Ambush!
Faced with a rain of arrows that blotted out the sky, everyone's mind went blank.
When had they ever faced a scene like this?
Shi Tao's expression changed drastically. Fortunately, he was a tenacious man, and he shouted, "Everyone, to your horses! Charge through!"
The mont he spoke, so people began to mount their horses.
"Idiot!"
Hong Yu, who was standing nearby, cursed loudly, "Don't mount up! Everyone, take cover in the trees!"
"…"
The group was montarily stunned.
But Shi Tao barked, "I'm in charge of the fourth unit! Do as I say! Mount up and charge!"
Hearing this, the hesitant ones mounted their horses.
"You idiot, are you trying to get us all killed?"
Hong Yu, his neck thick with rage, grabbed Liu Liyun and dove for cover in the trees.
Just then, the first volley of arrows fell.
"THWIP THWIP THWIP!"
The dozen or so n who had first mounted their horses were turned into pincushions before they could even charge out of the kill zone. Hundreds of arrows riddled their bodies, and they and their warhorses collapsed into pools of blood.
"Fuck! Shi Tao, you idiot! Your shitty commands are getting people killed!"
"Quick! Take cover with Hong Yu!"
"Dammit, Shi Tao, if you don't know how to give orders, then shut the hell up! You're trying to get us all killed!"
"Enough talk! Hide, now!"
With their lives on the line, no one cared about Shi Tao's authority anymore. Cursing him openly, they followed Hong Yu's lead, scrambling for cover within the dense woods.
Shi Tao's expression was a mixture of anger and uncertainty, but he was forced to swallow his rage.
As another volley of arrows rained down, Shi Tao shot a hateful glare in the direction Hong Yu had fled. 'That damn bastard…' he seethed internally.
"Senior Brother Shi, wh-what do we do?" one of Shi Tao's loyalists asked.
Shi Tao slapped him across the back of the head. "What else can we do?" he snarled. "Listen to Hong Yu! Hide!"
The disheveled Shi Tao led his loyalists to find shelter, but they were too slow. The nearest cover was already taken by Hong Yu's group, forcing Shi Tao to lead his n deeper into the woods. This hesitation cost them precious ti; after another volley of arrows, a dozen more new Outer Disciples had been tragically killed.
"HUFF... HUFF..."
Shi Tao hid behind a large tree, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The air was filled with piercing screams. His eyes were bloodshot like an enraged bull's. 'Damn it, damn it all!' he ground out through clenched teeth. 'The real fight hasn't even started, and dozens of n are already dead. When I get back, the Sect will definitely punish for this…'
The thought made him despise Hong Yu even more.
'If Hong Yu hadn't suggested hiding, no one would have thought my decision was a mistake.'
'But he made his suggestion, and I overruled his correct proposal, causing so many deaths. This is a huge problem!'
'Beyond any punishnt from the Sect, I know my authority within the fourth unit will be shattered because of this.'
'This is all Hong Yu's fault. It's all because of that bastard,' Shi Tao thought, his eyes venomous. 'I have to find a way to kill him. I'll never be able to quell this hatred otherwise.'
After three consecutive volleys, the forest finally fell quiet.
Shi Tao's taut nerves finally eased. He gasped for breath, feeling a surge of relief. 'Good thing I was fast enough. Otherwise, even with my Earth Soul Realm cultivation, I would've been turned into a sieve by those thousands of arrows. But these thieves are too cunning. They're probably waiting for us to stick our heads out before attacking again. We should stay hidden and wait them out!'
But just as he ca to this decision, Hong Yu's voice rang out again. "Everyone, get out of the forest now! Run for the open ground!" With that, he grabbed Liu Liyun and bolted.
After what had happened before, many chose to trust Hong Yu and followed him without hesitation.
Shi Tao's face darkened. "Get back here!" he roared. "If you go out now, you'll trigger another attack! It's suicide!"
"Uh..."
Many of those who were about to move hesitated once more.
Hong Yu's last call had been right, but it was just once. Who's to say he didn't just get lucky? Shi Tao was, after all, the official leader of the fourth unit. If they kept disobeying his orders, he would surely make things difficult for them later.
Of course, there were also so steadfast individuals who still chose to trust Hong Yu.
Hong Yu led about a hundred people to an open area. "Clear all the surrounding trees and vegetation, now!" he ordered in a low voice.
Though confused, they still chose to trust him.
These hundred-odd people were all experts at or above the Ninth Layer of the Essence Realm. They were helpless against thousands of arrows, but clearing a patch of land was simple. Within three breaths, an area large enough for over a hundred people was cleared. Hong Yu then ordered them to stack the felled trees around the periter of the clearing.
It sounds like a long process, but it all happened in just four or five minutes.
Just as Hong Yu's group finished building their makeshift barricade, the dark sky ahead suddenly lit up, as bright as day.
"What is that?"
Liu Liyun asked, puzzled.
Hong Yu's expression changed. "Fire arrows!" he yelled.
