The usual languor had entirely left Ruo Shui’s expression. With a touch of melancholy, she surveyed the corpses of the hundreds of Purple Firmament Sword Riders.
Though they were Dao Soldiers ranked equally with the Azure Life Mysterious Dragon Warriors, possessing comparable individual strength, cavalry engagements were brutally unforgiving. Once morale shattered, once overwhelmed, once routed, the ensuing casualties became one-sided slaughter.
She had followed the former sovereign, Zong Weiran, the Master who had pulled her from the mire; he, too, had been wise and brilliant. Yet, when it came to leading hundreds of iron cavalry into a full-force charge, even he was far inferior to the current Lord Sovereign.
As she was momentarily lost in thought, she heard Yong Qin beside her murmuring insistently, “He—he—he didn’t. Impossible.
Ming, he’s clearly only Rank Six, how could he possibly command Sword Intent, the peak of Sword Intent—” Ruo Shui offered a slight smile, lifting Yong Qin’s chin from behind, her eyes pure and innocent: “Are you stuttering? I can’t quite hear you.
Be good, listen closely to what your junior brother says from now on, okay?” Yong Qin’s face flushed crimson, yet at that moment, her words refused to form coherently. Inside her chest, it felt as though mountains were overturning.
She had recognized it: that was the pinnacle of martial Dao intention, the very zenith of Sword Intent! Despite possessing only the strength of a Rank Six, his martial Dao intent had reached a height that even Xie Anluoshi and the Xuan Ye she admired could only look up to!
It was infinitely more agile, as if that sword light possessed its own soul, its own spirit. This was Sword Dao Spiritualization!
At any second, he could transition to the Sword Spirit tier! In the mid-air, Zong Shou’s Silver Scale Wind-Treading Beast continued its thunderous charge.
This time, it was bearing down upon the thirty thousand iron cavalry following in pursuit. As they approached, they were instantly enveloped by a sky-darkening barrage of countless arrows.
“Wind Guard!” Zong Shou remained perfectly composed. He guided his contingent, angling slightly aside, thus evading the majority of the incoming arrows.
The two hundred and forty Silver Scale Wind-Treading Beasts subsequently activated their innate divine abilities, whipping up gales of wind around them. The vast majority of the arrows were blown off course before they even drew near.
The remainder were swept aside by the surging momentum condensed by these Azure Life Mysterious Dragon Warriors. Then, the two hundred and forty cavalry stamped down hard!
They plunged directly into the ranks of the thirty thousand cavalry! They didn't even need their swords; the sheer impact of the two hundred and forty Silver Scale Wind-Treading Beasts pulverized the second and third-rank riders in the vanguard into a slurry of flesh and mud!
Bodies and beasts were sent flying as the Silver Scale Wind-Treading Beasts smashed through. Wherever the two hundred and twenty massive, three-thousand-jin crimson greatswords swept, nothing remained standing!
They carved a literal ‘bloody path’ through the enemy formation! It was as if they were walking through an empty field!
Any expert slightly more skilled was immediately cut down by Zong Shou and his retinue. These thirty thousand cavalrymen could not halt the advance of the two hundred and forty riders for even a moment.
And then, in the span of a mere breath, a Rank Seven Heavenly Position Martial Grandmaster, clad in a dark cyan Dao robe, finally materialized before Zong Shou. “It’s Mu Lingzi!” Xuan Shu warned from the side.
He was one of the four elite disciples of Rank Seven dispatched by the Grand Spirit Sect. Zong Shou nodded, though a flicker of disappointment crossed his face.
These Rank Seven experts were merely average in strength. Perhaps it was because, having broken through to the Sword Spirit tier, his standards had become too high.
Mu Lingzi evaded within the ranks for a while, only to see the pursuing iron cavalry still closing in relentlessly, their formidable momentum merging almost with heaven and earth, growing faster and nearer. Realizing escape was futile, Mu Lingzi stopped fleeing altogether.
