63: Exposing strength

The aerial assault from the Soaring Eagle Tribe, despite suffering significant losses during the climb to the battlements and from sniper fire, still saw dozens of giant eagles successfully break through the fire net. Like demons scattering seeds of death, they delivered the elite barbarian warriors on their backs directly into Star South City!

The barbarians delivered in this drop were, at the very least, at the Late Martial Master stage, with dozens more being fierce Grand Martial Masters! The moment they landed, they were like starving wolves charging into a flock of sheep, beginning an indiscriminate slaughter!

The city's interior was extremely vulnerable at this moment. Almost all combatants at the Martial Master level and above had been deployed to the city walls. Those left behind were mostly security teams composed of Martial Artists and Martial Apprentices, along with a great number of unarmed civilians and refugees. Facing these elite, wolf-like barbarians, the resistance was pitifully weak.

"Run!"

"Help! The barbarians are inside the city!"

"Mother—!"

Piteous wails and desperate cries for help instantly erupted from all corners of the city, interweaving with the earth-shaking sounds of battle from the walls to compose a symphony of despair. The streets descended into chaos in an instant, with people fleeing like headless flies. The barbarian warriors swung their weapons with savage laughter, leaving a trail of flying blood and flesh, debris, and mutilated corpses wherever they passed.

Coincidence, or perhaps misfortune, struck.

Two exceptionally majestic giant eagles circled and chose the relatively open and heavily populated city defense medical treatment area as their landing point! From their backs, two Grand Martial Master barbarian commanders with bloodthirsty eyes, along with seven or eight Late Martial Master barbarian soldiers, landed with a crash, right in front of the temporary camp of the Huichun Medical Hall!

"Kill! Slaughter all these Qian Kingdom dog physicians! Let's see who can save their wounded soldiers then!" A Grand Martial Master barbarian with a scar on his face laughed cruelly, swinging his scimitar. A sharp Saber Qi slashed towards the nearest medicine tent!

*Thwack!*

Several apprentices distributing medicinal herbs and civilian helpers were instantly cut down, their blood staining the piled-up gauze.

"Heh heh, there's an old fellow here too!" Another Grand Martial Master barbarian wielding a spiked chain mace locked his gaze on Chu Tianhe, who was treating a severely wounded soldier. The mace, carrying a foul wind, smashed directly towards him!

"Father!" Xiao Chun was terrified, her face drained of color as she cried out involuntarily.

"Look out!" Chu Tianhe's pupils contracted sharply. The aura he had been suppressing erupted at this moment! The Internal Energy of a Half-step Grand Martial Master surged forth without reservation. He pushed aside the wounded soldier next to him, his palms glowing with a cyan light as he forcefully slapped towards the whistling chain mace!

*Boom!*

Energy clashed. Chu Tianhe grunted, staggering backward, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. Already greatly depleted, blocking a full-force strike from a Grand Martial Master so hastily had already inflicted internal injuries.

"Oh? A Half-step Grand Martial Master? The old thing has some skill!" The chain mace barbarian commander was slightly surprised, then revealed an even more cruel smile. "Then I must kill you first! Brothers, kill them all! Leave none alive!"

The barbarian soldiers howled as they charged forward, blades flashing as they slashed directly at the unarmed physicians and wounded. Screams of agony rang out once more, the camp instantly transforming into a slaughterhouse.

"Take Xiao Chun and run!" Chu Tianhe's eyes were wide with fury. Ignoring his injuries, he charged towards the chain mace barbarian commander again, trying to buy a sliver of survival for his daughter and Disciples.

Xiao Chun was pulled back by a physician, tears blurring her vision as she watched her father fight desperately, covered in blood, and watched the familiar Senior Brothers and staff she knew fall into pools of blood. Immense fear and despair gripped her heart.

Just as the scarred barbarian commander's scimitar was about to cleave a young apprentice who had collapsed in terror, and the chain mace barbarian commander swung his weapon again at the barely holding-on Chu Tianhe—

A figure moved.

Qin Feng, who had been standing silently among the wounded, seemingly also "stunned" by the sudden attack, flashed a cold, icy glint deep in his eyes.

He could hide no longer.

*Clang—!*

A clear, high-pitched sword cry, like a dragon's roar, suddenly rang out! A seemingly ordinary Azure Edge Sword appeared in Qin Feng's hand. But in the next moment, an overwhelmingly sharp and powerful aura, far surpassing the Martial Artist Realm, erupted from his body like a slumbering volcano!

Grand Martial Master! Early Stage!

The appearance of this aura caused both the frenziedly slaughtering barbarians and the despairing medical hall members to pause in shock.

"Qingfeng Sword Art, First Form — Cloud Piercer!"

