Chapter 1097: Battle in the Grove
"Pa! Pa! Pa!"
Suddenly, three claps were heard from the side, and Hao Shuai stepped forward, a wicked smile on his face: "Very good, a member of the Black Alliance. Haha, Chen Tianlong, oh Chen Tianlong, it seems you are destined for a heroic sacrifice for the Black Alliance."
"Daoist Changqing, get rid of him for me." In Hao Shuai’s view, Chen Tianlong was only at Celestial Dao three-star level, while Daoist Changqing was at Celestial Dao six-star level and could easily take him down.
"No problem, Young Master Hao, just sit back and watch the show. Watch how I torment him." Daoist Changqing loosened his knuckles, gave a cold smile, and stepped forward.
Yet, Chen Tianlong remained calm and also moved forward, not bothering to draw the Dragon Slayer Sword, which he carried on his back. Against Daoist Changqing, he felt no need to use his ultimate skill.
On the mountainside.
Zhao Lei and Sword God had not gone far before they reached a small forest. Sword God knew this was the enemy’s final defense line.
Upon reaching the forest, everyone immediately hid behind the trunks for cover. However, they were aware that the previous deserters would undoubtedly have informed their leader of the situation on the mountain, but why there hadn’t been a heavy attack against them was unknown.
To prevent any sudden attack, Sword God stood in front, using his keen observation to keep watch on his surroundings.
Sword God still felt a bit apprehensive, worried about encountering stronger opponents he couldn’t handle alone.
While pondering this, suddenly a large net came rushing towards them. But Sword God was prepared and quickly grabbed his son and Zhao Lei, jumped back, and escaped.
He then swiftly swung his large saber hard at the net, which shattered immediately. This saber was an heirloom of the Dao Family and, although it couldn’t cut through iron like mud, it was undoubtedly a Divine Artifact.
At that moment, the few who had just thrown the net quickly slipped into the forest.
Sword God frowned, knowing they had set up a well-prepared ambush, but even if it were a dragon’s lair or tiger’s den, they had to enter. Otherwise, delaying would mean the Red-eyed Eagles wouldn’t hold out.
Little did they know, the battle had already begun at the mountaintop, and Hao Shuai was still unaware that a large group of reinforcements was approaching by sea. Less than an hour remained.
Sword God had to ascend the mountain quickly and meet up with Red-eyed Eagle to help delay time, or else the plan would fail.
"Everyone charge in with me, but be careful later. This is the most dangerous section of the Qishan mountain path, always vigilant of any movement in the woods." Sword God reminded once again.
Honestly, he himself wasn’t confident as he didn’t know if there were any masters lurking around.
The five slowly advanced, and this part of the forest was extremely dense, not tall but unusually close-knit. Sword God and Zhao Lei took the lead, while Lu Botong and Dao Feng followed behind, progressing about ten meters.
Suddenly, the woods began rustling, occasionally a speckled silhouette flashed by. Before long, their surroundings filled with people, all soldiers wielding long swords, skilled in Lightweight Skill and adept at navigating the woods.
Indeed, before they could react, this group of people began to move, stabbing through the air, with a rope in hand. It turned out this was the equipment they used for forest ambushes; although it looked like a rope, it was actually a tough hemp rope soaked in a special potion, extremely sturdy.
Ordinary weapons couldn’t handle this rope, so after battling the enemy for a while, Dao Feng and Lu Botong couldn’t knock them down, mostly due to the rope issue. With this rope, it was equivalent to an eagle having wings.
They were unassailable in the forest.
However, at this moment, Sword God’s lips curled into a slight smile. Though others couldn’t deal with these forest guerrillas, he was different. This was thanks to the saber in Sword God’s hand.
The Snow-Drinking Saber, although it couldn’t cut through iron like mud, it could handle these ropes.
Taking advantage of another attack, Sword God suddenly leaped into the air and hovered, then swung the saber horizontally toward the sky. The Sword Qi soared out, and instantly, all the ropes were severed, causing a dozen people to fall painfully to the ground.
The three on the ground advanced immediately to slay them, and after Sword God landed, the four continued moving forward quickly.
This time, their speed increased significantly, but just as they reached the forest center, a large number of Hidden Weapons flew from the woods, including sharp wooden stakes, deadly spears, and arrow showers like raindrops.
For a moment, the mountain path central area was filled with these traps and Hidden Weapons, endlessly penetrating.
Seeing this situation, Sword God had to unleash his ultimate move. Taking a leap, he directly utilized the Godless Overlord Blade; this time, instead of chopping straight down, he swung the Overlord Blade horizontally.
In an instant, all the Hidden Weapons were blocked by Sword God’s blade.
"Wow, dad, you’re amazing!" Watching Sword God slaughter the enemies in an instant, Dao Feng couldn’t help but praise. The family’s ultimate move was indeed formidable, it’s just a pity he hadn’t mastered it yet.
Sword God smiled and wasted no time. With a wave, he gestured for the team to continue advancing.
With just a few steps forward, Sword God vaguely sensed a wave of Powerful Qi ahead. Upon close inspection, he suddenly discovered three to four hundred ambushers fifty meters away.
Sword God immediately felt alarmed; ambushers were truly troublesome, even going up the mountain was so difficult.
"Senior Sword God, I think we shouldn’t go directly forward. Not to mention we’re few in number, if we charge straight ahead, the losses would be severe. We’d rather split into two groups, leading teams from both sides of the road, stealthily advancing, and then catch them off guard." Zhao Lei observed. Since the enemy liked ambushes, they might as well use the strategy against them.
"Hmm, that’s a good idea, so I’ll lead ten members from the left side stealthily, while Dao Feng and Old Lu advance from the right side." As the team leader, Sword God swiftly organized everything.
"Alright, let’s not delay any longer. We’ll split into two groups and head over quickly; any delay could ruin the whole plan." Zhao Lei nodded and immediately began taking action.
In about three minutes, the two teams slowly advanced from both sides, while Zhao Lei led the remaining two hundred disciples straight through.
This was Zhao Lei’s plan: ambush within an ambush.
Indeed, Zhao Lei led over two hundred people ahead, and when they reached the enemy’s final checkpoint ambush area, suddenly shouted, "Charge!"
Actually, this was a feint attack; Zhao Lei aimed to draw the enemy’s attention to the center of the mountain path.
Soon, the opponent’s three to four hundred people rose from the ambush area, brandishing weapons as they charged toward Zhao Lei, but their momentum wasn’t fierce, as those guarding the path were not elites but rather ordinary Profound Dao or Tunnel Dao experts.
Moreover, in their view, with just a team of two hundred people, they believed they could easily crush them with their three to four hundred.