The crisp, dense sound of blades slicing through flesh reached my ears from behind! I was all too familiar with that specific sound of steel piercing sinew and bone. It was the very sound my Dragon Spear had made when it felled the Ao Tian Heavy Cavalrymen before. The only difference now was that the ones meeting their end belonged to our own Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalry.
Roar! A dazzling flash of golden light suddenly erupted within the dark torrent of iron!
Like a cannonball blasting from its muzzle, a streak of gold tore through the gloomy sky, leaving a blazing golden ribbon as it whistled forward!
“Die!” Mo Luo Zhan Kong, surging forward, roared ferociously mid-air! His Jing Zhong Yue (Moon in the Well) cleaved out a scorching sword energy of unimaginable intensity, aimed directly at the Golden Armored Heaven Demon Warrior!
He absolutely cannot be allowed to charge through; otherwise, it will spell utter disaster! Even during the earlier javelin assault, Mo Luo Zhan Kong had instantly recognized this Heaven Demon Warrior clad in the Blazing Sun Heaven Demon Armor as the mysterious master who had once ambushed Lanling. To find him now wearing the Blazing Sun Heaven Demon Armor as well—unbelievable!
A person like this is a natural bane to mages, and the Ao Tian Legion's undisputed strength lay in its formidable Mage Corps. If he were allowed to penetrate the mage formation, no matter how powerful our Rainbow Mage God or Red Robe Priests were, they would be utterly incapable of withstanding his assault!
It can be said that he alone possesses the power to annihilate the entire magical strength of the Ao Tian Legion. This outcome must not be permitted under any circumstance; he must be intercepted and killed here!
Ah! It’s a Heaven Demon Warrior! In an instant, I recognized the figure flying through the air as Mo Luo Zhan Kong, a Heaven Demon Warrior of the Ao Tian Legion. Before he even arrived, a killing intent as ferocious as a surging tide locked tightly onto my vital points. At this moment, I felt like a frog pinned by a viper, my entire body oppressed and tugged by an invisible aura, as if countless unseen ropes were binding me fast. Even though my subconscious desperately screamed at me not to fear, not to retreat, my body refused to obey.
This! Is this a Heaven Demon Warrior?!
I never imagined someone could inflict such heavy damage upon my spirit and mind with mere killing aura alone.
"It's not enough to simply wear the Heaven Demon Armor to be considered a true Heaven Demon Warrior," Jin Yao's words echoed clearly in my mind once more!
I absolutely cannot sit here and await death! I must counterattack, no matter what!
Roar!
Driven by intense unwillingness and subconscious frenzy, my right hand, gripping the sword hilt, finally drew the Dragon Shadow Sword!
Swish! A streak of blood-red light shot out from the scabbard! It was as if an invisible sharp blade had instantly severed all the tethering auras surrounding me. My body suddenly regained control in the flash of lightning and flint!
I don't know how to describe this feeling, but I knew clearly that the moment the Dragon Shadow was unsheathed, the surging killing intent slammed into an invisible energy wall and scattered everywhere, unable to affect my mind in the slightest. A strange sensation instantly enveloped my entire being. I could feel myself being driven by an intense murderous desire and the urge to fight! It was the same feeling as when I pushed my Thunder Battle Qi to its absolute limit against General Luo Yan, just before entering a berserk state. Yet, this time, my body had not lost control!
The Dragon Shadow Sword in my hand seemed to possess an awareness of its own, merging seamlessly with the Heaven Demon Armor and the battle aura swirling around me!
Ah! This! What is happening?!
This sudden change stunned me! Could it be that with the help of the Heaven Demon Armor, my body can now adapt to a berserk, frenzied state?!
This realization filled me with immense joy! Of course, this entire thought flashed through my mind in just a fraction of a second!
The rapidly approaching Mo Luo Zhan Kong was instantly within ten meters of me, leaving me no time to decipher the meaning of this peculiar sensation!
Swish, swish, swish! All the Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalrymen blocking his path seemed like invisible decorations as the golden light pierced straight through them. Showers of blood soared into the sky, and amidst the crimson dance of rain, a searing sword energy instantly shot toward my chest!
