The scattered crowd surged like a tide, dispersing in all directions in the darkness. Lou Shuwan, mounted on her horse, tightly gripped the reins, watching the flames and explosions in the mountain hollow from afar. A man named Qiu Guyan guarded her side with several other guards, blocking the fleeing bandits.

"What's going on… gunpowder…"

The horse beneath her shifted restlessly, moving in small circles as Lou Shuwan murmured. She could now recall a rumor from Hangzhou, that Ning Yi had used gunpowder to kill several of Fang La’s powerful generals. Looking at the opposite slope, the open mountain hollow had become a scene of uncontrollable chaos. Figures ran in all directions, blood and corpses scattered on the ground or flew into the air. Startled warhorses bolted, throwing their riders, some of whom still had their legs caught in the stirrups, being dragged along. Because of the darkness, each flash of the explosions made the chaotic scene, frozen in that instant, clearer to those watching from afar, and the people in the rear ranks collapsed almost immediately in terror.

Lou Shuwan had never witnessed the power of gunpowder before, but she had experienced much, and after calming down, she understood its effect. With a slight panic, she grabbed Qiu Guyan's clothes and pointed at the fleeing bandits. "Gather them, gather them! Is it possible?"

Qiu Guyan stood guard beside her, shaking his head. "It's impossible."

"They're scattering too fast…" Lou Shuwan bit her lip, trying to compose herself. Of course, she was shocked by Ning Yi's scheme and its result, and by how simply and directly he had turned the tables. But the more surprised she was, the more quickly she needed to gather her thoughts. Lacking battlefield experience, she simply felt they were scattering too quickly. Even if these Lüliang bandits truly believed he had used sorcery, they shouldn't be disintegrating like this. As she thought this, she saw Yu Yulin leading Tian Shi and a group of fleeing soldiers rushing towards them.

The bandits of Lüliang Mountain had chosen to flee at the first moment. Yu Yulin running so quickly proved that he had also decided to run almost immediately. Lou Shuwan ground her teeth in hatred, unable to understand his thinking. Even without the Lüliang bandits, her own three hundred elite soldiers were enough to fight. Her side had charged forward bravely at the front line, and now they were the first to retreat? Seeing Yu Yulin fleeing up the slope, Lou Shuwan spurred her horse towards him.

"General Yu, General Yu, why not try to fight…"

"Can't fight," Yu Yulin replied casually, without hesitation or shame, glancing back. "Qiu Mengtang's men suffered over half their casualties. If they weren't already in disarray, most wouldn't have reacted in time, and they would have already collapsed. Those people… they played this move too well. I don't know what that is, but it's incredibly powerful. The cavalry was at the front of the hollow, and all the horses were startled… Qiu Mengtang's men are scattered like this, we can't charge again. We've been held up by them…"

Yu Yulin's judgment sounded calm and accurate, making it hard to discern his true feelings. However, warhorses were already rare in the Wu Dynasty. In this charge, fifty of the cavalry at the front were Yu Yulin's subordinates. Even if the horses weren't all top quality, one could imagine his heartache. After being attacked and seeing the situation, he immediately gathered his men and fled. He must be filled with gnawing regret now.

The mountain was filled with scenes of fleeing men. Some shouted about sorcery, others yelled to run, and some now remembered how many brothers had died in the battle, running over corpses all the way. Although Yu Yulin and his men managed to gather about one hundred and seventy or eighty men who still had some order, they didn't dare to linger. Looking back, another explosion boomed in the mountain hollow, and the enemy experts were cutting their way out, reaping the fleeing bandits. Dimly, it seemed Little Xiangma was also fleeing madly.

Lou Shuwan reined in her horse, struggling to control its turning. She looked over there, clenching her teeth, feeling tears welling up in her eyes, and said through gritted teeth, "Ning Liheng… Ning Liheng…" Turning around, she followed the retreating队伍. Tian Shi came alongside. "What Ning Liheng…"

Yu Yulin knew that was probably the enemy's name. He also glanced back, and after running for a while, suddenly reacted. "Ning Liheng… Heart Demon? Is it Heart Demon Ning Yi?"

Lou Shuwan didn't want to hear that name. Glancing at him, she bit her lip and ran faster with tears in her eyes. Yu Yulin opened his mouth, not knowing what to say. People at this level in the Jianghu… Iron Arm Zhou Tong, Demon Cult's Sikong Nan, the former Sacred Duke Fang La, Cloud Dragon Nine Manifestations Fang Qifo, the Grand Brightness Cult leader Lin Zongwu, Heart Demon Ning Yi... When you think about it, it seems like it's just that, but now… it seems very important.

How did you get into a conflict with him? You should have told me earlier…

**************

The escape through the mountains lasted a long time.

The sounds of fighting behind them had long ceased. After recovering some reason, they could still see scattered torchlights in the valley. Yu Yulin gathered as many soldiers as he could, about two hundred and thirty. Some had probably run off with the fleeing bandits and disappeared. They might regroup by dawn, but they had charged too quickly, and casualties of dozens were probably unavoidable, especially among the cavalry at the front. It was too bad.

Little Xiangma Qiu Mengtang had also escaped, arriving here and gathering two or three hundred men. As Yu Yulin had said, they had already suffered too many casualties and were about to collapse. It was because their own order was too chaotic, and the fanatical bandits hadn't reacted in time to the battle after nightfall, that they had managed to mount an offensive. Qiu Mengtang had probably realized this at the time, desperately wanting to win, but the terrible explosion had turned everything to dust.

