C266 Rebellion Army

A sextet clad in black heavy armor stood before him, each brandishing a weapon—be it a large halberd, a long spear, or a hefty blade. Their masks, seamlessly integrated with their armor, revealed only their chilling, merciless eyes.

Even at a distance of several dozen meters, Yu Yuan sensed the pungent stench of blood emanating from them. A closer inspection revealed splotches of dried blood on their dark armor. The weapons they carried—each nearly two meters in length—were ill-suited for practitioners like Yu Yuan. Such armaments were typically favored by soldiers accustomed to the battlefield's chaos, leveraging the charge of their warhorses to maximize the weapons' lethality.

These six, however, were afoot, their heavy armor proving more hindrance than help, severely restricting their agility.

In the fray's center, Bai Shenshen, despite her Penetrating Stage cultivation, was sorely lacking in combat experience. Her Spiritual Spells, though vibrant, merely sparked against the six's armor without breaching its defense. The luminescence of their weapons, on the other hand, left her hamstrung and vulnerable.

One among them, an archer, struck her with a poisoned arrow, the greatest threat to her yet. Should the poison act, she feared an instant loss of her fighting prowess.

Earlier, this same group had nearly assassinated Zhan Tianxiang, and now they targeted her, indifferent to her affiliation with the Medicine Sect, their brutality evident.

"Yu Yuan! Why are you just standing there? Run!" Bai Shenshen cried out once more.

Ning Ji, on high alert, eyed the six adversaries and declared, "Yu Yuan, they're not from the Silvermoon Empire. They're the Tusk Troops of the Divine Might Empire!"

At his words, a flicker of surprise shone in the eyes of the halberd-wielding figure, as if puzzled that someone here could identify them.

"The Tusk Troops?" Yu Yuan was unfamiliar with the name.

"The most formidable legion of the Divine Might Empire! Entry requires at least the Yellow Court Stage. On the Profound Sky Continent, the Tusk Troops rank third among all imperial armies!" Ning Ji's tone was grave as he continued, "I've recently heard whispers that the Tusk Troops' leader has defected from the Divine Might Empire."

"The Divine Might Empire has mobilized numerous practitioners to hunt down their leader."

"Why are the Tusk Troops here?"

Ning Ji, already contemplating retreat, kept signaling Yu Yuan with his eyes.

The Tusk Troops of the Divine Might Empire were a small, elite force, rumored to number around a hundred.

Yet, this mere hundred-strong Tusk Troops were infamous throughout the empires of the Profound Sky Continent.

Their commander was a figure shrouded in mystery, known for his unwavering loyalty to the current emperor of the Divine Might Empire. His reputation for cruelty and bloodshed was so formidable that his name alone could silence crying children both at home and abroad.

His sudden defection was unexpected and unexplained.

Ning Ji had only learned of this development by chance, having left Darkmoon City to wander other towns. As a wilderness cultivator, he had previously traveled to the distant Divine Might Empire and had the opportunity to witness the Tusk Troops in action, recognizing their distinctive armor and masks.

"A rebel army from the Divine Might Empire..."

Yu Yuan paused, piecing together that the Tusk Troops had turned against the Divine Might Empire and, while being pursued by its practitioners, likely fled to the treacherous northern wastelands.

That region, known for its perilous terrain and harsh conditions, had long been the refuge of choice for outlaws from both the Silvermoon and Divine Might Empires.

But why had the Tusk Troops appeared here in Elfview, so far from their homeland?

And why were they so quick to attack upon encountering Zhan Tianxiang and Bai Shenshen of the Medicine Sect, without discerning friend from foe?

With a resounding "clang," a Tusk Trooper wielding a spear broke away from Bai Shenshen and charged forward.

A bloody mist erupted from his dark armor!

The soldier's menacing mask, as if animated by the blood mist, transformed into the visage of a ghastly demon emerging from a blood-soaked hell. With a thrust of his spear, the dense life force coalesced into the form of a massive crocodile, its jaws agape.

"Profound Break Stage, Qi and Blood Manifest!"

Ning Ji's expression shifted as he bellowed, signaling Yu Yuan to quickly fall back.

The newcomer possessed the cultivation of the Profound Break Stage, seasoned by years of combat. Whether it was battle experience or personal strength, he far surpassed both Ning Ji and Yu Yuan.

Ning Ji had only recently entered the Profound Break Stage and his Qi and blood were not yet fully refined, leaving him with little confidence.

Yu Yuan, at the mere Yellow Court Stage, was likely no match for the opponent.

With a wry smile inside, Ning Ji called out, but in the same breath, he darted in front of Yu Yuan, ready to confront the foe.

"There's no need!"

Behind him, Yu Yuan let out a boisterous laugh and charged forward.

"How is he so swift?!"

Ning Ji watched, dumbfounded, as Yu Yuan streaked by like a comet, barely able to trust his own eyes.

Before Ning Ji could gather his wits, Yu Yuan, with remarkable agility, sidestepped the soldier's lunging spear. He twisted and turned, popping up behind the man in an instant.

And then, a punch was launched at the back of the soldier's heavy armor.

Like a fierce sun emerging behind the dark-clad warrior, the glow from Yu Yuan's fist dazzled Ning Ji, causing his vision to blur.

