Chapter Fifty-Five: Overcoming the Enemy Against All Odds

The flames of war raged across the land, spreading with terrifying speed. What had begun as a fire consuming a handful of buildings now engulfed the hills and valleys, even the surrounding flowers and trees falling victim to its devastation. The sun rose in the east, but its brilliance was outshone by the crimson glare of the inferno, while smoke billowed skyward, drifting far into the distance.

“An inside traitor?!” The exclamation shook everyone at once, their fury mounting as it became clear that the Qingshui Bandit Fortress had long prepared for this assault.

“Report… Chief, a group of imperial troops has stormed the front gate of the mountain!”

“What? Those imperial soldiers?!” The head of Liuguang Fortress cried out in alarm, then turned to glare at the fifteen figures standing atop Shujian Pass, his voice thick with hate. “You’ve colluded with the imperial army?”

Laughter echoed from the hillside, and a coarse voice rang out, “You’re mistaken. We are not in league with the imperial soldiers; we are ridding the nation of its scourge! You bandits, seizing the mountain as your domain, plundering homes, capturing government officials—these crimes alone are enough to condemn you to death!”

“Despicable wretches! Don’t forget, you too are thieves who have seized the mountain, guilty of every conceivable crime!” The chief was furious, realizing that what he presumed to be a lone attack from Qingshui Fortress had instead drawn in the imperial troops—a plot clearly orchestrated long ago.

Ye Zihan and Yan Chen watched the events unfold, knowing they were the spark that ignited this conflict. Guilt weighed heavily upon them. At last, they understood: though Liuguang Fortress was branded as a den of thieves, their deeds were noble, as their words claimed—each member a man of upright character!

“Hahaha… Chief, why bother wasting words with them?” The seventh captain laughed, his eyes gleaming, anger mingling with excitement upon his face. With but a command, he would be the first to charge into battle.

“Very well! Let’s slaughter these vile scoundrels together!” The chief roared, launching himself forward like a coiled spring. His massive frame, wielding two great hammers, descended upon the enemy like falling boulders, crashing down with thunderous force.

The other two chiefs and ten captains moved in concert.

Some formed seals with their hands, weaving arrays and unleashing sealing techniques and attacks. Spikes burst from the ground, piercing the hillside and leaving it riddled like a wasp’s nest. Horses, caught off guard, fell among the spikes.

Others summoned beasts. Roars echoed across the slopes of Shujian Pass as agile, powerful forms leapt into the fray: water leopards, flame wolves, wind wolves—all manner of magical beasts pounced upon their foes.

Not to be outdone, the defenders raised earth spikes and walls, their beasts soaring through the air to clash with those summoned by Liuguang Fortress, the roars and howls of battle reverberating unceasingly.

“Ooooo…”

There were also water sorcerers, tossing cards and talismans into the fray. Each incantation released a demonic entity: clouds of black mist, wolves, tigers, leopards, even humanoid forms, emitting chilling cries and wails.

The gold hunters brandished weapons, creating an arsenal that spun in the air before raining down: resplendent blades and halberds, dark daggers and swords, dazzling staves and spears—all striking at the enemy with relentless force.

Ye Zihan and Yan Chen had not yet acted, frozen by the spectacle. Techniques of every elemental attribute were on display, myriad and wondrous—anything one could imagine, and more.

Ye Zihan felt a surge of excitement. He was a cultivator of all five elements, able to master gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. At present, he possessed only a handful of simple cards and talismans, lacking materials; his time in the beast mountains had been spent absorbing elemental energy, not crafting magical items.

His arsenal was unimproved, just the basic eighteen weapons, and he resolved to find an opportunity to refine them further.

His summoned beasts came from the beast mountains, a distinct advantage, and his close-combat skills as a shadow warrior—taught by the formidable Master Hongyan—were another strength.

Ye Zihan knew some sealing arrays, but lacked deeper knowledge, and vowed to seek a powerful array for study.

He embodied all five elements: gold hunter, wood summoner, water sorcerer, fire shadow warrior, earth sealer. He had practiced each, but excelled most as a summoner and shadow warrior. He did not wish to reveal his mastery of all five elements too soon, not even to Mo You or Yan Chen; unless forced, he would not disclose nor display the other three attributes.

