Chapter 117: Murong Lin’s initiative |
Xu Zhong Kang turned towards the chaotic army camp, swiftly making his way toward the Steel Calvaries under his command.
He immediately seized one of the horses in an attempt to calm it, but his efforts proved futile.
The warhorse had succumbed entirely to the effects of the ‘Horse Disorienting Whistle’, its rationality lost and replaced by a frenzied desire to rampage.
These warhorses possessed a certain level of cultivation, coupled with their innate swiftness as warhorses, which meant that even their riders were powerless to control their wild behaviour.
Helpless in the face of this situation, a simple war general like Xu Zhong Kang, found himself devoid of solutions. He looked down at the agitated, howling warhorse in his grasp with a sense of frustration, ultimately slamming it to the ground.
Although purple wolf’s whistling had been brief, brought to an abrupt halt by Lu Feng Xian, it had been sufficient to affect the weaker and less intelligent warhorses.
Added with the influx of tens of thousands of demonic beasts pouring from the surrounding forest, the entire camp plunged into utter chaos.
The riders, who had initially been desperately chasing after their warhorses to regain control, now found themselves assaulted by the relentless beast wave. Faced with dual predicaments, they were forced to abandon their rampaging warhorses and engage the demonic beasts in combat.
Meanwhile, the soldiers who had already experienced a gruelling battle against the demonic beasts earlier in the day were thrust into a state of frenzy upon witnessing the nocturnal ambush by the demonic beasts.
“What do we do? It’s too dark to see anything! Someone, light the fires!”
“Ah! Watch out for the eagles above! They’re dropping poisonous insects!”
The entire camp devolved into chaos, with soldiers scrambling to defend themselves.
Lu Feng Xian brandished his weapon as he searched for purple wolf, closing in from behind the beast. He roared in anger, “You wretched mutt, you’re asking for death!”
He swung his Sky Piercer Halberd downward, delivering a punishing blow that struck purple wolf’s body.
Purple wolf darted swiftly into the forest, leading the furious Lu Feng Xian deeper into the heart of the Demonic Beast Forest.
Meanwhile, back at the camp, Sun Bo Fu and Xu Zhong Kang, both at the ninth layer of the Sky Reaching realm, concentrated their efforts on quelling the surging beast wave and restoring order amid the chaos of the warhorses.
“Arghhh! Die!” Xu Zhong Kang ripped apart a warhorse that had lashed out at him in frustration, resulting in a gruesome spray of blood and flesh that only attracted more agitated warhorses in the vicinity.
“Zhong Kang! Prioritize dealing with those Sky Reaching realm demonic beasts!” Sun Bo Fu had swiftly discerned that these demonic beasts had been summoned and led by the Sky Reaching realm leaders.
Their strategy was clear: if they could eliminate the leading Sky Reaching realm demonic beasts, the rest would fall into disarray.
Wielding his pike, Sun Bo Fu advanced toward a Sky Reaching realm demonic beast. The soldiers under their command quickly mounted the warhorses that had remained unaffected, simultaneously launching attacks on the encroaching demonic beasts. With the combined efforts of the twenty thousand cavalry troops, they managed to slay a significant number of these creatures.
However, there were a substantial number of Sky Reaching realm demonic beasts with colossal bodies that loomed ominously over the battlefield.
Mountain pig rolled through the throng, ruthlessly crushing numerous human soldiers to their demise. Even their hapless warhorses met a grisly end, reduced to mere masses of crushed flesh littering the ground.
Simultaneously, Xu Zhong Kang found himself confronted by a Sky Reaching realm demonic beast. Given that both of the generals were formidable experts at the ninth layer of the Sky Reaching realm, dealing with demonic beasts of the third and fourth layers within the same realm presented little challenge.
His expression bore a mix of anger and frustration as he unleashed a long-range attack, dispatching a number of eagle-like demonic beasts in the skies above before directing his strike toward the colossal ape before him.
The ape-like demonic beast’s expression contorted as it made a desperate attempt to evade the impending blow, but it was too late.
“Fearless Tiger Form Slash!!”
Xu Zhong Kang’s devastating slash struck the beast, cleaving the enormous creature in a single, merciless stroke. The massive carcass plummeted to the earth, a grotesque display of blood and flesh scattering in all directions. Even in death, the ape’s gaze that was fixated on Xu Zhong Kang seemed to harbour its lingering resentment toward its death.
The surrounding demonic beasts grew even more frenzied, persistently attacking the human soldiers without mercy. Yet, at this moment, just as Xu Zhong Kang was about to attack another Sky Reaching realm demonic beast, he suddenly sensed it—a looming threat.
