Chapter 158: The Hanyang Three Fiends
A volley of arrows rained down, followed by a wave of Gong family martial artists, wielding blades and shields, charging towards the Hanyang Gang.
Two groups of skilled fighters, flanking the main force, attacked the enemy’s sides.
And then, Gong Muhong, holding his sword, led a group of elite warriors, their weapons a mix of spears, saber-shields, rarely seen wolf-tooth maces, and hidden projectiles, towards the heart of the enemy formation, attempting to divide their forces.
The Gong family were descendants of military commanders, their ancestors having protected the last emperor of the Sheng Dynasty as he fled to this region, dying in battle against the overwhelming barbarian forces.
Forced to flee their homeland, only a small number survived the perilous journey and settled in the Ba Mountains, gradually rebuilding their strength and influence.
They had a unique battle formation passed down through their family, the foundation of their “Heaven” defense.
Using this formation, they caught the Hanyang Gang off guard.
However, the Hanyang Gang had two sixth-rank experts: Jin Ba and Yu He.
And they also had superior numbers.
The two sixth-rank experts alone were a formidable force, more than enough to overcome the Gong family’s battle formation.
And Yu He was also a supernatural ability user!
Many of the powers granted by Earthly Fiend level divine crystals were relatively weak.
But the Earth Flying Star was a powerful and versatile ability.
Yu He leaped into the air, using his Phantom Eagle Eight Techniques, his sixth-rank cultivation allowing him to project his energy outwards.
His energy, like a diving eagle, struck from above, targeting the weak points in the Gong family’s formation, while keeping himself out of reach.
Jin Ba, wielding his spiked club, his brute strength overwhelming, smashed through their defenses.
With each swing, the sound of shattering shields and bones echoed, a line of defenders sent flying.
“Is this all you have?” Jin Ba roared, his laughter filled with mockery and disdain.
Another crash, and a group of Gong family warriors, their shields splintering, were thrown back.
Gong Muhong’s sword flashed, a streak of light aimed at Jin Ba’s throat.
Two other warriors, wielding saber-shields, rolled on the ground, their blades slashing at Jin Ba’s legs.
Their coordinated attack targeted the moment when Jin Ba’s strength was momentarily depleted, a brief window of vulnerability.
Jin Ba, however, laughed, stepped back, and, spinning his club, unleashed another attack, a swirling vortex of force.
He ignored the two warriors on the ground, his retreat placing him just out of their reach.
His seemingly depleted energy surged again as he spun, his movements, despite his large build and the heavy club, surprisingly fast, faster than Gong Muhong’s direct attack.
The difference between mid-rank and low-rank wasn’t just about power, but also about skill and technique.
His club was long, their swords short.
His counterattack, faster than their initial strike, was aimed at Gong Muhong’s head.
A direct hit would send him flying.
Gong Muhong felt a wave of despair.
The Gong family had once possessed powerful techniques, but three hundred years ago, their strongest martial artists had died defending their homeland, only the weak and the injured surviving the journey to the Ba Mountains.
Their martial arts tradition had been broken.
Unable to withstand Jin Ba’s power, Gong Muhong was forced to retreat.
Two of his men beside him were struck down, one’s head crushed, the other’s body mangled, by the whirling club.
Yu He’s sinister laughter echoed from above as he cut down several more defenders.
Gong Muhong, his heart filled with rage and despair, knew they were losing.
“Die!” Jin Ba’s club, like a crushing wheel, descended towards him.
Gong Muhong’s sword was knocked from his hand, and a wave of force slammed into him.
Suddenly, the sound of rushing wind and a series of explosions came from the side.
Gong Muhong, who had been bracing himself for death, looked over and saw two figures intercepting Jin Ba, forcing him back.
It was Daoist Chuan and Hou Bomin.
And above, a swarm of insects buzzed around Yu He, forcing him to retreat, swatting at them as he flew backwards.
Several Hanyang Gang members below screamed and collapsed as the insects descended.
Although Daoist Chuan and Hou Bomin had temporarily saved him, more enemies were approaching, and they too were forced to retreat.
Jin Ba, seeing his men fall, was alarmed.
Then, he saw a small figure darting through the crowd, a woman with wild, disheveled hair, wielding a strange iron hook.
Those struck by the hook were instantly dismembered.
Jin Ba roared and charged forward, his spiked club aimed at the woman.
