Chapter 911

Hu Xiaotian shouted loudly: "Protect the Emperor! Beware of the enemy's ploy to lure the tiger away from the mountain!"

Liang Bao and Fu Pingchuan hurried back into the courtyard, and the Guards stationed outside also rushed in to guard the meditation room.

Liu Huchan said to Hu Xiaotian: "Please, Sir Hu, look after things here; I'll go meet up with Brother Fu." He and Fu Yuehong had always been on good terms, and he was deeply concerned for his safety.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Wait, I'm coming with you!" Hu Xiaotian was very curious: just who was so bold as to sneak into the Puxian Institute in broad daylight? That person's lightness skill seemed not weak, and Fu Yuehong's movement was also out of the ordinary; his outfit looked specially made, somewhat like modern wingsuit flying, though wingsuit flying requires a suitable environment, whereas Fu Yuehong's attire seemed even more exquisite, able to glide without needing a specific setting. Of course, this still fell far short of Hu Xiaotian's newly learned Art of Soaring, which needs no tools at all.

Hu Xiaotian and Liu Huchan rushed out of the Puxian Institute, only to see that black shadow and Fu Yuehong enter the bamboo grove one after another.

Liu Huchan, worried that Fu Yuehong might meet with mishap, strode swiftly toward the bamboo grove. Although Hu Xiaotian had mastered the Art of Soaring, he could not readily reveal it before these people; however, Hu Xiaotian already possessed formidable inner strength as a foundation, and the footwork he had previously mastered all gained increased power. Even if he held back some of his strength, he did not fall behind Liu Huchan.

The two entered the bamboo grove, and Liu Huchan shouted loudly: "Brother Fu!"

From the front right came Fu Yuehong's voice: "I'm here!"

The two followed the sound and arrived, only to see Fu Yuehong standing alone in the bamboo grove, with several drops of fresh blood staining the mamboo ahead, the blood still not clotted. Yet they saw no weapon in Fu Yuehong's hand, and he was uninjured; apparently that blood belonged to the intruder who had just slipped in.

Liu Huchan asked: "Where is the person?"

Fu Yuehong pointed ahead: "He went into that earthen hole."

Hu Xiaotian looked up. Sure enough, not far ahead there was an earthen hole; he walked over slowly, and Liu Huchan warned him: "Be careful!"

Hu Xiaotian stood three feet from the hole, listened intently, and heard no movement; there seemed to be no ambush inside, so he boldly stepped forward. Looking into the hole, he could already see the bottom; it was only about a zhang deep, and whether it had any branches connecting elsewhere was unknown.

At that moment a soft rustling came from above; Hu Xiaotian looked up and saw a black-clad figure treading on bamboo branches, fleeing due east.

Liu Huchan said: "He's over there!"

Hu Xiaotian's heart tightened. The black-clad man was clearly overhead, so why did Fu Yuehong say he had fled into the hole? Since the black-clad man had already escaped, why double back to draw their attention? Hu Xiaotian silently thought something was wrong; at this moment his back was completely exposed to Liu Huchan and Fu Yuehong, and a profound sense of danger made his hairs stand on end.

Liu Huchan and Fu Yuehong almost simultaneously sprang into action. Each produced from his sleeve a rectangular black box — the dreaded Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle known to make masters tremble. It was a trap from start to finish; they exploited Hu Xiaotian's carelessness, luring him into the bamboo grove, then would strike him down with the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle. At such a range, and with Hu Xiaotian's back turned to them, the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle would never miss.

Just as they thought one strike would surely kill, Hu Xiaotian leapt into the hole, reacting in time. He had been overly careless today, nearly capsizing in a gutter; by jumping into the hole before they could trigger the mechanism, he seized his only chance to dodge the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle.

Swish-swish-swish-swish, a fine tearing sound continued; Liu Huchan and Fu Yuehong both triggered the mechanism, but Hu Xiaotian's reaction speed was still half a step faster, and before they could pull the trigger, he had already jumped into the hole.

The hole was only one zhang deep, straight up and down, with no secret passage below.

Liu Huchan and Fu Yuehong's strike missed; they quickly stepped forward. Although Hu Xiaotian had evaded the first assault, jumping into the hole handed them the opportunity to catch a turtle in a jar.

Seeing Hu Xiaotian evade the attack, Liu Huchan and Fu Yuehong were startled; but upon seeing him jump into the hole, they relaxed, thinking this fool was utterly stupid — jumping into a hole was practically seeking his own death.

After Hu Xiaotian jumped into the hole, his first act was to slam a fist into the wall; his inner force was now so formidable that few in the world could match it, and this punch made the ground tremble violently.

Liu Huchan and Fu Yuehong staggered, losing balance instantly; just then Hu Xiaotian threw a second punch that slammed into the wall, and the hole rumbled and collapsed, rocks raining down, sealing the entrance and burying Hu Xiaotian beneath the debris.

Liu Huchan and Fu Yuehong rushed to the mouth, raised their Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needles and fired again; this volley of steel needles all struck the falling rocks, making it impossible to shoot through the debris and hit Hu Xiaotian below.

