Chapter 147: Return‑Horse Spear

Crackle—

Boom—!

It seemed even the heavens agreed with those words; as Niu Dingtian finished speaking, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, cutting through the dark night amid rolling thunder.

"Brother Mu Rong, what do you think?" Niu Dingtian asked cheerfully, leaning over the rail and looking down.

When his gaze fixed on Li Muhe and Yu Qingyang, his eyes flickered with a half‑smile as he said, "Brother Mu Rong, as a ruler you must not chill people's hearts; if you cannot speak plainly, let me do it for you."

He said—

A cold glint flashed in Niu Dingtian's eyes as he slowly raised his right hand.

Mu Rong An saw this and his face turned pale.

He had thought that bringing three hostages gave him some leverage, but he didn't expect Niu Dingtian to be playing the pigeon‑in‑the‑magpie‑nest trick, perhaps hoping to have him slaughter a few old men for him.

And now, this damn thing is using a sowing‑discord scheme on me!

Sure enough—

Seeing Niu Dingtian's gesture, Li Muhe and Yu Qingyang exchanged a glance, their hearts suddenly seized with terror, and the same thought flashed through both of their minds.

Run!!!

No wonder they are so cautious; if they themselves faced a youthful prodigy like Niu Dingtian—a towering figure of the jianghu, a hidden dragon among the rebels—no one would even consider marrying off a younger sister; even marrying a sister‑in‑law or an old woman, they'd be quick to consent.

And at this moment—

Li Muhe and Yu Qingyang both doubted that the ambitious Mu Rong An wouldn't be moved; this was a perfect power‑couple alliance, most suitable indeed!

With that thought, the two, under Mu Rong An's angry gaze, simultaneously fled desperately toward the outer edge of the training ground.

"Boom—!"

"Boom—!"

"Boom—!"

At the same time, the relentless boom of arrows tearing the air rang on, cutting the night sky.

From the four cardinal directions, over a hundred iron‑spear‑like crossbow bolts shot out like a howling angry dragon, all thundering toward the two figures scrambling in the rain.

The arrowheads arrived in an instant, death closing in rapidly.

Seeing no hope of survival, Li Muhe and Yu Qingyang, with grim resolve, grabbed at four arrow shafts coming from the east, but the tremendous force hurled their bodies into the air, slamming them into the western rain of arrows.

"Sss!"

"Boom—!"

In the blink of an eye, a crossbow bolt pierced straight over Yu Qingyang's head, thudding onto a blue stone slab on the ground.

Li Muhe, seeing this, was horrified to the brink of panic; after sacrificing himself to block three bolts, the rain of arrows from the north and south arrived, bearing down on him.

Knowing death was certain, Li Muhe's eyes widened in fury, and he cursed bitterly: "Mu Rong An, you son of a—! Niu Ding…"

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The harsh curses from the rain abruptly ceased, while the pounding impacts continued to echo across the training ground.

The next moment—

All movement and sound vanished suddenly.

All that could be seen were countless crossbow bolts skewered into the ground, their heads—over ten inches long—completely embedded in the stone slabs.

The two who had just struggled for their lives were now lifeless in an instant, no trace of humanity left.

At this moment—

Everything fell silent, and the night descended into an eerie deathly hush.

Only the training ground's floor bore streaks of blood that slowly flowed with the rain into the hidden drains.

"This..."

Yan Hongshou stared blankly at the forest of arrows skewered into the ground in the distance, murmuring, "Did they just... die like that? How could it be..."

He felt that the two had been brothers who worked together for years, so there was some camaraderie; even if he wanted the other's life today, killing was no more than a footnote.

Seeing such a tragic scene, for a moment Yan Hongshou felt a fox's sorrow at the rabbit's death.

The two beside him, Jin Buhuan and Su Lvzhi, both shook their heads with complex expressions and sighed inwardly: "All these ruthless masters, the future of the Manichaeist sect looks worrisome!"

Mu Rong An cast a distant, indifferent glance, though his heart was far from the calm exterior; the power of the Eight-Ox Crossbow opened his eyes anew.

