Chapter 316 - 248: An Explosion, Reduced to History

Chapter 316: Chapter 248: An Explosion, Reduced to History

The stove had gone out, leaving the room frigid. The bodies of the Tong Clan brothers were already frozen solid.

This was why the group of fighters had failed to notice anything unusual.

But the woman refused to give up. She gritted her teeth and said, "Great heroes, that brat is clearly also here for Cyan Cloud Mountain. I’m certain he’s already on his way up."

"If you don’t want that brat to beat you to it and snatch all the good stuff, you’d better head up the mountain and catch him first."

"And for whoever kills that brat for me, I, a humble woman, am willing to give myself to him and be his bed-warming maid."

This string of temptations was enough to make the group of simple-minded fighters howl with excitement.

The middle-aged man leading them pounded his chest in assurance.

"Don’t you worry, miss. I, ’Iron Spear Shakes Three Mountains,’ didn’t earn my name for nothing. The moment I see that brat, I’ll bring him to justice and make him kneel before you and apologize."

"In that case, I must thank you, sir!" the woman said, giving a graceful curtsy.

"Don’t mention it!" The man’s eyes glinted with lust as he reached out to help her up, but she subtly sidestepped his touch.

Though he failed to get a feel, the man wasn’t discouraged. In fact, he grew even more excited.

’What a prize.’

’Getting her into bed would be absolutely heavenly, wouldn’t it?’

At that thought, he said impatiently, "Everyone, there’s no time to lose! We head up the mountain now!"

But just as the large party was storming toward Cyan Cloud Mountain, Wu Liangchen had already reached the main fortress at the summit. He frowned as he gazed down at the deserted stronghold below.

He hadn’t expected the place to be deserted.

He had just done a sweep of the area and found signs indicating a hasty retreat. The evidence was everywhere.

’But that’s not the main issue. The real question is, where did Huang Longhai run off to?’

’And Chen Baimei, where has she gone?’

’She was under the effects of my "poison." She needs to take her dose every day just to stay alive.’

’That makes it nearly impossible for her to just run off.’

’And yet, that’s exactly what happened.’

After a moment of fruitless thought, Wu Liangchen could only head back to the Central Stronghold, hoping to find some clues among the things left behind.

「Meanwhile」

The group had reached the halfway point of the mountain. Seeing the massive stronghold in the distance, they couldn’t help but get excited.

"Heh, what a massive stronghold! I hear it’s filled with countless treasures of gold and silver, not to mention tons of Martial Arts Secret Manuals. They say Huang Longhai left in such a hurry he couldn’t take it all with him. He just found a spot to bury it. Wonder if the rumors are true," someone remarked.

"Who cares if it’s true or not?" someone next to him laughed. "Even without any buried treasure, a stronghold this size... I bet the stuff they left behind is enough for us to make a killing!"

"You’ve got a point. Let’s go! Pick up the pace, everyone! Let’s get into that stronghold!" the leader urged them on.

As for the woman, she kept pace beside them. The red, swollen mark on her left cheek hadn’t faded, but to the eyes of these brutish men, it only made her look pitiably beautiful.

’Just you wait, you brat,’ she thought venomously. ’With so many of us coming for you, there’s no way you can win.’

Soon enough, the group entered the stronghold.

The ground was a complete mess, littered with items dropped during the retreat.

Their eyes lit up. One of them was about to bend down and start picking things up when the leader stopped him.

"Don’t get distracted by these scraps," he said. "The real treasures will be in the Central Stronghold. Let’s head over there first."

His words were a wake-up call.

No longer caring about the items on the ground, the group charged toward the Central Stronghold.

But just as they reached the entrance to the stronghold, a figure emerged from within.

The woman shuddered and shrieked, "That’s him! Gentlemen, he’s the one who hit me!"

The men immediately swarmed forward. Their leader looked Wu Liangchen up and down, his eyes landing on the bundle on his back. His expression shifted, and he let out a cold sneer.

"Friend," he said, "let’s skip the pleasantries. Leave your things, kneel before this young lady and apologize, and I might just let you live."

