SWISH! SWISH!

Chu Lingguang drew his bow and nocked an arrow in an instant.

Under the cover of his Spiritual Sense, every move at the cave entrance was crystal clear.

The two men in front, shields in hand, charged in at top speed, hoping to deny Chu Lingguang any time to react.

SWISH!

SWISH!

But Chu Lingguang was already poised to strike. He loosed two arrows with the speed of a thunderclap, giving the two men only enough time to raise their shields.

Before they could even swing their Curved Sabers, the arrows pierced their shields and struck their Bone Aspects. The arrowheads not only bored into their bodies but sent them flying backward, nearly bowling over the four men behind them.

The entrance to the cave fell silent.

The two men struggled on the ground for a moment before falling still.

Even though they were both experts at the Qi Sea Great Success realm, not even Batu Mu could be certain of blocking an arrow from Chu Lingguang’s Barbaric Bow at such close range.

Furthermore, these two had only activated their fourth-level Dharma Aspects, and one hadn’t even awakened his True Dragon Power. Against Chu Lingguang’s arrows, it was a one-shot kill with no chance to fight back.

If the four men behind them hadn’t been sharp-eyed and quick to react, scattering to the sides, they would have been knocked down. Then, Chu Lingguang could have picked them off one by one, clean and simple.

"Chieftain, let’s try using fire!" one of the six remaining men, a more timid one, suggested.

"By the time we force them out, the masters from Great Yuan will be here," Batu Mu snorted.

"Go again. All six of you, in together."

Batu Mu didn’t care if they lived or died.

The six men exchanged glances. They didn’t want to throw their lives away, but when they looked at Batu Mu, they knew that refusing was also a death sentence. At least if they went, they had a fighting chance. Defying Batu Mu’s order would even endanger their families.

At that thought, the six men approached the cave entrance once more.

"Seniors, I only have four arrows left," Chu Lingguang said.

"Use those four arrows to break out. Don’t worry about us anymore," Mo Shan said, forcing himself upright.

"You’re still young. It’s not worth dying here for our sakes."

Mo Zheng pulled the arrow shafts from his right leg and quickly bandaged the wound.

"In that case, I’ll need your cooperation to break out, Seniors," Chu Lingguang said with a nod.

The men exchanged a look.

「A moment later.」

Sounds of movement came from the cave entrance again.

Six Turkic experts of the Qi Sea Great Success realm charged in at top speed, each one prepared to take an arrow from Chu Lingguang.

In the end, all six managed to charge into the cave.

The clang of weapons, the roar of the Dragon Elephant, and the seething of the Qi Sea echoed through the cave.

Two of the Turkic experts, who had been injured previously, were the first to be sent flying back out. A series of bloodcurdling screams emerged from the cave, mixed with the enraged roars of Mo Shan and his three companions.

’This is bad!’

Batu Mu’s expression changed drastically.

’He’s saving his remaining arrows for me, to keep me from daring to rush in. But it’s chaos in there right now. If I don’t go in, by the time the fighting is over, Chu Lingguang will be waiting for me at the entrance. I’ll lose my chance!’

And so, Batu Mu charged in after them at top speed.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

However, just as Batu Mu neared the entrance, he saw a figure inside the cave with his bow already drawn, aimed right at him. The man had clearly been waiting for some time, poised for the moment Batu Mu would charge into his trap.

HYAAH!

At the critical moment, Batu Mu’s Saber Technique erupted, forming a solid Sword Shadow Barrier.

CLANG!

The first arrow was blocked by Batu Mu’s Sword Shadow Barrier.

The second arrow shattered the barrier and was caught in Batu Mu’s Divine Image Small Vortex.

The third arrow shattered Batu Mu’s Qi Phase Scale Armor, the arrowhead stopping just short of his skin, and the impact forced him to stumble back.

The fourth arrow slammed into the third, driving its arrowhead into Batu Mu’s flesh and sending him flying backward out of the cave.

"HYA!"

Chu Lingguang charged out of the cave on his Little Red Horse.

Inside the cave, Mo Shan and his three companions had used every last ounce of their strength to hold down the six intruders, either stabbing them to death with their daggers or snapping their necks.

Chu Lingguang had needed them to cooperate.

The plan for their cooperation was simple: kill everyone who charged in.

He, in turn, would save his last four arrows for Batu Mu.

Mo Shan and his three companions had all agreed.

Using all their strength, the four of them had worked together to either kill the six Qi Sea Great Success experts in the shortest time possible or drag them aside, giving Chu Lingguang an undisturbed line of sight to guard the entrance and fire his last four arrows at Batu Mu.

And they had succeeded.

However, already grievously wounded, they paid a terrible price for their victory. Even though they had once been stronger than their six opponents, killing them now took a heavy toll.

A dagger pierced Mo Shan’s palm, and a punch to the chest made him cough up two mouthfuls of blood.

Mo Zheng’s right leg had already suffered four arrow wounds, each one piercing through his thigh and calf, and he had a saber wound on his back besides. He had been forcing himself to stand.

He had used all his strength to kill one man with a palm strike and desperately held onto the legs of another, during which his already injured right leg was stomped on, the bone breaking.

He could now only stand on one leg; his right was all but useless. In the future, even if he didn’t need crutches, his combat effectiveness would be drastically reduced.

As for Mo Shuang and Mo Lei, they too had suffered severe injuries, both sustaining several more cuts. After killing the six men, all four of them slumped against the wall, huddling together.

Their wish had been granted. They saw Chu Lingguang fire his last four arrows, all at Batu Mu, before charging out on his Little Red Horse. They figured he must have reached the mountain by now. He should be able to make it over South Mountain and save himself.