Though Li Muzhan was injured, the wounds were not severe. His body, tempered by the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art, was naturally resilient, with internal organs far stronger than those of ordinary men.

Furthermore, after learning the military martial arts, his Vajra Indestructible Divine Art had advanced another level, making his muscles even tougher. Otherwise, having taken those two blows from the precious blades, his arms would have been broken long ago.

Li Muzhan was secretly vexed. Against this black-armored knight, he was constrained at every turn, completely suppressed. The opponent’s internal force was profound, surpassing his own, and his techniques were bizarre, often catching him completely off guard.

A scimitar was embedded in Li Muzhan's shoulder, while the black-armored knight fought bare-handed, his fists like hammers, brutally fierce and overwhelmingly powerful. Every punch whistled through the air with immense momentum.

Li Muzhan dared not let his guard down; taking one of those punches would leave him in a terrible state. He had already experienced the depth of the black-armored knight's internal energy and knew he could only evade the sharpest thrusts.

In the blink of an eye, a hundred moves had passed. The black-armored knight's martial arts were fierce, yet lacked refinement, far inferior to Li Muzhan's movement techniques. He maneuvered and twisted with seemingly effortless grace, his demeanor relaxed.

The black-armored knight's eyes flashed with a cold, relentless light. He flickered momentarily, his fists continuing to hammer toward Li Muzhan, determined to land a decisive blow.

Li Muzhan frowned, sensing the man was plotting something, unsure what trick he held up his sleeve. Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, retreat was the best course; he should leave.

With that thought, he let out a loud laugh, turned, and shot toward the forest.

"Where do you think you're going?" the black-armored knight roared, giving chase immediately and launching a punch toward Li Muzhan’s back.

Li Muzhan’s movement did not falter. He closed his eyes, his fingers pointing remotely from within his sleeve, releasing a gentle thrust—the Shaoyin Finger via his little finger—silent and subtle, like a passing spring breeze.

The black-armored knight, focused solely on catching Li Muzhan, had concentrated all his internal energy into that one punch. Suddenly, a soft, yielding force struck him, like a blast of icy wind.

He immediately sensed danger but was too committed to dodge. He had lunged too fiercely to retract his power in time. Gritting his teeth, he abruptly shifted his fist, choosing injury over letting the attack miss. The fist changed direction, striking toward the source of that soft, yielding power.

With a dull thud, a surging force traveled up his fist. His movement halted instantly, and he watched helplessly as Li Muzhan slipped into the woods.

"Ah—" He let out a long cry to the heavens, stopping just outside the forest edge, daring not to enter.

That single finger strike had startled him badly. If another such strike came, he couldn't guarantee he could evade it. Forcing his internal energy to shift moments ago had left his internal organs aching faintly; he had sustained an internal injury.

The black-armored knight roared in anger, "You brat, you got lucky today!"

He turned and departed, his horse's hooves drumming in a receding thunder. The Black Hawk Cavalry pounded away in a cloud of yellow dust, shrinking into small black specks in the distance in moments. Li Muzhan emerged from the trees.

All the Black Hawk Cavalry on the ground had been taken away; not a single corpse remained. Li Muzhan sighed inwardly. They must have a rule about retrieving their dead.

They were from the Western Zhao, and he was from the Great Yan; a distant gulf separated them, yet they met here. Having taken their lives, he mused on the bizarre, unpredictable nature of fate.

He closed his eyes, allowing the Void Eye to survey the area. Indeed, no one remained. The Black Hawk Cavalry had gone far. He floated up into a tree and brought out Brother Zhu San and the other three.

Brother Zhu San’s eyes were sharp as he stared at the scimitar embedded in Li Muzhan's shoulder. "Ah, Mingkong, you’re injured!"

Li Muzhan smiled. "The Black Hawk Cavalry are certainly formidable, but it's just a small wound, nothing serious."

"This blade…" Brother Zhu San observed his shoulder blade. If it damaged the tendons, his left arm could be crippled.

They knew the feeling of having a limb disabled and worried for him.

Li Muzhan laughed. "It’s nothing. I actually profited; trading a minor injury for a precious blade is worth it. Let's hurry up and leave."

Brother Zhu San chuckled, "We certainly have nine lives!"

The other three nodded in agreement. Hidden in the tree hollow, they were too far away to hear what happened outside; they only assumed Li Muzhan had encountered a few people.

Li Muzhan naturally didn't elaborate. He smiled. "Yes, we are lucky. The Black Hawk Cavalry are dangerous, so we should depart as soon as possible."

Brother Zhu San nodded quickly. "Let's go, let's go! We need to move fast!"

The five set off, accompanied by the forty horses. They were well-trained; though allowed to roam, they did not stray but stayed together, following Chiying at a rapid pace.

Li Muzhan urged his mount forward, fearful that the enemy might return. Yet, what he feared materialized. With his eyes closed, the Void Eye scanned two miles around, and he spotted a line of riders ahead, arrayed in a long, thin formation, with the black-armored knight positioned at the very front.

