Chapter 16 - Annihilation of the Enemy

The snow ape was cleaved into two halves with a single slash, a sight that sent chills down Shao Chengfeng and Feng Yi'an's spines, causing them to involuntarily retreat. They began to doubt if the team leader could really handle him. Fu Entao's expression changed slightly, yet his attack remained unaffected. Seizing the opening as Qin Ming sidestepped the snow ape, his gleaming long blade cut through the wind and snow, slicing forward with unparalleled might. Qin Ming seemed to have anticipated this, using his left hand to lift his spear for a rear guard, his back to Fu Entao. He then leaped, using the force of Fu Entao's fierce strike on the iron spear shaft to propel himself forward. Ordinary people would not dare to do this, for even if not slain on the spot, they would be shaken by such tremendous force, possibly coughing up blood. Qin Ming was unharmed; with a leap, he was already close to his target. The burly mountain patrolman felt his hair stand on end as the opponent charged at him like a mountain beast. As the snow-bright blade swung towards him, he immediately swung his own knife to counterattack, intending to clash blades. Yet, in an instant, he felt his grip on the handle slipping; the opponent's strength was too overwhelming. After two brief and intense clashes, the flesh between his fingers split, blood flowed freely, dyeing the handle red, leaving him powerless to hold the knife. Thud! Under the glow of the fire spring, a brilliant flash of blade light streaked by, and his head was sent flying, his body collapsing to the ground with a thud. Qin Ming swiftly turned, blocking Fu Entao's long blade with his iron spear, then turned his murderous gaze towards Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng. The two of them panicked; although they were usually fierce like wolves, cunning and ruthless, this young man was too savage, killing without a word, making them shiver. Fu Entao also felt a shadow over his heart; the pressure from this reborn youth was immense, each spear and blade clash leaving his arms slightly numb. He was tempted to escape into the dark forest, but feared leaving his back exposed to a lethal strike. Qin Ming spoke, "There are seven heads to be severed at the mountain stronghold, four have fallen, leaving just the three of you." Fu Entao was taken aback, then his expression turned gloomy. This youth equated them with the golden mastiff and snow ape, regarding them as mere beasts? Shao Chengfeng and Feng Yi'an gripped their iron spears and long blades tighter, thinking that if anyone dared belittle them like this usually, it was as if they had a death wish. Qin Ming aimed to provoke their anger, sensing their reluctance to fight and probable intent to flee. He feared he couldn't catch the reborn Fu Entao. As expected, Fu Entao's burgeoning shadow was dispelled by the provocation; even the seasoned leaders of other mountain patrol squads wouldn't dare insult him so. Fu Entao had accumulated enough to be on the brink of advancement. "Is he that Qin Ming from Shuangshu Village?" Fu Entao asked the two behind him. Previously, when they discussed the Blood Bamboo Forest, Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng had mentioned Qin Ming, intending to use the youth with a golden foundation to scout the way and eliminate him. "It's him," nodded the bearded Feng Yi'an. Fu Entao nodded and spoke coldly, "Alright, when the time comes, we'll massacre Shuangshu Village, leaving no one behind, men, women, or children. In these special times, once the mountain-clearing operation begins, it's not unusual for an unexpected 'famous beast' to emerge from the depths and decimate a village." His smile was icy, seemingly tinged with the scent of blood, as he slowly raised his long blade. Qin Ming was not angered; he intended to stir their emotions so that they wouldn't lose the courage to fight and escape too soon. He stoked the fire further, saying, "Was anything I said wrong? Chixia City pays you high salaries, and the villagers respect you, even willing to reduce the yield of their fiery fields to help the patrol group plant Black Moon. How do you repay them? Draining the pond to catch the fish, sucking the marrow from the bones, wishing you could devour all the spirituality in the fire spring, regardless of how many would starve in next year's famine. You even casually kill innocent villagers to intimidate and threaten. In your eyes, those lives are worth less than a deer, far less than the golden mastiffs you raise. Do you still have any humanity or conscience? Is it wrong to compare you to vicious dogs and snow apes? You are far more harmful than they are. Think of the late head of the patrol group and those responsible patrol members from other groups; you are not worthy to be mentioned alongside them." Qin Ming spoke calmly, without excitement or anger, not even raising his voice. Yet this caused veins to bulge on Fu Entao's hand gripping the blade. He said nothing, but advanced aggressively. Even Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng became murderous, eager to finish off this youth whose calm words pierced their hearts. Qin Ming took the initiative, wielding a heavy iron spear with one hand as if it were an extension of his arm. The sharp spearhead thrust out, leaving afterimages, stirring up the falling snow. As Fu Entao dodged, the spear pierced through a tree trunk as thick as a bowl behind him. Qin Ming exerted a slight force on the spear shaft, and with a crack, the trunk snapped. Simultaneously, he swung out his chopping knife. In an instant, blades clashed heavily between the two, the confrontation perilous, leaving swathes of forest felled, the destruction astonishing. As they fought near the fire spring, with a loud crash, a large wooden house exploded under their