Roars, battle cries, and desperate screams filled the entire forest.
Nearly everyone was fighting to the death for their future, for silver, for their very lives.
The most eye-catching spectacle was, of course, the life-and-death struggle between the leader of Black Dragon Stronghold and Wei Yongfu.
As for Su Mu, no one was paying him any attention.
'Is this a godsent opportunity?'
Su Mu looked at Xing Zhao Fu, who was squirming at his feet.
By sheer coincidence, Xing Zhao Fu, who had been sent flying by a kick from the Black Dragon Stronghold's leader, had landed right in front of him.
Already injured, Xing Zhao Fu was completely crippled by the Black Dragon Stronghold leader's powerful kick.
"Save... save me!"
Xing Zhao Fu looked at Su Mu, an unintelligible plea for help gurgling in his throat.
Su Mu sidestepped to avoid a bandit's sneak attack from behind. In a fluid motion, his long blade lopped off half the man's neck, and a waterfall of blood splashed onto him.
Su Mu didn't dodge or flinch, letting the fresh blood spray over his body.
Reeking of gore, he knelt down in front of Xing Zhao Fu.
"Chief Xing, those who kill will always be killed. Remember to be a good person in your next life,"
he whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear.
Xing Zhao Fu's eyes shot wide open, his pupils filled with terror.
"You—"
He tried to say more, but a hand had already clamped over his mouth.
SHLICK!
The blade plunged into Xing Zhao Fu's abdomen.
Xing Zhao Fu's body gave a violent jerk, and blood flowed out from between Su Mu's fingers.
Then his body gradually went limp, the light in his eyes slowly fading away.
Su Mu didn't notice that just as he was killing Xing Zhao Fu, a person in the distance quietly lowered their bow and arrow.
That person was Yang Jin.
If Su Mu hadn't acted, Yang Jin wouldn't have passed up such a golden opportunity either.
But if that had happened, he would have had to re-evaluate Su Mu's worth.
Fortunately, Su Mu wasn't some soft-hearted pushover.
A glint flashed in Yang Jin's eyes. SWISH! He released the bowstring, the arrow heading straight for the leader of Black Dragon Stronghold.
Su Mu wiped his bloody hands on Xing Zhao Fu's corpse with a look of disgust, and in the same motion, snatched a small silk-wrapped bundle from inside Xing Zhao Fu's robes and tucked it into his own.
Only then did he look up toward the leader of Black Dragon Stronghold.
The sight gave him a shock.
That Wei Yongfu was covered in blood, his eyes were losing focus, and his moves were in disarray. He was being beaten back step by step by the Black Dragon Stronghold leader.
The Black Dragon Stronghold leader looked like a demon god, with large, strange patterns emerging on the surface of his skin.
With every one of his attacks, great splatters of blood were drawn from Wei Yongfu's body. Eerily, this blood was absorbed by the patterns on the Black Dragon Stronghold leader's skin.
As the bloody aura around the Black Dragon Stronghold leader grew thicker, the patterns on his body seemed to turn crimson, and his power appeared to be growing stronger and stronger.
DING!
Su Mu saw an arrow fly over.
The Black Dragon Stronghold leader didn't dodge or flinch, letting the arrow strike him.
The sharp arrowhead struck his skin but seemed to have hit thick cowhide. It left only a white mark before falling to the ground.
'So strong!'
Su Mu exclaimed inwardly.
The next moment, it dawned on him.
He was an Official, and the other guy was a bandit.
'The stronger the enemy, the more danger I'm in.'
'Fuck...'
Su Mu cursed under his breath and quickly drew his bow.
It was then he realized that it had been Yang Jin who had sneak-attacked the Black Dragon Stronghold's second-in-command, and it was also Yang Jin who was now continuously firing arrows to pin down the leader.
Otherwise, Wei Yongfu would have likely been killed by the Black Dragon Stronghold leader long ago.
