Chapter 484
Climbing Mountains
If Taihe knew of this, they would definitely be heartbroken over using a smoke bomb at night. Regular folk would not think of using smoke bombs at night, obviously not these attackers either. That was why as they were delighted with themselves over their superior vision, they were suddenly stunned. Within moments, the entire patch of forest was shrouded in smoke. They did not have time to hesitate because Flaming Horn was already rushing at them.
These people with Shao Xuan and Zheng Luo all hunted together seamlessly during the day. Basically, once the other person moved, they would know from the sound that this was not a Flaming Horn.
Shao Xuan heard a familiar crack and cocked an eyebrow. It was the sound of Zheng Luo twisting a shoulder. Shao Xuan had experienced this during the past few waves of attackers.
Both Flaming Horn and the Night Tribe couldn’t see much in the smoke but to Shao Xuan, he could see everyone.
Clang! Crack!
Duo Kang’s axe handle fell on an attacker, heavily breaking his metal armour and finally, creating the clear sound of broken bones. It wasn’t the work of a blade, it was the heavy force of an axe’s handle!
This was the Night Tribe’s first encounter with Flaming Horn, also an unforgettable one. They could sense the power and violence equivalent to fighting a fearsome beast. The Night Tribe felt like they weren’t fighting humans but mountain beasts.
“Retreat!” yelled one.
If they compared strength, they were definitely weaker. In the face of such powerful strokes, their agile techniques were inferior because their movements require some pause– due to the numbness from blocking such strong impact.
Plus, their advantage was supposed to be night vision. Without vision, they were not suited for blindly fighting wild savages! Plus, the savages were faster than them in these circumstances! Retreat!
Not entirely but retreating out of this smoky region. The bombs definitely didn’t cover the entire forest, just a small area. Staying here for the battle would be stupid.
The Night Tribe had just escaped out of the cloud when they were faced with a rain of arrows. The fastest ones could avoid the arrows but slower people were shot and later stabbed by Shao Xuan.
None of the arrows shot into the smoke because there were many Flaming Horns there. They followed his plan, which was to not chase after the Night Tribe. They must wait for the last arrow to be triggered, then exit upon Shao Xuan’s cue.
There was also a group of Flaming Horns hidden in the forest, other than the bunch in the smoke. Shao Xuan had exited the cloud of smoke. Shao Xuan killed the attackers shot by his arrows.
Somewhere far away, amongst the bushes, there were two pairs of eyes watching Shao Xuan carefully. They drew their arrows, focusing on him. Only these people had the ability to aim at a target in pitch-black.
Twang!
A very faint twang from the bowstring. A metal-tipped arrow flew at high speed towards Shao Xuan’s heart.
Shao Xuan’s eye twitched and with a twist of his wrist, he lifted his sword in front of him.
Clang!
Everyone shuddered when they heard the loud clang as the arrow hit his sword.
Shao Xuan looked towards the dense area of trees.
There were archers!
Shao Xuan focused on his totemic power, his totemic patterns hidden underneath a layer of mud applied on his skin. He sensed every air current around him, his ears catching every sound. He felt every leaf’s movement. Even if the enemy held their breath, they could not stop their heartbeats. Shao Xuan could feel every presence in a ten-meter radius.
There was one more person nearby. He smelt a suspicious smell and could hear the other person’s breath. Although this person was extremely stealthy, Shao Xuan could sense his specific location. He did not need his night vision. This was trained from years of hunting.
The two archers among the trees had an odd feeling as Shao Xuan looked at their direction. It felt as if this person could see them through the darkness and the trees. Like every detail was noticed.
With this odd feeling, they looked at each other.
“What now? Change to another spot?” implied one archer with a look.
The other archer looked at Shao Xuan, who was moving towards them. The odd feeling was becoming stronger!
He drew another arrow and in a second, the arrow flew.
Just as he shot the arrow, Shao Xuan accelerated, sprinting in their direction like a panther. He took a powerful leap in the air. As both feet left the ground, his sword hit the arrow.
