Tie Jiao surveyed the houses in the distance. It was the first time he had seen such square houses, which were very different from the treehouses they had built.
A row of wooden houses is surrounded by a large earthen wall, forming a semi-enclosed settlement.
The entire settlement was devoid of smoke, people, or any sound.
Only the insects and birds in the woods were chirping, especially the black insects, which were chirping particularly loudly.
As the chieftain of the tribe, Tie Jiao commands five thousand barbarians. This time, he is ordered by the high priest to enter human territory as the vanguard.
The high priest's order was to ascertain the situation of the human race as much as possible and to avoid alarming them.
Tie Jiao looked down on that human cultivator. He was weak, despicable, and cunning. Although he could speak their language, he rarely told the truth.
He disdained the other party's flattery, Wuyi.
Just like this settlement in front of us, it's clear that there are no living people left inside.
He couldn't help but worry about his nephew. As the flag chief, Iron Claw's talent was even greater than his own, and he might even have the chance to become the leader or the great leader in the future!
Cui Yuanfeng also sensed something was wrong. There should always be people moving around in Golden Sands Fort during the day, but now there was no sound at all.
The chief priest is here with a group of skilled barbarian warriors. Even if all the experts from Jade River County City came here, they probably wouldn't be able to defeat the chief priest and his group.
Besides, if a real fight broke out, the tiny Golden Sands Fort would surely be razed to the ground...
He was somewhat puzzled, but dared not be careless, so he slowed down and held the Tie Jiao in front of him.
With such a powerful Fourth Rank barbarian expert, even if there's an enemy sneak attack, they can withstand it.
Tie Jiao stretched out his large hand and pushed Cui Yuanfeng, who was behind him, aside.
He could trust no human being more than anyone else, and at a time like this, he couldn't let this outsider hide behind him.
Cui Yuanfeng was thrown seven or eight steps by the brute force before he could barely stand. His sun-darkened face turned purplish-red, but he didn't dare to retaliate.
Tie Jiao ignored Cui Yuanfeng and ordered the men behind him to prepare for battle.
Many of the barbarians drew their longbows, while others gripped short spears and long knives, all adopting a defensive posture.
When the barbarians entered Golden Sands Fort, the first thing they saw was the battered wooden house and large patches of dark blood on the ground.
A barbarian lowered his head and sniffed the bloodstains. He looked up at Tie Jiao and said, "These are bloodstains left a day or two ago."
The barbarians roamed the Yue Ridge year-round, primarily subsisting on hunting. The warriors, on the other hand, fought constantly, making them extremely familiar with the changes in bloodstains.
Tie Jiao entered the wrecked wooden house, where a fierce battle had clearly taken place. Some items in the room were smashed to pieces, and there were cracks and carbonization marks on the wooden walls.
He could even faintly sense the traces of power left in the air. It was an extremely fierce and violent force...
Mustering his courage, Cui Yuanfeng entered the room. He looked around and noticed carbonization marks on the wooden planks. He quickly said to Tie Jiao, "It should be lightning—heavenly lightning, a kind of witchcraft that only the Daoist sect can master!"
He didn't know how to use Law Technique, so he could only express it through witchcraft.
"Daoist sect?" Tie Jiao glanced at Cui Yuanfeng. This word didn't exist in their language, but he had heard Cui Yuanfeng mention it many times.
The Daoist sect consists of their sorcerers, only their specific sorcery and beliefs in deities differ.
Tie Jiao carried the iron rod and circled around, but there wasn't a single person in the settlement.
He was also a little confused; what should he do in this situation?
If he were in the Yue Ridge, he would definitely seek help from the priest. But here, in human territory, he didn't know what to do.
Normally, if a settlement is attacked and there are casualties, but the cause is unknown, the person should leave the dangerous area first.
But he carried a heavy responsibility and had traveled a long way to get here; he couldn't just turn around and leave.
As for Iron Claw, he figured his powerful nephew was probably dead.
Tie Jiao looked at Cui Yuanfeng: "You're familiar with the situation, so tell me."
