As the two hundred and forty Cangsheng Black Dragon Riders burst forth, the east side of Lewu City was immediately alerted by nearly all the Seventh-Tier experts present.
Xuan Ye felt a flicker of joy, which quickly morphed back into a furrowed brow. Within Lewu City, there were at least eight Seventh-Tier masters and over 150,000 elite troops.
Adding just over two hundred men, a single Heaven-Rank Martial Master, even with Tan Qiu’s two spirit pets, would likely be of no avail.
Yong Qin, who had been bound, felt her tension ease, yet her expression remained clouded with worry. Deep down, she knew that against an army of hundreds of thousands, these mere two hundred-plus riders were utterly insignificant.
But in that moment, watching Ruoshui hold her close while remaining on the small hill, refusing to join the charge, she could only look on anxiously.
Over there, Tai Lingzi also detected the movement a thousand zhang away.
“So there were hidden troops here as well. It seems the elite scouts under Yuan Jiuchen aren't that impressive. But are these people courting death?”
At this point, he felt mostly scorn. Even after dispersing their pursuit, he still commanded four hundred and fifty Purple Firmament Sword Riders and two hundred Azure Essence Earthly Warriors. With a three-to-one advantage, how could the enemy possibly break through?
Even if their arrival was sudden and caught them off guard, giving them a slight advantage, victory was out of the question.
It was suicide—
His mind made up, Tai Lingzi gripped his reins and forced his Purple-Winged Lizard to abruptly change direction.
The four hundred and fifty purple-armored knights behind him did the same, turning with practiced ease. The horsemanship of the two hundred Azure Essence Earthly Warriors was slightly inferior, but they managed to turn within three breaths.
The combined force of over six hundred knights moved forward menacingly, driving straight into the enemy they had originally been flanking!
Before any clash, Tai Lingzi directed the Spirit Masters behind him to unleash a vast wave of ice arrows, covering the two hundred and forty Cangsheng Black Dragon Riders!
Immediately following this, a soaring, immense sword-light shot up from within the cavalry formation, piercing toward the clouds.
Deep violet in color, the sword-light was razor-sharp. It was the Daoist heritage of the Tai Ling Sect—the Grand Spirit Purple Firmament Sword!
A cruel smile touched the corner of Tai Lingzi’s lips; this single strike was enough to utterly obliterate these heretics of the Cangsheng Dao!
Meanwhile, Ji Lingzi, hovering high above, also wore a look of cold disdain.
His current opponent was Xie An.
To him, the battle unfolding below was utterly without suspense. With a three-to-one advantage, unless facing an unparalleled general of supreme martial prowess, the Cangsheng Dao stood no chance whatsoever.
The man before him was no different. Although his sword-qi raged horizontally, and his imposing martial intent met his own in an unyielding parry, it was merely a desperate struggle, already nearing its end. In just half an incense stick’s time, he could ensure the demise of the Cangsheng Dao’s most outstanding martial genius!
This clash between the Tai Ling Sect and the Cangsheng Dao would remain a resounding victory for the Tai Ling Sect!
But in the very next moment, Ji Lingzi’s expression dramatically shifted.
“Hm? That’s wrong! That is the extreme of Sword Intent, nearly sentient. Senior Brother Tai Lingzi—”
Forgetting Xie An entirely, Ji Lingzi’s eyes widened as he looked down below.
Seated atop the Fifth-Tier Silver-Scaled Wind-Treading Beast, Zong Shou’s silhouette swayed rhythmically with his mount’s powerful gallop.
His hands gripped the door-panel-sized, fiery-red greatsword, and within him, the Black Dragon Heart Sutra of the Cangsheng Black Dragon Riders began to churn. As his aura spread, faint, ever-shifting minute energy meridians subtly formed around him, connecting with the two hundred-plus Cangsheng Black Dragon Riders behind him, making it seem as if several hundred individuals had merged into one.
The term ‘Black Color’ implied a mixture of black and crimson, signifying the Black-Red Great Dragon, a type of Fire Dragon. This perfectly aligned with one of the Nine True Dragon Sword Intents he had recently mastered.
Zong Shou executed the technique now without the slightest hint of awkwardness. Behind him, dragon shadows roared, causing the aura of the two hundred and forty Cangsheng Black Dragon Riders to surge immensely.
Killing intent surged; Zong Shou felt the long-absent hot blood within him burning wildly, his fighting spirit surging.
The Grand Spirit Purple Firmament Sword? He was eager to test it!
With a casual sweep of his greatsword, he dispersed the entire volley of profound ice arrows.
Then, with another swing, all the internal essence, blood vitality, and even the intent of the two hundred riders were fused into a single entity, manifesting as a black-red fire sword that charged forward!
Compared to the vast purple sword-light, it seemed pathetically small.
But when the two sword shadows collided, the latter collapsed first!
With a world-shaking roar, the sword-light formed by the Grand Spirit Purple Firmament Sword was forcefully cleaved down the middle by the fire-colored sword shadow, which broke through like tearing silk!
The moment they clashed, Tai Lingzi felt something amiss—“—This is the extreme of Sword Intent? More than that! This man’s charge formation is unparalleled, how can—”
The condensation and fluid movement of that sword force surpassed his own by tenfold! The angle chosen was precisely the weakest point of the cavalry formation behind him.
Especially the leader of these Cangsheng Black Dragon Riders, whose strength seemed to be merely Seventh-Tier, yet he controlled the true essence and sword force of over two hundred men so fluidly, mastering the extreme of Sword Intent, striking like the sharpest blade—seemingly unstoppable, shattering all in its path!
