Chapter 262 - 260: New Hatred and Old Grudges
Since the Nine Swords Alliance were the local power and knew the routes, their members led the various relief parties this time.
As they were gathering their forces, Zuo Tianyuan took a moment when Wei Chaoge wasn’t looking to call someone over.
The man was in his fifties, with a calm and steady demeanor. He carried two long swords on his back.
He was He Hongxiu, the Vice Alliance Leader of the Nine Swords Alliance, known as the "Yin Yang Dual Swords."
He Hongxiu was not a native of You Province. He hailed from the Central Plains and had met Zuo Tianyuan during the latter’s travels through the Central Plains Martial World. Impressed by Zuo Tianyuan’s character, he had willingly followed him back to the border of Youning to establish the Nine Swords Alliance.
Because his strength had reached the Half-Step Primordial Pill Realm and he had a reliable, steady nature, Zuo Tianyuan appointed him Vice Alliance Leader.
𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
"Old He, remember, once the fighting starts, do your best to let the Vigorous Martial Army’s men charge ahead.
Every life we can save from our Nine Swords Alliance is a win.
Our lives are worth far more than theirs!"
Zuo Tianyuan glanced toward Wei Chaoge and his men, his eyes deep and cold.
He Hongxiu clasped his fist and said in a low voice, "Rest assured, Alliance Leader. I will bring our brothers back safely!"
The greatest difference between Zuo Tianyuan and Chen Yuan was this: Chen Yuan would never allow his own people to suffer.
Though the Nine Swords Alliance and the Vigorous Martial Army were allies, the army looked down on the alliance, not seeing its members as equals. The alliance, for its part, harbored its own ulterior motives.
Chen Yuan had ordered the Twelve Blade Halls to flee if they couldn’t win; survival was the top priority.
Zuo Tianyuan, on the other hand, would only send the men of the Vigorous Martial Army to their deaths first.
He Hongxiu was now leading a dozen elites from the Nine Swords Alliance and another dozen from the Vigorous Martial Army to rendezvous with the horse caravan.
The situation was urgent, so they pushed their mounts to their absolute limit. After riding hard for nearly a day, they finally spotted the besieged caravan.
The Nine Swords Alliance’s caravan knew they were being targeted, so two nearby groups had already joined forces.
The one leading the siege was still Pei Zhan, the second-in-command of the Twelve Blade Halls, also known as "One Slash Severing the Soul."
He was the fastest among them. After delivering the previously stolen warhorses, he had already come back for a second batch.
This caravan had three Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artists. He had struck first, killing one, and was now locked in combat with the other two.
Neither of them was a match for Pei Zhan. They were already coughing up blood from his attacks and on the verge of collapse.
"Lord Lu, hurry and help them!"
He Hongxiu shouted upon seeing the scene.
The Vigorous Martial Army’s Deputy General, Lu Feiyu, was quite young. Though only in his early forties, he had already reached the Half-Step Primordial Pill Realm.
The Vigorous Martial Army lacked no Cultivation Techniques, and Yuwen Tai was generous. As long as Lu Feiyu was supplied with enough resources, he was eighty percent certain he could condense a Primordial Pill and step into the Grandmaster Realm.
Hearing He Hongxiu’s shout, Lu Feiyu didn’t overthink it. He brandished his long spear and charged directly at Pei Zhan.
Meanwhile, He Hongxiu gestured with his hand, leading his own men to rescue the members of the Nine Swords Alliance.
"Vile thief! Die!"
Lu Feiyu roared, and his long spear shot out like a black dragon, surging with boundless battle intent as it thrust toward Pei Zhan.
Sensing the attack from behind, Pei Zhan swung his horse-cutting saber in a brutal horizontal slash.
With a deafening CLANG, Pei Zhan felt an immense force crash into him. The warhorse beneath him let out a pained whinny as its legs shattered.
Pei Zhan’s expression changed instantly. ’Such incredible power!’
