Under normal circumstances, the members of the Slave Hunter Gang would feel a sense of relief upon seeing the lights here.
The lights signified two things: first, the horses left behind were unharmed, meaning they could quickly mount up and escort these barely mobile Scavengers back to their stronghold. Second, it indicated that the people from Flame Camp hadn't discovered this place.
They were safe.
Once these two thoughts took hold, the tension in their minds would ease.
That was the perfect moment for Tang Wen to launch his ambush.
He scouted the location, climbed a crooked tree in a few swift moves, and used the trunk to conceal his figure as he lay in wait.
Time passed slowly.
Suddenly, Tang Wen, perched in the tree, opened his eyes.
In the distance, a dark mass of figures was approaching, bustling with activity—nearly a hundred people.
Tang Wen focused, observing carefully.
In the middle were clearly the Scavengers, their mouths gagged and their bound hands connected by a long rope.
To escape, they would need to move in perfect unison in the same direction. Otherwise, running in disarray would only cause them to tumble into a heap.
Tang Wen's attention first locked onto the two men leading the way.
One held a spear, while the other carried a sword and shield.
The remaining six were spread out behind, to the left, and to the right.
These eight men surrounded the hundred or so Scavengers, leading them like sheep, the rope held steady.
From their footsteps, the man on the left at the front walked with a firm and powerful stride, leaving almost no trace—a clear sign of advanced footwork.
He was undoubtedly a Martial Master.
The other Martial Master was obscured by the crowd, bringing up the rear.
Tang Wen studied him for a moment, but the man showed no reaction.
This gave Tang Wen a clear assessment: even among Martial Masters, there were differences in strength, and this one's perception was weak, meaning his combat prowess couldn't be too high.
By his calculations, the General should be arriving soon.
He had also gauged the enemy's capabilities.
What was he waiting for?
He reached into his pocket and pulled out three smooth, oval-shaped pebbles, gripping them tightly.
Through repeated experimentation, he had found that pebbles of this shape were not only hard but also flew the fastest when thrown.
If blocked by weapons or other hard objects, they would shatter into enough fragments to cause significant damage.
The enemy drew closer.
Injuring ten fingers was not as effective as severing one.
First, kill the Martial Master at the front!
A cold glint flashed in Tang Wen's eyes as he released his grip on the tree trunk and pushed off with his legs, launching himself into the air.
He soared horizontally, like a night owl gliding, appearing several meters above the ground.
"What's that?"
"Caw! Caw!"
The Martial Master roared, and the Blood Raven cawed.
Whoosh!
The shouts and cries were drowned out by the terrifying sound of something cutting through the air.
"Watch out!"
The leading Martial Master instinctively realized the hidden weapon was aimed at him.
His reaction was swift.
Facing the triangular formation of incoming projectiles, knowing he couldn't dodge them all, he immediately dropped to one knee, avoiding the one aimed at his head.
At the same time, he raised his round shield with his right hand and swung his steel blade with his left.
Clang! Clang!
Two equally jarring, ear-piercing clashes rang out, followed by a scream.
"Ahhh!"
The round shield shattered upon impact with the high-speed pebble, both breaking simultaneously.
The shield had done its job of protecting its owner.
However, the wrist and arm holding the shield instantly bore the brunt of the terrifying force. The wrist was completely shattered, exposing the pale bone fragments.
At the same time, the blade struck another pebble, shattering both the blade and the stone.
The stone exploded in front of his face, cutting his left eye and covering his face in blood.
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
Tang Wen, seizing the advantage, continued to hurl Flying Stones.
The leader, despair in his eyes, rolled in pain trying to evade, but was still a step too slow. A stone struck his chest, and without a sound, he collapsed in a sprawl, unconscious.
"Third Leader!"
"There's only one person."
"Surround him!"
"Use arrows!"
Crossbow bolts whistled through the air.
Tang Wen drew his long blade, deflecting them one by one, and landed firmly on his feet.
Before he could steady himself, a figure charged from behind with the force to topple trees and shatter mountains, aiming a punch straight at his chest!
A second-tier Martial Master!
It seemed he was the more powerful Fourth Leader!
Locked in by the opponent's killing intent, Tang Wen's hair stood on end.
Like a beast facing its natural predator!
In this critical moment, his mind became clear, rapidly visualizing a scene: a fireball rising, bombarding a mountain!
As the image solidified, he gripped his blade with both hands and slashed down fiercely!
Boom!
A shockwave erupted, and the dry leaves and branches on the ground were swept up by the force of their collision, scattering in all directions.
Tang Wen's hands tingled slightly, but before he could catch his breath, the sound of bowstrings vibrating reached his ears.
Damn archers!
The Fourth Leader had met his long blade with a punch, and even with steel gauntlets, he had suffered a minor setback.
His momentum had been halted by Tang Wen's slash, and he was now recovering.
He hadn't expected Tang Wen, with his youthful appearance, to wield Visualization Force with his long blade!
This was the mark of a seasoned Martial Master.
Even more unexpected was the sheer power of Tang Wen's hurried slash, delivered before he had fully steadied himself.
As the crossbow bolts flew toward him, Tang Wen judged their positions by sound, not bothering to dodge. He visualized once more and raised his blade for another strike.
