Chapter 23 - 23: Found the Wrong One "Xia Ding, how can his strength be this strong?" Shi Qing was deeply shocked inside, but his reaction was quick. Seeing Xia Ding and his thirteen men already dispersing and pursuing them, he immediately ordered a counterattack. "Shi Dong, go to the left to find cover. Wang Ming, lead the team to block them, quick!" Xia Ding and his group's pursuit was not slow. Moreover, three of their people had just died, leaving only ten. Simply fleeing would only give the enemy the chance to defeat them one by one. The people at the camp cooperated well, and upon receiving the command, they immediately stopped fleeing. Wang Ming, wielding a broadsword, turned with seven others; Shi Qing and Shi Dong quickly climbed a tall tree, one on the left, the other on the right. The swordsmen led a feigned attack, while Shi Qing and Shi Dong hid in the shadows to shoot arrows in a main assault. This was the usual formation used at Da Shi Camp to deal with enemies. On the other side, Wang Ming, who had already turned back, along with seven others, blocked Xia Ding and his thirteen men. He glanced inadvertently at the three corpses on the ground, his grip on the knife tightened slightly, as if it could give him a bit of security. Even now, they still didn't understand how those three people on the ground died. Xia Ding clearly didn't move, and neither did the twelve men behind him. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎 Where did that sound, like a silver needle tearing through the air, come from? As soon as that sound occurred, the three people seemed to be cursed and died suddenly. And Xia Ding, when did he become so formidable? The unknown can breed fear in one's heart. "Attack!" Of course, it can also arouse a strong will to survive. Seemingly aware of their own dire situation, Wang Ming roared, transforming his fear into anger and madness, and charged towards Xia Ding with his sword. In the camp, he was second only to Shi Qing and Shi Dong in strength. Wang Ming, risking his life, was incredibly fierce and powerful. Ripping... The blade tore through the night sky, producing a sharp slicing sound, the vigorous force lifting the accumulated snow off the ground several meters high, reaching Xia Ding almost instantly. Wang Ming's eyes were wide with fury, and he slashed with almost all his might. "Even if this doesn't kill you, it'll peel your skin off!" That was Wang Ming's first thought when he sensed the blade contacting something. Unfortunately, the outcome was entirely opposite to his thoughts. Xia Ding simply sidestepped and evaded the strike. Not only did he evade, but he moved beside Wang Ming, pressing his hand on the sword, directly pinning it into the snowy ground, and even several inches into the earth. "How can he be so fast? Xia Ding, did he break through to the Earth-digging Realm?" A fierce punch wind blew past his ear, interrupting Wang Ming's shocked suspicion. He knew, Xia Ding had taken action. Having just used too much force, the momentum too full, even if he released his grip on the sword now, he couldn't evade Xia Ding's punch, so he didn't let go. In a death sentence like this, Wang Ming should feel fear. Yet he didn't, and instead, showed a smile of success on his face. Whoosh... The sound of arrows piercing the air echoed, and from the tree where Shi Qing and Shi Dong were hiding came two waves, a total of four arrows, speeding towards here. The targets were clearly Xia Ding. The arrows took extremely tricky angles, the first two aiming at Xia Ding's left hand pressing the sword and his right punch aimed at Wang Ming; the last two arrows flew straight towards his face. Having paired with the Shi Qing brothers for many years, the tacit understanding among the three had reached the point where they didn't even need eye contact; Wang Ming's frontal charge with the sword wasn't meant to harm Xia Ding, but merely to create an opportunity for Shi Qing and Shi Dong. Never could they have imagined Xia Ding's speed being so fast, not only easily dodging Wang Ming's slash but quickly countering against his sword. Though the counter was successful, it also restricted Xia Ding's own movements. The four arrows almost sealed Xia Ding's retreat. Even if he withdrew now, he could at most dodge the two aimed at his hands, the two aimed at his face were unavoidable. However, the following scene stunned everyone. Xia Ding didn't dodge, his punch wind became even more fierce. Clang, clang, clang, clang... All four iron-tipped arrows hit their targets, and astonishingly, one