Facing such a heavy weapon, even if he was confident he could break through, tonight he definitely could not take even one person away, unless they were already dead.

For reasons unknown, Mu Rong An's eyes flickered slightly, and he slowly looked up at Niu Dingtian on the Observatory, saying calmly, "I've accepted the terms."

"Accepted?"

Niu Dingtian looked at Mu Rong An below, his face unable to hide surprise, and he began to ponder.

But can he tolerate all this?

Even sending his own sister away?

As he thought, Niu Dingtian couldn't help but glance at Mu Rong Miaozhen, wondering if they were truly blood‑related; they looked nothing alike.

In fact—

Niu Dingtian's thinking was narrow.

Indeed, as the two lying on the ground thought, given Niu Dingtian's current conditions, he was a top‑tier diamond bachelor.

Putting aside Mu Rong An's true intentions, from an emotional standpoint, Niu Dingtian was certainly the most suitable match and partner, hard to refuse.

Meanwhile, as Niu Dingtian pondered, the rain below gradually ceased, the night wind slipped through, carrying a whiff of blood that rose to the Observatory.

Niu Dingtian frowned, slightly releasing his aura, and the corridor air cleared instantly.

"Let him release the hostages first," Fentian's voice sounded in Niu Dingtian's ear.

The two pressed extremely close.

Niu Dingtian was taken aback, "This woman's brain not enough?" He instantly shook his head and said firmly, "Why put them back? For retirement? Or to turn them against us?"

"The Manichaeans have all been fragmented; you expect those three stubborn hardliners to return and call you vice sect leader? Or to stab you?"

Fen Tian listened, their complexion grew somewhat sour; having already killed three Dharma Kings was already hard for them to accept, and now they seemed not to intend to spare even the three remaining senior elders of the sect?

Seeing this brash woman on the verge of turning hostile, Niu Dingtian was rather speechless and sent his voice through the secret channel: "Hold your fire; since you accepted the conditions, he wants to release them even more than you do, but if I let even a hint reach his ears, the outcome would be different."

Moreover, the rain had stopped, and the area was fairly silent; even if the two were whispering into each other's ears, with Mu Rong An's power, he would likely hear every word without error.

If the opponent were to say "I'm doing this for your good" and then directly end the three old men's lives, wouldn't that be moving a stone to smash one's own foot?

Although Su Lvzhi's three truly, as Niu Dingtian just mentioned, would be most advantageous for him if they died, since he promised Fen Tian to act according to the situation, he naturally could not be indifferent, let alone covertly stab them.

Otherwise, should the other side later come to regret and return, the hard‑won heart that was drawn in would dissipate.

Fen Tian heard this, their weary complexion brightened considerably; though they were also surprised that Niu Dingtian's voice entered their ear clearly without moving his lips, they no longer had the inclination to bother with these matters.

The recent upheavals, the fatigue of the past two days, and tonight's shock left them feeling utterly exhausted now, a kind of ineffable weariness.

Niu Dingtian's eyes shifted to Mu Rong An, smiling, "Since Brother Mu Rong is so forthright, then produce the token; from now on we shall look north and south at each other, serving as opposite corners, yet also as a loving family."

Mu Rong An did not waste words; he drew a token that looked like jade but wasn't from his bosom, silently gathered his inner strength, and hurled it rapidly toward the platform where Niu Dingtian stood.

Niu Dingtian's eyes narrowed a touch, seeming to catch it effortlessly, but the fierce momentum dissolved into nothingness, and the token entered his hand.

Mu Rong An saw this, his gaze hardened; the youngster's martial skill was stronger than anticipated!

"He still has one!" Fen Tian suddenly said.

Seeing Niu Dingtian puzzled, Fen Tian cast a glance at Su Lvzhi below, the meaning obvious.

Niu Dingtian suddenly realized that Old Su still had one; this fellow hides them truly deep.

However, at present everyone has been captured, so the close‑range token was certainly in Mu Rong An's hand.

Immediately, Niu Dingtian smiled and looked at Mu Rong An: "You're not being honest."

