After the Star-Chasing Repeating Crossbows slaughtered the enemy vanguard, Xiong Tianba charged into the enemy ranks and threw them into disarray. Liang Yinghao followed with thirty elite warriors to support him. Though few in number, every one of them was a fierce fighter worth ten men, like tigers charging into a flock of sheep. Although the Dangyi tribesmen surrounded them on all sides, they had no way to crush them. The warriors on Hu Xiaotian's side were superbly equipped, their tough armor capable of resisting enemy arrows, blades, and spears. Their finely forged weapons proved devastating in close combat, easily cutting through the enemy's weapons.
Zong Tang commanded the remaining twenty warriors from higher ground, providing covering fire. The Star-Chasing Repeating Crossbows were extraordinarily lethal; in a short time, more than half the enemy's two thousand men had been killed or wounded, though a large portion had died in the initial infighting. After Hu Xiaotian killed the red-robed Fan Monk, Visa's soul-bewitching melody rang out again. Many more Dangyi tribesmen fell under its spell, their minds confused, unable to distinguish friend from foe as they hacked and slaughtered wildly. With that, even their numerical advantage was lost.
Outside the ancient fortress, battle cries shook the heavens as the fighting descended into unprecedented chaos.
Hu Xiaotian slid the Black Iron Sword behind his back and crossed his hands, palms inward, his fingers hooked like claws. It was precisely the Tiger-Subduing Dragon-Seizing Hand that Unenlightened had taught him.
Unenlightened slowly nodded and drifted toward Hu Xiaotian like a dark cloud borne on the wind, his outstretched hands resembling birds' talons. He wanted to see just how far the disciple he had personally trained had progressed.
Hu Xiaotian had not abandoned the Black Iron Sword because he underestimated his opponent, much less because