The few people who had gone to hunt down Qin Ming glanced back and, seeing this scene, were finally relieved.
Qin Ming twisted and turned through the dense forest, racing through the night along a path he had scouted in advance. He had already realized that this group would be difficult to deal with.
Among the ones chasing him, two had already undergone their second rebirth. One of them was especially fast and was drawing closer by the second.
Qin Ming's strength was sufficient, but after all, he wasn't a true second rebirther. He still lagged in speed.
The young man who had done most of the talking earlier was also a second rebirther. But because he had to stop to fire arrows several times, he had fallen slightly behind. When Qin Ming reached an area thick with trees and obstructing branches, he carefully scanned the surroundings and charged through the only unobstructed path.
As expected, the ones behind him wouldn't bother chopping through the branches, they would follow the path he had cleared and keep chasing.
"Argh—!"
Suddenly, the second rebirther in front let out a pained scream and collapsed into the snow, his face twisted in agony. His right foot had been pierced by a hidden iron spear buried in the snow. Blood poured freely; the sharp spear tip stained red as it completely impaled his foot. It was a horrific sight.
Qin Ming had laid this trap just in case, preparing for the worst. He had buried three iron spears in this narrow passage filled with branches. Unexpectedly, it worked.
The only path that looked clear was the one Qin Ming had personally broken through by snapping obstructing branches. But even with the spears planted, it still took some luck for an enemy to step directly onto one.
This man had narrowly avoided the first two spears but triggered the third. At full sprint, the result was devastating, seeing as his right foot was completely ruined.
The others behind him saw what happened, and their pupils shrank. It was as if they felt that same pain in their own feet. A chill of fear swept through them. The young man who had spoken earlier looked grim, gritting his teeth. "Don't stray from the path. Step exactly where he stepped."
He was ruthless. Ignoring his injured comrade, he gripped a great sword and continued the chase, using his speed to gradually close the distance. He had already noticed that his opponent was slower. From this, he concluded that although the other was a second rebirther, his strength was inferior.
"Just a second rebirther from a remote backwater with no secret meditation arts, and no elite internal techniques. Even with a second rebirth, his limit can't be very high." That was his thought, and the source of his confidence and willingness to pursue.
Qin Ming knew they would catch up eventually. Rather than wait, he decided to go on the offensive. He deliberately began to slow down, preparing to eliminate the one who posed the greatest threat.
"Still running? Ungrateful wretch. Handing over a few blood snakes would've been better than losing your life," the young man sneered as he approached.
The other man from Chixia City and the two from Golden Rooster Ridge had only undergone their first rebirth and couldn't match his speed. They were far behind and hadn't caught up yet.
Qin Ming didn't respond. He charged forward, gripping his long-handled black steel warhammer. He had to end this quickly. The one he feared most was still that blue-faced youth who had fought the blood snake alone. Even with health issues, he was still the most dangerous.
Snow exploded beneath his feet as Qin Ming went all out. The first strike from his black-steel hammer stunned the young man as it left his sword hand numb.
How could this boy, clearly slower and physically inferior despite a second rebirth, have such overwhelming strength?
Qin Ming was completely focused, giving everything he had. Despite the hammer's weight, in his hands it became a streak of black lightning, weaving through the night.
The young man was formidable, much stronger than Fu Entao. Though he had been shaken by the initial clash, he quickly recovered and counterattacked.
But to his growing alarm, he realized this youth from a backwater village wasn't as clumsy as he'd thought. On the contrary, Qin Ming possessed deadly combat skills. That heavy hammer danced in his hands like a deadly flower blooming in darkness. Every strike is efficient, every swing a killing blow.
Then it dawned on him. He's using blade techniques… adapted for the hammer!
"This guy is terrifying. I must undergo my second rebirth soon!" Qin Ming thought to himself. And then, without warning, he let go of the hammer.
Bang! The young man felt the world spin. His eyes watered, nose ran, and at the very moment their weapons clashed, Qin Ming had "accidentally" lost his grip, sending the hammer slamming into his jaw from close range, shattering bones on impact.
Despite the blinding pain, the young man forced himself to stay conscious. He swung his great sword forward in desperation as he couldn't afford to fall back or give Qin Ming a chance to retrieve the hammer.
But the blow had rattled him. His thoughts were slow, his vision blurred. By the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late. Qin Ming drew his long blade, parried the great sword aside, then cleanly severed the young man's sword arm and kicked him flying.
Qin Ming picked up the long-handled black steel hammer without a word. He stepped forward and smashed the man's skull, then gathered his weapons and quickly rushed to face the other three.
Meanwhile, the bluish-faced youth had, as expected, slain the blood snake with ease. It wasn't arrogance, as his strength truly was terrifying.
Liu Huaishan had led the surviving patrolmen in a sudden return. After retreating in haste, they had circled back to the valley. He had judged that the blood snakes had exhausted themselves. Though not frozen solid in the snow, they would likely be sluggish in this icy landscape.
So, they had doubled back, and just in time to witness the youth finish off the blood snake outside the valley.