Chapter 184: On Heihu Gang (Part 1)

On the Official Road of Heihu Gang, the sound of rapid, chaotic horse hooves was like hail pelting the ground...

Three carriages galloped wildly, the lanterns hanging on them swinging and swaying frantically...

The drivers were clearly veterans; they stood half-crouched in front of the carriages as if in a horse stance, keeping the reins half-slack, their whips constantly lashing the horses' rumps...

Heihu Gang was a large slope. To climb it, the horses' rumps had already been lashed into layers of bloody welts. Now, having crested the slope, the carriages descended, their speed increasing. The horseshoes clattered against the hard, dry ground, ringing out in a chaotic rhythm...

Just then, on the Official Road, three thick hemp ropes suddenly snapped taut, covered in black iron caltrops.

At this moment, the three carriages were descending the slope, and the three thick hemp ropes suddenly snapped up from the ground. The drivers had no time to react; the first lead horse had already collided with the three ropes...

One rope at the neck, one at the chest, one at the legs. The horses were moving too fast; the caltrops pierced into their flesh, tearing open numerous wounds. Fresh blood sprayed, the horses collapsed, and the carriage overturned...

Although the drivers of the two carriages behind pulled the reins, the downhill speed was too high and the distance too short, so they still crashed headlong into them. All three carriages were overturned on the ground.

Almost the instant the carriages overturned, many figures leaped out from the cabins...

In the Wild Forest on both sides of the Official Road, torches flared, and with a flurry of noise, many black shadows rushed out from the forest, wielding weapons that glinted with cold light, and launched an attack on the people who had leaped from the cabins...

Yuan Shouzhi jumped out of the overturned cabin and immediately stood in front of Ximen Yong, hacking a bandit to death with his blade, shouting with bloodshot eyes: "One horse is still alive! Pull it up and take the master away!"

Of the three carriages, the second horse had not hit the caltrops but had instead crashed into the first overturned cabin. Although this horse had fallen, it was not dead.

No sooner had Yuan Shouzhi finished speaking than Huang Gaozu attacked him with a sword!

Huang Gaozu was also wearing a night-traveling outfit, and he had switched to a different sword.

The moment Yuan Shouzhi and Huang Gaozu exchanged blows, his heart was filled with shock; among this group of bandits, there was actually an expert of the Great Success Realm!

An ambush in the dead of night—the situation was dire!

Huang Gaozu's movements were elusive, and his sword technique was like a sudden downpour; the sword blossoms gathered, leaving almost no room for air, and soon he had Yuan Shouzhi entangled and unable to break free.

With Yuan Shouzhi pinned down, the Guards of the Ximen Family immediately surrounded Ximen Yong to protect him.

Ximen Yong usually treated these Guards very well, and now, in this life-or-death moment, these Guards were risking their lives to protect him.

Most of these Guards were at the Inner Breath Realm Second Layer or Inner Breath Realm First Layer, and they struggled quite a bit fighting the bandits because the number of Guards was far fewer than the bandits, often being surrounded and engaged by two or three bandits at once.

For this ambush, Black Tiger Stronghold had almost emptied its nest...

Soon, some Guards were injured. But those Guards, even when injured, continued to fight to the death, not letting the bandits attack Ximen Yong behind them.

Only then did a burly figure and another stout figure emerge from behind the bandits.

Li Yiying held a Black Iron Long Spear, while Wang Zhaoxuan held a Ghost Head Blade.

The two had originally been behind the crowd of bandits. Seeing Yuan Shouzhi entangled by Huang Gaozu and Ximen Yong already surrounded, with only a few Guards still fighting to the death, they stepped forward.

In Li Yiying's view, the battle was already decided. He only needed to kill Ximen Yong, wipe out these Guards, and then surround and kill Yuan Shouzhi to completely annihilate Ximen Yong's party.

Li Yiying swung his long spear, and with one strike, he blew away half of a Guard's shoulder...

Under the infusion of Third Layer Internal Breath, the explosive power was such!

Li Yiying flashed through the gap, leaped forward, and thrust his spear rapidly toward Ximen Yong.

Ximen Yong was terrified and immediately tilted his body, while simultaneously retreating rapidly to the side and back.

Li Yiying tapped his toes on the ground, his body turned diagonally, and with a shake of his long spear, he changed the thrust into a horizontal slash.

