Book 2: The Golden Lock of the Eight Gates
Chapter 22: The Fearsome Zhong Shan
“Puchi~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~”
Tianling-er couldn’t help but chuckle at Zhong Shan’s words. Zhao Suoxiang didn’t laugh but the twitching muscles on his face suggested that he was trying his best to hold his laughter in.
The four elders, though enraged, chose to bear with it and looked at the other two people besides Zhong Shan.
They didn’t recognize the lady in red, but they had heard that Zhong Shan had come home with a woman. Could she be Zhong Shan’s new wife? They stared at the other person.
They had heard during the daytime that there was a visitor, maybe the helper that Zhong Shan had recruited. But they didn’t expect the helper to be Zhao Suoxiang?
The heads of the four great families might not know Zhao Suoxiang of the Da Song Kingdom, but the elders had all heard about him. The elder of the Zhao family even knew him since they had the same last name.
“Zhao Danchen, how have you been?” Zhao Suoxiang, spear in hand, glared at Zhao Danchen with a cold smile.
“Iron Spear School, Zhao Suoxiang?” The elder of the Zhao family stared in astonishment. Indeed, Zhong Shan wasn’t a simple person; he not only reached the Xiantian Stage in the past year, but also befriend a person like him.
“You still recognize me? Good then. You killed my second uncle on the battlefield in the old days. Today, I can avenge my uncle.” Zhao Suoxiang coldly said.
“Zhao Suoxiang, today we only want Zhong Shan’s life, it has nothing to do with you. Back away quickly, we won’t cause you any trouble.” Zhao Danchen flatly said.
“Cause trouble? Hahaha, you must be joking. You came in without my permission and you think I will let you leave?” Zhong Shan abruptly laughed out loud.
“Old Zhao, no need to talk nonsense with him. Kill Zhong Shan, then we’ll be on our way.” The elder of the Qian family said.
“Ok.” Zhao Danchen replied.
Zhong Shan was smiling lightly, there was a twinkle in his eyes. He was waiting, waiting for the enemy to attack first because he had made arrangements early on.
Watching the expression on Zhong Shan’s face, Zhao Danchen frowned and felt that something was amiss. But there were only three people on the building and their surroundings were silent, an ambush was improbable. He figured that they were much more stronger than Zhong Shan’s side. As long as one of them could keep Zhao Suoxiang at bay, it wouldn’t be difficult to kill Zhong Shan.
“Let’s go~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~” Zhao Danchen shouted and leapt with the others onto the building.
Each of them held a long sword. They jumped upwards and it would only take two leaps to reach Zhong Shan.
Yet, right at this moment, the corner of Zhong Shan’s lip revealed a sly smile.
“Loose~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~”
Suddenly, a crisp voice came from the distance, several courtyards away.
When they heard the far away voice, the eight flying midair knew that it was trouble.
Indeed, by the command of that crisp voice.
“Hu~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~”
The sound of arrows zipping into the air followed. Arrows? It was an ambush?
However, even if there were arrows, they would have lost their momentum after traveling such a long distance. Besides, even if they were in range, they would only hurt the four family heads but wouldn’t scratch the elders.
Yet, when those in the air saw what was coming their way, they panicked. It was far from what they had imagined.
They were arrows, yet not ordinary arrows. It was from a ballista, the same kind used for sieges, the Eight Ox Crossbow.
It was called the Eight Ox Crossbow because it took eight oxen to draw the bow, or about thirty people to do the same. When attacking a city, it was such a powerful weapon that it could penetrate or even topple most city walls.
Though the arrows came from several courtyards away, its power was hardly diminished.
Forty giant javelin like arrows accurately fell upon the eight intruders.
If said intruders had been standing, they might have been able to dodge the attack. But in the air, there was little chance to evade.
“Bang, bang………..”
After a series of loud thumps, blood spat across the sky creating a sight too ghastly to watch. The head of the Li family was struck in the head; his head bursted open like a ripe fruit.
Three of the four family heads died right there. Only the head of the Sun family was barely able to escape. The giant javelins pa.s.sed through the chests of the head of the Zhao and Qian families. They had never expected to die so helplessly by the hand of Zhong Shan.
The four elders were more agile, but only three successfully escaped from the raining javelins. Unfortunately for the elder of the Sun family, he blocked two javelins with his sword, only to be pierced by three more javelins, nailing him onto a thick wall some distance away, quite dead.
Zhao Danchen and the other two elders were quicker on the draw and used their genuine energy to form protective shields to ward off the falling javelins. Only the elder of the Qian family, sadly, got nicked, blood spilled out of his left arm.
