Lord of Fire

"Chief!!?"

Mountain-Splitting Tiger Zhou Kuang smashed through the doors and rushed inside. The sight of the limp corpse made his eyes split with rage.

More than ten years ago, he and his brother had nearly starved to death alongside their mother. Lu Jingtian, then still unknown, had happened to pass by and saved them both. He taught them martial arts, gave them silver to support their mother, and let her live out her final years in comfort.

After their mother died, Lu Jingtian had become like a father to them.

Yet today, they suddenly found his cold corpse before them.

Above the gaping hole in the roof, countless tiles flew through the air as a figure in green flashed past and vanished.

"Shoot him!"

Zhou Kuang roared.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The explosive twangs of military-grade heavy crossbows rang out one after another. The fragile roof was directly pierced through, riddled with holes the size of chopsticks, while many tiles shattered outright.

Yet there was not a trace of blood.

Ignoring his younger brother's attempts to stop him, Zhou Kuang crashed through the roof tiles in one step and stood atop the roof. He saw only a green figure flash past the distant barracks before disappearing completely.

"After him!"

Zhou Kuang's face twisted as he led a group of bandits in pursuit toward the barracks.

The other four Tigers, who had gathered at the sound of drums and gongs, arrived a step later. Their hair stood on end in fury as each led their men toward one of the four corners of the barracks.

"Chief!"

"That damned thief!"

Many bandits who saw Lu Jingtian's stiff corpse could not help reddening their eyes and gritting their teeth.

Lu Jingtian was not a good man.

He killed and robbed at will. Batch after batch of children had been abducted to the mountain by him, and not a single one had ever left. Their parents and relatives had shed untold tears. A man like that deserved to be cut into a thousand pieces.

But he treated those beneath him extremely well, providing clothes and food, giving generous rewards, and allowing those with outstanding aptitude to practice martial arts.

Jiang Ding walked with one hand on his sword, weaving through the barracks, his destination the storehouse.

"Who goes there!"

More than ten people were still patrolling and guarding the storehouse. At the sudden sight of him, they shouted warnings and quickly gathered into a spear formation, prepared for both attack and defense.

"Those who block me die," Jiang Ding said calmly. A faint white glow spread over his blade as he advanced straight ahead.

"You're courting death! Kill him!"

The squad leader guarding the storehouse shouted.

The twelve bandits sneered without the slightest fear. Twelve spears, each two and a half meters long, stabbed out at once, sealing off every direction and all room for evasion. Their spearheads flashed silver.

It had something in common with the Immortal Sect's scientific method of concentrating firepower.

Against such an attack, even an Internal Energy Realm martial artist would not dare meet it head-on. Trying to withstand it would mean death; they could only avoid its edge and seek another opportunity.

Slash!

A stark-white sword light swept past, snapping the iron-bound hardwood spear shafts cleanly, the breaks smooth and even.

I can't see it!

That was the only thought the squad leader had time to form before his throat turned cold. Blood sprayed out in torrents, and his body collapsed limply.

From the corner of his eye, he saw that all twelve of his men had suffered the same fate, almost simultaneously.

Jiang Ding flicked away the blood and sheathed his sword.

Then he slowly walked into Tiger Den's storehouse.

There were none of the imagined traps. This was a place frequently visited by bandits and leaders of all ranks; setting traps here would only cause trouble for themselves.

The first thing he saw were piles of sacks of rice, mostly white rice, with some millet as well. Further inside hung strips of cured meat and other dried provisions.

With such a vast quantity of supplies, even if the stronghold were besieged for over a year, there would be no cause for concern.

Jiang Ding glanced around before walking to a thick door on the left. A flash of sword light passed, and he gently pushed the door open.

"Found it."

The warehouse was stacked layer upon layer with all kinds of sabers, spears, and weapons. There were even several dozen sets of heavy iron armor, their style similar to that of Eastspirit Prefecture soldiers.

