86: Chapter 86 targets

By the dim moonlight, Ye Xuan saw that the area was filled with jagged rocks, and Heitu Village was built against the mountain.

The village walls were built from bluestone, standing about two zhang high, with the silhouettes of patrolling soldiers pacing back and forth inside.

Beside Ye Xuan, Scarface immediately ordered, "Infiltrate with me! Burn their damn grain supplies!"

“Wait a moment!” Just as the following soldiers were about to head toward the back gate, the weakest point of the village's defenses, Ye Xuan suddenly spoke up to stop them.

He pointed ahead and said, "There's a hidden sentry in the shadows to the left of the village gate."

Scarface looked in the direction Ye Xuan was pointing and indeed saw a dark figure curled up there, clearly a hidden sentry.

Thanks to his Qi Refining Fourth Layer cultivation, Ye Xuan's vision was naturally sharper than an average person's, allowing him to see things others couldn't.

This scene surprised Scarface a bit, and he then ordered, "Since that's the case, Brother Ye, I'll have to trouble you to lead the way!"

He was quite adept at taking advantage of the situation.

Ye Yi glanced at him, finding things increasingly strange.

"Go!" Ye Xuan's voice rang out.

Ye Yi had no choice but to follow Ye Xuan to deal with those sentries first.

The two brothers moved with light steps, suppressing their auras. The hidden sentries only felt a gust of wind before their heads were separated from their bodies, falling to the ground.

After dealing with a few sentries and confirming there were no more, they blew a bird whistle.

Seeing this, Scarface led the soldiers behind him, crouching low as they quickly circled to the back gate of Heitu Village and slipped inside.

Meanwhile, Ye Xuan noticed there were quite a few guards at the back gate, a mix of bandits and government soldiers. Infiltrating further seemed unrealistic.

Seeing this, Scarface immediately said, "You guys pin down these guards first; I'll go burn the grain!"

Before Ye Xuan and Ye Yi could even react, Scarface immediately drew his bow and shot an arrow through a bandit who was playing drinking games.

This single arrow immediately stirred up a hornet's nest.

"Who's there?!"

"Enemy attack! Prepare for defense!"

Over a hundred people below all drew their weapons. Seeing several unfamiliar faces perched on the back gate wall, they all charged forward with sabers and swords.

"Damn it! This Scarface is too reckless! Is there even a point in trying to be stealthy anymore?!"

Ye Yi cursed loudly.

Ye Xuan looked toward Scarface, who had already run off to burn the granary, while the soldiers behind them seemed to have pre-arranged to vanish quickly, leaving the two of them to deal with these people alone.

It was obvious they were being left to fight a lonely battle.

Before Ye Yi's curses even landed, dozens of steel sabers had already slashed toward him.

He hastily drew the large saber at his waist, using the momentum of a side-step to sweep in a circle, barely blocking the group's onslaught.

Seeing this, Ye Xuan also drew his sword to meet the enemy. He didn't reveal his full cultivation, but the longsword in his hand was like a beam of flowing light, each swing carrying sharp Sword Qi.

Any bandit or official who stood before him had their throat slit by a single strike. Bodies flew as he forcibly tore a hole through the crowd.

Ye Yi gritted his teeth, his heart filled with constant shock and rage. He knew resentment was useless now; the only way to survive was to follow Ye Xuan and carve out a path of blood.

The two coordinated with each other: Ye Xuan led the attack, his Sword Qi sweeping across to open a path, while Ye Yi focused on defense, his large saber flying to block stray arrows. Even as new wounds appeared on their bodies, they didn't retreat in the slightest.

More and more people from Heitu Village gathered, with at least a hundred men surrounding them in a tight circle.

Leading them was a fat, bald brute with a ghost-head blade at his waist. His gaze was as vicious as a wolf's: "You dare barge into my territory and kill my brothers? Today, I'll tear you into ten thousand pieces!"

After the bald brute roared, he raised his ghost-head blade and slashed down, the blade wind whistling.

Ye Xuan's eyes narrowed. Without dodging or flinching, his longsword thrust straight out, accurately striking the back of the ghost-head blade.

With a loud "Clang!", the bald brute felt a massive force surge through. The webbing between his thumb and forefinger split, and the ghost-head blade nearly flew from his hand.

He stumbled back several steps before steadying himself, looking at Ye Xuan in sheer horror. "You... who are you? To be this powerful?!"

The bald brute was himself a Qi Refining First Layer Cultivator, yet his full-strength strike was easily neutralized by this mere foot soldier.

Seeing that this bald brute was also a Cultivator, Ye Xuan didn't waste words and took a step forward.

His figure closed in like a ghost.

Just as the bald brute tried to swing his blade again, a cold light flashed. He felt a chill at his neck and then died completely.

With the leader dead, the surrounding bandits and soldiers immediately fell into disarray.

At that moment, a violent explosion sounded from the direction of the granary. Flames shot into the sky, and thick smoke billowed.

Seeing the granary ignited, Scarface was immensely proud. Looking down at the surrounded Ye brothers, he shouted, "Ye Xuan! Ye Yi! Thank you both for pinning these people down! The grain is destroyed; you two can rest easy and die for your country here!"

It turned out Scarface had intended for the brothers to lead the charge from the start so he could take the opportunity to burn the grain and claim the great merit. As for the lives of Ye Xuan and Ye Yi, he didn't care at all.

"Son of a bitch!" Ye Yi cursed. He said to Ye Xuan, "That Scarface really is a problem."

Seeing Scarface and the soldiers all leaving, Ye Xuan's eyes darkened. He said, "It's not just Scarface, but also that Wang Sheng!"

"Brother, are you saying those two might be trying to kill us?!" Ye Yi was shocked even as he continued to hack through enemies.

Ye Xuan said deeply, "I'm not entirely sure, but it's almost certain! Now isn't the time to talk about this; let's break out!"

"Alright!"

The two brothers exerted their strength together, killing several charging soldiers before quickly jumping off the village wall.

The bandits and officials behind them were in hot pursuit.

Once they reached a secluded spot, Ye Yi immediately called his natal Spirit Beast.

A large eagle several meters long flew over with wings spread. Ye Xuan and Ye Yi immediately jumped onto the White Eagle's back and escaped, vanishing into the vast dark night.

Seeing such a large White Eagle, some officials in Heitu Village recognized it as the one that had interfered with the flywheel Cultivators on the battlefield.

Could those two be Cultivators?!

Meanwhile, Scarface, who was fleeing in triumph, was overjoyed as he saw the flames rising from Heitu Village behind him.

Now that he had burned Heitu Village's grain, he had achieved a great feat and gotten rid of those two brats. He had truly removed the thorns in his side.

Just as he was pondering how to ask Wang Sheng for a reward, a wild wind rose behind him.

Before Scarface could react to what was happening, a cold shout came from behind: "You certainly left in a hurry!"

Scarface's whole body stiffened, and he suddenly jerked the reins. The warhorse beneath him neighed in pain.

He looked back, and for a moment, his blood ran cold.

"You... how could you have made it out alive?" Scarface's voice carried unconcealable terror. He gripped the long saber at his waist tightly, his palms already drenched in sweat.

He had clearly seen with his own eyes the two of them surrounded by bandits and soldiers, and the chaos from the granary explosion should have made the encirclement impenetrable.

These two had actually managed to catch up alive, and so quickly at that.

Ye Yi stepped forward, his face full of killing intent, his large saber pointing directly at Scarface.

"You dog! If we hadn't been prepared, we would have died there today! You are truly loathsome!"