Chapter Sixty-One: Murderous Intent

“Kill them all, leave none alive!”

With that command, Hu San was the first to activate the Nine Bulls Bow, darting through the ranks with the agility of a fish. Whenever he encountered an enemy captain or squad leader, he unleashed several arrows—if he did not kill them outright, he inflicted wounds severe enough to be impossible to ignore.

Three thousand soldiers surged forward, and the battle was instantly one-sided against the battered enemy. Although the opposing side had many warriors, six had already been wounded by Hu San, and now another two or three fell beneath his arrows. Facing Hu San’s sudden assault, they could barely resist and were soon slaughtered to the last.

At this moment, Black Halberd and his men finally arrived at Red Stone Cliff. Yet, in the narrow valley, confronted by gigantic rocks blocking the path and beset by stones and arrows raining from above, Black Halberd could not break through; he could only watch as his elite warriors were killed one by one.

Hu San drove his fist through a captain’s chest, eyes flashing. He raised his Nine Bulls Bow, and his fingers danced across it like playing a lute. Instantly, five or six iron arrows whistled toward a figure. On closer inspection, the six arrows formed a triangular pattern, entirely enveloping a man at the mouth of the mountain path.

No matter how the man tried to dodge, he could not escape. Suddenly, his blood sword spun in his hand, and a wave of crimson energy exploded from his body. The sword seemed possessed, clanging against each of the six arrows and sending them flying.

He had evaded the attack!

Yet, this forced him to halt his rapid charge, revealing his figure—it was none other than Wang Can, a deputy commander and master of the fourth stage of inner energy.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

That pause was enough for Hu San to catch up. He slung the bow over his shoulder, drew his long blade, and in a flash blocked Wang Can’s path.

At this point, words were unnecessary. Hu San needed to kill this formidable enemy to reverse the tide, while Wang Can had to carve a bloody path back to his army.

Wang Can’s other trusted lieutenant was tangled amid the chaos; though he fought fiercely, he could not break through and could no longer be counted on, while Hu San’s forces were quickly advancing.

Wang Can knew that if Hu San delayed him even briefly, the arrival of the army would mean certain death—and in terms of raw strength, he was inferior to Hu San. Thus, he had only one chance.

His blood sword vibrated irregularly as Wang Can gathered his spirit, energy, and essence, channeling them into the blade. His skin flushed red, crimson mist rising around him as if he were becoming a demon.

With his inner energy flooding into the sword, the red mist entwined itself with the blade. Soon, Wang Can’s figure vanished, leaving only a cloud of blood.

“Blood Fiend Strike!”

Wang Can’s aura peaked, and in a sudden instant, he moved.

To Hu San’s eyes, Wang Can had transformed into a blood arrow—his sword became the arrowhead, his body the shaft. Hu San could not identify the technique, but instinctively sensed a deep unease.

It seemed impossible to block this strike. The feeling had no rational basis, but at Hu San’s level, intuition was as reliable as any other guide in battle.

Just as Hu San felt he could not withstand it and prepared to dodge, his vision shifted—he saw a blank spot within the blood arrow.

Without thinking, Hu San raised his blade and brought it down in a crushing arc. In that instant, his mind expanded, once again attuning itself to the essence of Bird Strike. Though not as mysterious as the first time, he fully embodied its force.

Rip!

The combatants saw nothing, only that the two men had already passed each other.

Wang Can’s body shuddered; his blood sword slipped from his grasp and clattered to the ground. Turning with difficulty, his pale face twisted in disbelief. He murmured, “What kind of technique is this? How could it pierce my full-powered Blood Fiend Strike? I am not willing to die!”

As he spoke, Wang Can coughed up a mouthful of blood. His armor slid open, exposing his chest—now marked by a diagonal blade wound.

Moments later, Wang Can’s body split along the cut, separating into two halves. He died with his eyes wide open.

“Whew, truly worthy of being a royal warrior—he was formidable. If not for Bird Strike, I could never have stopped his final attack,” Hu San muttered. “This must be the first true master of the second great realm I’ve slain. The second realm is indeed extraordinary.”

