Chapter 1 A Great Defeat

A thick fog hung in the air as a troop of soldiers trudged through the mountain paths.

The soldiers were dusty and weary, devoid of energy. No one spoke as they marched.

These were the remnants of a defeated Tianwang (Heavenly King) stronghold army, numbering less than a thousand. Their morale was low, and Lu Longchuan was visibly among them.

His face betrayed an unconcealed weariness. He frequently glanced behind and around, his guard up, like a frightened bird.

Ever since True Man Yufeng (Wind Rider) was poisoned by an internal traitor, Chen Feng seized the opportunity to attack and seize stronghold after stronghold. The war situation took a drastic turn.

The Tianwang stronghold suffered a massive rout, forced to fight and flee simultaneously. Under the Dragon King stronghold's relentless pursuit, the main force retreated steadily, disintegrating. Some were killed, some were captured, and countless deserted, scattering into various defeated groups.

Now, Lu Longchuan was left with only a dozen or so leaders like Sun Rong and Shi Hu. The rest of his brothers had scattered, their fates unknown. As for True Man Yufeng, he had fled with his disciples during the defeat, disappearing without a trace.

The troop he led had cut off their tail to survive, barely managing to break through. They had been fleeing for days, utterly exhausted.

Having been defeated to such an extent, Lu Longchuan knew the situation was hopeless. He had only one thought left: to shake off the pursuers and escape Huyang.

He surveyed the dispirited soldiers around him. The thought of the Tianwang stronghold's once vast power now reduced to this small group caused his heart to bleed.

Decades of foundation, lost in a single day!

The pain, it was too much!

"Ugh…"

Lu Longchuan suddenly groaned, clutching at the wound on his ribs.

"Big Brother, can your body hold on?"

Shi Hu quickly moved closer, his tone concerned.

"Hah… I'm fine. After all these years, Guo Haishen's martial arts have become even more astonishing, surpassing me in my prime."

Lu Longchuan exhaled, his expression complex.

In a previous battle, he had clashed with Guo Haishen in the chaotic army. He was no match for his opponent and was injured, almost captured alive.

Many years ago, when he was still the Green Forest Overlord, "Heavenly King," Guo Haishen had challenged him in the north. They fought evenly for fifty or sixty rounds, but he was still slightly stronger.

But now, he was old, his martial arts had declined, while Guo Haishen had refined a collection of profound martial arts from various sects. His skills were flourishing fiercely. With this shift in strength, he, the former number one expert of the Green Forest, could no longer defeat him.

He sighed inwardly, lamenting his own situation and lamenting the capriciousness of fate.

At this moment, a strangely shaped mountain range appeared in the fog ahead, its terrain precipitous.

Lu Longchuan quickly ordered the entire army to halt. Then, he rode to the front of the formation, carefully observing, and felt his eyelids twitching violently.

"What place is this ahead, so treacherous!"

Hearing this, Sun Rong pondered, "We have now fled to the southwest of Huyang Pingzhou. This place is full of mountains and dense forests. I think that mountain range ahead looks like a black dragon coiled around the mountain; it should be what the locals call Suolong (Lock Dragon) Ridge."

Suolong Ridge!

Lu Longchuan's heart suddenly jumped. He felt an ominous premonition.

Sun Rong continued, "The map shows that there is a small path within Suolong Ridge. If we can find a guide to lead the way, we can pass directly through it, saving a lot of travel. Leaving Suolong Ridge, we will be on a main road leading directly to the Pingzhou prefectural capital. If we continue marching for a few more days, we can leave the Huyang territory, and then we will be safe."

Lu Longchuan subconsciously resisted entering Suolong Ridge, saying, "I think the terrain ahead is treacherous, and there may be ambushes. Why don't we go around?"

Sun Rong frowned, "Speed is essential in war. If we go around, we will inevitably delay for a day or two. If the pursuers arrive, we will have nowhere to escape. We are now just a remnant of defeated soldiers. If the Dragon King stronghold can get ahead of us, it would be better to simply show up and intercept us."

"This… alright."

Lu Longchuan thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

He sent out scouts to search for signs of people nearby. They soon found a small village with fewer than a hundred households, mostly local hunters.

Seeing soldiers arrive, the villagers were very wary and cautious, and they took out their hunting bows or pitchforks.

Lu Longchuan didn't want to cause trouble, so he said that he only wanted to pass through the ridge and was looking for a guide.

Because the Dragon King stronghold was quite popular in Huyang, he was very vigilant against the local villagers and did not dare to reveal his name, pretending to be an ordinary fleeing soldier.

At the same time, he carefully observed the expressions of the villagers. If he detected anything unusual, he would immediately order them to be slaughtered.

The villagers looked at each other, seemingly unsure.

At this moment, a strong young man stepped forward and said in a deep voice:

"I am a hunter in this village and am very familiar with this mountain forest. I am willing to be a guide to take you through the ridge, but I ask the soldiers not to harm my fellow villagers."

Lu Longchuan nodded, "We only want to pass through the ridge quickly. If you cooperate, I will not disturb you."

"It's a deal. Allow me to say a few words to reassure the villagers, and then we will set off."

