120: Chapter 120 Five Masters of Internal Force!

The Third Squad, where Lin Tian was, had been traveling quite smoothly.

Although there was no lack of fierce beasts and birds in the outskirts of the Taixuan Mountain Range, the team was guarded not only by Lin Tian but also by another Fourth-Rank Early Stage expert hired by the Liu family at a great cost, along with several Peak Rank 3 Martial Artist guards; the lineup could be described as luxurious.

Ordinary beasts traveling in groups of three or five were driven back by sharp arrows or hidden weapons before they could even get close; even when encountering small wolf packs, they were broken and routed through the cooperation of everyone, leaving behind quite a few wolf skin Materials.

Although the journey was not fast, it was steady.

However, as the team gradually approached the entrance of the Black Wind Gorge, where the cliffs on both sides became increasingly steep and narrow, and the light grew dim and unclear, a sense of warning inexplicably arose in Lin Tian's heart.

This was an instinct born from surviving life-and-death battles, a near-instinctive awareness of danger. The air seemed to be permeated with a faint, chilling, and murderous aura that was different from that of the beasts in the mountains.

"Everyone be careful, there might be an ambush ahead," Lin Tian pulled on his reins and warned in a low voice. One hand was already pressed against the hilt of his autumn water sword.

The Purple Haze Hidden Force within his body quietly accelerated its circulation, raising his spiritual perception to the limit as he carefully sensed every movement around him.

The Martial Artists in the same squad heard this and became vigilant, drawing their weapons and forming a defensive formation, protecting the two mule carts carrying cargo in the middle.

The Fourth-Rank old man accompanying them, surnamed Han and known as 'Mountain-Opening Saber' Elder Han, also had a grave expression. He slightly raised the giant saber in his hand, which was as wide as a door panel and had a gleaming blade.

His old eyes shone with sharp light, scanning the deep valley path ahead and the dense bushes on both sides.

Just as the team had carefully stepped less than a hundred zhang into the gorge—

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!"

A piercing, shrill sound of tearing through the air suddenly rang out!

Countless black dots erupted from behind the rocks and bushes on the cliffs on both sides, like a torrential downpour, covering the caravan from all directions!

They were arrows!

And there were so many of them, coming with such ferocity, that they were clearly fired from powerful military bows and crossbows!

"Enemy attack! Form a defensive array!" Elder Han roared, his voice like a booming bell. He swung his giant saber in a full circle.

He danced a curtain of gleaming blade light, knocking away all the arrows aimed at him and the mule cart in front of him, producing a dense sound of 'clanging'.

"Xiaguang Ten Thousand Rays!" Lin Tian reacted even faster. The instant the sound of arrows whistled, his autumn water sword had already been unsheathed!

The sword body was like a flowing pool of autumn water, carving a cold arc in the slightly dim light.

His wrist vibrated rapidly, and the Purple Haze Hidden Force within his body surged into the blade. In an instant, five condensed, brilliant, foot-long light purple Sword Qi rays burst forth from the tip of the sword.

They were not attacking the enemy, but rather, like five agile purple ribbons, they rapidly rotated and slashed around him and the mule cart at his side!

Wherever the Sword Qi passed, the incoming arrows were either directly severed or deflected by the sharp Sword Qi, falling to the ground one after another; not a single one could come within three feet of him!

The other guards also showed their own Divine Ability, with blade light and sword shadows flashing and energy whistling, blocking most of the arrows.

Even so, several guards were injured by stray arrows because they couldn't dodge in time, letting out muffled groans, though fortunately, the injuries were not serious.

The rain of arrows had just ceased, and before anyone could catch their breath, earth-shattering shouts of battle erupted from the mountain forests on both sides!

Dozens of figures dressed in black, holding various weapons and looking fierce, surged out like a tide, instantly surrounding the Third Squad!

These people moved quickly and coordinated with each other; they were clearly not a motley crew, but the very members of the Black Tiger Gang who occupied this area!

"It's the Black Tiger Gang!" Elder Han's Face turned ashen. His gaze quickly swept over the bandits surrounding them, finally fixing tightly on those few figures at the front of the bandit group whose auras were clearly superior to the others, standing out like cranes in a flock of chickens.

At this sight, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his hand gripping the giant saber tightened a little, his voice carrying a trace of undisguised horror: "Five... five Fourth-Rank Warriors?! This... how is this possible?!"

"What? Five Fourth-Rank Warriors?!"

"Where did the Black Tiger Gang get so many experts?"

"On our side, only Elder Han and that Young Master Lin are Fourth-Rank... this..."

