Chapter 16: Greenhorn

As soon as Hong Tai finished speaking, the members of the Shadow Specter Sect moved to surround the group.

After learning that the newcomers belonged to the Shadow Specter Sect, the members of the three clans scattered around Blackwater Pond became anxious. They immediately started to brainstorm countermeasures, strategizing how to break through the encirclement.

Seeing the approaching Shadow Specter Sect's members, Zhou Qingchen's expression grew serious and no longer displayed the relaxed demeanor from before. "Old Han, it seems we'll need to split up and escape."

Zhou Qingchen had learned from Han Duping that Hong Tai, the leader of the group, had reached the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

Marrow Cleansing Realm experts were at the pinnacle of existence in the Fourth World. Although Zhou Qingchen was on his way to, and would eventually reach the Marrow Cleansing Realm, he was still only at the Meridian Opening Realm at the moment.

The Shadow Specter Sect used Zhang Heng to gather insider information. The fact that they still dared to start a confrontation meant they were exceedingly confident in their abilities.

"Mn, I know what to do," Han Duping's eyes flickered.

Thud thud!

Pang Jian suddenly dashed toward the collapsed warhorses.

The Dragonwood Spear that Zhou Qingchen gave him, his long saber, bow, and arrows were all on the horse.

He knew nothing about the Shadow Specter Sect and could not discern their cultivation realms. All he could do was retrieve his weapons and prepare for the impending battle.

"Everyone!" Zhou Qingchen raised his voice. "Don't worry about me. Just try your best to escape. I, Zhou Qingchen, vow that as long as I leave this place alive, I won't leave to cultivate in the Red Mountain Sect in the upper world until I've dealt with all the intruders from the Shadow Specter Sect here today!"

His words bolstered the morale of those loyal to the Zhou Clan.

"Kill those sewer rats!"

"Aren't they just some shady characters lurking in the shadows? What's there to be afraid of?"

The Zhou Clan's cultivators tightly gripped their weapons and fearlessly charged toward the members of the Shadow Specter Sect, seemingly unafraid of death.

The space in front of the Blackwater Pond was shaped like an open folding fan. Their group stood near the head, where the ribs of a folding fan would be expose. Meanwhile, the members of the Shadow Specter Sect had spread out to cover the area leading away from the pond, making it almost impossible for the group to escape without coming into contact with them.

Soon, those loyal to the Zhou Clan clashed with the members of the Shadow Specter Sect and fights broke out.

During that time, Pang Jian had retrieved his bow, arrows, long saber, and Dragonwood Spear. Looking up, he saw the bloody battle had commenced.

"Pang Jian, I'm afraid I won't be able to look after you during this fight. I can barely take care of myself. The best I can do is draw the worst of the fight to me," Zhou Qingchen said, glancing at the frowning Pang Jian from afar. Then, addressing the rest of the group, he shouted, "Everyone, please take care of yourself. I hope we'll meet again!"

With that, Zhou Qingchen dashed out like a leopard. Seven consecutive beams of deep red light burst from the Heartguard Mirror on his chest. The beams instantly killed several members of the Shadow Specter Sect, disintegrating their bones and turning them into piles of flesh.

Zhou Qingchen's ruthlessness and dominance shook the members of the Shadow Specter Sect, and those who had yet to reach the Meridian Opening Realm hurriedly moved out of the way.

Zhou Qingchen laughed heartily. He leaped over the piles of flesh, fearlessly charging forward as though nothing could stop him.

Hong Tai had long since known about Zhou Qingchen's Heartguard Mirror. Seeing him reveal it, Hong Tai squinted his eyes greedily and said, 'It appears to be a treasure bestowed by the Red Mountain Sect. Not bad, not bad at all!'"

Hiss!

He rode his python toward Zhou Qingchen, flattening the lush vegetation along the way. Wherever the python slithered, it left behind a rugged trench that dug several feet into the ground.

