Chapter 125: Leading by the Nose

The Qin family's peak-guarding team arrived at the edge of the battlefield. After a quick glance, they immediately retreated. It wasn't due to cowardice, but rather the significant numerical disadvantage they faced.

Their team comprised a dozen or so members. Originally, they would have stood a chance if they could have linked up with the assault team, and might even have been able to counterattack. However, the assault team had been decimated too quickly. By the time the peak-guarding team arrived, only a handful of their assault team members remained. In such a situation, even a forced advance would yield no positive outcome; retreating was the wiser course of action.

The thirty-plus members from Qingyu Mountain didn't immediately give chase. Instead, they fanned out, completely surrounding the few remaining Qin family assault team members. These few individuals now stood in a circle, backs against each other, gripped by despair. Yet, no one begged for mercy. Everyone knew it was futile; with their opposing factions and years of animosity, pleading would only invite ridicule from the enemy.

"Kill!" shouted a gravely wounded fifth-level cultivator, who was the sole survivor. He led the remaining clan members in a desperate charge towards one direction. Facing such cornered and desperate enemies, no one was foolish enough to engage them head-on; being dragged down with them would be the most unprofitable outcome. They were met with a barrage of magical arts.

Cultivators generally solidified their faction after reaching the fifth level. Those at the fourth level were already preparing for their future path, so many cultivators at this stage who intended to follow the path of magic had already begun studying magical arts. However, due to their relatively low cultivation and lack of mastery in casting, it was difficult for them to execute a complete magical art during intense combat. But they had been preparing their spells before the Qin family members even made a move, and now was the opportune moment to unleash them.

Fewer than ten magical arts, emitting colorful lights of various elements, struck them. Among them, a large, plump firebird was the most conspicuous. When the spells landed, only the fifth-level cultivator from the Qin family remained alive, the others instantly killed. This individual, severely wounded, stumbled towards a rogue cultivator recruited by Qingyu Mountain. Unable to even activate his protective spiritual energy, the rogue cultivator laughed heartily, saying, "I deserve this fortune," as he thrust his spear, impaling the fifth-level cultivator.

Several nearby cultivators looked on with envy. This was mainly because the rogue cultivator, despite being only at the third level, had killed a fifth-level cultivator, earning him a significant fifteen points of merit. With Qingyu Mountain's reward, that single spear thrust had earned him forty spirit stones! For rogue cultivators, forty spirit stones constituted a substantial fortune. At lower cultivation levels, it was enough to cover two to three months of cultivation expenses.

"Still have energy?" Xie Jin turned to look at Lu Ye, who silently nodded as he wiped blood from his blade on a corpse at his feet. He then looked at the other members of the hunting team. Song Xie coughed uncontrollably, gasping for air as if on the verge of death. "Anything else... no, but for killing... I still have energy!" he panted. Tao Tiangang naturally deferred to his senior brother. Qiao Qiao'er snorted softly, "If you big men can do it, of course, a woman like me can too!" What kind of logic that was, no one knew.

Xie Jin chuckled, "Since you all still have energy, then let's pursue them!" The battle, of course, wouldn't end so simply. For the people of Qingyu Mountain, it had only just begun.

The five of them summoned their respective mounts. Xie Jin exchanged a glance with a fifth-level cultivator from his own side, then led Lu Ye and the other three in a charge towards the opposite mountain peak. Immediately after, that fifth-level cultivator led the members of their assault team in a rapid follow-up. The tables had turned. Just moments ago, the Qin family had attacked Qingyu Mountain; now, it was Qingyu Mountain's turn to counterattack.

The cultivators moved swiftly. Lu Ye and his team chased all the way to the mountainside before they spotted the Qin family disciples ahead. Hearing the commotion behind them, the Qin family members turned to look, their faces filled with shock and dismay, and the scene temporarily fell into disarray. The leading fifth-level cultivator immediately roared, "Don't panic! Form up! There are only five of them; they're Qingyu Mountain's hunting team!" His response was undeniably correct. If they scattered at this moment, it would only give Lu Ye and his team an opportunity to pick them off one by one, as the hunting team's mobility was undoubtedly superior.

However, Xie Jin had no intention of charging forward. He reined in his mount from dozens of yards away, merely observing the leading fifth-level cultivator from a distance. Their eyes met, and the fifth-level cultivator's heart sank as he likely understood Xie Jin's strategy. The hunting team was clearly trying to delay them, with Qingyu Mountain's assault team following close behind. If they held their ground here, they wouldn't be able to escape once Qingyu Mountain's assault team arrived.

"Retreat slowly!" With that thought, the fifth-level cultivator roared again. The peak-guarding team retreated in an orderly fashion. No sooner had they begun to move than Xie Jin led Lu Ye and the others in a charge towards them.

