Chapter 5 Accomplice!

Thrum!!!

The sound of bowstrings being released suddenly rang out in the pitch-black night, one after another in quick succession.

Countless arrows drenched in kerosene descended upon the Mountain God Temple from all directions. These were the arrows of the Night Rider Cavalry from the Northern Dynasty's Xuan Country, slender and barbed, specially designed for Armor Breaking and Qi-breaking, costing three pieces of silver each. At this moment, the dense flurry of arrows could instantly turn a hundred-man armored squad into porcupines.

But in the next moment, the continuously firing Gray Wolf arrows halted in midair, as if the very void had solidified.

The archers were using thirty-stone hard bows, with Qi Condensation Realm Martial Artists as shooters, lined up in three rows for continuous volleys. Arrows shot by the Gray Wolf archers could pierce three layers of armor instantaneously, yet now they were suspended in the void, only their tails violently trembling.

Even the archers themselves looked displeased.

But instantly, they drew their arrows more rapidly, firing continuously, the sound of their release merging into one continuous din.

The Gray Wolf arrows, specifically designed to break Qi, couldn't get within ten feet of the Mountain God Temple.

While drawing their arrows, suddenly they heard the intense whistling of arrows. Countless arrows were fixed in the void, their tails now shaking more violently, the frequency increasing rapidly, and amidst the fine buzzing akin to a swarm of bees, unhurried footsteps resounded.

A big man walked out slowly, his curly black hair dancing in the night wind. His clothes were stained, his back straight, his limbs thick, and his eyes serene like a hunting tiger.

The arrows suspended in the void slowly twisted backward.

He raised his hand, casually swatting away the halted arrows in front of him, causing them to fall to the ground and crumble into dust.

The archers ahead all held the last special arrow in their hands.

Their backs were drenched in cold sweat.

In front of them, twelve men clad in dark-colored armor stood with ramrod-straight backs, their right hands already on the hilts of their weapons, their hanging sleeves covered in intricate and dense cloud patterns, exuding a chilling murderous aura. The leader spoke slowly, "Great General Yue Qianfeng of Great Chen, it's been a long time since we last met."

Yue Qianfeng's eyes were indifferent, "Just you guys? Xiao Wuliang, Zhao Mannu, they're not here. How long do you think you can survive in my hands?"

The leader replied confidently and composedly, "General Yue, your strength is extraordinary, but your Dharma Form has been broken by the Great General, which will hinder you from exerting your full strength for three months. Relying only on your physical body and Inner Qi, how much stronger are you than a few of us Martial Artists?"

Yue Qianfeng sneered, "How much stronger? Why don't you come and find out?"

The leader of the Night Rider Cavalry said, "You shouldn't have gone to save him."

"You've wasted your great future!"

Yue Qianfeng suddenly became furious, "General Yue protected the country and was unjustly accused. Twelve Imperial Decrees called General Yue back to the Court to seal his Dharma Form. What future is there with such a court!"

The surrounding atmosphere gradually became tense, hostility surging, each side searching for gaps in the flow of the opponent's Qi. Today the humidity was high, and amidst the murderous intent of both sides, it began to condense and turn into rain, falling in a light drizzle, splashing water droplets when it hit the armor.

The faint sound of swords clashing.

The Cloud Pattern Night Rider Cavalry drew their swords in unison, slowly and neatly.

Their blades were narrow and sharp, slowly drawn from their scabbards and blending into the darkness of the night. The atmosphere around them instantly became a few degrees colder, and in the next moment, the Night Rider Cavalry suddenly moved!

They exploded with a noise like thunder!

They transformed into afterimages and split apart in an instant, each finding a position, then executing their complementary techniques. In the rainy night, streaks of bright light fell, and Yue Qianfeng suddenly burst into loud laughter, his wrist flicking, the previously floating arrows suddenly reversing their course in the void.

The dense mass of arrows suddenly pointed towards the Night Rider Cavalry and archers ahead.

Forming an Azure Dragon in the void!

"Night Rider Cavalry, you underestimate me!"

Yue Qianfeng laughed heartily as his wrist moved, the whistling of the arrows in the void merging into one tumultuous thrumming, like the roar of a dragon.

In just an instant, it pierced through the archers in front, bringing flesh and blood with it, and in a flash, the ground was awash with blood. The Night Rider Cavalry's blades reached Yue Qianfeng but failed to cut his skin. The robust and imposing man suddenly turned around, grabbed the head of a Night Rider Cavalry member, and pressed it fiercely against the wall of the Mountain God Temple. Then, turning his body, he smeared a bloody, indistinct mark on the wall.