So fast! I never imagined that anyone in this world could accelerate the launch of sword energy to such a degree!
Since mastering the Eye of Death Desire, such a sense of impending doom at the edge of life and death had been absent for a long time.
This, is this the speed of a Heaven Demon Warrior! That long-lost feeling of a hair's breadth separating life and death had finally returned to me.
This is the true confrontation between Heaven Demon Warriors!
My mind seemed to be controlled by an excited, bloodthirsty, frenzied tension. Yes, at this moment, I felt not fear, but a strange sense of anticipation and excitement!
The Dragon Shadow in my hand instantly rotated, unleashing a blood-red crescent slash!
Swish! As the crescent curled, it miraculously blocked the intense fire sword energy aimed at my chest!
Clang! Boom-rumble!
However, the violent clash of battle qi nearly sent me flying; I instinctively clamped my legs inward, gripping the saddle tightly, thus avoiding being thrown off the charging Da Lei!
But this terrifying impact force was entirely transferred onto Da Lei!
Good boy, Da Lei! With a sudden four-footed stomp, he lowered his center of gravity, stubbornly resisting the immensely powerful shockwave. Then, his belly suddenly swelled out!
Roar! A world-shaking roar suddenly exploded!
A blurry, distorted sound wave instantly slammed into the golden figure rocketing towards us!
Bang! Roar!
The golden figure suspended in mid-air seemed to strike an invisible energy wall, suddenly recoiling backward!
Ah! A sudden sonic attack! The unprepared Mo Luo Zhan Kong was hit squarely! He could only desperately channel his protective battle qi, shielding his vital organs, thereby avoiding internal injury from the sonic assault!
It’s Jin Yao’s mount! Damn it! It’s that brute! Mo Luo Zhan Kong instantly recognized the incomparably majestic Cloud Lightning War Beast and was greatly alarmed! No wonder he could force me back with such astonishing reaction speed!
But! I absolutely cannot let this terrifying opponent escape just like this!
Mo Luo Zhan Kong suppressed the churning blood in his chest and roared fiercely: "Black Dragon."
Hiss! Suddenly, a high-pitched, clear neigh tore through the clouds!
A massive black shadow leaped up from the dark torrent of iron! It shot toward the golden figure recoiling in the air at an astonishing speed!
Bang! Mo Luo Zhan Kong, knocked back by Da Lei’s roar, executed a nimble flip, landing smoothly back onto the back of the black, Fiery Furnace War Horse that had suddenly surged up! The Fiery Furnace War Horse’s body maintained its momentum after catching the Heaven Demon Warrior and actually charged toward us, its massive hooves suddenly less than four meters away from me!
Ah! I hadn't anticipated that beast would try something like this! At this moment, I didn't have time to change my move!
Roar! I felt my body suddenly sink—it was Da Lei beneath me who abruptly dropped low and then suddenly shifted sideways. In that split second, he carried me and dodged the airborne stomp of the black horse.
Whoosh! The black iron hoof of the Fiery Furnace War Horse scraped past my forehead, the fierce gust of wind making me break out in a cold sweat!
That was close, by the narrowest margin!
And Da Lei, after carrying me past this fatal blow, suddenly exploded into a sprint, surging over ten meters ahead!
The black horse, having missed its strike, was instantly thrown back by more than ten meters!
All of this happened in the blink of an eye. From blocking the fire sword energy, to Da Lei repelling the Heaven Demon Warrior with a sonic wave, then the sudden appearance of the black Fiery Furnace War Horse, and finally Da Lei's masterful sidestep evasion—it all took barely two seconds.
But to me, it felt like I had walked through the gates of hell and back twice!
That was too close! I was almost instantly killed!
Is this what mounted combat between Heaven Demon Warriors looks like?!
The exquisite coordination between this knight and his war mount far exceeded my imagination!
Thank goodness for Da Lei!
"Well done! Da Lei!" At this moment, I finally understood why Jin Yao was so insistent on giving Da Lei to me. I don't know how the other Cloud Lightning War Beasts would have reacted in that situation, but Da Lei's performance was simply outstanding, worthy of being Jin Yao's seasoned mount.
