These horses were specialties of the Northwest. Their limbs were slender, their hooves sported tufts of hair, and their manes were sparse; they moved with agility and swiftness, completely unlike the massive, heavily built warhorses meant for knights clad in full armor.
Yet, even steeds such as these, once driven to a full gallop—especially when ridden by these highly trained knights—created an imposing aura in that instant that shattered the courage residing in the hearts of the onlookers.
Everyone positioned before the carriage changed countenance, but by this moment, they all knew they had no retreat left.
On this expanse of plain, their mounts simply stood no chance of outrunning these swift horses.
"Kill! If we kill one, we break even; if we kill two, we profit!"
Xu Su, his eyes bloodshot, let out a fierce shout. He crouched low, bracing for the charge, facing the knights who rushed toward them amidst a thunderous momentum. His face was alight with a wild gleam.
The men behind him, whether the youth trembling while supporting the elderly cook, or the hulking brute with a mouth full of blood and a ghost-like grimace, all crouched low, extending the weapons in their hands flatly before them.
They knew that hiding behind the carriage offered no escape from cavalry pursuit; since that was the case, they would fight to the death...
However, just at that moment, a clear, almost joyous peal of laughter reached their ears.
This sound emanated from the unfamiliar young man among them.
When this army disguised as bandits first arrived, they had suspected this person was one of their inside agents. But when He Yiming stepped forward first, leaving the simple carriage behind to stand at the very front of the group, their suspicion vanished instantly, replaced by profound admiration for his audacity.
But when He Yiming erupted into that long laugh, everyone froze, their first thought being that the man had been scared mad...
The cavalry moved with terrifying speed; a mere hundred meters took but a few breaths to cover.
The lead knight roared in anger, his curved saber raised high, leaving a streak of afterimage in the air.
Upon seeing this flash of steel that seemed to materialize from the void, everyone, including Xu Su, felt a jolt in their hearts.
This man was actually a peak Houtian expert at the Tenth Layer of Inner Strength.
At this revelation, even those who had already resigned themselves to death felt a wave of despair wash over them.
They seemed to see, in this one man, the comparison of strength between the two nations.
The Tianluo Kingdom, possessing four commanderies, was considered one of the foremost among neighboring countries. They were like a practitioner at the Eighth Layer of Inner Strength—respected wherever they went.
But their neighbor, the Kai Rong Kingdom, was a behemoth, akin to a peak Houtian expert at the Tenth Layer of Inner Strength. Before them, Tianluo had never held any opportunity or room for resistance.
The blade flashed, poised to strike the foremost figure, He Yiming.
Yet, at that precise moment, the onlookers' eyes suddenly widened.
They watched, speechless, at what unfolded before them. This scene was etched into their minds like the most exquisite painting in the world; even decades later, when recounting tales to their grandchildren, this moment would remain vivid, as if it were yesterday.
He Yiming extended a hand. His movement was not fast, but it was utterly plain and casual.
And then, the blade light, resembling a shooting star from beyond the heavens, vanished. That fiercely sharp blade shadow disappeared; the tip of the saber was caught firmly between three of He Yiming’s fingers.
Time seemed to halt at that instant.
Both friend and foe appeared to hold their breath, their mouths agape, gasping like fish pulled from water. Their hearts pounded furiously, as if no other sound could penetrate.
No one dared to trust their own eyes; they all assumed they were hallucinating from the unbearable pressure.
※※※※
The lead knight's eyes suddenly narrowed, filled with an astonishment that words could not capture.
Others might not know, but he understood perfectly the Vajra-like strength surging from his palm, which made him fear he could not hold on much longer.
The ** horses continued their frantic gallop, charging directly at He Yiming.
But the Tenth Layer Inner Strength knight atop the horse had already had his soul scattered. He clearly saw the mocking smile playing on He Yiming’s face.
His last thought was: Who exactly have I encountered?
Just as this thought arose, a force exceeding the limits of his imagination suddenly rushed into him.
This power instantly permeated his entire body, flooding every single cell.
Then, he was flung backward like an overinflated balloon.
As his body left the saddle, the ** horse suddenly lost its footing and tumbled.
It slammed violently against He Yiming’s body, but what struck the horse as strange was that it felt as though it hadn't hit a mere person, but a colossal bronze wall.
The immense impact instantly broke its tendons and bones, causing it to collapse weakly to the ground, unable to rise again.
The charging knights had formed a sharp wedge formation, with this Tenth Layer expert leading the point.
Once his body was flung forward, it acted like a massive iron hammer, knocking the knights behind him flying and down.
