This time, he didn't exert even a sliver of True Qi, relying purely on brute strength. It was only in this moment that he truly grasped the profound elegance of the Jing Lei Dao Jue (Thunderclap Blade Art); such rapid swordsmanship required maximum power, needing no excessive True Qi to enhance its might...

“Damn it, am I really that disloyal?” Who would have expected Little Peach to speak up, deeply disgruntled...

And its body dissolved into streaks of afterimages, constantly darting through the crowd. Wherever it materialized, its sharp claws claimed another life. Facing the primordial monstrous beast, the Taotie, even a mere juvenile was more than these soldiers could possibly withstand...

“Ugh…” Feeling Little Peach’s dissatisfied voice, Ye Jingyu was suddenly moved. A man and a beast, traveling together from the Southern Wasteland, he had offered nothing but treats in return, yet Little Peach had done so much for him? How many times had it saved his life?

If it hadn't been for the creature, he might already have succumbed to an assassin’s blade, and now, in this predicament, it still refused to leave him alone...

He never imagined a fierce beast could possess such deep loyalty and righteousness. But when had this rascal learned to curse?

“Ao…” Perhaps sensing Ye Jingyu’s heavy mood, or perhaps seeing Little Peach ceaselessly slaughtering the enemy soldiers, the unwilling to be outdone, Ni Bo finally unleashed its power. A roar, sounding like a dragon but not quite, emanated from its mouth. Its pitch-black form strode forward, stepping directly onto the empty air. Instantly, an invisible force coalesced, and the bodies of seven or eight Shadow Guards began to rupture...

As it took its second step, the bodies of those seven or eight soldiers violently burst open. The dozen or so soldiers behind them also felt an unseen pressure slam into their chests, their internal bones inexplicably shattering, their bodies sent flying backward...

Ni Bo’s seven steps—how could soldiers at the peak of the Martial Artist realm possibly withstand them?

However, with Ni Bo’s current strength, it could only manage a maximum of three steps, and each one would demand a heavy toll. Ni Bo seemed to understand that its primary mission was to carry Ye Jingyu clear of the encirclement, so it did not take the third step...

Yet, even just taking the second step was far beyond what these soldiers could endure...

And combined with its Long Wen Zhan Bo (Dragon Mark Battle Aura), it gave Ye Jingyu a renewed glimmer of hope for survival...

Time ticked by, minute by minute. Over a dozen warriors of the Chi Yi tribe were already dead or wounded. Even Chi Yi Xiu had been pierced by an enemy spear, blood weeping down his armor, yet they continued to guard Ye Jingyu without hesitation, relentlessly charging forward...

By this time, the Shadow Guards were also more than half decimated. Though they were the elite of the Shadow Army, they were suffering massive losses against the Iron Army riding the Mastiff Lions...

However, in the process of cutting down the Shadow Guards, the Iron Army’s numbers were rapidly shrinking. When Ye Jingyu and his group were five or six hundred paces from Ouyang Lengcan, fewer than five hundred Iron Army soldiers remained engaged in the fight...

And the enemy troops they had slain numbered only a little over a thousand, far short of the fighting strength they had previously displayed...

Seeing that the Iron Army was clearly on its last legs, Ouyang Lengcan showed no sign of pleasure on his face. The enemy numbered less than two thousand, yet even now, he hadn't secured an absolute advantage, having already sustained massive casualties of seven or eight thousand men. Though the Mastiff Lions played a part, the enemy’s fighting capability was simply too formidable...

These motley crews certainly possessed some mettle. No wonder His Majesty’s order was to annihilate them completely; otherwise, controlling them would indeed be difficult...

“Lin Zuo, bring the bow…” At this moment, Ouyang Lengcan abruptly spoke to Lin Zuo beside him...

“As you command, General…” Lin Zuo offered no further words, simply retrieving an exquisite longbow from behind his horse and respectfully handing it to Ouyang Lengcan...

Ouyang Lengcan took the longbow in one hand and drew a black-fletched arrow from his quiver with the other, naturally nocking it onto the string. He aimed directly ahead, his target being Ye Jingyu, who was leading the charge...

This was a longbow capable of striking targets seven or eight hundred paces distant, a weapon that only a figure like Ouyang Lengcan, a Xiantian Martial Master who had condensed Xiantian True Qi, could utilize effectively...

Just as Ouyang Lengcan aligned his sight upon Ye Jingyu, Hu Yanqi, who had remained by Ye Jingyu’s side, also drew his longbow and began to aim. Surrounded by dozens of Chi Yi warriors providing protection, the Shadow Guards could not break through; he had ample time to take aim...

Seemingly noticing Ouyang Lengcan’s movement, the expression on Hu Yanqi’s face instantly changed. He abandoned any thought of continuing forward, bit down hard on his tongue, spat a mouthful of blood directly onto the arrow in his hand, and rapidly chanted a cryptic spell. The hand holding the bowstring swiftly released, and a black meteor instantly tore through the air...

At that precise moment, Ouyang Lengcan had targeted Ye Jingyu and was about to loose his own arrow when he saw a black light hurtling toward him. An unprecedented chill swept over his entire body. His form instinctively lurched aside, but the bowstring released nonetheless, and the black feather arrow flew forth...

With a shiiing sound, even though Ouyang Lengcan had instinctively tried to evade, the arrow imbued with Hu Yanqi’s vital blood reached maximum velocity, arriving beside Ouyang Lengcan almost instantaneously upon release...

With no pause, it struck the iron breastplate of Ouyang Lengcan. The armor, which could withstand blades and swords, was pierced like soft tofu, sinking directly into his heart...

A jet of blood sprayed outward, and Ouyang Lengcan’s body slumped forward, falling from his horse...

“General!” Lin Zuo cried out in alarm, leaping from his mount and rushing toward Ouyang Lengcan...

Not just Lin Zuo, but the personal guards surrounding Ouyang Lengcan all dismounted and scrambled toward him. To be struck by a single arrow while under the protection of the main army—if anything irreparable happened to Ouyang Lengcan, none of them would live to see morning...

In an instant, chaos erupted among the Shadow Army ranks... Meanwhile, Ouyang Lengcan’s arrow, diverted by his sudden movement, grazed Ye Jingyu’s cheek and happened to pierce the Iron Army soldier directly behind him...

Seeing that Hu Yanqi’s shot had found its mark, Ye Jingyu had no time for pity over the fallen Iron Army soldier. He roared, “Everyone follow me! Break through to the north, charge!”

Upon hearing this command, the remaining four hundred-plus men’s eyes lit up with fierce battle intent. Although they had voluntarily joined the suicide squad, none of them truly wished to die. Now that a chance for survival presented itself, there was every reason to fight desperately...

They closely followed Ye Jingyu, seizing the confusion in the enemy ranks to sprint northward at full speed. Just as they were about to break free of the Shadow Army’s encirclement, a malicious glint flashed in the eyes of Yue Youqun, who had been trailing closely behind Ye Jingyu...