Stranger Danger

Time passed slowly, and the confidence on Profound Spirit Taoist’s face was slowly replaced by gravity and puzzlement.

It was because the three Divine Armors were still attacking the Immovable Fortress Formation with all they got, and the two thieves hadn’t taken their leave either.

Logically speaking, the thieves should have figured out his intentions by now. They should have accepted the victory and escaped far, far away. After all, they would surely die if reinforcements arrived, and they were caught up in a pincer attack.

The thieves weren’t stupid. They surely understood the risks as well as he did. And yet, they didn’t leave. This could only mean that they were plotting something else.

Is it the Eight Divine Armors?

The thought flashed through Profound Spirit Taoist’s mind. If the thieves really were plotting something, then it could only be the remaining five Divine Armors.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

It was also why he had chosen to form the Immovable Fortress Formation around the Peaceful Nanjiang Palace earlier. It was precisely to prevent his enemy from awakening more Divine Armors. So long as the Immovable Fortress Formation remained standing, they would not be able to set even half a foot inside the Peaceful Nanjiang Palace.

So, he wasn’t worried that his enemy could awaken the other Divine Armors.

“Hmph. A man who doesn’t know contentment is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. In the end, they are but mortals.”

But of course, it was just a fool’s hope. No matter how greedy and stupid his enemies were, they would never gamble with their lives. They would probably leave very soon.

“A shame, a shame…”

Profound Spirit Taoist sighed. He then shoved the stray thoughts to the back of his mind and focused on commanding his army.

“To concentrate ten thousand people’s strength on one spot, and to spread one force to ten thousand people. This Immovable Fortress Formation deserves its fame.”

Meanwhile, Ye Qing was praising the army formation after watching the three Divine Armors killing or injuring just several hundred soldiers despite having attacked it for over a teatime.

The principles of the Immovable Fortress Formation were very simple. It could gather everyone’s strength into one body. One was ten thousand, and ten thousand was one. It could gather everyone’s strength to one spot to block an attack. It could also spread an attack across everyone. This was why it was as immovable as a mountain and as tough as a city.

“Yes. In essence, it’s a tortoise shell that only knows how to endure a beating,” Fei Qingyou remarked casually.

“Sure, but it’s one heck of a tortoise shell.” Ye Qing shook his head. “It is unlikely these three Divine Armors could break this tortoise shell in a short time.”

“If you have any other cards to play, now is the time to play them, Qingyou. Otherwise, we’re gonna have to run.”

“They should be here soon.”

“Who’s they?” Ye Qing asked when suddenly, he sensed something and gazed toward the distance.

A few breaths later, several silhouettes burst out of the trees and into the open. They all boasted extremely powerful auras and cultivation levels.

“Miss Fei Xue…”

Ye Qing immediately recognized the leader of the group. She was none other than the owner of Brushing Moon Inn, Fei Xue.

“So, Miss Fei Xue is your backup plan?”

Feng Qingyou did not deny it and released a wisp of energy. When Fei Xue detected it, she immediately flew over and landed beside her.

“Are you alright, Qingyou?” Fei Xue asked urgently and looked her all over. Her face was fraught with worry and concern.

“Don’t worry. I’m fine,” Feng Qingyou replied smilingly.

Still looking her up and down, Fei Xue asked suspiciously. “Really?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Feng Qingyou asked, “How did it go?”

Fei Xue finally relaxed and reported, “Everyone’s here. I came here first because I’m worried about you. They’re outside the city right now.”

“Good. Tell them to enter the city. It’s about time we settle this,” Feng Qingyou ordered.

“Send the command!” Fei Xue turned to order a man standing next to her.

“As you command, princess!” The man answered with a salute.

The man was wearing a set of armor forged from the carcass of a Stranger. Half of his face was covered in snake-like scales, and his pupils were vertical like a reptile’s. It glowed cyan in the black night, cold and vicious.