blade light. Standing nearly two meters tall, Fu Entao was initially quite intimidating, but now he was panting heavily, white mist rising from his naturally curly hair. He was alarmed, exceedingly fatigued, his arms numbed by the impact, while the opponent remained fierce. If not for his speed, he would have long been defeated. He realized his advantage in speed. Then, as he anticipated, Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng seized the moment when Qin Ming thrust his spear and swung his knife, both launching a sudden, full-force attack. "Clang!" The piercing clash of blade and spear erupted as Qin Ming blocked Shao Chengfeng's iron spear with his chopping knife, quickly using the blade's back to deflect Feng Yi'an's long knife. At this moment, Fu Entao resembled a humanoid tiger-wolf, ferocious beyond measure, his hair flying in the wind and snow, his gaze exceptionally sharp. Gripping the long blade with both hands, he slashed down repeatedly, putting forth his utmost effort. He noticed that Qin Ming's grip on the iron spear seemed to have weakened, as if he were being suppressed. He shouted, "Attack him with all your might!" Qin Ming wielded a machete against two others, while his left hand gripped an iron spear, being pressed by Fu Entao's continuous blade strikes, making him look precarious. In several dangerous clashes, he opted for a strategy of mutual destruction, allowing Fu Entao's long blade to slash at him while his spearhead continued to thrust forward, forcing his opponent to retreat. Fu Entao revealed a cold smile; who was he afraid of in terms of ruthlessness? He suddenly leapt forward, avoiding vital areas on his upper body, swinging his gleaming long blade down at Qin Ming. Meanwhile, Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng also wore sinister smiles, coordinating seamlessly to block all of Qin Ming's retreat paths. The long blades and iron spears rose, leaving Qin Ming's machete only able to parry their attacks. Qin Ming could not retreat, nor had time to evade Fu Entao's long blade from the front. At this moment, he did not hesitate, choosing to accelerate forward. It was too late to lift the spear high; the spearhead's trajectory remained unchanged, piercing through Fu Entao's thigh with a 'puff', thoroughly impaling it. Although Fu Entao's face twitched, he became even more ruthless. After this blood-for-blood struggle, he only injured a leg, but the long blade he slashed down mid-air could split the opponent into two. At the crucial moment, Qin Ming's right hand still dealt with the other two, abandoning the iron spear, raising his left arm to resist the sharp long blade. Fu Entao sneered with disdain, thinking that both the arm and the person would be cut off together. Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng also laughed; no one knew better than them how terrifying was the slash from the two-meter-tall team leader. They seemed to have already envisioned the bloody scene. However, a metallic reverberation sounded, accompanied by a harsh metallic scraping, completely opposite to their imagination. Qin Ming's outer clothing on his arm was torn, revealing the armor exclusive to the mountain patrol team members, and he wore more than one layer. Although this armor was not as exquisite as team leader Fu Entao's, Qin Ming wore three layers, which was sufficient to block the strike. If it wasn't too cumbersome, Qin Ming might have worn all four armors from those killed at the mountain's base. With a thud, Fu Entao stumbled after landing, his thigh pierced and the iron spear not yet withdrawn, blood gushing out, making it impossible for him to stand steadily. Feng Yi'an turned to flee, without a hint of hesitation, quite decisively, knowing that the entire mountain patrol team might be annihilated. Shao Chengfeng also realized that the youth's previous decline was intentionally guided and immediately fled as well. Qin Ming picked up an iron spear from the ground, leaping up to throw it forcefully mid-air. At such a close distance, it was a sure hit. The iron spear flew out swiftly, piercing Feng Yi'an's back from above, pinning him to the ground! "Ah..." he cried out in pain, unable to die immediately, struggling in place. As Qin Ming landed, he pursued the other person. His speed was slightly inferior to Fu Entao's, but catching up with Shao Chengfeng was too easy. Shao Chengfeng couldn't just await death, turning to fiercely resist with an iron spear, but it was futile; he had his right arm severed by Qin Ming's blade. The iron spear also fell to the ground and was picked up by Qin Ming. Without mercy, he pinned Shao Chengfeng to the spot with the spear, leaving a bloodstained scene. Standing in the arena, Qin Ming spoke, "If none of us had fled and we had fought to the death right here, I think we would have dealt with you long ago. During the process, I had to be distracted, fearing that any of you might escape. Even if one got away, it would mean my operation this time would have failed." "You..." Fu Entao supported himself on the ground with his long knife, almost spitting blood in anger, believing Qin Ming was boasting. "Fighting blades with you was indeed strenuous while being distracted, but I only recently became reborn, so it's understandable," Qin Ming reflected on the battle. "What?!" Fu Entao's expression froze, his heart trembling. He couldn't believe the opponent had just become a newborn and couldn't accept this reality. "You really haven't undergone a second rebirth," Feng Yi'an spat out a mouthful of blood foam, laughing bitterly, knowing it was all over. He had encountered such an unbelievable monster. Thank you to the Silver Alliance: Dao Hua Huang Fa Chang Sheng Chou, thank you for your support! Thanks to the Alliance Master: The Unawakened Dream, Ye Cheng Mo, thank you for your support!