Chapter 439: Killed with a Single Arrow

Yuan Gang did not seize the opening to charge Peng Yulan and fight her to the death. Instead, while the arrows delayed her, he remained on guard with one hand and thrust the other backward, seized Shang Chaozong, and dragged him away. He charged sideways, his broad back and powerful frame smashing straight through one wall. With a thunderous crash, bricks exploded outward.

Yuan Gang took Shang Chaozong directly through the wall and out of the immediate battlefield, paying no attention to whether anyone else there lived or died. He knew very clearly that against a cultivator of Peng Yulan's strength, he was no match for her.

Perhaps he could rely on brute force to withstand her for a while, but if they truly fought it out, nine times out of ten he would fall into her hands. And even that assumed he only had to protect himself. That was not why he had led his men into the encirclement at such enormous risk.

After paying such a heavy price, saving Shang Chaozong was the foremost objective. Nothing could happen to him. Otherwise, all of Master Dao's painstaking effort would go up in smoke, and all the brothers who had died would have died for nothing.

Only while Shang Chaozong remained alive did everyone else present retain any chance of survival. If Shang Chaozong died, none of them would likely escape alive from an army's encirclement.

To put it plainly, if Peng Yulan refused to become entangled with Yuan Gang and concentrated entirely on killing Shang Chaozong, Yuan Gang's strength was not enough to protect him.

Seeing the two escape, Peng Yulan naturally could not allow Yuan Gang to carry Shang Chaozong away. She flashed after them through the hole in the wall. The others inside the hall were immediately freed from the threat she posed.

"Loose!"

The moment Nong Changguang saw Yuan Gang emerge with Shang Chaozong, he roared the order. Bowstrings erupted at once. Arrows fell like rain. Yuan Gang had long known a mass of archers was watching outside and was mentally prepared. The instant he heard the bowstrings, he dragged Shang Chaozong to the ground and rolled with him. He shifted corpses on the ground into cover, protecting Shang Chaozong as much as possible. Peng Yulan, who had followed them out immediately afterward, was not prepared at all.

She had never imagined her own side would loose arrows at her. The moment she came through the breach, she was startled badly. Both arms thrust forward as spiritual power surged out. The dense cloud of arrows immediately slowed and hung suspended in the air. Fortunately, the heavy crossbows were cumbersome and required some time to respond.

Feng Ruoyi was startled as well and roared urgently, "Stop!"

The archers ceased fire. Yuan Gang immediately seized the opportunity, hauled Shang Chaozong upright, and leaped straight onto the roof.

"Up there..." Feng Ruoyi began, pointing upward.

His voice died halfway through. Panic appeared in the eyes staring at the rooftop. Peng Yulan swept both arms outward and blasted away the arrows suspended around her. She flashed upward. The instant she landed on the roof, she froze as well, her cheeks tightening. Bai Yao stood there.

Yuan Gang had pulled Shang Chaozong behind Bai Yao, while the several Tianyu Sect cultivators who had returned with him landed around the two men and took up protective positions. This was exactly what Yuan Gang had risked everything to delay for. The smell of blood hung thick in the air. Bai Yao's cold gaze swept over the shattered building and the corpses carpeting the ground, then settled on Peng Yulan's ashen face.

"What are you trying to do?"

Peng Yulan said, "You should know how important this is to me and to my entire family. Don't stop me. Move aside!"

Bai Yao said, "Are you still a disciple of Tianyu Sect? Does the sect's decree mean nothing to you anymore?"

Peng Yulan said, "Don't force me!"

Bai Yao replied, "You can still turn back now. If you dare attack a fellow disciple, even Master will not be able to protect you."

Peng Yulan flashed down into the courtyard beside her son. She raised her sword and pointed toward the roof.

"Heavy crossbows!"

Nong Changguang immediately shouted, "Quick! Aim at the roof!"

Below, the heavy crossbows were immediately elevated. Bai Yao did not move. Expressionless, he simply stared down at Peng Yulan. Behind her, from atop a building beyond the troops gathered in the courtyard, a deep and powerful voice carried over.

"Yulan, do you intend to kill me too?"