Though it was the great steppe, this was the necessary path toward Tenglong City. He had calculated that Li Muzhan would have to pass this way.

Sensing them in advance, Li Muzhan gently tugged the reins. Chiying slowed its canter, gradually decelerating until it finally stopped. Li Muzhan rode up to where Brother Zhu San and the others waited.

"What's wrong, Mingkong? Any trouble?" Brother Zhu San asked, frowning with concern.

They were so close to returning to Tenglong City, yet success seemed thwarted once more—it gave him a sense of foreboding as he stared fixedly at Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan sighed and nodded. "Brother Zhu San, the Black Hawk Cavalry are waiting for us up ahead."

"What should we do?" Brother Zhu San was at a loss.

Li Muzhan thought for a moment. "Brother Zhu San, you follow behind me, about half a li back. Not too far, not too close."

Brother Zhu San didn't ask how he detected them; he only inquired, "Mingkong, how many are there?"

Li Muzhan shook his head and smiled. "Quite a few. Don't worry, we will make it back to Tenglong City."

Brother Zhu San managed a strained smile. "Then we are counting on you, Mingkong."

Li Muzhan laughed. "Once we get back, we're heading to Changping Tower for a proper feast!"

"Good. If we make it back to the city, we'll go to Changping Tower and celebrate properly!" Brother Zhu San agreed heartily.

"It's a deal," Li Muzhan nodded confidently, then spurred his horse forward. With a loud laugh, Chiying bolted away, vanishing in the distance ahead of them.

Brother Zhu San only then snapped out of his daze. He shouted twice, then bit down on his reins, shook them, and his steed broke into a light trot, quickly accelerating to follow Chiying, soon disappearing into the distance.

Li Muzhan pulled out the porcelain vial from his robes and scooped some ointment onto his wound. Waves of coolness spread through his mind—truly worthy of his Master’s gift; it was miraculously effective.

He laughed heartily. Chiying ran faster and faster, like a gust of wind sweeping forward, charging directly toward the Black Hawk Cavalry before they could react properly.

"Fire!" the black-armored knight shouted in time.

The knights instinctively drew their bows and loosed their arrows—a pure, trained reflex executed without conscious thought.

A rain of arrows descended. Li Muzhan laughed, whirling his Flying Dragon Spear. A canopy of spear shadows fanned out, deflecting the incoming arrows as he charged into the formation like an arrow himself.

Instantly, knights were flung into the air. Anyone blocking Chiying’s path was struck down without exception, sent flying by the Flying Dragon Spear. His movements were impossibly swift; Chiying did not slow down at all, maintaining its charging speed.

In moments, over twenty knights were airborne. Upon landing, they immediately vomited blood and died, their internal organs destroyed by internal force.

Li Muzhan laughed wildly as he flung the riders aside. "Interesting, interesting… you wanted to pick on a soft target, haha, but you miscalculated!"

The black-armored knight nearly vomited blood himself. He had believed that since Li Muzhan’s shoulders were both injured, he couldn't wield weapons effectively. This major vulnerability had to be exploited, which was why he had positioned himself to intercept and shoot him down.

Unexpectedly, Li Muzhan's recovery was astonishing; he could wield the long spear. Seizing the momentum of the horse's speed, Li Muzhan had broken through—this was a disaster.

He roared, "Form up a hundred meters out!"

Saying this, he leaped from his horse, spreading his arms like a soaring eagle in the air, diving toward Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan laughed loudly. "Too late!"

Chiying did not pause, continuing to pursue the knights. Li Muzhan instantly sent four more flying, taking their lives outright.

Although the black-armored knight’s movement technique was fast, Chiying was no slower. Missing his initial lunge, the knight touched the ground with his toes and soared up again, diving toward Li Muzhan's back.

Li Muzhan feigned ignorance, busy flinging aside those blocking his front. As the black-armored knight descended, not far away, Li Muzhan suddenly twisted his body and thrust backward.

This was the "Reversing Lance" technique he had intensely studied.

With a sharp hiss, the force of this thrust was vicious and untraceable, incredibly strange. Although the black-armored knight was prepared, he hadn't expected this move to be so ferocious. He forcibly shifted his body mid-air, and a sudden sharp pain in his chest caused his movement to seize up.

"Hmph," he grunted, taking a spear strike to the shoulder, and slammed a palm toward the Flying Dragon Spear.

He cursed inwardly. The earlier forced shift of his fist had already caused an internal injury, and now, as fate would have it, it flared up, making him unable to avoid the spear thrust.

He congratulated himself internally; if he had been a fraction slower, the spear would have pierced his heart, sending him straight to join his brothers in the netherworld.

A surge of internal force traveled along the spear shaft. Li Muzhan gave a slight shake, then swept the spear tip horizontally toward the black-armored knight’s throat—incredibly fast.

