Chapter 128 - 109: Stunning
CLANG! CLANG! DING!
As Lu Yuan and his men advanced, the Xirong let loose a volley of feathered arrows.
They rang out sharply as they struck the shields.
At that same moment, Lu Yuan drew his bowstring.
He pulled the Python Sinew Bow into a full moon, and a Wolf Hair Arrow instantly tore through the air.
PFFT!
An archer was pierced straight through the neck and collapsed. Without a moment’s hesitation, Lu Yuan drew his great bow again and again.
His movements were so fast his arms became a blur.
Feathered arrows flew out one after another at an unbelievable speed.
He shot down dozens of the Xirong Warriors gathered at the front in a short time, single-handedly suppressing the enemy archers.
By now, his Personal Guard had advanced to the barricades.
Lu Yuan tossed aside his bow, hefted his Crescent Saber, and leaped high over the obstacles, charging directly into the crowd.
Now that his cultivation had reached the True Essence Realm, his combat prowess was terrifying.
With a single sweep of his blade’s light, the Xirong Warriors in his way were cleaved to pieces.
Seeing this, the leading enemy commander raised a giant axe and charged at Lu Yuan.
His steps were heavy, his muscles taut. As soon as he was close, he brought the axe down with the force of a mountain splitting apart.
Lu Yuan felt a vicious gust of wind.
He didn’t retreat in the slightest. Instead, he closed the distance with extreme speed, shifting his body just enough to evade the battle-axe as his Crescent Saber plunged into the Xirong commander’s abdomen, running him through.
The blade emerged from his back. With a slight twist, his opponent was reduced to bloody chunks.
He completely ignored the attacks from all sides, simply raising his saber and pressing forward.
He left a storm of blood and gore in his wake. The faces of the Xirong Warriors were etched with fear as they scrambled to retreat. In the ensuing crush, some were knocked off the cliff’s edge, their screams echoing as they fell.
Behind him, Zhou Xiong and the others followed close.
But they found they couldn’t even get a hit in.
With Lu Yuan and his saber at the vanguard, the Xirong People were thrown into complete chaos.
His body was powerful yet agile. Every swing of his saber claimed a life.
Severed limbs and mangled arms littered the path where his blade had passed.
His immense strength was an inspiration to all the Warriors who followed him.
They pushed forward, right on Lu Yuan’s heels.
Meanwhile, the system’s voice echoed continuously in his mind, and his blade danced faster and faster.
After an unknown amount of time, most of the Xirong Warriors had turned and fled.
They realized they were no match for this man who fought like a Demon God.
With the ambush on this stretch of road broken, Lu Yuan declared nonchalantly, "Keep advancing. Let’s finish them off in one fell swoop."
The army followed closely behind him.
Down below, the Scouts who had been observing the battle revealed looks of surprise. One of them said, "This Lu Yuan really has some skill. He actually took White Cloud Bay. The last few squads were all stopped on this road."
The Centurion at the lead said coolly, "Unexpected, but not illogical. Did you think just anyone could have survived that great battle half a month ago completely unscathed?
And not just anyone would be valued by Marshal Xiao."
After speaking, he remained where he was, continuing to gaze at the mountaintop.
By now, Lu Yuan and his men had fought their way up the mountain.
The Xirong general came out to meet them with his men. The two sides faced off, their numbers roughly equal.
In the camp, Lu Yuan saw a large number of common people.
They were bound together, their eyes vacant. Only when they saw Lu Yuan and his soldiers did a spark of life return to their gazes.
The Xirong general was a young man. Lu Yuan sized him up with a quick glance. The man was powerfully built, with bulging temples, and he carried a thick-backed broadsword. He was at the Gang Qi Realm and his face was full of arrogance.
He scanned Lu Yuan from head to toe, then said in a low voice, "You dare come here as a mere True Essence Realm cultivator? I’ve lost count of how many of your Dayong Garrison Generals have died by my hand."
As he spoke, he brandished his war saber, its blood groove still stained with flecks of dried gore.
Lu Yuan looked at him and said coolly, "You’re built like a brick shithouse, but you sure do run your mouth."
At his words, the Xirong general’s face instantly twisted with rage. "You’re courting death!" he spat at Lu Yuan.
