Supreme Martial Arts: Unlock Boundless Power!

Chapter 137

The breath of the night was dark and peculiar, with a silence that carried its own unique sound. The mountains transformed into the shadows of mighty beasts, lurking and restless all around us.

After five days of relentless defense, Xu Family Fortress, renowned for its impregnability, had finally reached its limits. Though the ancestors of the Xu family had poured their hearts and souls into constructing the fortress, they never anticipated that their descendants would face such dire circumstances.

Under the combined might of the four infamous bandit groups from Tai'a County, there were over five thousand men, including five peak-level experts with tenth-layer internal energy and more than ten experts at the ninth-layer. Such a massive force was beyond any single family within Taicang County's ability to withstand.

Five days, a full five days. Led by Zhou Wude and Xu Yinjie, the core disciples of the Zhou, Xu, and Cheng families took turns to battle, each one bearing wounds and appearing utterly disheveled. They had fended off countless assaults by the bandits, and now, beneath the Xu Family Fortress, the corpses of the marauders numbered close to a staggering thousand. Among these near thousand bandits, there were even several experts with seventh and eighth-layer internal energy, and astonishingly, two grandmasters at the ninth-layer. Such heavy losses stirred both fear and rage among the many bandit leaders but only strengthened their resolve to annihilate Xu Family Fortress.

At this moment, everyone within the fortress knew that if the bandits breached the defenses, not a single soul would escape with their life.

"Ah..."

A shrill and desperate scream echoed from the city walls, reverberating through the silent night sky, yet the surrounding people seemed oblivious, as if they hadn't heard it at all. They didn't even bother to cast a glance in that direction.

Xu Yinjie lightly clapped his hands, his gaunt face deeply sunken. In the darkness, he resembled a ghostly figure, haunting and eerie. Wherever he went, the disciples of the three families stood tall, their chests puffed out, gazing at this frail old man with admiration and gratitude in their eyes.

On this night, the seventh bandit who had stealthily infiltrated the city walls was discovered and slain by the venerable elder. If it weren't for his tireless efforts patrolling the walls, their defenses would have likely been breached already.

However, as Xu Yinjie looked upon these disciples of the three families, who fought their way through bloodshed, his heart grew heavy. His gaze fell upon the city walls, where several breaches had formed, and even with the combined strength of the three families, they couldn't repair those gaps.

The bandits had come too suddenly, and their strength was overwhelmingly formidable.

"Xu brother, you've killed another one. You've surpassed my achievements from yesterday," an aged voice came from another direction. Zhou Wude strode forward with swift and steady steps, accompanied by the smiling figure of Elder Cheng Ningsheng.

It seemed that wherever he walked, it wasn't a city wall stained with days of bloodshed, but the magnificent and splendid gardens of his Cheng family. The young disciples and servants of the three families, upon seeing his smile, couldn't help but feel a surge of energy, as if the fatigue of the past few days had been somewhat lifted.

Xu Yinjie nodded to them, and the three men instinctively walked to a certain section of the city wall. Xu Yinjie waved his hand, and the few individuals who were guarding the area immediately bowed deeply and swiftly departed.

Though there were only three elderly men present, there was no doubt that they possessed the greatest martial prowess within Taicang County.

If any bandits were foolish enough to attempt an intrusion from this direction, they would undoubtedly be seeking their own demise.