In an instant, he merged his aura with that of the tens of thousands of cavalry surrounding him, erupting with countless silver sword lights that filled the heavens, rolling back toward the pursuers. “Grand Purity Wind-Riding Sword?” Zong Shou’s eyes lit up, his dormant battle spirit reigniting.
The brand-new crimson greatsword in his hand struck out again. Sword light danced, colliding and clashing with Mu Lingzi’s sword shadows dozens of times in a single moment.
The explosive residual force radiated out in all directions, impacting the very earth. Turbulent winds surged, affecting everything within a hundred zhang.
All riders whose strength was below Rank Four were sent flying. Those with lower cultivation had their internal organs instantly pulverized into dust.
The ground itself began to collapse, revealing a massive pit several hundred zhang wide before everyone’s eyes. Just as Zong Shou’s Silver Scale Wind-Treading Beast crossed paths with Mu Lingzi’s figure, the crimson, dragon-shaped sword light finally prevailed, completely repelling the Grand Purity Wind-Riding Sword.
Then, using the flat of the blade, it slammed down with a deafening clang onto Mu Lingzi’s head, knocking the Rank Seven Heavenly Position expert instantly unconscious. “Take him!” Zong Yuan, following closely behind, was quick and sharp.
He reached out, seizing Mu Lingzi, and channeled his true energy into the captive, sealing and suppressing all his circulation meridians. Looking ahead, Zong Shou saw only open ground; they were on the verge of completely piercing through the thirty-thousand-strong iron cavalry formation.
Just then, muffled, thunderous sounds of hooves resonated from the distance. Zong Shou glanced sharply to the side.
He saw Ji Lingzi of the Grand Spirit Sect, having regrouped approximately three hundred Purple Firmament Sword Riders, charging wildly from afar. Zong Shou gave a cold sneer and chose not to engage them.
He led his two hundred and forty riders, stepping through the formation, deliberately circling wide. While the battle against Mu Lingzi had succeeded in capturing him without direct personnel loss, his own side had still suffered considerable damage.
Dozens of riders behind Zong Shou had sustained injuries, minor or major, from the residual sword energy. A few were gravely injured internally, nearly dead, sustained only by the help of those beside them to prevent collapse.
If they engaged in another fierce exchange like that one, it was uncertain how many of those two hundred and forty would remain. Although he was confident he could still break the enemy formation, and he wanted to test Ji Lingzi’s Grand Purity Wind-Riding Sword, he was unwilling to sacrifice the lives of the Dao Soldiers behind him to do so.
War is the ground of life and death, the path of survival and destruction; one cannot afford to be careless. One must consider the timing, examine the terrain, and observe the human factor.
Within the enemy’s position, both the advantage of terrain and manpower were against him. Only a dizzy fool would smash headlong into it.
Leading his contingent and the two hundred and forty Silver Scale Wind-Treading Beasts, he circled nearly half a loop. In mere moments, he was back before the main body of the thirty thousand iron cavalry.
At this moment, the hundred-plus Azure Life Mysterious Dragon Warriors who had infiltrated Lè Wǔ County City with Luo Shi and the others also hurried back to regroup. In a short while, their numbers were once again brought up to four hundred cavalry.
And the Purple Firmament Sword Riders in the rear were following closely behind. Zong Shou suddenly halted, leading the four hundred cavalry to encamp upon a small hillock.
His expression was impassive as he looked down coldly upon the three hundred Purple Firmament Sword Riders. Their auras choked, and Ji Lingzi, leading them, turned ashen-faced.
He felt as if Zong Shou and the four hundred Azure Life Mysterious Dragon Warriors were like goshawks soaring in the blue sky, looking down upon their prey. At that moment, he longed to charge forward, tear Zong Shou into ten thousand pieces, and behead every one of the Azure Life Mysterious Dragon Warriors!
