"Li You, you brat, hurry up and die!" Xiang Yu wildly swung his greatsword, cutting down every foot soldier in his path; **the warhorses were drenched in blood, all aimed at a single target: slaying Li You. "Kill them all; leave no one alive," Ying Bu fought with exceptional valor. It seemed the injuries from his last encounter with Ye Xiu had fully healed, yet he was clearly using the killing as an outlet.

Ying Bu's left flank, having entered Yongqiu, slaughtered all—officials and commoners alike—leaving no survivors, and he himself was covered in gore. "Clang, clang..." On the parapet, Ye Xiu was still desperately fending off Yang Tian's barrage of flying needles while searching for an opening. Suddenly, a small squad of Qin soldiers attempted to flee the ramparts.

When they were mere meters from Ye Xiu, they were struck by Yang Tian's needles, their chests riddled with countless holes that pierced them alive. "A perfect chance!" Ye Xiu, momentarily relieved by the soldiers acting as human shields who absorbed much of the needle attack, seized the opportunity. He rapidly swung his sword toward Yang Tian.

As the Tianyi (Heavenly Will) flashed past his arm, it suddenly shifted into the move, "Sword Sweep of the Universe" (Jian Sao Qian Kun), a technique of softness yielding to sudden rigidity, striking Yang Tian precisely in the abdomen with a single point of contact. Yang Tian felt a sickening pressure in his chest and immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, leaping backward several steps by tapping the ground. Ye Xiu did not hesitate; he took large strides forward, intending to press the attack.

Unexpectedly, despite being wounded, Yang Tian remained supremely confident, raising his hand to strike a different pose. He shouted, "Needle: Ten Thousand Thoughts" (Zhen • Wan Nian), propelling himself into the air. This time, the atmosphere above the rampart churned violently, dark clouds gathering thickly.

Ye Xiu focused his gaze, realizing those were no mere black clouds, but a sky full of flying needles. "Young Master, what will you do now?" Yang Tian roared, unleashing the countless needles instantly. Ye Xiu only wanted to curse him for "using a cheat code" but couldn't utter a word before the needles rained down like a tide.

He raised his sword to block them while simultaneously fleeing toward the other end of the parapet, but those damned needles seemed to have eyes, following him relentlessly like a swarm of bees. "Damn it!" Ye Xiu could only marvel at his own astonishing stamina as he tumbled, jumped, and rolled down the rampart, plunging into the dense melee between the two armies. Yang Tian did not relent, weaving through the crowd after Ye Xiu, somehow controlling that swarm of needles like a living cloud.

"Ah, ya ya!" Some soldiers, previously focused on their enemies, were skewered through the heart by the incoming projectiles. Ye Xiu, ignoring everything, unleashed the Mozi Sword Style, weaving and striking, while Yang Tian relentlessly pursued. "How many needles do you have hidden on you, damn it?" Ye Xiu was utterly exhausted.

He was grateful to be amidst the crowd; he shuddered to think what a duel in the open would have been like against Yang Tian. "Ya..." A sudden, fierce roar split the air. A figure abandoned his horse, a short sword in hand, leaping toward Yang Tian in the sky.

"Ying Bu!" Ye Xiu blocked the last wave of needles, staring intently at the figure above. He realized Ying Bu was also unharmed. Just how profound was the foundation of this man's swordsmanship?

It seemed to match his own Tianyi state perfectly. In the night sky, Ying Bu brandished his Shan Jue (Flash Absolute) Sword Style fluidly, meeting Yang Tian’s dance of a thousand needles. They weaved back and forth above the endless ranks of men.

Wherever the needles and sword edges clashed and fell, countless soldiers were already reduced to corpses—this was a duel between masters, leaving mere mortals with no choice but death. "You are the other swordsman who favors a short sword?" Yang Tian shook his head. "Indeed, all of you are top-tier experts.

The situation demands I depart today; I won't play with you any longer." "Taste my sword!" Ying Bu was far less yielding than Ye Xiu. He flicked both hands, his sword hovering in mid-air, and using the roof of a nearby structure for leverage, he leaped up, unleashing the move, "Absolute • One Word" (Jue • Yi Zi), from that day. In an instant, a ray of rosy light shot across the horizon, reddening many faces.

With a "Zha!" sound, the needle-wielding Yang Tian was struck by the light and sent flying far out of the city in retreat. "Hmph!" Ying Bu landed gently, casting a disdainful glance at the soldiers on the ground. In that look, however, he spotted Ye Xiu amidst the crowd.

He always suspected this fellow was scheming something in the shadows, and now that he saw him, he desired to grasp his sword once more for a decisive battle with Ye Xiu. "Ya ah!" At that moment, two Qin soldiers near Ying Bu, seeing his momentary hesitation, raised their sabers, intending to take the head of the Western Chu general. Little did they know that beyond being a general, Ying Bu was a consummate swordsman.

The difference between a swordsman and a mere military officer lay in the swordsman's inherent bloodlust. Before their two tiger-head sabers could even reach Ying Bu, his hands had already firmly parried them aside. Ying Bu's gaze remained locked on Ye Xiu; that was his true target.

The fate of all other riffraff was to be sliced in half as easily as cutting vegetables with his sword, Qishuo (Tear Brightness). Ye Xiu watched Ying Bu, but he had no desire for another pointless duel. He stared fiercely at Ying Bu and slowly walked toward him.

