In the valley.
Blades and swords flashed incessantly.
The clashing of metal echoed without end.
"Not bad skills!" A burly man commented as he watched the ongoing battle, continuing to tear into the meat in his hand.
Beside him stood four men clad in black armor.
Unlike the burly man's calm demeanor, the four black-armored men watched the scene ahead with solemn expressions, ready to intervene at any moment.
At this moment.
If someone knowledgeable were to witness this scene, they would recognize that these five men, who had yet to join the fray, were none other than the infamous Black Mountain Riders of the Black Lotus Sect.
The Black Mountain Riders.
Mounted on Nightmare Steeds and clad in dark iron armor.
As the elite guard of the Black Lotus Sect, the Black Mountain Riders were the most formidable force within the Black Mountain Army.
At their peak, their numbers never exceeded a thousand.
Yet, with just a thousand riders, they had once shattered the formation of a fifty-thousand-strong army.
It was that very battle that cemented their fearsome reputation.
And now, these five men were the renowned Black Mountain Riders.
Among them, the burly man was their leader.
On the other side.
Liu Sansheng swung his sword repeatedly.
Though his sword appeared light and almost ethereal, each strike unleashed astonishing power, effortlessly repelling his opponents.
However, these Black Mountain soldiers were seasoned veterans.
Those who had survived to this point were all martial artists of considerable skill.
Clad in armor and armed with extensive combat experience, Liu Sansheng found himself unable to break free from the encirclement.
"Brother Liu!" Liu Sansheng shouted as he parried an enemy's attack, casting a meaningful glance at Liu Zhaonan beside him.
Liu Zhaonan met his gaze and gave a slight nod.
Atop the valley.
Two figures appeared on the cliff's edge.
Xie Xiaojiu's eyes widened as she observed the commotion in the valley below.
"How did you detect the activity down there from such a distance, sir?" Xie Xiaojiu turned to Jiang Ning.
"By listening," Jiang Ning replied, his eyes still fixed on the scene below.
Listening?
Xie Xiaojiu was taken aback.
She suddenly recalled Jiang Ning's earlier words.
Meanwhile.
After observing for a moment, Jiang Ning had a rough understanding of the situation below.
In the valley, two teams from the Patrol Bureau were locked in combat with the Black Mountain Army.
Led by captains Liu Sansheng and Liu Zhaonan, they appeared to have the upper hand, but the overall situation in the valley suggested they were in grave danger.
Because by the lakeside, five men had yet to join the fight.
With just a glance, Jiang Ning knew these five were the core of the remaining Black Mountain Army forces.
Five black warhorses drank from the lake, and though Jiang Ning couldn't identify their breed or origin, given the presence of the Black Mountain Army, it wasn't hard to deduce that these were the legendary Nightmare Steeds of the Black Mountain Riders.
Thus, it was clear that these five men were the Black Mountain Riders.
The true elite of the Black Mountain Army.
Each one is a martial arts expert capable of taking on ten, even a hundred, opponents.
"Sir, there are five Black Mountain Riders here!" Xie Xiaojiu's expression turned grave.
Jiang Ning, without turning his head, asked, "How much do you know about the Black Mountain Riders?"
"Somewhat," Xie Xiaojiu nodded. "I recently reviewed all the records on the Black Lotus Sect and the Black Mountain Army."
"According to the records, the Black Mountain Riders are the elite of the elite within the Black Lotus Sect's guard."
"Every member is a true martial arts expert."
"Only those who have reached the eighth rank, the Divine Strength Realm, are qualified to join."
"Among them, the most outstanding ordinary members possess the strength of the seventh rank."
"And the Black Lotus Sect had a thousand such riders, which is why they were able to incite such a massive rebellion in Daming Prefecture."
"The eighth rank?" Jiang Ning was slightly surprised.
Xie Xiaojiu quickly added, "Sir, I believe these men are beyond the eighth rank. The Black Lotus Sect has long been destroyed, and these remnants have traveled thousands of miles to reach Zeshan Prefecture. They must be battle-hardened veterans."
"After the brutal trials of their escape, it's possible that these five riders possess the strength of the seventh rank."
"Especially their leader."
On the other side.
Liu Sansheng also realized the situation.
Although their two teams held the upper hand, it was clear that five members of the Black Mountain Army had yet to join the fight.
Undoubtedly, these five were the strongest and held the highest status among the remnants.
Once they entered the fray, the tide of battle would surely turn.
"We were too careless!" Liu Sansheng inwardly lamented.