Clang!
The arrow was diverted. Shao Xuan grabbed a branch and swung himself, catching the arrow. He threw the arrow.
Pfft!
There was a muffled thud.
One of the archers was pierced by the arrow.
Blood gushed from the wound. The injured archer was about to leave but felt a sharp pain. He looked down at his chest. He was wearing armour to protect his heart but this arrow did not hit it. More specifically, the arrow didn’t even hit the armour but pierced him near the edge of the armour.
A coincidence? Or…
The injured archer was filled with confusion and shock, and at the same time felt a sense of hopelessness. He had a thought that scared himself so much he was now drenched in sweat. His body could no longer support his weight. He collapsed heavily, groaning in pain. These arrows were coated in poison. This poison spread quickly through the arrow wound. They never thought that these arrows would be turned against them when they coated them in poison.
The archer, clad in black, looked at Shao Xuan again. Shao Xuan was approaching. He was shaking all over now, not sure from his pain or the shock of his revelation. Before he lost consciousness, he roared.
“He can see us!”
The other archer was about to run when Shao Xuan slashed his sword.
Other attackers hiding nearby were shocked. They heard what their partner said.
He can see us?
How is that possible?
Isn’t he from Flaming Horn?
They had never heard of Flaming Horns with night vision! If that was the case, it was out of their expectations. How is this possible! How is this possible?!
Everyone hiding near Shao Xuan was anxious. If their opponent could see them, then they had no more advantage!
They were about to run when they heard a whistle. It sounded like the breeze blowing through branches. One guy’s heart clenched and turned to swing his sword.
Clang!
Shao Xuan held his sword up, bringing with it a force of violence as it slashed downwards. It was like a beast mercilessly waving its sharp claws.
The person who blocked felt a sharp pain in his body, as if his entire skeleton would fall apart with this collision. His knees almost gave out under him. His face, initially filled with violence, was now contorted with the pain extending from his wrist, to his shoulders, to his entire body. No one could see his features as they were covered with black cloth.
The sound of two blades colliding was as cold as ice, sending vibrations to their eardrums. Every hair stood on its end, muscles shivered.
A blade moved in an arc.
Pfft!
Blood sprayed.
Shao Xuan did not look at the collapsed person. He put his thumb in his mouth and whistled.
This was the cue to everyone in the smoke and other Flaming Horn warriors hidden in other spots that it was time to hunt.
Even at night, in this foreign patch of forest, they could clearly differentiate all the smells of different living things. They smelled every person hiding in the bushes, behind tree trunks and on the branches.
Shao Xuan continued searching for hidden archers to prevent sneak arrows.
The night was still young.
…
When the first ray of sunlight shone on the forest, the team on the mountain was ready to leave once again. Other than within the forest, the people on the hill were attacked too, though there were much fewer attackers.
The dead were cremated using the flames of the fire seed summoned by the shamaness in a makeshift pit. They were here, so was the fire seed. The shamaness once said the souls of the dead would return to the fire seed. There was a saying that ancestors and the dead were all present with the tribe here.
Since their souls were all still together, there was no need for too much grief.
As long as they were still in this world, the fire seed would live on.
They climbed over a mountain and arrived at an arid plain.
Shao Xuan saw horse riders he had encountered before. However, Shao Xuan did not talk much with them and these people looked at Flaming Horn with guarded stares. Anyone who saw a large group migrating would be guarded.
When they saw that Flaming Horn did not intend to stay, these people heaved a sigh of relief.
“Who are those people?”
“I don’t know but they don’t look like nice people.”
“As long as they don’t plan to stay on our land. But they’re such a large tribe, they don’t look weak either. Why would they want to move?”
This was a secluded area. Information took a very long time to reach this part so they didn’t know about Flaming Horn. They were just curious why this bunch of people wanted to move. Fertile soil and prey were in the complete opposite direction!