Qin Feng's figure moved like lightning. The *Primordial Unity Qi Art* within him spun wildly, his pure and vast Internal Energy pouring into the sword. Sword light flashed like a startled swan, like a shooting star, carrying an unstoppable sharpness. Though he moved later, he arrived first, instantly aiming the tip of his sword at the scarred barbarian commander's throat!

The cruel smile on the scarred barbarian commander's face froze, a flicker of disbelief and horror flashing in his eyes. He wanted to block, but the sword light was too fast, too sharp! It seemed capable of piercing through any obstacle!

*Thud!*

A point of cold light arrived first, followed by the sword emerging like a dragon! The sword tip accurately pierced his throat, bringing forth a spray of blood. The scarred barbarian commander clutched his spurting throat, gurgling, the light in his eyes rapidly dimming as he fell heavily to the ground.

Instant kill!

At the same time, Qin Feng flicked the fingers of his left hand. Several wisps of colorless, odorless powder silently merged into the air, enveloping the chain mace barbarian commander and the several charging barbarian soldiers.

The chain mace barbarian commander, in the midst of attacking Chu Tianhe with full force, suddenly felt a slight numbness in his limbs. His movements involuntarily slowed by half a beat, and the flow of his blood and Qi also experienced a moment of stagnation! It was the potent paralyzing powder Qin Feng had secretly concocted taking effect!

"Die!"

How could Qin Feng let this opportunity slip? His sword stance shifted. The Azure Edge Sword traced a strange arc, avoiding the frontal assault of the mace, and like a venomous snake, slipped through the opening, stabbing straight for the heart!

"You!" The chain mace barbarian commander was both shocked and furious, wanting to dodge, but the numbness in his body made him a fraction too slow.

*Rip!*

The long sword pierced through his heart!

Qin Feng flicked his wrist, Sword Qi erupting, instantly shredding the opponent's heart. The chain mace barbarian commander's eyes held endless astonishment and unwillingness as his massive body collapsed with a crash.

In the blink of an eye, two ferocious Grand Martial Master barbarians had been instantly slain by Qin Feng with thunderous force!

The remaining few barbarian soldiers were stunned by this sudden reversal. Before they could even react, Qin Feng's figure moved like a ghost, weaving among them. Sword light flashed, accompanied by the faint whistling of air (more paralyzing powder was flicked out). The remaining few Late Martial Master barbarian soldiers also fell to the ground, dead, as easily as chopping melons and vegetables!

The entire medical hall camp instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Only the smell of blood lingered in the air, along with the heavy, disbelieving gasps of the survivors.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at Qin Feng, who stood holding his sword, his robes fluttering slightly, his aura imposing, as if looking at a monster.

Chu Tianhe clutched his chest, staring dumbfounded at this usually taciturn, highly skilled medical Disciple of his, hardly able to believe his eyes. A Grand Martial Master? He was actually... a Grand Martial Master?! He, a Half-step Grand Martial Master, had failed to see it all along?

Xiao Chun's small mouth hung open even wider, tears still clinging to her lashes. Gazing at that tall, straight figure like a pine tree, who had stepped forward in their moment of peril, her eyes were filled with shock, bewilderment, and an indescribable, post-calamity palpitation. Brother Qin Feng... how... how could he be so powerful?

The surviving physicians, apprentices, and wounded around them also wore expressions of astonishment. This usually gentle, dedicated Physician Qin was actually a deeply hidden Grand Martial Master expert?! Killing those despair-inducing barbarian powerhouses with a single sword strike each, as easily as slaughtering chickens!

Qin Feng slowly sheathed his sword, his aura calming and once again withdrawing to the inconspicuous Middle Stage Martial Artist level, as if that earth-shattering outburst had just been an illusion. But the two Grand Martial Master corpses at his feet, and the bodies of barbarian soldiers littering the ground, silently testified to the stark reality of what had just transpired.

He glanced at his dumbstruck Master and the tearful Xiao Chun, saying gravely, "Master, are you all right? This place is not safe. The barbarians might have more airdrops. We must evacuate immediately!"

His voice pulled everyone back to reality from their shock.

Chu Tianhe gave Qin Feng a complex look, filled with countless questions, but knowing now was not the time to ask. He took a deep breath, suppressing his roiling Qi and the storm of emotions in his heart, and decisively ordered, "Quickly! Those who can move, help carry the severely wounded! Bring the essential medicinal herbs! Evacuate towards the inner city immediately!"

As if waking from a dream, everyone immediately sprang into action. The looks they cast at Qin Feng were filled with gratitude for their survival and deep reverence.

Qin Feng remained standing in place, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic city, listening to the still-intense sounds of battle in the distance, his brow tightly furrowed. Exposing part of his strength had been unavoidable, but the crisis within the city was far from over. Those circling eagle riders in the sky remained a huge threat. He had to think of a way, and quickly, to deal with the chaos inside the city.