The mountains rose imposingly, covered in dense vegetation that hid their paths between rugged rocks and century-old trees. The morning mist slowly dissipated, the silence only interrupted by the crunching of boots on dry leaves and the distant murmur of the wind.
Ye Han advanced with steady steps, his eyes scanning every corner of the surroundings as he led a squad of five Vespers on a routine patrol. His men, disciplined and alert, held their muskets with precision, ready for any eventuality. The march was methodical, each movement executed with the efficiency of soldiers trained for war.
Then, the air was cut by a sharp sound.
"On guard!" Ye Han ordered in a firm and authoritative voice. The Vespers instantly regrouped, forming a defensive line. Muskets raised, fingers on the triggers, bayonets shining in the light in deadly flashes. There was no panic, only coldness and readiness.
A mocking laugh echoed from the thick vegetation. From between the trees, five figures emerged with an air of superiority. They wore flowing robes, their faces serene and lofty, as if the presence of the soldiers was little more than a joke.
"Hmph, just mortal trash?" one of them murmured with contempt. His tone dripped with arrogance, as if the Vespers' weapons were harmless toys. The speaker was their leader, a man with sharp eyes and a disdainful smile. "Hey, answer me, has anyone seen anything unusual around here in the last day?"
His words were not a question, but a demand. To them, the soldiers were nothing more than peasants with useless tools, mere insects.
But Ye Han was not someone to be intimidated. His sharp eyes showed no fear, only determination.
He didn't lower his weapon for a moment. His cold gaze fixed on the leader of the cultivators, with no trace of hesitation.
"This is a restricted area. Turn around and leave." His voice was firm, emotionless, as if informing them of an unquestionable fact.
The cultivators fell silent for a moment. It was not the answer they expected. The leader narrowed his eyes, his mocking smile slowly fading.
"Restricted area?" The leader let out a cutting laugh, as if they had just told him a ridiculous joke. "Since when do insects set rules about where immortals step?"
Ye Han did not answer. He didn't need to. His soldiers remained impassive, their muskets subtly aimed at the intruders.
The leader clicked his tongue, his patience running thin. "I asked you a question, insect. Has anyone seen anything unusual in this area?"
Ye Han didn't even blink.
The silence that followed was thick.
One of the cultivators behind the leader snorted in mockery and took a step forward. His robe fluttered with the movement, revealing a faint glow of Qi running through his arm.
The Vespers tensed their fingers on the triggers. They didn't need orders to know the situation was on the brink of conflict.
Ye Han tilted his head by barely a millimeter, evaluating the new opponent. His expression remained impassive, but the pressure in the air became suffocating.
"Last warning," he said without raising his voice. "Turn around and leave."
The cultivator let out a dry laugh. "Last warning?" he repeated mockingly. "Miserable ant, do you think you can threaten us?"
The soldiers did not react to the insult.
The leader of the cultivators furrowed his brow. There was something in Ye Han's gaze, in the way his men showed no fear, that unsettled him.
He raised his hand to stop his subordinate, for at that instant, a chill ran down his spine. It was something instinctive, a premonition he couldn't ignore. As if his sixth sense were screaming at him to be careful.
His eyes narrowed as he studied the people in front of him. They were just mortals, armed with iron and wooden spears, and yet... something in their formation, in their stillness, seemed abnormal. There was no fear in them, only a sharp stillness, like a beast lying in wait.
He gritted his teeth and slowly withdrew his hand, forcing a smile. "How curious..." he murmured, his tone becoming more calculating. "I didn't expect to find resistance in such a remote place."
One of the cultivators beside him frowned. "Leader, these insects—"
"Silence." The order was sharp. Then, he turned back to Ye Han. "We are from the Xuan family, sent by the patriarch to investigate the incident at one of our mines. And you..." his eyes gleamed with suspicion, "who are you?"
Ye Han remained unmoved. His expression was stone-like, his gaze as sharp as a well-tempered blade.
"We know nothing about any mine."
The cultivator waited for a follow-up, but none came. That was what bothered him the most.
"Hmph." The leader of the cultivators crossed his arms, evaluating the situation.
The tension in the air grew even thicker. The Vespers didn't lower their muskets, nor did they take their eyes off the intruders. Their bayonets gleamed under the faint light filtering through the branches, reflecting the possibility of violence at any moment.
The impatient subordinate of the leader took another step forward, already fed up with Ye Han's attitude. His gaze dripped with absolute disdain.
"Stop playing around and answer," he spat with fury.
Several of the Vespers subtly adjusted their stances, almost imperceptibly, but enough for any trained eye to notice their readiness to fire.
Ye Han slightly raised his chin, never taking his eyes off the leader. "Turn around." His tone was the same as before, relentless.
The cultivator's subordinate could no longer contain his fury. "Damn insects! We give the orders here!"
His feet scraped the ground as he propelled himself forward with inhuman speed, his tunic flowing as his Qi began to wrap around his fist.
"Stop!" the leader of the cultivators roared, but it was already too late.
The metallic crack of the muskets rang out like a silent threat. The moment the cultivator took his first step to attack, the Vespers reacted.
