C266 Traitorous Army
A group of six, clad in dark heavy armor, brandished their weapons—a mix of halberds, spears, and sabers. Their masks, seamlessly integrated with their armor, revealed only their chilling, ruthless eyes.
Even from tens of meters away, Yu Yuan could almost taste the thick, metallic scent of blood emanating from them. Upon closer inspection, one could discern the mottled bloodstains adorning their black armor.
Each weapon, whether halberd, spear, or saber, measured nearly two meters in length. Yu Yuan understood that such weapons were ill-suited for cultivators. They were more commonly wielded by soldiers and generals accustomed to the battlefield, who relied on the charge of their warhorses to maximize the weapons' lethal potential.
Without mounts, the six warriors found their heavy armor burdensome, impeding their agility and speed. Bai Shenshen, caught in the midst of the conflict, possessed the cultivation of Subtlety, yet her combat experience was woefully lacking. Her spells, though they conjured streams of fiery light, merely sparked against the heavy armor without breaching its defenses.
The spiritual light radiating from the weapons of the six was enough to bind her movements. One of them, armed with a crossbow, struck her with a surprise bolt, posing the greatest threat. She had been hit, and the arrow was laced with a potent poison that threatened to rob her of her combat abilities in an instant.
These six had previously come close to assassinating Zhan Tianxiang and now targeted her without regard for her affiliation with the Sacred Hands. Their actions were undeniably ruthless.
"Yu Yuan! What are you doing? Run!" Bai Shenshen cried out once more.
Ning Ji, on high alert, observed the six and declared, "Yu Yuan, they're not from the Silvermoon Empire. They're the Blackfang Legion from the Sunblessed Empire!"
At his words, the halberd-wielding member of the six showed a flicker of surprise beneath his mask, as if puzzled that someone here could identify them.
"Blackfang Legion?" Yu Yuan was unfamiliar with the name.
"The most formidable legion of the Sunblessed Empire! Entry into this legion requires the level of Golden Sanctum! On the Aetherius Continent, the Blackfang Legion ranks third among all imperial legions!" Ning Ji spoke gravely, "I recently heard a rumor that the leader of the Blackfang Legion has defected from the Sunblessed Empire."
The Sunblessed Empire has deployed numerous cultivators to hunt down their leader."
"Why has the Blackfang Legion surfaced here?"
Ning Ji, already contemplating withdrawal, kept signaling Yu Yuan with meaningful glances.
The Blackfang Legion, a small but elite force within the Sunblessed Empire, was rumored to number around a hundred strong.
Yet, this mere hundred-strong Blackfang Legion held a fearsome reputation across all the empires of the Aetherius Continent.
Their Legion General was an enigmatic figure, reputedly devoted solely to the current emperor of the Sunblessed Empire. Known for his cruelty and bloodlust, his name alone was enough to silence crying children both within the empire and beyond.
His sudden defection was abrupt and mysterious, leaving many questioning the circumstances.
Ning Ji had learned of this while wandering through various cities after departing from Asvetaesi.
As a Wanderer, Ning Ji had ventured to the distant Sunblessed Empire years prior and had the fortune to witness the Blackfang Legion in action, recognizing their distinctive armor and masks.
"The Sunblessed Empire's renegade legion..."
Yu Yuan, momentarily taken aback, surmised that the so-called Blackfang Legion had defected and were now being pursued by the Empire's cultivators, likely fleeing toward the perilous northern territories.
This region, known for its treacherous terrain and harsh conditions, had long been the refuge of choice for fugitives from both the Silvermoon and Sunblessed Empires.
Yet, it was puzzling why the Blackfang Legion had appeared so far from the Sunblessed Empire, here in Thylethlume.
Without hesitation or discernment, they attacked upon encountering Zhan Tianxiang and Bai Shenshen of the Sacred Hands.
With a resounding "clang," a Blackfang Legionnaire wielding a spear advanced, his heavy armor clinking with each step. Seemingly under orders, he abruptly broke away from Bai Shenshen and charged forward.
A sinister mist of blood erupted from his dark armor!
The soldier's ghastly mask, as if invigorated by the blood mist, transformed into the visage of a malevolent spirit clawing its way out of a blood-drenched purgatory. He hoisted his spear and thrust it forward, the thick vitality swirling around it coalescing into the form of a gaping maw of a colossal crocodile.
"Veil Breaking Realm, Vitality Transformation!"
Ning Ji's expression shifted as he bellowed, urging Yu Yuan to swiftly fall back.
The newcomer possessed the cultivation of the Veil Breaking Realm. With years of combat under his belt, his battle experience and personal strength far surpassed both Ning Ji and Yu Yuan.
Ning Ji had only recently entered the Veil Breaking Realm and his vitality was not yet fully refined, leaving him with little confidence.
Yu Yuan, still in the Golden Sanctum, was likely no match for this adversary.
With a wry smile, Ning Ji called out, but in the same breath, he darted in front of Yu Yuan, bracing himself for the confrontation.
"No need!"
Behind him, Yu Yuan let out a hearty laugh and charged forward.
"How can he move so swiftly?!"
Ning Ji watched, astounded as Yu Yuan streaked by like a beam of light, his eyes barely believing the sight.
