Chapter Thirty-Four: Chaos in Battle

In the previous chapter, it was told how Li Yiqing faced off against Xiao Ling. Xiao Ling, unable to gain the upper hand, was preparing to unleash his ultimate technique.

In truth, Li Yiqing was also struggling in the fight, secretly admiring Xiao Ling's skill.

He thought to himself: Xiao Ling, no wonder Ye Feng spoke so highly of you—your abilities are indeed out of the ordinary!

He inwardly regretted his carelessness. If only he had used his object-controlling skill at the very start, summoned the Golden Dragon Claw, and attacked from above with it while launching a sneak assault from below, perhaps he would have stood a chance.

But now, it seemed there was no opportunity left to bring out the Golden Dragon Claw!

Even as these thoughts flashed through his mind, his movements did not slow. Each time Xiao Ling thrust his spear, Li Yiqing used his mind power to make his body flicker unpredictably from side to side, never still.

Thus, no matter how swift Xiao Ling's spearwork, he could never land a blow!

Li Yiqing had his own strategy. He intended to wear down his opponent’s demon power through evasion, and once Xiao Ling was exhausted, he would unleash the Golden Dragon Claw from above and below, catching him in a pincer and securing victory.

But while his plan was sound, fate rarely adheres to one's wishes.

Just as he was darting up and down to evade Xiao Ling's spear, suddenly—

Whoosh!

A chill wind swept at the back of his head!

Startled, Li Yiqing shuddered.

What in the world?! So fast?! Could it be a hidden weapon? Dodge!

But it was too late! His hands still gripped the Golden Dragon Claw, but he had no time to worry about it.

"Damn—"

With a hurried motion, he flung it aside.

Crack!

The Golden Dragon Claw struck a dark blur—tightly coiled around it was the spotted tail of a segmented beast!

Before Li Yiqing could fully comprehend, the beast’s tail gave a flick, hurling the Golden Dragon Claw away.

Whoosh!

Again, that deadly whip lashed toward him with a gust of cold air!

Li Yiqing saw that this whip moved with ghostly speed and deadly precision. Cold sweat broke out all over him!

He cried, "Mother—!" and, clutching his head, leapt aside, narrowly dodging once more.

Though he dodged, his anger flared, and he cursed, "You—Xiao—you despicable fiend! Can't beat me fair and square, so you resort to tricks—what kind of hero are you?!"

His nerves, rage, and the need to focus on dodging made his words even more stammered than usual!

Xiao Ling secretly admired Li Yiqing's prowess. He thought, Good lad, you’re the second person I've ever seen who could dodge my Diamond Whip Tail—looks like I can’t let you live, lest you become a troublesome foe in the future!

With this in mind, Xiao Ling attacked even faster. The black whip lashed out again and again with ferocious force, striking the ground and sending up clouds of dust that obscured everyone’s vision.

Murong Yan saw this and knew things looked dire for Li Yiqing. If she didn’t step in, disaster would surely follow!

She shouted, "Xiao! Using hidden weapons is no hero’s deed! I, the Commander, am here!"

She brandished her emerald sword, sending it flying toward Xiao Ling from afar.

At the same time, she snatched two spears from nearby soldiers and charged forward to join the fray.

On the other side, Meng Keshou saw Murong Yan charging and bellowed, "You little chit! Don’t be reckless—come, let’s battle three hundred rounds!"

He spurred his horse forward to intercept Murong Yan, and they clashed.

Seeing their commanders locked in battle, the soldiers on both sides roared, "Attack!" and surged forward, plunging into brutal close combat!

The slaughter was fierce.

Blades flashed, blood sprayed, and dust roiled over the field.

Cries, the clash of weapons, screams of pain and terror—all blended into a single, deafening cacophony.

The demon soldiers fought savagely, baring fangs and claws, brandishing their weapons with a ferocity that sent chills down one's spine.

The rebel soldiers, no less courageous, pressed forward with swords and blades, vowing to fight to the death.

Some clung to each other in desperate grappling, tearing at their foes; others dragged one another down to mutual destruction; some, blinded by bloodlust, could no longer distinguish friend from foe...

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As soon as Murong Yan engaged Meng Keshou, she found herself overwhelmed, barely able to keep up.

He wielded more than a dozen weapons at once, swirling about him like a hurricane—his speed was bewildering!

Murong Yan, wielding two spears and her emerald sword, could not match the sheer variety of his arsenal.

No sooner had she blocked a mountain-splitting axe from the west than a King’s Spear lunged in from the east!

She parried a massive iron hammer from above only to meet a tiger-headed hook from below!

She was forced to dodge left and right, retreating step by step.

Seeing their commander in danger, Sun Lizong and Wu Xian Tu cried, "Don’t harm our commander!"

One charged forward, spear at the ready; the other advanced with twin halberds.

The three of them, wielding six weapons in all, managed to fend off Meng Keshou’s dozen blades.

Meng Keshou, undaunted despite being one against three, sneered, "You court death!"

He whirled his weapons, trapping Murong Yan, Sun Lizong, and Wu Xian Tu in a deadly ring.

