Chapter 58 - 49 : When The Hills Broke (2)

Chapter 58: Chapter 49 : When The Hills Broke (2)

Blood Tempering.

He did not call upon it yet. He didn’t need to. Not yet. The bandit suddenly shouted. Two more men rushed toward Ethan. His eyes narrowed. Now it was three against one. That changed things.

Ethan stepped backward. He didn’t panic. He simply adjusted his expectations. The first attacker came from the left. The second from the right. The wounded cultivator moved directly ahead.

Ethan waited.

The first blade came. He avoided it. The second followed. He blocked. The cultivator attacked immediately afterward. Ethan’s body twisted. The strike grazed his clothing. He stepped away.

Three opponents.

One of them was a Body Tempering cultivator. The others were skilled fighters.

Ethan could handle them individually. Together, they were dangerous. He looked toward the ridge.

No reinforcements yet.

He exhaled. Then his blood stirred. Just slightly. The familiar sensation spread through his body. Ethan allowed it. For only a moment.

Then it happened, his muscles responded faster. His perception sharpened. His next movement became smaller.

Cleaner.

The cultivator attacked. Ethan moved first. His dao struck the man’s weapon aside. His shoulder drove into the man’s chest. The cultivator stumbled. Ethan turned. The first fighter swung. Ethan ducked beneath the strike.

His short dao flashed. The man dropped his weapon and fell back. The second fighter hesitated but only for a moment. It was enough. Ethan stepped inside his reach.

One strike.

The man collapsed. Ethan immediately disengaged. He stopped the Blood Tempering response. The sensation faded.

He breathed once.

That was enough. He had no intention of letting it consume his strength unnecessarily. Not in this dangerous place. Across the battlefield, someone shouted.

"They’re coming!"

Ethan looked up. Figures were moving through the trees. The reinforcements had arrived. The first group to break through the trees was composed of state soldiers. They entered in formation. Their commander shouted orders.

"Hold the center!"

"Protect the wounded!"

"Don’t chase them into the hills!"

The disciplined response immediately changed the battlefield. The bandits who had been pressing forward suddenly found themselves facing organized resistance. Behind the soldiers came family retainers.

Their clothing marked them as belonging to different households. They moved with less uniformity than the state soldiers but with considerably more individual skill.

Then came independent fighters. Some carried swords. Others used spears or heavier weapons. They had been hired for this operation. They had no reason to die unnecessarily. But they had also been paid to fight.

And the moment they saw the battlefield, they understood that retreating immediately would accomplish nothing. More cultivators entered the area. Ethan recognized one immediately. A Body Tempering cultivator from one of the major families.

He had not been part of Ethan’s original group. He had been assigned to another section of the expedition.bThe man saw Black Fang. His expression changed.

"That’s him."

He moved forward. The other Body Tempering cultivator from Ethan’s group was still engaged with Black Fang.

The family cultivator rushed in to joined him.

Black Fang now has to face two Body Tempering cultivators simultaneously. He smiled.

"Finally."

The clash began. Ethan watched for only a moment. The family cultivator attacked from the side. The original cultivator attacked from the front. Black Fang moved between them. His body shifted with frightening efficiency.

He blocked one strike. Avoided another.

Then countered. The family cultivator was forced backward. The other cultivator pressed forward.

Black Fang turned. The two Body Tempering cultivators coordinated their attacks. For a few breaths, Black Fang was forced to defend.bThen his expression hardened.

He struck.

The impact sent one cultivator staggering. The second tried to take advantage. Black Fang turned and struck him as well. The two men separated. Neither had fallen. But Ethan could see the difference. Black Fang had more experience and he was also stronger.

Not overwhelmingly.

But enough to create pressure.The family cultivator gritted his teeth.

"Don’t let him separate us."

The other nodded. They attacked again. This time they worked together more carefully. Black Fang’s subordinate moved to interfere. A group of family retainers immediately blocked him.

The battle widened.

State soldiers pushed into the bandits. Independent fighters followed. The hills became a mass of intersecting battles. Ethan saw one group of bandits attempting to retreat. Another group moved from behind the trees.

A state soldier shouted. "Don’t break formation!"

The bandits attacked anyway. The soldier’s shield took the impact. Another soldier struck from behind. The attacker fell. The line held. Ethan moved toward a wounded fighter who was struggling to stand. He blocked an incoming attack. The man recovered his footing.

"Thank you."

Ethan nodded.

"Stay behind the line."

The fighter obeyed. That was enough. A bandit suddenly appeared from Ethan’s blind side. Ethan turned. Too late. The blade was already descending. A flash of azure light struck it aside. The bandit staggered.

Ethan looked toward the source. One of the Azure Cloud Sect disciples stood several steps away. The familiar deep azure robes, white inner garment. Restrained silver embroidery. The emblem of three layered cloud strokes surrounding a small crescent of azure light rested over the left chest.

The disciple didn’t say anything. He simply redirected the attack and moved on. Ethan watched him for a moment. Now he was finally seeing the sect disciples fight. Their movements were disciplined. They did not waste motion. They worked together naturally. There was no shouting between them.

A glance was often enough.

Another disciple moved beside the first. Their weapons crossed. One bandit was forced back. The second disciple finished the exchange. Ethan returned his attention to his own surroundings. The battle wasn’t over.

Far from it.

Black Fang suddenly roared. The sound drew Ethan’s attention. The bandit leader had broken through the two Body Tempering cultivators. One of them was down on one knee. The other had been driven several steps away. Black Fang didn’t pursue them.

Instead, he turned toward the hills. He was looking for an escape route. Ethan understood. He wasn’t trying to defeat everyone. He was trying to escape. Suddenly black Fang shouted.

"Fall back!"

Several bandits immediately responded. Others hesitated. Some had already begun fleeing. The command spread unevenly. That was the first sign of weakness. Black Fang’s organization was beginning to crack.

A state soldier saw him. "He’s moving!"

Several fighters turned. The family cultivator raised his weapon.

"Don’t let him escape!"

Black Fang looked toward them. His expression tightened, something resembling anger appeared on his face.

"You think this changes anything?"

His voice carried across the battlefield. "You take this hill and think you’ve won?"

He pointed toward the surrounding terrain. "There are more of us than you know."

The family cultivator stepped forward.

"Then we’ll clear every hill."

Black Fang laughed. " you wish." Then he continued. "You won’t have enough people."

That was the truth. The expedition had discovered the problem. There were more bandits than expected. The hills had hidden their numbers. Groups that had been thought to be isolated bands were connected through several paths and hideouts. That was why the expedition had been divided. That was also why the bandits had been able to resist for so long. Black Fang knew the terrain.

The expedition did not.

At least not yet.