Chapter 45: They Don’t Look Very Strong

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“You won’t be able to escape. Hand over the name list, and I’ll grant you a quick death!”

Less than 50 kilometers from the capital of Great Xia, there was a canyon in the mountains, and a group of black-robed men was surrounding a group of soldiers.

Dozens of corpses littered the ground. Some were dressed in military uniforms, while others were dressed in black.

Clearly, both sides had suffered casualties.

But most of them were wearing military uniforms.

“It’s you who won’t be able to escape!”

The one who spoke was a general covered in blood. If Zhou Shu was here, he would definitely be able to recognize that this person was Cheng Yong, the lieutenant of the Huben Troops who had gone to the Forging Division to find the traitor.

The current Cheng Yong was miserable. His originally shiny armor was now covered in bloodstains, and it was unknown whether the blood belonged to him or the enemy.

There was a cut on his cheek by a sharp blade. The blood had stopped flowing, and his somewhat pale skin was exposed, looking abnormally terrifying.

“This is Great Xia! Since you dare to come here, don’t even think about leaving here alive!” Cheng Yong roared with all his might.

“Haha, do you believe that I can kill all of you before your reinforcements arrive?” The leader of the men in black sneered.

“So what?” Cheng Yong wasn’t afraid at all. The edge of his Huben Saber was already jagged, and his strength was almost depleted. If he continued fighting, he probably wouldn’t be able to last much longer.

But there was no fear in his eyes as he glared at the man in black. “Even if only one soldier lives in the Huben Troops, we will not disgrace Great Xia! Great Xia will avenge us!”

“Haha.” The leader laughed.

“Let me tell you. Everyone in Great Xia’s capital has been restrained. No one will save you.

“If an army is mobilized, by the time it arrives, we would have already left Great Xia!

“So, you can die now!”

The leader raised his hand. Before his sword fell, Cheng Yong had already raised his Huben Saber.

“Huben Troops, charge!” Cheng Yong roared.

The remaining twenty or so Huben Troops behind him shouted in unison, “Charge!”

The Huben Troops charged toward these men in black.

The leader sneered and swung his arm down.

The number of men in black was almost twice that of the Huben Troops. Without a sound, they charged toward the soldiers.

Both sides collided, and in an instant, flesh and blood flew everywhere. Broken sabers and swords fell with a clang.

In just a moment, countless people from both sides collapsed.

Another deep wound appeared on Cheng Yong’s body, and the man in black opposite him was beheaded by him.

The leader narrowed his eyes and slashed one of the Huben Troops several feet away. In a flash, he was already in front of Cheng Yong. With one move, he aimed and slashed toward Cheng Yong’s head.

Clang!

Cheng Yong staggered backward, and the Huben Saber in his hand could no longer bear the burden and broke.

There was a flash of sadness in Cheng Yong’s eyes, but it immediately turned into determination.

He held the broken saber and glared at the leader in black. He took a step forward and started fighting with him.

A similar scene occurred in every corner of the battlefield.

No one would have thought that there would be such a group of people attacking Great Xia’s army at such a close distance to the capital.

The Huben Troops hadn’t expected this either.

It was completely out of everyone’s expectations. Thus, Cheng Yong and the others had been caught off guard and suffered heavy losses.

If not for the extreme sharpness of the Huben Troops, they would have already died in the hands of the other party.

However, although the Huben Sabers were sharp, their greatest weakness was their toughness.

Logically speaking, the Huben Troops were Imperial Guards, and their daily mission was to guard the imperial palace. Even if the Huben Sabers were not sturdy enough, it shouldn’t have mattered.

After all, their battles usually didn’t last long.

But now, this weakness was magnified infinitely.

Without reinforcements, Cheng Yong’s group was caught in a bitter battle. The Huben Sabers were damaged, followed by the deaths of the Huben Troops.

When Zhou Shu arrived at the scene, he happened to see this tragic scene.

[You receive a reward of two years of cultivation because the Huben Saber you forged effectively completed a kill!]

Along the way, Zhou Shu saw countless messages.

He didn’t even bother to sense the changes in his cultivation.

It would take him 512 years of cultivation to reach the ninth level of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique.

Still, a few decades of cultivation was better than nothing.

Zhou Shu lay on a mountaintop and looked down into the valley. He saw the person surrounded in the center, who seemed to have gone mad. He felt that this person was somewhat familiar. After carefully identifying him, he finally recognized him. Cheng Yong?

Who are these men in black? How dare they attack Great Xia’s Huben Troops here!

Zhou Shu felt a chill in his heart and lowered his head even more.

Driven by curiosity, he had left the capital and come all the way here.