The power of this move borrowed the knight’s own force, making it faster than usual.

The black-armored knight startled, quickly leaning back, barely evading the spear tip. A chill swept across his throat, raising goosebumps.

He pushed off the ground and retreated two zhang, his eyes shooting cold light, wishing he could devour Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan observed him calmly, glancing around. "This truly satisfies me. They ran away too fast, and I hadn't killed enough. I was just lamenting that, and now you deliver yourselves to my door. Excellent, haha…"

With that, he gently squeezed, and Chiying shot out like an arrow, charging toward the knights a hundred meters away.

The knights remained still as a rain of arrows descended, enveloping Li Muzhan and Chiying.

Li Muzhan swung the Flying Dragon Spear, its shadow blurring to form a large umbrella protecting himself and Chiying. Supported by internal force, Chiying moved with extreme speed, suddenly piercing into the midst of the knights.

Li Muzhan engaged in another frenzy, tossing four or five men aside, instantly ending their lives. The black-armored knight caught up and engaged Li Muzhan again, meeting the long spear with his fists.

The two became locked in combat; the spear thrusting and withdrawing, seeming like a venomous snake, while the black-armored knight's fists were like iron, stubbornly blocking the spear, showing no sign of yielding ground.

Li Muzhan inwardly marveled at the hardness of the knight’s fists; he dared to directly confront the spear point. Even with his Vajra Indestructible Divine Art, he wouldn't dare be so reckless.

After about fifty exchanges, Li Muzhan found an opening again, broke free from the entanglement, and charged toward the remaining knights.

At this point, of the more than two hundred black-clad riders, only one hundred fifty or sixty remained. Li Muzhan had killed sixty or seventy—a glorious record.

His spear was merciless; touch meant death. He wasn't killing with skill alone, but with the immensely profound internal force channeled through the spear. Upon contact, the internal force surged in, shattering the internal organs; none survived.

Only the black-armored knight, whose internal force was a notch stronger than Li Muzhan’s, was unafraid of the spear and could meet the weapon with his fists without falling behind.

Li Muzhan found it strange; there seemed to be a wondrous force emanating from the knight’s fists, impeding the spear’s penetration, as if he were wearing a pair of incredibly tough gloves.

He had no time to ponder further, as the black-armored knight’s punches grew heavier, like a rampaging giant bear, each one striking harder than the last. Li Muzhan struggled to withstand them.

He gritted his teeth, let out a soft hum, and activated the Lamp Burning Technique. Immediately, his internal energy erupted fiercely, growing violent, and his power surged. The spear movements produced sharp cracking sounds, as if shattering the air itself.

With three rapid strikes, Bang! Bang! Bang! Li Muzhan hit the black-armored knight’s right fist, each blow landing like a club striking down with increasing force.

"Hmph," the black-armored knight suddenly snorted, the sound exploding in Li Muzhan’s ears like spring thunder. A cold glint shot from his hand.

Although Li Muzhan’s reaction speed had become sharper and more agile due to the burning internal energy, he still managed to catch sight of the glint—it was an iron nail, flashing with an occasional blue light.

Li Muzhan swung his spear, knocking the iron nail away. It clattered onto the ground. The black-armored knight’s expression changed, and he turned to flee, shouting, "Retreat!"

The other knights followed him, galloping westward.

Li Muzhan naturally wouldn't let them go. He feared they might circle back, so he pursued them closely. Chiying’s speed was terrifying, and he soon began to catch up.

The black-armored knight broke off the tail end of the pursuit. Just as Li Muzhan was about to charge in, the knight intercepted him, initiating another fierce battle. Seeing his men escape farther ahead, the black-armored knight broke away again.

Li Muzhan also wanted to kill him, but he hesitated. With the Lamp Burning Technique active, he had the upper hand in internal force, yet this man possessed an endless array of hidden trump cards that caused him dread.

His intuition told him this black-armored knight remained extremely dangerous, and even with the Lamp Burning Technique, it was best not to get too close.

His intuition overruled his rationale. He finally stopped burning his internal energy and ceased the chase, turning back to rendezvous with Brother Zhu San and the others to return to Tenglong City.

He had intended to test something small—circulating the Energy Dissipation Art to suppress the Lamp Burning Technique—and was surprised to find it worked. The surging, flame-like internal energy was drawn directly into the relic, and the Lamp Burning Technique extinguished naturally.

With the surging power gone, he began practicing the military martial arts to avoid suspicion once they entered the city.

"Let's go, Brother Zhu San. No one is blocking us this time. We set off," Li Muzhan said, arriving beside the four companions with a hearty laugh.

Brother Zhu San nodded happily. "Good, let’s head to the city."

The group rode forth with the forty-odd horses, creating an imposing sight. At a glance, they looked like forty riders, which in Tenglong City constituted considerable strength.

On the city walls, the men of the Cavalry Battalion stood in full force, craning their necks to watch the distant approaching figures.