After the Immortal Disappeared

Some of these emotions came from the body’s original owner—or rather, from a resonance in their shared bloodline. He usually kept them suppressed, but they would still surge up when he least expected it.

Hong Chenglu suppressed the churning blood in his chest and the rampaging True Power within his body. He cut down a few men in his path and glanced toward Hee Chunhua.

The dog official’s figure was swallowed by the dense crowd, completely obscured from view.

’Then again, I don’t need to see him. I’m confident in the power of my strike. I must have cut at least halfway through that dog official’s neck.’

He was all too familiar with the sensation of a sharp blade slicing through a throat and severing bone.

Just then, the wind howled above him.

The massive golden armor copper man moved again, throwing a fast, vicious punch straight at his head.

Hong Chenglu barely avoided it with a combat roll. As he scrambled to his feet, his eyes met Hee Lingchuan’s. The corner of Hee Lingchuan’s mouth was bleeding, and his gaze was frigid.

’I already sliced the head off that golden armor copper man. Why can it still move?’

Just then, the golden armor copper man actually picked its head up off the ground, placed it back on its neck, and resumed its pursuit of Hong Chenglu.

What others didn’t know was that this thing had four control centers: a main one in its heart and three secondary ones in its head and knees. The golden armor copper man was humanoid, so opponents usually attacked its head and heart, just as they would a person. But that was completely useless. It was cast from an alloy; as long as all four control centers weren’t destroyed, it could still move, albeit with less flexibility.

At the same time, the Rock Wolf appeared from nowhere, circling around to attack Hong Chenglu’s lower body from behind.

It was incredibly agile. If a strike missed, it would invariably retreat and wait for another opportunity.

Hong Chenglu swung his saber twice, only managing to clip a few strands of the wolf’s fur.

The wolf and the Copper Man—one agile, the other sturdy—were surprisingly well-coordinated. Combined with the surrounding Yuan Soldiers closing in, Hong Chenglu found himself locked in a bitter struggle.

Fortunately, nearly a hundred Xunzhou cavalrymen charged in from behind him at that moment, greatly relieving the pressure.

Hong Chenglu took the opportunity to survey the battlefield. ’Mhm, it’s time.’

Keeping track of the entire battlefield was a Commander-in-Chief’s instinct. Even while locked in a fierce battle with Hee Lingchuan, he could still assess the overall situation.

He immediately picked up a Long Spear, leaped onto his horse, and galloped west without a backward glance. The Xunzhou cavalry fought desperately to clear a path for him.

Because he was not under Nian Zanli’s command, his squad’s Primordial Power had not been stripped away. Its members were all Elites with formidable combat strength, and they actually managed to carve a bloody path out of the encirclement.

At the same time, Hong Chenglu pulled out a horn and began to blow it. WOOO! WOOO! WOOO!

The sound was like the cry of a Night Owl magnified tenfold—shrill and piercing. Even soldiers who were blood-crazed with killing could hear it.

The Xunzhou Army was already fleeing west, but upon hearing the horn, they picked up the pace and ran for their lives.

Zhao Pan, who had been leading the pursuit, noticed that the enemy’s disciplinary squad wasn’t executing the routed soldiers at all. In fact, they were running even faster than the rest...

Westward!

’What is going on?’

After blowing the horn, Hong Chenglu let out a thunderous roar, "General Nian, release the water! Now!"

He infused his voice with True Power, and the sound wave rolled far across the entire battlefield.

’Water?’

Wu Shaoyi, who had just reached Hee Chunhua’s side, suddenly looked up at the riverbank behind the main camp, and his blood ran cold.

The terrain there was a good twenty feet higher than the main encampment where everyone was located.

From behind the rocks, a dozen figures had appeared at some point. They stood in silence, led by the one man who had not shown his face throughout the entire battle: the Xunzhou Governor, Nian Zanli!

He was dressed in the common leather armor of a Yuan soldier; by simply lowering his head, he could have blended into their ranks.

He had obviously taken advantage of the chaos to sneak here with his personal guards.

