leaped out of it.

His entire body was wrapped in black cloth. He held a short blade and stabbed it toward the center of Ming Shu's back.

The distance was too close.

There was no way for Ren Yuan to come to his rescue.

So when the shadow launched its attack, he also activated the Demon Spirit within his body: Demon Spirit: Sky Pillar.

His physical body strengthened, his power increased, and he became even more skilled in sumo combat techniques.

His figure also seemed to grow taller and more imposing. A red headscarf suddenly appeared on his head and wrapped around it, while a crimson silk-and-jade sleeve was tied around his waist.

He also wore a golden mandarin-duck pleated undershirt around his hips.

His kneepads were made of bronze, as was the crotch armor of his trousers. Iron plates and rings hung from his waist.

His wrists were tightly bound, and his kicking shoes were firmly secured.

One punch sent the wind roaring like a tiger, striking three nearby pirates in succession and sending them flying.

With a great roar, he charged toward the leader.