ushernet Chapter 251 Reinforcements, 5 Assassins
Chapter 251 Reinforcements, 5 Assassins
Chapter 251 Reinforcements, Five Killers
"Horses neigh, the wind howls, cold light shines on iron armor"—this is not a poem, but refers to five notorious assassins in the Wu Lao Hui (Martial Arts Society).
Of course, "infamous" is just what outsiders say; within the Wu Lao Hui (a martial arts association), they are known as the "Five Tigers."
These five individuals are not ranked by age, but rather by their cultivation level, and are, in order: Ma Ming, Feng Xiaoxiao, Yue Hanguang, Qin Zhao, and Sun Tieyi.
All five were martial arts saints, and had served the Martial Elders' Association for many years, making great contributions. Almost all the dirty and hard work, such as sneak attacks, assassinations, and robberies, were handled by these five.
Logically speaking, five martial artists at the Martial Saint realm could have easily secured a better position in the Martial Elders' Council, but none of them complained or made any demands.
The five of them always carried out the tasks assigned by the Martial Elders Association with utmost care. The reason for this was that the five of them were fond of engaging in shady dealings such as murder, theft, and plunder.
Perhaps due to shared ideals or similar interests, the five of them had a very deep friendship, always advancing and retreating together, and never acting alone.
This time was no exception. After receiving the instructions from the Martial Elders Association, the five of them set off immediately, traveling day and night to reach Songcui City.
Their mission was to eliminate Liu Guang, the biggest traitor in the society, and at the same time reinforce Li Sheng, the garrison commander of Songcui City, to help him block Longhua Road and capture the bandit leader Xiao Chong. Of course, if capture proved difficult, killing him on the spot was also an option.
The mission was received at dusk three days ago, and two full days and three nights have passed since then. During these two days and three nights, the five of them have been rushing to Songcui City without eating, drinking, resting, or sleeping.
They were terrified of missing the battle of Songcui City. If they had to make a long march and arrived only to find that the traitor Liuguang and the bandits of Longhuadao had escaped, it would be an immense regret for them.
Actually, the five of them weren't very interested in Longhua Dao or Xiao Chong. What truly excited and thrilled them was the Martial Saint Liu Guang.
Liu Guang was renowned in the Wu Lao Hui (a martial arts association) and was an indispensable figure in the army.
If they could slay a martial saint on the battlefield, it would be their greatest glory and add a glorious chapter to their assassin career.
Therefore, they were in a great hurry.
At this moment, the sky was just beginning to lighten, and Songcui City was already close at hand.
Seeing the hundred-zhang-long section of the city wall collapsed not far away, Sun Tieyi, whose cultivation was the weakest, became somewhat impatient and said to the other four, "Are we too late? Look at how badly the city wall is damaged, could it have already fallen into the hands of the bandits from Longhua Dao?"
Feng Xiaoxiao, one of the five, also said, "Logically, this shouldn't be the case. Li Sheng, who is guarding the city, is at least a Martial Saint. Even if he is no match for Liu Guang, he should be able to hold his own for a few days, right? Could it be that there are other experts in Longhua Dao who can rival Liu Guang?"
Yue Hanguang, who was walking in the middle, continued, "Impossible! The information from the association is always accurate. There is no Martial Saint in the Longhua Dao. Even their leader, Xiao Chong, is only a Grandmaster."
"That's strange. The city wall is so badly damaged. Could it be that Li Sheng and Liu Guang perished together?" Sun Tieyi asked with a puzzled expression as he continued walking.
Just then, the five of them suddenly sensed a change in the surrounding天地元气 (heaven and earth energy), which gently flowed towards the very center of Songcui City.
This change was extremely sudden. When it was first noticed, the flow of vital energy was still very slow, but it quickly surged like a tide, and in just a moment it transformed into the force of thunder, forming a vortex above Songcui City and pouring down.
What's most perplexing is that there seems to be a beam of light in the sky, projected down along with the vortex of energy.
