The loud and unpleasant sound of the bugle horn resonated through the darkness. It revived the entire stronghold with a jolt. The torches were quickly illuminated at various places. Several people’s shadows could be seen welling-up towards the gate.

　　“What? A huge number of human soldiers emerged and attacked our stronghold? What’s the present situation?”

　　There was a hefty barbarian inside a lofty building in the depth of the stronghold. He was as tall as an iron tower. He glowered at the messenger who stood in front of him. He then spoke in a sinking yet demanding tone.

　　This place seemed to be an official meeting hall of the barbarians. Various strange patterns of beasts were carved on the surrounding walls. In addition, heads of some grotesquely-shaped monsters and beasts were hung all over the walls. A huge patch of animal skin lay in the middle of the floor.

　　A young and sturdy barbarian stood beside the tower-like barbarian. The upper part of his body was bare. He had a blue totem of a wolf’s head on his chest. He had a cold and gloomy facial expression; he looked like a statue.

　　“Elder Wu, we’ve temporarily blocked more than ten intruders at the entrance. But, the enemy seems to be very formidable. It seems that they have more than one-hundred people as reinforcements in the forest. They seem to be rapidly approaching towards us,” the messenger half-knelt on the floor, and replied hurriedly. His entire body was covered in blood. But, it was evident that it wasn’t his own…

　　“So, it seems that there are several Hou Tian Warriors among the invading human army. But, how can it be possible that so many of them popped-up here all of a sudden…” the hefty barbarian’s complexion remained dignified as he asked.

　　Suddenly, a series of explosive sounds were heard from the direction of the entrance to the valley.

　　The complexion of the hefty barbarian changed as he heard this loud sound. He hurriedly stepped out of the hall. Then, he saw something strange. He saw that raging flames were continuously rising towards the sky a few miles away from the entrance to the valley. Also, a thick layer of smoke was continuously soaring upwards. He couldn’t figure out what exactly had happened outside.

　　“Damn! Those despicable human beings intend to incinerate the rations and fodders we have stored here.” He was hugely alarmed as he understood the intention of his enemy.

　　“Tu Ma Gu, you lead our Totem Warriors and rush towards the entrance to the valley. And, transmit the message to our entire force that they must do everything to force the humans back,” the hefty barbarian turned around and ordered the young Totem Warrior — the one with the wolf’s head tattoo on his chest.

　　“Yes!”

　　The young barbarian immediately complied with the order. His figure flashed and transformed into a puff of smoke. Then, he rushed out of the hall and went towards a distant place.

　　The messenger was still kneeling on the ground. The hefty barbarian then waved his hand to dismiss the messenger.

　　He returned to the hall, and started to ponder over the situation. Then, he turned around and walked deeper into the hall.

　　*** ***

　　On the other side of the valley…

　　Four people’s shadows stood side-by-side on another mountain peak. They were Shi Mu, Bai Yu Xiu, and the other two members of their team.

　　“Our plan seems to be working. Most of the barbarians have been successfully attracted outside… towards the entrance,” the Taoist youth said.

　　The battle at the entrance to the valley had become intense by this time. The thick layers of smoke produced by the blazing flames curled-up from the ground’s level. The lingering sound of the never-ending battle between the two races also continued to resound.

　　The human race was at a disadvantage since they had only had a dozen or more soldiers. But, the situation was still favorable for them as all of them were Hou Tian warriors. They were indisputably stronger than the ordinary barbarian soldiers. One human soldier could deal with ten barbarian soldiers. So, there were chances that their distraction tactic might work, and they could buy a little more time for the infiltration team.

　　“There’s no time to idle around. We should move into action. They won’t be able to hold the barbarian soldiers for a very long time,” the dark-skinned youth moved his vision and said.

　　Shi Mu’s eyes followed his vision. Then, he narrowed his eyes a little.

　　More than ten tall figures could be seen advancing towards the entrance to the valley. They were exceptionally tall. They seemed to be the Totem Warriors of the barbarian race.

　　“Let’s go!”

　　Bai Yu Xiu’s complexion darkened. He grabbed a thick rope, and jumped down the mountain peak. The other end of that rope was tied to a tree on the mountain peak.

　　The other three people followed him. They also held a similar rope; they jumped down the mountain peak in the same manner.