Seeing the long spear about to smash into his chest, Ximen Yong had no choice but to block horizontally with his blade while retreating further.

The Moon Blade Curved Saber in Ximen Yong's hand, upon touching Li Yiying's long spear, was sent flying, the blade curled, and the web of Ximen Yong's hand was torn open, blood seeping out...

Li Yiying's expression remained unmoved; he immediately prepared to shake his spear and thrust toward Ximen Yong's face. He was certain that with this thrust, Ximen Yong would surely die under his spear, and his entire face would be shattered by the Third Layer Internal Breath he had infused...

But Li Yiying did not notice that the moment he killed his way into the crowd, an inconspicuous black shadow had leaped into the fray from the Wild Forest by the road.

Just as he shook his spear to thrust, a Willow Leaf Cold Blade flashed by, shooting toward his throat.

Li Yiying was startled and immediately dodged to the side, but then another Willow Leaf Cold Blade shot toward the back of his head.

Li Yiying had been able to become the Great Chief of Black Tiger Stronghold because he had experienced countless life-and-death struggles. When the Willow Leaf Cold Blade shot toward the back of his head, his whole body turned cold, and he lowered his head to dodge. However, the Willow Leaf Cold Blade that flew over his head still shaved off a lock of his hair, almost grazing his scalp...

Li Yiying could almost feel a chill pass over his scalp...

Seeing that Li Yiying had keen senses and quick reflexes, Duan Rong knew that throwing knives alone would not kill him, so he took advantage of the moment Li Yiying lowered his head to attack him with an Ox-Tail Saber.

Although Li Yiying had been tempered by life and death on the battlefield and his saber technique was ruthless and simple, without any flashiness, compared to Duan Rong, he was clearly inferior.

This was a chasm in cultivation realms!

Although Duan Rong's Internal Breath was also only at the Third Layer, his saber technique had reached Great Accomplishment. He not only possessed both the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber and the Thunder Smoke Saber—two saber arts at the Great Success Realm—but he had also practiced the Unnamed Three Styles, which Xiao Zongting had condensed and summarized after a lifetime of understanding martial arts.

It is said that every inch shorter is an inch more dangerous. Spear techniques are also harder to master than saber techniques.

Yet Li Yiying, holding a long spear, was forced into a steady retreat by the Ox-Tail Saber in Duan Rong's hand, left struggling to defend.

Duan Rong struck the shaft of Li Yiying's spear with his saber, sparks flying. Duan Rong took the opportunity to turn sideways and slash toward Li Yiying's throat. Li Yiying dodged to the side, but at that moment, a Willow Leaf Cold Blade suddenly shot out from the Plum Blossom Afterimage blooming from Duan Rong's left hand, aiming for Li Yiying's temple.

Seeing he could not dodge in time, Li Yiying suddenly pulled from the spear shaft, and a Short Sword was drawn from the end of the spear, which he used to thrust toward Duan Rong's heart.

Li Yiying's expression was ruthless; he was using a mutual-destruction tactic. He gambled that Duan Rong would definitely retreat, which would neutralize the attack of the Ox-Tail Saber aimed at his neck, and he would only need to dodge the incoming Willow Leaf Cold Blade to break the deadlock.

But to his surprise, Duan Rong did not retreat at all!

Almost simultaneously, Li Yiying's Short Sword pierced into Duan Rong's heart, and Duan Rong's blade sliced open his throat.

Crimson blood sprayed from Li Yiying's throat, but the Short Sword he had thrust into Duan Rong's heart felt empty, with no sensation of having struck anything.

Li Yiying, experienced in the Jianghu and well-traveled, immediately knew that Duan Rong possessed the strange art of the Bone Shrinking Technique.

Li Yiying clutched his throat, blood gushing out...

His lips trembled as he stared at Duan Rong; he did not know who this person who had suddenly killed his way in was.

Not only was his skill with the Willow Leaf Cold Blade like a ghost claiming a life, but his saber technique was astonishing, his Internal Breath was not weak, and he even possessed the strange art of the Bone Shrinking Technique. How could he have failed to investigate such a person before? Or was this person a secret pawn raised by Ximen Yong?

As Li Yiying thought this, his pupils began to dilate...

(End of chapter)