of the arrows in the second wave even hit Xia Ding's right eye, penetrating at least ten centimeters. Boom... Yet even so, Xia Ding's fierce right punch still landed. Wang Ming didn't even have time to turn his head before his body was blasted onto the snow behind him like a cannonball, creating a loud crash. Though he had the Logging Realm strength, with a solid body, his skull wasn't shattered by the punch, but it did sink nearly a half. One blow, life taken. Wang Ming died, just like that. And Xia Ding, with four arrows embedded in him, seemed unfazed, stood up, then turned his head. His unpierced left eye stared through the night at the two large trees behind, with that eerie smile fixed on his face. Whether it was the seven entangled with the enemy or Shi Qing and Shi Dong hiding in the trees, at this moment, their hearts were filled with fright and horror. "Run, he's not the real Ding, he's the deceitful monster from Redwood Ridge!" At this point, if Shi Qing still couldn't see it, he might as well not be the leader. He shouted in alarm, drawing his bow and firing all eight arrows from his wooden tube on his back in one breath. The targets were not Xia Ding, but the seven logging team members being held. On the other side, Shi Dong did the same. The seven logging team members were already in turmoil due to Shi Qing's words about the "deceitful monster," but being obstructed, they couldn't retreat at once. Now with over ten arrows assisting them, the seven thought they could retreat safely, and they seized the chance while the arrows flew towards the enemy, turning to flee. However, just like Wang Ming's earlier fate. The Great Xia logging team members did not evade the arrows. They allowed the arrows to hit their bodies, relentlessly continuing to pursue. Several were knocked down by the powerful impact of arrows hitting their chests, and those hit in just the limbs moved slower. The two slowest among the seven were instantly caught. Don't even mention resistance, they didn't even turn around before being brutally hacked into pulp with stone axes by the people behind them. The five who had escaped turned their heads and saw this scene, not daring to slow down at all, swiftly escaping to the back, following frantically fleeing behind Shi Qing and Shi Dong. However, that "Xia Ding" clearly had no intention of letting them go. Thirteen people, each with arrows pierced in various parts of their bodies, pursued swiftly from behind, led by "Xia Ding," with an arrow in his right eye bobbing up and down as he ran, creating a truly chilling image. "Don't head towards the camp. If we lead them there, we'll all die." Even while fleeing chaotically, Shi Qing wasn't entirely muddled, deliberately leading Shi Dong and the other five in the opposite direction from their camp. Whoosh... A sharp sound pierced his ears, causing Shi Qing's face to tighten. This was the second time. How could he not discern? As soon as that sound echoed previously, three people inexplicably died. What exactly was it? Shi Qing, anxious to the extreme, hastily turned his head to look around, forcing himself to calm down and locate the source of the sound. Suddenly, a dense, long streak of dim light reflected into his pupils, and Shi Qing, who was fleeing madly, swiftly lowered his head, while shouting to alert those behind: "Duck down quickly, something's up ahead!" The closest to him, Shi Dong, was the first to duck. Three of the five behind also ducked. Only the last two, whether because they didn't hear clearly or reacted too slowly, didn't duck and charged straight ahead. Clearly seeing nothing obstructing them, yet those last two froze abruptly like the three before them, followed by three mysterious red dots appearing on their foreheads. Blood oozed from the red dots, and the two fell simultaneously. Shi Qing's heart was nearly bleeding with grief as he fled madly. A few days ago, while hunting Snow Mane, three were lost, including his biological brother, and now eight more had died. The Da Shi logging team had sixteen members, now there were only five left. Crucially, even their lives weren't certain to be kept. Because that deceitful monster was still chasing them relentlessly. Their stamina was waning, speed dwindling, but looking back at the monsters behind them, their speed showed no sign of slowing. The Da Shi Camp probably wouldn't last. Just as a sense of utter despair rose within Shi Qing's heart. A sharp and youthful voice suddenly rang out from the right side. "Finally found you, let's see where you can run now!"