Chapter 18

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This chapter is edited by Cthulhu. Thank you for your contribution!

Chapter 18: The Death of Qiao Mu

Qiao Mu was already wounded, with multiple cuts and arrow injuries across his body. After enduring several battles, even with his strength of 500 pounds, fatigue was beginning to set in.

Surrounded by bandits, he thrust his long spear forward repeatedly, each strike claiming a bandit’s life.

Though his spear technique was newly learned and not yet mastered, with enemies approaching from all directions, he had no space to evade. Every thrust meant taking a life.

Likewise, he had no room to dodge their attacks.

This time, he had charged in alone, facing opponents of an entirely different caliber. Soon, his body was covered in wounds.

His strength was diminishing, blood flowing freely, yet his feet never retreated.

However, his movements gradually became slower.

In one moment, four or five bandits overwhelmed him, and his figure vanished from the view of the soldiers behind.

“Is that… really him?”

Old Huang and the other soldiers watched this scene with mixed emotions.

At this moment, they still couldn’t comprehend why Qiao Mu had charged forward alone, even preventing them from following… but witnessing this scene made their hearts ache.

Meanwhile.

A chilling light flashed like starlight, followed by the sharp sound of something cutting through the air.

The bodies of the four or five bandits were struck by an immense force, flying sideways. In mid-air, their chests caved in and deformed, sending nearby bandits flying and creating a small clearing around Qiao Mu.

The long spear in Qiao Mu’s hands now gleamed with a cold, bright silver light. Wherever the spear tip passed, it pierced armor and drew streams of blood.

“Is the leader developing internal strength at this crucial moment?”

The soldiers behind felt hope rising in their hearts.

After practicing and cultivating inner power, martial artists could channel it into their limbs or weapons, releasing radiant energy.

Among these soldiers, only the monk-soldier from the temple didn’t share their joy, instead letting out a soft sigh.

Martial artists could dance on a knife’s edge, breaking through their limits between life and death… Some could use life-and-death struggles as whetstones to sharpen themselves.

However, such sharpening had its limits.

In this siege of a thousand bandits, even a newly-advanced 9th ranked martial artist with inner power could still perish!

“Has he cultivated inner power?” The military officer named Chu on the hill behind furrowed his brows slightly, but quickly relaxed them.

When a martial artist with inner power unleashed their energy, their explosive force could be several times greater than their physical strength. But Qiao Mu faced too many enemies, enough to completely drain his inner power.

Not only Qiao Mu but even Military Officer Chu himself.

After reaching the 9th rank, it had taken him over ten years of diligent training to advance to the 8th rank, and the depth of his inner power was several times that of a 9th ranked martial artist. Yet even he, if placed in Qiao Mu’s position, would have no chance of survival, let alone Qiao Mu who had just cultivated inner power.

Considering this, he felt somewhat fortunate.

“A martial artist who can develop internal strength at twenty either possesses extraordinary talent or has shown exceptional perseverance in training for many years.”

“I underestimated him before; it’s fortunate he was eliminated early. When I report this to the city lord, it will surely earn me credit.”

With this thought, Military Officer Chu’s lips curved slightly upward. He remained in place, waiting to witness Qiao Mu’s final moments before joining the battle.

“Will this small amount of internal strength he just developed let him last a few more breaths?”

Just as he pondered this, he saw another flash of light ahead.

The silver-white aura swirling around Qiao Mu’s spear tip suddenly expanded, faintly tinged with a bloody red glow.

He was executing the newly learned Military Spear Skill, with no elaborate moves, just continuously gathering qi and thrusting forward, forward, forward!

The surging aura of the spear pierced several meters ahead, its strong wind forcing back the surrounding bandits.

At this moment, though surrounded by mountain bandits, he was the brightest star on the battlefield.

“Something’s amiss. He just developed internal strength; how could it be so powerful?” Military Officer Chu’s eyes widened slightly, genuinely surprised this time.

“No, this must be some kind of explosive secret technique.”

“The boss has become so powerful?” Old Huang and the other soldiers also widened their eyes, their hearts filling with joy.

“He’s so strong, he’ll surely survive, right?”

“I think so, just look at how he’s killing those bandits like slaughtering dogs!”

At this moment, they even believed Qiao Mu might survive.

The burly monk-soldier from the temple was the only one who froze initially, then showed a bitter smile.

“Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method? He won’t survive.”

The technique was so renowned that he recognized it instantly.

This was a famous explosive secret technique that used self-harm to unleash the body’s hidden potential, resulting in a sudden surge of internal strength for a brief period.

“The boss had just achieved a breakthrough and cultivated internal strength, which could be called a breakthrough in the face of death, finally having a glimmer of hope! But why… why did he make such a decisive move and immediately activate the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method, completely sacrificing his vitality?”

“He clearly made a breakthrough, but instead of striving to survive, he destroyed his own path?”

The key wasn’t about cultivating internal strength. Many young martial artists had cultivated internal strength, and some could make breakthroughs in crucial moments.

The crucial point was that he clearly had a breakthrough in strength and had a chance at survival, but he chose to cut off his own path and willingly embrace death!

He couldn’t understand it, but he was deeply shocked.

In the gaze of thousands of soldiers, Qiao Mu, spear in hand, charged into the midst of the bandits, leaving chaos and fallen bodies in his wake.

Five breaths.

The dazzling light on Qiao Mu’s spear slowly dimmed.

Ten breaths.

The fierce light at his spear tip completely vanished. He had exhausted all his newly cultivated internal strength. Blood seeped from his pores, his meridians were shattered, and he had become a bloody figure.

Fifteen breaths.

Qiao Mu’s arms trembled, excessive blood loss draining the color from his face, and even his physical strength was nearly gone.

Twenty breaths.

Qiao Mu had lost his breath and died from exhaustion and severe injuries.

He stood at the battlefield’s front, leaning on his spear. His body hadn’t fallen, and he faced away from the soldiers behind him. His clothes were stained crimson with blood, and mountains of bandit corpses lay at his feet. Within a radius of twenty meters, no bandit dared approach.

“Is… he dead?” The bandits held their knives, their voices trembling with fear.

“Why don’t you check?”

“Why aren’t you going?”

“He must be dead, don’t believe me? Try it yourself!”

The bandits discussed among themselves, then made the same decision without speaking.

Go around.

Even in death, his presence commanded power.

Like a tidal wave, the bandits split apart on both sides, avoiding the mountain of corpses in the middle and the young body that, with a long spear, remained standing.

Eventually, this isolated reef was separated by the tide.

Qiao Mu, deceased, aged 20.