Hu San glanced around. Black Halberd had already cleared half the mountain path. Though the special troops atop Red Stone Cliff continued to fire arrows, their supplies were clearly dwindling, and stones were becoming scarce—nothing could stop the determined advance of the Mons elite.

But by now, it mattered little—the battle was over. No matter what happened next, the Mons elite had suffered a grievous loss.

Hu San bent his bow and shot another signal arrow upward. Instantly, the special forces on the cliff ceased their attack and began climbing down from the other side.

Meanwhile, Hu San had completely defeated Wang Can’s detachment.

“Damn it, pursue them—kill them all!” Black Halberd snarled.

When he finally broke through the mountain path, all he found was a field of corpses.

Staring at Wang Can’s bifurcated, wide-eyed body, Black Halberd felt his forehead throbbing—part grief for a fallen comrade, part dread at the responsibility he would have to bear.

He knew that even if he annihilated Hu San’s forces, he would not escape punishment.

He was not alone; Xu Yu and Zheng Qiang felt the same.

Without hesitation, Black Halberd and his men set off in pursuit.

Half an hour later, the grim-faced Commander Kang arrived with Bai Shan.

Looking at the carnage before him, Commander Kang’s dark expression suddenly shifted, and for reasons unknown, he burst out laughing.

“We move!”

Bai Shan, confused, watched as Commander Kang swept his sleeve and led his troops onward, joining Bai Shan’s men in pursuit.

By now, Hu San’s special forces, which had retreated from the other side, had rejoined the main force.

After this battle, Hu San’s two thousand two hundred men were nearly wiped out. In the subsequent annihilation of Wang Can’s detachment, despite their many tactics, the enemy was elite, and another several hundred died.

In the end, only about two thousand bandits remained with any fighting capacity.

Compared to the more than three thousand elite Mons troops in pursuit, they were hopelessly outmatched.

“It seems the time has come to use my last resort,” Hu San thought, his eyes hard.

He noticed Black Halberd’s pursuit was relentless, the gap could not be widened; even if they reached Wolf Fang Mountain Fortress, only a final desperate stand awaited.

Riding swiftly, Hu San called Zhao Feng and others to him and gave careful instructions.

In the eyes of Black Halberd and his men, the notorious bandit force was beginning to break apart under their pressure. Small squads slipped into the surrounding forests and vanished, but Hu San’s main force pressed on.

“Hold tight to Hu San—once he’s dead, the bandits are nothing but a rabble. Don’t fall for his diversion—after killing General Wang, he dreams of escape!” Black Halberd’s attitude toward the fleeing bandits was echoed by Xu Yu and Zheng Qiang. They did not realize that after regrouping, the bandits would soon gather elsewhere.

Both sides proceeded cautiously, but Commander Kang and his men behind were far more relaxed. With the main force breaking the way, their path was clear.

They needed only to march forward, and their speed was swift. The half-hour gap was closed in three hours, and they were catching up with Black Halberd’s group.

Yet, Black Halberd had no intention of joining forces, nor did Commander Kang. Thus, they advanced one after another, chasing Hu San’s force to a particular realm.

By now, dusk was falling, and the afterglow of the setting sun bathed everyone—including Hu San and his pursuers—in equal exhaustion.

By this time, fewer than five hundred bandits remained with Hu San.

He eyed the pale yellow grass ahead, a gleam in his gaze, and without hesitation led his men into it.

Soon, the pursuers arrived. Black Halberd and his men barely paused before plunging in; with so few of Hu San’s troops left, they saw his capture as imminent and would not let him slip away.

When Commander Kang arrived with his men, Bai Shan frowned slightly, as if wanting to say something, but seeing the cold smile on Commander Kang’s face, he wisely held his tongue.

He knew that to stop Commander Kang from pursuing, unless the royal governor arrived, no one could succeed; Commander Kang’s mind was now consumed by bloodlust.

Just to be safe, Bai Shan left three squads as sentries at the periphery, unaware that their pursuit would lead them further away, and they would miss any warning signal from the mountain pass—though, likely, no warning would ever come from those left behind.