Twin Heroes of Desolate Ridge Surrounded and Ambushed, Secrets of Han Land's Weapons Revealed

For a moment, all the escort guards seemed to become different people, a murderous aura erupting from their bodies.

Mud splashed in all directions beneath their feet, and the mountain road instantly filled with the sounds of slaughter.

The white-clothed woman also reacted. With a delicate shout, the two short blades at her waist flew from their sheaths, tracing twin arcs of light as they blocked before her.

The one who had attacked was precisely the escort leader. His speed was astonishingly fast; he leaped into the air, and both palms howled toward the white-clothed woman.

"Clang! Clang!"

The twin blades jolted, the force leaving her wrists faintly numb as she retreated again and again.

"Fourth Level Master!"

The white-clothed woman's heart tightened. She and her senior brother were both at the Fourth Level Realm, so they knew full well how formidable a master of this level was.

Fourth Level Masters were not cabbages one could pick by the basketful. She had never expected three of them to appear at once in these desolate mountains and wilds. In some small counties, there might not even be this many in the entire county.

The escort leader was also slightly surprised that his two palms had failed to shatter his opponent's blades. He praised them, "Fine blades!"

"But the wielder isn't much!"

Having gained the advantage, he refused to relent. His body spun, and an even more ferocious palm strike descended straight at her head.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two sharp arrows shot out, one aimed at the escort leader's throat and the other at the vital point beneath his ribs.

The escort leader snorted coldly and swept out a palm with his backhand, actually striking both arrows apart.

"A Martial Master who practices archery is a rare sight. On the battlefield, you might be a divine archer, but this is Jianghu!"

The escort leader swerved, abandoning the white-clothed woman and lunging straight at the white-clothed man. He intended to eliminate this troublesome long-range threat first.

"Don't underestimate people!"

How could the white-clothed woman let him have his way?

Her twin blades whirled like a cyclone, their cold radiance resembling waning moons as they struck straight toward the escort leader's rear weakness.

The escort leader seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He turned and struck with one palm, smacking the side of the blade and dispelling the attack.

But in that brief pause, two more arrows came howling from the white-clothed man.

The senior brother and sister worked together with perfect understanding—one near, one far; one attacking, one harassing. They actually managed to hold the escort leader, whose cultivation was clearly a level higher, temporarily at bay, creating a stalemate.

But the escort leader's inner force was profound, his palm techniques forceful, and his experience seasoned. Though he fought two against one, he still held the hidden upper hand.

More troublesome still, the white-clothed man's arrows would eventually run out. With such expenditure, defeat and death were almost inevitable if the battle dragged on.

The white-clothed man's mind raced as he thought of a way to break the enemy.

But at that very moment—

A flying stone shot toward the escort leader at astonishing speed.

The escort leader's expression changed.

By instinct, he tilted his head to the right.

The flying stone grazed past his cheek. The force contained within it easily tore through his tempered-skin defense, gouging out a bloody groove.

The escort leader's body inevitably faltered.

The white-clothed woman, who had been waiting for her chance, seized the opening and delivered a horizontal slash across the escort leader's waist and abdomen.

Cloth ripped, and blood burst forth.

The escort leader cried out in pain, but had no time to inspect the wound at his waist. He planted his toes against the ground and retreated several yards in haste.

His first move was to cast his gaze toward the carriage.

There, at the top of the carriage canopy, a burly figure sat leisurely, casually playing with an ordinary stone in his hand.

Beneath him, the corpses of the "escort guards" already lay strewn across the ground.

No wonder the silence earlier had felt so unnatural. It turned out that all the capable men he had brought had already died...

There had also been another Fourth Level Master in the group who had come with him, and he had not escaped death either.

This man is strong!

He may even be a Five Refinement Master!

He had no time to wonder why several such masters had appeared one after another in these barren outskirts. His mind rapidly reached a decision. He turned and leaped, intending to flee.

However, the instant his body moved, darkness descended above his head.

The figure atop the carriage canopy had arrived first despite moving later, leaping into the air above him like a goshawk pouncing on a rabbit.

Then two feet landed on his back.

A mountain seemed to press down from above, forcing him straight into a fall below.

The two slammed into the ground like falling meteors, sending dust billowing across the sky!

So I can't escape after all...

Despair filled the escort leader's heart. This was his first mission to secretly transport "valuable cargo" for the organization, yet he had encountered such a calamity.

Truly, the years had been against him, and his luck was rotten to the core.

Without the slightest hesitation, he crushed the poison pill hidden behind his molar.

Two figures crashed heavily to the ground.

Chen Duan climbed off the man, then used his toes to turn the body over. His brows furrowed slightly.

"Swallowed poison and committed suicide... A Death Warrior? As expected, they're no ordinary escort guards."

By then, the White-clothed Senior Brother and Sister had hurried over.

The two bowed deeply to Chen Duan.

"Many thanks for Senior's righteous intervention!"

"My name is Fei Xiuwen."

"This young woman is Ji Xinyao. I belong to the same sect as my senior brother."

"Chen Duan."

Chen Duan casually gave his name. His gaze swept over the corpses on the ground before returning to the two of them as he asked, "What happened? Why did you suddenly attack them?"

He had seen the white-clothed woman merely pick something up, only for these men to suddenly launch a murderous attack. It was truly puzzling.

"It probably has something to do with the goods they were transporting."

Fei Xiuwen's expression was solemn. He walked to one of the carriages and pulled off the canopy cloth covering it.

The carriage was packed densely with powerful bows, strong crossbows, and all kinds of weapons.

"As expected..."

Fei Xiuwen's voice sank.

Chen Duan casually picked up a crossbow and examined it carefully. He discovered that the wood and metal used in its body were extremely unusual—so unusual that he had never seen them before. Its structure was even more exquisitely crafted. Most importantly, inner force seemed to flow faintly through it.

He then examined several blades and swords. Without exception, none were ordinary items.

"Senior Chen, judging by their design and forging methods, these weapons most likely came from the great Shenji Sect of Han Land!" Fei Xiuwen explained.

The Shenji Sect was a sect renowned for forging Divine Weapons. The weapons of many famous Jianghu masters had come from its hands.

"People from Han Land are mostly skilled in the arts of mechanisms and machinery. Therefore, all the sects of Han Land—especially great sects like the Shenji Sect—have always been strictly controlled and monitored by the Imperial Court.

"Every weapon that leaves Han Land must be registered with the authorities, with its destination and purpose recorded. There is absolutely no way such a huge batch could appear in Chuzhou. As for this shipment now..."

He stopped there, but his meaning was already clear.

The three of them had likely been accidentally drawn into a far-reaching conspiracy involving weapons smuggling.

Beside them, Ji Xinyao bit her lower lip tightly, her face deathly pale. Her heart was full of regret and self-blame.

If she had not gone to pick up the crossbow that had slipped from the carriage and examine it, they would not have become trapped in this whirlpool.

"Senior Chen, the urgent matter is to dispose of this hot potato as quickly as possible, then leave immediately!"

His heart was already surging like storm-tossed seas. The forces entangled in this matter were certainly immense, while his sect had long maintained close ties with the Shenji Sect.

Once this matter leaked, it would likely unleash a storm of blood and wind.

"Dispose of it? How?"

"Bury it or burn it. We absolutely cannot leave it behind!"

"With so many Divine Weapons, wouldn't that be a waste of heaven's treasures?"

"Huh?"

Fei Xiuwen froze. Seeing Chen Duan's undisguised interest, his heart lurched. He swallowed and carefully asked, "Then what does Senior mean?"

Chen Duan folded his arms and smiled. "In any case, we can't abandon, throw away, or destroy them."