There were also supplies such as soybean oil, rolling logs, and cloth.

Jiang Ding turned his gaze to the powerful crossbows neatly arranged on wooden racks. He passed them over, taking instead two four-stone heavy bows placed nearby, six or seven spare bowstrings, and several dozen arrows, which he tied together and slung over his back.

Holding a barrel of soybean oil and clutching a large bundle of cloth, he pushed off with his feet and shot straight up through the roof.

"The thief is by the storehouse!"

"Kill him!"

Numerous bandits flooded into the barracks. The sight of that figure made them wish they could devour his flesh alive!

Several leaders who had spent years mastering archery drew their powerful bows as well.

Clang! Clang!

Jiang Ding drew his sword and knocked aside the arrows fired from afar.

He tore apart a roll of cloth, wrapped it around roof tiles, and soaked them in soybean oil. He scraped his sword against a tile to create sparks and ignite it, then used a touch of the Pointing Sword Form to gently hurl it against the wall of a barracks.

Crash! The tile and torn cloth burst apart, oil splattering and sticking to the wall as it ignited.

"Not good! Stop him!"

Zhou Kuang's expression changed drastically as he realized what was happening.

But from such a distance, even with heaven-reaching means, he could only watch helplessly.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Dark balls soaked in oil flew out one after another, smashing into the walls and roofs of the various barracks. Many barracks were struck by four or five in rapid succession.

Before long, clusters of flames sprang up throughout the barracks and began spreading rapidly.

The people who had built the barracks were experienced, leaving several meters between each building. But with flames everywhere, that no longer mattered. The fire spread swiftly.

"Put out the fire!"

"Withdraw!"

Gold-Touching Tiger Zhou Sheng's face turned pale as he issued urgent orders.

But it was already somewhat too late. Driven by grief and fury, many bandits moved with startling efficiency, disregarding the danger as they rushed into the barracks to search for the assassin who had killed their chief.

In a short time, dozens wailed as they were swallowed by the flames. Those fortunate enough to escape were severely burned, while thick black smoke filled the area and obscured their vision.

"Beast! I'll carve you into a thousand pieces!"

Zhou Kuang split a flaming roof beam with one stroke of his axe, then led his men backward, away from the areas consumed by fire.

Amid the smoke and flames, a figure moved with light steps. Even when tongues of fire occasionally swept over him, he was not harmed in the slightest. Before long, he left the blazing area.

As the smoke dispersed, the scene before them gradually became clear.

Ranks stood in orderly formation, sabers and spears bristling, bows and crossbows drawn and aimed. A murderous military aura filled the air, impossible to conceal even behind the raging inferno.

"You run. Run. Why don't you run some more?"

A burly dark-skinned man built like a bear stood bare-chested, forcing out each word through clenched teeth.

Heaven-Supporting Tiger Zhou Kun!

It was said that he was Lu Jingtian's maternal cousin's son. He excelled in the hard style of the Thirteen Horizontal-Refinement Guardians, possessing copper skin and iron bones, impervious to blades and spears. He had also cultivated Internal Energy to great completion. He often charged alone into entire merchant caravans, leaving corpses strewn everywhere while emerging without a scratch.

Beside him stood Tiger Descending the Mountain Lang Yi and Scorpion-Tailed Tiger Xu Sanniang, both of whom had achieved minor success in Internal Energy.

To either side stood more than sixty bandits armed with spears and crossbows, all strictly trained.

"Why should I run?" Jiang Ding smiled faintly and asked in return.

The hearts of the bandits skipped a beat.

Only then did they remember that the man before them was a vicious killer who had slain their chief and Yang Dongsheng, the famed "Righteous to the Heavens," in just a few moves. He was not a lamb for them to hunt at will.

"Shoot him!"

Heaven-Supporting Tiger Zhou Kun ordered coldly.

More than twenty powerful bows and heavy crossbows fired in unison. Arrows flew like locusts, drowning the ground ahead.