Chapter 81

Another step forward.

Seeing the small note for the messenger pigeon in the hand of the team leader (隊主) who had just entered, Zhang Ji asked,

“What is this mission about?”

“It doesn’t seem to be anything special. Recently, the Bajinmen (覇晉門) has been recruiting mercenaries, and we’ve been instructed to assist them.”

When the name of the rural sect Bajinmen was mentioned, Zhang Ji asked curiously, as it was a sect that had no value due to its remote location.

“Bajinmen? It’s not a particularly significant sect, so why there?”

“Are we in a position to question? We just have to do as we’re told. From what I understand, the purpose is to weaken the Tianmamen (天魔門) that is fighting against Bajinmen.”

“Tianmamen? That’s a major sect with 8,000 disciples. You mean we’re going to fight them?”

“They were once powerful, but due to power struggles, many of the upper echelons have been replaced, and now they’re not much to speak of. However, this time, a new figure named Haojin has firmly grasped power and is quite exceptional. He’s causing trouble to expand the influence of Tianmamen, and our job is to hinder the strengthening of Tianmamen’s influence there.”

Zhang Ji smiled sinisterly at the opponent.

“Hmm, cutting them off at the root, huh?”

“Exactly.”

“I’ll tell my subordinates to prepare.”

“We’ll leave tomorrow, so tell them to prepare carefully and steadily.”

“Yes.”

Bali Jian (覇力劍) Muye (幕惹) is the leader of the powerful mercenary group known as the Menghu Team (猛虎隊). In fact, he was once a highly respected and admired junior disciple of the Gongtong Sect (共同派). However, there was a reason he chose the absurd profession of a mercenary.

The martial world had many mercenary groups and mercenaries. Mercenaries were people who worked with their lives on the line and received money as their profession. Thus, individual mercenaries would find jobs through human markets or go to places where trouble was brewing to see if they could be of use.

Mercenary groups were a bit different. They moved in groups, ranging from dozens to hundreds, to find work. Of course, when not all of them could be hired, only a certain number would be employed. Being part of a famous mercenary group meant they could receive high pay, and the leaders of these groups were often highly skilled martial artists, increasing the chances of their subordinates surviving.

The Menghu Team was a well-known and capable mercenary group. With over 200 members, each individual was highly skilled, and it was a solid mercenary group that didn’t accept those with poor martial arts skills. However, what was unknown to everyone was that this mercenary group was created by the Gongtong Sect, one of the Nine Sects and One Hall, which produced the current leader of the martial alliance, Yu Qingxue.

In the past, when a sect threatened the Gongtong Sect and another sect engaged in a confrontation, the Gongtong Sect couldn’t openly help the other side, so they secretly sent these people as a form of support. However, since the Gongtong Sect took over the martial alliance, these people have been working for the martial world rather than for the Gongtong Sect. After all, the expansion of sects like Tianmamen, which belong to the evil faction, was not a good phenomenon.

Many of the great families in the martial world either owned or had connections to such famous mercenary groups. In the past, in Sichuan Province, a sect called Taoyuanmen (太元門) emerged. Taoyuanmen was founded by Ge Lian’s son, Ge Xiao, who was an outstanding merchant and controlled a vast commercial network. Ge Xiao was a figure from the Shaolin outer sect, and Taoyuanmen rapidly expanded under the support of Shaolin.

Shocked by the rapid expansion of Taoyuanmen, several sects promised full support to a small sect called Shilingfang (司令坊) to reduce its influence and engaged in a direct confrontation. At this time, Shilingfang used mercenaries on a large scale to bolster its forces, and it goes without saying that the secret mercenary groups of those sects also joined in. After a large-scale battle, Taoyuanmen suffered tremendous losses, losing 80% of its high-level experts, and was forced to decline.

Mercenary groups, though not large, were known to have many powerful experts, and it was rare for anyone to be unaware that they were likely connected to some sect. However, which mercenary group was connected to which sect was a closely guarded secret.

Two weeks later, the Menghu Team arrived at Bajinmen. While the team members unpacked their luggage and were assigned quarters, Bali Jian Muye discussed the details with the sect leader of Bajinmen.

“Welcome. If you need anything, just let me know.”