In mountain strongholds like those of Lüliang, order was never good. With things as they were, even if there were still some people left in the stronghold, it was basically doomed. After the two groups met, they rested briefly in the valley, tending to the wounded. Some were still searching the nearby corpses, so the valley was dotted with torchlights, making the scene look somewhat surreal.

"... Jianghu rumors say that Ning Yi is best at attacking the mind. This plan of his isn't too extraordinary, he just relied on a group of subordinates, and then used that strange object to deliver the final blow… He is now a powerful figure in the Jianghu comparable to Zhou Tong and Lin Zongwu. I was too rash not to ask about this beforehand. But Lou姑娘, what kind of trouble have you had with him…"

Although dejected, Yu Yulin and Tian Shi reviewed and reflected on each other after meeting, trying to find the reasons for their failure. Although they didn't know much about Heart Demon, if you went to besiege Sikong Nan or Lin Zongwu with a group of men, and the other side brought a bunch of elite subordinates from their cult, it wouldn't be too hard to understand that you might suffer some setbacks. But their words also had an underlying meaning. They were grumbling that Lou Shuwan, who was usually so meticulous in her calculations, hadn't mentioned the enemy's background this time.

They didn't know that in Lou Shuwan's heart, even if Ning Yi was powerful and ruthless, he could never reach the level of Sikong Nan -- but she didn't know Sikong Nan -- or Fang La, those kinds of枭雄教主. At first, she was confused, then she became scared. By the time the absurd scene actually happened, and she regained her composure, it was too late to salvage the situation.

Since things had come to this, Lou Shuwan had nothing to say. Yu Yulin and Tian Shi looked around at the situation, and then Yu Yulin went over to find Qiu Mengtang.

Little Xiangma had been slightly affected by the explosion, his hair disheveled, almost half his face blackened with smoke. But his injuries weren't serious. After slightly tidying his hair, his eyes showed a mixture of ferocity, madness, and calm. After this, it would be difficult for him to maintain his authority, and he would probably have to kill many people. Yu Yulin and his men still needed his help this time, so they said many kind words. As he walked to the side, he said to him, "Chieftain Qiu doesn't need to worry. We know the situation in Lüliang Mountain. The relationship with Qingmu is just business. Tiger King truly trusts Chieftain Qiu. This time, Chieftain Qiu is helping us, and when we return, we will thank you properly. Also, if Chieftain Qiu needs anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

Qiu Mengtang's face was cold. He nodded, expressing his thanks. The hillside was dotted with small groups of bandits, identifying the bodies on the ground. After speaking to Yu Yulin, Qiu Mengtang turned and walked uphill. At the same time, in the direction Qiu Mengtang was heading, a figure appeared among several corpses.

Yu Yulin seemed to sense something, and a chill suddenly ran down the back of his head, giving him goosebumps. But he didn't confirm this until the next moment.

Behind him, Qiu Mengtang brandished his twin sabers, creating a violent whooshing sound in the air. Yu Yulin, who was still holding his spear, suddenly turned around and saw what was happening behind him.

At that moment, three companions, all trusted experts from the stronghold, were beside Qiu Mengtang. When the black shadow rushed over, they subconsciously went to meet it. One of them was hit in the back of the head, and his body flew up into the air, crashing into a tree higher up the hillside. A line of blood blossomed in the darkness, along with the sound of broken bones and flesh. Little Xiangma's twin sabers slashed wildly, as if chopping a pile of minced meat. In the darkness, the figures of both sides were fighting madly, and Yu Yulin could barely see the black shadow's movements. But he knew almost instinctively that the opponent's weapon was moving back and forth, slashing, cutting, and stabbing, and had probably broken through the defenses of all three people at the same time.

His spear tip had already stabbed out.

As a great general under Tian Hu, his martial arts were considered first-rate in the Jianghu. This spear thrust was accompanied by the whistling of wind. In the darkness, the opponent seemed to glance this way and thrust out their weapon. Yu Yulin followed the spear with his body. Theoretically, a longer weapon had the advantage. He used a spear, and the opponent used a short weapon, so he had a great advantage. But at that moment, he felt that the front was a quagmire of death. The further he advanced, the colder he felt.

With a cry, he retracted his spear and retreated. Qiu Mengtang's saber streaked through the night sky.

The people in the valley looked this way. For them, they only saw the scene after the outbreak of the event. Facing an approaching assassin, Qiu Mengtang's twin sabers were like wind, "Ah—" A violent roar. Among the three experts beside him, one flew directly up, crashing into the tree trunk on the hillside. Blood lines were split on the bodies of the other two and Qiu Mengtang. Yu Yulin thrust out his spear, and in the next moment, he stumbled back down the hillside for more than ten steps before stopping. One of Qiu Mengtang's twin sabers flew backward into the sky, and the other whirled out two zhang, hitting a bandit in the forehead.

With a "poof" sound, Little Xiangma's body staggered back, his head flying into the sky, rolling to the ground, and a fountain of blood gushing out.

The assassin's figure was still moving forward, taking two steps, and the weapon in his hand swished three times, as if wiping off the blood, and put it back in the cloak.

Behind him, the body of the expert who had been thrown flew and crashed on the tree trunk and fell down with a "pat."

The night wind was hunting and hunting, rolling up the black cloak. At that moment, the people nearby were subconsciously retreating. Even if no one had explicitly said it, in the impression of the fearsome exchange just now, Yu Yulin had already guessed the identity of the terrible black shadow above.

Lüliang Mountain.

Blood Bodhisattva.

This is… a grandmaster-level move…