　　The four people arrived at the valley after some time. Their silhouettes flashed as they moved to a building and hid behind it.

　　Bai Yu Xiu quickly scanned the surroundings. He then waved his hand to signal the other people to storm deeper into the valley. Shi Mu and other two disciples immediately followed his signal.

　　This stronghold was divided into two layers. They had done their investigation beforehand. So, they knew that the food and fodders were stored in the internal layer of the stronghold. The majority of the barbarian soldiers had been lured out to the entrance by this time. However, it was obvious that there should be some barbarians left inside to keep guard.

　　The four of them proceeded towards the internal part of the stronghold. They slaughtered the barbarians who came in their way. In fact, most of the barbarians weren’t even able to see the faces of their enemies before they got killed.

　　Shi Mu and his team members didn’t take much time to sneak into the internal layer of the stronghold.

　　“Such a huge amount of rations and fodders are stored here…” Shi Mu and his team members entered the internal layer, and examined their surroundings. Suddenly, a trace of amazement crawled across their faces.

　　Several dozens of cylindrical-shaped wooden buildings loomed in the internal layer of the stronghold. Each one of them was stuffed with grains, weapons, and armor. There were sufficient armors to annihilate an entire city.

　　A few dozen tents were set-up outside these buildings in order to help store the surplus army provisions and supplies.

　　“These army provisions are sufficient to support several thousand soldiers. Is it possible that all the resources needed to support the barbarian soldiers stationed in the Fu prefecture are kept here?” the young Taoist warrior exhaled a breath, and pondered in a soft voice.

　　These four people were hidden in an open area behind a building. Shi Mu observed his surroundings, and felt that something wasn’t right.

　　He was disturbed by the fact that the internal layer of the stronghold wasn’t under heavy security. There wasn’t a single patrol-group near the storehouses that stored the barbarian race’s army provisions.

　　Could it be that the battle at the gate had drawn all the guards outside?

　　“Let’s begin our mission. We should quickly incinerate these provisions. Only then we’ll be able to return with great feat points,” the dark-skinned youth of the Wind and Fire Sect exclaimed cheerfully.

　　“Haha… I never thought that this task would be so easy. It seems that I can get a new sword after I return from here,” the young Taoist youth chimed-in. His eyes also flashed with a hint of excitement.

　　“Alright… let’s begin.” Bai Yu Xiu pondered for a while. He then quickly observed the surroundings and nodded in agreement.

　　Shi Mu didn’t say anything. He didn’t know why, but he had a premonition of an approaching danger. He felt a strange feeling of lingering heaviness in the air.

　　“Then… let’s act according to our plan. Brother Shi would sneak in and activate the Fiery Cloud charm. And… the three of us will coordinate from the sidelines. We must burn down all the provisions.” Bai Yu Xiu’s eyes flickered. He then took out the charm from his bosom and extended it towards Shi Mu.

　　Shi Mu was about to stretch-out his hand to hold it. But then, something happened that took away his breath. He was stricken by panic, and jumped backwards.

　　‘Whiz!’

　　Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed past him from behind. It snatched the Fiery Cloud charm from Bai Yu Xiu’s hand, and disappeared into the darkness – like a bolt of lightning.

　　Bai Yu Xiu issued a heart-rending cry, and jumped back. His right hand was drenched in blood; two of his fingers had disappeared.

　　Shi Mu was shocked. He stomped on the ground and jumped to one side. He then pulled-out his black blade, and placed it horizontally before his body.

　　The Taoist youth and the dark-skinned disciple had also grabbed their weapons. They seemed prepared to confront any critical situation.

　　“Who’s there?” Bai Yu Xiu struggled to suppress the pain of his severed fingers, and shouted loudly.

　　“Hmm… they’re a bunch of useless people. Five-hundred elite soldiers and twenty Totem warriors were assigned to guard this place. But, they still let you four dirty mice slip inside.”

　　Suddenly, a cold voice resounded in the darkness. Then, a black-robed man walked over and stood in front of them.

　　There was a solemn expression on his beardless face. He wasn’t as tall as an average barbarian, but he was still nine feet in height. He wore a dark-black cloak; it was adorned with crow feathers. The black color of the feathers was glowing under the bright moonlight.

　　One could’ve mistaken him for a tall human if it wasn’t for his strange pale-yellow hair.

