As the six Martial Masters clashed fiercely, the encirclement of the Black Mountain Battalion gradually loosened. After all, the rest of the cavalry were only Martial Practitioners and Martial Apprentices. If the encirclement was too tight, they could easily be caught in the crossfire, but the main concern was that the three Female Martial Experts might seize the opportunity to take hostages, steal horses, or create chaos to escape.
Tang Wen, who was farther from the battlefield, found his view often obstructed. After some thought, he quietly picked up a large rock and moved closer, positioning himself behind a bush with the boulder in tow. If the Martial Master Ninth Brother from the Black Mountain Camp had glanced in the direction of the original boulder, he would have noticed something amiss. But unfortunately, there were no such "ifs."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The air trembled as the battle raged on.
"Why are you capturing us? You've been following us for hundreds of miles! Why? Why?" the Female Martial Experts roared in anger.
There was no past enmity or recent grudges between them. They had merely encountered each other in the wilderness, and before they could even ask for help, the other side had started pursuing them relentlessly. This was something the three women couldn't comprehend!
"Heh heh!" Seventh Brother of the Black Mountain Battalion paused his attack and made a suggestive gesture with his hips. "Why do you think?"
"Hahahaha!" The entire cavalry burst into laughter.
This was the usual style of the Black Mountain Battalion. Women? If they fancied them, they'd just take them, sleep with them, and have children. No matter what grudges existed before, they would dissolve.
The Female Martial Experts' faces flashed with shock, followed by fury. Their moves became increasingly vicious, even willing to trade injuries for injuries. The Martial Masters of the Black Mountain Battalion were forced back a few steps, giving the three women some breathing room.
To Tang Wen's astonishment, one of the Female Martial Experts reached into a bag behind her teammate and pulled out an Iron Pineapple!
"Holy crap!" Tang Wen couldn't help but curse from behind the boulder.
Ever since he heard Commander Qian Sanduo of the caravan mention that the Tri-Alliance City had factories and didn't need to farm, he had wondered if gunpowder weapons, like firearms, had already been invented. But he never expected to encounter them near his own camp.
"Watch out! Danger!" shouted a Martial Master from the Black Mountain Battalion.
He didn't know what the woman had pulled out, but he could read the determination on her face.
Boom!
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!
The Iron Pineapple was thrown and exploded mid-air, spraying countless steel pellets. Martial Practitioners and Martial Apprentices screamed in pain as the horses panicked and fled.
Tang Wen's eyes flickered. Things weren't as simple as they seemed. At the moment of the explosion, he distinctly heard something resembling a gunshot.
"A gun!" His eyes lit up with longing. For him, the lethality and range of ordinary firearms, even sniper rifles, were no match for the steel shards he could casually throw. As for snipers, he wasn't afraid of them either. Whether it was his sensory warning or his Golden Bell Shield, both could ensure that bullets would be rendered useless.
"Damn it!"
"You bitch, you're asking for it!"
"This woman is playing dirty!"
The men roared in anger.
Caught off guard, the three Martial Masters of the Black Mountain Battalion suffered losses.
Bang! Bang!
The dull sound of gunfire echoed as the charging male Martial Masters were forced back.
As the smoke from the explosion cleared, the women were seen holding shiny silver revolvers in their hands.
Based on his years of watching action movies, Tang Wen judged that this revolver was much larger than the average one. The gunshots had just created sonic booms, and the power was immense.
He stroked his chin, feeling that he might have underestimated the power of gunpowder weapons.
On Earth, the reason people didn't make firearms larger was, firstly, because they were sufficient for dealing with ordinary people.
Secondly, they also had to consider the convenience of use and the issue of recoil.
The large revolver in the hands of the Female Martial Expert resembled what Tang Wen had heard of as an elephant gun.
As the name suggests, it was a handgun capable of killing an elephant with a single shot.
Of course, it was more likely that the elephant would remain unharmed, and the shooter's wrist would be dislocated by the recoil.
The strange weapon, the intense explosion, and its considerable lethality made the Martial Masters of the Black Mountain Battalion wary, deterring them from launching a strong assault.