The young man nodded, turned back, and spoke a few words to the villagers in a low voice, as if to comfort them. Then, he walked into Lu Longchuan's army.

Lu Longchuan had been observing all along and did not detect anything unusual. He also asked if any members of the Dragon King stronghold had arrived recently. After receiving unanimous denials from the villagers, he allowed the guide to lead the way, and the group entered the mountain range.

This young man was indeed an experienced hunter. He walked on the mountain forest as if on flat ground and was quite familiar with the path.

Seeing that the young man was agile and had good skills, Lu Longchuan couldn't help but ask, "What is your name? I see that you are nimble; have you practiced martial arts?"

The young man nodded and replied casually:

"My name is Lu Sheng. I have indeed practiced. In this Huyang area, who doesn't know a few farming tricks? Especially those of us who make a living by hunting, if we don't practice some basic martial arts, we won't even be able to run if we encounter a beast one day."

Lu Longchuan nodded silently, not finding it strange.

Having stayed in Huyang for so long, he was no longer surprised by the local villagers' abundant martial spirit.

After all, Chen Feng was spreading martial arts unscrupulously. Even the nursery rhymes of children in the countryside might be the formulas for the secret manuals of some great sect.

With Lu Sheng leading the way, the troop moved quickly and soon entered deep into Suolong Ridge.

A thin mist filled the forest, and the trees were shadowy. Although it was daytime, the visibility was quite dim.

Lu Sheng wiped his sweat and said, "Following this path, we can exit the ridge in about two more hours, before dark."

"That's great." Lu Longchuan breathed a sigh of relief.

He had been on guard all the way, afraid of ambushes, but there had been no movement. This finally gave him some peace of mind.

However, at this moment, a rustling sound suddenly came from the forest not far away, as if many people were running closer.

At the same time, thunderous shouts suddenly rang out in the forest:

"Hahaha, they really came!"

"We have been ambushing on this essential route. It was worth the wait!"

"The Dragon King stronghold is here! Surrender quickly!"

"Don't let the enemies escape!"

The shouts of killing exploded, and Lu Longchuan's group was instantly frightened out of their wits.

"What, there really is an ambush!" Sun Rong exclaimed in shock.

The team immediately erupted. The soldiers, who were already low in morale, didn't even wait for the leaders to command and ran away in the opposite direction of the shouts, fleeing for their lives, abandoning their armor and weapons, and quickly scattering in the misty forest.

Lu Longchuan and other leaders had long been frightened by Chen Feng and did not dare to stay to fight. They turned around and ran.

Behind them, the shouts of killing were always following them like a shadow, sometimes near, sometimes far.

Unknowingly, Lu Longchuan and others had been forced to change direction several times.

Suddenly, the group stepped on empty air, exclaiming as they fell into a pit disguised by a thin layer of leaves. The pit was filled with short bamboo spears.

Thump thump!

The group hurriedly twisted their bodies to avoid the spears, but they were still hit, pierced by the bamboo spears, screaming in pain and bleeding profusely.

Most of the people were pierced through their limbs by the bamboo spears, while their bodies were covered with armor, making it difficult for the bamboo spears to penetrate and cause direct death.

Lu Longchuan's shoulder and calf were pierced, causing him to sweat profusely in pain.

At this moment, figures appeared at the edge of the pit. They were the villagers from before, all dressed as hunters. The leader was Lu Sheng, who had led the way.

At this time, the hunters were all drawing their bows and aiming their arrows at the people in the pit.

"Don't move, or we will release a volley of arrows and teach you to die by ten thousand arrows piercing your hearts!"

Lu Sheng shouted loudly.

Lu Longchuan was shocked and then angrily said, "You are from the Dragon King stronghold?! You deliberately acted as a guide to lead us into this trap?!"

Lu Sheng's expression remained unchanged as he said in a deep voice:

"You've got it wrong. This pit is a trap used to catch beasts. We are not from the Dragon King stronghold. Today, we'll make you understand!

This group of defeated soldiers wanted to find a guide. After it was done, you would definitely kill us to silence us. We had to strike first.

Since Lu Sheng came to Huyang, our lives have been much more comfortable than before. Your court wants to take away our good life. If you weren't so powerful, I would have cut off a few officers' heads to relieve my anger. It just so happens that I'm missing a certificate to join the bandits in the mountains. You people are wearing armor and helmets. It seems to me that you are mostly generals in the army. Catching you is considered a meritorious service. After I go up the mountain, I can at least become a leader."

Hearing this, True Man Yufeng trembled with anger, his face twitching.

He thought he had fallen into an enemy ambush, but he had fallen into the hands of a group of villagers!

Truly, an eighty-year-old mother fell into the hands of a small child!

Humiliating!

"Big Brother, don't panic. Wait for me to kill this group of ignorant villagers and break out!"

Shi Hu suddenly stood up, roaring loudly. Ignoring the bamboo spears stuck in his body, he was about to jump onto the ground by kicking the wall and start a massacre.

"Release the arrows!"

Sun Rong did not hesitate and directly released his hand.

Bang bang bang!