　　A tower-like tall barbarian man stood beside the black-cloaked barbarian. He looked extremely petrifying and wretched. The black-robed man appeared so short in comparison to this tall one that it seemed as if he had been shrunken.

　　‘Hiss!’ Suddenly, a hissing sound resounded.

　　Shi Mu and the others were examining the two barbarians when they heard the hissing sound. Then, they saw a huge snake-head appear from behind the black-robed man. The snake-head was as big as a large bowl. Its entire body was covered with black and grey striped pattern. It swayed and wrapped itself around the black-robed man’s body. The snake seemed to be several feet long.

　　The snake’s eyes flashed with a cold ominous glint. It held the Fiery Cloud charm in its mouth. There was also a faint sign of blood on its mouth.

　　The black-robed man stood there for a while. It put a huge pressure on Shi Mu and his team mates. This overwhelming feeling filled their hearts with strange heaviness, and they started to gasp for breath.

　　“A Xian Tian Warrior!” Shi Mu was dumbstruck.

　　Bai Yu Xiu and the other two youths also sensed the enormous strength of the man. Their faces turned pale with fear.

　　“The Fiery Cloud Charm… tsk… tsk… The old fools of the human race have been very generous this time. They have bestowed a middle-level charm on you people,” the black-robed barbarian clicked his tongue and said with a sigh.

　　Suddenly, a bright-red blazing fire ball appeared in front of him. It was shot towards the paper charm that he held in his hand. It hadn’t reached his hand yet, but the man still felt as if a scorching heat-wave had hit him across his face.

　　Bai Yu Xiu and the other two people were taken aback. They noticed that this fireball was shot by Shi Mu.

　　They hadn’t noticed that Shi Mu held four or five red paper charms in his hand. He moved his hands. Then, four or five fireballs emerged once again with a flash of light. However, Shi Mu had aimed these fire balls at their storehouses this time.

　　Shi Mu turned around as soon as the fireballs were shot. Then, he immediately dashed towards a distant place.

　　Bai Yu Xiu and the other disciples couldn’t respond to this series of lightning-fast actions. Shi Mu had rushed several feet away before they could take any action.

　　The black-robed man grunted, and hid the paper charm behind his body. Then, a pale-blue radiance appeared on the surface of his body. He thrust his fist forward before anyone could understand anything.

　　The Fiery Cloud charm was a middle-level charm. So, it could detonate the moment it received the slightest bit of magic power of the fire element. Then, it would unleash a terrible force of energy. It wasn’t a joke to be affected by a middle-level charm from such a short distance. It could even hurt a Xian Tian level warrior if he fell within its explosion’s radius.

　　Boom!

　　A dark-blue fist wind rolled-out and collided with the red fireball. The red fireball was repelled with a flash of blue light. It turned into a puff of remnant flame, and dispersed in the air.

　　This delay gave ample time to Bai Yu Xiu and other two disciples to react. They were jolted-out of their trance. Then, they turned around and fled towards a distant place.

　　A trace of ominous glint flashed across the black-robed man’s eyes as he saw this. He decided to follow them.

　　Suddenly, there was a series of loud rumbling sounds.

　　The fireballs that Shi Mu had released fell on the surrounding storehouses in succession. The destructive force of the accumulated magic power of these fireballs accelerated the intensity of the fire. So, they instantly set several surrounding storehouses on fire.

　　Most of these buildings contained combustible material. So, the blazing fire could spread at an alarming speed if it wasn’t immediately controlled.

　　The black-robed man’s complexion turned gloomy. The pale-blue light around his body re-gained its brightness. He shot his hands, and produced blue shadows. Forty-to-fifty-feet-high blue shadows appeared around his palms. Then, he swept them toward the raging flames.

　　The black-robed man had just displayed an ice element cultivation art. It could easily douse the fire. His palm shadows got transformed into a group of round blue fog as soon as they fell. They reduced the heat to a great extent. Therefore, most of the flames were put-out in a short while.

　　The black snake around the man’s body also seemed to be quite intelligent. It swooped down on one of the burning storehouses, and swept his tail to extinguish the fire.

　　“Call our men to put-off the fire. I’ll take care of those young boys.”

　　The black-robed man’s complexion turned ashen. He commanded the tower-like tall barbarian-man. He then rose from the ground and took-off after Shi Mu and his companions – like a fierce eagle.