Soon, the three were drenched in sweat, their movements growing sluggish with exhaustion.

Meng Keshou scoffed, "You’re too slow!" and pressed his attack, urging, "Faster! Faster! Come on, faster!"

The onslaught left the trio floundering, barely able to defend themselves.

At that critical moment, a demon soldier rushed in with urgent news: "Report... report... bad... bad news!"

Meng Keshou, still fighting, demanded, "What is it that panics you so?!"

The demon soldier, gasping for breath, replied, "S-some... ambush... has cut off our retreat and set our supplies ablaze!"

"Damn!"

Meng Keshou was shocked, his movements faltering.

He thought, In battle, supplies are crucial. If our stores burn, the entire army will panic—how can we keep fighting?

In that instant of distraction, Sun Lizong seized the chance and drove his spear into Meng Keshou’s shoulder.

Meng Keshou screamed in agony, the pain nearly unbearable.

Enraged, he saw Wu Xian Tu rushing in with his twin halberds, and hastily raised his hammers to block.

With another hand, he drew a blade and slashed at Wu Xian Tu!

The blow was brutally powerful and fast as lightning.

Wu Xian Tu had no chance to evade.

With a sickening crack, Wu Xian Tu was cleaved in two, his corpse tumbling from his horse.

Sun Lizong, his heart breaking at the sight, cursed, "You demon! I’ll die before I yield!" and lunged with his spear.

"Good! Come on!" Meng Keshou roared, parrying the spear with his hooks, then yanking it close, locking the spearhead tight.

Sun Lizong tried to pull his spear back, but it wouldn’t budge.

"Die!" Meng Keshou roared, sprouting two extra arms from beneath his armpits, both wielding spears that jabbed at Sun Lizong with invisible speed.

Sun Lizong could not escape.

With two sickening thuds, he was run clean through.

Meng Keshou flicked his wrists, tossing Sun Lizong from his horse.

"Ah!" Murong Yan’s eyes shone red with rage as she cried, "You demon! You’ve killed my two trusted generals—this is a blood feud!"

Like one possessed, she charged at Meng Keshou, desperate for vengeance.

Suddenly, her sleeve was seized and pulled tight by someone.

She turned and saw Ye Feng.

"Brother Feng!" Murong Yan, overwhelmed by grief, forgot her rank and cried out, tears streaming down her face.

"Commander Murong, retreat!" Ye Feng, mindful of his own duty and unwilling to show weakness in public, urged her.

"But... but General Wu and General Sun are dead! Dead!" Murong Yan’s voice choked with grief and rage.

"If you don’t retreat now, more will die! Look!" Ye Feng pointed solemnly at the battlefield.

Murong Yan followed his finger, beholding a scene of utter devastation.

The wind howled, flags lay trampled, corpses littered the earth, rivers of blood flowed.

Both sides were exhausted—battle cries had turned hoarse, the clash of weapons was no longer sharp.

Most of the rebel army had fallen; the survivors, scattered in small groups, fought on bravely amidst the enemy ranks.

Even the demon soldiers, chilled by the slaughter, merely surrounded the rebels, wary of closing in.

Nearby, Li Yiqing and Xiao Ling were still locked in fierce combat, while on the ground lay Xue Yingyong, who had been unhorsed by Xiao Ling’s spear.

Defeat was now inevitable.

"Brother Feng, go! I, Murong Yan, have failed my comrades in arms. Let me cover their retreat—only by remaining with those who died can I find peace!"

Murong Yan, heartbroken and resolute, spoke with finality.

Ye Feng, moved by her words, shed two silent tears: "Yan, if you die, how can I, Ye Feng, go on alone?"

But quickly he wiped away his tears and said, "Commander, lead the men in retreat—there’s still time!"

To reassure her, he added, "Don’t worry, I’ll hold off the demon soldiers!"

Murong Yan, however, steeled herself.

With a clang, she dropped her spears.

She summoned her emerald sword and held it to her own throat. "Brother Feng, go! If you don’t, I, Murong Yan, will die here and now!"

She added, "Brother Feng, from now on, look after the men for me. Take care of them!"

Ye Feng panicked, scolding, "Yan, don’t be foolish!"

He tried to approach, but Murong Yan pressed the blade tighter. A trickle of blood ran down her pale neck.

"Stay back! Don’t come any closer!" she cried.

Ye Feng, startled, halted at once, waving his hands frantically. "No, no..."

Meng Keshou, watching from the side, leapt for joy and burst into laughter. "Ye Feng, Commander Murong, stop bickering—both of you stay!"

He even tried to persuade them to surrender. "If you lay down your arms and surrender, the Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom will let bygones be bygones. You have nothing to fear!"

As Ye Feng and Murong Yan argued, a voice suddenly rang out: "Yan! Have you lost your mind?! Why did you deploy the troops without waiting for me?!"

Ye Feng turned at the sound and was overjoyed at what he saw.

Who was this newcomer? Would Murong Yan and her companions escape the battlefield safely? The next chapter will reveal all.

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