Before Ning Ji could gather his wits, Yu Yuan, with extraordinary agility, easily sidestepped the soldier's thrusting spear. With nimble steps, he materialized behind the soldier in an instant.
Then came a punch, aimed squarely at the back of the soldier's heavy armor.
Like a fierce sun emerging at the soldier's back, the glow from Yu Yuan's fist dazzled Ning Ji, causing his vision to blur.
"Yet, the gap in our realms is vast!" Ning Ji inwardly exclaimed.
The adversary was in the early period of the Veil Breaking Realm, a full tier above Yu Yuan's Golden Sanctum. Coupled with the Blackfang Legion's formidable heavy armor, could Yu Yuan's punch truly be effective?
"Clang!"
Like a hammer striking iron, Yu Yuan's punch landed on the soldier's armored back, sending sparks scattering.
The soldier was sent stumbling forward by Yu Yuan's blow, staggering several steps.
His eyes narrowed, and with a swift turn, he faced Yu Yuan again. Wisps of blood-mist vitality began to coalesce in his chest, ready to surge into his spear once more.
Yu Yuan, at the mere level of the Golden Sanctum, hadn't breached the armor's defenses with his strike, yet it was enough to significantly ruffle the soldier.
"Heh!"
Yu Yuan flashed a bright grin and declared, "Let's go again!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than another arc light swept across, and Yu Yuan once again evaded the soldier's swinging spear, appearing ghostlike at his right side.
Another punch thundered down!
"Clang! Clang!"
Yu Yuan, encircling a soldier from the Blackfang Legion, unleashed a barrage of punches.
Each strike, heavy as a mountain, forced the spear-wielding soldier to stagger backward.
The soldier continuously turned, trying to adjust his stance, but he couldn't face Yu Yuan directly, always on the receiving end of the assault.
Ning Ji stopped watching Bai Shenshen's battle with the other five Blackfang Legion soldiers, focusing entirely on Yu Yuan. He quickly deduced that Yu Yuan's advantage was his speed, which kept the Blackfang soldier from landing a blow.
The Blackfang soldier, with his higher Veil Breaking cultivation, was unfortunately burdened by his exceptionally heavy armor and spear.
In the past, his warhorse compensated for the weight of his heavy armor and spear.
Now, without his horse and still clad in his cumbersome gear, his mobility was severely compromised.
Yu Yuan exploited his speed advantage, keeping the soldier at bay and relentlessly striking him.
Regrettably, despite the prolonged assault, he couldn't penetrate the armor's defenses, causing the soldier nothing more than disorientation without inflicting any real harm.
"If I just stand still, what can you do?"
Frustrated by Yu Yuan, the Blackfang soldier came to a halt, standing firm with his spear, defiantly waiting for Yu Yuan's close-quarters attack.
"With my Golden Sanctum cultivation, I'll let you pound away. Can you even dent my Blackfang Armor?" he said icily.
"A mere Spirit Level armor, and you think it's impregnable?" Yu Yuan laughed heartily, then suddenly closed the distance and launched another punch.
"Boom!"
The divine force around them erupted into chaos, a thick miasma of malevolent energy bursting forth from Yu Yuan's very sinews.
In a flash, Yu Yuan transformed into a figure reminiscent of an ancient demon. His fist, no longer radiating intense light, now trailed a murky stream of air as it hurtled towards the soldier's back.
"Evil Body Refining! Fiendish Might!"
The gray mist, forcibly drawn from the divine force and intermingled, emitted a sizzling sound, its aura fierce and untamed.
"Be careful!"
The Blackfang Legion soldiers, who were engaging Bai Shenshen, sensed trouble and shouted a warning.
But it was already too late.
The fresh surge of power, pulling along a gray mist, struck the back of a Blackfang Legion soldier's armor, which suddenly gleamed with a dark luster.
Mottled bloodstains on the armor's surface briefly formed cryptic patterns before being shattered by the gray mist.
In the instant the patterns broke, the Fiendish Might within Yu Yuan's fist burst forth like a deluge, piercing through the armor's defenses and flooding into the soldier with unstoppable force.
Beneath the armor, the soldier's back was riddled with invisible wounds, his blood vessels and sinews bursting apart.
He grunted, involuntarily charging forward, toward Ning Ji.
Ning Ji could see the soldier clenching his teeth, enduring the severe pain, but blood continued to stream from his mouth, unstoppable.
"What does it matter if you've reached Veil Breaking? Once your Heart Aperture is shattered, aren't you just as dead?" Yu Yuan said with a smile, shaking his head. "Did you really think that Spirit Level armor would keep you safe? Despite your superior strength, you relied on a mere object, which is truly laughable."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Blackfang Legion soldier, unable to contain himself any longer, collapsed with a thud.
More blood poured from his mouth in torrents.
"This..."
Ning Ji gazed at the body of the Blackfang Legion soldier, still clad in heavy armor, his mind reeling, barely comprehending. "A Veil Breaking Blackfang Legion soldier... dead, just like that?"
"Clang!"
Another Blackfang Legion soldier silently doffed his armor, dropping the cumbersome Blackfang Armor to the ground with a heavy crash.
She even cast aside the menacing mask that had concealed her face, revealing herself to be a striking female warrior!