As he spoke, he charged forward.
Lu Yuan simply waved a hand. "Kill them!"
Then, he was the first to charge out.
The Crescent Saber in his palm traced a streak of cyan light, like a fleeting meteor.
It collided with the Xirong general’s blade.
Their speed was incredible. They leaped and spun across the battlefield, exchanging more than a dozen blows in an instant.
Lu Yuan grew stronger with every clash, while beads of sweat appeared on the Xirong general’s forehead. It wasn’t that the general was weak, but that Lu Yuan was simply too strong.
His opponent’s saber was heavy. Each time he blocked a strike, his own palm felt as if it would explode.
Sparks flew as their blades crossed.
Just then, Lu Yuan spotted an opening in his opponent’s defense. A glint flashed in his eyes. He spun his Crescent Saber so fast that not even water could pass through, creating a dense web of blade light that enveloped his body.
His feet moved with incredible speed as he maneuvered and chopped toward the Xirong general.
He was beside his opponent in an instant. From a distance, it looked as if a tornado of blades had formed around Lu Yuan’s body.
A cyan-gold luster bloomed.
It tore white gashes in the air.
For a moment, the Xirong general had no idea how to defend himself.
In his eyes, it was as if ten thousand blades were descending upon him, and he didn’t know which one to block.
He retreated.
BOOM!
The spot where he had just been standing was blasted into a massive crater by a single, charged strike from Lu Yuan.
Immediately, Lu Yuan was on him again.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
After parrying a few blows in a panic, the Xirong general’s long saber was sent flying from his grasp.
Then, with a flash of cyan light, his head flew high into the air.
But Lu Yuan didn’t stop. There were still many experts among the Xirong ranks. Two were at the True Essence Realm. Although Zhou Xiong and his men were keeping them busy, it was tying up a significant portion of his forces’ energy.
Lu Yuan stomped his right foot on the ground and swung his Crescent Saber toward one of the True Essence Realm experts.
The chilling blade made the man’s face flash with surprise as he turned his head.
The great saber was already descending on his skull.
He was cleaved in two.
The other True Essence expert’s eyes filled with horror. He was about to retreat when Lu Yuan closed the distance, lashing out with a kick that landed on his chest. His armor instantly caved in, followed by the sound of splintering bone.
The man was sent flying and was dead before he hit the ground.
The successive deaths of several commanders caused the Xirong Warriors’ morale to plummet.
At that point, a portion of them broke ranks and scrambled down the mountain, no longer daring to fight.
Of course, Lu Yuan and his men weren’t about to pass up the chance to kick a dog while it’s down. They chased after them, cutting them down as they fled.
An unknown amount of time passed.
The battlefield fell silent, the ground littered with corpses.
There were Xirong bodies, and bodies of Lu Yuan’s men.
But overall, the latter had more survivors.
To be honest, if Lu Yuan hadn’t taken out the enemy commander first, there was no way the Dayong side could have won.
The Xirong troops were more elite than the Border Army, and they also outnumbered Lu Yuan’s forces.
After the casualties were tallied.
Zhou Xiong ran over, panting. "Sir, in this battle, we killed over 1,200 enemies, and the rest have fled. We have over 1,300 dead and 205 wounded."
Lu Yuan nodded. "Let the wounded brothers rest here. Everyone else, search the entire camp. Let’s see how much these Xirong People plundered from our Dayong."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Xiong acknowledged the order and withdrew.
Meanwhile, the Centurion leading the Scout unit that had been observing the battle quickly wrote a letter, tucked it into the message tube on the leg of a black hawk perched on his shoulder, and sent it flying.
He then mused aloud, "Marshal Xiao will probably be shocked when he finds out. Lu Yuan’s strength seems to only be at the True Essence Realm, yet he managed to cut down a Gang Qi Realm expert in such a short time. I thought even if they won, it would be a stalemate lasting several days. I never expected them to take the stronghold in a single charge. The attackers had fewer numbers than the defenders. To end the battle so quickly... truly remarkable."
This old Scout wasn’t exceptionally powerful himself, but after so many years in the army, he had at least developed a keen eye.
He knew exactly how significant Lu Yuan’s victory was.
He was just like those astounding figures from his own generation back in the day.