Yet, he knew that the momentum of these four hundred crimson-armored knights had reached its absolute peak! They absolutely could not be met head-on.
Not only could they not fight, they needed to retreat! The thirty thousand iron cavalry was now reduced to just over twenty-four thousand, slowly falling back in an organized manner.
The Purple Firmament Sword Riders also dared not stray, drawing closer to the main cavalry formation for mutual support. It was only when the tens of thousands of troops from the city slowly marched forward—a total of one hundred and seventy thousand elite soldiers consolidated, their morale surging once more—that Ji Lingzi finally let out a breath of relief.
When approximately two thousand black-armored knights emerged from the army formation, Ji Lingzi’s gaze gradually stabilized. “These are the Yan City Iron Cavalry of Yuan Jiuchen.
They are an elite force assembled by the King of Hàn, reportedly all possessing Innate Realm strength—” Listening to Xuan Shu’s introduction, Zong Shou offered no comment, fixing his gaze on the commander’s banner. A flash of spiritual light entered his eyes, encompassing everything within fifty li.
He saw a middle-aged man sitting coldly upon a Rank Five mount, his expression grim. Zong Shou recognized this man; he had seen him in a portrait before arriving.
This was Yuan Jiuchen, positioned centrally amidst the vast army, surrounded by countless elites. Zong Shou gave a slight cold smile and commanded sharply: “Raise the banner!” Several knights behind him understood immediately, hoisting a large flag high.
Embroidered upon the crimson banner were four large, gilded characters—Cāng Shēng Xuán Lóng! (Azure Life Profound Dragon!) The surrounding Xuan Shu and all four hundred Azure Life Mysterious Dragon Warriors felt a sudden uplift in spirit, their battle intent soaring higher.
Ji Lingzi, on the other side, was shocked again, realizing that the leader of these Azure Life Mysterious Dragon Warriors was not only peerless in breaking formations and supreme in martial Dao, but also a master at rousing morale. Simply by erecting the banner of the Azure Life Profound Dragon, he had completely neutralized the morale of the army of over one hundred thousand.
At this moment, even though he had gathered all the remaining Purple Firmament Sword Riders, added two thousand formidable Yan City Iron Cavalry, and had the support of one hundred and seventy thousand elite troops, he still held no confidence in achieving victory. “That Yuan Jiuchen seems afraid to fight!” The speaker was one of the Azure Life Mysterious Dragon Warrior centurions behind Zong Shou, a peak Rank Six, one of only three commanders of a hundred.
He cursed coldly, full of resentment: “That old dog is actually afraid sometimes!” Before the words had fully faded, a burst of mocking laughter filled the air around them, thick with scornful satisfaction. Xuan Shu’s expression, however, became solemn: “Yuan Jiuchen’s generalship is seasoned; it seems impossible to force a confrontation today.” Zong Shou nodded slightly, acknowledging the assessment.
Observing the formation, the hundred thousand troops were arranged in perfect order. Certain elites were grouped together, prepared to support all directions.
To forcefully attack this formation would inevitably incur a massive cost. This had been within his expectations, but seeing it firsthand still brought a slight sense of regret.
If he could have taken this man’s head today, it would have been the greatest satisfaction and would have averted countless future troubles. After a moment of deep thought, Zong Shou spurred his Silver Scale Wind-Treading Beast down the hill, leading his contingent away at an unhurried pace into the distance.
The opportunity for battle today was lost; lingering would serve no purpose. Ji Lingzi, however, tasted a complex bitterness in his mouth—overwhelming unwillingness, yet utter helplessness.
He suddenly roared: “Who exactly are you? Do you dare leave your name?” The Azure Life Dao side fell silent; they knew Ji Lingzi was only asking for Zong Shou’s name.
Zong Shou initially intended not to answer, turning his back. But after a moment’s consideration, he let out a clear, bright laugh instead: “Tan Qiu of the Azure Life Dao!”