Looking for the Wrong Person

"Xia Ding, how could his strength be this great?"

Although Shi Qing was terrified, his reaction was not slow at all. Seeing Xia Ding and the thirteen others scattering and chasing them, he immediately ordered a counterattack.

"Shi Dong, go left and find cover. Wang Ming, lead the team to block them, quickly!"

Xia Ding and the others were not slow in their pursuit.

Moreover, three of their men had already died, leaving only ten.

To simply flee would only give the enemy a chance to pick them off one by one.

The members of the camp cooperated seamlessly. Upon receiving the order, they stopped fleeing. Wang Ming, wielding his saber, turned around with the seven men behind him. Shi Qing and Shi Dong, one to the left and one to the right, quickly climbed a large tree.

The saber-wielding men would lead a feigned attack, while Shi Qing and Shi Dong would hide in the shadows and launch the main assault.

This was the standard formation the Big Stone Camp always used against enemies.

On the other side, Wang Ming, who had turned back, stood before Xia Ding and the thirteen others with his seven men. He casually glanced down at the three corpses on the ground. Wang Ming tightened his grip on his saber, as if this could bring him a sense of security.

Even now, they still didn't understand how these three people on the ground had died. Xia Ding hadn't moved, and neither had the twelve people behind him.

Where did that sound, like a silver needle piercing the air, come from?

As soon as that sound rang out, the three men died as if cursed.

And Xia Ding, when did he become so powerful?

The unknown breeds fear in people's hearts.

"Attack!"

Of course, it could also ignite a strong will to survive.

As if realizing their situation was dire, Wang Ming roared. His fear transformed into rage and madness, and he charged towards Xia Ding first, brandishing his saber.

As the strongest fighter in the camp after Shi Qing and Shi Dong.

When Wang Ming fought with his life on the line, his momentum was undeniably powerful.

Shred...

The blade cut through the night sky with a sharp slicing sound. The fierce force generated a gale that kicked up the snow on the ground several meters high. In an instant, he was in front of Xia Ding.

Wang Ming's eyes were wide with fury. He swung his saber with almost the greatest strength he had ever possessed.

"With this strike, you'll be flayed even if you don't die!"

This was Wang Ming's first thought upon sensing his blade contact something.

Unfortunately, the result was the complete opposite of his thought.

Xia Ding merely sidestepped and dodged his strike.

Not only did he dodge, but he also circled around to Wang Ming's side, then pressed down on the saber with his hand, forcing it directly into the snow, even several inches into the dirt.

"How could he be so fast? Xia Ding, has he broken through to the Earth Excavation Realm?"

A fierce gust of wind from a punch brushed past his ear, interrupting Wang Ming's stunned thoughts.

He knew Xia Ding had made his move.

He had used too much force just now, his momentum was too great. Even if he let go of his saber now, he wouldn't be able to dodge Xia Ding's punch. So, he didn't let go.

In this seemingly certain death situation, Wang Ming should have been terrified.

But not only was he not afraid, a triumphant smile spread across his face.

Whoosh...

The sound of an arrow breaking through the air rang out. From the tree where Shi Qing and Shi Dong had taken cover, two volleys of arrows, a total of four, streaked towards them.

The target was none other than Xia Ding.

The angle of the arrows was extremely tricky. The first two aimed for Xia Ding's left hand, which was pressing down on the saber, and his right fist, which was striking Wang Ming. The next two flew directly towards his face.

Having partnered with the Shi brothers for many years, their tacit understanding had reached a point where they didn't even need eye contact. Wang Ming's frontal charge with his saber was never intended to inflict damage on Xia Ding; it was merely to create an opportunity for Shi Qing and Shi Dong.

He had never imagined Xia Ding would be so fast, not only dodging his saber strike with such ease but also quickly counteracting it.

Although the counter was successful, it also restricted Xia Ding's own movements.

The four arrows almost cornered Xia Ding. Even if he retreated now, at most he could dodge the two aimed at his hands. The two aimed at his face were unavoidable.

However, what happened next stunned everyone.

Xia Ding didn't dodge. His fist wind grew even fiercer.

Clang, clang, clang, clang...

All four iron-tipped arrows hit their targets. In fact, one of the arrows from the second volley struck Xia Ding's right eye, penetrating at least ten centimeters deep.