At the treetops of the bamboo grove, the black-clad man reappeared, raising a black spear over two zhang long; he swooped down from above, aiming the spear tip at the collapsed hole. The high-speed tip pierced the air below, pushing the surrounding air outward in waves, accompanied by a piercing shriek as it plunged into the rock-filled hole. The spear's momentum was astonishing, carrying the force of ten thousand men as it drove into the debris, its tip emitting successive cracking sounds; soon smoke and dust filled the air, stone chips flying.

Only two feet of the spear remained above ground; its tip had broken through the rocks and reached the very bottom of the hole.

Liu Huchan and Fu Yuehong still dared not relax in the slightest, keeping their Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needles aimed at the hole. The dust was blown away by the mountain wind, everything returned to stillness, a deathly silence.

Suddenly a muffled thud came from beneath their feet.

The black-clad man grabbed the spear shaft, trying to pull the spear out from below, when the ground beneath them exploded with a bang! Rocks flew everywhere, dust billowed, and Liu Huchan and his two companions scrambled backward; in the dust, a figure shot upward like a soaring dragon.

Fu Yuehong had not yet raised his Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle when a biting sword aura came straight at him; he startled and leapt backward, nearly flopping to the ground, performing a clumsy donkey roll to evade the deadly strike just now. Liu Huchan was less fortunate: the hand gripping his Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle had his right arm sliced through by an invisible sword aura, his stout right arm severed at the root, blood gushing from the stump.

The black-clad man, spear in hand, as he retreated suddenly turned and thrust a reverse strike, the spear tip pointing straight at Hu Xiaotian's throat.

At this moment Hu Xiaotian was grimy and dusty, yet his whole body was shrouded in an extreme killing intent; he reached out with his left hand, the Xuanming Yin Wind Claw snatching the spear tip with astonishing speed, then he twisted it hard, snapping the spear tip clean off, after which his body surged forward like a tiger descending the mountain toward the black-clad man.

The black-clad man tried to flee but it was too late; he lifted his leg to kick Hu Xiaotian, who leapt up, dodging the kick, thrust forward with his left arm, the spear tip puff! piercing the black-clad man's throat. He then swept his right hand through the air, releasing another biting sword aura that sliced Liu Huchan's left arm, which also severed at the root with a anguished cry. As the leader of the Tiger Squad, he was formidable in fist and foot, yet today he hadn't even gotten to use his fists before both arms were cut off by Hu Xiaotian, leaving him shocked and terrified to the utmost.

Fu Yuehong still had one unfired round of Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needles in his hand, but at this sight he was terrified, never imagining Hu Xiaotian's martial prowess could reach such a fearsome level; even their combined three-person ambush had failed to kill him, and in an instant they were one dead, one wounded. Fu Yuehong's thought was not to rescue his companions but to flee; while Hu Xiaotian dealt with his two partners, Fu Yuehong had already escaped toward the outside of the bamboo grove.

Hu Xiaotian fixed his gaze on the direction Fu Yuehong fled and swung his arm hard, intending to cleave him in two with an invisible sword aura; he swung with extra force, yet failed to project the sword aura as he had done the previous two times.

Although Liu Huchan had lost both arms, he still refused to wait for death, dragging his legs desperately toward the bamboo grove's exit. Hu Xiaotian used his toe to lift the broken spear shaft on the ground, took a quick step forward, caught hold of the shaft, and smashed it hard into Liu Huchan's knee with a crack; Liu Huchan's two leg bones were shattered, and he cried out as he collapsed to the ground.

Hu Xiaotian coldly regarded the blood-soaked, defenseless Liu Huchan, his eyes showing no sympathy whatsoever: "Hong Beimo?"

Liu Huchan gritted his teeth and stared at Hu Xiaotian: "Go die..."

Hu Xiaotian lifted his right foot and stomped hard on Liu Huchan's throat; as his foot came down, a clear sound of breaking bones was heard.

In an instant, life and death were decided. Hu Xiaotian looked down at the two corpses at his feet, slowly shook his head, lifted their bodies and flung them into the collapsed hole, then picked up Liu Huchan's two severed arms and tossed them in as well.

Although the fight in the bamboo grove had just been fierce, no one from the Puxian Institute came to watch, because everyone was occupied protecting the Emperor.

Hu Xiaotian took from his waist the small vial containing bone-dissolving fluid, listened to the surroundings, then poured the fluid onto the two corpses, watching as they swiftly turned into a pool of blood that seeped into the rubble and soil.

Hu Xiaotian turned and left, taking two steps, then picked up the needle case of the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle from the ground; there remained one unfired round inside. No need to ask — this assault was Hong Beimo's doing; from the start he had no intention of returning alive to the capital. Hu Xiaotian silently thought: "If you do not offend me, I will not offend you; Hong Beimo, from today onward you have gained another enemy in this world!"

Third Update delivered, madly scraping for your Monthly Tickets, last 24 hours, please join me in fighting the final chrysanthemum-defending battle! (To be continued~^~)