Now, he summoned three flame wolves to guard himself and Yan Chen, then engaged two Qingshui Fortress bandits—both at the early Four Symbols stage—with his shadow warrior techniques.

Thus, fifteen from Qingshui Fortress atop Shujian Pass were reduced by two, drawn away by Ye Zihan and Yan Chen, leaving thirteen to face the three chiefs and ten captains of Liuguang Fortress, matching one to one.

“You two aren’t from Liuguang Fortress. Why do you fight?” demanded a Qingshui Fortress captain.

“You treacherous lot used us! That’s reason enough!” Yan Chen shouted, furious at being manipulated.

Ye Zihan’s tone was cold, “That’s just the first reason. The second: I admire the upright men of Liuguang Fortress, unlike you at Qingshui Fortress, who resort to vile tricks.”

“The third!” Both spoke in unison, “We’ll use you as stepping stones to elevate our own strength!”

Blood boiling, their techniques grew profound, wind-ranked skills far superior to the night-ranked abilities of their opponents. Their weapons gave them immense advantage; together, these factors closed the gap in strength.

The two from Qingshui Fortress were both early Four Symbols stage, whereas Yan Chen had reached the late Three Talents stage, just shy of Four Symbols. As a descendant of a hidden clan, his weapons and techniques compensated for any slight difference.

Ye Zihan, even more so, wielded techniques and weapons vastly superior—his spirit-imbued weapon could, in ordinary hands, slay a Yuan cultivator, especially with the aid of his flame wolves.

The three flame wolves launched attacks, sometimes defending Ye Zihan from harm. This back-and-forth brought both sides onto equal footing, frustrating the Qingshui Fortress bandits.

“Hmph! So you possess both wood and fire attributes, but you’re only at mid Three Talents. Against absolute power, you can’t make waves. I advise you to surrender and join Qingshui Fortress.” The bandit, stifling frustration and reluctance to continue, offered this excuse.

Ye Zihan ignored him. The Red Lotus dagger in his hand sparked like a flaming blade, striking with relentless force.

“Boy, don’t refuse a toast only to drink the penalty wine. If you don’t stop, don’t blame me for being harsh.” His opponent’s face darkened; though he boasted, he was deeply aggrieved—the opponent was a stage below, yet held his own and grew fiercer, nearly stabbing him several times with the fiery dagger, a foot long and forged from blazing materials. It was humiliating.

If word got out, he’d be laughed at for failing to defeat a cultivator a stage beneath him, and even risked being bested.

“Fire Lotus Bloom!” Ye Zihan ignored his threats, unleashing his technique. With a shout, the Red Lotus carved out blossoms that danced through the air, then fell like a meteor shower, streaking toward his opponent at breathtaking speed.

With a crash, his opponent, flustered, was struck in the chest by a fire lotus, stumbling backward several steps. His clothing was instantly burned to ashes, flames spreading outward.

“What is this fire?!” he cried, hastily stripping away the outer layer as Ye Zihan’s attacks surged forward again.

Like a meteor shower, they rained from the sky in beautiful arcs.

His opponent, desperate, dodged the fire lotuses while tearing off his garments, but in a blink the flames consumed all his outerwear. He hurled it away in frustration, cursing, “What is this fire?!”

He tried to extinguish it, but to his horror, failed.

“Awooo…”

The three flame wolves seized their chance, leaping and biting his legs!

“Get off, beasts!” the bandit roared, struggling to shake them off, forgetting entirely about the fire lotus meteors descending from above—so swift that even with warning, he could hardly defend, and now was utterly unprepared.

Crash! Crash! Crash! The sound of meteors striking echoed across his body, flames spreading, and in a single breath he was engulfed.

He had no time even to cry out, consumed by fire, frozen like a blazing effigy, waiting silently to burn to ash.

Ye Zihan was exultant, for this was his first time killing above his level by his own strength—defeating a Four Symbols stage cultivator while only at mid Three Talents.