Chapter 186: Holding Back

Just at this moment, Li Shan suddenly traded injury for injury; disregarding the sharpness of Wu Feng's Sword, he immediately seized the opportunity and slashed his blade toward Wu Feng's chest. Caught off guard, Wu Feng was struck by Li Shan's blade, instantly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and retreated several steps.

Feeling the pressure from Li Shan, Wu Feng's expression turned grave; he knew he had to reveal some of his bottom line to withstand Li Shan's offensive. Playing around was fine, but losing face by getting injured would not do.

He took a deep breath, and the Sword in his hand also surged with a blood-red color, becoming even sharper as blood-light overflowed, shrouding Li Shan like a giant net.

Seeing this, Li Shan was startled and hurriedly swung his blade to defend. However, Wu Feng's Sword momentum grew increasingly fierce, making him feel somewhat overwhelmed. Yet he did not retreat; instead, he gritted his teeth and resisted Wu Feng's attacks head-on.

Li Shan pressed his advantage, swinging his blade to hack at Wu Feng, wanting to defeat his opponent in one go. However, Wu Feng displayed a tenacious fighting spirit; enduring his pain, he unleashed a finishing move, Cloak Slash, instantly forcing Li Shan into a desperate situation.

Li Shan felt a sense of helplessness in his heart, but he knew there were no other choices left now; he could only resist the opponent's attacks with all his might. At this very moment, both of them had pushed their strength to the limit; every one of their moves and actions contained a lethal threat, as if the slightest carelessness could cost them their lives.

The entire scene was so tense and thrilling it was almost suffocating, and the onlookers could not help but break into a cold sweat for them. This battle was not merely a duel between two people, but one that concerned the interests of the factions behind them. Whether it was Li Shan or Wu Feng, both understood the importance of this battle; they had to exhaust all their strength to achieve final victory.

If Li Shan were unfortunately to lose this battle, the gang he represented would inevitably suffer a heavy blow, and its status would also be severely affected. As for Wu Feng, if he failed, it would mean he could not complete his mission; not only would he lose face, but he might also face even more serious consequences. Therefore, no matter what, they absolutely could not lose.

Both sides exchanged blows, neither giving an inch, and the atmosphere on the field grew increasingly tense and fierce. Every one of Li Shan's attacks carried a sharp momentum, while Wu Feng dodged flexibly and launched counterattacks from time to time. Time passed second by second; whoever could hold on until the end would be the victor of this life-and-death contest.

Just then, Wu Feng suddenly noticed that Li Shan's Blade Technique had become sluggish; his eyes brightened, and he immediately seized this opportunity to launch a fierce attack.

Li Shan was startled and wanted to return to defense, but it was already too late. Wu Feng's Sword pierced out as swiftly as lightning, passing through Li Shan's defensive line and striking his chest directly.

Li Shan let out a muffled groan, his face turned pale, and the blade in his hand dropped to the ground.

Wu Feng did not press his advantage; instead, he withdrew his Sword in time, stepped back, and watched Li Shan quietly.

Li Shan clutched his chest, fresh blood seeping out from between his fingers, and he looked at Wu Feng in disbelief: "You aren't killing me?"

Wu Feng smiled slightly: "That's right, this sword strike only injured you; it will not endanger your life."

Looking at Wu Feng who did not kill him, Li Shan asked in surprise: "Why?"

Wu Feng showed disdain: "You didn't think I was actually using my full strength, did you? Your Blade Technique is indeed sharp, and by the end, it was even fierce enough to rival me, but there is still a gap after all. The Sect Master won't let me kill you, so what can I do?"

Years of Blood Qi nourishment had allowed Wu Feng's Blood Qi to be polished to the point of being as easy to use as his own arm; on the first day after his injury, he had stepped directly into the Blood Refining Perfection Peak, only a thin line away from Bone Refining.

Fighting Li Shan was also at Cheng Feng's instruction, simply because Li Shan was a lovesick fool; as for the rest, Wu Feng did not know.

Li Shan still wanted to ask more, but the battle on this wide, straight road had already ended.

Amidst this fierce battle, although the reinforcements of the Green Bamboo Gang were numerous, they suffered heavy losses under the tenacious interception of the Hong Sect disciples.

Xu Miao, who was in the shadows, exerted even greater effort; holding the Dark Night Blade given to her by Cheng Feng, she was like a dancer weaving through the crowd. The dark night was her stage, blood was her accompaniment, and blood was drawn whenever her blade appeared. Xu Miao specifically targeted Martial Artists; fresh blood dyed the earth red, and corpses piled up into a small hill.

All of this appeared incomparably enchanting under the illumination of the moonlight.

The Hong Sect disciples also suffered huge casualties; many of them fell into pools of blood and closed their eyes forever.

A thick, nauseating stench of blood permeated the wide, straight road. The sounds of killing, screams, and the clashing of metal intertwined to form a tragic symphony. This land had been soaked through with blood, as if telling of human cruelty and ruthlessness.

However, it was finally over; leave a portion of the Third Hall disciples to guard the captives, and organize the rest to continue holding the road.

As for the other two road nodes, because Babai and Cheng Yi had long since received instructions from Cheng Feng, they did not intend to fight the enemy to the bitter end, but instead adopted flexible and varied tactics. Whenever the Green Bamboo Gang disciples gradually approached, they would withdraw from the scene in an orderly fashion and then set up ambushes elsewhere.

The strength of the halls on these two roads was far inferior to the one where Li Shan was. The strength of these hall members was uneven, and they were scattered about.

Among them, only a few had reached the Skin Refining Perfection realm, but for Babai and Cheng Yi, dealing with them was easy. Babai and Cheng Yi displayed powerful strength, handling these enemies in a simple and direct manner.

According to the information provided by Black Ear, for those whose behavior was extremely vile and unforgivable, Babai and Cheng Yi would show no mercy and execute them directly;

As for those whose behavior was relatively less serious or excessive, Babai and Cheng Yi would leave these survivors unable to move freely and arrange for disciples under their command to watch and supervise them. See if they could be absorbed into the Hong Sect later to strengthen the Hong Sect's power.

Just like that, Babai and Cheng Yi's side always maintained a high degree of vigilance and mobility, constantly creating trouble for the enemy and making it impossible for them to easily break through the defensive line.

Repeating this, the Green Bamboo Gang's reinforcements fell into a passive situation. They began to feel exhausted and low in morale. The disciples led by Babai took this opportunity to launch a counterattack, dealing a heavy blow to the enemy. The Green Bamboo Gang's reinforcements gradually realized that they had fallen into a trap. They were furious, but helpless.

The dark night was the best protective color; the Hong Sect disciples seemed to be everywhere, and no one knew whose life the hidden blade would harvest next. The Green Bamboo Gang disciples holding torches also began to guard cautiously.

Seeing this scene, Babai and the others breathed a sigh of relief. They knew that although this operation was extremely thrilling, they had finally completed the mission.

Stall them, even if it means victory.