In their eyes, Wu Liangchen was just a handsome pretty boy. He showed none of the Qi and Blood fluctuations expected of a Martial Artist, so their attitude was naturally one of utter arrogance.

Wu Liangchen stopped. He didn’t react immediately. Instead, he glanced at the woman glaring daggers at him nearby before offering a smirk.

"Are you sure?"

"Cut the fucking crap! Our boss told you to kneel, so you...!" A burly man, whether truly hot-tempered or just trying to show off for the beautiful woman, started cursing.

But before he could finish, a flash of white light shattered his skull.

The corpse crashed to the ground, stunning the group into horrified silence.

The woman let out a terrified scream, for she saw Wu Liangchen charging straight for her.

"Help!"

But in the next instant, just as he was about to reach her, Wu Liangchen made a bizarre turn. He shot into the air, and before the horrified eyes of the crowd, he casually tossed a streak of white light toward the Central Stronghold behind them.

The white light passed straight through the wall and vanished inside without a sound.

By then, Wu Liangchen was already gone.

He left the group standing there, utterly dumbfounded.

What was going on?

The woman, too, was still reeling from the shock.

Wu Liangchen’s charge had terrified her.

Thankfully, nothing had happened to her.

But just as she was sighing in relief, flames erupted from the main hall, followed by a tremendous BOOM.

A massive fireball, propelled by a shockwave, instantly engulfed the entire group.

Only as the flames bore down on her did the woman finally understand Wu Liangchen’s true intentions.

’He only seemed to kill one man and leave. In reality, he never intended to let any of us escape.’

Despair and regret flooded her heart.

But it was too late for anything.

The massive shockwave instantly tore the terrified group to pieces, and then the fire consumed everything.

From a distant hillside, Wu Liangchen quietly admired the explosion.

Even from so far away, he could still feel the ground tremble. A strange glint flashed in his eyes.

’That Huang Longhai is truly a vicious schemer.’

’To prepare for a slim possibility, he actually planted such powerful explosives. If I weren’t so naturally cautious, I might have fallen for his trap.’

Earlier, when Wu Liangchen had entered the Central Stronghold, he’d found it was indeed full of gold and other valuables. But those things held little appeal for him. What truly mattered were items like Martial Arts Secret Manuals.

But as he searched, he suddenly caught the scent of sulfur.

The smell was extremely faint. He only noticed it because his senses had been greatly enhanced after Opening Veins; otherwise, he would have missed it completely.

Following the scent to its source, Wu Liangchen quickly discovered a startling fact: two of the Central Stronghold’s walls had been modified. They weren’t filled with treasure, but with high explosives.

’I don’t know where Huang Longhai got so many explosives, but since firearms exist in this world now, it’s not that surprising.’

The realization had broken him out in a cold sweat. Thankfully, he hadn’t done anything reckless, merely grabbing a few pamphlets on Martial Arts and other miscellaneous topics.

’If I’d struck that wall, even I would have been in for a world of hurt.’

So he had immediately backed out, only to run right into that group of fools.

Since they had been so rude, and that woman was as persistent as a vengeful ghost, Wu Liangchen certainly didn’t mind using Huang Longhai’s trap to send them all to the heavens.

The explosions finally began to die down, and a pall of smoke and dust settled over the area. The massive mountain stronghold had been utterly destroyed.

And with that, the once-mighty Cyan Cloud Mountain was reduced to history.

Wu Liangchen watched in silence for a moment longer, then leaped into motion, speeding down the mountain toward Huangpu Guard.

At that very moment, at the seaside garrison of the Huangpu Guard, a soldier with bleary, drunken eyes stumbled out the door. He was just about to relieve himself into the sea when he saw the faint outlines of many massive ships on the distant water.

At first he thought he was just drunk and seeing things.

But after rubbing his eyes hard, he realized it was no mistake. The alcohol in his system instantly turned to cold sweat, drenching him completely.

Then, in a shrill, trembling voice, he screamed, "En... enemy attack!"