Cui Yuanfeng was also a bit confused. It looked like Golden Sands Fort had been ransacked, but the question was, who did it?
He felt even more panicked; if the other party could eliminate the chief priest, eliminating him would be even easier.
After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Why don't we step back a bit and assess the situation before making a decision?"
Tie Jiao was also somewhat helpless; staying in this settlement was too dangerous, and he didn't know the situation around him.
It seems there's no other choice but to retreat for now.
He immediately ordered his men to return along the original route, and they traveled for dozens of miles before stopping in a forest.
Many barbarians took out dried meat, sat down and ate it heartily. They also had fish skin water bags filled with spring water.
Water and meat are enough for them.
Cui Yuanfeng huddled in a corner, slowly chewing on the dried meat. This dried Demon Beast meat was hard and tough, and it took him a lot of effort to chew it.
He brought a group of elite barbarian warriors to Golden Sands Fort with the intention of making a big splash and overthrowing Jade Forest County City.
He wasn't after anything else; all he wanted was to take the opportunity to refine all the dead creatures so he could upgrade the Mystic Yin Mirror to the Fifth Rank.
He would then take the opportunity to plunder gold and silver treasures and indulge in the company of beautiful women. Before the imperial court could react, he would lead the barbarians back to Yue Ridge.
Then we'll see just how capable those barbarians really are...
This situation made Cui Yuanfeng feel uneasy; he had a feeling that someone was following them.
That evening, Cui Yuanfeng reminded Tie Jiao, "The enemy might be following us, so we still need to be careful and on guard."
Although Tie Jiao looked down on Cui Yuanfeng Cui Yuanfeng, he still needed him at this moment. He casually said, "I'll arrange the night watch, you don't need to think too much about it."
Two barbarians formed a group and set up sentries in three directions, only twenty paces away from where the group was encamped.
Tie Jiao hadn't slept either, he was just resting with his eyes closed. In the deep of night, he suddenly heard an unusual noise, and without hesitation, he grabbed his iron rod and flew out.
He covered the twenty-step distance in two steps and saw one of his men lying under the tree, a bright red mark between his eyebrows, already lifeless.
The other subordinate, however, had fainted but was still breathing.
It seems the other party intended to kidnap someone, but they didn't expect him to arrive so quickly.
Tie Jiao activated the secret runes of witchcraft on his body. In an instant, he heard hundreds of sounds, smelled hundreds of scents, and sensed wisps of spiritual energy flowing in the wind, but he could not find the other party's scent, sound, or even see the footprints left behind.
He was very puzzled. How could the other person run so fast? Or did they have some special method of concealing their presence?
A few dozen steps away, Zhou Wuji stood behind a large poplar tree, using the Tianxuan Sword to conceal all his aura.
The subtle, flowing Tianxuan Sword Qi surrounded his entire body, forming a circle that enveloped all his aura, True Qi, and Divine Sense.
The Tianxuan Sword, at its perfected state, severed all contact between him and the outside world.
Zhou Wuji maintained this state naturally, consuming little True Qi and Divine Sense. He could easily remain hidden like this for one or two hours.
The barbarian warrior on the other side was very powerful, but he couldn't keep using witchcraft indefinitely.
Tie Jiao stood under the tree for a long time without finding anything. He could only carry the two barbarian men back to the camp and call back the other two groups of barbarians on night watch.
With his power, he didn't need his men to keep watch at night; he simply sent people out as bait.
Using bait to capture Demon Beast is a very effective method.
This time he calculated correctly, but underestimated the strength of his opponent. Sending more people out would only be suicide.
Looking at the two barbarians, one dead and one unconscious, Cui Yuanfeng felt even more uneasy.
But he could only force himself to remain calm and reassure Tie Jiao, "The other side dares not make a direct move; they must be afraid of your bravery."
Tie Jiao nodded. That was true. If the other party could defeat him, they would just attack directly; there was no need to follow behind and ambush him...