Elder Han's words were like cold water poured into hot oil, instantly inciting panic within the guard team.

Even counting Lin Tian, they only had two Fourth-Rank Warriors, while the opponent had a full five!

This huge gap in strength was enough to make people feel despair.

In terms of the number of Rank 3 Martial Artists, the Black Tiger Gang also held an absolute advantage. This was almost a battle with no chance of victory!

Many guards already had looks of fear on their Faces, subconsciously shrinking back, their eyes wandering as they began to look for an escape route.

Someone whispered: "Elder Han, Young Master Lin, the situation is stronger than the people... The Liu family also said, if the matter cannot be done, we can abandon the goods to save ourselves..."

"Yes, if we keep fighting hard, we will probably all lose our lives here..."

"As long as the green hills remain..."

Panic spread like a plague.

Lin Tian stood with his sword, his gaze calmly sweeping over the five powerful leaders of the Black Tiger Gang.

The five stood in scattered positions, vaguely sealing off all directions for a breakout.

The one in the middle was the cold man who had reported to Li Tianxiong in the grotto earlier. His cultivation seemed to be the strongest, close to a Fourth-Rank Middle Stage.

The other four included two Fourth-Rank Early Stage, and two whose auras were slightly weaker, but they were undoubtedly Fourth-Rank.

"Five Fourth-Rank Warriors... truly troublesome," Lin Tian thought to himself, but he felt no great panic.

If it were a head-on clash in open terrain, he knew he would be no match for the five of them combined.

But this was a narrow and winding gorge with complex terrain, filled with loose rocks and bushes, which was extremely favorable for utilizing movement techniques.

His Cloud Shadow Step had reached the Minor Achievement stage, making him elusive and unpredictable; he was best at maneuvering in such environments.

Coupled with the newly acquired autumn water sword, which was incomparably sharp, he could better unleash the power of the Xiaguang Sword Technique.

If he only sought to protect himself, or sought an opportunity to break through and take out one or two people, it was not impossible.

As for these goods... he had promised Liu Yiyi to take the mission, so naturally, he would do his best, but if the situation was impossible, he would not be so pedantic as to fight to the death.

Just as morale was wavering, Elder Han took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the stormy waves in his heart, and shouted sternly: "Everyone steady yourselves! What are you panicking about! Losing heart before the fight even begins will only make you die faster!"

He was, after all, an experienced Jianghu veteran who knew that morale must not collapse at this moment.

He stepped forward, propping his giant saber against the ground, and cupped his fists toward the five Black Tiger Gang leaders, especially the cold man in the lead. His voice was loud, carrying the typical smoothness and probing nature of a Jianghu person:

"Friends of the Black Tiger Gang, I am 'Mountain-Opening Saber' Han Meng. I have no past grievances or recent grudges with your gang.

Blocking the road today must be for the sake of money. This cargo belongs to the Liu family of Yunzhou.

The Liu family and your honorable gang are both in the Yunzhou region; we shall meet again in the future.

How about this: we are willing to hand over half of the cargo on the carts, considering it as 'hard work money' and 'toll' for you brothers, to forge a good relationship.

If your gang could raise your hands high and let us pass, how about that?

As for the Liu family, I will explain it myself, and they will absolutely not make things difficult for your gang because of this."

Elder Han's words gave them plenty of Face and made a huge concession.

According to the rules of the Jianghu, when encountering tough opponents, it is common to hand over 20% to 30% of the cargo to buy passage.

He directly offered half, which was already showing great 'sincerity'.

Usually, bandit gangs would also go with the flow, because if a real fight broke out, even if they could win, they would inevitably suffer casualties on their own side.

Risking their lives for the remaining cargo was not cost-effective for a bandit gang that only sought wealth.

However, the cold man opposite just sneered upon hearing this, his Face full of disdain and cruelty.

"Half?" His voice was cold, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue. "Old man Han, I'm afraid you've gone senile.

Today, all of your cargo—the Black Tiger Gang wants it all!"

"You—!" Elder Han's Face changed drastically, anger rising in his eyes. This was simply leaving no room at all!

The cold man's mouth curled into a sinister arc, his gaze slowly sweeping over Lin Tian and the others as if looking at lambs waiting to be slaughtered, and he added: "Not only must the cargo be left behind... all of you, today, none of you will leave this Black Wind Gorge alive!"

Once these words were spoken, they were like an ultimatum, instantly pushing the already tense atmosphere between the two sides to the freezing point!

The guards of the Third Squad had the last trace of color fade from their Faces, their eyes filled with despair.