Infiltration and Slaughter

"Damn it, Li Mo actually got away!"

When he heard this, Lu Shaoyou's face darkened. He had rushed here without stopping, yet the true culprit had still escaped.

"Hmph, even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I will grind your corpse to pieces!"

Lu Shaoyou no longer dwelled on the matter. An idea stirred in his heart—this was indeed a perfect opportunity.

If Li Batian was not here to command the overall situation, then Black Wind Village would be a dragon without a head, and his actions would undoubtedly go far more smoothly.

Without the slightest hesitation, his gaze swept rapidly across the village walls, searching for a possible point of entry.

Eagle Beak Cliff was treacherous terrain. A frontal assault would be nothing more than a fool's dream.

But with his Lingbo Weibu now at minor mastery, scaling a village wall several zhang high was no difficult task.

Catching the gap when the patrolling bandits changed shifts, Lu Shaoyou shot out from behind a boulder like a night owl.

His toes tapped lightly against the steep cliff face several times in succession. Within a few breaths, he had silently climbed onto the village wall.

Inside the wall, two bandits were huddled together, muttering complaints under their breath. Neither noticed the uninvited guest above them.

Lu Shaoyou drifted down inside the wall like a fallen leaf, making not the slightest sound throughout the entire process.

He silently approached the two bandits and casually snapped their necks, sparing them even a trace of pain.

Keeping close to the wall, Lu Shaoyou relied on the mysteries of Lingbo Weibu. Whenever he encountered a lone bandit, he killed him in passing and dragged the corpse into the shadows.

Lu Shaoyou did not pause, sneaking deeper into the village.

Along the way, he could clearly sense that the atmosphere within Black Wind Village was somewhat off.

Many bandits seemed listless, gathering in twos and threes to whisper among themselves, their faces carrying traces of panic and unease.

Clearly, Li Mo's massacre of the village and subsequent escape had caused no small stir within the stronghold.

That made his actions more convenient.

According to the testimony of the bandit from before, Black Wind Village's council hall and Li Batian's residence were both located at the highest point of Eagle Beak Cliff.

That was precisely Lu Shaoyou's target.

A bandit had just rounded a corner when his vision blurred and his throat turned cold. His consciousness then sank into eternal darkness.

Slaughter Value +10.

Two bandits dozing atop an arrow tower were still lost in their dreams when they were each struck once by a cudgel, their skulls smashed apart.

Slaughter Value +10.

Slaughter Value +10.

A patrol squad of five was ambushed when Lu Shaoyou burst from the shadows. His proficient Shaolin Cudgel Technique unfolded, cudgel shadows whirling through the air, and within only a few breaths, every one of them was dead.

Slaughter Value +50.

Slaughter Value +10.

Slaughter Value +50.

Slaughter Value +10.

Slaughter Value +10.

The Slaughter Value continued to leap upward across the system panel, yet Lu Shaoyou's heart remained as still as an ancient well. Only cold killing intent accumulated within his chest.

He first dealt with the leaders of several important watchtowers and patrol squads, trying to weaken Black Wind Village's fighting strength as much as possible before he was discovered on a large scale.

Before long, a brightly lit hall appeared ahead. The three large characters "Hall of Gathering Righteousness" were written on its plaque in strokes that danced like dragons and phoenixes.

The hall was abuzz with voices, and quite a few people seemed to have gathered inside.

Lu Shaoyou's heart stirred. He quietly crept closer and listened intently.

"Damn it, the Young Master has truly dragged our entire Black Wind Village into the pit this time!"

"A village massacre! That is a grave crime that warrants the extermination of nine clans! If the government troops really come up the mountain, we'll all lose our heads with him!" a rough, bold voice said furiously.

If you can't find it by searching the book title, try searching for the author; it may simply have been renamed!

"Hall Master Chen, watch your words! The Village Master is still here!" Another voice, somewhat shrill, spoke with a note of warning.

"Watch my words, my ass! The Village Master has locked himself away now. Who knows what he's thinking?"