"Yet, the gap in realms is vast!" Ning Ji inwardly exclaimed.

The adversary was in the early phase of the Profound Break Stage, a whole tier above Yu Yuan's Yellow Court Stage. Coupled with the Tusk Troops' formidable heavy armor, could Yu Yuan's punch truly be effective?

"Clang!"

Like a hammer striking iron, Yu Yuan's fist collided with the soldier's armor, sending sparks scattering.

The soldier stumbled forward from the impact of Yu Yuan's punch, taking several unsteady steps.

His pupils narrowed, and with a swift turn, blood mist-like Qi and blood gathered in his chest, ready to surge into his spear once more.

Yu Yuan, merely at the Yellow Court Stage, hadn't penetrated the armor's defense with his strike, but it had clearly rattled his opponent.

"Heh!"

With a wide grin, Yu Yuan taunted, "Let's go again!"

No sooner had his words fallen than another rainbow light streaked by. Yu Yuan once again evaded the thrust of the long spear, ghosting into view on the soldier's right side.

He threw another punch!

"Clang! Clang!"

Like a blacksmith at his anvil, Yu Yuan relentlessly hammered the Tusk Troops soldier, circling him with a barrage of punches.

Each punch landed with the weight of a mountain, causing the spear-wielding soldier to stagger backward.

The soldier twisted his head this way and that, trying to adjust his stance, but he couldn't manage to face Yu Yuan head-on, always on the receiving end of the blows.

Ning Ji no longer paid attention to Bai Shenshen or the battle with the other five Tusk Troops. His focus was entirely on Yu Yuan, quickly realizing that Yu Yuan's advantage lay in his superior speed, which kept the Tusk Troops soldier from landing a single touch.

The soldier's cultivation was a notch above, in the Profound Break Stage, but it was unfortunate that both his heavy armor and long spear weighed him down.

Previously, he had the advantage of fighting atop a warhorse, which allowed him to maximize the potential of his heavy gear.

Now, without his mount and unwilling to shed his cumbersome armor and spear, his mobility was severely compromised.

Yu Yuan exploited this, staying just out of reach and launching a relentless assault.

Regrettably, despite the prolonged pummeling, he couldn't breach the armor's defenses. Aside from leaving the soldier slightly disoriented, there was no real harm done.

"I'll just stand here; what can you do about it?"

Frustrated by Yu Yuan, the Tusk Troops soldier came to a standstill, spear in hand, defiantly waiting for Yu Yuan to close in for the attack.

"With my Yellow Court Stage cultivation, I'll let you pound away. Do you think you can shatter my Tusk Armor?" he said with a chilling tone.

"Spirit Level armor, hardly worth mentioning, and you think it's impregnable?" Yu Yuan laughed heartily, then suddenly closed the distance, unleashing another punch.

"Boom!"

The spiritual energy of the surrounding heavens and earth erupted into violent chaos, as a thick miasma of malevolence seemed to burst forth from his very flesh and bones.

In a fleeting moment, Yu Yuan transformed into a figure reminiscent of an ancient demon. His clenched fist, once radiant with intense light, now dragged a murky stream of air as it hurtled toward the back of the general.

"Evil Body Refining Skill! Evil Demon Desolation Force!"

The murky air, forcibly extracted from the spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth, mingled and churned, emitting a sizzling noise as its aura turned violent.

"Be careful!"

The Tusk Troops soldier, locked in combat with Bai Shenshen, sensed danger and cried out a warning.

But it was already too late.

A new surge of power, with the fist dragging a gray mist, collided with the back of the Tusk Troops general's armor, which suddenly shone with a dark luster.

Beneath it, one could barely make out the mottled blood stains forming ghostly patterns.

As soon as these patterns emerged, they were obliterated by the gray mist.

In the moment of their destruction, the Evil Demon Desolation Force within Yu Yuan's fist erupted like a deluge, piercing through the armor's defenses and flooding into the general with unstoppable force.

Beneath the armor, the general's back was lacerated with countless invisible wounds.

Blood vessels and sinews burst apart.

He grunted, involuntarily lunging forward toward Ning Ji.

Ning Ji could see him clenching his teeth, enduring the agony, yet blood continued to spill from the corners of his mouth, unstoppable.

"What does it matter if he's reached the Profound Break Stage? Once the Heart Aperture is shattered, isn't he just as dead?"

Yu Yuan chuckled, shaking his head. "Did you truly believe that Spirit Level armor would keep you safe? Despite your higher realm, you've foolishly relied on an external crutch. It's laughable."

As his words fell, the Tusk Troops general, who had been charging at Ning Ji, lost control and crashed to the ground.

More blood poured forth in torrents from his mouth.

"This..."

Ning Ji gazed at the fallen Tusk Troops soldier, still clad in his heavy armor, his mind reeling, struggling to grasp the reality. "A Tusk Troops general of the Profound Break Stage... dead, just like that?"

"Clang!"

Another warrior from the Black Tusk Troops silently shed her armor, casting aside the exceptionally heavy black tusk armor that had been hindering her speed, and let it crash to the ground.

She even discarded the fierce mask that had been concealing her face.

To everyone's surprise, it was a striking female soldier!

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