They were separated by only a few dozen paces, yet between those few dozen paces were countless Qin and Western Chu soldiers, all fighting with murderous frenzy, paying no mind to who they hacked. Ye Xiu parried and kicked away several low-level thugs on his approach, but the short distance Ying Bu covered saw him slay countless more. "This setting isn't quite suitable, is it?" Ye Xiu blew a low whistle, speaking calmly, "A mutual defeat in a place like this probably wouldn't be well-received." Ying Bu stood proudly, utterly disregarding Ye Xiu's consideration: "It matters not.

Whatever the occasion, as long as you exist, I feel uneasy." "Watch your back," Ye Xiu said, raising an eyebrow in warning. "Zha..." Ying Bu smiled, effortlessly driving Qishuo into the heart of a soldier raising a saber behind him. "Thank you, Junior Brother, for the reminder.

I want to know why you are lurking within the Western Chu army." "If I said it was for Wan'er, would you believe me?" "I would." Ying Bu appeared thoughtful; after all, wasn't he also here for Wan'er now? "General Ying, hurry and earn your great merits. Your Junior Brother will not accompany you." Ye Xiu had no will to fight; he turned, slung his sword across his back, and with a rapid dash and leap, ascended onto the rampart.

"Hmph! One day I will settle this score with you!" Ying Bu also saw no point in arguing with Ye Xiu. He unleashed a sword move on the spot, cutting down everyone blocking his path.

With a broad step, he leaped onto his warhorse and galloped toward the fiercest part of the fighting within the city. Outside the walls of the luxurious courtyard in the inner city, Li You had been chased by Xiang Yu until he had nowhere left to run. "Li You, brat, bring your life here!" Xiang Yu tightened his reins, dragging his greatsword as he charged toward the cornered Li You.

"Ya!" Li You roared back, turning his horse around. Though he knew he was no match for Xiang Yu, desperation breeds reckless courage in the face of doom. Li You raised his long halberd high, then swept it down with a single-handed motion, intending to use the momentum of his charging horse to strike Xiang Yu’s head.

Xiang Yu, though possessed of immense strength, relied on flexibility in mounted combat, and his favored greatsword already required a wide arc of movement; on horseback, that arc expanded further. Facing Li You's desperate thrust, he found himself momentarily troubled. "Hah." Li You pressed his advantage while Xiang Yu was slow to react, putting all his strength into the blow, believing he had succeeded.

To his surprise, Xiang Yu reacted with incredible speed, leaning backward until he was lying flat against the horse's back, while his greatsword completed a sweeping, massive arc. "Hah!" With a colossal roar, the greatsword aimed directly at Li You's back. Seeing this, Li You instinctively planted the butt of his halberd behind him, bracing for the impact.

However, the sheer force of Xiang Yu’s descending blow was overwhelming. The moment the halberd met the greatsword, Li You felt his strength completely drain away. He gritted his teeth and extended his other hand backward to grip the end of the halberd, attempting to withstand the force.

This action was disastrous: it knocked both him and his horse stumbling backward, nearly causing them to topple over. "Your life is forfeit!" Xiang Yu pulled back and turned his warhorse, raising its head high. The horse, already exhausted from battle, neighed loudly, frightening the surrounding small soldiers away from protecting their master.

"Ya!" Xiang Yu raised his sword with one hand and brought down another massive, sweeping strike toward Li You. Li You was somewhat stunned from the previous impact, and his horse was weakening. He had no means to defend against this incoming blow.

"Clang..." A cloud of dust rose with the wind. Through the haze, Li You sprang clear of his saddle, but his horse let out a mournful cry as Xiang Yu’s greatsword bisected it cleanly across the belly. "Hoo, hoo." Li You tumbled several times upon landing, utterly defeated, but as a seasoned general, he would not yield so easily.

He rose, drew the bronze longsword from his waist, gripped it with both hands, and leaped sideways, aiming to strike Xiang Yu from the saddle. "Block!" Xiang Yu, knowing the situation was overwhelmingly favorable, did not hesitate. He forced his horse to bow low, leveraging the greatsword upward as he charged Li You.

The mighty blade intercepted Li You in mid-air, striking him instantly in the abdomen. "Ah, ah!" Blood sprayed violently from Li You, who was in agony. Xiang Yu, high on the thrill of the kill, did not stop; he kept driving his horse forward, the greatsword firmly impaling Li You, carrying him straight toward the base of the city wall.

With a tremendous "Boom!" Li You's body slammed heavily against the wall under the point of the greatsword, shaking loose several large stones. "Hahaha, Hahaha! Long live the Western Chu army!" Xiang Yu was almost maniacal, and his roar instantly terrified the remaining Qin soldiers into submission; fearful of Xiang Yu's ferocity, they lost all will to fight the Western Chu army.

The Qin general, Li You, died just like that, pinned against the city wall by Xiang Yu's relentless greatsword. "Oh! Oh!" The Western Chu soldiers were beside themselves with elation.

They raised their weapons high and cheered; the collision and interplay of weapons in the air merged into a magnificent song of victory. "Stop!" Xiang Yu violently shook Li You's corpse off his greatsword, then planted the weapon upright, shouting, "Brothers, kill every last Qin person in Yongqiu city, including the prisoners!" "Kill, kill, kill!" Though hesitant for a moment, the Western Chu troops affirmed Xiang Yu’s command.