Chapter 135 - 115: Return

Chapter 135: Chapter 115: Return

Having stepped into the Gang Qi Realm, Lu Yuan’s combat prowess had undergone an earth-shattering transformation. At his current level of strength, even an Innate expert couldn’t last more than a few moves against him. His blade flickered, and the Xirong Warriors, barely awake, shrieked in agony as he cut them down.

Their eyes were filled with terror.

They never would have imagined that Lu Yuan would dare to attack their camp all by himself. It was simply unbelievable.

But such thoughts were pointless now.

The only thing to do was to resist this fiend as best they could.

When the Vice General emerged from his tent, his first act was to summon his Personal Guard to form a disciplinary squad and prevent the Warriors from deserting.

He still firmly believed that Lu Yuan had not reached the Innate realm. As long as his men attacked with their full strength, their opponent would surely be no match for them.

There was hope of burying him under a mountain of bodies.

However, his understanding was based on ordinary Innate experts, not someone like Lu Yuan—a being who had pushed to the absolute limit in nearly every realm.

His foundation would become more and more apparent the further he progressed.

Lu Yuan’s war saber fell again and again.

He swept his blade forward with force. The weapons of several Wolf Soldiers were sliced in two, and the saber’s edge continued on to cleave their skulls.

A spray of blood erupted. Lu Yuan leaped, appearing directly above a Thousand Men Commander.

The Wolf Soldier Thousand Men Commander didn’t even have time to react.

His body was torn to pieces.

The Xirong Wolf Soldiers were certainly not weak, even a cut above the Dayong Border Army, but to Lu Yuan, they were like sheep to a tiger.

He carved a bloody path through their ranks.

Hearing the commotion, the Imperial Guard Scouts watching from the perimeter slowly drew closer. As they observed Lu Yuan from a shorter distance, the looks of utter shock on their faces only deepened.

The Centurion in the lead said with a wry smile, "It looks like the reinforcements won’t be necessary. This Wolf Rider Captain has actually torn through the entire Wolf Soldier camp all on his own."

"This has to be worth a Second-Class Merit, right?" one of the Scouts said.

"Of course," the Centurion said softly.

After becoming a full Captain, three Second-Class Merits could earn a promotion to Garrison General. Of course, that was the standard procedure.

With an extraordinary accomplishment, one could even be promoted directly.

Moreover, there was room for political maneuvering.

If Lu Yuan had a powerful figure backing him, it wouldn’t be out of the question for him to be directly promoted to State General for this battle alone.

But without a patron in the imperial court, one could only advance one step at a time.

Therefore, if Lu Yuan wanted to be promoted, he had to earn every single merit.

As time passed, the sky gradually began to brighten.

By now, Lu Yuan had killed nearly another thousand men, and his gaze finally locked onto the Vice General.

He was a man around two meters tall, with an ashen complexion, a hairless head, and a physique like a tiger’s, all clad in iron armor.

His cultivation was at the Gang Qi Realm, similar to Lu Yuan’s, and he was blocking the path out of the mountain pass.

His blade was smeared with thick blood.

At his feet lay over a hundred corpses. These were not men Lu Yuan had killed. They were Wolf Soldiers who, unable to withstand the pressure, had tried to flee, only to be cut down by the Vice General himself. His Personal Guard stood protectively at his sides.

In fact, these men were all the personal retainers of the Xirong Ten Thousand Men Commander.

Only such personal retainers would fight to the death for their General on the battlefield with such reckless abandon.

This was also why many Generals insisted on bringing their personal retainers with them on campaigns.

And why they valued these men above all else.

As Lu Yuan locked his gaze on the Xirong Vice General, the man’s eyes met his.

The hatred in them was completely undisguised.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan’s gaze turned cold. Without a moment’s hesitation, he dragged his Crescent Saber and charged.

The blade scraped against the ground, sending up showers of sparks.

The Gang Qi coating the blade grew denser with every step Lu Yuan took forward.

He was gathering power.

As he neared the Xirong Vice General, the blade began to hum with a sharp, metallic ring.

When they were less than fifty meters apart...

Lu Yuan leaped like a tiger, soaring high into the air before bringing his saber down in a devastating chop.

The surging Gang Qi erupted from the blade, extending several feet.

The Vice General found himself locked in place by the attack, but he showed no fear. Instead, a crazed look appeared on his face, mirrored by the Personal Guard behind him.

They all raised their sabers to meet Lu Yuan’s charge.

CLANG!

The long saber shattered the Vice General’s weapon, then continued its arc down from the crown of his head to strike the ground.

The terrifying Sword Gang exploded outward.

BOOM!

The Vice General’s body was instantly torn asunder, but the Sword Gang that had enveloped him didn’t dissipate, instead blasting outward in all directions.

The Personal Guard standing nearby were struck by the Sword Gang. Their armor shattered as they collapsed to the ground.

And with Lu Yuan’s slaying of the Xirong Vice General...

...the surrounding Wolf Soldiers finally broke and fled.

They ran for their lives, wishing their parents had given them two more legs.

The Imperial Guard Scouts gasped.

Lu Yuan had actually done it. He had single-handedly routed an army of nearly ten thousand. Such strength was truly terrifying.

Even a Captain of the Imperial Guard would fall short in comparison.

"It’s a shame he wasn’t born into wealth and nobility," the Imperial Guard Centurion lamented. "With his talent, if he had the backing of a prominent family... who knows how dazzling his future would be."

The others all nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Lu Yuan did not pursue the fleeing Wolf Soldiers.

He was only one man, after all. Even if he gave chase, how many of the Wolf Soldiers scattering in all directions could he possibly kill?

So, he found a spot and sat down.

Seeing what had transpired below, Zhou Xiong and his men, who were on the mountain, immediately came down to rendezvous with Lu Yuan.