Nine Spirit-Serpent Arrows

The desolate mountains were silent. The sunlight gradually dimmed, transforming into a half-sunken setting sun that descended slowly between the peaks, staining the boundless forest in a magnificent gold.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the golden hue stretching across the mountain range came to an abrupt end. The lush, verdant forest turned deep and treacherous, and the scattered rocks took on a pitch-black appearance.

From the side of a shaded mountain hollow, the sound of chaotic hoofbeats could be heard. Amidst a flurry of flying sand and stones, the Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders approached on horseback. They navigated the rugged mountain path with heavy, uneven steps. The riders were all clad in black armor, appearing as a dark, oppressive mass. The leader, however, wore no helmet, revealing a Purple-Complexioned Face.

The man with the Purple-Complexioned Face was named Ma Mingsheng, the leader of the Thirteen Riders. Like the other twelve, Ma Mingsheng was a slave-soldier specifically trained by the Chongyang Dao Palace.

Legend had it that the ancient Daoist sects had a tradition of raising Dao-soldiers. While slave-soldiers were naturally inferior to the divine warriors raised by the ancient sects, they were still far superior to the cavalry and elite troops of the mortal world.

Perhaps only the Nine Palaces Heavenly Guards, directly under the Great You Dynasty imperial family, could compare to the Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders, who were cultivated personally by the Innate Dao Sect.

The black iron armor worn by the Thirteen Riders was forged primarily from Cold Mountain Profound Iron. During the smelting process, the blood of five types of spirit beasts was infused into the metal, supplemented by red gold, spirit jade, and cold crystals. Every plate of the finished armor was etched with dense, intricate rune patterns.

Even a common villager with no strength to truss a chicken could become a warrior of unparalleled might, capable of crushing armies, once clad in this runic black armor.

However, this journey to Four Peaks Mountain had left Ma Mingsheng and his twelve riders feeling deeply troubled. It was said that Four Peaks Mountain was originally named Four Tripods Mountain, home to four peaks that stood like the legs of a celestial tripod. The daylight was fine, but once night fell, the forest—previously lush with thick foliage—became abnormally dark.

Moreover, the mountain paths were rugged. Even the rare, scaled-winged steeds ridden by the Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders struggled to move freely along the narrow trails, let alone execute the combined attack formations that allowed the Riders to shatter enemy lines.

"Boss, the 'Fu-Cicada Spirit Insect' is reacting. The direction is the Xun position."

Ninth, one of the Thirteen Riders, was clad in thick armor. He was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, looking every bit the rough, unrefined man, yet hanging from his waist was an exquisite bamboo cage for crickets, suspended by a red cord.

Ninth pulled the reins with one hand and tapped the bamboo cage. Instantly, a series of urgent insect chirps emanated from within. The "Fu-Cicada Spirit Insect" inside the red-corded cage was also known as a Green Fu, a type of spirit insect used by the Chongyang Palace for a unique method of communication.

As the insect-keeper, Ninth could communicate with the spirit insects. Xiao Hao of the Long Wind Society possessed a "Jade Insect Flute"; one blow on that jade instrument allowed the "Fu-Cicada Spirit Insect" to sense its location, enabling communication even from over a hundred miles away.

"Oh? Could it be that the people from the Long Wind Society have truly found the whereabouts of that brat, Cheng Zhi?"

The expression of Ma Mingsheng, the Purple-Complexioned Face, softened slightly.

The terrain of Four Peaks Mountain was intricate and complex, with mountain ravines that blocked the sky, babbling brooks, and winding, secluded forest paths. With the thief Cheng Zhi hiding here, catching him was nearly as difficult as ascending to heaven.

There was no helping it; no matter how formidable the Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders were, there were only thirteen of them.

They were the Dao Sect's guardian slave-soldiers, having bitterly cultivated the arts of cavalry and archery rather than Daoist sorcery. They possessed neither the ability to see across vast distances nor the power of clairvoyance. Without sufficient manpower and resources, finding Cheng Zhi, who was hiding in Four Peaks Mountain, was naturally like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"The Xun position, you say?"

A sharp glint flashed in Ma Mingsheng's eyes. He looked up at the orientation and said in a deep voice, "It is getting late. We do not know where that One-Horned Mountain Demon is hiding. The beast is nocturnal; we had best find the brat's location before it leaves its lair to hunt for blood-food."

"It is strange, though. Cheng Zhi has been hiding in these mountains for so long; how has he managed to avoid that Mountain Demon?"

Third was tall and thin, clad in black iron rune armor. A steel ghost mask hung from his beast-horned helmet, revealing only his eyes.

"He likely has some method of avoiding the demon. According to information gathered by Lord Sheng, the Cheng siblings should have studied sorcery. I wonder who taught them?"

Just as Ma Mingsheng was about to continue, the dense leaves on the right side of the path rustled. From the darkness in the distance came waves of ape howls.