Subsequently, blood streamed from his seven orifices, followed by a booming sound; he had utterly ruptured because his body could not contain the surging, formidable True Qi.
The scattered, exploding flesh shot out like countless sharp darts in every direction.
Piercing screams erupted from the hundred or so knights caught in the initial impact. Every single one bore at least dozens of massive wounds.
The light armor they wore offered no defense against such a blow.
The rain of blood filling the air carried a power they could not comprehend, penetrating their defensive light armor, piercing their bodies, and striking their ** steeds.
In that single instant, the charging line of over a hundred swift riders, previously so imposing they seemed like a thousand-strong army, were utterly annihilated.
Even more incredible was that not a single particle of that flesh and blood—which seemed like the world’s deadliest hidden weapon—shot past He Yiming toward his rear.
It was as if an invisible, transparent wall stood before him, intercepting everything mid-air.
Xu Su and the others watched the scene ahead, mouths agape, their eyes glazed over, frozen like statues.
Just when they believed certain death awaited them, a heaven-defying reversal had occurred.
Before them, the arrogant cavalry of the Kai Rong Kingdom lay overturned—men and horses alike. Over a hundred elite riders, including a peak Houtian expert at the Tenth Layer of Inner Strength, had been neutralized.
This overwhelming power proved to be as fragile as paper tigers against this young man.
The riders following behind cried out in alarm and frantically pulled their reins to halt.
Their horsemanship was truly refined to the extreme, and their ** steeds had undergone countless training sessions and real battles; even under such sudden circumstances, they managed to stop halfway.
However, the moment they stopped, a calm—yet in the eyes of these knights, utterly demonic—grin surfaced on He Yiming’s face.
His figure suddenly vanished from his original spot; not a single person among the several hundred on both sides saw how he departed.
And in the next moment, he abruptly appeared within the group of remaining knights.
Then, before the onlookers’ eyes, it seemed as if they saw a cloud, a wisp of mist.
This cloud and mist, appearing from nowhere, rapidly spread outward centered on He Yiming, enveloping all the surviving knights within an instant.
From within the mist came piercing, heart-rending screams, snapping the onlookers out of their dazed state.
They shook their heads and looked forward with terrified eyes.
Although He Yiming had just saved their lives, in their eyes, he was no different from the legendary devil.
Suddenly, the mist dissipated.
A large number of the panicked hundred-plus cavalry lay sprawled on the ground.
There was no scene of gore and flying flesh; the surroundings also seemed untouched by violent struggle. Aside from the tracks of the frantic horses, there was no other sign of disturbance.
It was as if these knights and their ** mounts had peacefully fallen asleep right there. Except, they were not merely sleeping; they had entered a slumber from which they would never wake.
The entire event felt like a dream, and Xu Su and his companions still had not woken from it.
No one saw how it happened; by the time their eyes could focus, it was all over. Their faces registered only blankness; they could not summon any other reaction.
He Yiming let out a long laugh, casually flicked his finger into the void, and one of the fallen men suddenly sprang up.
Under the suppression of He Yiming’s True Qi earlier, this man had been completely drained of strength. Once He Yiming dispersed the True Qi within him, the man immediately leapt up in terror.
His gaze swept across the two areas of the field: one side was a horrific mess of blood and gore, the other was eerily quiet and unsettling.
This extreme contrast was something even those with iron wills and forged bodies could not withstand.
"De... devil! You are a devil!" The knight He Yiming had intentionally spared gaped wide. His eyes bulged outward from excessive terror, resembling the protruding eyes of a goldfish, making him look both absurd and terrifying.
"A devil?"
He Yiming smiled coldly. His gaze swept across the two scenes with the same utter lack of emotion, like a high-and-mighty deity looking down upon ants crawling on the earth.
"Didn't your leader intend to tear me limb from limb? I merely returned a slightly severe retaliation."
This knight possessed the peak cultivation of the Eighth Layer, second only to the captain among the two hundred-plus men. Yet, before He Yiming, he retained not a trace of a master's composure. His body trembled uncontrollably, worse even than the youth supporting the old cook.
In his eyes, there was nothing but fear; his firm resolve had completely shattered beneath the tragic fate of his comrades.
He Yiming offered a slight smile, as if he hadn't done anything at all, "Do you know why I didn't kill you?"
The man opened his mouth, but no sound emerged, only the chattering of his upper and lower teeth; he had been so terrified his tongue was paralyzed.
He Yiming glanced at him dismissively, just as they, the cavalry, had initially swept their gazes over Xu Su and the others.
