Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1278: 420: Recuperation in Fengyang Village, Ambush and Grave Injuries, Hatred and Fury (Part 4)

The two men possessed only Earth-digging Realm cultivation. As they entered, clear anxiety marked their faces, leaving them frozen at the entrance without advancing. Lin Kai's signal alone allowed them to gradually proceed toward the table.

The fellow on the left appeared more chatty. Even from five or six meters distant from the table, he flashed a grin and started presenting the items to Lin Kai and his companions.

“Sir, this beast meat isn’t anything valuable, just something to stave off your hunger. But these melons and fruits, they’re special from our Fengyang Village…”

Swish……

Regrettably, the man's speech got cut off midway.

At roughly two meters from the table, Lin Kai abruptly pulled out the Qianwu Sword from atop it, while three blood-red Holy Patterns silently emerged on his forehead. A streak of silver sword gleam, lightning-fast, suddenly thrust toward the man in front of him.

How fearsome was Lin Kai’s power!

No one inside the room could respond to his abrupt assault.

All except Li Longkai!

He reacted nearly simultaneously with Lin Kai, though his power fell a touch short. Thus, as Lin Kai unleashed his sword strike, Li Longkai's blade had just been drawn, its edge lagging slightly, slashing fiercely at the man holding the wooden tray before him.

Though their strikes differed in pace, it was undeniable that their targets—the two middle-aged men bearing the beast meat and fruits—stood utterly unprepared.

Sword glow and blade flash erupted together, shock and alarm instantly twisting the faces of the two middle-aged men, who clearly hadn't anticipated Lin Kai and Li Longkai’s sudden onslaught.

Yet their reflexes proved astonishingly quick.

The brief flicker of shock and panic on their features swiftly morphed into ruthless sharpness.

The left-side man instantly dropped the beast meat, whipping out a concealed long knife from behind it to shield his face; the right-side man thrust up his hand, his silver longsword cleaving the wooden tray in half before swinging horizontally to clash violently against Li Longkai’s incoming blade.

Pfft……

Clang!

“Dongning!”

Chen Yiqing parried Li Longkai’s blade with his longsword, his form hurtling back two or three meters. The grave terror lingering on his expression hadn't vanished when realization struck; he whipped his head leftward. Spotting Chu Dongning's plight, fury split his gaze as he unleashed a savage bellow.

He had fended off Li Longkai’s blade flash, but on the opposite flank, Chu Dongning fared far worse.

Chu Dongning had planned to deflect Lin Kai’s thrusting sword with his blade's flat side, brimming with confidence in his own prowess and certain he could read Lin Kai’s strike.

Such overconfidence proved fatal.

Lin Kai’s sword force and velocity shattered Chu Dongning’s assumptions. Far from blocking with the blade face, his long knife barely rose halfway before the Qianwu Sword plunged through his left chest, skewering the heart region.

Chu Dongning stared down at the Lin Kai before him, shock dominating his visage as he felt his vital energy draining away. Rallying his final reserves, he bellowed: “54 Zong, run, quickly…”

Pfft!

“You two mice, can you really escape?”

Lin Kai yanked back his longsword without pause, carving horizontally across Chu Dongning’s throat. His figure exploded forward, hurtling directly at the remaining foe.

“Dongning…”

Heart pierced, throat gashed, Chen Yiqing let out a anguished wail; aware his sworn brother was doomed, hatred and grief consumed him, yet he shoved Li Longkai away with brutal force, smashing through the structure to bolt outside.

54 Zong—that was Chu Dongning’s dying alert on Lin Kai’s actual might, imploring flight. How could Chen Yiqing miss it?

“54 Zong, how could it be 54 Zong? I examined so many times; he had revealed his power before, clearly only 35 Zong, clearly only 35 Zong…”

While escaping, Chen Yiqing howled inwardly. Though not bound by blood, three decades of brotherhood with Chu Dongning ran deeper than kin. His error in assessment doomed Chu Dongning; the remorse and wrath from that blunder burned uncontrollably within.

“Hidden for half a year, finally managed to drag this mouse out!”

Yet this moment offered no space for fury or regret.

Lin Kai’s shout echoed as sword light slashed from behind. Sensing doom inevitable, savage resolve ignited in Chen Yiqing’s eyes. He spun, longsword whipping to meet the pursuing edge.

Clang……

Blades collided, Chen Yiqing’s arm quaking fiercely, his gaze locking on Lin Kai ahead with pure, focused dread.

Chu Dongning hadn't erred—no, he'd undersold it gravely.

Lin Kai’s might reached at least 55 Zong!

Utterly dominant over him—this… this… impossible!

Swish……

Lin Kai noted the dread on Chen Yiqing’s face but felt only boiling wrath, ignoring it entirely. His longsword twisted sharply, unleashing a barrage of over a dozen sword gleams at Chen Yiqing’s lethal spots.

The Three Towns Chamber of Commerce massacre bore a schemer's hand, uncovered back in early October last year. To avoid spooking the culprit, Great Xia and Eight Towns withheld the revelation, baiting another strike.

Events unfolded precisely as Great Xia foresaw. From October last year through February this year, the fiend claimed over a hundred lives across Eight Towns, invariably sparing one witness and twisting their memories to frame Great Xia.