The two squads of archers halted twenty meters away, immediately forming ranks. They aimed their heavy crossbows at Ling Xiao and Uncle Fu, and at the woman in black who still stood there, not yet having had a chance to run.

"How dare you!"

Uncle Fu suddenly roared at the archers on one side, "Are you blind?! This is the Viscount, the Lord of Penzes City! Who sent you? What do you think you’re doing?"

Not one of the several hundred men on either side spoke. A strange silence suddenly descended, bringing with it an oppressive, suffocating feeling. It became hard to breathe. In a crowd of hundreds, one could actually hear their own heart thumping and their ragged gasps for air...

Just then, an indifferent voice rang out from behind the archers. "I hear a fugitive wanted by the Empire has appeared here. We are private soldiers who have come on our own to capture the fugitive! We have always assisted with keeping the peace in Penzes City. You’re the Viscount’s men? Ha, don’t be ridiculous! The Viscount has clearly gone to a banquet. You must be impostors! Fire! Shoot them dead!!"

"WHOOSH... WHOOSH WHOOSH... WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!"

The sharp shriek of crossbow bolts tearing through the air erupted. Ling Xiao grabbed the woman in black and pulled her toward the cover of a nearby tree, simultaneously swinging his steel sword to bat away several stray bolts.

The Demon Sword Master, who had lost his Crimson Treasure Sword, started to rush forward to protect the woman in black, but a cold glance from Ling Xiao froze him in place. Ling Xiao was too close to her; he could easily kill her with a single sword strike before the Demon Sword Master could intervene.

"Dammit!" The Demon Sword Master slammed his fist against a giant tree beside him. The tree, so thick a single person couldn’t wrap their arms around it, trembled violently, and a pile of dead branches and leaves came CRASHING down.

"THUNK THUNK THUNK!"

The sound of crossbow bolts continuously sinking into the large tree beside him was relentless. Gazing at the bolts, which had buried themselves almost entirely in the wood, Ling Xiao felt a deep hatred well up inside him. His understanding of the nobles and rich families of Penzes City deepened.

’For the sake of profit, there’s nothing they won’t do!’

’Excellent. We’ll be meeting again very soon. I’ll be sure to settle this score then!’

These bolts were no match for Uncle Fu. With a furious roar, he swung his black heavy sword, creating an impenetrable black curtain with his blade. Like a whirlwind, he charged into one of the groups of archers. A frenzy of agonized screams immediately erupted. In a single instant, Uncle Fu had slaughtered more than a hundred men from the two-hundred-man squad!

The ground was littered with severed limbs, and blood stained the stone path red. The wounded who were not yet dead lay on the ground, wailing in agony.

In that moment, the scene had become a living hell!

And there stood Uncle Fu, his frail body as immovable as a mountain, like a true God of Slaughter on the battlefield!

The steward-like man who had given the order still had a smile frozen on his face. In the span of a single breath, the squad of archers on his side had been almost completely annihilated.

A foul stench rose from him, followed by the incessant chattering of his teeth. The man couldn’t even manage to speak a single word as he stared at Uncle Fu in absolute terror.

Uncle Fu shot a look his way. The killing intent in that gaze was so palpable it made the man spit out a mouthful of blood. He crumpled limply to the ground, literally scared to death.

By now, the other squad of archers was scared witless.

Even the Demon Sword Master, hiding behind a tree to enjoy the spectacle, was shocked beyond belief. He finally understood why this old man, though clearly not as powerful as himself, had been able to contend with him for so long and make him so uneasy.

It was killing intent! The kind of overwhelming, pervasive killing intent that one only develops after slaughtering thousands. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

’This is completely different from a disciple of a super-sect like me. How many people have I ever killed? Maybe not even fifty in my entire life. But him... he’s a God of Slaughter!’

’Initially, I just planned to watch the show. It would have been perfect if that old man had been killed by a stray bolt! The odds were low, though. Trying to kill a Demon Sword Master with mere crossbows... unless you had a thousand archers in a wide-open field firing in constant volleys, it was practically impossible. Otherwise, trying to shoot down a High-tier Martial Artist who can fly for short periods is just a fool’s dream!’

’Still, I didn’t want to help. I knew the old man was injured from our fight. It would be for the best if his injuries got even worse!’

’In any case, this has nothing to do with me. As long as I can protect my little junior sister and make sure she’s safe, that’s all that matters.’

Just then, the other squad of archers finally remembered to flee. Suddenly, the sound of arrows slicing through the air was heard once more.

"ARGH!"

More screams tore through the air. In the distance, five hundred armored, elite soldiers were charging toward them like madmen, their approach heralded by the shrill cries of clown!

The five hundred soldiers fired while running at full speed, and their volley killed every last one of the two hundred-plus archers.

"Young Master, Ling Wu has arrived late! I am willing to accept my punishment!"

Sweat pouring down his face, Ling Wu looked ashamed. With a THUD, he knelt before Ling Xiao and said this.

"Send men to take Uncle Fu back!"

Ling Xiao pulled Ling Wu to his feet. A savage look twisted his handsome features, and his eyes burned with a raging fire. In a low voice, he commanded, "Let’s go. We’re getting revenge."

Then, he turned to the Demon Sword Master. "You’re coming with us. You can be my hired muscle!"