"Go back and tell your masters: This... is my nation." He Yiming's voice gradually rose, like the thunder from the Ninth Heaven, exploding directly into the ears and hearts of everyone present: "From this day forward, the influence of the Kai Rong Kingdom is forbidden one step across the border. If not, I will bathe the Hall of Masters of the Kai Rong Kingdom in blood!"
His words were powerful and weighty, like a sudden clap of thunder on clear ground, striking straight into the soul.
It was only then that Xu Su and his men truly awoke from their trance. They stared blankly at He Yiming, as if seeing this person for the first time.
The knight was utterly stunned. Although He Yiming had slaughtered all his comrades, hinting that this man must be the peerless expert of the legendary Xiantian realm, He Yiming’s subsequent declaration caused his teeth to stop chattering. His shock now surpassed his fear of He Yiming.
"Who... who are you?" he asked woodenly, as if doubting he had heard correctly.
He Yiming raised his eyebrows slightly, his voice floating outward, traveling far, seemingly across the entire plain, spanning the entire mountain range, reaching the whole Northwest...
"Tianluo... He Yiming!"
※※※※
"Big Brother, what do we do now?"
A group of men had reassembled around Xu Su—all comrades who had chosen to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him, sharing life and death.
Looking in the direction He Yiming had departed, Xu Su’s face was flushed crimson.
Since his birth, he had carried a degree of inferiority whenever dealing with residents of the Kai Rong Kingdom.
But after He Yiming’s resounding proclamation echoed there, his heart surged like a monstrous tidal wave.
He turned his head, sweeping his gaze over the faces of all his brothers. Behind them stood more people—all members of this merchant convoy, and merchants who regularly traveled this route doing business with Kai Rong.
At this moment, their faces were also abnormally red from intense excitement.
Xu Su took a deep breath, his voice higher than ever before, filled with pride. At this moment, he was proud to be a citizen of the Tianluo Kingdom.
When his gaze fell again upon the two starkly contrasting scenes on the ground, his eyes held no more fear, only an inexpressible satisfaction.
The Kai Rong Kingdom, the nation that had lorded over them for nearly a thousand years.
At this moment, that towering image collapsed violently in his heart. He wanted to throw his head back and roar, to tell everyone he encountered:
He was a Tianluo man.
"Big Brother..."
The calls of numerous equally excited comrades brought him back. Xu Su’s face settled into a look of resolute determination. "Brothers, we scatter now. We must relay everything we saw and heard today with the greatest speed. No—we must spread this news across the entire Northwest with the utmost haste." His eyes shone brilliantly, his voice trembling and hoarse: "I am a Tianluo man."
※※※※
Three days later, the command from the capital of the Kai Rong Kingdom swiftly reached the chaotic Tai’a County.
The core elements among the bandits, and the Kai Rong knights disguised as bandits, all received the same order. Regardless of their personal thoughts, they were compelled to make the same choice.
Within half a month, all persons from the Kai Rong Kingdom who had crossed the national border into Tianluo were withdrawn from the country with maximum speed.
Although some held differing opinions and ultimately chose to remain, without exception, all those who stayed were henceforth forbidden from any further contact with the Kai Rong Kingdom.
Almost simultaneously, His Royal Highness, the Second Prince of the Kai Rong Kingdom, was enfeoffed as a Prince and ordered to depart the capital for his fiefdom within a month.
Anyone possessing even a shred of political acumen understood that from this point forward, this prince had forfeited his chance to contend for the next throne of the Kai Rong Kingdom.
For an outdated prince banished in a manner akin to exile, no one held further interest. As everyone predicted, he subsequently vanished from the history of the Kai Rong Kingdom, with no opportunity for a miraculous comeback.
As if by mutual telepathy, once all Kai Rong personnel withdrew from Tai’a County, the Lin Family of the Linlang Commandery immediately dispatched a large contingent of attendants and retainers to coordinate with the Tianluo army, launching a devastating strike and purge against all the bandits entrenched in Tai’a County.
In just a few short months, all the bandit organizations scattered upon hearing the news, as if the plague of bandits that had plagued the Tianluo Kingdom for a hundred years had been eliminated overnight.
Moreover, those who had severed ties with the Kai Rong Kingdom but still remained in Tianluo suffered focused crackdowns. Wanted posters bearing their likenesses were plastered in every corner of the Tianluo Kingdom.
These individuals attempted to slip back into the Kai Rong Kingdom for refuge, but they sadly discovered that the cradle that once sheltered them from disaster now bared its menacing visage...
