Death… and me

Manager Cao certainly looked like a human. How could he have the Divine Clan's ability to manipulate fire? What was the mystery behind Du Shi Qing's closest bodyguard?

Furthermore, the road had been too quiet.

While Chu Yang was mulling over the matter, the Nine Tribulation Sword Spirit in his dantian sprung up suddenly. He sensed extreme danger around him. Within seconds, his hairs were all standing on ends. His gaze quickly turned cold. He did not bother turning his head to look. He spun and rolled on the ground before springing up high into the air. At one moment he was next to the fire and the next, he was behind a tree. The entire motion was so swift and extraordinary that those seeing it could not believe their eyes.

All of a sudden, a sharp whistling sound was heard overhead. A large boulder, a few meters in diameter, dropped from above. It was heading straight towards Du Shi Qing with utmost precision!

Du Shi Qing was right in the centre of the boulder's lethal target!

Manager Gao roared and his old body suddenly became as powerful as a leopard. He sprung forward in one swift motion but it was clear he would not make it in time to bring Du Shi Qing to safety. In that instant, Chu Yang mysteriously appeared next to the large boulder. A sword suddenly materialized in his hand. It shot out at the boulder like a snake striking its prey.

The sword's point sliced the air like a dragon and stabbed into the side of the boulder.

"Baaaaammm!"

Initially, the stone was spinning downwards at high speed. However, the timely and precise stab into its weak spot slowed it down slightly.

The impressive scene was beyond description. It resembled a large mountain knocked over by a sharp pivot point.

This large boulder reacted almost instantly. Then, as though being struck hard in the chest by the boulder, Chu Yang was knocked back violently as blood spilt from his mouth.

Fortunately, he managed to buy a little more time for Manager Gao! It was only a split second but it was more than enough for General Gao to do what he had to do.

In that additional split second, Manager Gao shot forward like a bolt of lightning and appeared between Du Shi Qing and the big boulder. With a powerful roar, Manager Gao threw an invisible punch. It was so fast that the only thing visible was the white flash of his fist. The next moment, the boulder shattered into a thousand pieces and tiny fragments rained down on the group!

Du Shi Qing was safe and sound!

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh…"

A barrage of arrows flew down from the mountain peak. They cornered the group from all directions.

"Get into formation! Face the enemies!" The leader of the guards commanded. The eight guards fell back systematically and quickly leapt onto their horses. Within seconds, each of them was equipped with a round shield. Although their reaction was relative fast, one of the guards was still shot in the shoulder and the calf. The tip of the arrows pierced through his body and tore out pieces of flesh and blood with it.

A sharp scream filled the air. The other guards took three shields to protect him.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh…" Hundreds of arrows rained down on them again like an iron curtain.

"Thunk, thunk, thunk…" The arrows fell on the ground and the shields. The entire area looked like a giant spiny hedgehog!

Manager Gao let out another howl as he spun his body like a cyclone. He caught dozens of arrows in the air with his hands and tossed them towards the direction they were flying from. The arrows flew back like black lightning bolts. He did not even bother to check whether they hit. Without hesitation, he grabbed Du Shi Qing and pulled him into the carriage.

"Thwish, thwish, thwish…" The barrage of arrows was directed at a new target − the carriage! The sheer force of the arrows caused the entire carriage to shake but none of the arrows could penetrate its sides!

This carriage was not an ordinary one!

"Thunk, thunk, thunk…" The sound of arrows striking targets came from the peak of the mountain, the direction which manager Gao had sent the arrows back to. These were the sounds of arrows landing on tree trunks. They were accompanied by distant screams.

Manager Gao returned from the carriage within a second. His face was pale. His first reaction was not to advance towards the enemies but to glance at Chu Yang. Manager Gao was the only one in the group who knew how difficult Chu Yang's previous sword move was.

If not for that incredible sword move, the outcome would have been disastrous!