Although Yang Jin was not a Body Tempering Martial Artist, his archery, learned in the army, was enough to threaten a Body Tempering Martial Artist as long as he kept his distance.
SWISH!
Su Mu shot an arrow, aiming straight for the Black Dragon Stronghold leader's eye.
Just as the arrow was a few feet away from the Black Dragon Stronghold leader,
a long spear suddenly smashed down, swatting the arrow out of the air.
"Is there no end to you?"
A sinister voice rang out. "Acting like I don't exist?"
The Black Dragon Stronghold's second-in-command!
He stood with his long spear, glaring ferociously at Su Mu.
WHOOSH!
Before he had finished speaking, a black shadow suddenly loomed large in his vision.
"Courting death!"
The Black Dragon Stronghold's second-in-command shouted coldly, his spear striking out like a dragon.
The spear tip traced a large, elaborate flourish, perfectly striking the black shadow.
With a soft POP, the round object burst apart.
A cloud of pink mist instantly enveloped the Black Dragon Stronghold's second-in-command.
This was completely unexpected for the second-in-command. His eyes wide, he took two steps and burst out of the pink mist's radius.
"You dare use a sneak attack!"
The Black Dragon Stronghold's second-in-command's face was flushed with anger. Staring at Su Mu, he thrust his long spear forward violently.
Su Mu instinctively raised his blade and retreated.
Just then, the second-in-command's eyes suddenly glazed over.
His half-thrust spear drooped limply. The second-in-command's steps faltered, and he swayed as if he were drunk.
Su Mu held his breath and took two steps back, a pleasant surprise blooming in his heart.
'This mist left behind by Pink Wolf Du Qian really is something else.'
'Even an expert like the Black Dragon Stronghold's second-in-command couldn't resist it. Just a couple of breaths and he's like this.'
Seeing the second-in-command swaying, Su Mu drew his mulberry-wood longbow without hesitation.
TWANG! TWANG! TWANG!
The bowstring sang repeatedly.
The second-in-command struggled to swing his long spear, managing to deflect a few arrows.
Finally, an arrow slipped past his spear and pierced his shoulder.
Blood bloomed in an instant.
The pain brought a moment of clarity back to the second-in-command's eyes.
'Not good,' Su Mu thought.
'Although the second-in-command was hit by the mist, he's a Body Tempering Martial Artist, after all. He was never completely unconscious, and now the pain is about to snap him out of it.'
Without a moment's hesitation, Su Mu turned and ran.
As for throwing another pink smoke bomb, the thought never even crossed his mind.
In the wilderness like this, the smoke was only effective through surprise. Otherwise, with the second-in-command's skill, he could easily dodge it.
Now that he was on guard, the mist was useless.
Su Mu had no intention of fighting to the death.
In any case, Xing Zhao Fu was already dead. As long as he could escape back to Wuling City, he could continue to lay low and develop his strength. There was absolutely no need to risk his life against the Black Dragon Stronghold's second-in-command.
"You despicable coward who attacks from the shadows, where do you think you're going!"
The Black Dragon Stronghold's second-in-command squeezed his own shoulder hard. The sharp pain cleared his head even more.
Seeing Su Mu dart into the forest like a phantom, he flew into a rage and pursued him, roaring furiously.
Yang Jin also noticed this scene. He subconsciously took a step, wanting to help Su Mu deal with the second-in-command.
But after just one step, he stopped, looking hesitantly toward the Black Dragon Stronghold leader and Wei Yongfu.
He sighed to himself. 'I hope Su Mu can hold on a little longer.'
Taking a deep breath, Yang Jin pulled a blood-red Elixir Pill from his robes and stuffed it into his mouth.
In an instant, his skin turned completely crimson, and wisps of steam even rose from his body—the result of his soaring body temperature evaporating his sweat.
Yang Jin took another deep breath, his chest swelling, and then drew his longbow.
The bow was drawn to a full moon, the arrow like a shooting star.