This time, his feet were firmly planted on the ground, and the force generated from his roots, dozens of times the explosive power of an ordinary person, was fully unleashed.
With a deafening crash, the tiger-headed blade split the steel gauntlet and crushed the bones of the opponent's right hand.
The Fourth Leader staggered back.
Sss, sss, sss!
Tang Wen's steps faltered as three arrows struck his body.
The Fourth Leader's face lit up with triumph.
"I used Armor-Piercing Arrows. He's done for!"
But Tang Wen, with three arrows embedded in him, seemed to go berserk. Ignoring his wounds, he strode forward, raising his blade for a downward slash.
"Hah!"
The Fourth Leader sneered, no longer willing to engage directly. He unleashed force from his feet, creating distance between them.
This young Martial Master was about to meet his end!
He knew well that the archers in his group were ruthless, and their arrowheads were surely coated with poison.
In that case, why risk a direct confrontation?
Buzz, buzz!
The sound of arrows cutting through the air returned, and he rolled to the side, taking cover behind a tree.
The Flying Stone missed, disappearing into the distant darkness.
Tang Wen dodged the arrows and plunged his blade into the ground.
With both hands, he flipped out stones, unleashing a barrage at the surrounding archers and others.
Boom, boom, boom! The ground erupted in clouds of dust, as if artillery were plowing the earth.
"Watch out! Ah!"
"I can't dodge! Aah!"
A series of screams rang out as three archers were taken down by the Flying Stones.
The cautious ones scattered, not daring to show themselves.
As for the Scavengers, after the first scream, they all instinctively crouched down, covering their heads like ostriches.
One could say this was a form of survival instinct.
The Fourth Leader led his men toward Tang Wen, shifting the battlefield slightly away from them.
This inadvertently spared their lives.
Tang Wen stretched his arms, shaking his Scale Armor.
The Armor-Piercing Arrows were indeed formidable, but against the 120-pound thick Scale Armor he wore, they could only barely penetrate the outermost layer.
Tang Wen wore two layers of equally thick scale armor.
Even if both layers were breached, he still had his Iron Body Skill!
Arrows were destined to be useless against him.
"Ah!"
Tang Wen discovered an unfortunate spearman behind a tree. With a single slash, he severed the man's spear. The momentum of his blade didn't falter, continuing to split the iron helmet. Under the immense pressure, the man's skull deformed.
In the blink of an eye, eight men were down—four dead and two injured.
Of the two Martial Masters, one was incapacitated, and the other had a hand injury.
"Why hasn't the poison taken effect yet?"
The Fourth Leader, hiding behind a tree, felt his heart sinking.
Damn it!
Could it be that those three idiots forgot to coat the arrowheads with poison?
As he was gripped by doubt, more screams echoed.
Someone had their limbs crippled by Tang Wen.
The Fourth Leader grew even more panicked: No, I can't wait any longer. Those fools might have really forgotten to apply the poison.
He shouted, "The situation's bad, scatter and run!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the last member of the squad darted out from behind a tree and sprinted away.
The Fourth Leader, however, stayed put, not moving an inch.
Buzz!
The sound of a stone cutting through the air coincided with the screams of his men.
Only then did he burst into action, darting out from behind the tree and heading back the way he came.
His eyes flickered: This stone-throwing technique, with such brutal force, must be a burst technique from the Contemplation Method.
Since it's a burst technique, the energy consumption must be significant.
Even if Tang Wen is a Martial Master, how many times can he unleash it while injured by arrows?
Therefore, I will definitely make it out alive!
You little brat!
Wait for me to return!
His eyes turned fierce, and he poured all his strength into his legs, using the Contemplation Method to fuel continuous bursts of speed.
Like an arrow shot from a bow multiple times, he vanished into the forest.
Tang Wen gave chase.
The Cannon Fist Contemplation Method was currently only applicable to his fists and weapons.
He had no understanding of speed bursts, so he could only rely on his monstrously strong physique and his proficient Traceless Step to close the distance.
Even so, Tang Wen was gradually shortening the gap.
Whoosh!
The Fourth Leader cursed Tang Wen's freakishness under his breath, tossing his damaged gloves backward.
Tang Wen tilted his head to avoid them, not slowing down.
In the next moment, he hurled a Flying Stone.
The stone cut through the air, but without the terrifying force from before.
He's weakened!
The fleeing Fourth Leader felt a surge of joy, dodging the stone with a leap and continuing his escape.
Another stone came!
Hearing the wind, he swiftly circled around a tree, and the stone struck the trunk.
Tang Wen continued to launch Flying Stones from behind, forcing the Fourth Leader to devote ninety percent of his energy to defending against the attacks from his rear.
Even his running direction was subconsciously chosen to return the way he came.
Thwack!
He dodged another stone.
Up ahead w
as where the horses were.
Hope blossomed in his heart.
If the two guys left behind could just delay the monster behind him a little, he could escape!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
The Flying Stones kept him off balance, leaving no room for thought.
Suddenly, his temples throbbed, and an intense unease gripped him.
Ssssh!
A spear thrust out from behind a tree like a viper's strike, its cold tip aimed straight at his waist.