In terms of the timing, accuracy, power, and even the sword placement, this sword move was perfect beyond imagination! It was a godly move that was more than impressive!

This young man was only a Martial Warrior. Even a Martial Master at the pinnacle of his cultivation could not alter the falling speed of such a huge boulder with a mere sword. It was incredible that Chu Yang could use a sword to slow it down!

Although everything occurred in a split second, it was sufficient to salvage the entire situation!

Furthermore, the sword was astonishingly undamaged after that incredible move. All Chu Yang sacrificed was a little! This was absolutely unbelievable!

The timing of the enemies' attack was also extremely unusual. They were currently being attacked in the territory of the Iron Cloud Nation. But before this, they were totally untouched on the road. It was surprising that they would be attacked here. Moreover, the enemies did not wait until midnight but instead, initiated the assault early in the evening!

Everything was so suspicious and unexpected that the attackers seemed like a group of robbers who had chanced upon this opportunity and made the decision to attack haphazardly. The nature of the assault seemed to suggest this was just an impromptu decision. Even Manager Gao, who had been in Jiang Hu his entire life, was caught by surprise!

It was notable that despite the chaos, Chu Yang was still able to execute his sword move with such deadly precision! The sword move was full of a mysterious aura. It was almost as though he had practised this move a thousand times before!

Manager Gao was certain that no one could have practised such a specific sword skill. Neither was this a coincidence nor a pre-planned move!

As he glanced at the spot where Chu Yang had fallen, he realized that the young man who had just spat blood and fallen to the ground had vanished!

With a defensive position, the eight guards were slowly moving towards the carriage to fortify it.

Manager Gao wanted to rush in and obliterate the enemies. After a quick thought, he decided otherwise and headed for the carriage instead to plan for a retreat from the forest. The two horses that pulled the carriage earlier were already covered with arrows and half of the guards' horses had also been killed.

Manager Gao's body trembled as he stood motionlessly. "Thud, thud, thud…" All that can be heard was the sickening sound of the horses' bodies tossed on top of each other. Soon enough, the pile of dead horses formed a protective wall high enough to keep them out of sight from the enemies in the forest. Manager Gao crossed his arms over his chest. Still remaining alert, he glanced at all four directions. Then step by step, he backed away.

Their mission was to ensure Du Shi Qing's safety instead of killing the enemies!

Surprisingly, the hidden enemies did not make any advancement throughout all this while. They did not even make any noise at all apart from the two screams that were heard earlier.

The arrows had stopped coming! Silence fell upon the forest once again as if the earlier assault did not occur at all. The situation transformed from extreme danger to utter silence in the blink of an eye!

As the night quietened, twilight came rushing in, enshrouding the entire forest with utter darkness! A stifling aura suddenly filled the air between Heaven and Earth. It was so oppressive that one could barely breathe.

If the enemies were to attack again, it would surely not be as simple as a couple of arrows. Everyone knew about this as they became even more alert.

Who were the enemies? On whose side did they belong to? Was it the Great Zhao Nation? Iron Cloud Nation? Could it be the Limitless Nation? Or was it an unknown power? Everything was as hazy as the darkness they were embroiled in.

Regardless of which side they belonged to, this assault was definitely planned ahead!

Only after ten meters back in their retreat did the group encounter a new danger. After a series of soft ticking noises, a sharp whistling sound approached. Like a screaming dragon, a dark long shadow flew out from between tree trunks and pierced the silence of the night at breakneck speed. It brought with it an overwhelming and formidable power that could not be evaded. It seemed there were only a few seconds before it hit the carriage!

The long shadow was so powerful that it left everything shaking in its wake!

It was a lone arrow!

However, the shaft of this arrow was a whopping three meters long. It reeked of death and appeared as if it was shot from hell! It tore through the darkness and headed straight for the carriage!

The tip of the arrow was pointing directly at the central compartment. With such tremendous force, it would not spare anyone in the carriage!