He had assumed that after traveling thousands of miles, these Black Mountain soldiers would be in poor condition if not severely injured.
With their two teams, consisting of five eighth-rank martial artists and fifteen ninth-rank experts, he thought it wouldn't be difficult to subdue the exhausted Black Mountain Army.
But after a brief exchange, he realized how wrong he was.
These Black Mountain soldiers were not only in peak condition but also seasoned veterans.
In a one-on-one fight, his team members might not even be a match for a single Black Mountain soldier.
Moments later.
"Trying to escape?!" The burly man's eyes turned cold as he tossed aside the cleaned bone he had been gnawing on. "You four, take them down! Don't let any escape!"
"Yes, big brother!" One of them responded.
Another added, "Don't worry, big brother! These martial artists are like potent medicine. We won't let them get away."
In the next instant.
The four men sprang into action.
Atop the valley.
"Sir, should we intervene now?" Xie Xiaojiu asked.
"Let's wait and see," Jiang Ning replied calmly, his longbow already in hand.
Below, with the four men joining the fight, the two Patrol Bureau teams quickly began to crumble.
Among the four, two were significantly stronger than the rest, clearly at the seventh rank of martial arts.
In no time, cries of despair filled the air.
Jiang Ning watched coldly, unmoved.
It wasn't until Zhao Hu, one of the Patrol Bureau members, had his arm severed by one of the attackers that Jiang Ning slowly drew his bowstring.
The bow reached full draw.
Twang
Jiang Ning released the arrow.
Those below remained oblivious.
Until.
Boom
A thunderous explosion echoed in their ears, like a sudden clap of thunder on a clear day.
The powerful blast and shockwave instantly drew the attention of everyone in the valley.
When they looked toward the source of the sound, they were met with a scene of utter devastation.
A deep crater, three feet in depth, marked the spot.
The body beside the crater was missing half its torso.
"A divine archer!!!" The burly man bellowed, alerting his comrades.
His eyes quickly scanned the surroundings.
Meanwhile.
Jiang Ning, observing the scene below, couldn't help but marvel at the result.
This arrow hadn't even been imbued with the full power of his Wind and Thunder Arrow technique, merely utilizing the Wind and Thunder Force.
Yet the destructive power it unleashed was beyond his expectations.
A ninth-rank martial artist, clad in armor and armed to the teeth.
Had been effortlessly pierced through, his flesh torn asunder.
Half his body had been obliterated by the sheer kinetic force of the arrow.
The effect was no less devastating than a direct hit from a high-caliber sniper rifle.
"The Wind and Thunder Arrow technique, after three breakthroughs, has truly lived up to my expectations!" Jiang Ning thought to himself.
He then drew his bow once more.
This time, his target was an eighth-rank martial artist from the Black Mountain Army, a practitioner of the Divine Strength Realm.
The bow reached full draw.
Twang
The arrow shot through the air.
Breaking the sound barrier, created a terrifying shockwave.
The arrow arrived before the sound.
For an ordinary martial artist, if they failed to see the arrow coming, it was a death sentence.
There was no way to dodge.
In the next moment.
Boom
Another explosion rang out as a Black Mountain soldier clad in armor was pierced through the chest, leaving a gaping hole through which the sun could be seen.
Thud
The armored eighth-rank Black Mountain soldier collapsed to the ground.
Though his physical defenses were stronger than the previous target, even his armor was no match for the terrifying arrow.
The outcome was still death.
"Big brother, on the cliff!" One of the burly men shouted.
At this cry, everyone in the valley who had paused in the chaos of battle looked up.
Instantly.
They saw Jiang Ning and Xie Xiaojiu.
And they saw Jiang Ning drawing his bow once more.
"It's him!!!" Liu Sansheng's expression turned to one of shock.
The effects of those two arrows had left him in awe.
He had never seen such terrifying archery in his life.
He had assumed it was some passing master.
But it turned out to be Jiang Ning.
Someone he had known for a long time but never paid much attention to.
"My brother-in-law's younger brother has such skills?!" Liu Sansheng's eyes flickered with disbelief.
On the other side.
Liu Zhaonan's eyes flashed with surprise before he quickly regained his composure and barked, "Commander Jiang is our reinforcement! Let's retreat and not hold him back!"
In his words.
Everyone snapped back to attention.
"Move!"
"Let's go!"
"..."
A series of low shouts followed.
Zhao Hu, clutching his severed arm with a grimace, followed as they began their retreat.
Meanwhile.
Twang
Jiang Ning released another arrow.
