Southern Mountains, Hunting Grounds.

Hunted game was piled up like a mountain. Fan Chun and the accompanying military officers skillfully butchered the game, skewering meat chunks by the bonfire to roast. Once the meat was cooked, they would immediately take it to eat.

However, Fan Chun and the others ate in abnormal silence. Their gazes were as sharp as blades, seemingly aware that something major was about to happen.

Suddenly, an abrupt change occurred!

Over a dozen people surrounded them from all directions, stopping about a dozen zhang away. They had Fan Chun and the military officers completely surrounded.

The people wore vermillion red cultivator robes, clearly identifying them as being from the same sect!

They were Blazing Fire Sect's most outstanding disciples. With their numerical advantage, they could easily kill all the military officers present except for Fan Chun!

Yet Fan Chun and the military officers completely ignored these people and continued lowering their heads to eat the roasted meat.

Oil and juice trickled from the corners of Fan Chun's mouth, dirtying the high grade military armor of a Great Chu senior military officer. But he didn't mind at all.

Seeing this scene, a thought emerged within the Blazing Fire Sect disciples: Were they planning to eat their fill before going on a massive killing spree?

The disciples immediately felt it laughable. Why would they even think that?

With the other side's few people and low strength, what talk was there of them going on a killing spree?

A figure with powerful aura descended from the sky, carrying arrogance as he landed on the treetop within the encirclement.

The Blazing Fire Sect disciples immediately bowed in greeting.

"Reporting to Elder, the target Fan Chun and the twelve Garrison Army military officers are all here without a single absence."

"Very good." The Elder nodded satisfactorily.

Seeing Fan Chun and the others still eating meat, he also smiled.

"If this old man remembers correctly, there's this custom in the mortal prisons, right? Death row inmates about to be executed after autumn, are qualified to eat a rich final meal? I think it's called...the severed head meal?"

The Elder had just finished speaking when he suddenly saw Fan Chun throw something towards him.

The Elder had absolute confidence that no matter what Fan Chun tossed over, it wouldn't possibly injure him. He casually reached out to grab it, but was left stunned. Because what Fan Chun threw over was actually a piece of roasted meat!

Fan Chun's twelve military officer subordinates also tossed roasted meat towards all directions. Each Blazing Fire Sect disciple caught a portion.

"Eat up." Fan Chun's tone was indifferent as he said, "This is your last meal."

Hearing those words, the Elder didn't feel insulted whatsoever. Rather, he looked at Fan Chun and the others with pity.

How pitiful!

Great Chu's Tiger Guard Colonel Fan Chun whose fame was second only to his Second Brother Fan Li.

Such an exceptional hero of his time had actually been frightened to madness by fear of death?

The Elder of course wouldn't eat food thrown over by the enemy. He only sniffed the aroma of the roasted meat before casually tossing away the chunk. In fact, the unique crude roast flavors from military rations did make the Elder quite hungry.

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‘After Zhi'er becomes the Great Chu Empress, this old man can also taste the imperial kitchen's cooking skills.’ The Elder thought to himself. At this time, he discovered Fan Chun had already finished eating.

A few military officers extinguished the bonfire and started cleaning up the mess on the ground, following military habits.

Fan Chun drew out the saber at his waist and unexpectedly started sharpening the blade?

"No need to waste time. My Blazing Sect has sent out its best elite this time. You have no chance of survival." The Elder indifferently said.

As expected, Fan Chun stopped his motions of sharpening the saber. Raising the saber with one hand, the tip pointed straight at the Elder in the treetops, extremely overbearing!

"I'll return those same words back to you." The corners of Fan Chun's lips rose up, revealing a trace of cruel smile. "My Garrison Army has ten thousand soldiers here. You are the ones without a chance of survival."

The Elder's eyes abruptly widened. His face that resembled deadwood was full of disbelief!

The few dozen Blazing Fire Sect disciples surrounding Fan Li also stirred into commotion.

Ten thousand Garrison Army soldiers?

Impossible!

