Chapter 1844 - 2036: Besieging Qiu Nanshan (1)

"It has to be this way," Du Yunzhi sighed. "It’s a pity Ling Chen isn’t here, otherwise..."

"It doesn’t matter if he’s here or not," Ling Gengqiu chimed in. "Chen Younian is determined to wipe us out completely this time, even if Ling Chen were here, he wouldn’t be of much use. The key to this battle lies with us. If we can stop Chen Younian, everything will be manageable."

Several hours passed, and over a dozen tents were set up at the foot of the mountain. SUVs drove out from the surrounding forests, encircling the entire Qiu Nanshan. Looking around, the mountain was filled with people. To annihilate the guardian clan, Chen Younian had mobilized a large force this time, practically gathering most of the Netherworld Snake members.

"Chen Younian and his men have appeared." Receiving the latest news, Du Yunzhi came to Ling Gengqiu’s room and said, "They just arrived at the foot of the mountain. They might still be resting and probably won’t make a move for now."

"I’ve contacted Tong Zhentian; they are on their way here. At most, they’ll arrive in about an hour. It takes at least a few hours to get from the foot of the mountain to the top, so we still have plenty of time." Pausing, Ling Gengqiu continued, "The path up the mountain is our best chance for a counterattack. Have people gather more stones, attempting to cause significant casualties before they reach the summit."

"Understood, I’ll instruct them right away."

In a blink of an eye, another two hours passed. By now, night had gradually fallen, and many lights appeared at the mountain’s base.

Suddenly, with a "bang," a brilliant red light shot up from the mountain’s base and swiftly ascended. "Look, that seems like a signal flare," a member of the guardian clan stationed at the mountain’s edge shouted. As his words fell, a companion beside him urgently exclaimed, "Not good! They’re attacking!"

Though the sky was dark, each member of the Netherworld Snake wore lighting equipment, causing light to flicker around Qiu Nanshan. A closer look revealed nearly a hundred people.

"Quickly notify the chief; the enemy has launched an attack. Have everyone prepare."

At this moment, nearly a hundred Netherworld Snake members, equipped with climbing gear, were rapidly advancing toward the mountain’s summit. Relying solely on hand and foot wouldn’t allow such speed, but the vanguard of the Netherworld Snake had already installed electric ropes on the cliff of Qiu Nanshan, saving a lot of effort. These electric ropes stretched up to the mountainside, beyond which they could only rely on their hands. Since it was the guardian clan’s territory above, they dared not get too close to avoid the enemy’s attacks.

Soon enough, over thirty Netherworld Snake members reached the mountainside, while the remaining members patiently waited a hundred or two hundred meters from Qiu Nanshan. The limited availability of electric ropes meant only so many could ascend before the next group could climb. As time ticked by, the sky became utterly overcast.

Whiz!

At this moment, a sharp sound suddenly echoed in everyone’s ears. Before they could react, a miserable cry suddenly sounded, followed by a Netherworld Snake member losing their grip and plummeting from the cliff, their life extinguished. Falling from over a hundred meters, survival was nearly impossible.

What happened? Could it be a slip? While everyone was shocked, whizzing sounds resonated continuously, one Netherworld Snake member after another falling from the mountain. In less than two minutes, over twenty Netherworld Snake members had perished. Witnessing this, Chen Younian at the mountain’s base coldly commanded, "Chen Qinghua, find out what’s happening!"

"Yes!" Chen Qinghua responded, hurrying to the site of the falls. Shortly, he returned to Chen Younian’s side, handing him an arrow, saying, "I discovered this on the corpses. Someone is ambushing them secretly."

Seeing the arrow, Chen Younian’s expression turned grim.

"Hmph! Zhang Zhongfeng... it seems the Dragon Tiger Hall’s people have arrived. You, lead a team to find the people from the Longhu Martial Arts Hall, eliminate them all, leave no one."

Chen Qinghua nodded, motioning quickly. Chen Derong, Su He, and over ten Netherworld Snake assassins followed behind him, heading straight into the woods behind. Judging by the direction of the arrows, the Dragon Tiger Hall’s people should be ambushed there.

"Brother, someone is coming, a total of sixteen people."

After hearing Yang Chen’s warning, Qiu Yong, hiding behind a tree, quickly relayed the information. At this moment, in the pitch-black forest, over forty Dragon Tiger Hall elites were lying in ambush. After contacting Ling Gengqiu, their mission was simple: to deplete the Netherworld Snake’s active forces, delaying them on the ground.

Soon, the sixteen people slowly approached. At the forest’s edge, the Netherworld Snake members proceeded cautiously, not daring to venture into the woods but rather inch by inch, avoiding potential ambushes.

Whiz!

At this moment, a whizzing sound arose, Chen Qinghua, at the front, reaching out to catch an arrow.

"Over there!" He shouted, darting out like a bolt of lightning. The followers hastened their pace, rushing towards the direction from which the arrow came. However, after only tens of meters, the sound of arrows whizzing suddenly emanated from behind.

Two Netherworld Snake members, unable to dodge in time, were struck in the back with arrows and fell to the ground, motionless. "Be careful!" Chen Qinghua frowned, halting immediately, focusing his attention on the surrounding undergrowth. With the earlier lesson in mind, he dared not make reckless moves, wary it might be a trap set by the enemy.

"Tong Zhentian," After a brief standoff, Su He took a step forward and said, "I know you’re here. Since you’ve come, why not confront us openly? This sneaky behavior doesn’t suit your style."

After he finished, a long while passed before a shadow slowly emerged from the dark forest. As the figure approached, everyone finally saw clearly; it was indeed Tong Zhentian.

"Su He, we’ve been friends for many years. I’ve always thought you were a decent friend. But after everything we’ve experienced, I’ve finally seen your true colors."

"Every man for himself or perish," Su He replied calmly. "If you were in my position, I believe you would have made the same choice."

"Everyone has many choices, not just one. Your willingness to collude with them only shows that profit has blinded you."