Greeted warmly by the Bajinmen leader, Muye replied politely, seemingly embarrassed by the overly kind welcome.

“We don’t need anything. I was specially instructed to assist you, so that’s what we’re here to do. Everything we need has been taken care of by the person who sent us, so you don’t need to worry about such small matters.”

“I’ll instruct the supervisor to send fresh meat and alcohol. You must be tired from the journey, so you can rest with that.”

“Thank you.”

“Sit down.”

“Yes, how is the situation?”

“What can I say? Tianmamen is a powerful sect, so we’re facing many difficulties. In a few days, we plan to attack a branch temple of Tianmamen near Daying Mountain. You’ll help us then.”

“Of course. How strong is the branch temple?”

“It has about 1,500 members, and about half of them are mercenaries.”

“What about our side?”

“Besides you, we plan to send the Pahuang Team (破荒隊) and the Jinling Team from our sect. You’ll receive detailed tactical instructions from Ge Niao (葛鳥).”

“Understood.”

After the war with Tianmamen began, Bajinmen hastily formed a group called the Xuanwu Team (玄武團). The leader of the Xuanwu Team was Ge Niao, an outstanding expert of Bajinmen. The Xuanwu Team was composed entirely of mercenaries, except for the leader and deputy leader. Mercenary groups like the Pahuang Team and the Menghu Team were, in principle, included in the Xuanwu Team and followed the orders of the Xuanwu Team leader.

Three days later, Bajinmen dispatched its warriors to attack the Tianmamen branch temple. Although it was called one of the three teams of Bajinmen, the Xuanwu Team was almost entirely composed of mercenaries. Among them, the main forces were the Menghu Team and the Pahuang Team. The Pahuang Team, like the Menghu Team, was a mercenary group of about 200 members, secretly connected to some sect, and was dispatched along with the Menghu Team at the request of the martial alliance.

The battle, which began with a surprise attack at dawn, proceeded smoothly as the Menghu Team and the Pahuang Team, with their powerful experts, surrounded and attacked the enemy’s rear. However, the enemy resisted fiercely, and the Xuanwu Team also suffered significant losses. It wasn’t until evening that the enemy abandoned the branch temple and fled, bringing the battle to a close. The leader of the Xuanwu Team was highly satisfied with this victory, as it successfully expelled Tianmamen’s influence within 30 li of the branch temple.

While everyone was celebrating the destruction of the Tianmamen branch temple, a messenger arrived. Carrying an urgent letter, he delivered it to the Xuanwu Team leader, Ge Niao. Although Ge Niao didn’t fully understand the content of the letter, he gathered his team leaders.

“What’s going on?”

In response to the question from the Pahuang Team leader, Gong Lun, Ge Niao replied with a bitter tone.

“We’ve been ordered to return to the sect.”

Gong Lun looked puzzled.

“This is a very important location. If we abandon it, it will be very difficult to attack Tianmamen...”

“Who doesn’t know that? The Demon Sect has gotten involved in this matter, and the sect leader has ordered us to return soon.”

“The Demon Sect?”

“Yes. This morning, the Demon Sect sent a letter to the sect leader, inviting us to join their cause. We need to return soon. We don’t know what they might do...”

“Did you refuse?”

“No, not yet. We’ll refuse after we return. We need to buy some time, don’t we?”

“This place is over 1,500 li (about 600 kilometers) away from the Demon Sect’s headquarters. Why?”

“How should I know? Both Tianmamen and the Demon Sect are part of the evil faction, so Tianmamen might have requested support.”

“But that doesn’t make sense. Tianmamen is not a puppet of the Demon Sect. Why would they invite a tiger to guard against a wolf? Everyone knows that if Tianmamen puts all its efforts into this, they will soon win.”

“I see... Your point is valid in theory, but there might be something else going on. Quickly instruct your subordinates to prepare for the return.”

“Understood.”

“They are returning.”

“What did he say?”

“The Bajinmen leader said he cannot handle such matters independently and needs more time to consult with the elders.”

“Hmph, while asking for more time, he was gathering troops.”

A subordinate who had been on reconnaissance spoke with a slightly angry tone.

“Yes, he’s a despicable person.”

