"I see you truly live up to the reputation of a major general. You have quite a few underlings." Hundreds of soldiers surrounded Wu Yuan, with more approaching with each passing moment.
A military formation began to take shape. A great number of Adepts had bows and arrows ready, training their weapons on Wu Yuan, alongside a large battalion of ordinary soldiers armed with powerful crossbows. This was the most effective way for an army to deal with martial arts experts.
"You are strong. There aren't many experts like you in the entire Jiang Continent." Wang Xiaohe stared at Wu Yuan. "Tell me your name. Otherwise, when you die, your family won't even know where you perished."
"My name? Even I don't know." Wu Yuan's voice was cold as ice. "But, people often refer to me as 'Shadow Blade'!"
"Shadow Blade?" As Wang Xiaohe pondered, realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. “You're Shadow Blade from the Human Rankings? But how could your strength be..."
"Enough with the questions!" Wu Yuan's eyes turned frosty. "I'll send you on your way!"
By now, the soldiers in the encirclement numbered more than 500. It was just about enough.
Whoosh! Wu Yuan's figure darted forward.
"Shoot!" Someone ordered in a booming voice.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Immediately, a storm of arrows blanketed the sky like meteors. They shot straight at Wu Yuan with hair-raising speed.
"I don't believe you can dodge them all." Wang Xiaohe held his long saber as he stood confidently in front of the army, his gaze fixated on Wu Yuan. The strength of an army lay in their sheer number of arrows!
But immediately, Wang Xiaohe's face contorted in horror. "How is that possible?"
Wu Yuan's body had inexplicably twisted, then instantaneously returned to normal, as if he could predict the direction of each arrow. He evaded the majority of them.
Clang! Clang! With his spear, he deflected two arrows hurtling towards him with great precision. Somehow, Wu Yuan had effortlessly maneuvered through the rain of arrows in the blink of an eye, unscathed! All that did was slow him down slightly.
"A torrent of arrows from a vast army is hardly a cause for concern." Wu Yuan grinned. He darted dozens of zhangs forward like a ghostly apparition, once again closing in on Wang Xiaohe.
As he thrust his spear forth, the same force erupted, yet this time the spear completely melded into the air. With minimal resistance, its speed instantly increased by half. A soundless but lethal strike, aimed straight for his opponent's head!
"No!" A glimmer of fear flashed through Wang Xiaohe's eyes. The spear technique earlier was quick enough to make him sweat. But this was even more horrifying.
How can this be the strength of someone ranked 50 or 60 on the Jiang Continent Human Rankings? This guy is at least in the top 20! Or even top 10!
Is this the legendary 'Harmony of Man and Nature'? Even if it falls slightly short, it's practically at that level.
Wang Xiaohe's eyes turned red as panic began to seize him. He finally understood why Wu Yuan was so confident. Why would such a formidable expert worry about an army siege?
Wang Xiaohe knew that if he did not fight for his life today, his chances of survival were slim.
Boom! Wang Xiaohe's aura transformed. His speed soared as he flew back in retreat, launching a slash towards the spear.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Countless shards of rock scattered in every direction as the two weapons clashed.
A secret technique or secret art? Even if his strength has increased a notch, what can it do? Wu Yuan's battle spirit was raging.
Moments ago, he was merely relishing in the thrill of the hunt. It had been far too long since he had the opportunity to engage such a skilled opponent, so he was just playing around.
But, would he still give the opponent any further chances? Wu Yuan gave Wang Xiaohe no opportunity to widen the gap between them. The two clashed furiously, moving as if they were one.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Wu Yuan stabbed his spear forward in quick succession, as Wang Xiaohe slashed his saber relentlessly.
The observing soldiers, realizing that their crossbows were no longer effective, charged forward. These soldiers were the personal guards of Wang Xiaohe, bound by military law to face severe consequences if their major general died. Naturally, they fought with utmost desperation.
Each of these soldiers possessed strength equivalent to at least 10,000 catties, with several Adepts among them surpassing tens of thousands of catties in strength. When they unleashed their full power, their might could not be underestimated!
"Those who stand in my way will die!" Wu Yuan's eyes emitted a bone-chilling killing intent as he swung his silver spear. A barrage of spear silhouettes swept in all directions.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! A series of spear silhouettes flashed by, leaving over twenty soldiers dead, their throats punctured or necks sliced open.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Wang Xiaohe, as slippery as an eel, seized the opportunity to distance himself from Wu Yuan and desperately fled.
However, before he could catch his breath, Wu Yuan leaped from the ground onto the mass of soldiers, using their heads and shoulders as stepping stones. He streaked forth like a bolt of lightning.
Countless spears, sabers, and swords stabbed at him along the way. Yet, he managed to dodge each and every strike, striding through an entire division untouched! This bizarre agility sent chills down the spines of Wang Xiaohe and the soldiers.
Meanwhile, streaks of spear silhouettes scythed into the army, culling the soldiers like stalks of wheat. It didn't matter whether they were third-rate, second-rate, or even the rare first-rate Adept. Wu Yuan's spear was unstoppable.
In an instant, hundreds of soldiers lay dead, and Wu Yuan once again caught up with Wang Xiaohe. Both of them had now broken through the army's encirclement.
"Kill!" Wang Xiaohe gritted his teeth and turned around, slashing fiercely with his saber, as though resolved to fight to the bitter end. Escape meant certain death, whereas in struggling to his last breath, perhaps there was a glimmer of hope.
"Die!" Wu Yuan landed, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes. His spear moved like a tempest, filling the sky with afterimages. His attacks were completely silent, yet more than half as fast as before!
Secret Art: Thousand Mountains, maximum power! In an instant, dozens, hundreds of spear shadows completely enveloped Wang Xiaohe, moving faster than his eyes could follow.
His attacks can get even faster? What kind of ability is this? Wang Xiaohe couldn't believe it, his face flushing red as he put up a desperate last stand.
But any defense would inevitably fail. By the 46th spear thrust of the Thousand Mountains technique, Wang Xiaohe's resistance crumbled. The spear tip grazed his saber edge, effortlessly breaking his defense. With a squelch, it pierced his throat.
Wu Yuan exerted force, twisting the spear tip and causing the corpse to split open, blood splattering everywhere. There was no chance of survival.
Wang Xiaohe was dead!
A few droplets of blood stained Wu Yuan's boots, but why would he concern himself with such minute details?
Wu Yuan drove his spear into the ground. He deftly kicked the divine saber up, then grabbed it.
"The major general is dead!"
"Inspector General Yu is also dead."
"Kill, kill the assassin!" Thousands of soldiers from various military tents surged towards Wu Yuan like a tidal wave.
One man against an army? For a Land Ranker, a Grandmaster, taking on thousands of opponents single-handedly was by no means an exaggeration. Countless such instances were recorded throughout the history of the Middle Land.
With Wu Yuan's current strength, he was unafraid to face an army of 10,000 head-on. Thanks to the endless supply of blood-red mist, his body would never tire. But even if he could easily dispose of this army, what was the point?
In wars between nations, the battle is always decided by the clash between the top warriors. Wu Yuan's eyes were ice cold. Killing a few officers will suffice, there's no need to massacre these low-ranking soldiers.
The earlier killing spree had produced enough blood-red mist to saturate his upper dantian lobe. The black pagoda no longer produced any more.
Whoosh! Wu Yuan casually picked a direction and activated Ghostwalk. His spear twirled, leaving behind a trail of soldier corpses on the ground.
He broke through the army's encirclement, vanishing into the darkness.