Chapter 50: The Help Arrives

Everyone stood frozen for a moment as they watched the masked man in white robes recklessly storm the mountain stronghold alone. With every swing of his sword, countless lives were lost. He even wounded several minor leaders before finally shattering the stronghold’s name plaque with a palm strike. Letting out a lofty, arrogant laugh, he flew away. It all happened too fast. Shock and fury filled their hearts, paralyzing them for an instant.

But it was equally swift when a fierce shout broke the silence just as the white figure seemed about to vanish.

“He… he actually shattered our plaque!”

“He… he seemed to have groped Lady Hongtao just now?”

“Damn it, he’s insulting our Devouring Sea Gang!”

The one screaming was Lady Hongtao from the stronghold. Clutching her clothes tightly closed, she glared in the direction the white-robed man had disappeared. “Catch that bastard, quickly! Don’t let him escape! Fetch the horses! Chase him to the ends of the earth if you must!”

More and more came to their senses, roaring in urgent fury, heat of battle thick in the air. They charged out of the stronghold.

At first, fearing a powerful enemy, they were terrified. But seeing ‘Fang Cun’ was alone and his escape seemed rather unskilled, rage quickly overwhelmed them. Normally, the Chief and the Helmsmen never stayed to endure hardship at the stronghold; they all lived in the Pleasure Quarters of Willow Lake City. Their duty was to guard the stronghold. And now? Someone had just waltzed in, killed so many, and publicly smashed their plaque. If they didn’t catch him, how could they ever face the Chief?

Luckily, he was alone. Luckly, they had numbers.

Even the minor leaders who had suffered losses to Fang Cun moments ago felt that while his skill wasn’t weak, it wasn’t overwhelmingly stronger than theirs. They just hadn’t gotten a chance to attack together. If they had all rushed him at once, he would have been hacked to pieces.

“Call more men! The more, the better! Kill him!”

“Mount up! Chase him!”

Instantly, battle cries shook the heavens as the bandits yelled and shouted hoarsely. Anger infected the entire stronghold. The more people cursed loudly, the braver others grew. Some led horses, some put on shoes; soon, holding torches, they gave pursuit.

Reaching outside the stronghold, the sight of severed limbs and bloodstained ground fueled greater rage; murderous intent solidified in their hearts.

“Who dares invade our stronghold? Stop if you have guts!”

“You coward, run! See where you can hide!”

Hearing the pursuit, the white-robed man didn’t look back. He only ran faster.

“He’s scared! Nowhere left to run!”

Seeing this, the bandits surged with confidence. Spurs hit flanks, horses sped up, ready to close the gap within the time it took to down a cup of tea.

Surprisingly, although he seemed slow, every time they almost caught him, he would put on a burst of speed and widen the gap slightly. And every time they felt frustrated and their chase-fever cooled, he seemed to slow down again…

“Hurry! He’s tiring! Catch him now!”

“Holy… he can fly?!”

“Whoa… he only flew thirty yards! Flying chicken, ha!”

“His cultivation’s weak! The more he flies, the quicker his power burns out! Chase him!”

“…”

This cat-and-mouse chase strangely inflamed the bandits’ spirits. The more they were teased, the more determined they became, firmly convinced the man ahead was at his last gasp. They outnumbered him massively, their torches flowed like a fiery dragon.

They reached a fork. Had the fleeing figure gone toward Willow Lake City, even these ruthless bandits wouldn’t dare brazenly charge in. Unexpectedly, the man panicked and took the path into the mountains. The realization hit the bandits: He definitely wasn’t sent from Willow Lake City—at least not officially. That’s why he couldn’t go back; he could only flee into the hills…

Twisting and turning through the mountain road, more and more bandits joined the chase until the pursuit was a massive, frenzied tidal wave.

“The first time in all my lives I’ve ever been chased by so many people…”

“And all of them are men…”

Ahead, Fang Cun noticed the pursuers multiplying behind him. His inner thoughts flickered.

He converted another portion of Merit into Magical Power, forcibly suppressing the fatigue gnawing at his core. He continued leaping forward.

…

“These little prodigies hold on surprisingly long…”

“If not for your special power luring them into the array, subduing them wouldn’t be this easy.”

“Now they’re trapped. Subduing them is only a matter of time…”

At that very moment, in the hidden valley not far from Elm Coin Town, two voices exchanged words in hushed, dark tones. Their gaze was fixed on a scene within the valley: Tangled, sinister Demonic Qi fused with the array’s power, like a massive net ensnaring more than a dozen Academy disciples. The air itself pressed down endlessly, urgent to crush them completely.

But the disciples trapped within wouldn’t give up. Clenching their teeth, some summoned Talismans, some raised crystalline jade hairpins, even the weakest desperately gathered their Innate Qi above their heads, forming a protective aura to resist the crushing force.

The Demonic Array needed to extinguish every last shred of their Innate Qi to truly crush them completely.

And this group from the Academy was talented. Suppressing and killing them utterly within a short time proved difficult.

Nevertheless, it was only a matter of time…

Their innate Qi was a dwindling wellspring. It would last only so long. Yet the array drew power from the veins of the earth; its force was enduring.

“Second Young Master Fang escaped. It would take him at least a day and night to bring rescue from the city!”

One voice urged the array onward, adding a low, sinister laugh: “We kill these disciples in two hours, clean up all traces in another hour. By the time their Academy Elder Mentors arrive, we’ll be a hundred miles away! Where will they find us?”

Within the array, the strongest glow came from Meng Zhixue.

A single jade hairpin floated above her head, emitting a soft, milky radiance as it stubbornly held back the oppressive weight pouring down.

Yet, hearing these words outside the array, her heart sank.

“After carelessly falling into their trap, we can’t even use our various techniques… Are we truly doomed today?”

Just as despair threatened to bloom fully in her mind, she heard it— distant thunder of hooves. As if countless riders were storming up the mountain. Faintly, she could also hear clashing roars of battle, echoing like underground thunder toward them.

“Could it be…?”

A flicker of hope surged within her.

“Impossible!”

The array controllers gasped in shocked disbelief. “Even if there’s rescue… how could it arrive so swiftly?”