Speaking of which, he was also lucky. Great Xia’s capital was surrounded by mountains, and there was more than one path. He just wanted to try his luck. Just when he was about to give up, he found Cheng Yong!

It looks like Cheng Yong and his group won’t be able to last much longer.

Zhou Shu saw that only Cheng Yong and ten or so people were bitterly holding on, but they were obviously at their limits.

Cheng Yong seemed to be in a daze. He waved the broken saber in his hand and kept shouting, “Kill”!

The leader in black teased Cheng Yong and the other Huben Troops like a cat chasing a mouse.

Why aren’t the reinforcements here yet?! Zhou Shu turned around and looked in the direction of the capital.

This place was less than 50 kilometers away from Great Xia. Even he had arrived, so shouldn’t the experts of Great Xia already arrive long ago?

There was no movement in the direction of the capital.

He looked at Cheng Yong and the others. It will be a miracle if they can last for ten minutes in their current state.

Zhou Shu furrowed his eyebrows tightly as his heart sank. Should I save them or not?

Zhou Shu stared at the men in black as a thought flashed through his mind. These men in black don’t look very strong.

These men in black were able to defeat Cheng Yong and his group because of their numbers. In fact, they weren’t much stronger than Cheng Yong’s group.

Although Zhou Shu didn’t have much combat experience, his Heavenly Saber Art was a combat saber technique to begin with, so he still had the necessary insight.

Save! Zhou Shu didn’t think for too long before making his decision.

Although he and Cheng Yong were not very close, they were still acquaintances.

Moreover, they could be considered colleagues. If he really watched him get killed, he would feel uneasy in the future.

Moreover, he reckoned that these men in black wouldn’t be able to hurt him. This was Great Xia. All he had to do was wait for Cheng Yong’s group to escape to the capital. He expected that these men in black wouldn’t dare to chase after them.

It shouldn’t be too dangerous.

If Zhou Shu’s life was in danger, then he definitely wouldn’t take the risk. Although saving people was good, it wasn’t worth risking his own life.

After making his decision, Zhou Shu leaped over the mountain and slipped down into the canyon.

Below, the men in black were in the midst of finishing up the fight, and they didn’t notice that someone had appeared behind them silently.

“Hmph, since you are so stubborn, then die. I will be able to get the list from your corpses!” With a flash, the leader appeared in front of Cheng Yong and slashed at Cheng Yong’s chest.

Cheng Yong dodged with all his might. With a ripping sound, the clothes on his chest were cut by the blade.

His stomach was almost split open.

“The list!” Although he narrowly escaped, his expression changed drastically. A scroll stained with blood fell from his tattered clothes.

He reached for the scroll. The leader in black laughed and slashed at his arm.

Before Cheng Yong could grab the scroll, this slash would cut off his arm.

The leader in black seemed to have already visualized the scene of his arm flying across the air, and a sinister smile appeared on his face.

Ding!

Suddenly, there was a flash of light. A broken blade flew out of nowhere and hit the leader’s long blade.

The leader felt a huge impact, and his arm went numb. The long sword in his hand was already gone. He retreated, his face filled with shock.

Like a breeze, a figure appeared in front of Cheng Yong.

The figure held the bloody scroll in one hand and a broken Huben Saber in the other.

The leader’s pupils contracted as he stared at this person. “Who are you? Are you from Great Xia?”

The leader was bewildered. Didn’t they say that the experts of Great Xia would be delayed for two hours?

“Run. Leave them to me,” a hoarse voice said.

Cheng Yong was stunned for a moment before he realized that these words were directed at them.

“Your Excellency, you are—”

He looked at the figure blocking in front of him and felt that he was somewhat familiar. But the other party had a cloth wrapped around his head, only revealing his two eyes and face.

Zhou Shu didn’t answer and instead shouted, “Run!

“Leave the Huben Sabers behind and run to the capital!”

Cheng Yong’s expression turned solemn. He wanted to say something else, but Zhou Shu shouted again impatiently, “Get lost!”

Cheng Yong gulped. “Thank you!”

With a hoarse voice, he cupped his hands and threw the broken saber onto the ground.

“Run!” The remaining Huben soldiers put down their Huben Sabers and supported each other as they fled toward the capital at their highest speed.

Although they didn’t understand why Zhou Shu asked them to leave their Huben Sabers behind, they knew that in their current state, even if they stayed behind, they would only be a burden.

Instead, it would be better to escape and bring back reinforcements!

When the men in black saw that the Huben Troops were about to escape, their expressions changed, and they all took a step forward.

Zhou Shu kicked forward, and a Huben Saber flew up from the ground and landed in his hand.

He could sense that this was a Huben Saber he had forged the moment it landed in his hand.

His lips curled up slightly as he looked at the group of men in black.. “Your opponent is me now!”