Mu Rong An expressionless, still not speaking, again drew a token from his chest and tossed it upward.

Niu Dingtian caught it and continuously fondled the two tokens in his hand, feeling quite satisfied.

The tokens shared the same shape but varied in size, and his own token also had some differences; if his conjecture is right, it must undoubtedly be the legendary Holy Fire Token.

"Let me see my sister and speak a few words to her," Mu Rong An's voice suddenly came from below.

Niu Dingtian laughed, "Nothing is impossible; please wait a moment, brother‑in‑law."

Immediately, disregarding the other's ashen complexion, he turned and walked to Mu Rong Miaozhen's side.

Mu Rong Miaozhen's face was one of shame and anger, her large eyes stared at Niu Dingtian without blinking, exuding an unyielding stance.

She had just heard clearly from behind, never expecting this dog thief to set his aim on her; she had already decided to die rather than submit tonight, never granting this dog thief his wish!

"In a moment I will release the acupoint; Miss Mu Rong, you'd better be obedient, otherwise in front of the crowd my slap will not be lenient," Niu Dingtian hummed threateningly.

Mu Rong Miaozhen's face was filled with sorrow and anger, biting her lip and turning her head away.

"That's correct," Niu Dingtian said with a smile, then released Mu Rong Miaozhen's acupoint and led her to the corridor.

"Big brother!" Mu Rong Miaozhen looked at her brother below, a surge of grievance rose in her heart, and misty tears welled in her eyes.

Mu Rong An's eyes flashed with a cold gleam; after a deep breath, he said warmly, "The north is too dangerous; little sister, stay here for now, and after the situation stabilizes I'll come to fetch you."

Having said that, he glanced at Niu Dingtian beside him, stared for a while, then expressionlessly said, "Farewell!"

Then, the chief Mu Rong An also did not look back, leading his subordinates to turn and depart, gradually fading into the night.

As for the three Su Lvzhi on the ground, in his view they were a trouble neither too big nor too small for Niu Dingtian.

"Niu Kui," Niu Dingtian called softly.

"Sect Leader!" Niu Kui rushed forward.

Niu Dingtian ordered, "Take down the Eight Ox Crossbow quickly, hide them all securely! Also withdraw tonight's guards on the palace wall."

"Clear what must be cleared, bury what must be buried. Bring the three old gentlemen back for proper care, have the strict divine doctor examine their wounds; moreover, until their injuries recover, do not let them descend the mountain, nor permit outsiders to disturb them."

"Yes!" Niu Kui, after receiving the order, quickly withdrew.

The next moment—

The observation tower regained tranquility; Mu Rong Miaozhen stared at the distant night sky, somewhat absent‑minded.

Fen Tian glanced away, then looked at Niu Dingtian: "I'll slowly persuade Old Su and the others; you needn't devise any more crooked schemes, but…"

"Aren't you worried Mu Rong An might show up again? Though the Eight Ox Crossbow makes him wary, it can't always hit him."

In her view, tonight was merely relying on the divine artifact to force Mu Rong An to retreat; his power was too overwhelming, and between them seemed a heavenly trench.

When Niu Dingtian first sparred with her, he seemed unable to overpower her much; if the opponent unexpectedly scaled the summit again, everyone would likely be unable to resist.

Niu Dingtian, however, chuckled lightly: "If it were you with absolute confidence, would you concede as just now?"

Fen Tian heard this, her complexion shifted slightly, her heart uneasy: "You mean he'll come back to kill tonight? Then you just…"

Niu Dingtian softly interrupted, "When martial skill reaches certain realms, finding a worthy opponent is already hard; a master like Mu Rong An, who excels beyond the five supreme techniques, is a once‑in‑a‑lifetime find."

"Just as I told you earlier, now we occupy Xiangyang, a four‑battle front between two nations; Mu Rong An's rampage in the north benefits us. But if we don't break his resolve tonight, making him see his true weight, I can't stay forever on Nine Palace Mountain."

"I recently created a new sword method; later I can test it on him." (End of chapter)