In a state of shock, the survivors landed on the ground with haughty expressions on their faces.
Zhong Shan, Zhao Suoxiang, and Tianling-er quickly jumped off the building, blocking their escape.
“It’s impossible. You couldn’t possibly have Eight Ox Crossbows. How? Forty of them? If you have that many in your residence, it’s impossible that I haven’t heard of them.” The head of the Sun family shouted. His family elder had just been slain by the volley of javelins. How could it be, it was impossible, impossible?
“Not receiving reports about them doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Humph. I told you that you won’t leave here alive after coming here.” Zhong Shan said chillingly.
“You killed my elder, you killed my elder. If our elder of the Gold Core Stage found out about it, he’ll paint this place with blood.” The Sun family head angrily ranted.
Zhong Shan looked at the head of the Sun family and said with a thin smile, “Ever since you all came into my home, I and the four great families will fight to the end. Gold Core Stage? So what? If he dares to come here, I won’t let him leave alive.”
To Zhong Shan, he would soon start the process of building his own dynasty and would have numerous enemies waiting for him. He would have to face enemies of the Nascent Soul Stage if necessary, so what so special about the Gold Core Stage?
“There’s poison on the arrows.” The elder of the Qian family suddenly cried out in horror, clamping his arm. He took out a pill and stuffed it into his mouth.
“Elder Qian, you alright.” The Sun family head asked in fright.
“I’m ok. Let me do some breathing exercise to force out the poison. Such strong poison, not even my Poison Expelling Pill could clean it out all at once.” The Qian family elder replied in horror.
The Sun family head saw the face of the Qian elder turn slightly purple. He turned around to look at Zhong Shan incredulously and said, “Zhong Shan, you’re vicious.”
“Vicious? Do you call it a kindness for you to come and a.s.sa.s.sinate me? Humph.” Zhong Shan sneered at his twisted logic.
“Let’s go.” Zhao Danchen called out.
“Where are you going?” Zhao Suoxiang raised his spear and stabbed at Zhao Danchen.
Tianling-er also raised her red silk, which was not fully restored yet, to block the elder of the Li family.
Zhong Shan also raised his machete and targeted the elder of the Qian family.
The head of the Sun family, though in anguish, had recognized how fierce Zhong Shan was. After a glance at the Sun family elder who was still nailed to the wall, he turned around and shamelessly ran. Zhong Shan was still fearsome, no, he was even more so now.
“Attack~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~”
Zhong Shan roared. His big machete, Nightmare, chopped at the Qian family elder. Zhong Shan’s body abruptly swelled under his clothes.
The Demonic Body Toning Method! The first level!
Mountain Splitter!
“Bang~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~”
Zhong Shan’s machete crashed against the long sword of the Qian elder.
What seemed to be a wave of genuine energy emanated under the Qian elder’s fee, pulverizing the bricks underneath from the tremendous force. Though poisoned, he was still able to defend himself from Zong Shan, who was only at the fourth level of the Xiantian Stage. After he warded off Zhong Shan’s attack, he wanted to flee.
Zhong Shan certainly wouldn’t let him and chased after him with Nightmare.
Zhao Suoxiang stabbed at Zhao Danchen with his spear imbued with a large amount of genuine energy. Zhao Danchen waved his sword to meet the spear, while closing in on Zhao Suoxiang.
Though Tianling-er’s red silk wasn’t fully restored, it could still be used as a weapon. Zhong Shan wasn’t worried about her safety since Tianxingzi had given her items to keep her alive before they left the school, in addition, she had reached the highest level of Xiantian.
The Sun family head ran in fear. He had thought it would be an easy job to kill Zhong Shan with the eight Xiantian pract.i.tioners; even going to the palace to kill the emperor would be easy for them. Yet, what had gone wrong now? The Sun family head had considered Zhong Shan as a scary person before, but now, he had discovered that he had severely underestimated him.
Zhong Shan was well prepared, with a trap already waiting for them. The Sun family head ran out of the Zhong residence, confuse why n.o.body had given chase? Was Zhong Shan just bluffing earlier?
“Ci~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~”
As he grappled with his doubts, a thin, purple sword burst out of his chest.
His eyes widened in disbelief. Someone had snuck up on him? And before he knew it, pierced his heart.
Zhong Shan was well prepared. Zhong Shan was too fearsome!
Before he died, the Sun family head looked at the purple sword on his chest and said his last words with difficulty, “An Ye Tang, Anhuang?”