A series of bowstrings sounded, and a dozen arrows flew through the air, piercing Shi Hu into a hedgehog, killing him instantly, his eyes wide open.

"Second Tiger!"

Qi Pei jia's eyes were bloodshot, and a force surged within him, temporarily suppressing the pain. He jumped up directly, slashing his knife at Sun Rong in mid-air.

The force of the knife howled, containing the power to cut through gold and jade.

However, Sun Rong was not afraid. He drew his saber and met the attack, actually blocking the powerful blow. He also suppressed True Man Yufeng's upward momentum, pushing the opponent, who had no leverage in the air, back down.

Even though True Man Yufeng was seriously injured and his skills were greatly reduced, Sun Rong was able to block the opponent's full-force slash. His martial arts were not weak, and he was obviously not just capable of the "basic martial arts" he had mentioned before.

True Man Yufeng was pushed back into the pit by the knife and wanted to jump up again. However, the next moment, his body suddenly froze.

A few soft sounds were heard as several arrows pierced his back.

The hunters on the other side of the pit had taken action.

Qi Pei jia's vision went black, and the strength he had managed to muster dissipated, his body limp and weak. He used his knife to prop himself up, barely managing to avoid falling.

"My life is over…"

True Man Yufeng muttered, blood overflowing from his mouth.

Seeing this, Chen Feng did not care about his own injuries and quickly announced his identity, shouting:

"Stop! Stop! He is the Tianwang stronghold's Big Boss Qi Pei jia! We are all Tianwang stronghold leaders. Spare our lives and send us to Qi Pei jia. It will be a great achievement for you!"

Sun Rong raised his eyebrows and smiled happily. "Oh ho, it seems we have caught a big fish."

Somewhere in Pingzhou, Huyang, Lu Longchuan's pursuers were marching.

Lu Sheng rode a horse, followed by a group of leaders, discussing the situation.

"We have been chasing for many days, and most of the Tianwang stronghold's leaders have been caught. It's a pity that we haven't found True Man Yufeng. I wonder where he ran to. Could he have already run out of Huyang territory?"

Hong Dingxian said in a deep voice.

Lu Sheng casually said, "It doesn't matter. It's good if we can catch him, but it doesn't matter if we can't. Anyway, we have captured most of the Tianwang stronghold's forces. Qi Pei jia has lost his foundation, so even if he slips away, he won't be a threat."

Fang Zhi stroked his chin and chuckled, "Second Brother, I understand why you used the strategy of sowing discord. Do you want to subdue those leaders?"

Lu Sheng nodded, "That's right. But that's only one reason. Another reason is that they were kind to Big Brother, so I tried not to harm them."

Lu Longchuan sighed, "Alas, the two armies are facing each other, and we should not care about life and death, each relying on our own skills. But Second Brother is still thinking of repaying his kindness to me, to fulfill his moral obligations, which makes me ashamed. If they are unwilling to surrender, then Second Brother, you don't have to consider my feelings. Kill them if you have to."

"We'll see when the time comes," Qi Pei jia did not respond.

At this moment, Duan Yunfeng suddenly sneered, "If True Man Guo Haishen hadn't been poisoned by a traitor, we wouldn't have been able to win so easily. Those treacherous officials in the court only know how to fight among themselves. I wasn't wrong about them."

Hearing this, the others couldn't help but show mocking smiles.

They were originally curious as to why True Man Yufeng suddenly stopped appearing in battle. Now that they had captured a large number of enemy troops, they naturally found out the situation and became even more disgusted with the court.

In order to fight for power and profit, their own people stabbed each other in the back, benefiting them, the foreign enemies.

The others felt that the lords in the court were becoming more and more hopeless and felt contempt.

"This is what it means when those in power are narrow-minded and unable to plan for the future," Fang Zhen shook his head.

"Is that how you use the phrase?" Lu Longchuan scratched his head.

Duan Yunfeng paused and then said with regret, "It's a pity that we let True Man Guo Haishen escape from the chaotic army. When he recovers, he will be able to restrain the Chieftain, making him a formidable enemy. If we could take advantage of the situation and catch him, we could cut off the dog emperor's right-hand man."

"That's right," Fang Zhen echoed, then mischievously smiled, "But True Man Guo Haishen's wealth is really abundant. He even brought so much gold and silver treasures, which ultimately benefited us… I don't know what he meant by bringing these valuables on the expedition. Did he want to enjoy himself while fighting?"

Hearing this, Qi Pei jia interrupted the conversation and interjected:

"Alright, stop thinking about unnecessary things. Let's pursue True Man Yufeng first."

The others responded in agreement.

At this moment, a scout suddenly galloped from the front and shouted!

"Report! A group of villagers is blocking the road ahead. The leader calls himself Sun Rong, saying that he is a villager from under Suolong Ridge. He has captured True Man Yufeng and a group of Tianwang stronghold leaders and wants to offer them to us as prisoners!"

Hearing this, the expressions of the others changed, surprised and curious.

Lu Longchuan was shocked: "Qi Pei jia fell into the hands of a group of villagers? Is that true?"

Lu Sheng raised an eyebrow and laughed loudly.

"This is really effortless. Brothers, follow me to greet Grand Commander Lu!"