Peng Yulan trembled at the sound. Slowly she turned her head. Feng Entai stood on the rooftop behind the troops, his face black with anger.

"Martial Uncle!"

Peng Yulan cried out in grief.

Clang!

The sword fell from her hand. She slowly closed her eyes. Even if she had possessed the ability to kill Feng Entai, she would not have dared.

If she killed Shang Chaozong and Bai Yao happened to die as well, Tianyu Sect might still find some room to turn matters around for the sake of its own interests.

But if she moved against Feng Entai, openly attacking an elder of Tianyu Sect, she would be striking at the interests of every senior figure in the sect. The consequences were obvious. Beside her, Feng Ruoyi clenched his teeth. His face was deathly pale. He leaned on his sword, knowing everything was over and hating only his own helplessness.

Feng Entai suddenly roared, "Why haven't you withdrawn the troops?"

The soldiers looked at one another.

Nong Changguang abruptly raised one arm and shouted, "Everyone, put down your weapons! Withdraw immediately!"

Feng Ruoyi did not stop him. Before long, every soldier had left. Only the corpses sprawled in pools of blood remained. Feng Entai dropped into the courtyard. He crossed the blood-soaked ground and walked past Peng Yulan. As he passed her, he made a brief gesture. Several men behind him immediately moved. They seized Peng Yulan on the spot. Her face was gray as death. She offered no resistance. Feng Ruoyi, her son, looked as though he wanted to speak, yet had no idea what he could possibly say.

Inside the ruined hall, Lan Ruoting and the others watched what was happening outside. Yuan Gang had already brought Shang Chaozong down from the rooftop. Nearby, Bai Yao cupped his hands toward the approaching Feng Entai. Feng Entai glared at him.

"You were responsible for guarding this place. How did matters become like this?"

"Martial Uncle, Senior Sister had your token..." Bai Yao explained the general course of events.

Only then did Yuan Gang and the others listening nearby understand what method Feng Lingbo's side had used. Shang Chaozong's face was ugly. This finally confirmed it beyond all doubt. The Feng family truly had been determined to put him to death. Only he himself could fully understand how that felt. Feng Entai's face twitched. He turned sharply and strode toward Peng Yulan, extending one hand.

"The token?"

Peng Yulan slowly reached into her sleeve and produced it. Feng Entai snatched the token from her hand and shook it before her face.

"Have you gone mad?"

He truly had never imagined Peng Yulan would dare deceive him, much less do something like this. If that was not madness, what was? He did not believe Feng Lingbo had nothing to do with it. Without Feng Lingbo's permission, how could so many troops have been mobilized so brazenly for such an operation? Only today did Feng Entai truly realize just how terrifying human selfishness could be. Cultivation sect or no cultivation sect, a mere mortal had actually dared struggle against Heaven itself! Peng Yulan suddenly erupted hysterically.

"Yes, I've gone mad! And you people drove me mad!"

"Back then, to hold Guangyi Commandery, my entire family risked our lives for Tianyu Sect. Every one of my children went onto the battlefield prepared to die. Which time did they not gamble their heads? Which one of them did not come back covered in wounds?"

"After so much difficulty, we finally established ourselves in Guangyi Commandery. After so much effort, we finally brought the commandery into order. Then you handed it to someone else simply because you said so."

"And now you want to do the same thing again?"

"We are only taking what should belong to us. What have we done wrong?"

Tianyu Sect disciples on both sides immediately moved. They seized her arms and forced her down, preventing her from doing anything even more disrespectful toward Feng Entai. Feng Entai pointed at her nose.

"Save those words for when your father returns. You can explain them to him slowly!"

He flung his sleeve and turned away. At that exact moment—

Twang!

A bowstring suddenly rang. An arrow hissed through the air. Feng Ruoyi, standing alone to one side, shuddered violently. His eyes opened wide. An arrow had buried itself squarely in his temple. His body swayed several times, then collapsed backward with a crash, limbs twitching. Feng Entai, who had nearly reached the doorway, whipped around. Everyone turned toward the ruined eaves. Shang Chaozong stood there with a bow in his hands, face cold. He had fired the arrow.

