But just then, a sharp whistling arose. As Chen Guishuo soared into the air, his sword momentum suddenly shifted, sweeping sideways and flicking out a spray of sword flowers.
Amid a clatter of metal, five or six incoming arrows were sent flying by Chen Guishuo's chaotic swordplay. Below, over a hundred men lying in ambush suddenly charged out under Guan Tie's lead, carrying bows and crossbows as they rushed uphill on foot.
Guan Tie had acted on Lan Ruoting's hint earlier and quietly brought his men over to investigate. Who would have thought they would happen upon Yuan Gang in danger? Knowing how highly the Prince valued him, how could Guan Tie stand by and not save him?
Using the cover of another wave of arrows, Yuan Gang swiftly broke free and charged downhill.
Chen Guishuo landed hurriedly and had no time to hide before another wave of arrows came flying. There were dozens of them, densely packed. Even swinging his sword, he could not block them all. He rapidly raised his arm and cast a spell, releasing his magic power to form a protective aura around his body.
As the dozens of arrows reached Chen Guishuo, they rapidly slowed and stopped in midair. They were forcibly trapped by his magic power, their arrowheads near and far from him. The closest was only a finger's breadth from his eyeball, nearly scaring him into a cold sweat.
The reason the trapped arrows had stopped at different distances was that their successive assault had nearly broken through Chen Guishuo's magical defense. The principle was simple: as the arrows arrived one after another, the first ones encountered stronger defenses while also consuming part of that defensive force. The later arrows naturally met less resistance and reached farther in.
And it still wasn't over. Guan Tie waved his hand, and another rain of arrows shot forth.
How could Chen Guishuo dare to withstand them head-on? A Qi Refining cultivator's cultivation was fundamentally incapable of blocking so many continuous arrows. With a sweep of his hand, he knocked away the arrows suspended before him, then lunged sideways and slipped behind a great tree. A rapid series of thuds rang out. Some arrows slammed into the trunk, their fletching trembling, while others skimmed past the tree.
Chen Guishuo was pinned down. Yuan Gang also charged into a crowd of men and, under everyone's protection, temporarily escaped danger.
Guan Tie, holding a saber in one hand, looked Yuan Gang up and down. Seeing that he seemed unharmed, he asked, "What happened?"
Yuan Gang said indifferently, "I don't know."
Seeing that he was alone, Guan Tie seemed to remember something and hurriedly asked, "Where's Su Jieren?"
Yuan Gang looked toward the mountaintop. "Still in the temple!"
Without another word, Guan Tie waved to his men. "Charge!" He was about to enter Nanshan Temple to rescue him.
Yuan Gang grabbed his arm and warned him, "There should be more than one cultivator. It's dangerous!"
Guan Tie said in a deep voice, "Yingyang, the Wulie Guard has never abandoned its brothers!"
Yuan Gang paused and stared blankly at him, his eyes complicated.
Guan Tie gave it no further thought and jerked his head toward his men again. "Move!"
The group began charging uphill, closing in on Chen Guishuo's hiding place.
Yuan Gang had intended to use the opportunity to escape according to plan. He looked back toward the road down the mountain, then turned again to the group charging uphill. His cheeks tightened briefly. In the end, he did not follow the planned escape route. Instead, he charged uphill with the others, borrowed a Zhanmadao from a guard carrying a crossbow, and increased his pace. He rushed to the front to hold the line.
Just as everyone was nearing Chen Guishuo's hiding place, a figure suddenly flew backward from the treetop above. It was Xu Yitian. The instant he plunged into the crowd, sword light flashed in all directions, and blood flowers bloomed one after another. In the blink of an eye, he had cut down five or six men, throwing the formation into chaos.
Xu Yitian charged straight into the crowd. The men around him did not dare fire their arrows for fear of hitting their own people, so they drew their sabers and rushed forward to fight him head-on. Yet how could they possibly be his match?