These barren mountains did have dense forests and rolling peaks that could conceal troops. But if Fan Chun mobilized ten thousand Garrison Army troops, such a major action wouldn't possibly escape Xiang Chong's notice!

The Elder questioned, "According to this old man's knowledge, the Garrison Army main force is stationed across the eastern, western and southern directions of Peng City. There's definitely been no redeployment at all. Where did you get ten thousand more soldiers from?"

But right after he finished speaking, he saw countless birds amidst the mountain woods flee in alarm. The next moment, there was actually the sound of war drums beating!

Countless fully armed troops revealed themselves from all sorts of inconceivable mountain streams, tunnels and even ponds. They swiftly gathered and formed battle formations.

Outside the Blazing Fire Sect's encirclement, ten thousand Garrison Army soldiers had surrounded them with an even bigger encirclement!

Fury ignited within the Elder's heart!

Judging from just the locations where these ambush troops appeared from, it was clearly all premeditated long ago. Some had utilized the natural terrain of the southern mountains while others emerged from artificially dug concealment holes!

Once the ambush troops revealed themselves, they could instantly form an encirclement without giving Blazing Fire Sect any chance to escape.

"What's going on with Xiang Chong's intelligence report? Don't tell me he actually dared deceive my Blazing Fire Sect!?" The Elder gnashed his teeth to ask.

Fan Chun shook his head. "Xiang Chong's intelligence wasn't wrong. There really are three major stationed armies outside Peng City, each stationed force over thirty thousand strong."

"Nonsense!" The Elder angrily rebuked, "The Chu nation's Garrison Army only numbers a hundred thousand. Where did you get another ten thousand soldiers from!?"

Fan Chun laughed, an extremely cunning fox-like smile. "All dynasties, military forces habitually exaggerate their numbers. Only an outsider like you would make a big fuss over it."

The Elder became even more incensed upon hearing this. "How would this old man not know about the ugly habits of military forces!? But no troops have ever deliberately under reported their numbers by ten thousand, let alone a whole ten thousand! Without the Chu court's salary provisions, how do you feed these ten thousand extra soldiers!?"

In response to the questioning, Fan Chun answered with only four words. "The Fan Commercial Firm."

The Elder was completely dumbfounded. Thoroughly dumbfounded!

Rumors had it that the Fan clan's power and influence was enough to completely take over the regime anytime they wanted.

The Blazing Fire Sect's Elder who usually boasted of keeping aloof from the mundane world naturally looked down on power struggles. But now, he finally experienced the true weight behind the four words 'completely dominates the court'!

The Fan clan alone raised ten thousand private soldiers!?

"Even if you have ten thousand soldiers, with this old man at the Unity Realm, you still wouldn't be able injure a single hair of mine." The Elder gritted out.

He had managed to calm down. He already completely gave up the notion of killing Fan Chun. The Elder only wanted to immediately flee from this place and report to Holy Master Blood Phoenix Sage Ruler and Sect Lord that this assassination scheme against the Fan clan had fallen into the opponent's trap!

As for the few dozen Blazing Fire Sect disciples who accompanied him, the Elder truly couldn't be bothered with them anymore. Although it pained his heart, these were the sect's pillars of the future. Yet he could only abandon them all here.

"Elder, what should we do?" One Blazing Fire Sect nervously asked. Even with a Unity Realm expert on their side, facing ten thousand enemies still frightened them.

The Elder steeled himself and said, "To capture the bandits, first capture their king. As long as we kill Fan Chun, these mob soldiers will have to surrender. Everyone charge together!"

His words did indeed have some rallying effect. The Blazing Fire Sect disciples also went for broke, howling as they charged at Fan Chun. Yet the Elder immediately turned tail to flee towards the outer perimeter!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A series of earsplitting sounds from breaking the wind.

The Elder subconsciously turned his head to take a look, only to discover that the Garrison Army had actually deployed expensive siege weapons.

Arrows crafted with high-grade spiritual minerals, professionally forged by a refining sect, possessing the power to break through the mountain-guarding spell formation!