The maids and children were all bewildered, but Li Yuan wasted no time explaining. His voice came down like thunder, “If you want to survive, move! Once you’re in the cellar, stay silent!”
They understood at once that things were serious and sprang into action. Within moments, the two wives, five maids, and three children were all hidden away, leaving Li Yuan alone in the courtyard scooping up a handful of ants.
He hesitated, wondering if he should warn Zhao Chunxin—her home was a ways off, and the detour could prove dangerous. But then another realization struck.
Right now, Li Yuan was effectively the hidden trump card of Gemhill County. If the attackers had drawn Tie Sha away, they likely feared the threat he posed. If Tie Sha was at risk to them...well, so was Li Yuan.
A spark of boldness flared within him.
“I’ll go see for myself. Hiding in the cellar and relying on ants for reconnaissance would be too passive. Ants are slow to begin with, and in this rain, every puddle is like a rushing river to them. They might not even make it out of my own yard.
“Better to head out. At least I’ve got my Tracking and Scent Seeking skills, and my ability to read others’ combat power. My scouting and counter-scouting skills are decent.”
Li Yuan established a mental link with the dozen or so ants he held, then scattered them around the cellar entrance so he could keep an eye on home base. With that done, he shot into the rain, vaulting the courtyard wall like an enraged leopard.
He immediately activated Scent Seeking, trying to pick up the stench of blood. The world seemed to fall silent as he detected a tide of bloody smells emanating from the direction of the inner district’s main gate. Then came the distant sounds of combat and shouting, growing closer by the second.
“The gate...has fallen,” Li Yuan murmured, bitterness creeping into his voice.
He pivoted and sprinted toward the demon enclosure, only to catch the strong scent of blood in that direction too.
“Looks like the disciple guarding there have been slaughtered as well... This is a planned siege. The enemy drew the sect leader away, then assassinated Elders Liu and Tian.
“Now with the gate taken, they can claim the inner district. By the time Tie Sha returns, everything will be lost, and he’ll be completely on the defensive. There must be a traitor on the inside...”
Crouching in the shadows, Li Yuan quickly used an ant’s perspective to check on his home. All was calm there. He continued toward the demon enclosure.
Reaching the entrance, he ducked aside. Two cloaked intruders stood guard—the numbers above their heads read 60~65 and 64~70, putting them at eighth rank. On the ground, the enclosure’s guard lay in a lake of blood, his throat torn open.
Li Yuan took a slow breath. He was about to strike when he suddenly froze. Instead, he reached out with his spiritual link to the demon dogs inside the enclosure’s subterranean holding area.
In an instant, the ebony marquises, oddstrider hounds, and blackrock mastiffs sprang to attention.
With a low growl, one ebony marquis led the charge lunged for the exit, shattering the stone slab that blocked it, and charged out in a frenzy. The two intruders spun at the sound, only to see monstrous shapes emerging from the darkness—their glowing green eyes like ghostly flames.
They barely had time to gasp before the ebony marquis descended in a whirlwind of savagery, knocking one man down. Though the man’s protective blood veil flared like steel armor, the single swipe tore it apart. With a crunch, the ebony marquis’ fangs snapped the man’s neck, breaking bone in a spray of gore.
The other intruder tried to flee but was seized by two of the oddstrider hounds at once, one at each leg, dragging him back. Another ebony marquis crushed his blood veil with another blow, and a moment later, the man’s shrieks ended in a gurgle as the beast’s jaws closed around his throat.
Their terrified eyes quickly dulled with death. In the blood-spattered reflection of those eyes, a figure appeared—a man stepping forward.
He knelt and stripped away one intruder’s hat and raincloak, pulling them on over the Horse Butcher and his bow. Dressed in this makeshift disguise, he seemed even more imposing, flanked by his demon dogs that wagged their tails in eerie delight.
Rain poured in sheets, blurring the view and adding a chill to the gloomy morning sky.
Li Yuan pulled his straw raincloak tighter, scanning the surroundings. One after another, the hulking demon dogs rose like devilish silhouettes in the bleak autumn downpour. Yet they merely crouched by his side, panting softly, tongues lolling.
Taking a breath, Li Yuan sniffed the raincloak, then activated Scent Seeking, filtering out all extraneous odors until only two scents remained—the tang of this raincloak and the pervasive smell of blood. Pinpointing where it was strongest, he started east toward the puppet pavilion.
Not far from the puppet pavilion, three straw-cloaked invaders were chatting.
“Finally, we can avenge our dead! I’d love to see the look on Tie Sha’s face when he finds his precious sect overrun.”
“All those Blood Blade Sect scum need to pay in blood!”
“Keep alert, though. This is still the sect’s headquarters. One misstep could cost us.”
“You’re too cautious. I saw the signal fireworks. That means Wei Yang must’ve taken care of Elder Liu and Tian. There’s no longer a single seventh rank expert left in here!”
“Right. They’re gone. Even the eighth rankers can’t be more than three or four in total now.”
Just then, one of them froze, lifting his head as if he sensed something. The other two had opened their mouths to speak, but said nothing.
Now, they all heard it. It was the faint but ominous footsteps pattering through the rain, accelerating with uncanny speed.
They hurriedly drew their swords. A moment later, shadows flickered around the corners on both sides of the street.
In the blink of an eye, those shapes pounced. The three men whipped up their protective blood veils and slashed wildly, deflecting the dogs—only for the demonic beasts to land and spring again, sticking to them like glue.
“Oddstrider hounds!” one man gasped.
These demon dogs were relentless trackers. Once they locked onto a target, they wouldn’t let go until either they or their prey lay dead.
“The Blood Blade Sect must’ve released them on purpose!” another man shouted. “They want everyone to die together, huh?!”
Before he could finish, a thunderous galloping shook the ground. From behind the corner burst a massive shadow—an ebony marquis, drool flying everywhere as it charged, jaws yawning wide at the three intruders.
“An ebony marquis! They’ve gone mad, letting that beast loose!”
All hope drained from the trio’s eyes. Within seconds, the monstrous dogs smashed their protective auras and tore their throats open, flinging their bodies aside. Their wide-open eyes still glimmered with raw terror. Reflected in those dying pupils was a chilling sight.
Under the cold autumn rain in the inner district...on a slick, gray stone road shrouded by gloom, stood a tall figure in a conical hat, his face hidden beneath its brim.
Terrifying demon dogs wagged their tails around him, as if he were a hunter guiding his pack through the wild.
“Let’s head to the gate,” Li Yuan murmured, voice steady. “At this point, there’s no other choice. If the inner district falls, I’ll have nowhere to go.”
Rain pattered down on his cloak, but it couldn’t extinguish the hot surge of thoughts blazing in his mind.
“A genius might do in one month what takes others three. But no ordinary genius can swap their shadow blood, leap from ninth rank, to eighth rank, and then kill seventh rankers with ease—all in barely a year.
“Nor can anyone at eighth rank normally subdue seventh rank demonic beasts.
If such a person exists, they must hold a terrifying secret.”
He clenched his fists.
“No turning back. Anyone who sees me fight today must die.”