Chapter 3737: Resisting the Siege

Ye Liuyun could see clearly inside the mountain stronghold; the direction they were sprinting toward must be where Black Tiger and his men were, and he immediately warned Black Tiger, Bà Tiān, and Shadow to be on guard.

The group was cooperating with Black Tiger to study the Formation on Tian Tong Mountain, and after Ye Liuyun's reminder they turned and fled at once.

But because they were too close, escape was impossible; when they realized someone was in pursuit, Black Tiger had to lay a Defense Array with runes, Bà Tiān held the line briefly, and Shadow concealed himself outside the Formation.

"Clone Puppet is arriving soon; hold out for half an hour!" Ye Liuyun could only silently send them a Transmission Voice.

At present the Clone Puppet has finished its task and is hurrying toward them. Wang Wenli has also made arrangements, and the army can set out early; it now depends on how long the three can hold out.

Before coming here, Ye Liuyun had already made an agreement with Wang Wenli, who is now rallying his troops and should arrive soon. As long as the Clone Puppet reaches them, the three will not be in serious danger.

Unless absolutely necessary, Ye Liuyun cannot act, or the days of covert observation would be wasted. He has not yet found the leader of the Tian Tong Group, Guǐ Sòu.

There are many rumors about Guǐ Sòu, but none accurate; few know his true trump card, and even his exact cultivation realm is unknown, though people guess he is around the fifth or sixth layer of the Cave Heaven Realm.

Fortunately Black Tiger still has ample time to set up the rune Formation. To be safe, they also placed several Formation Plates, which should hold for about half an hour without issue.

"Prepare to toss talismans, meet them head‑on for a surprise strike, then retreat into the Formation. Shadow will use Black Light and the Soul‑Shattering Bell outside to eliminate a few more, then continue to hide on the perimeter, waiting for a kill."

Ye Liuyun's Golden Pupil could see their situation from afar, and he immediately began directing them.

The three complied at once; when Han Tong charged forward with his men, they preemptively seized talismans and hurled them one after another.

Then Black Tiger and Bà Tiān rushed forward. Black Tiger slashed a fierce blade at the frontmost Han Tong. Han Tong was immobilized by a talisman and could not retaliate, but his high‑grade protective garment only sent him flying from the shock; he did not die.

Bà Tiān thrust his spear, piercing a fourth‑layer Cave Heaven strongman's chest with a huge wound, then with a flick of his hand used the spear tip to explode the head of another nearby Martial Cultivator.

Black Tiger's blade did not kill Han Tong, nor did it stop; he delivered another horizontal slash, cleanly cutting off the head of a Martial Cultivator standing beside Han Tong.

Immediately the two turned and withdrew back into the Formation. The talismans they had thrown were about to lose effect; if they lingered, they would be ensnared.

Shadow, from behind them, annihilated one with a burst of Black Light, then used the Soul‑Shattering Bell to eliminate another. He then withdrew immediately, but a Martial Cultivator countered with a palm strike that sent his turtle shell flying.

When that Martial Cultivator approached, Shadow's Black Light instantly erased his Soul. Shadow then retreated far away; even the Cave Heaven strongmen could not trace his whereabouts.

The Xuanwu Monster Beast's turtle shell has great impact resistance; although Shadow's palm was jolted, his injuries were lighter than the wound Han Tong received from the blade, and it had little effect.

Han Tong had brought twelve Martial Cultivators, and before he could act, seven were already killed, with others wounded by cuts or talisman blasts; the danger they faced was no longer as severe as before.

If it weren't for the fact that among Han Tong's group there was a fourth‑layer Cave Heaven Martial Cultivator, and Black Tiger and Shadow were then relatively far away, they could now rush out and counter‑kill the remaining six.

Han Tong and the other bandits were stunned by the sudden raid; although none suffered fatal injuries, they were left with heavy psychological shadows.

Their numbers are now few, making it hard to break the Formation, and fearing a surprise attack from the hidden Shadow, they remain cautious and have not acted immediately.

"Who are you, daring to run wild on our Tian Tong Mountain?" Han Tong wiped the bruised blood from his mouth corner and asked them.

"Just passing by, we saw your Formation was impressive and were curious to take a look! You were the ones who first..."

"Since you attacked us first, we naturally had to defend ourselves; we can't be blamed for that!" Black Tiger replied calmly.

Han Tong, of course, did not believe it and secretly called for reinforcements. Ye Liuyun immediately noticed bandits of the Cave Heaven Realm charging toward them within the mountain stronghold.

At that moment, a Martial Cultivator beside Han Tong saw Black Tiger drawing a Formation with his bare hands, recalled something, and asked, "Are you from Qian Ling Valley?"

"We were, but Qian Ling Valley was destroyed long ago. The few of us left to carry out missions before it fell, and we barely escaped with our lives!" Black Tiger said, using the lines Ye Liuyun had prepared for him.

"Oh? Fleeing refugees?" Han Tong still did not fully believe.

Yet within that short conversation, more bandits of the Cave Heaven Realm surrounded them. These were only early‑stage Cave Heaven bandits, and they were not particularly concerned.

Black Tiger also set up several layers of Formation, and both sides were buying time.

"No matter what, you killed our people; you must give us an explanation," Han Tong said with increased confidence.

But he had also heard of Qian Ling Valley and knew such rune Formations were hard to counter. So he suggested, "If you truly have nowhere to go, our stronghold can shelter you!"

"Therefore, regardless, you must come back to our stronghold with us. If you cooperate voluntarily, we won't need to fight; both sides can get along, and perhaps we'll even become one family later!"

Han Tong thought that if they could trick these people back to the stronghold and force them to join, it would be the perfect ending, and their loss of so many strongmen would not be in vain.

As for whether the poisoning inside the stronghold was related to them, a Soul Search on the returned people would reveal it.

But Black Tiger immediately replied with confidence, "No need; we have no interest in becoming bandits. If you can't break this Formation, you'll be slain by us even more. If you don't care about the dead, we don't care about dragging this out with you!"

Han Tong's eyes narrowed: "So you're saying you'd rather drink a penalty wine than a toast?"

"You can try!" Black Tiger sneered, "Let's see who ends up drinking the penalty wine."

Han Tong examined Black Tiger with puzzlement. Even if they set up a Formation, it would eventually be broken; why were they so confident in challenging him?

"Could they have another trump card, or accomplices? It doesn't seem like a bluff! But regardless, we cannot let them go easily; these people may be linked to the poisoning incident!"

Thinking of this, he still decided to test these people's mettle.

"Break the Formation!"

Han Tong waved his hand, causing everyone to bombard Black Tiger's Formation together. As more bandits rushed to help, the Formation endured great pressure. Recently the transcoding has been severe, giving us more motivation, updating faster; please take a moment to exit reading mode. Thank you.