Seeing his brothers fall one after another, Guan Tie's eyes nearly split with rage. He roared, "Signal arrows!"
Yuan Gang had just turned to see what was happening when Chen Guishuo suddenly flashed out from behind the tree and thrust his sword at him. Sensing it, Yuan Gang swung his saber in a horizontal slash.
Clang! With a crisp ring, saber and sword collided. Chen Guishuo once again experienced Yuan Gang's brute force. The impact sent tremors shivering through the blade and numbed his palm.
Yuan Gang, on the other hand, seemed completely unaffected. He swung his saber and hacked wildly at Chen Guishuo. One force could overcome ten techniques, and Chen Guishuo was driven backward again and again, forced to dodge and hide. Chen Guishuo countered with a Profound Clear Palm, blasting palm force through the air into Yuan Gang and sending him stumbling backward. Yet Yuan Gang stamped down to steady himself, then immediately charged back in, saber hacking wildly.
Several signal arrows were fired in succession. Streaks of light shot into the sky with sharp whistles, then exploded one after another with booming cracks.
A startling boom rang out. The people waiting on the official road abruptly turned toward Nanshan Temple. A red flare had exploded overhead, followed by several more blasts as several red lights flashed in the sky—the emergency distress signal!
Whether it was Shang Chaozong or Shang Shuqing, everyone mounted up at once. The scattered guards on alert rapidly converged, hooves thundering. Hundreds of men armed with bows, crossbows, and sabers spurred their horses and rushed to provide aid.
Niu Youdao's brow furrowed deeply. What was happening? Why had several distress signals appeared?
Things had deviated somewhat from the plan. Worried that Monkey might be in trouble, Niu Youdao also spurred his horse after them.
Qu Wu and the others from Guangyi Commandery were stunned. Seeing Shang Chaozong and the others hurry away, Qu Wu also leaped onto his horse and waved. "Let's go see what's happening!"
The ten men mounted up and galloped after them.
Inside Nanshan Temple's reception hall, Su Jieren, who had been answering questions and stalling, suddenly turned around upon hearing the distress signals.
Song Yanqing and Yuan Fang were also stunned. The several of them ran outside at once and saw the signals blossoming in the sky.
Su Jieren's expression changed drastically. With a clang, he drew his sword and was about to rush out.
Song Yanqing's eyes flashed. He turned his hand and struck with a Profound Clear Palm, hitting Su Jieren squarely in the back and blasting him forward. Su Jieren spat blood and crashed to the ground.
"Keep watch over him!" Song Yanqing shouted back to Yuan Fang. Then he flashed out, leaped onto the roof of the front hall, and ran swiftly to see what was happening.
At the site of the fierce battle in the woods, Xu Yitian saw that the opposing side had sent out a distress signal and knew they could not remain entangled. Seeing Chen Guishuo struggling in disarray, Xu Yitian also struck backward with a Profound Clear Palm, blasting several men off their feet. His figure flashed as he cut his way out, his flying sword stabbing straight at Yuan Gang, who had his back turned while fighting.
"Watch out!" Guan Tie warned, charging across to intercept him. He swung his saber furiously at Xu Yitian.
Clang! Xu Yitian flicked the incoming Zhanmadao aside with a single sword stroke. Following through, he splashed up a flower of blood, the sword point plunging straight into Guan Tie's chest.
Warned by Guan Tie, Yuan Gang swung his saber in a furious slash at Xu Yitian. But Xu Yitian had already vaulted through the air. He kicked off the tree trunk and shouted, "Go!"
Chen Guishuo immediately turned and fled.
Arrows shot forth in a swift barrage. The guards charging up unleashed their bows and crossbows, but the dense forest ultimately prevented them from displaying their full effectiveness. Using the tree trunks as cover, Xu Yitian and Chen Guishuo made several leaps into the canopy, then flew away and vanished from everyone's sight.
