Chương 206: Clashing with Du Ruhui

On the desolate, open ridge, a man in black sprinted rapidly toward Plum Manor. His feet kicked up fierce gusts of wind; he traversed the treacherous, uneven mountain paths as if walking on flat ground. His speed was utterly terrifying, clearing dozens of zhang with a single stride. It would not be long before he descended upon his destination. Witnessing such ungodly speed, Song Que could not suppress a shudder. He abruptly rose, striding out of his room to shout, "Men!"

"Pavilion Master!"

"Young Master!" Guarding the adjacent rooms and the doors of the Moon-Lacking Pavilion, Xiong Ba, Nie Feng, and the guards immediately rushed in to receive his command.

"Go fetch Head Coach Qin and assemble all the brothers. We have a battle to fight." Hearing this, the men's expressions hardened. They hurriedly cupped their fists in obedience and dispersed.

"Young Master, what has happened?" With only Nie Feng and Xiong Ba left in the room, Nie Feng finally voiced his anxiety.

"It is highly likely a First Tier expert is coming to ambush us. Wait until Qin Yu arrives, I will explain the details." At Song Que's words, the two men's faces grew incomparably solemn. Though they did not know how their Young Master possessed such foresight, his grave tone left no room for doubt. Burdened with heavy thoughts, they maintained a tense silence, waiting for Qin Yu to arrive with the men. Outside Plum Manor lay a stretch of desolate woods.

The man in black did not reduce his speed in the slightest, nor did he show any signs of fatigue as he surged forward. Abruptly, before a small hillock, his figure skidded to a halt. Only then did his appearance become clear—a man draped in a black cloak, his face hidden behind a ghastly ghost mask. The world fell into a deathly stillness, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves, offering a fleeting illusion of life.

"I am quite curious. How did you know?" The man's hoarse voice drifted through the air, yet no one answered. It was as if he were merely monologuing to the void.

"Heh, it seems no one wishes to speak. Then this seat shall send you to hell, taking your answers with you." The man in black sneered. His body morphed into a violent gale, hurtling toward the edge of the woods.

"Fire!" A thunderous roar shattered the silence. From within the treeline, the piercing shriek of tearing wind erupted. Over a dozen bolts, each as thick as a child's arm, rained down upon the intruder.

"Excellent. So this is how the Jiang family met their end." The man's expression turned stern, yet his footing did not falter. His hands executed a series of incomprehensible, flowing arcs. The devastating military crossbow bolts were effortlessly swept aside, behaving like weightless falling leaves. Without losing a fraction of momentum, he closed in on the forest.

"Stop him!" Standing behind the hillock, Song Que perceived the enemy's intent. His eyes bulged with fury as he bellowed. The ambushing forces around him sprang into action simultaneously, charging recklessly toward the oncoming foe.

"Argh... Ah!" Agonizing screams echoed consecutively from the gloomy forest, making Song Que's heart bleed. His eyes turned bloodshot. Stomping the ground with explosive force, his body shot into the woods like a cannonball leaving its barrel.

"Die!" Seeing the man in black slaughtering his gang members with absolute impunity, Song Que could no longer hold back. Pushing his Super God state to its absolute limit, he frantically channeled all his power into the Black Iron Saber and brought it down in a merciless slash. The momentum was akin to Mount Tai crashing down, making the man opposite him feel suffocated. Not daring to underestimate the strike, he hurriedly condensed his cultivation base.

Emerald qi flickered across his palms as he thrust them directly toward the descending blade.

"CLANG!" An earth-shattering collision reverberated. Song Que was jolted back five or six steps by an immense rebounding force. The man in black likewise shuddered violently, forced to take a step back to disperse the kinetic energy invading his arms. Feeling the lingering numbness in his hands, a dense sense of crisis welled up within the assassin.

"Terrifying! You are only sixteen, are you not?" Paying no heed to the bastard's inquiries, the enraged Song Que rapidly utilized his Tesseract energy to heal his paralyzed flesh. Ignoring the lingering discomfort in his arms, he hoisted his saber and charged again.

"Clang, clang, clang..." Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. It takes long to describe, but occurred in an instant. After the two exchanged over a dozen moves, Xiong Ba, Nie Feng, Qin Yu, and the rest arrived for emergency reinforcement. Without a word, the three naturally fanned out, coldly pouring their full strength into lethal strikes aimed at the man in black's vitals.

"Clang, clang... clang..." The intruder's martial prowess was exceptionally profound. Even with Song Que acting as the vanguard to entangle him, coupled with the relentless siege from Xiong Ba's trio, they failed to inflict a single scratch. Radiant light surged around the assassin's body as qi circulated through his meridians. His figure drifted erratically like an ethereal phantom.

His hands moved with terrifying speed, weaving like butterflies to strike left and parry right, forcibly dismantling the combined offensive of the four. However, facing the immense pressure of the Song family experts was not as effortless as he made it appear. The man in black felt as though he were wading through a quagmire. Several times he attempted to land a killing blow, but Song Que agilely neutralized each attempt. The two sides were evenly matched, locked in a stalemate.

At this moment, the remaining men rushed to the scene one after another.

"Form the array!" Qin Yu shouted in elation upon seeing the reinforcements. With the four of them pinning him down and dozens of martial artists forming an encircling array, they were absolutely determined to grind this villain to dust today. The man in black sensed the perilous shift in the tide. Letting out a booming roar, he decisively met Song Que's blade head-on. Borrowing the rebounding force, he flipped backward, launching a palm strike that sent Xiong Ba flying.