One of them clutched his shoulder, apparently having just been shot.
"That ungrateful bitch!"
"Just kill her!"
"Brothers, don't rush. Ma Yuelie, the fiercer the taming, the more satisfying it is, right?"
"Dream on!"
"At worst, we'll die together."
"Die? Haha, after injuring my brother, dying won't be that easy!"
Both sides exchanged verbal barbs while continuing their physical attacks.
They kept probing with tentative assaults.
However, they no longer engaged in explosive collisions or intense clashes.
The situation was somewhat deadlocked, but the Black Mountain Battalion showed no intention of giving up.
They continuously drained the stamina of the three women, preparing for a protracted battle.
After about a quarter of an hour of stalemate, the sound of hoofbeats came from the west.
Tang Wen frowned: Were more cavalry from the Black Mountain Battalion arriving?
At that moment, someone shouted, "Three Commanders, the General has arrived!"
Old Black Devil is here?!
Tang Wen's expression changed instantly. He slapped the Wolf King's head and, taking advantage of the Black Mountain Battalion's distraction, turned and fled!
Man and wolf sprinted back to the stone circle they had just left.
Seeing that no one was chasing or paying attention, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
A General from the Black Mountain Battalion had arrived?
What were they planning?
He made a few gestures towards the sky.
"Caw! Caw!"
The Blood Raven landed beside him.
"Have the two Wolf Kings arrived?"
"Caw!"
Tang Wen felt slightly reassured, silently hoping that the three Female Martial Experts could hold out a bit longer.
This place was still too close to the battlefield.
Taking advantage of Old Black Devil's absence, Tang Wen mounted the Sand Wolf and swiftly headed towards the rear.
In no time, he encountered Qian Dong and the Wolf Kings.
"You kid! Why did you run so far?"
Qian Dong dismounted from the Wuzhui Horse, scrutinizing Tang Wen.
Returning the gaze, Tang Wen took out the Thousand-Li Mirror from his saddlebag, observing while explaining the situation.
A human Transcendent?
Old Black Devil?
The two Wolf Kings growled lowly.
Qian Dong exclaimed in surprise, "You're not planning to take on Old Black Devil, are you?"
"Why not? It's a heaven-sent opportunity!"
"Damn! You really dare to think!"
Qian Dong looked uneasy: "That's a veteran Transcendent! It's said he became a General even before our General Zhou."
Attacking a Transcendent was naturally dangerous.
But Tang Wen had no choice: "The women they're besieging have a new type of weapon. It can't fall into the hands of the Black Mountain Devil."
Replicating a handgun wasn't difficult, and the raw materials for gunpowder were easy to find.
Once the Black Mountain Devil obtained these, the Flame Camp would be the first to suffer!
Qian Dong, unaware of this, looked puzzled: "Three women? Beautiful women?"
Tang Wen knew he was misunderstanding and said irritably, "Stop that! They've been chased all the way, disheveled and dirty. Who knows if they're beautiful or not!"
Time was pressing. With Old Black Devil here, the three women might not hold out much longer.
Without further ado, Tang Wen took Steel Balls and Steel Shards from his saddlebag. After discussing with the two Wolf Kings, he took one of them and quietly approached the stone circle.
A small portion of the boulders had already been destroyed by Tang Wen, but many more remained.
Massive boulders, several times the height of a person, stood densely, creating a complex terrain perfect for hiding.
Boom! Boom!
Explosions rang out without distinction.
The three women used Iron Pineapples and handguns to tear open a path.
They fled for their lives, heading east, while Tang Wen and his group were to the north.
Behind them, a black shadow surged forward, swift as a fleeting light!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The three Female Martial Experts fired their guns in succession.
The shadow paused, dodging the bullets, giving the women a chance to create distance.
The shadow pursued again, and the women fired once more.
But this time, the shadow didn't dodge. Its arms shrouded in black mist, it reached out directly in front.
Dark Night Divine Fist—Ghost Shadow Hand!
The Transcendent had arrived!
(End of Chapter)