Chapter 65: Slaughter on Skull Mountain

The massacre of several hundred tribesmen ignited a fury throughout the Yi Tribe. This time, the chieftain and elders reached a unanimous decision: they would uproot the Dark Skull Group entirely, both to honor their fallen warriors and to send a warning to the world.

Thus, the tribe mobilized two-thirds of its elite warriors and five hundred intermediate fighters, a force of more than seven hundred, all under the command of the great chieftain Yi Ke.

Yi Tian’s Reincarnation Squad was, of course, among them.

“Set out for Skull Mountain!”

At the great chieftain’s command, over seven hundred warriors dashed across the land, each stride covering dozens of yards, their forms blurring like phantoms until they vanished down the winding road between forests and hills.

Skull Mountain stood more than five hundred li from the Yi Tribe—a precipitous peak, stronghold of the Dark Skull Group.

The tribe’s forces thundered across the plains, pausing only twice to rest. In less than half an hour, they had already reached the outskirts of Skull Mountain.

“This time, do not advance recklessly. Kill with your archery whenever possible; avoid close combat,” Yi Ke instructed his warriors.

Though they meant to annihilate the Dark Skull Group, they must also minimize their own losses.

Yi Ke glanced at Yi Tian’s Reincarnation Squad, as if to offer further advice, but the words caught in his throat. Now, the squad’s captain, Yi Tian, surpassed even him in strength. Each of the five members had reached the peak of the eighth rank; their dantian spaces had begun to tremble, each showing signs of breaking through to the ninth rank. Aside from his experience, he, the great chieftain, had been overtaken in cultivation.

His own son, Yi Hong, was also a member of the Reincarnation Squad—a fact for which he silently thanked the tribal chief for suggesting. The only thing that vexed him was that his son’s abilities would soon eclipse his own, a thought that brought a touch of regret.

“Attack!”

As the vanguard approached Skull Mountain, they discovered the defenses were exceedingly tight—no chance for a surprise assault. Without hesitation, the great chieftain commanded everyone to launch their attack.

In the next instant, a storm of arrows tore through the air, piercing the sentries atop the towers, striking throats, chests, and skulls of the Dark Skull Group. Dozens of defenders at the mountain’s base were felled on the spot.

“We’re under attack!” someone cried from a hidden corner. A flare rocketed into the sky, bursting into brilliant fireworks.

But before the alarmed figure could do more, an arrow pierced his head.

“Charge!”

Hundreds of tribal warriors surged toward Skull Mountain like ghosts.

Yi Tian and his Reincarnation Squad were at the forefront, loosing arrow after deadly arrow, cutting down Dark Skull Group members. Even the steepest cliffs could not hinder them; they ascended in a flash as if walking on level ground.

Other elite warriors pressed the attack. The treacherous terrain of Skull Mountain could not impede their advance.

In the blink of an eye, over two hundred warriors had reached the mountainside, where many houses were built. Hearing the commotion, members of the Dark Skull Group rushed out to engage them. Yet, within tens of yards, not one survived the onslaught of archery from Yi Tian and his peers. Blood flowed in rivers.

Without pausing, Yi Tian’s squad pressed onward, leaving the lesser enemies to the five hundred warriors advancing behind. The elite warriors moved with lethal speed.

Yi Tian’s team was the first to reach the summit, where more than two hundred Dark Skull Group members had already gathered—each exuding a murderous aura, their hands stained by countless lives. Each was at least of the elite warrior level.

“Kill!”

In the next moment, these ruthless adversaries launched their assault. Sword energy, saber light, and axe shadows split the air, spanning dozens of yards, enveloping Yi Tian’s squad in deadly intent.

Hundreds of high-rank warriors attacked at once—a force that could obliterate even a ninth-rank master.

The mountaintop was not large, only a few hundred yards across. With the distance between them closing, Yi Tian’s squad faced a storm of attacks, their situation perilous.

“Evade!” Yi Tian shouted. The six members of the Reincarnation Squad darted away, their afterimages flickering so swiftly they were nearly invisible.

At the same time, they shattered any unavoidable attacks, quickly neutralizing the assault of hundreds.

The Golden Scale Sword disappeared from Yi Tian’s hand, replaced by the Dragon Cry Bow.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

While darting at high speed, he loosed one deadly arrow after another, each shot finding its mark, felling the elite Dark Skull Group members with unerring accuracy.

Yi Feng, Yi Shan, Yi Li, Yi Kuang, and Yi Hong also joined the fray, their attacks taking lives with each strike. Only a rare arrow was deflected.

One by one, the enemy fell, but instead of retreating, their savagery grew, spurring them to fight even more fiercely against Yi Tian and his comrades.

At that moment, the great chieftain Yi Ke and more than two hundred elite warriors surged up the mountain.

Their arrival spelled disaster for the Dark Skull Group—wave after wave of elite members were cut down.

In just a few breaths, over two hundred elite and high-ranking members of the Dark Skull Group had been slaughtered.

Such is the terror of master archers—unmatched among their peers.

“But what of the other two of the Four Gods—the Blood God and the Ghost God?” Yi Ke wondered.

The greatest threat of the Dark Skull Group had always been the Four Gods: the Blood God, the Ghost God, the God of Slaughter, and the Giant God.

The God of Slaughter and the Giant God had already been killed in the attack on the Yi Tribe. Now, only the mysterious Blood God and Ghost God remained—figures known by name but never seen.

Among the Four Gods, the God of Slaughter and the Giant God were known to all major powers, but no one had ever truly witnessed the Blood God or the Ghost God. Their abilities, cultivation methods, and true strength were all a mystery.

He had expected a fierce battle if the Blood God and Ghost God appeared, yet they did not show themselves.

Yi Tian, hearing this, grew alert. He harbored no contempt for these two. From his earlier battles with the God of Slaughter and the Giant God, he knew their strength—already rivaling the peak of the ninth rank, formidable beneath the Human tier.

The Blood God and Ghost God, being their equals, would not be simple adversaries.

“Show yourselves!” Yi Tian shouted toward the grandest building atop the peak.

Just moments before, he had sensed two presences flicker inside. Since gaining his Star Clay Avatar, his senses had grown sharper and more resilient, his perception extraordinary.

All the warriors turned their gazes toward the building.

Bang!

The doors burst open.

A man drenched in crimson from head to toe and another wearing a metallic mask carved into a wailing ghost’s face stepped out.

At once, the warriors drew their bows, arrows trained on the pair.

“So you’re the ones who killed the God of Slaughter and the Giant God?” The Blood God’s crimson eyes flashed with menace and a hint of disdain.

“Heh heh, today will be your day of death,” the Ghost God sneered, unfazed by the hundreds of elite warriors before him.

“Kill them!” Though Yi Ke sensed something amiss, he did not hesitate. He believed that beneath the Human tier, no one could survive the arrows of over two hundred elite warriors.