"Is that all the strength you have, you little thief? You’re only good for bullying these weak, low-level Martial Artists!"
Lu Feiyu sneered, his insult directed at both sides of the fight.
The two Condensing Truth Realm martial artists from the Nine Swords Alliance, who had just caught their breath, were about to offer their thanks but swallowed the words.
’He just called us weak, low-level Martial Artists. What’s there to thank him for?’
"A sneak attack proves nothing! Now you die!"
Pei Zhan roared in fury as his Qi Blood erupted. From his seemingly frail body, an incredibly potent Qi and Blood Power exploded outward.
Black Gang Qi coalesced on his horse-cutting saber, which came crashing down on Lu Feiyu with the weight of a mountain and boundless Giant Power.
But Lu Feiyu was unfazed. His long spear moved like a writhing black dragon, its shaft coated in black and red True Qi. Each thrust let out a sonic boom, like a black flood dragon bursting from the earth.
In an instant, the sky was filled with a torrent of spear afterimages, completely overwhelming Pei Zhan and pressing him down.
Pei Zhan was known as "One Slash Severing the Soul." His Saber Technique was simple and direct: he would pour all his momentum and power into a single, decisive first strike.
With this method, he either killed his opponent with the first blow or severely wounded them. If the fight dragged on, his defeat was almost certain.
Pei Zhan had already used this move to kill one of the Nine Swords Alliance’s Condensing Truth Martial Artists and cripple the other two.
Now, facing Lu Feiyu in his depleted state, he was completely suppressed.
By now, He Hongxiu had rescued the men from the Nine Swords Alliance. Seeing that the battle here was all but decided, he relaxed, drew the two long swords from his back, and unleashed a combined wave of Yin Yang Sword Qi at Pei Zhan.
Seeing this, a look of utter despair filled Pei Zhan’s eyes.
’Another master at the Half-Step Primordial Pill Realm!’
’I haven’t even touched the threshold of the Primordial Pill Realm, so my control over my power is far inferior to Lu Feiyu’s.’
’He Hongxiu, attacking from behind, is no weakling either. I have no chance of winning a one-on-two fight.’
At that moment, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret for not listening to Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan had ordered them to retreat the moment they spotted enemy reinforcements.
But he had gotten carried away by the fight and ended up entangled with his opponents.
If he had chosen to flee the instant the reinforcements attacked, he might have escaped. At the very least, he wouldn’t have led his brothers to their doom here.
Just then, a sound like a clap of thunder suddenly echoed through the air.
The shriek of an arrow whistled through the air. The invisible projectile, carrying enough power to pierce the Ninefold Hell, slammed into He Hongxiu’s swords, shattering his Sword Qi and sending him flying.
"Chen Jiutian!"
He Hongxiu’s face paled instantly.
This was the man who had killed Zuo Feiyu, a mortal enemy of the Nine Swords Alliance.
Not only had Zuo Tianyuan studied his file, but every high-ranking member of the Nine Swords Alliance had researched Chen Jiutian’s Cultivation and Martial Techniques.
Therefore, the moment that arrow struck, He Hongxiu instantly recognized his attacker.
Seeing this, Pei Zhan breathed a sigh of relief.
Back at the stronghold, he had been sent flying by a single slash from Chen Yuan, an incredibly humiliating experience.
’So much for "One Slash Severing the Soul." It was more like "One Slash of Humiliation."’
But now, with Chen Yuan intervening to save him at this critical moment, he felt an unparalleled sense of security.
"So you’re Chen Jiutian?"
Lu Feiyu leveled his long spear at Chen Yuan, his expression turning cold.
"You must have a death wish, you bastard. You dare to make an enemy of my Vigorous Martial Army and even cooperate with that gang of eunuchs from the Flying Dragon Institute.
You’ve come at the perfect time. I’ll take your head and present it to Lord Wei!"
Lu Feiyu wasn’t just being arrogant; he truly didn’t see Chen Yuan as a threat.