He immediately raised his hand and threw, sending the Night Rider Cavalry flying, crashing heavily onto the ground.

At the same time, his right hand had already grasped the Night Rider's saber, blocking the glow of other slashing blades; with a flick of his wrist, the blade slid off another Night Rider's saber, cleaving off half of that cavalryman's arm.

Blood and flesh flew in all directions.

With a towering figure, he wielded the saber, plunging into the heart of the battlefield. The narrow and sharp blade was mainly intended for stabbing, but he used it in a heavy chopping manner, stirring up a series of grim saber glows in the night, like a lion standing proudly among a pack of wolves.

Even without the power of the Dharma Form, Yue Qianfeng was still stronger than these Night Rider Cavalry.

Like a slaughter, he cut down these dismounted cavalry one after another. The Night Riders had abandoned their mounts to prevent Yue Qianfeng from hearing the sound of the horses, thus weakening their combat effectiveness. They overlooked Yue Qianfeng's valor and the notorious reputation he earned on the battlefield.

All twelve Night Rider Cavalry lay in the rainy night.

Yue Qianfeng had several new wounds on his body. He lifted his hand to touch the saber, which had many notches from the chopping. He muttered, "It's a sharp blade indeed, but unfortunately, like people without a spine, it can only be considered a weapon for killing, not a famed one."

The Night Rider whose saber had been taken earlier was still alive, though his features were twisted and his flesh blurred. He struggled to crawl forward. Yue Qianfeng intended to finish him off, but at that moment, he suddenly sensed another faint presence.

His tiger eyes lifted, sweeping across to a small figure cowering in the alley on the side of the street.

Li Guanyi.

As both parties had focused their attention on each other, this frail child had been subconsciously ignored. But now, as the battle came to a close, Li Guanyi's presence could no longer be concealed. He had come here to learn martial arts but ended up witnessing the slaughter between Chen Country's Night Rider Cavalry, who could traverse the world with just eight hundred riders, and this big man.

The disabled Night Rider instinctively crawled towards this area, his flesh a bloody blur.

Under the moonlit veil of rain, the towering Yue Qianfeng, holding a saber and splattered with blood, looked at Li Guanyi and spontaneously thought of the first possibility—could it be that Li Guanyi brought people along? He immediately dismissed the thought, but a killing intent rose in his heart.

Compassion does not command an army; he had innumerable killings to his name. Despite his heroic demeanor, he was far from benevolent.

Now, having slaughtered the Night Rider Cavalry and with the matter of General Yue being exposed by one of the cavalry, if this child were to hear and spread it, it could be detrimental to the grand plan. Yue Qianfeng's tiger eyes drooped, and the sound of rain grew louder, his aura becoming even more terrifying. The Night Rider struggled to reach Li Guanyi's side, gasping for breath.

Li Guanyi, looking at Yue Qianfeng through the curtain of rain and at the Night Rider in front of him with his cloud-patterned robes, recognized the young man who had been so arrogant during the day. The essence of the bronze tripod flowed around him, allowing him to glimpse the bloodshot eyes of a fire dragon; he knew he had heard things he shouldn't have and seen things he wasn't meant to see, stirring the big man's desire to kill.

Yue Qianfeng, holding the Crossed Saber, said, "You saw, and you heard."

"Indeed, I am a monstrous criminal."

The youth nodded.

A slowly rising murderous intent took hold in Yue Qianfeng's heart, resolute.

Looking at the child with a pale face and dark eyes before him, he sighed inwardly.

Such a weak child.

The Night Rider realized that Li Guanyi knew Yue Qianfeng, as if grasping the last straw to save his life.

He reached out to grab Li Guanyi's clothes, intending to apprehend him, which caused the hem of the garment to tug up, revealing the poison pattern on his chest.

The Night Rider's pupils shrank.

This poison!!!

Then he saw the weak child suddenly reach at his waist, and in the next moment, a streak of azure light appeared. Li Guanyi, with both hands wielding a short sword, stabbed fiercely down at the Night Rider below him. The warrior's Qi Mechanism did not protect him, and the short sword pierced directly through his throat.

Then he violently pulled it out and stabbed another sword into his heart.

Hesitating for a moment, Li Guanyi pulled out the short sword again and delivered a vicious stab to the right side of the chest for good measure.

Warm blood spurted out, mingling with the cold rain, soaking his cloud-patterned clothes. It was as if the rainy night ten years ago overlapped with the present. Yue Qianfeng was stunned; his killing aura faded as he saw the refined youth gasping for breath, then raising his head, his face splattered with blood, revealing a pale smile:

"Now, we are accomplices."