Fight to the Death

However, Lu Yuan did not go outside. He merely poked his head out and listened for the commotion at the door.

In Ice Valley Lane, two groups were locked in a vicious battle.

One group looked like Garrison Soldiers, around a dozen of them. They wore leather armor and carried heavy weapons as they fought several men in black.

The latter were no weaklings. Though slightly fewer in number, they had likely all entered the Entry Realm.

There were six of them in total. Judging by their moves, they were from the Northern Barbarians.

Clang!

An old soldier wielded a long-handled Jujube Spike Hammer and swung it at the black-clad man before him.

The man stepped sideways, dodging the attack.

The hammerhead, as large as a baby's fist, struck the wall and sent sparks flying.

Taking advantage of the old soldier's spent momentum, the man in black drove a fist into his ribs.

The burly old soldier was smashed to the ground, his abdomen caving in below the waist. Had he not been wearing leather armor, that punch alone would have been enough to kill him. Even so, he had suffered no light injury.

This squad of City Guard was responsible for patrolling Ice Valley Lane. They had just left the bureau when they encountered Northern Barbarian scouts.

Less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea after the two sides clashed, three old soldiers had already fallen.

The remaining seven were struggling to hold on.

But they had now completely fallen into a disadvantage.

Bang!

Another border soldier was grabbed by the shoulder and hurled bodily away.

He crashed into Lu Yuan's courtyard wall with a dull thud.

Creak!

The commotion outside was too great, finally waking the residents of the lane. Courtyard gates opened one after another.

There were no ordinary civilians living here. They were all Garrison Soldiers from the city, and the men emerged carrying all manner of weapons.

In an instant, the narrow lane was packed with people.

The leader of the black-clad men cursed inwardly, but he was not afraid. He said to those beside him, "Kill our way out!"

At this point, he no longer showed any mercy.

He pulled a long saber from his waist and charged into the crowd, coordinating it with the short spear in his other hand.

He moved with remarkable agility. Though the lane was crowded, the lead man in black struck with killing intent in nearly every move.

Squelch!

He leaped into the air, and his short spear plunged straight down into the shoulder of a garrison soldier in front of him. The spearhead pierced his skin and drove directly into his lung.

His other long saber swept out sideways, cleaving off another garrison soldier's head.

The sight was utterly terrifying.

The other five men in black behind him had clearly received professional training, and all of them had entered the Entry Realm. Following their leader, they truly turned Ice Valley Lane upside down in a short time.

More than twenty Garrison Soldiers who had come from nearby courtyards to assist, along with over a dozen City Guards, were beaten so badly that they could not raise their heads. They lay scattered across the lane, gasping heavily, yet unable to move.

A pungent stench of blood spread through the air.

Bang!

As the sound of a door panel shattering rang out, Lu Yuan could not help frowning. A garrison soldier had been kicked flying by a man in black, smashing through the courtyard gate and crashing inside.

At the same time, the mask of the black-clad man opposite him was torn open.

It revealed a fleshy, vicious-looking face, his scalp bald and marked with black totems.

His savage eyes happened to meet Lu Yuan's, who was watching through the crack in the door.

"Silence him!"

The leader of the black-clad men spoke in a somewhat awkward accent.

The others closed in on Lu Yuan's house.

Lu Yuan, who had not wanted to involve himself in this matter, shook his head helplessly.

Shing!

The instant he drew his long saber, the door flew open, and Lu Yuan burst out from within.

His shoulder slammed fiercely into the chest of the nearest Northern Barbarian scout.

Squelch!

The man spat out blood, and his upper body caved in on the spot.

As he fell backward, Lu Yuan showed no intention of stopping. His saber lunged toward another man, who raised a short hammer to block it.

Sparks burst in clusters as the blade collided with the hammer's handle.

A fierce wind rose behind him as men on both sides seized the chance to chop at Lu Yuan with their sabers.

Lu Yuan lowered his body and evaded the attacks from the sides.

He gripped his saber in reverse and spun in place like a top.

Aah!