While no one was watching him, he had silently moved aside, picked up a bow, then turned and killed Feng Ruoyi with a single shot. He had said he would kill Feng Ruoyi. He knew that once Tianyu Sect placed Feng Ruoyi under its control, the man would still be Peng Youzai's grandson. If Shang Chaozong missed this opportunity, he might never find another chance to act. So he seized the moment while everyone was distracted and killed decisively. One arrow struck the vital point.

One arrow ended Feng Ruoyi's life. Bai Yao flashed over and snatched the bow from Shang Chaozong's hands. His face was full of anger. This had been his oversight. Shang Chaozong had actually found an opening under his very eyes. Still, Bai Yao could hardly be blamed.

Who could have imagined it?

Everyone's attention had been fixed on Feng Entai and Peng Yulan. Shang Chaozong showed no fear. Bai Yao could do nothing to him and had no idea how he should even handle the matter. He turned to look at Feng Entai. Feng Entai was already staring blankly. The Sect Leader's grandson had actually died before his very eyes. Inside the shattered hall, Shang Shuqing covered her mouth with one hand. She had never imagined her brother would simply kill his own elder brother-in-law like this.

Beside her, Yuan Gang looked at Shang Chaozong in silence. Meng Shanming and Lan Ruoting exchanged a glance.

"Ai."

A soft sigh escaped them. Peng Yulan stared with wide eyes as her son collapsed before her. Then a piercing scream tore from her throat.

"Yi'er!"

She violently shook her arms and broke free of the men restraining her. The two fellow disciples holding her had been stunned too and lost their grip. Neither immediately chased after her. Peng Yulan rushed toward her son as though she had gone mad. She tripped over a corpse underfoot and fell, yet crawled and scrambled onward, finally dropping to her knees beside Feng Ruoyi. She gathered him into her arms and shook him.

"Save him! Martial Uncle, save Yi'er!"

Her cries were heart-rending. Feng Entai hurried over. He crouched and examined Feng Ruoyi briefly, then already knew there was no saving him. He was dead. Shang Chaozong's arrow had struck directly into a vital point. That single arrow had taken Feng Ruoyi's life. Not even an immortal could save him.

"Aah!"

Peng Yulan threw back her head and wailed while clutching the motionless body of her son. The sound made everyone's scalp prickle. Feng Entai slowly rose and looked coldly toward Shang Chaozong.

Peng Yulan suddenly threw aside her son's body, snatched a saber from the ground, and charged toward Shang Chaozong like a wild beast gone mad.

"I'll kill you!"

Covered in blood, Shang Chaozong simply stood where he was, silent and unmoving, waiting for her to come. But before Peng Yulan could reach him, Bai Yao flashed in behind her and struck one finger against her spine. Her body instantly went limp. She collapsed unconscious into Bai Yao's arms. Feng Entai paced through the courtyard. He breathed in the smell of blood and looked at the corpses covering the ground. He looked at Peng Yulan unconscious in Bai Yao's arms.

Then he looked at Shang Chaozong, standing there covered in blood. Finally, he stopped in front of Feng Ruoyi's corpse and stared down at it with his hands clasped behind his back. He sighed.

"Why did it have to come to this?"

"Take everyone into custody. We'll wait for the Sect Leader to return and decide how to handle this!"

At the northern city gate, Nong Changguang reined in his galloping horse and shouted, "Urgent military business! Open the gate immediately!"

The city gate opened. Nong Changguang led several trusted men racing out. Only after they had put some distance between themselves and the city did the riders stop beneath a bleak wind. Nong Changguang turned his horse and looked back at distant Changping City. He sighed.

"There is no longer any place for us in Nanzhou."

"Let's go. The faster and farther we leave, the better."

He turned his horse first and cracked the reins. Nong Changguang knew Feng Lingbo's situation was finished. If he stayed, even if he did not die, nothing good awaited him. Shang Chaozong would never let him off easily. So after withdrawing from the residence where the fighting had taken place, he had not returned to the yamen to report to Feng Lingbo. Instead, while his military authority still carried weight, he had decisively chosen to leave the city. Hooves thundered.

The handful of riders rapidly disappeared at the end of the road, going elsewhere to seek another road of survival.

[End of Chapter 439]