It wasn’t just Chen Yuan. To be precise, soldiers like him, forged in the crucible of battle arrays, tended to look down on all Jianghu people.
The Vigorous Martial Army had followed Grand General Yuwen on campaigns across the land, killing countless foes. All of their cultivation and combat prowess had been honed in the midst of life-and-death struggles.
’You Jianghu people practice the Martial Dao, but we practice the dao of killing!’
"Do you know a man named Hong Yuanqing?"
Chen Yuan suddenly asked.
The True Qi Lu Feiyu used reminded him of someone.
It was just like that of Hong Yuanqing, the Fortress Lord of the Hong Family Castle, whom he and Gu Lichuan had killed together. He had also used the dense True Qi cultivated from the Black Water Profound Skill.
Lu Feiyu froze for a moment. "You know Brother Hong?"
Hong Yuanqing had also served in the Vigorous Martial Army. Like Lu Feiyu, he had been a Deputy General, though with more seniority.
The two had been close in the army, with Hong Yuanqing often looking out for his junior, Lu Feiyu.
Over a decade ago, however, Hong Yuanqing had chosen to leave the Vigorous Martial Army to take over his family’s estate, while Lu Feiyu had remained, fighting his way up the ranks.
They hadn’t seen each other in years. Hearing Chen Yuan’s question, Lu Feiyu assumed he was on good terms with Hong Yuanqing, which put him in a difficult position.
’When I first joined the army, Brother Hong took such good care of me. He even saved my life on the battlefield several times.’
’If Chen Jiutian is really a friend of Brother Hong’s, killing him would put Brother Hong in a very awkward position, wouldn’t it?’
Just then, a strange smile spread across Chen Yuan’s face. "Of course I know him. I’m the one who personally cut off his head and annihilated his Hong Family Castle."
Lu Feiyu stood frozen for a second before his face flushed crimson with surging rage.
"I’ll kill you!"
As the words left his lips, Lu Feiyu spurred his horse forward. Black Water True Qi condensed on his long spear, which shot toward Chen Yuan like a dragon, carrying boundless killing intent and the will to fight.
After leaving the Vigorous Martial Army, Hong Yuanqing had been focused on developing the Hong Family Castle. He lived a life of comfort, and his strength barely progressed; his combat prowess may have even regressed. This was why he was eventually killed by the combined efforts of Chen Yuan and Gu Lichuan.
Lu Feiyu, on the other hand, had spent all these years tempering himself in the Vigorous Martial Army. His combat prowess was formidable, and he had now reached the Half-Step Primordial Pill Realm. His control over his power was terrifying, making him countless times stronger than the Hong Yuanqing who had once mentored him.
But how could he compare to the current Chen Yuan, who was a hundred times stronger than when he had killed Hong Yuanqing?
The Li Yan Blood Fiend in him suddenly boiled, fusing with his Celestial Fire Power. Chen Yuan brought his saber down in a single slash. A torrent of blood-red flames surged, and a red lotus bloomed!
With a thunderous BOOM, the Li Yan Blood Fiend devoured the Black Water True Qi. Lu Feiyu felt a wave of boundless Giant Power wash over him, and the warhorse beneath him was instantly crushed into a pulp!
The Half-Step Primordial Pill Realm was, after all, not the true Primordial Pill Realm.
Lu Feiyu had taken that half step, merely touching the threshold of the Primordial Pill. He could access a fraction of the Primordial Pill Realm’s power, and his control was stronger than that of an ordinary Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artist, naturally allowing him to wield greater force.
But this did not represent a qualitative leap like truly stepping into the Primordial Pill Realm.
As the saber fell, not only was Lu Feiyu’s warhorse crushed to a pulp, but even the long spear in his hand began to bend.
Seeing that things were going badly, He Hongxiu, who was behind them, acted. The two streams of True Qi on his Yin Yang Dual Swords fused and swirled, transforming into the dual principles of Yin and Yang as he lunged at Chen Yuan, shrouded in Yin Yang Power.