Zhou Qingchen had not only attracted the main forces of the Shadow Specter Sect but also captured the attention of their leader, Hong Tai. He single-handedly bore the brunt of the Shadow Specter Sect's primary force and significantly boosted the morale of the rest.

Amidst the chaos, Ning Yao approached the fallen crimson warhorse. With a kick, she flipped over its lifeless body and slung the bloodstained sack of spirit stones over her shoulder.

"Uncle Yuanshan, we need to leave quickly!" Although Pang Jian was standing beside her, she did not even spare him a glance as she joined forces with Ning Yuanshan to make their way toward the area farthest from Zhou Qingchen.

That was exactly where the Shadow Specter Sect's defenses were most vulnerable and where the pair planned to break through the encirclement.

In Ning Yao's mind, Pang Jian was already a dead man, destined to fall victim to the Shadow Specter Sect.

"I'm returning your money. From now on, I'm no longer obligated to do anything for your Ning Clan," Pang Jian declared as he watched her and Ning Yuanshan's figures getting further and further away. He retrieved the bag of silver coins from the bottom of his bamboo basket and flung it at Ning Yao.

Ning Yao paid him no heed. She did not even turn her head.

Her attention was on Zhang Heng, who had blocked their path. "Zhang Heng, my Ning Clan treated you well, yet you dare to plot against us!"

"Treated me well?" Zhang Heng watched as Ning Yao and Ning Yuanshan rapidly approached from atop a warhorse he had hidden. "To the Ning Clan, those who do not bear the surname Ning are nothing but cannon fodder you can sacrifice at will. When have you, the young mistress of the Ning Clan, ever looked at me with respect?"

His eyes took on a sinister glint as he stared at Ning Yao's face. His throat emitted a low, guttural sound as if he were forcefully swallowing his saliva.

Laughter erupted from behind a lush tree. "This time, you've rendered great merit for the sect. We'll ensure this girl pays her respects to you properly later. Elder Hong has long promised to let the girl serve you first."

As soon as this voice rang out, Ning Yao's expression darkened, realizing that the situation was not as simple as she had thought.

Ning Yuanshan suddenly screamed, "Be careful!"

Long pikes and short spears shot out like streaks of lightning from the bushes and trees in front of Ning Yao and Ning Yuanshan.

The two frantically dodged and blocked the attack, but they could hardly keep up.

Meanwhile, seeing the dire situation, the pale-faced Shangguan Qin decided to make a deal with the persistent fat man. "Han Duping, if you can get me out of here alive, I-I'll let you have your way with me!"

In her mind, gritting her teeth and reluctantly accepting Han Duping's advance was better than falling into the hands of the Shadow Specter Sect and suffering unspeakable humiliation.

"The few pounds of meat on your body aren't as important as my life." Despite always drooling over Shangguan Qin's body, Han Duping could not care less about her at this critical moment of life and death.

Han Duping enveloped himself in a shimmering suit of silver armor. Crouching down, he contracted his body and rolled on the ground like a shiny silver ball.

The members of the Shadow Specter Sect hacked and slashed at the silver ball. However, they only managed to produce a few sparks.

Hidden within the silver ball, Han Duping took the opportunity to thrust out his needle-like weapon, killing several members of the Shadow Specter Sect that were surrounding him.

"Han Duping! You despicable scoundrel! You'll meet a miserable end!" Shangguan Qin, feeling insulted, cursed loudly. However, she ultimately chose to follow Han Duping in breaking through the encirclement.

The Shadow Specter Sect had intercepted the breakout group. Only Pang Jian still lurked among the pile of dead warhorses, waiting for an opportune moment.

"There's still someone waiting foolishly here," said a slender member of the Shadow Specter Sect. The man leisurely approached, clutching a spiked club taller than him.

The newcomer leaped into the air and brought the spiked club crashing toward Pang Jian's head, intending to deal with him before pursuing Shangguan Qin.

The voluptuous Shangguan Qin was just his type and he was itching with desire.

A cultivator in the Qi Practicing Realm,

Pang Jian noted, recalling what Zhou Qingchen had told him before.

