202: Chapter 202 Guarding

A few impatient Disciples had already drawn their weapons and charged a few steps toward the valley entrance, but Lin Tian stepped across and blocked their path.

"Peak Master," he said, lowering his voice and speaking rapidly, "The terrain inside the valley is complex. The Situ Family has been entrenched here for a hundred years; it is impossible that the valley entrance is the only way out.

If our people all charge in from the front, they could easily slip away through the flanks or the small paths on the back mountain.

I think we should split off some of our manpower to block all the exits of the valley, to prevent the people from the Demon Sect and the Situ Family from escaping in the chaos."

Peak Master Su Hanyan halted her sword stance and turned to look at him. A flicker of contemplation flashed through her phoenix eyes, and she immediately nodded, "You are right."

She raised her gaze to scan the dense crowd behind her.

Several people met her gaze and subconsciously lowered their heads—these were either newly admitted Disciples or young guards sent by various families.

Their cultivation was not weak, but their faces were clearly written with fear of the sounds of battle emanating from deep within the valley.

Peak Master Su Hanyan did not expose them, but merely raised her voice, her cold, clear tone carrying distinctly through the dense forest, "For this encirclement, all battle merits for slaying members of the Demon Sect will be calculated according to the Sect's bounty order, redeemable for points, Medicinal Pill, and martial arts techniques.

For those with outstanding performance, I will personally request a reward from the Sect Master, granting them a Qixia Pill."

Qixia Pill. These three words were like a ladle of boiling oil poured onto a fire.

The eyes of the few Disciples who had originally been shrinking behind the crowd changed instantly, and their fingers gripping their swords tightened involuntarily.

The Qixia Pill is a unique High Grade Cultivate Medicinal Pill of the Qixia Sect; a single pill is worth several months of hard training for an ordinary Disciple.

Usually, only Personal Disciple who achieved top rankings in the Sect Grand Competition are qualified to enjoy it.

Now that the Peak Master had personally promised it, this temptation was more tangible than any bounty.

Those Disciples who had originally hesitated no longer retreated, and gripping their weapons, they surged toward the valley entrance following Peak Master Su Hanyan's sword tip.

Lin Tian, however, remained where he was.

"Peak Master, I will stay behind to guard the entrance."

His tone was steady and firm, "Adding me to the frontal assault makes little difference, but if someone tries to escape through the entrance in the chaos, someone must be here to intercept them.

I will keep watch here; I will not let a single fish that slipped through the net escape."

Of course, he did not want to charge into that valley where the sounds of killing shook the heavens.

Inside, not only were there swarms of Blood-Bound Beast kept by the Situ Family, but it was also highly likely that experts from the Demon Sect were hidden there.

Although he had severely damaged the Sea of Consciousness of the Woman in Black Dress, it was hard to say whether she could recover in a short time given the methods of the Demon Sect.

Furthermore, that poison expert called Demon Scorpion was also inside.

With his cultivation, charging into the melee carried too much risk and too little reward.

He had his private fish pond, the Breeding Technique, and the Wanling Seal.

By Cultivate step-by-step, he could steadily improve; there was no need to risk his life for the sake of a few extra bounties.

But guarding the entrance was different—he did not need to venture into danger, yet he could intercept those who slipped through the net.

Not a single person from the Demon Sect could be allowed to escape, otherwise, there would be endless trouble.

Peak Master Su Hanyan glanced at him, said nothing more, just nodded and said "Good," then immediately turned to another Elder with white hair and beard: "Elder Li, the small path on the back mountain is yours."

Elder Li cupped his hands to accept the order, and took a team, hurrying to circle around to the back of the valley.

Peak Master Su Hanyan herself waved her long sword and led the main force to charge into the valley.

The valley entrance emptied by more than half in the blink of an eye, leaving only Lin Tian and a few meager Disciples guarding the spot.

These few people were mostly young Disciples, and their thoughts were similar to Lin Tian's—they did not want to go in and risk their lives, only wanting to wait until it was safe outside before doing anything else.

At this moment, listening to the earth-shaking sounds of battle and the incessant roars of Vicious Beast inside the valley, the faces of several people turned somewhat pale.

About half an hour later, hurried footsteps suddenly came from the forest path ahead.

Several figures came stumbling over from the direction of the valley.