Miserable screams rang out. The blades of three barbarian scouts surrounding him sliced across their thighs. Lu Yuan was incredibly fast, and his strikes were ruthless.

Their bodies collapsed at once.

They fell to the ground and howled without end. Lu Yuan's single slash had split open their thighs.

Blood gushed like fountains.

After only a brief clash, four of the six assassins had been brought down.

Yet sweat beaded on Lu Yuan's forehead as well. None of these men were weak; they were hardened fighters who had spent years killing on battlefields.

The battle just now had seemed simple, but every step had been perilous.

Thud, thud!

Just then, heavy footsteps sounded from within the lane.

Then, a commander clad in iron armor and carrying a battle axe appeared outside the courtyard.

A large number of City Guards followed behind him.

Lu Yuan recognized the iron-armored commander. He was Zhou Xiong, Centurion of the North City Defense Bureau.

A master of the Tendon Refining Realm, Zhou Xiong swept his gaze across Lu Yuan upon seeing the scene, surprise appearing in his eyes.

Then he directly waved a hand. "Kill!"

As his words fell, the men behind him charged forward.

They rushed toward the Northern Barbarian scouts, while Zhou Xiong raised his battle axe and chopped at the lead scout.

The axe blade tore through the air, exploding beside everyone's ears.

The man had barely raised his short spear before it was blasted from his hand.

Yet he did not retreat. Instead, he raised the long saber in his left hand and slashed at Zhou Xiong, looking utterly unconcerned with life or death.

Clang!

Zhou Xiong raised his left arm. A crisp ring sounded from the refined iron bracer, sparks blossoming along its edge.

He did not even blink as his axe came crashing down.

Squelch!

The Northern Barbarian scout's shoulder was split open, blood spraying as pale white bone was exposed.

Zhou Xiong kicked him to the ground.

A heavy foot stomped down.

The fallen Northern Barbarian scout's legs twisted into unnatural shapes at once. They had clearly been crushed.

Then a small hammer smashed directly into his face.

A heap of teeth mixed with blood spilled from his mouth.

As for the other scouts, they were all subdued as well. Not only were their limbs broken, but their jaws had also been dislocated.

These border troops fought with brutal roughness. Once the battle was over, they dragged the Northern Barbarian scouts away headfirst. The wounded men lacked the strength to prop themselves up.

Like goods, they were dragged along, leaving long trails behind them.

The Northern Barbarians and Great Yong had been at war for years. The soldiers on both sides of the border were bound by blood feuds, so whenever they met, it was almost always a struggle to the death.

Zhou Xiong did not leave immediately. Instead, he looked at Lu Yuan with interest and said, "One against six, and you severely injured four of them. Not bad. You look like a proper man of our Northern Frontier. What is your name?"

"Lu Yuan, newly appointed garrison soldier of the North Gate. Greetings, sir."

Lu Yuan stepped forward and cupped his fists.

Zhou Xiong nodded. "These Northern Barbarian scouts have been running rampant in the city for some time. You can count this as a merit."

After saying that, he asked no further questions and turned to leave.

After everyone else had left the courtyard, Lu Yuan began reviewing the battle just now.

From the moment the men in black charged into his courtyard to when Zhou Xiong arrived, they seemed to share one trait: they had tried their best to keep their distance from the neighboring courtyard.

Is there something special about it?

After walking out of his courtyard, Lu Yuan indeed found traces of battle left on the street. Only the area within several meters of the neighboring courtyard gate remained remarkably smooth and untouched.

But he did not dwell on it any further.

The people living in this city had all been banished here from various places. It was a mixed bag of fish and dragons, with every kind of person imaginable.

While a large portion truly were criminals, there were also those who had lost in courtly power struggles and fled here to seek refuge.

The less he knew, the better.

So, after tidying up the courtyard a little, he returned to his room.

This battle could be said to be Lu Yuan's first true fight to the death with others since arriving in the Northern Frontier.

He knew that the system's data increased faster in actual combat.

Thus, after sitting down inside the room, he eagerly opened the System Panel.

He was ready to see the changes.