Roar! As if encouraged, Da Lei’s powerful body suddenly halted!
Thud! With a sudden surge, his speed increased to its maximum!
Clearly, Da Lei had not forgotten Yue Yao’s instruction: I must not engage in a protracted melee with the enemy Heaven Demon Warrior! He seized the opportunity to suddenly accelerate, attempting to shake off the Heaven Demon Warrior who had tried to intercept us!
Damn it! He actually managed to evade! Mo Luo Zhan Kong, missing his strike, lightly reined in his horse: "Catch them."
Hiss!
Black Dragon let out a high-pitched, clear neigh! The moment his hooves missed their target, before he even landed, he abruptly twisted his enormous body mid-air, landing in the dense torrent of red light from the Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalry in a bizarre posture where his head was behind his feet!
Roar! Facing the man and horse descending from the sky, even the Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalrymen showed no fear, simultaneously raising their thick Dragon Spears!
"Die!"
More than a dozen dark shafts of light shot out like lightning toward the black shadow descending from the air!
Roar! The Heaven Demon Warrior in mid-air let out a violent roar: "Get away!"
A golden crescent sword energy, carrying terrifying power, slashed down from above!
How astonishing is the battle qi energy of a Heaven Demon Warrior? Even the heavily armored Cloud Lightning Knights couldn't possibly withstand it.
Ah! Swish, swish, swish!
Screams erupted one after another! Where the light flashed, blood rained down!
In an instant, several men were sliced clean in half by the crescent.
But a few Dragon Spears still managed to pierce through the crescent’s interception and strike the Heaven Demon Warrior!
Clang!
Roar!
Boom-rumble! The golden light surrounding the Heaven Demon Warrior flared brilliantly, as he relied on his powerful protective battle qi and the defense of the Heaven Demon Armor to forcibly shake off the Dragon Spears that struck him.
And because of the tremendous recoil force, the spears that were shaken off sent the Cloud Lightning Knights wielding them flying backward, tumbling off their horses!
Ah! Swish, swish! The Cloud Lightning Knights thrown from their saddles were instantly trampled into mince meat by the surging tide!
Almost at the same time, the hooves of the Fiery Furnace War Horse, landing from its descent, stomped fiercely onto the head of a charging Cloud Lightning War Beast!
Thud! With a loud sound, the crushed head of the Cloud Lightning War Beast exploded into a ball of blood, shaking the Cloud Lightning Knight on its back into the air!
Clang! Boom-rumble!
With his feet forward and head behind, the Fiery Furnace War Horse landing utilized the powerful momentum of the crushed Cloud Lightning War Beast beneath it. At the moment of landing, it let out another long neigh, its speed increasing dramatically as it pursued me!
What speed!
If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would hardly believe that the coordination between this man and horse could be so ( - tacit understanding/chemistry)!
And the speed of the Fiery Furnace War Horse was astonishingly fast. Even Da Lei, a top-tier Cloud Lightning War Beast, couldn't shake off that relentlessly pursuing Fiery Furnace War Horse! In the blink of an eye, it closed the distance to less than ten meters behind me!
Damn it! In just an instant, over a dozen Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalrymen were killed by Mo Luo Zhan Kong! And it seems he has no intention of giving up his pursuit of me!
And naturally, I could not sit idly by! Supporting myself with my left hand on the saddle, I performed a sharp pivot and dismount, executing a posture like Zhang Guo Lao riding his donkey backward—facing the pursuing Mo Luo Zhan Kong directly! The Dragon Shadow Sword continuously slashed out! Two streams of Dragon Shadow flew out like shears, aiming directly for the legs of the Fiery Furnace War Horse!
As the saying goes, when shooting a man, shoot his horse first. If I break the legs of the Fiery Furnace War Horse, I’d like to see how he can keep up with me and Da Lei!
How audacious!
He seemed not to have expected his opponent to resort to such a treacherous move, but this was precisely the tactic that gave Mo Luo Zhan Kong the most headaches!
Mo Luo Zhan Kong dared not be careless about the incoming Dragon Shadow shears. He swung the Jing Zhong Yue in one go, sweeping out two crescent slashes to intercept the two shearing Dragon Shadows.
