Under the shroud of a moonless night, the air around the Mountain God Temple thrummed with lethal intent. The twang of bowstrings sliced through the darkness, a chorus of venomous notes, as Wolfbane Arrows, steeped in oil and flame, rained from all directions. Forged in the northern realm of Xuanguo, these barbed shafts, each worth three silver taels, could pierce triple-layered armor, capable of reducing a hundred-man squadron to a pincushion in moments. Yet, within a yard of the temple, the arrows froze in midair, their fletched tails quivering as if ensnared by an unseen force.
The archers, martial adepts of the Qi Condensation realm, wielded thirty-stone bows, firing in disciplined volleys. Their arrows, designed to shatter armor and qi, hung suspended, defying their intent. Faces ashen, the archers drew fresh shafts, their volleys weaving a relentless tapestry of sound, yet none breached the temple's invisible ward.
A sudden tremor shook the arrows, their hum rising to a wasp-like frenzy. Amid this cacophony, measured footsteps echoed. A towering figure emerged from the temple's shadow—raven curls danced in the night wind, his tattered garb stained with grime, his spine unyielding as a mountain. His hands, broad and calloused, and his brow, serene as a stalking tiger, bespoke a warrior's resolve. With a casual gesture, he swept aside the suspended arrows, which crumbled to dust upon the earth.
Twelve Nightgalloper Cavalry, clad in obsidian armor adorned with intricate cloud motifs, stood resolute, hands on sword hilts, their killing intent a palpable frost. Their leader spoke, voice low and deliberate: "General Yue Qianfeng of Great Chen's Iron Will, it has been too long."
Yue's eyes glinted like frost: "Only you lot? Where are Xiao Wuli and Zhao Nanmu? How long can you last against me?"
The leader's smile was cold: "Your dharma-body lies broken by the Grand General's hand, its power sealed for three months. With only flesh and inner qi, how much stronger are you than us mere warriors?"
Yue's laugh was a blade's edge: "Stronger? Step forward and find out."
The Nightgalloper leader's voice hardened: "You should not have saved him. You've squandered your future."
Yue's fury erupted: "Marshal Yue defended the realm, yet was branded a traitor by twelve imperial edicts that sealed his dharma-body. What future is there in such a court?"
The air grew taut, heavy with killing intent. Moisture in the night air condensed, falling as rain, splashing against armor in fleeting sprays. The faint chime of unsheathing blades filled the air as the Nightgallopers drew their slender, razor-sharp swords, their edges melding with the dark. In an instant, they struck—thunderous, splitting into shadows, each seeking a fatal angle with coordinated precision.
Yue roared with laughter, his wrist flicking. The suspended arrows spun in midair, forming a serpentine dragon of steel and flame. With a resonant hum, they surged forward, piercing the archers in a spray of blood and bone. The Nightgallopers' blades descended, yet failed to breach Yue's iron-like skin. Whirling, he seized a cavalryman's skull, slamming it against the temple wall, leaving a smear of gore. With a toss, the body crashed to the ground.
Wrenching a slender waist-sword from the fallen, Yue wielded it not for thrusting but for brutal cleaving, each swing a lion's roar splitting the night. Though stripped of his dharma-body, his martial prowess overwhelmed the cavalry. Like a predator among prey, he felled them one by one, their blood mingling with the rain.
Pausing, Yue caressed the notched blade, murmuring, "A fine edge, but spineless—a tool for killing, not a weapon of renown."
One Nightgalloper, bloodied but alive, crawled feebly. Yue moved to end him, then froze, sensing a faint presence. His tiger-like gaze swept to a shadowed alley, where a frail figure crouched—Li Yongyi, a boy who had come to learn martial arts, now witness to this slaughter.
The wounded Nightgalloper dragged himself toward Li, blood staining his cloud-wrought robes. Yue, blade in hand, loomed blood-spattered, his gaze locking onto the boy. Killing intent flickered: "You've seen and heard too much. I am, indeed, a heinous outlaw."
Li nodded, pale, his eyes tracing the Nightgalloper's ornate sleeve, recognizing the arrogant youth from earlier that day. His bronze-cauldron qi stirred, revealing Yue's eyes aglow with a crimson hunger, his intent murderous. The Nightgalloper clutched Li's robe, tearing it to expose a venomous tattoo.
The cavalryman's eyes widened in horror at the poison's mark. In that instant, Li's hand darted to his waist, a cyan flash heralding a short sword. He drove it into the Nightgalloper's throat, piercing unresisted, then struck again into the heart, and once more into the right chest for certainty. Blood sprayed, mingling with the icy rain.
Yue's killing intent dissolved, his gaze fixed on the boy. Gasping, blood flecking his delicate features, Li raised his head and offered a wan smile: "Now, we are accomplices."
**(End of Chapter)**