Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 394: Chapter 394. Ganged Up by a Mob of Bandits

”Stand fast! Do not falter!” Xin Wuming exclaimed.

His motivational cry was unnecessary. Right now, it was too late to back out. The bandits came from all sides. There was no path to retreat to. Everyone was fighting to survive.

The caravan received hits from missed attacks, but its frames also possessed engraved words of power that provided it with strong durability. So, the defenders didn’t need to worry too much about the enemies hitting it. Otherwise, the battle would become even more difficult than it already was.

Because the average cultivation levels of the enemies were lower than them, they could still fight back even when they were greatly outnumbered. The problem came from the two Mystic Stage bandits who already killed two of their members. With another move, they wound another member and forced another into a disadvantageous position.

When they were about to score another kill, a blitz of light interfered.

The blitz of light was very fast. It bounced off multiple targets several times before stopping. The blitz of light revealed itself to be a man in a black suit. His face was covered by black clothes.

This man was Lu Fei in disguise. His mastery of First Light at Dawn had reached master level. It allowed him to make more complex turns when executing the art. The two enemy Mystic Stage bandits were among the ones repelled by his art.

Following Lu Fei was Qiang Dan, also in disguise. His glaive, coated in raging water, swung in a circular motion. The move discharged waves of water that splashed into the surrounding bandits, forcing them back. This gave the defenders a breather to reposition themselves and fight back more efficiently.

”Ho... Mystic Stage cultivators...?” The bandit leader muttered. ”They never said anything about Mystic Stage cultivators among this group...”

Lu Fei and Qiang Dan proceeded to face the two Mystic Stage bandits. Compared to the two bandits, their arts and weapons were better. Thus, they could still cope despite other weaker bandits harassing them.

As for the defenders, they were also better on other fronts aside from their cultivation levels, especially the ex-Royal Academy students. They had better arts, equipment, and tools. They used protective talismans to defend against the barrage of attacks. They applied the body-strengthening meridian points technique to give them a temporary power boost. Some also brought tamed beasts that were fighting the bandits.

Xin Wuming himself had improved a lot over the years. He never neglected his training. His swordplay was better. His Iron Skin combined with his footwork, the Hundred Misleading Steps, let him dive into the enemy’s midst while the two swords produced by his Iron Finger danced around the enemies. Even when the enemies hit him, he continued to focus on the offensive. Many bandits lost their lives to his reckless approach.

Despite being superior individually, they were still greatly outnumbered. Three more defenders lost their lives after five minutes passed. Almost all were wounded. Now that the body-strengthening meridian points technique had ended, the battle got even more difficult.

The bandit leader had not made a move. He continued to watch. He preferred to just watch. He knew they would win eventually. The problem was how many underlings he lost before they won. The enemies who claimed the most kills were the two mysterious Mystic Stage enemies and the leader of the courier group.

The bandit leader decided he could not continue to be a bystander unless he wanted the trouble of recruiting many new members. A longsword appeared in his hand, and he charged forward.

His primary target was Xin Wuming, who he deemed an easier target compared to the two mysterious Mystic Stage enemies. He used a movement art combined with his Mystic Stage’s ability to float in the air. He moved swiftly above his underlings by lightly stepping on their heads.

The bandit leader tried to ambush Xin Wuming from his back, but Xin Wuming’s trained battle instinct let him notice the incoming.

Xin Wuming used Blade Hand. A giant metal blade materialized as he made a circular motion. The blade forced everyone in his immediate surroundings to back off. He then aimed the blade at the incoming bandit leader.

Sadly, despite noticing the incoming, his opponent was a Mystic Stage cultivator. The bandit leader performed a swift kick as he arrived. His kick shattered Xin Wuming’s metal blade. With a swift motion, the bandit leader thrust his longsword into Xin Wuming’s chest. The sword easily pierced the Iron Skin protecting Xin Wuming’s body.

”Fool! You should have run when you can!” The bandit leader mocked. His palm headed to Xin Wuming’s head, ready to crush it.

Xin Wuming ignored the sword piercing his chest. He used his two arms to protect his head.

The palm struck his arms, resulting in a loud sound. The impact sent Xin Wuming flying far away. He crashed and skidded on the ground, leaving a long trail.

”Finish him!” The bandit leader instructed. He turned in another direction and moved away.

The nearby bandits chased after Xin Wuming. Most thought the guy was already dead, but their leader had issued the order. They needed to make sure.

When they arrived, they were surprised to learn that Xin Wuming was still alive. He was in terrible condition, though. Blood was leaking through a hole in his chest, and his arms were broken. They immediately crowded around him and started sending stabs and blows.

Xin Wuming couldn’t resist this gang-up. All he could do was cover his head with his arms again. Since his arms were broken, they hurt terribly every time they received a hit. He persisted in covering his head. That was his most vital part.

Suddenly, the blows that caused him unending pain stopped. His first thought was, had he died? But then he realized the pain was still there. It was the blows that had stopped.

He was hesitant to open his arms to look at the situation. Perhaps the bandits were tricking him. They wanted him to open his arms so they could hit his head, so he remained in his position. He covered his head firmly until he heard a familiar voice.

”Get up, Wuming.”

”What...?” He immediately opened his arms upon hearing the voice.

But before he turned in the direction of the voice, his attention was taken by his immediate surroundings. The bandits who ganged up on him earlier were all down on the ground, and all of them had their heads separated from their bodies. While he was still flabbergasted by the scene, his attention was taken by the chaotic yell of an incoming group of bandits. This group was running toward him.

He was about to rise to prepare himself against this incoming group when someone flashed past him from behind. This person flashed amidst the bandit group with speed almost imperceptible to his eyes. When the person stopped, all the bandits fell to the ground. His eyes weren’t looking at those fallen bandits, though. They were glued to the broad back of the man who just took down the bandit group.

”Big... Big brother...?” His voice was shaking, partly because of fear that what he saw was a mirage. The other part was joy and excitement if it was not.

The repeated voice of the man assured him that it was not a mirage.

”I said, get up! You look pathetic laying down like that.”

”Big brother!” Xin Wuming called. He hurriedly rose to his feet.

”That’s more like it,” Amon remarked. ”Follow me!”

Amon rushed toward the mob of bandits still harassing the defenders around the caravan. Xin Wuming, who was running behind him, found that a large wolf was running with him. This was Amon’s tamed beast, the Moon Wolf.

Amon’s two hands spread out as he ran. Countless starlights flew out of him. These starlights rained on the bandits. Those who were keen enough escaped instant death, while those who were not, had flying knives stuck in their brains.

”Another interferer?” The bandit leader uttered with displeasure. This task was getting more troublesome than it was worth.

He had joined his two Mystic Stage comrades to fight the enemy’s two Mystic Stage cultivators. Despite the enemy’s better arts, they managed to corner the two thanks to his interference. They had just wounded the one with the glaive. He was about to push their advantage further to quickly finish the two when this third unknown enemy joined the fray.

”I will end that fool and return soon,” the bandit leader told his two comrades. He charged at Amon. His Mystic Sense informed him Amon was a Transformation Stage cultivator. This should not take long.

”Fool! Die...!!” The bandit leader exclaimed as he swung his sword at Amon.

Amon didn’t dodge. He had the ceremonial dagger in his hand. He slashed the ceremonial dagger at the incoming sword.

When the sword and dagger collided, a clanging sound was heard. But instead of the two weapons recoiling from the impact, the black dagger sliced through the sword like it was paper. The bandit leader didn’t have the time to be surprised as the dagger continued unhindered and sliced past his neck.