Hearing Hong Chenglu’s shout, he looked down at the riverbank, a clear look of hesitation on his face.

Seven or eight Xunzhou Army ships had yet to make it to shore, and numerous soldiers were still on the open ground of the riverbank, scrambling west.

Between the river and the bank, there were at least twenty-three or twenty-four hundred men.

These were his soldiers. He saw them daily and had even exchanged greetings with many of them.

Even for a man who had always been decisive and ruthless, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of reluctance.

Hong Chenglu could sense Nian Zanli’s hesitation and bellowed again, "Lord Nian, time waits for no one! It’s victory or utter defeat!"

The word "defeat" sent a jolt through Nian Zanli.

’He’s right. We’ve already charged onto the south bank. There’s no path of retreat.’

’If this do-or-die battle fails, I, Nian Zanli, will lose everything I have!’

He hesitated no longer and began silently reciting a Mantra.

Seeing that even Hong Chenglu was fleeing, Wu Shaoyi’s heart hammered in his chest, and he had already dispatched men to charge Nian Zanli. Meanwhile, when Hee Lingchuan saw Hong Chenglu blowing the horn as he fled, he immediately gave the order, "Pursue! Everyone, after Hong Chenglu!"

’Whatever dirty trick this bastard is about to pull, sticking close to him is the right move.’

Shan Youjun immediately led the Xiazhou forces in pursuit of Hong Chenglu.

Hong Chenglu galloped toward high ground as a rain of arrows fell behind him, felling several Rangers.

Fu Xin was riding just behind and to his side. Seeing an opportunity, a glint appeared in his eyes as he thought of taking revenge.

But as if he had eyes in the back of his head, Hong Chenglu suddenly pointed at him. "Fu Xin, take your men and cover our retreat."

Fu Xin was stunned, then furious. He couldn’t believe that bastard had managed to get his revenge first. But it was a military order and could not be disobeyed. He had no choice but to slow his horse and cover the retreat with his men.

A dozen men were no match for hundreds, of course. Fu Xin found an opening, and despite being wounded, escaped down another path.

...

Meanwhile, Hee Lingchuan looked down at Hee Chunhua. Many soldiers had gathered around, but none dared to touch him. Just as Hee Lingchuan was about to pry his father’s hands from his neck to check the wound, his brow suddenly furrowed—

He was stunned to see no blood between Hee Chunhua’s fingers.

He had witnessed the power of Hong Chenglu’s strike with his own eyes. His father’s neck should have been at least half-severed, which meant blood should have been gushing like a fountain.

And yet, there was none.

He didn’t see a single drop of blood.

Instead, a short distance away, a Personal Guard clutched his neck and fell to the ground with a THUD. Red foam bubbled from his mouth as blood sprayed from his neck.

But this was a battlefield where blades and arrows had no eyes, and men were wounded every second. Moreover, everyone’s attention was fixed on Hee Chunhua. Even if someone had noticed the unfortunate soldier dying, they would have assumed he’d been struck down by a Xunzhou Soldier and thought no more of it.

A point of white light suddenly emerged from the Hanhe River, soaring into the air as if on wings before landing in Nian Zanli’s hand.

It looked like a bottle.

Then, Nian Zanli turned the mouth of the bottle downward and made a motion as if pouring water.

Two arrows flew toward him in succession, but both were knocked away by the personal guards at his side.

Immediately after, a torrent of water poured from the bottle’s mouth!

Nian Zanli was already standing on higher ground than the Yuan Soldiers. Now, as he upended the Green Bottle, the river water it had been absorbing for the better part of an hour rushed out in a desperate, churning flood.

When this bottle absorbed water, it could slow the Hanhe River to a crawl. So when it poured water out, it could turn the highlands into a riverbed!

The surging river water crashed down from the highlands with the force of a thousand stampeding horses. Nian Zanli’s hands, holding the bottle aloft, trembled slightly, and he took two steps back, as if he could barely hold on to it.

Wu Shaoyi roared hoarsely, "Retreat! Retreat to the west!"