The group rushed forward and raised their bows and crossbows on guard. Others supported Guan Tie, who had fallen, crying out mournfully, "My lord! My lord..."
Surrounded by the crowd, Guan Tie stretched out a blood-covered hand toward Yuan Gang, who stood silently nearby, and looked at him expectantly.
Everyone else also turned to Yuan Gang, and two of the men surrounding Guan Tie stepped aside to clear a path.
Yuan Gang walked over, grasped Guan Tie's bloody hand, and slowly crouched down.
Guan Tie gripped his hand tightly, forcing out his strength as he said, "Brother Yuan, stay. Stay..."
Yuan Gang said nothing. He merely watched him in silence. Even after Guan Tie fell silent, his head lolling as he collapsed into the arms of those beside him, Yuan Gang gave him no answer.
Ignoring the grief-stricken looks from those around him, Yuan Gang remained expressionless. Bracing himself on his single saber, he slowly stood. Looking around, he saw that in just this short while, more than thirty of the over one hundred guards Guan Tie had brought had already fallen!
Outside Nanshan Temple, Xu Yitian and Chen Guishuo flew back and met Song Yanqing at the temple gate.
Seeing that Xu Yitian was stained with a great deal of blood, Song Yanqing immediately asked, "Did you succeed?"
Xu Yitian shook his head. "I didn't see Niu Youdao. Instead, we ran into a group of elite soldiers and fought them. They should all be Shang Chaozong's personal guards!"
"That little thief is quite slippery. Could he really think Shang Chaozong can protect him?" Song Yanqing sneered.
Just then, the rumble of hooves came from below the mountain. Clearly, someone was charging uphill.
Chen Guishuo said worriedly, "Senior Brother, it should be Shang Chaozong's other forces. Should we avoid them for now?"
Song Yanqing turned around and shouted, "What are you afraid of? Do you really think Shang Chaozong's men can keep us here?"
Chen Guishuo said anxiously, "Shang Chaozong is still a proper commandery prince. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to attack a commandery prince? If word gets out, the trouble will be considerable. We can't afford to offend either side."
"Who said we were going to attack Shang Chaozong? I don't want to provoke him, but he shouldn't provoke me either. What can a fallen commandery prince do?" Song Yanqing said dismissively, then sneered. "Since I've come, Shang Chaozong must give me an explanation. He has to hand over Niu Youdao!"
Xu Yitian and Chen Guishuo exchanged a glance. Thinking about it, they agreed. With Shang Chaozong's current strength, it was basically impossible for him to keep the three of them here.
"Gather everyone from the temple over here, so that Bear Demon doesn't escape!" Song Yanqing turned back and gave the order. Then he walked to the steps leading down the mountain, clasped his hands behind his back, and coldly watched the road below as if waiting respectfully for an honored guest.
Chen Guishuo quickly went into the temple to gather its people.
Several hundred riders charged to the mountainside and joined Guan Tie's forces. Shang Chaozong dismounted and hurried into the woods beside the uphill path, stopping before Guan Tie's corpse. His gaze swept back and forth over the dozens of bodies.
The surrounding men and horses maintained a state of high alert.
Niu Youdao arrived soon afterward at a quick pace. Seeing Yuan Gang standing silently and unharmed, he finally let out a heavy sigh of relief, though he did not understand why Yuan Gang had not left according to plan.
Shang Chaozong's Adam's apple bobbed. His face dark with gloom, he asked, "What happened?"
"Prince, we came here to investigate and happened upon Brother Yuan being attacked, so we stepped in to rescue him..." One of the guards described the entire incident in detail.
After hearing what had happened, Niu Youdao's brows drew deeply together as he stared at Yuan Gang, who remained silent.
Upon learning that Su Jieren might still be in the temple, Shang Chaozong's gaze moved from Yuan Gang's face to Niu Youdao's. Finally, he waved his hand and shouted, "Up the mountain!"
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