The riders looked up into the forest, only then catching sight of countless eerie green eyes appearing amidst the tree crowns. They flickered like floating ghost fires, swaying in the treetops and watching the Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders with ill intent.

"...There are so many of them."

Qi Huiying furrowed her delicate brows.

"They are Rock Apes."

Ma Mingsheng's gaze was cold. He stared at the figures hidden in the trees, his astonishing eyesight allowing him to see that they were strange, monstrous apes.

"They are a mutated species. Their fur is like sharp bristles, and they possess strange strength. Sometimes they even capture woodcutters and mountain folk to change their diet. Although they are not true demons, their sheer numbers are not inferior to tigers, leopards, or crocodiles."

The riders now saw clearly that this was a pack of Rock Apes entrenched in the mountain. The ape cries in the forest were incessant, as if they were calling to their kin.

The surrounding trees shook violently. From afar, Rock Apes leaped continuously through the treetops, sending branches and leaves flying. Some trees even snapped under the strain, creating an alarming commotion.

Seventh, seeing this, asked with some confusion.

"Are these beasts trying to cause us trouble...?"

Suddenly, a piercing, stone-shattering shriek echoed through the air. The rare steeds ridden by the Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders grew restless.

"That is unclear."

Ma Mingsheng continued to observe. Suddenly, his pupils contracted slightly upon hearing the shriek, and his expression shifted.

"A Human-Faced Ape? A Human-Faced Ape has actually been born among this pack of Rock Apes?!"

Deep within the canopy, a massive, monstrous shadow suddenly lunged out. As the shadow appeared, a hairy arm gripped the tree trunk.

Next, a grotesque human face emerged. Looking closely, one could see it was a giant ape with a human face and a towering frame.

In an instant, the Human-Faced Ape leaped onto the tree, half-crouching. Its copper-bell-like eyes flashed with a fierce, green-flame light.

This Human-Faced Ape appeared to be the leader of the Rock Apes. As soon as it appeared, the surrounding apes fell silent, as if a general had taken the field. It radiated an aura of martial danger and murderous intent.

(A Human-Faced Ape has emerged from the pack; this is an Ape King. We cannot let it issue commands and have them attack in a swarm, or even we, the Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders, will not come out unscathed!)

Ma Mingsheng knew the situation was dire, and the alarm bells in his heart rang frantically.

"Fifth!!!"

He made a split-second decision and shouted. Beside him, the only woman among the Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders, Qi Huiying, reached out and flipped a long copper case strapped to her back into her hands. The case was shaped like a zither box, its surface engraved with cloud, thunder, and serpent patterns.

Once the case was in her grip, her fingers snapped the hidden mechanism on the box. With a "clatter" of springs, a biting, murderous aura erupted from her.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! The front of the copper case flipped open, revealing nine apertures. Several sharp beams of light flew out, piercing the air like spirit snakes, transforming into black lines that traced strange trajectories through the sky.

The Human-Faced Ape sensed something. It was a rare, mutated creature, and in that split second, a strange, ominous feeling flashed through its heart. Without a second thought, it tilted its head and ducked.

In the very next second, a freezing, lightning-fast gust swept past his chest, abdomen, and neck, moving with such velocity that it hummed as it tore through the air. A searing, fiery pain erupted across his chest, as if he had been branded by flame.

The Human-Faced Ape was sharp; it leaped backward with a violent jerk, yet it could never have anticipated that the several black streaks flying out would circle in the air before darting toward it like bolts of lightning.

No matter how fast the Human-Faced Ape moved, it was still a fraction too slow. Several bloody holes were punched through its chest. The exotic beast didn't even have time to let out a scream before it instantly expired, its simian corpse plummeting from the air.

With the death of this Human-Faced Ape, the rest of the troop fell into chaos, emitting strange, shrill shrieks as they immediately fled the scene, scurrying rapidly into the depths of the mountain forest.

"Good, Fifth, your 'Nine Spirit-Serpent Arrows' have performed a great service once again."

Ninth could not help but offer his praise.

Qi Huiying held the long bronze box in her arms, remaining silent.

The Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders were not mere brutes skilled only in archery and horsemanship; every rider possessed a hidden specialty, or had been taught a secret technique by the immortal masters of Chongyang Palace. The "Nine Spirit-Serpent Arrows" mastered by Fifth, Qi Huiying, were also known as the Spirit Viper Arrow Box.

This long bronze box was a demon-slaying weapon personally forged by an immortal master from Chongyang Dao Palace who was adept in the art of casting. It contained Blood Curse Iron Arrows, propelled by a mechanical trigger. Within a hundred paces, the user could control them at will, retracting and deploying them with ease, while also possessing the effect of specifically countering divine souls and mental power.

Relying on this long bronze box, the Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders had successfully eliminated several experts who had achieved great success in Daoist arts.

"Bringing Fifth along up the mountain this time means that even if we run into that One-Horned Mountain Demon, we won't be as helpless as we were last time!"

Ma Mingsheng felt his mind settle, his eyes revealing a surge of intense confidence.