"BOOM!" A shot rang out like thunder in the mountain, not just as an attack, but as a clear signal to the other patrols. The bullet cut through the air in a straight line and embedded itself in the cultivator's chest before he could react.
His tunic tore with the impact, and his body shook with a force he had never felt. His eyes widened in shock as a jet of dark blood erupted from the hole in his torso.
For the first time in his life, a mortal had wounded him.
He had no time to comprehend it. His body hit the ground with a dull thud. Dead.
The other cultivators froze for a moment, unable to believe it.
"YOU BASTARDS!" the leader roared, with an overwhelming fury.
But the Vespers didn't wait to see his reaction.
"Fire!" Ye Han ordered.
Three muskets roared immediately. The bullets flew, fast and lethal, seeking to pierce the flesh of their enemies before they could close the distance.
One of the cultivators, blinded by rage, tried to advance without bothering to dodge. The projectile hit him in the collarbone, breaking the bone and making him fall.
The others managed to move at the last moment. A faint glow appeared around their bodies as they activated their Qi shields, deflecting the bullets before they could reach them. Even so, the force of the impact caused them to stagger for a moment, forcing them to take a step back.
The cultivator leader gritted his teeth.
"Kill them!"
He activated his Qi, his energy enveloping his body like an invisible armor.
The remaining two cultivators lunged forward like unleashed beasts, their feet barely touching the ground as they shortened the distance in the blink of an eye.
The Vespers knew that in close combat, they would be lost.
"Retreat!"
Three soldiers pulled back while the others fired their pistols. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.
One bullet struck one of the attackers in the leg, causing him to grunt in pain. But he kept advancing.
Another of the Vespers, with no time to reload and seeing the distance closing too quickly, raised his bayonet and prepared his stance. If he couldn't shoot, at least he had to fight.
The cultivator saw him and smiled mockingly.
He deflected the blade with his bare hand, coating it with his Qi, and threw a punch directly at the soldier's chest. The force of the blow was brutal, with the Qi energy making the impact even more devastating. The soldier was sent flying several meters, his steel-scaled armor dented under the pressure.
The Vesper crashed into a tree with a dry thud, coughing up blood, his vision blurring for a moment, but he was still breathing.
Ye Han saw what happened and knew they couldn't hold the fight much longer.
"To the hill! Now!"
The vespers moved quickly and with discipline.
The cultivator leader was furious.
"Don't let them escape!"
But then, an opportune sound came, the echo of muskets.
Shots from the hill.
Reinforcements had arrived.
From an elevated position, another squad of Vespers opened fire. The wave of projectiles was devastating, with bullets whistling like death snakes cutting through the air. The sound of the shots was unstoppable, and the projectiles flew at a speed the cultivators had never experienced before.
One of the cultivators, too slow to notice the danger, took a direct shot to the neck. The impact was fatal. His body jerked violently before falling, lifeless, to the ground, dark blood spurting as his life faded away.
The cultivator leader felt a chill run down his spine. The threat from the Vespers was not something he could ignore.
It wasn't like fighting against archers or spearmen. These soldiers were organized, their attacks precise, and their projectiles were too fast to react with certainty.
"Retreat now!" he ordered immediately, his voice filled with urgency.
At that moment, a wave of danger surrounded him, and without thinking, he pulled out a small black shield. He activated it quickly, and an energy barrier formed around him, creating a protective layer that surrounded him.
"Watch out!" He warned his subordinate.
The first impacts of the projectiles bounced off the barrier, but the glow of the energy began to fade with each hit.
His last subordinate, realizing the gravity of the situation, quickly activated a talisman, generating an energy barrier that glowed intensely around him. The deafening sound of the bullets hitting the shield made the air vibrate, and the talisman managed to deflect a projectile, although the force of the shots was devastating.
Despite their efforts, the barrier could no longer withstand it. One last shot pierced the broken shield, hitting him directly. There was no time for a final breath; his body fell lifeless to the ground, the talisman already powerless.
The cultivator leader felt a stab of despair at the sight of his fall.
"These are not just simple mortals..." thought the leader.
The leader began to retreat, moving with the agility of a wild animal. The concentrated gunfire impacts resonated around him, and the energy barrier surrounding him was weakening rapidly. Each new hit caused the shield to crack further, fissures appearing on the surface of the barrier as if it were on the brink of breaking completely. The energy of the shield glowed with less intensity, and the leader could feel how the pressure of the projectiles was pushing him back.
Two more shots slammed into the barrier, widening the cracks until they snaked across its surface. The shield was barely holding on, its energy flickering with each impact. With a final surge of desperation, the leader bolted toward the trees, his movements frantic. The barrier groaned, on the brink of shattering, as he disappeared into the dense forest, leaving nothing but a fading echo of his escape.
The Vespers regrouped. The forest returned to its calm, the wind whistling through the trees, as if nothing had happened.
Ye Han stood still, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
"Do not let him escape," Ethan ordered sharply, his voice unwavering. "Follow him. Do not separate."
The battle was over, but the war had only just begun.