Danger!
It was unmistakably dangerous!
Xu Zhong Kang’s senses tingled with the presence of impending danger coming from behind. In swift response, he swung his weapon, pivoting his body midair to confront the oncoming threat.
And there it was—a blade of light hurtling toward him, originating from within the human crowd below.
With a deft counterstroke, he intercepted the blade light, instantly identifying the individual responsible for the attack. Standing there was an attractive young man, bearing a peculiar smile and clutching an exceedingly thin knife.
The blade’s thinness was such that it almost seemed invisible when viewed from the side.
“You’re asking for death!” Xu Zhong Kang harboured a deep disdain for those who resorted to such ambush tactics. In a blur of movement, he materialized in front of the young man, launching a swift and powerful strike.
However, the expected sight of the young man’s head exploding failed to materialize.
A strange expression twisted the features of the young man as Xu Zhong Kang watched him vanishing slowly before him, his initial confusion gradually giving way to abject horror.
Murong Lin’s form had appeared to disappear in slow motion before him, but in reality, it was merely an afterimage, a result of Murong Lin’s extraordinary speed.
At Xu Zhong Kang’s back, another blade light erupted.
“Catastrophe style!”
Suddenly, a young man materialized in midair behind Xu Zhong Kang, wielding the paring knife in a reverse grip. With a swift, deadly motion, he swung it downward toward Xu Zhong Kang.
Desperation etched across Xu Zhong Kang’s face as he attempted to pivot and counter the attack once more. This time, however, his efforts fell short.
Murong Lin’s blade struck with alarming speed, sending Xu Zhong Kang hurtling through the air. The blade light detonated in rapid succession, inflicting countless wounds upon his battered body.
Xu Zhong Kang was left grievously injured by Murong Lin’s attack, blood gushing from his lips as he managed to gasp out, “Ah! Who exactly are you?”
Sun Bo Fu, who had been nearby, swiftly took flight upon recognizing the dire situation unfolding before him.
Murong Lin’s lips curled into a sardonic smile as he cast a glance at Sun Bo Fu, before returning his attention to the now heavily injured Xu Zhong Kang, who lay within a massive crater, “You should go and join your two brothers.”
With a decisive motion, Murong Lin seized Xu Zhong Kang, promptly transporting him into his system space. However, the system space had a peculiar limitation—it could not accommodate living beings.
That was why Murong Lin had taken the additional step of separating Xu Zhong Kang’s soul from his body in that instant, effectively ending his life.
Sun Bo Fu sensed the abrupt disappearance of Xu Zhong Kang’s aura, a combination of shock and anger contorting his features. With a resolute determination, he propelled himself toward Murong Lin, launching an attack.
“Tyrant’s Fury!”
A brilliant explosion of light radiated from the tip of his pike, illuminating the night sky as he bore down on Murong Lin. Empowered by his ninth-layer Sky Reaching realm cultivation and further augmented by his ultimate technique, he charged relentlessly. Even those standing near Murong Lin were sent hurtling into the air by the shockwaves generated by this ferocious assault.
Murong Lin’s expression turned slightly serious as he watched the oncoming Sun Bo Fu. Swiftly consuming a physical recovery spiritual pill he had kept in his mouth, he spun his body and swung his blade once more, ascending into the skies to meet Sun Bo Fu’s formidable attack head-on.
“Everlasting style!”
Murong Lin’s paring knife emitted a chilling light that surpassed even the coldest of winter snow. Simultaneously, it carried a sense of boundless hope.
The fierce strike from Sun Bo Fu, driven by anger, clashed with Murong Lin’s everlasting attack, resulting in an explosive collision of energies. The force of their clash instantly sent them both reeling backwards.
Murong Lin landed gracefully, maintaining his composure, while Sun Bo Fu coughed up mouthfuls of fresh blood. In a fit of rage, he questioned, “Seventh layer of the Sky Reaching realm? Are you the mastermind behind all of this?”
He had received reports of the locust plague’s resurgence upon their arrival in the Demonic Beast Forest. It was clear that someone had been spying on them, orchestrating attacks against Chu once they had ventured into the forest. This not only hindered their swift response to aid Chu but also tarnished their reputation.
Despite the military’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding Chu’s safety and prosperity, the general public was growing weary of war and the recent tribulations they had endured. Sun Bo Fu had a strong conviction that someone was pulling the strings from the shadows.
Now, in the midst of the demonic beasts, after being struck by an unknown assailant, he came to a sudden realization.