"If you ask me, Eagle Beak Cliff is no longer a place we can stay. We might as well make plans early and find another way out!" Hall Master Chen's voice grew increasingly agitated.

"That's right! Li Batian is old now, no longer possessing the sharpness he had in his prime! If we keep following him, we'll be finished sooner or later!"

The discussion inside grew more and more outrageous. Clearly, some had already begun harboring thoughts of rebellion.

A cold glint flashed through Lu Shaoyou's eyes. Sure enough, not a single one of these bandits was innocent.

Just as he was preparing to leave and continue ambushing the weaker bandits, a booming voice suddenly rang out from inside the Hall of Gathering Righteousness. "Who is skulking around outside? Get the hell out here!"

Before the words had even faded, a powerful burst of force blasted through the doors and shot straight toward Lu Shaoyou's hiding place!

Lu Shaoyou's heart tightened. He had not expected an expert inside capable of detecting his presence.

He no longer hid himself. With a flicker of his body, he stepped out from the shadows, holding his Qi Mei Cudgel horizontally before him.

Bang!

The force struck the Qi Mei Cudgel with a dull boom.

Lu Shaoyou felt a tremendous force rush toward him, making his body sway slightly, but the Qi Mei Cudgel remained as steady as Mount Tai.

With a creak, the doors of the Hall of Gathering Righteousness were pushed open from within.

A burly, vicious-faced one-eyed man strode out first, followed by more than a dozen bandits wielding weapons.

The one-eyed man sized up Lu Shaoyou. When he saw the Qi Mei Cudgel in his hand and his youthful face, he was briefly stunned.

Then he sneered viciously. "Where did this brat come from? Your feathers haven't even grown in, yet you dare barge into my Black Wind Village? State your name! I, Chen Wu, do not kill nameless ghosts!"

This man was Chen Wu, one of Black Wind Village's leaders. He possessed the cultivation of a first-rate martial artist and held no low position within the village.

"The man who will kill you." Lu Shaoyou could not be bothered with nonsense. His voice was icy, without the slightest emotion.

"What arrogance!" Chen Wu flew into a rage and roared, "There is a road to heaven, yet you refuse to take it; hell has no gate, yet you insist on charging in! Men, seize him! Chop him to pieces and feed him to the dogs!"

The bandits behind him shouted and prepared to swarm forward.

"Courting death!"

Killing intent surged violently in Lu Shaoyou's eyes. Lingbo Weibu unfolded beneath his feet, and his body charged into the crowd like a phantom.

The Qi Mei Cudgel in his hand transformed into a sky full of cudgel shadows, carrying the terrifying colossal strength of eight dragons and eight elephants as it smashed down upon the bandits around him!

"Ah!"

"Puh!"

Screams rose one after another. Before Lu Shaoyou's current strength, those ordinary bandits were simply incapable of withstanding a single blow.

Wherever the Qi Mei Cudgel went, there was either death or injury. The sounds of shattered bones and torn tendons rang without end.

In the blink of an eye, seven or eight bandits had fallen into pools of blood.

Killed an unranked martial artist. Slaughter Value +10.

Killed a third-rate martial artist. Slaughter Value +50.

Chen Wu was both shocked and enraged. He had never expected this young-looking brat to possess such terrifying strength, nor for his attacks to be so ruthless!

"You little bastard, how dare you!"

Chen Wu roared, stamping his foot down. The bluestone slabs beneath him cracked inch by inch.

Like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, he pounced at Lu Shaoyou. The demon-head saber in his hand carried a fierce gale as it cleaved straight down!

This slash was heavy and powerful, faintly carrying the sound of wind and thunder. Clearly, it was no weak saber technique.

Lu Shaoyou's expression did not change. Rather than retreating, he advanced. His Qi Mei Cudgel neither blocked nor parried. Instead, at an even faster speed and from an even trickier angle, it stabbed straight toward Chen Wu's wide-open chest!

It was a fighting style that would leave both sides grievously wounded!

If you can't find it by searching the book title, try searching for the author; it may simply have been renamed!