"What's going on? Why are all the elemental energies within a hundred miles of Songcui City gathered together? Could it be that Li Sheng is fighting with Liuguang?"
Seeing the massive amount of primordial energy materialize and surge into the city like a tide, Sun Tieyi was surprised and asked.
"Very likely. Look at the direction of the energy flow, isn't it heading towards the City Lord's Mansion? I just don't know what that beam of light is all about."
Even Qin Zhao, who was usually taciturn and rarely spoke, couldn't help but speak up.
"Stop speculating here. We'll find out everything once we get into the city!" Ma Ming, the most powerful of the five, interrupted the other four.
"The boss is right, we'll find out once we go in."
"Let's go and take a look!"
"Don't miss it!"
After the five nodded in agreement, they fell silent and rushed straight towards the city lord's mansion.
……
In the courtyard of the City Lord's mansion, Xiao Chong sat motionless, his face contorted in pain. He had seriously underestimated the difficulty of breaking through to the Martial Saint realm.
After delivering that earth-shattering punch when the city was breached, Xiao Chong not only lost all his Yuan energy, but his meridians were also greatly shaken, with many small meridians even showing signs of rupture.
However, Xiao Chong believed that without destruction, there could be no construction. If he did not take this opportunity to break through to the Martial Saint realm, his physical condition was very likely to become even worse.
Moreover, the situation at the time was somewhat critical, leaving him no time for careful planning.
With such a major event as the assassination of Martial Saint Wang Yi occurring in Songcui City, the Martial Elders' Association will undoubtedly send a large force to reinforce it. This danger could arrive at any moment, and even if he abandons the city, there's no guarantee he won't run into the people sent by the Martial Elders' Association.
In view of this, Xiao Chong was willing to take great risks and do everything he could to improve his strength as soon as possible and break through to the Martial Saint realm amidst the chaos.
Unexpectedly, this breakthrough was more dangerous than any of the previous ones.
Now, his meridians are damaged, his vital energy is completely depleted, and his body's ability to withstand stress has been greatly reduced. The star power of the Broken Army Star can not only repair the damaged meridians, but also expand and transform them, but this pain is almost unbearable for him.
The Taoist followers of Longhua are no longer as confident and calm as they used to be. Instead, they are as anxious as ants on a hot pan, restless and uneasy.
The Daoist Master has been in seclusion for two days and three nights, but there is no sign of it ending. The reinforcements from the Martial Elders' Association could arrive at any moment. How can they remain calm?
The Taoists were anxious, and Helian Tieshu, Xiao Chong's four companions, as well as Liu Guang, Situ Jiannan and his sister, and others who were close to Xiao Chong, were even more anxious.
For the past two days, they have been guarding outside the courtyard, not daring to leave for a moment, fearing that something might happen to Xiao Chong during his breakthrough. But they cannot go in either; breaking through the barrier is a major event, and if they are alerted, they could be injured at best, and killed at worst. How could they treat it as a child's play?
As dawn approached, Xiao Chong remained in seclusion, causing Helian Tieshu and the others great anxiety and unease.
Just as the group was shrouded in gloom, a scout at the Grandmaster level rushed in to report: "Five martial artists have appeared outside the city and are heading towards the City Lord's Mansion. They are likely reinforcements sent by the Martial Elders Association."
Helian Tieshu was startled and hurriedly asked, "Only five people? What are their cultivation levels?"
The scout said, "His aura is similar to Mr. Liuguang's, but I can't discern anything else."
Similar to Liu Guang, isn't that a Martial Saint? Helian Tieshu realized he couldn't handle it and turned to look at Liu Guang.
Liu Guang said in a deep voice, "I'll go out and take a look first. You guys get ready." After saying that, he rushed away.
"Qingmeng, you stay here to look after the Dao Master. Fatty, go gather the men. Long Wu and Yin Feng, come with me to meet Mr. Liuguang!"
After the initial panic, Helian Tieshu finally calmed down and began to issue orders.