—Who exactly is this person? Why have I never heard of him before?
Distracted for a moment, Tai Lingzi quickly refocused. The situation was now critically dangerous.
Mustering nearly all his strength, Tai Lingzi managed to gather another surge of Purple Firmament Sword Force and sweep it out!
It was even more formidable, even more domineering, and tinged with the desperation of survival!
But as the sword shadow reached midway, he heard the young rider opposite him shout coldly.
“Sword of the Blazing Dragon, Slash!”
That immense, fire-colored sword light suddenly transformed into a dragon. It coiled and moved across the plain like a true fire dragon, casually lunging forward and utterly shattering Tai Lingzi’s final resistance.
The crimson greatsword swung down. In the blink of an eye, this elite Seventh-Tier disciple of the Tai Ling Sect was smashed into dozens of pieces of flesh!
With another sweep of his sword, coordinating with Zong Yuan who guarded his flank, the other commander of the Purple Firmament Sword Riders was severed midsection!
And the two hundred and forty Cangsheng Black Dragon Riders surged almost completely intact into the ranks of the enemy cavalry, whose momentum had sharply waned, directly ahead.
The Silver-Scaled Wind-Treading Beasts galloped, and the clang of countless armor plates and metal striking metal rang out.
Two hundred crimson greatswords swung in unison, reaping heads and severing torsos like cutting wheat, unstoppable in their path!
When the two hundred and forty Cangsheng Black Dragon Riders completely pierced through the formation of the Purple Firmament Sword Riders and Azure Essence Earthly Warriors, of the entire six hundred and fifty men, only about thirty survived on the edges, incredibly lucky. On the ground lay over six hundred shattered corpses, all Sixth-Tier, their eyes wide open as if dying unjustly. Behind Zong Shou, not a single one of the two hundred and forty riders was missing; some bore injuries of varying severity, but none paid heed, all looking excited, their fighting spirit soaring.
Following Zong Shou, they pointed their swords to the sky and roared in unison:
“Black Dragon Invincible, Kill!”
The soaring momentum instantly magnified tenfold, drawing the attention of everyone within a radius of tens of li, who looked over in stunned disbelief.
Zong Shou casually flicked his greatsword, shedding the chunks of flesh he had struck. Then he fiercely spurred the belly of his mount, causing the Fifth-Tier Silver-Scaled Wind-Treading Beast beneath him to suddenly become enveloped in turbulent wind.
“Tread Wind!”
As Zong Shou surged upward, the two hundred and forty Cangsheng Black Dragon Riders followed, having their mounts take flight, charging toward the sky.
The accompanying Spirit Masters also began reciting incantations again. One spirit technique after another was cast, and this time, they were focused on empowering the spirit beasts.
Pairs of transparent energy wings unfolded, making the Silver-Scaled Wind-Treading Beasts lighter in appearance.
Even though they were airborne, the iron hooves of the mounted beasts seemed to smash through wind and cloud, still thundering forward.
A mere two hundred riders advanced with the might of a thousand armies, sweeping towards Xuan Ye’s location. In mere seconds, they closed the distance, surrounding the two who were attacking Xuan Ye: one was Dragon Lingzi of the Tai Ling Sect, and the other was a Seventh-Tier expert from the Grand Shang Army.
The two struck together almost instantly, a saber and a sword slicing down from the air in an attempt to defend.
Zong Shou snorted coldly, and a swath of scarlet-fire colored sword-shadow flashed across the sky once more, vast and imposing.
In the void, there was another deafening explosion. In an instant, the saber energy and sword aura, powerful enough to cleave mountains and rivers, were completely pulverized!
The sword light transformed into a dragon again. With a single maneuver, a rain of blood scattered across the sky.
The Seventh-Tier Martial Ancestor from the army was utterly defenseless, shredded into dust by the hundreds of crimson greatswords.
Dragon Lingzi’s face turned ashen; instinctively, he tried to flee. With a full-power strike, he forced Xuan Ye, who was entangled with him, to recoil, and attempted to flee into the distance.
Zong Shou’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he hurled the sword in his hand. The crimson sword-light crossed several hundred zhang in one-sixtieth of a breath, completely piercing Dragon Lingzi’s body! His form could no longer be maintained, and he plummeted downwards.
Zong Shou let out another cold shout!
“Take him down!”
The Profound Art user ‘Hei’ chuckled, casually tossing out a massive net that enveloped Dragon Lingzi from afar, snatching him back.
Xuan Ye, however, had frozen on the spot, staring blankly at the scene unfolding before her. Zong Shou paid her no mind, already turning his gaze towards Ji Lingzi’s position.
In the air now, the remaining three Seventh-Tier experts dared not continue their pursuit, all retreating rapidly, flocking towards the tens of thousands of armored cavalry pouring out of Lewu City.
The scattered Purple Firmament Sword Riders also rushed back towards the main body, fearing being isolated.
At this moment, not just Xuan Ye, but nearly everyone on the battlefield, watched the terrifyingly imposing scarlet cavalry with looks of utter disbelief.
“—This, this is, that Tan Qiu? How, how is that possible—”
On the mountainside, Yong Qin’s ropes had been undone. Now she didn't need to struggle, nor could she struggle.
She was pointing a slender, pale finger toward the sky, trembling uncontrollably.
This was Tan Qiu?
The Tan Qiu she herself believed to be despicable, shameless, weak, and incompetent, someone who only held the position of Chief Disciple of the Cangsheng Academy through the patronage of his elders?