DEVIL'S SWORD

Escaping

Li Hao and Ho Chen instantly turned their eyes toward the door, which had lost its panels. They both stared at the figure of an old man with a pale face and long, white hair reaching his back. His attire was entirely black, without exception. Even his headband was black, contrasting sharply with his white hair.

 The pale-faced man’s lips and chin were smeared with fresh blood. Occasionally, he licked it as if savoring the taste.

 "Wayward Fang!" Li Hao exclaimed, recognizing the figure standing before him.

 Wayward Fang was the nickname of the leader of the Black Panther Sect. The old man was infamous for his peculiar habit of drinking the blood of his victims, particularly from their necks.

 "Why are you so surprised to see me, Li Hao? You should have realized that your sect was already my target!" said Wayward Fang, flashing his elongated fangs—far longer than an average person’s. Perhaps that was why he was given the moniker Wayward Fang by dark sect warriors.

 Li Hao had long anticipated an attack from the dark sects, but he had never expected it to come this soon.

 The intelligence reports had stated that just a few days ago, the Black Panther Sect attacked the Mighty Hand Sect. Naturally, Li Hao assumed that the sect led by the warrior known as Wayward Fang would need time to recover before launching an assault on the Star Sword Sect.

 But he had miscalculated terribly. He had prepared by sending Ho Chen to Mount Gobi to deliver a dried scroll, but even that effort fell short. If he had known, he would have made proper preparations to fend off the assault.

 But there was no point dwelling on mistakes. Li Hao knew that regret would not help the current situation. His focus now was on ensuring Ho Chen’s escape from this chaos.

 "Your attack was indeed surprising and beyond my calculations, Mao Hung... but I will not stand idly by while you and your disciples ravage the sect I’ve nurtured for decades!"

 Li Hao glanced at Ho Chen standing beside him. The twenty-year-old young man was trembling in fear, his knees shaking at the sight of Mao Hung, whom he found terrifying.

 "Ho Chen, if I manage to push him back, you must run and save yourself. Deliver the scroll to the hermit inside the cave," he whispered softly.

 "But, Master..." Ho Chen was naturally shocked by Li Hao’s order. He didn’t want to act like a coward and flee from the battle.

 "Do not argue! What I’m doing is for the future of this land," Li Hao interjected.

 Ho Chen frowned. He did not understand what his master meant by "the future of this land."

 "No need to think about it. You will understand later. Now, be ready to run!" Li Hao continued.

 "Have you finished talking with that young man, Li Hao? Hand him over to me! His blood looks quite fresh," Wayward Fang interrupted suddenly.

 Ho Chen shuddered. Only now did he realize that the blood dripping from the warrior’s chin was from his victims.

 "If you want to taste this young man’s blood, you’ll have to step over my dead body first, Wayward Fang!" Li Hao leaped forward, grabbing a pair of short spears hanging on the wall.

 "Hahahaha! I will gladly step over your corpse, Li Hao. Not only that, but I will also desecrate it so your soul will suffer even more!" Mao Hung retorted. He reached into his robe and pulled out a pair of gloves shaped like tiger claws, slipping them onto his hands.

 Li Hao narrowed his eyes. He knew that the warrior known as Wayward Fang had drawn his most trusted weapon, the tiger claw gloves. But that did not scare him in the slightest; in fact, he was eager to test the true strength of the Black Panther Sect leader’s prized weapon.

 Wasting no more time, the leader of the Star Sword Sect lunged forward with his short spears positioned ahead. His goal was to force Ho Chen out of his private chamber so he could escape.

 Mao Hung did not remain idle; he also dashed forward to meet the incoming attack. A sinister grin spread across his face, revealing his sharp fangs.

 "Die, Li Hao!"

 The battle commenced. The slashes and thrusts of Li Hao’s twin spears were blocked by Mao Hung’s gloves. Moreover, the counterattacks from the warrior known as Wayward Fang put Li Hao in a difficult position.

 The room felt increasingly cramped. The furniture, tables, and chairs within it were destroyed due to their intense battle. Missed strikes from both the twin spears and the tiger claw gloves shattered everything in their path.

 Meanwhile, Ho Chen was desperately searching for an escape route. But each time he tried to move toward the door, Mao Hung always blocked his path. Likewise, Li Hao had yet to push his opponent back.

 Clutching the sword given to him by Li Hao, Ho Chen thought hard about how to break free from this dangerous situation. He kept his eyes sharp, observing the high-level duel unfolding before him.

 The battle between the two warriors became even more ferocious, their movements accelerating with each passing second. One of the brick walls even collapsed after being struck by Mao Hung’s claw attack.

 Ho Chen saw an opportunity. Hoping that Li Hao could distract Mao Hung, he slowly crept toward the broken brick wall.

 Outside, the battle between the two sects had already caused massive destruction within the Star Sword Sect’s complex. Flames spread, consuming the predominantly wooden buildings. The expanding blaze sent thick smoke billowing into the sky.

 Countless corpses from both factions littered the ground in disarray. The stench of blood mixed with the acrid smoke filled the air, overwhelming everyone who was still alive.

 But the horrors of war did not deter either side. They fought relentlessly, showing no mercy, for they knew their enemies would not spare them either.

 Inside the room, Ho Chen finally saw the perfect chance to escape. He slipped away unnoticed by both Li Hao and Mao Hung. The young man ran as fast as he could, never looking back.

 Those engaged in battle ignored Ho Chen’s presence. A moment’s distraction could mean losing their own lives.

 After breaking free from the chaos at the Star Sword Sect, Ho Chen kept running into the forest. Unexpectedly, he spotted a dark figure staggering through the trees.

 Ho Chen halted his steps, hiding behind a tree. He observed the shadowy figure closely.

 "Fang Yun...?" Ho Chen furrowed his brows as he recognized the dark figure to be Fang Yun.

 A sly smile formed on his lips. A plan emerged in his mind—a plan to take revenge on the son of Duke Fang An.