But I was determined, how could I give up so easily! If two aren't enough, then add two more!
My thoughts flashed, and two more Dragon Shadows shot out, their target still the Fiery Furnace War Horse!
Roar! Facing my almost rogue-like tactic, Mo Luo Zhan Kong was helpless! He had to focus with his utmost concentration, whirling his long saber, sending layer upon layer of sword energy flying up to form an impenetrable shield around the war horse!
Truthfully, this was my last resort! If this were a conventional infantry engagement, perhaps I could hold on for a while. But the current situation was mounted combat. In terms of horsemanship, I could only be considered average. After witnessing the superb coordination between this man and his mount just now, I knew I was no match for them in mounted combat, even with the help of the seasoned Da Lei. Therefore, I absolutely could not let them get close to me, or I would undoubtedly lose.
The four Dragon Shadows, under my control, danced low, nearly skimming the ground, swirling toward the hooves of the Fiery Furnace War Horse!
And as if seeing through my intentions, Mo Luo Zhan Kong on the horse’s back continuously slashed with his long saber, sending countless crescents rolling like waves on the Yangtze River, shaking off all four Dragon Shadows aimed at the hooves.
I must admit, his defensive skills were absolutely top-tier.
However, the surrounding charging Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalrymen would certainly not let this lone pair, surrounded by them, off the hook! Countless javelins, sword energies, and arrows rained down on the man and horse.
Roar! Seemingly pushed to his limit!
Mo Luo Zhan Kong let out a fierce roar, and a dazzling golden light instantly burst forth, finally forming a golden shield resembling a magic shield that encased both him and his war horse! Every javelin, sword energy, and arrow that struck the shield was violently repelled, unable to penetrate its barrier.
Ah! What is this move! I’ve never seen it! But I quickly realized that this Heaven Demon Warrior was clearly protecting his mount from harm by using his powerful battle qi cultivation to erect a massive protective battle qi shield, enclosing himself and his horse within. The principle should be similar to a mage's magic shield.
But I believe this must consume an enormous amount of battle qi! So, I decided to go all in! Two more Dragon Shadows were sent out shearing—together with the previous four, there were now six Dragon Shadows! Of course, six shadows were the absolute limit of what I could achieve. Before entering the illusionary realm, I could only flexibly control two Dragon Shadows. However, later, inspired by Zhou Botong's technique of Left-Right Mutual Combat from the novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes, I began practicing the method of multitasking. After long periods of cultivation, I can now flexibly control six Dragon Shadows to attack freely! I just didn't expect the first time I would use this in actual combat would be under these circumstances, and against such a powerful Heaven Demon Warrior!
The surrounding Cloud Lightning Knights also realized that with their level of cultivation, they could not breach the man and horse. They could only reluctantly maintain a distance, and unintentionally, the charging formation of the Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalry left a large empty space for the two of us Heaven Demon Warriors to engage in mortal combat!
The six Dragon Shadows circled the Fiery Furnace War Horse like wolves stalking a tiger, launching frequent attacks.
Yes, the Heaven Demon Warrior's battle qi shield could defend against the ordinary javelins of the Cloud Lightning Knights, but it was almost useless against the Dragon Shadows shot by me, a Heaven Demon Warrior myself.
Mo Luo Zhan Kong could only exert all his strength, slashing out crescents to intercept the attacking Dragon Shadows!
For a time, the sound of blades ripping the air was incessant! The six Dragon Shadows moved at incredible speeds, darting around the man and horse, high and low, but every impact was met by a crescent slash, sending them flying back!
And facing the assault of my Dragon Shadows, the Fiery Furnace War Horse, despite possessing a clear speed advantage over Da Lei, couldn't pick up speed. Although Mo Luo Zhan Kong on the horse’s back could defend against my Dragon Shadow attacks, all of this required the avoidance and repositioning coordination of his war horse. Consequently, the Fiery Furnace War Horse couldn't charge or accelerate, meaning it could never close the distance on me and Da Lei!
The situation now was a stalemate: neither side could gain the upper hand!