“Good, we’ll crush the ones who return first. If we show our strength, perhaps that cunning person will change his mind.”

“But we need to completely annihilate them. Otherwise, the secret might be revealed...”

“Of course. Not a single one should escape alive.”

“Yes, sir!”

The members of the Demon Sect, unlike those of the righteous factions, emit a unique aura called magic energy, making it very difficult to ambush them. No matter how well they hide, it’s hard to conceal this energy. Therefore, the Demon Sect prefers surprise attacks. They gather from a distance, observe the enemy’s movements, and then approach at maximum speed to crush them. This way, they don’t have to worry about the magic energy.

Unaware that the Demon Sect was watching, the Xuanwu Team hurried on their way. Despite the intense battle earlier, they were exhausted from the urgent order to return and had to set out immediately. They thought the enemy wouldn’t expect them to move immediately after the battle, but the Demon Sect had already figured it out, leading to their own downfall.

Yan Wang Zhe, the leader of the Demon Sect, gazed steadily at the nearly 1,500 enemies. The sky was just beginning to brighten. Below, the exhausted targets, who had marched through the night, were visible. Behind them, the wounded limped along, and at the very back, the critically injured were carried in ox-drawn carts.

With a gesture from Yan Wang Zhe, over 400 black-robed figures charged at the enemy. Two hundred of them spread out to form a包围圈, ready to cut down any who tried to escape. As his subordinates charged, Yan Wang Zhe also leaped towards the enemy. His lightness skill was much faster than his subordinates, and he soon took the lead.

In the past, high-level experts in the Demon Sect rarely engaged in direct combat with lower-level enemies, but now, every warrior was needed. By fighting himself, Yan Wang Zhe could reduce the number of injured, and he had been leading by example recently.

Soon, a storm of blood began. The clashing of weapons marked the start of a bloody dawn. The earth turned red as the sky did. The powerful mercenary groups resisted fiercely, but as the outstanding experts of the Demon Sect, who were comparable to battalion leaders, infiltrated their ranks, their formation quickly crumbled.

Muye, the leader of the Menghu Team, was in a daze. Nearly 400 black-robed figures had suddenly appeared... The Pahuang Team, which had taken the brunt of the attack, was almost completely annihilated, and the black-robed figures were now charging towards the Menghu Team. The figures, emitting a strong aura of magic energy, were clearly from the Demon Sect. No other organization could cultivate such a large number of experts with such powerful magic energy. These experts were likely among the top ranks of the Demon Sect.

Beside him, Zhang Ji was urging his subordinates, but Muye’s mind was filled with questions. Why were the elite of the Demon Sect involved in a battle between such rural sects? The experts sent to support Tianmamen were too powerful. Even if 1,000 or so experts were sent to support Tianmamen, Bajinmen would have no chance of winning, especially since the goal was to reduce Tianmamen’s influence, not to destroy it. Why was the Demon Sect providing such full support to Tianmamen? Why?

Muye sent a mental message to Zhang Ji, who was urging his subordinates.

<It seems we won’t survive this. We are in the middle of our subordinates, so we won’t be easily seen from outside. Use the Concealment Technique. You must survive and report this to the leader of the martial alliance. Understand?>

Muye gave Zhang Ji a moment to understand his message and then pierced him with his sword. The wound looked fatal, but it was deep yet with minimal bleeding, skillfully avoiding major blood vessels. Zhang Ji, following the leader’s instructions, used the Concealment Technique and fell.

“Kill as many as you can!”

Muye led his subordinates in a desperate resistance, but a single black-robed figure cut down over 30 of his subordinates and approached him. Soon, his head was severed by the sword. The one who killed Muye immediately swung his sword in all directions. Drenched in blood, the black-robed figures continued to kill mercilessly.

“What about the wounded?”

A subordinate asked this as the last enemy’s head was severed. Both Yan Wang Zhe and his subordinate were drenched in blood.

“Are you asking me because you don’t know, you fool?”

“Yes? So you mean to kill them?”

“What use do we have for wounded prisoners? Kill them all!”

“Yes, sir!”

The bloodbath ended as the sun rose, leaving over 1,000 bodies scattered. Yan Wang Zhe, as his subordinates wiped the blood from their swords onto the corpses’ collars and