"Hold steady!" the fifth-level cultivator shouted again. The group from the Qin family immediately formed a defensive formation. To their surprise, the five individuals on five mounts from Qingyu Mountain simply circled around from thirty yards away and vanished in a flash. When they were about to retreat, the five riders reappeared, observing from a distance. This repeated tactic thoroughly exhausted the Qin family group. The fifth-level cultivator's face was as dark as a pot, and he cursed Xie Jin mercilessly in his mind. Being led by the nose by the enemy was an incredibly frustrating experience.

Fortunately, he had just received a message: the peak-guarding team stationed at the summit was also descending to support them. As long as they could rendezvous, holding off Qingyu Mountain's attack would likely not be an issue. He decided to hold his ground and await reinforcements.

However, the very next message he received sent his heart plummeting. Qingyu Mountain's assault team hadn't charged them directly. Instead, they had bypassed them and headed straight for the mountain summit! They themselves were part of the peak-guarding team, having been ordered to support their own assault team. Unfortunately, they had retreated without being able to offer much help. In other words, the peak-guarding team for this mountain was divided into two parts: their group, and another group of about a dozen members who were en route to reinforce them, making a total of around thirty. And Qingyu Mountain's assault team was heading directly for that other group!

All three factions had ninth-level cultivators monitoring the Shadow Moon Disk, so no movement of any cultivator could be hidden from others. However, there was always a slight time delay in the transmission of information. It was for this reason that casualties among the three factions' cultivators during the Dragon Spring Convention were generally controlled. When the situation turned unfavorable, Tang Wu and others would make adjustments to avoid sending their cultivators to their deaths unnecessarily. However, the previous battle was the first time events spiraled beyond the control of a ninth-level cultivator. Qin Wanli, who was monitoring the Shadow Moon Disk, had no idea that four of his own hunting team members would die so quickly. By the time he issued the order for the assault team to retreat, it was already too late. One wrong move led to a cascade of errors.

At this moment, Qingyu Mountain's assault team, numbering fewer than thirty, was heading straight for the summit. Their own side only had a dozen or so members, creating a significant numerical disparity. If a clash occurred, the Qin family would undoubtedly suffer heavy casualties.

"Where are those guys?" The Qin family's fifth-level cultivator looked around but could no longer see Xie Jin and his team. A younger clan member beside him weakly responded, "They haven't reappeared."

"Damn it!" The fifth-level cultivator suddenly realized something, suspecting that the five individuals might have also gone to attack the other part of the peak-guarding team. If so, the situation was truly dire. "Hurry, move!" At the same time, he sent out a message, inquiring about the movements of the five riders. Within five breaths, he received a reply: "They're above you!"

No sooner had he processed this message than the thundering sound of beasts reached his ears. Looking up, he saw the five individuals on five mounts from Qingyu Mountain charging down towards them with the momentum of a downhill assault! "Activate talismans! We must hold them back!" he roared. *Swish, swish, swish!* In an instant, seven or eight spiritual talismans were activated, flying upwards and raining down. The unleashed power of these talismans burst forth with fierce might.

However, Lu Ye and his team were well prepared. The moment the opponents activated their talismans, they scattered, using the swiftness of their mounts to evade the incoming attacks. After the round of talismans was exhausted, only Song Xie was unlucky enough to be thrown off his mount, but the other four emerged unharmed. Song Xie, too, immediately scrambled back up, apparently without serious injury.

"Again!" shouted the fifth-level cultivator, and another round of talismans was unleashed. This attack, however, was even less effective than the last, as Lu Ye and his team had already taken cover behind trees. When the second wave of talisman attacks ceased, Lu Ye and the others emerged one by one, spiritual energy fluctuating around them. Each held a spiritual talisman in hand. The talismans were provided by Xie Jin, indicating that Qingyu Mountain was quite generous with its supplies.

Five talismans were activated: fire snakes, wind blades, and ice shards rained down on the Qin family cultivators. Qiao Qiao'er activated a Golden Wheel Talisman, conjuring a basin-sized golden disk that mercilessly bombarded the Qin family members, her laughter echoing manically. Although the Qin family cultivators tried to dodge, they lacked mounts, making their mobility inferior to Lu Ye and his team. After one round of talisman attacks, one of the dozen or so cultivators was killed instantly, and several others were wounded.

As chaos erupted, the Qin family hadn't even had a moment to catch their breath before the thundering sound of beasts echoed again. The leading fifth-level cultivator looked up to see Lu Ye and his team charging down towards them. At this point, their previously tight formation was in disarray and couldn't be hastily reorganized. Facing such a charge, amplified by the terrain, the Qin family was truly hard-pressed to resist.

As their figures intertwined, Lu Ye's blade rose and fell, and a large head flew into the air. Song Xie's giant scorpion's tail impaled a figure, eliciting continuous screams. Qiao Qiao'er's long whip entangled a cultivator, dragging him along the ground, though he soon broke free. Xie Jin and Tao Tiangang didn't achieve any kills, but Xie Jin managed to block the opposing fifth-level cultivator, while Tao Tiangang occupied some of the enemy's energy and attention. The five individuals on five mounts charged out for more than ten yards, then, led by Xie Jin, circled back, reappearing above the Qin family disciples shortly after. The second round of assault began.