Thus, this county bordering the powerful Kai Rong Kingdom ended its suffering spanning several centuries.
Within the sphere of influence of the traditional Northwest powerhouse, the Kai Rong Kingdom, the situation changed rapidly and breathtakingly.
And He Yiming formally issued his own voice to the outside world.
His name seemed to sprout wings, spreading across the entire sphere of influence of the Kai Rong Kingdom and throughout all the Northwestern nations.
Even in the courts of the other two major powers, this name entered the sights of all those in authority.
Tianluo... He. Yiming!
※※※※
"Big Brother, what do we do now?"
A group of men had reassembled around Xu Su—all comrades who had chosen to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him, sharing life and death.
Looking in the direction He Yiming had departed, Xu Su’s face was flushed crimson.
Since his birth, he had carried a degree of inferiority whenever dealing with residents of the Kai Rong Kingdom.
But after He Yiming’s resounding proclamation echoed there, his heart surged like a monstrous tidal wave.
He turned his head, sweeping his gaze over the faces of all his brothers. Behind them stood more people—all members of this merchant convoy, and merchants who regularly traveled this route doing business with Kai Rong.
At this moment, their faces were also abnormally red from intense excitement.
Xu Su took a deep breath, his voice higher than ever before, filled with pride. At this moment, he was proud to be a citizen of the Tianluo Kingdom.
When his gaze fell again upon the two starkly contrasting scenes on the ground, his eyes held no more fear, only an inexpressible satisfaction.
The Kai Rong Kingdom, the nation that had lorded over them for nearly a thousand years.
At this moment, that towering image collapsed violently in his heart. He wanted to throw his head back and roar, to tell everyone he encountered:
He was a Tianluo man.
"Big Brother..."
The calls of numerous equally excited comrades brought him back. Xu Su’s face settled into a look of resolute determination. "Brothers, we scatter now. We must relay everything we saw and heard today with the greatest speed. No—we must spread this news across the entire Northwest with the utmost haste." His eyes shone brilliantly, his voice trembling and hoarse: "I am a Tianluo man."
※※※※
Three days later, the command from the capital of the Kai Rong Kingdom swiftly reached the chaotic Tai’a County.
The core elements among the bandits, and the Kai Rong knights disguised as bandits, all received the same order. Regardless of their personal thoughts, they were compelled to make the same choice.
Within half a month, all persons from the Kai Rong Kingdom who had crossed the national border into Tianluo were withdrawn from the country with maximum speed.
Although some held differing opinions and ultimately chose to remain, without exception, all those who stayed were henceforth forbidden from any further contact with the Kai Rong Kingdom.
Almost simultaneously, His Royal Highness, the Second Prince of the Kai Rong Kingdom, was enfeoffed as a Prince and ordered to depart the capital for his fiefdom within a month.
Anyone possessing even a shred of political acumen understood that from this point forward, this prince had forfeited his chance to contend for the next throne of the Kai Rong Kingdom.
For an outdated prince banished in a manner akin to exile, no one held further interest. As everyone predicted, he subsequently vanished from the history of the Kai Rong Kingdom, with no opportunity for a miraculous comeback.
As if by mutual telepathy, once all Kai Rong personnel withdrew from Tai’a County, the Lin Family of the Linlang Commandery immediately dispatched a large contingent of attendants and retainers to coordinate with the Tianluo army, launching a devastating strike and purge against all the bandits entrenched in Tai’a County.
In just a few short months, all the bandit organizations scattered upon hearing the news, as if the plague of bandits that had plagued the Tianluo Kingdom for a hundred years had been eliminated overnight.
Moreover, those who had severed ties with the Kai Rong Kingdom but still remained in Tianluo suffered focused crackdowns. Wanted posters bearing their likenesses were plastered in every corner of the Tianluo Kingdom.
These individuals attempted to slip back into the Kai Rong Kingdom for refuge, but they sadly discovered that the cradle that once sheltered them from disaster now bared its menacing visage...
Thus, this county bordering the powerful Kai Rong Kingdom ended its suffering spanning several centuries.
Within the sphere of influence of the traditional Northwest powerhouse, the Kai Rong Kingdom, the situation changed rapidly and breathtakingly.
And He Yiming formally issued his own voice to the outside world.
His name seemed to sprout wings, spreading across the entire sphere of influence of the Kai Rong Kingdom and throughout all the Northwestern nations.
Even in the courts of the other two major powers, this name entered the sights of all those in authority.
Tianluo... He. Yiming!