The arrow shot forth with terrifying kinetic energy.
From his vantage point atop the valley, Jiang Ning had the high ground.
With the speed of his arrows, it took only a third of a second for them to reach any target in the valley.
"Dodge!!!" The burly man's pupils contracted as he roared.
In the next moment.
He lunged forward, his feet kicking up dirt as he charged toward the cliff face with unstoppable momentum.
"Zhao Liu, Li San! Forget the others, follow me up! We can't let him keep shooting freely!"
The burly man shouted as he sprinted toward the cliff.
"Yes, big brother!"
"Yes, big brother!"
The two men he called out to follow without hesitation.
They understood all too well.
A divine archer capable of breaking the sound barrier was a reaper of lives if left unchecked.
Especially from such a commanding height.
Every second, another of their comrades could fall.
As two of the three seventh-rank martial artists in the Black Mountain Army, aside from their leader, they felt a solemn duty to act.
At that moment.
Boom
Another explosion reached their ears.
The three men glanced over, their eyes instantly reddening.
Another of their brothers, who had traveled thousands of miles with them, had been struck down, his body torn apart, leaving no corpse intact.
Having journeyed thousands of miles together.
With each passing mile, their numbers dwindled.
And the bonds between them grew stronger.
Now, the burly man knew each of them intimately.
He knew their hometowns, their families, why they had joined the Black Lotus Sect, and why they had joined the Black Mountain Army.
"Don't try to block the arrows, just dodge!!!" Zhao Liu shouted hoarsely.
Suddenly.
Boom
Another arrow struck.
Like a cannonball, it blasted a crater into the ground.
The Black Mountain soldier it hit was dismembered, his limbs scattered.
"Big brother, I can't dodge it!!!" A voice filled with fear and despair cried out from beside the fallen soldier.
He had watched as his comrade, his closest friend, had tried to evade.
But even after shifting half a zhang to the side.
The arrow had unerringly found its mark, piercing his chest.
At that moment.
He stared up at Jiang Ning on the cliff, watching as another arrow was loosed.
He knew this arrow was meant for him.
"Big brother!!!"
He screamed with all his might, tears streaming from his eyes, his voice filled with boundless terror.
He threw himself to the side, desperately trying to evade the incoming arrow.
The burly man glanced back.
And saw the arrow descending like divine retribution.
Boom
The arrow struck, tearing through everything in its path.
Only after embedding itself deep into the soil did its momentum finally dissipate.
Seeing this, the burly man's pupils contracted sharply.
He instantly realized there was something unusual about these arrows.
They seemed to have a homing quality.
Immediately.
He locked his gaze on Jiang Ning atop the cliff.
Not daring to let his attention waver for even a moment.
He knew that to stop this divine archer, it would be up to him and his two seventh-rank brothers.
He had already gotten a clear look at Jiang Ning's face.
Though he didn't recognize Jiang Ning, he could see that Jiang Ning was remarkably young.
"Such a divine archer must be weak in close combat!" The burly man thought as he used Jiang Ning's blind spot to scale the cliff face with frenzied speed.
With his immense arm strength.
Each grab sent gravel flying, and he leaped three or four zhang with each movement.
His agility on the cliff face was like that of a white ape.
Using both hands and feet, he rapidly closed the distance to the top.
Meanwhile.
Jiang Ning had already noticed the three men charging toward him.
After allowing the burly man to approach, Jiang Ning drew his bow and aimed at the other two.
Twang
The arrow shot through the air, covering a hundred meters in an instant.
Boom
The arrow struck, and the suspected seventh-rank martial artist among the Black Mountain Riders was instantly killed.
"A seventh-rank martial artist, five thousand contribution points!"
Jiang Ning noted silently.
He then turned his bow toward the other suspected seventh-rank Black Mountain Rider.
Twang
Another arrow was loosed.
Boom
The second man was also killed instantly.
Beside Jiang Ning.
Xie Xiaojiu stood in stunned silence.
Jiang Ning's terrifying efficiency in dispatching enemies left her breathless.
From the earlier exchange between the Black Mountain Army and the two Patrol Bureau captains, Liu Sansheng and Liu Zhaonan, she realized how formidable these Black Mountain soldiers were.
Some of them were even beyond her ability to handle.
Yet, in Jiang Ning's hands, they were like sheep to the slaughter.
No matter the opponent.
Each arrow claimed a life without exception.
"If I were down in the valley facing the sir, I'd be no different from them," Xie Xiaojiu murmured to herself.
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