However, the opponent is skilled at concealing their presence, making them too easy to hide in the mountains and forests.
If this drags on, he'll be fine, but his men won't be able to hold out for long.
Just as Tie Jiao was thinking this, he heard several sharp, faint sounds of something cutting through the air.
He immediately sensed the other party's location and charged straight over without hesitation, carrying an iron rod.
Two points of silver light flashed in the face, but were directly blasted away by the True Qi surging from the Tie Jia.
With a swift movement, Tie Jia spotted the figure disappearing into the distance through the woods. Without a second thought, he unleashed his full power and gave chase.
His exertion was direct and fierce; each time he exerted force, the soil beneath his feet would crack, and he would be propelled into the air.
This person was extremely fast; as he sped along, his body made a buzzing sound as he cut through the air, breaking vegetation wherever he went, creating a tremendous spectacle.
Zhou Wuji observed that the Tie Jia was extremely fast, but its method of exerting force was simple and brutal, like drawing a bow and shooting an arrow—fast, but lacking in variation.
It is evident that although the barbarians were powerful, their martial arts style was ultimately very different from that of human warriors.
Of course, it's also possible that the barbarian expert did this intentionally. After all, he's a Fourth Rank expert, so he would definitely have various techniques for circulating True Qi.
Regardless of whether the barbarian was genuinely like that or faking it, Zhou Wuji decided to do his best to kill him first.
Without this Fourth Rank expert, the remaining barbarians, though still numbering two Fifth Rank and numerous Sixth Rank- and Seventh Rank, are not difficult to deal with.
Zhou Wuji used the Divine Movement from the Army-Breaking Footwork, achieving an equally unparalleled speed.
Although the barbarians behind caught up, they lost track of Tie Jiao in the blink of an eye.
The forest was dense and deep, and although Tie Jiao would leave obvious tracks wherever he went, it was still very difficult to track Tie Jiao in the dark of night.
The barbarians chased after them for a while, but had no choice but to give up.
Zhou Wuji galloped for dozens of miles, then suddenly turned and disappeared into a pine forest.
Tie Jiao had been chasing after them with all his might for so long, and even with his abundant True Qi, he was feeling somewhat strained.
Seeing Zhou Wuji change direction, he realized this was the best opportunity to catch up with him.
Tie Jiao immediately unleashed his Fiery True Qi, his body seemingly ablaze. He abruptly changed direction in mid-air, doubling his speed to take a shortcut directly to Zhou Wuji.
Without turning his head, Zhou Wuji flicked his sleeve, and the three White Eyebrow Needle, like lightning, pierced straight into the Tie Jiao, but were all swept away by the violent True Qi stirred up by the Tie Jiao.
Tie Jiao accurately predicted Zhou Wuji's direction, changed direction again in mid-air, and increased his speed by another three points.
Just as Tie Jiao was about to rush in front of Zhou Wuji, he suddenly felt a sense of alarm.
He didn't know what the problem was, but out of a soldier's instinct for danger, he immediately stopped.
With a hissing sound, several extremely fine threads sliced through the protective True Qi of the Tie Jiao, deeply cutting into his chest, waist, and calves.
The thread was so fine that even with Tie Jiao's keen eyesight, he could only see it now, lying between the trees.
Tie Jiao was also shocked; such a thin thread was actually so tough that it could easily cut through his body.
Because the silk threads are so fine, even the protective True Qi cannot block them.
Fortunately, he sensed an alarm and stopped abruptly, thus avoiding being cut into pieces by the thin threads.
Zhou Wuji watched as the barbarian stopped, and he secretly lamented his loss. He had led the man on a wild run for dozens of miles just for this one move, but the man had reacted immediately.
The keenness of Fourth Rank martial artist is truly terrifying!
Fortunately, the other party was injured, and seriously so, making it a good opportunity to strike!
Zhou Wuji pointed a finger, unleashing the Northern Dipper Heavenly Pivot Yin Thunder.
Like a giant serpent, the lightning struck Tie Jiao directly...