He wasn’t the only one. The few warriors accompanying Fei Xue were all unusual in their own ways as well. One man was covered in thick black fur that looked like needles, another man had a scarlet eyeball on his forehead, a third had thick limbs that resembled a beast’s claws, a fourth was covered in insects…

The man pulled out a horn carved from a beast’s bones and blew it.

Ooooooooooo…

The silhouette of a strange beast took form in the sky. Then, it lifted its head and howled. It howled sounded like the extended roar of a tiger and a leopard. The two different cries clashed metallically like swords and sabers and created this solemn, desolate feeling that could only be found on a battlefield.

“The Malevolent Horn?”

Ye Qing lifted his eyebrows. Legend had it that there existed an ancient tribe in Nanjiang called the Malevolent Tribe. Their totem was the ancient Stranger Malevolent.

Malevolent was an Ancient-class Stranger with a tiger’s head and a leopard’s body. Covered in scale armor, it could rip and tear a drake, a dragon, a kun or a peng with its bare hands and generally fed on ancient divine beasts. It was extremely powerful to say the least.

The Malevolent Tribe did not just worship the Malevolent as their totem. The blood of the Malevolent ran in their veins as well. Extremely warlike and powerful, they were once the biggest tribe in Nanjiang.

After the Nanjiang Royal Court was founded, the Malevolent Tribe joined them and served the royal family of Meng. Unfortunately, the rebellion that wiped out the Meng Clan over a hundred years ago also destroyed most of the Malevolent Tribe. They were on the verge of extinction when the remnants vanished into the deeper areas of Nanjiang, never to be seen again.

The Malevolent Horn was the Malevolent Tribe’s sacred object. Legend had it that it was made using the Malevolent’s bones, and that it contained its soul. When blown, the soul would awaken and create noises of war. During times of war, it could raise the warrior souls of the Malevolent Tribe for combat purposes.

However, the Malevolent Horn was supposed to have disappeared together with the remnants of the Malevolent Tribe. Ye Qing didn’t think he would see it here.

There was no doubt that the man with half a scaly face was a member of the Malevolent Tribe. It was because only a tribesman could use the Malevolent Horn.

If Ye Qing could recognize the Malevolent Horn, then Profound Spirit Taoist, a man who had waged war against Nanjiang for decades, could only do better. It was why he suddenly had a bad feeling about all this.

The moment the Malevolent Horn was blown, over a thousand silhouettes wearing animal skin and scale armor appeared. Every single one of them was a Half-Step Trueman.

Clearly, they were the warrior souls of the Malevolent Tribe awakened by the Malevolent Horn for battle.

There might only be a thousand of them or so, but they were unkillable and extremely powerful.

This was just the beginning of the surprise for both Ye Qing and Profound Spirit Taoist, however. After the horn blaring subsided, battle cries suddenly erupted inside the Nanjiang Royal Court. They were growing louder by the second. At the same time, countless people flooded into the inner city like tidal waves.

The newcomers were all dressed in animal skin or hemp garments. They looked both barbaric and primitive. They were none other than the natives of Nanjiang.

The Nanjiang natives could roughly be separated into three large groups. One group wore animal skin and armor. There were reptilian scales around their face, neck, limbs and other exposed areas. Fierce and bloodthirsty-looking, they numbered around five thousand people or so.

The other group wore bone masks and wielded bone weapons. Yin wind blew constantly around them like the wails of countless ghosts. Their very presence struck a chill in everyone’s heart.

There were over three thousand of them, so the yin wind they created was almost a yin storm. It was like a ten thousand ghost parade or something, enigmatic and terrifying.

The last and smallest group of the three only numbered thousand people or so. They were wearing leaves and branches, and they were surrounded by all sorts of venomous insects such as snakes, scorpions, mosquitos, centipedes and more. Their appearance numbed one’s scalp to put it mildly[1].

1. The Australians have arrived. ☜