Volume Six: Clouds Fly, Swords Dance Across a Thousand Miles - Sword in Hand amid the Clouds, Radiance over the Armies' Banners and Drums

It held the wondrous essence of gold and shone with the bright glory of fire's virtue.

-Mi Heng

Seeing that the danger to his side had passed, Bao Chuxiong immediately began organizing a counterattack. At his call, more than a dozen soldiers relieved Sheng Hengtang and his two companions and began surrounding the spell-wielding fiend. The three mages of the Celestial Master Order withdrew behind the lines to concentrate on drawing the talismans they needed.

After all, fighting with swords was not the forte of the Celestial Master Order's mages.

Despite the terrifying spectacle of flames scorching the heavens and men grappling with beasts, the Commandery Soldiers had suffered surprisingly few casualties. Fierce as the beasts were, these troops were no ordinary, barehanded folk: every man was well trained and armed with a sharp blade and sturdy shield. Very few had been unfortunate enough to be mauled to death under such circumstances. As for the great fire that could truly have brought utter destruction, the sudden, timely rain had drenched it so thoroughly that only a few wisps of smoke remained. It could no longer amount to anything.

Thus, although the Nanhai Commandery Soldiers' formation was in disarray and many men were wounded, the force had suffered no crippling damage. At Bao Chuxiong's command, the soldiers, their bellies already full of pent-up fury, launched an all-out attack on the bandits before the dense forest.

Faced with the troops' swift assault, the Great Wind Stronghold bandits, whose calves were already cramping with fear, had no time even to flee. They could only seize their weapons and fight for their lives. At this moment of mortal peril, these desperate outlaws, well aware of the blood debts they owed, somehow dredged up another surge of savage strength. With frantic blocks and slashes, they