Bang...

Even so, Xia Ding's powerful right fist landed its blow.

Wang Ming didn't even have time to turn his head before his body was blasted into the snow behind him like a cannonball, creating a tremendous impact.

He was also at the Lumbering Realm, his physique was not weak. Although his skull wasn't shattered by this punch, it caved in by almost half.

One blow, and he was dead.

Wang Ming, just like that, was dead.

Meanwhile, Xia Ding, with four arrows stuck in him, acted as if nothing had happened. He stood up first, then turned his head. His left eye, the one without an arrow, stared through the darkness at the two large trees behind them, a grotesque smile plastered on his face the entire time.

Whether it was the seven people entangled in a fight with the enemy group, or Shi Qing and Shi Dong hiding behind the large trees, their hearts were filled with dread and astonishment.

"Run, everyone, he's not Old Ding, he's that Grotesque from Redwood Ridge!"

At this point, if Shi Qing still couldn't see what was happening, he wouldn't be fit to be a Leader.

He shouted in alarm, drew his bow, and nocked an arrow. He shot all eight arrows from the quiver on his back in one go, not at Xia Ding, but at the seven lumber team members who were caught up in the fight.

Shi Dong, on the other side, did the same.

The seven members of the lumber team were already in a panic from the words "Grotesque" that Shi Qing had uttered. However, due to the enemy blocking them, they couldn't retreat immediately.

Now, with the help of over ten arrows, the seven believed they could escape smoothly. Taking advantage of the moment the arrows flew towards the enemy, they turned and fled.

However, it was just like Wang Ming's recent experience.

Not a single one of those Great Xia lumber team members dodged the arrows.

They allowed the arrows to pierce their bodies and continued their pursuit relentlessly.

Several who were shot in the chest were knocked down by the immense impact of the arrows. The rest, only hit in the limbs, merely slowed down.

The two slowest among the seven were caught up instantly.

Let alone resist, they didn't even turn around before several people behind them used Stone Axes to hack them into pulp.

The five who had already escaped looked back at the scene and dared not slow down even a bit. They quickly darted towards the rear, fleeing frantically behind Shi Qing and Shi Dong.

However, the "Xia Ding" clearly had no intention of letting them go.

Thirteen people, each with arrows stuck all over their bodies, pursued them swiftly from behind. The "Xia Ding" at the front, the arrow lodged in his right eye, jiggled up and down as he ran, a sight that was unsettling no matter how you looked at it.

"We can't run back to the camp. If we lead them there, we'll all die."

Despite their desperate flight, Shi Qing hadn't completely lost his mind. He led Shi Dong and the other five, deliberately fleeing in the opposite direction of their camp.

Whoosh...

A sharp sound entered his ears. Shi Qing's expression tightened.

This was the second time. How could he not recognize it? It was this sound that had caused those three people to die inexplicably just moments ago.

What in the world was it?

Shi Qing was burning with anxiety. He hurriedly turned his head to look around, forcing himself to calm down and find the source of the sound.

Suddenly, a fine, long, faint light entered his pupils from in front of him. Shi Qing, fleeing madly, abruptly lowered his head. He didn't forget to shout a warning to those behind him:

"Quick, duck! There's something ahead!"

Shi Dong, the closest to him, was the first to duck.

Of the five behind, three also lowered their heads.

Only the last two, perhaps because they didn't hear clearly or reacted too slowly, didn't duck. They charged straight ahead.

Though they couldn't see anything blocking them, those last two, just like the three before them, suddenly froze. Then, three strange red dots appeared on their foreheads.

Blood flowed from the red dots, and both fell to the ground simultaneously.

Shi Qing, fleeing in a frenzy, felt his heart bleeding.

A few days ago, when hunting that Snow Mane, three had been lost, including his own brother. Now, another eight had died.

Out of the sixteen members of the Big Stone lumber team, only five remained.

And the crucial point was that the five of them might not even keep their lives.

Because that Grotesque was still relentlessly pursuing them.

Their stamina was decreasing, their speed slowing down, yet the group of monsters behind them showed no sign of slowing down.

Big Stone Camp was probably doomed.

Just as Shi Qing was sinking into this utterly despairing thought.

A sharp, youthful voice suddenly came from the right.

"Finally found you! Now, let's see where you can run!"