What blotted out the sky was a volley of burning arrows, at least ten thousand of them. A barrage of this magnitude could reduce not just a dense forest, but a small city, to ashes.
The hundred-odd new disciples who had followed Hong Yu out of the forest all wore expressions of imnse relief.
If they had foolishly listened to Shi Tao and remained in the forest, this massive fire arrow attack would have surely incinerated them.
In that mont, the way everyone looked at Hong Yu changed completely.
Just then, the rain of fire arrows finally landed.
"WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!"
The night wind was strong. The forest caught fire instantly, turning into a raging sea of flas.
"No... help ..."
"Shi Tao, you bastard! Another shit command! You're trying to get killed..."
"Dammit, I should've just listened to Hong Yu..."
The sea of fire spread, its raging flas burning so brightly they turned half the sky red.
Amidst the inferno, new disciples continuously staggered out of the burning forest, running toward Hong Yu's position.
Hong Yu sighed softly. "Let them in."
The clearing, ant for a hundred, was suddenly overflowing as more and more people escaped the fire. The area was surrounded by roaring flas, yet within their small sanctuary, it was eerily quiet. They watched the boundless sea of fire, spotting figures struggling within, so even screaming for help as the flas consud them.
But in a blaze like this, no one could save them. They could only watch helplessly as they were devoured by the inferno.
The great fire burned for six long hours.
For miles around, everything was reduced to ash and ruin. Only the clearing Hong Yu had made remained unscathed.
By now, the sky was beginning to brighten.
Hong Yu and the others hadn't slept all night. It was an unforgettable experience.
"Brother Hong, it's dawn," Liu Liyun said, nudging Hong Yu, who was resting with his eyes closed.
Hong Yu slowly opened his eyes and nodded, his expression grave. "Last night, the fire kept the bandits who ambushed us at bay. Now that the flas are dying down, I'm afraid they're about to launch a full-scale attack."
"What should we do?" Liu Liyun asked.
All eyes turned to Hong Yu.
Hong Yu hesitated. Just as he was about to speak, Shi Tao's excited voice suddenly bood from behind. "Retreat! We retreat imdiately! We lost more than eighty n yesterday. Our strength and morale have taken a serious hit. We can't face those thieves head-on right now. We must retreat to a safe area, regroup, and then find a way to reorganize and hit them back hard!"
Shi Tao pushed his way through the crowd.
He was an absolute ss—disheveled, covered in soot, and his Sword Robe was even burned through in several places. Yet, he spoke with an air of stern self-righteousness.
Shi Tao was well aware that his two consecutive blunders had damaged his authority. He saw this as a chance to rebuild it and wasn't about to let it pass. Besides, he had spent all night considering the option to retreat and regroup, and he was certain everyone would agree with his plan.
However, to his surprise, his suggestion was t with a strange, deafening silence. Not a single person voiced their support.
The muscles in his jaw twitched. Deep in his eyes, rage and a chilling killing intent churned.
Before, if he had said such a thing, the disciples would have imdiately agreed.
But this ti…
They actually hesitated?
Even his few loyalists didn't imdiately back him up. This filled Shi Tao with a profound sense of failure, and his hatred for Hong Yu intensified.
After a mont of silence, a disciple at the Peak of the Ninth Level of the Essence Realm gathered his courage and broke the quiet. "Brother Hong, what do you think?"
"Yeah, Brother Hong, you make the call!"
"We'll listen to you!"
With one person speaking up, more and more disciples turned to Hong Yu, awaiting his decision.
This display made Shi Tao tremble with rage, his clenched fists slick with a thin layer of sweat.
If he weren't afraid of turning everyone against him, he would have already rushed over and killed Hong Yu.
Hong Yu glanced at Shi Tao, ignoring his threatening glare. "Since you all trust ," he said calmly, "I'll share my thoughts. I believe we absolutely cannot retreat. It's true, just as Senior Brother Shi said, our morale is low and we are exhausted. But that is precisely our advantage!"
"If we think that way about ourselves, the thieves will surely think the sa. Therefore, this is the mont their guard is at its lowest."
Hong Yu scanned the crowd. "I believe we mustn't retreat," he said slowly. "In fact, we must go on the offensive. We strike before the thieves get to us, and we hit them hard!"
"Absolutely not! That's a suicide mission! You can't—" Shi Tao leaped forward, shouting.
However…
Before he could finish, soone cut him off. "I think Brother Hong has a point."
"Damn it! They killed so many of our brothers! I can't let this go without killing so of those bastards!"
"Let's do it!"
More than seventy percent of the new disciples declared their support for Hong Yu.
Seeing this, Shi Tao's face fell. He retreated to the very back of the group, his gaze, as cold as a lurking viper's, fixed on Hong Yu, who was now surrounded by the others.
Following Hong Yu's plan, the group was once again divided into four parts. They moved stealthily forward through the forest along the routes he had designated.
After they had crept forward for more than thirty kiloters, Hong Yu suddenly stopped. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he slowly uttered a few nerve-wracking words…
"They're here!"
User Comments
0 comments from readers