According to Zhou Qingchen, cultivators that had not reached the Meridian Opening Realm could not channel their spiritual power through their meridians. As such, their combat prowess was not much stronger than a normal person's.

Pang Jian calmed down. He waited with cold eyes for the approaching figure, not a shred of nervousness or fear on his face.

Even as a child, he was not someone easily taken advantage of. Pang Jian had always been the hunter in the Solitary Mountain Range.

Taking a deep breath, he switched to a combat-ready stance. His eyes and heart were steady. An icy, murderous aura surrounded him.

Pang Jian was accustomed to using a long saber. Seeing the spiked club approach, he discarded the Dragonwood Spear and instead used both hands on his long saber to block the club.

Clang!

The impact caused Pang Jian's hands to go numb. Even his long saber had deformed from the blow. The poor quality and rigidity of the long saber made it unsuitable for combat between cultivators.

Pang Jian decisively reclaimed the Dragonwood Spear.

Unexpectedly, the spear, which felt incredibly heavy the first time he lifted it, had now become unbelievably light.

The weight of the Dragonwood Spear had not changed. The only thing that had changed was himself!

A powerful force surged from the joints of his arms as he tightly gripped the spear.

That dream, with the cleansing of the bone marrow in my arms and ribcage...

The slender man from the Shadow Specter Sect was stunned that Pang Jian had withstood his attack. Adjusting the angle of the enormous spiked club, he prepared to attack again.

Within that time, the younger, but taller and more robust Pang Jian had already approached the slender man with his spear.

"You dare retaliate against me?" The slender man swung his spiked club, intending to crush Pang Jian's skull and break every bone in his body.

Boom!

Upon impact with Pang Jian's spear, the spikes on the club's head shattered and sprayed all over the slender man's face and body. His hands on the spiked club could not withstand the force of the impact and burst open into bloody wounds.

Pang Jian had defeated his opponent with one strike.

Looking at the gruesome sight of the slender man, he could not help but mutter to himself, "So these are the cultivators from the Shadow Specter Sect? They're not very impressive,"

Pang Jian then stabbed the tip of his spear into the slender man's neck.

The Dragonwood Spear pierced the slender man's neck with a squelch.

Seeing how easily he killed the slender man, Pang Jian realized what Zhou Qingchen had told him before was true. Cultivators who had not reached the Meridian Opening Realm had not made any qualitative breakthroughs, and their combat abilities were limited.

Atop the last surviving warhorse, Zhang Heng let out a mournful, angry wail at the slender man's death, "Zhang Hu!"

He abandoned his fight with Ning Yao and Ning Yuanshan and rode his warhorse straight toward Pang Jian.

"Little Brother!" Eyes wide with fury, Zhang Heng stared at the fallen body of Zhang Hu, hoping to detect any sign of life. Unfortunately, his younger brother Zhang Hu was as dead as the poisoned warhorses he was surrounded by.

Zhang Hu was the only reason Zhang Heng had joined the Shadow Specter Sect. He whipped his warhorse in a rage as he screamed, "Pang Jian!"

Pang Jian wasted no time. He nocked an arrow into his bow and shot at Zhang Heng.

Previously, Pang Jian needed considerable effort to draw his bow. Now, however, he could fully draw his bow in the blink of an eye. He continuously shot arrows at Zhang Heng, but Zhang Heng either dodged them or blocked them with his longsword.

Zhang Heng was steadily approaching when Pang Jian switched targets to shoot at the galloping warhorse instead.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Arrows pierced the warhorse's eyes, neck, and forehead. After being blinded, it thrashed wildly, flinging Zhang Heng off.

Before Zhang Heng could even hit the ground, Pang Jian darted out like lightning, repeatedly stabbing upward with his Dragonwood Spear, piercing a series of holes in Zhang Heng's body.

Zhang Heng hit the ground, having met the same fate as his younger brother.

"You were so fierce. I thought you'd actually pose a threat to me," Pang Jian muttered with a strange expression on his face as he glanced at Zhang Heng's corpse.