In truth, they didn’t need his reminder. What living person doesn’t cherish their life? Seeing a flood burst forth from dry land, the Yuan Army let out a collective cry and ran west with every ounce of strength they had, wishing their parents had given them two more legs.

As the earth-shaking flood poured from the bottle, the Rock Wolf tucked its tail between its legs and shot off, moving far faster than any human.

Even the Personal Guards around Hee Chunhua fled for their lives. Their lord was dead; of course they had to fight for their own survival now. As for the strange state of Hee Chunhua’s body, in that chaotic crush of people, how many could have gotten a clear look?

Hee Lingchuan formed a Mantra with his hands, and the golden armor copper man shrank back down to the size of a Puppet and leaped into his pocket. He then scooped up Hee Chunhua, jumped onto his Cyan Horse, and galloped away.

No one noticed Hee Chunhua’s eyelids twitch twice.

The only reason everyone still had the strength to flee was that the Battle Array in the main Yuan encampment had bought them precious time.

But this Array, which even cannon fire couldn’t disperse, was now faltering and on the verge of collapse under the onslaught of the surging flood. The pale green shield of light that represented the Array flickered like a candle in the wind.

When the first true crest of the flood arrived, the Battle Array could no longer hold and burst like a soap bubble.

With nothing left between the water and the fleeing humans, the flood swept forward with a sinister grin.

Hee Lingchuan watched as the sky-high, muddy waves mercilessly devoured the desperate people ahead of him. And then, it was his turn!

The crest of the wave was over thirty feet high, and it crashed down right on top of him.

At that moment, the Cyan Beast was still about fifty yards from the safety of the high rocks.

A distance it could normally cover in just a few strides now seemed impossibly far.

’What do I do? We’re not going to make it.’

Hee Chunhua had just regained consciousness when he shot up in terror. "Ah...?"

’How did I end up in a river the moment I opened my eyes?’

Hee Lingchuan, who had already suspected his father wasn’t dead, saw this and said, "Dad, brace yourself!"

’So, the old man really did have a life-saving trick up his sleeve.’

Hee Lingchuan stuffed something into his belt.

’Brace myself?’

Even though the onrushing flood had terrified Hee Chunhua so much his back went rigid, he was still subconsciously perplexed by those words.

The next second, Hee Lingchuan grabbed him by the shoulders and, like throwing a sandbag, hurled him toward a protruding high rock.

He was incredibly strong, and he put all his True Power into the throw. Hee Chunhua flew through the air as if riding the clouds. When he looked back, he saw the massive wave crash down, swallowing his eldest son, horse and all, without a trace.

"Chuan’Er!" A wave of immense grief washed over Hee Chunhua’s heart.

’That’s my son! The child I watched grow up, the boy I spent thousands of days and nights with!’

He was about twenty feet from landing when a sharp screech came from above. A Strange Bird dove from the sky, its hook-like talons seizing him in a firm grip.

Dong Rui!

That bastard had vanished after suffering a defeat at Hee Lingchuan’s hands. So, he’d been waiting for a chance to get his revenge.

His method for dealing with Hee Chunhua was simple: just throw him back into the flood.

So, the Strange Bird spun in mid-air, preparing to drop Hee Chunhua. But he wasn’t stupid. He grabbed one of the bird’s talons with one hand, and with the other, he took his sword sheath and began smacking the bird’s neck.

If he hit it in the right way, the Strange Bird might just fly back toward land.

How could Dong Rui let him have his way? He muttered a short Mantra, about to cast a Spell on him.

But at that very moment, a figure materialized out of thin air in front of Hee Chunhua, right beneath the Strange Bird’s talons.

The person started to fall the moment he appeared, but luckily, he was quick-witted. He grabbed Hee Chunhua’s legs, then reached up and grabbed the Strange Bird’s other talon.

His armor was dripping with water, his face was caked with mud, and there were twigs in his hair.

But that face was one Hee Chunhua couldn’t possibly be more familiar with:

"Chuan’Er!"

He was overjoyed.

The Strange Bird dipped suddenly. Dong Rui lurched forward, and the Technique he had been preparing dissipated.