The small woman, her movements incredibly agile, dodged the attack, her hook flashing before his legs.
Jin Ba’s power couldn’t suppress her. She was also a sixth-rank expert.
Her movements were too fast, too unpredictable, for his club to hit her, but her hook couldn’t penetrate his defenses either.
Gong Muhong sighed in relief. The Wudang Monastery disciples had arrived.
Their sudden appearance bolstered the Gong family’s defenses, pushing the Hanyang Gang back.
But more Hanyang Gang members poured in from outside the estate.
“Clan Leader!” four women, Hong Ou, Cui Ling, Zi Shao, and Lan Tan of Wu Village, arrived, their faces pale with exhaustion, their clothes torn and bloodstained.
They were accompanied by a small group of similarly battered warriors.
As Jin Ba and Yu He retreated, a figure, dressed in a brocade robe, his build tall and imposing, stepped through a gap in the wall, scattering the Hanyang Gang members like bowling pins.
Hong Ou whispered, “Clan Leader, we couldn’t hold them back for much longer.”
Gong Muhong whispered, “Thank you.” He looked at the approaching figure.
“Brother!” Jin Ba and Yu He retreated to the man’s side, “We apologize for our failure. We had to call for your assistance.”
It was Diao Hongyan, the leader of the Hanyang Three Fiends.
Another figure leaped down from the wall, smiling, “My fault. I was too focused on hunting geese and almost got pecked by one.”
It was Zhao Xuanding, the Canyon Stabilizer.
Although reinforcements from Wudang Monastery had arrived, the leader of the Hanyang Three Fiends, Zhao Xuanding, and even more Hanyang Gang members were now here.
The Gong family’s brief moment of hope was quickly extinguished.
“Clan Leader,” Du Yuejiao arrived, landing beside Gong Muhong, whispering, “Hold out until the other villages arrive.”
The other villages… Gong Muhong smiled wryly.
The other villages, either too far away, like Wu Village, or with limited forces, like Goupan Village and Azure Dragon City…
Would Shennong Village, the only one with enough men and close enough to reach them in time, actually come to their aid?
He had to make a decision.
If they stayed and fought here, the women and children in the back mountains could escape. They would all die, but their families might survive.
The Gong family’s lineage wouldn’t be completely extinguished.
But if they retreated to the back mountains, they would be leading the Hanyang Three Fiends, Zhao Xuanding, and their forces directly towards their families.
If they lost, no one would survive.
Should he gamble everything on the slim hope of reinforcements?
Not just him, but every member of the Gong family looked at him, waiting for his decision.
They weren’t afraid of death, but the Gong family’s lineage couldn’t end here.
He felt the weight of their hopes on his shoulders. He had to make a choice.
“Retreat!” he shouted… The image of the young man, his voice calm and confident, his words inspiring, flashed through his mind, and he decided to trust him.
He believed that young man would come.
He believed that young man would bring them hope.
He would entrust the fate of his family to him, without regret.
Annihilation was a terrifying prospect, but a future without hope was even more terrifying.
The desolate lands of Ba Shan and Chu Shui… three hundred years ago, this had been a land of despair.
But now, a flicker of hope had appeared.
Three hundred years ago, their homeland lost, their nation conquered, the last emperor of the Sheng Dynasty had died here, along with countless loyal subjects and heroes.
For three hundred years, this land had been shrouded in darkness, its people trapped like silkworms in cocoons, unable to escape.
They had seen no light, no hope.
But deep down, they yearned for a glimmer of hope, a spark to ignite their spirits, to break free from their cocoons and fly towards the light.
Gong Muhong wanted to believe they had found that spark.
Now, they had to choose: remain in the darkness, or follow that faint light, struggling to break free, towards a future of hope?
He wasn’t afraid of death, but he wanted his death to mean something… He wanted to witness the light breaking through the darkness.
As he gave the order to retreat, they knew they had reached their last stand… They had to win.
They fought with the desperation of cornered beasts, blood and fire swirling around them, their eyes burning with a desperate hope in the darkness.
Every step backwards was a step towards a brighter future.
Their strength, their cries, their flashing blades, their blood, their tears… a symphony of despair and hope, echoing through the night.
“Like cornered beasts,” Diao Hongyan sneered.
“No… look at their eyes,” Zhao Xuanding frowned, “They see… hope.”
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