With a light tap of his foot, his entire body retreated at breakneck speed. How could Song Que allow him to escape so easily? He immediately leaped into the air in hot pursuit. Seeing their Pavilion Master distancing himself further and further, a terrified Qin Yu hastily screamed, "Pavilion Master, halt! Beware of an ambush!" These words jolted Song Que awake.

Knowing that in a pure one-on-one scenario he was still far inferior to the enemy, he could only halt in bitter resentment, gritting his teeth as he coldly watched his opponent slip away.

"Song Que, you butchered the men of my Jiang family. One day, this old man will surely claim that dog head from your neck!" The man in black quickly vanished into the dead of night, leaving his hoarse voice echoing in the ears of everyone present, prompting them to grind their teeth in fury. Taking several deep breaths to stabilize his churning emotions, Song Que finally turned to check on the foolish bear behind him.

"Xiong Ba, are you alright?"

"I am fine, Young Master. I just... I let the enemy slip away." The thick-skinned, robust Xiong Ba had taken the enemy's palm strike without suffering major injuries, merely rolling a few times before running back. However, the thought that his own inadequacy had allowed the villain to escape left a sour taste in his mouth.

"That is good enough. Let us return and assess the brothers' casualties." Song Que patted his loyal subordinate's shoulder in consolation before leading his men back with a deeply sunken expression. Sitting in the room, the men listened in absolute silence as Qin Yu reported the toll.

"Young Song, four of our brothers are dead. One is critically injured, and three sustained minor, negligible wounds. The critically injured man has received basic bandaging; he suffered severe trauma to his internal organs. Whether he pulls through depends entirely on the physician's assessment."

"Bang!" Song Que slammed his palm onto the table, his eyes terrifyingly cold.

"Bastards!" The factions outside were utterly determined to deny him a single day of peace, driving him to the brink of absolute madness.

"Young Master, let us immediately lead our men to hunt down the Jiang family for revenge!" Xiong Ba clenched his fists, his voice dripping with dark, murderous intent.

"Bullshit. The Jiang family my foot. That man was none other than Du Ruhui." Hearing this, the men were paralyzed with shock.

"Young Song, was that man truly Du Ruhui, and not the Jiang family patriarch?" Song Que had witnessed Du Ruhui strike once before and retained a distinct impression of his martial arts. The style of the man in black just now was practically identical. Hence, he nodded with absolute certainty.

"It was him, without a doubt. The Jiang family patriarch is rumored to be nearly a hundred years old; his vitality has long since withered. It is entirely impossible for him to wield such devastating power." Prompted by this revelation, Nie Feng recalled the tragic massacre of his own clan that fateful night. His expression grew incredibly heavy as he nodded.

"It is indeed Du Ruhui. There can be no mistake!" A collective, heavy exhalation filled the room. After a long moment, unable to hold back, Qin Yu turned to ask,"Young Song, should we perhaps relocate into the city for now?"

"Unnecessary. If he failed to do anything to me today, he will be even more powerless in the future. Once our strength is sufficient, we will absolutely avenge today's grudge." Song Que's gaze was unwavering, his declaration brimming with absolute confidence.

"Today's ambush was arranged in haste, allowing the enemy to exploit our flaws. If we fully complete the array formation, I can guarantee that if he dares to return, he will undoubtedly die," Qin Yu stepped forward to assure. Everyone held a fair degree of trust in Old Qin's words. Today, had the opponent failed to break through the encirclement, he would have faced the relentless, unceasing onslaught of dozens of men. Even a First Tier expert would have swallowed hatred and perished on the spot. Song Que nodded.

"Qin Yu, order the men to heavily reinforce our defenses. Bring me to see the critically injured man later. As for the brothers who met their misfortune today, Old Nie, you must ensure their families are comprehensively taken care of on my behalf."

"Understood, Young Master!" Nie Feng and Qin Yu hurriedly cupped their fists to accept the orders. Song Que said no more. He went to inspect the severely wounded brother, transferring a thread of energy to protect his shattered internal organs, before returning to his room in heavy silence. Today's matter could not just end like this. At the Qinghe Pier, A travel-worn and weary Du Ruhui had just returned. Chu Tianqiu and the others, unable to contain their impatience, rushed out to receive him.

"Alliance Leader, was the operation a success?" Recalling the fierce, tyrannical offensive of that youth, Du Ruhui's face turned exceptionally grim. He merely gave a heavy shake of his head.

"Avoid conflicting with the people of Moon-Lacking Pavilion for now. I will handle this matter personally." Encountering Song Que today had dealt him a massive psychological blow. To possess such profound cultivation at the mere age of sixteen, and to safely exchange dozens of moves with him—it was truly too terrifying. Naturally, Du Ruhui retained the confidence to kill Song Que, but that was strictly in a one-on-one duel, and only in the present.

Who knew what kind of terrifying heights the boy would reach in a few months, or a few years? With this brat's monstrous aptitude, being surpassed was only a matter of time. How could one tolerate such a ferocious tiger sleeping beside one's bed? Moreover, a blood feud had already been forged between them. Waves of icy dread washed over Old Du's heart. This boy had to be eradicated to secure peace of mind. Terrifying, cold light shot from Du Ruhui's eyes.

Without offering any further explanation to Chu Tianqiu's group, Old Du dropped a single sentence and swiftly boarded a vessel bound for Lingjiang. At that exact moment, carrying a momentous mission, Lightning spread its wings and soared toward Lingjiang. Compared to Old Du's group, its flight speed was countless times faster, destined to arrive at the destination long before they did.