The expressions of the Disciples changed suddenly, and their swords were all drawn with a clatter.

Only when those figures ran closer could they see clearly—they were all wearing the Disciple uniforms of the Iron Sword Sect, bearing injuries, their robes stained with blood and mud, but their energy while running did not look like that of wounded people at all.

Several of them carried bulging bundles on their backs, stuffed full, clinking as they ran.

Lin Tian stepped into the middle of the road and raised a hand to block them: "Stop."

The three Iron Sword Sect Disciples were caught off guard and stumbled as they tried to stop, nearly colliding with each other.

The leader was a Square-faced Man with a Fifth-Grade Transformation Realm cultivation.

A standard broad-bladed sword of the Iron Sword Sect hung at his waist.

He steadied himself and glared at Lin Tian: "We are from the Iron Sword Sect, do not block us. Let us leave quickly!"

Lin Tian did not move, his gaze pausing on the bundles behind the three: "Just because you say you are from the Iron Sword Sect, does that make it true?

People from the Demon Sect are most adept at disguise; what if you are spies from the Demon Sect in disguise?"

The Square-faced Man's face turned from blue to white.

A tall, thin Disciple behind him grew anxious first: "Presumptuous! How could we possibly be from the Demon Sect!"

Lin Tian smiled and said unhurriedly, "That is not necessarily true.

The Situ Family previously had no connection to the Demon Sect either, but haven't they now become a part of the Demon Sect?

The three of you are acting very suspiciously—the great battle is raging inside the valley, and everyone else is fighting for their lives, so why are you coming out at this exact time?"

The expressions of the three Iron Sword Sect Disciples changed simultaneously.

They had indeed snuck out early—once the second batch of reinforcements charged in, the Situ Family's defensive line began to retreat steadily.

The Situ Family had been entrenched in the valley for over a hundred years.

Inside the valley, there were not only tamed Vicious Beast but also a large amount of Cultivate resources accumulated over generations; medicinal herbs, Medicinal Pill, Ore, and beast bones filled the storerooms.

In the midst of the chaotic battle, who could still pay attention to the storerooms?

These few people had snuck in during the chaos and looted many good things.

Their bundles were stuffed full, and they were just preparing to slip away while everyone was still fighting, intending to return and make a fortune.

They never expected to be blocked at the valley entrance.

The Square-faced Man gritted his teeth and his right hand gripped his sword hilt: "Are you going to move or not?"

Lin Tian shook his head: "I am under orders to guard the entrance and investigate remnants of the Demon Sect; I will not let a single suspicious person pass."

The Square-faced Man roared: "Then go to hell!"

The broad-bladed sword was drawn with a clang.

Infused with Transformation Realm Qi, the sword body was wrapped in a layer of pale golden sword radiance, and with one strike, it slashed toward Lin Tian's head.

This strike was heavy and powerful, and the sword wind pressed the bushes by the roadside flat.

The few young Disciples behind Lin Tian turned pale, and some had already subconsciously taken a step back.

In their view, although this young Senior Brother who served as an Elder at the fish farm was also a Fifth-Grade, he usually only did the job of patrolling the ponds and feeding fish.

How could he possibly block a Fifth-Grade expert from a Sect like the Iron Sword Sect, which was known for its offensive prowess?

Lin Tian did not retreat.

His feet shifted, and using Cloud Shadow Step, he lightly tapped the ground within a small space, and his entire person vanished from the spot the instant before the sword blade reached him.

The Square-faced Man slashed his sword onto the afterimage he left behind.

The sword light tore the afterimage in two, but it didn't even touch the corner of his clothes.

Immediately after, Lin Tian's palm pierced through the gap in the sword light from the side.

The Major Achievement Realm Great Strength Vajra Palm, wrapped in pale cyan Transformation Realm Qi, struck the spine of the broad-bladed sword squarely.

With a crisp "clang," half of the sword blade spun away and nailed itself into a tree trunk.

The hilt buzzed and trembled in the Square-faced Man's palm, his web between thumb and index finger instantly split open, and his entire right arm went numb from wrist to shoulder.

He staggered back several steps, his heel tripped on a stone, and he fell flat on his back to the ground.

The other two Iron Sword Sect Disciples froze in place, their hands resting on their sword hilts, but no one dared to draw them again.