Chapter 2028 - 2025: The Sound of the Horn

Chapter 2028: Chapter 2025: The Sound of the Horn

"Doesn’t that mean Sister Mu Yun is sure to win?" Xiao Manxuan exclaimed happily.

"Let’s wait and see, at least she won’t lose," Lin Tian replied with a faint smile, turning his head to look at the two figures facing off in the arena.

In the training ground, He Shan raised his spear once more, with black aura swirling around him and condensing onto the spear. In an instant, the dark red spear was entwined with black energy, resembling a weapon of a demon god.

He tugged the reins, and the warhorse charged forward immediately, displaying perfect coordination. Confronted with the aggressive charge, Mu Yun’s eyes narrowed slightly, and her warhorse also surged forth, heading toward He Shan.

The two warhorses rapidly drew closer. Suddenly, He Shan shook his spear, thrusting it out swiftly. Numerous spear shadows advanced like a forest, blocking all of Mu Yun’s routes to dodge or advance.

Relying on the advantage of his long weapon, He Shan forced Mu Yun into a head-on clash. This is about playing to one’s strengths and avoiding weaknesses; the slender sword is suited for close combat, and He Shan didn’t give her the opportunity.

With hundreds of thrusts, if Mu Yun couldn’t fend them off, she and her warhorse would be reduced to countless holes.

Mu Yun’s eyes flickered with light, reflecting the spear’s blade. Suddenly, her hand holding the sword moved, thrusting out defiantly. She intended to clash her slender sword against the spear. Her thrust was without flourish, simply and directly piercing forward.

"Clang!" A resonant crash sounded, like a hammer striking a bronze bell, the noise penetrating and deafening.

All the spear shadows instantly vanished, the slender sword’s tip precisely colliding with the spear tip, at the point where the weapons clashed, a mass of dark red energy rapidly expanded.

"Boom!" A loud explosion occurred as the energy burst open, a fierce wind swept across the training ground. The ghost soldiers watching were swayed east and west, while those in the inner circle had to tightly grip their weapons into the ground to avoid being blown away.

With the impact’s waves reaching Lin Tian’s side, Zhang Lingyu tapped the air with his fingers, summoning a semi-transparent shield. The waves collided with the shield and both disappeared.

Due to the chaotic confrontation in the arena, no one noticed Zhang Lingyu’s spellcasting, including City Lord Jia, whose attention was completely absorbed by the duel.

The core of the explosion, Mu Yun and He Shan, naturally endured the most intense shock, including their warhorses. He Shan, along with his horse, was flung into the air, while Mu Yun’s warhorse neighed loudly, rearing up, with intense green light shining in its eyes.

This showcased the horses’ superiority: clearly, Mu Yun’s horse was superior, as it wasn’t thrown back in the exchange. Before her horse’s front legs returned to the ground, Mu Yun flicked the reins, and the horse, understanding the command, launched forward with its hind legs alone, like a divine steed transforming into a dragon, gallant beyond measure.

Mu Yun seized the advantage, not waiting for He Shan to regain his footing, pursuing closely. With one sword strike, the sharp blade flashed like lightning from the heavens, slicing toward He Shan’s neck.

If you want to pierce holes in me, I want to claim your head; no one was holding back, because this was not merely a contest, but a battlefield. The techniques they mastered were not for display, but for killing, whether it was Mu Yun hunting evil spirits or He Shan slaying malevolent entities.

From the start, City Lord Jia hadn’t mentioned "stopping at the point of contact," because he knew that here there was no "stopping at the point of contact," nor was there any performance.

Seeing He Shan was about to lose his head, in a split second, He Shan twisted his body, ducking under the horse’s belly, causing the slender sword to miss. As the slender sword missed and withdrew, he swiftly emerged from the other side, holding the spear single-handedly, counter-thrusting.

From disappearing to dodge the sword to emerging on the other side of the horse to counterattack, it happened in a blink of an eye, successfully reversing the situation. The spear stabbed upward from below; if the counterattack succeeded, the first to suffer would be Mu Yun’s horse.

With the spear’s length, one thrust could penetrate the horse’s neck, more than enough to wound Mu Yun as well; if it hit, it would truly be like threading candied fruit skewers.

Mu Yun suddenly leaped into the air, leaving the horse. Simultaneously, one foot stomped on the spear, forcibly pressing it down. He Shan pulled on the spear, trying to unbalance Mu Yun, but Mu Yun’s other foot came down as well, and He Shan immediately felt a tremendous force from the spear, like it was pressed by a mountain.

"Roar!" He Shan roared, gripping the spear with both hands, exerting force to fling Mu Yun off, but Mu Yun borrowed the momentum, lunging forward, thrusting her slender sword, instantly reaching his face.

This was something He Shan hadn’t expected; he hadn’t anticipated such strength from a woman like Mu Yun. With the spear restrained and the slender sword thrust toward him, he had no choice but to imitate Mu Yun, stepping down, propelling his body backward, leaving the horse.

But as he flew backward, he forcefully hurled the spear at Mu Yun, speeding like lightning. Mu Yun, in mid-air, had no time to think, pushing off the horse with her foot, flying sideways, the spear grazing her hair as it passed.

The two landed almost simultaneously, the spear having flown over the ghost soldiers, with a thud, embedding itself into the canyon’s rock wall. The spear’s flight across half the canyon and still piercing the hard wall indicated an incredibly formidable arm strength. It would be effortless if it were a car being thrown.

As the two landed, their gazes locked onto each other, seemingly about to start another fierce battle.

"Stop!" City Lord Jia shouted, stopping them from continuing the fight: "The horse battle was agreed upon, do you want to continue with a foot battle? This is endless."

"City Lord Jia, then who won this match?" He Shan’s colleague shouted, and all the ghost soldiers looked at City Lord Jia. Lin Tian remained silent, waiting to see how he would decide.

"The match is a draw." Before City Lord Jia could announce, Mu Yun spoke up first.

"But Mu Yun clearly won," Xiao Manxuan muttered quietly.

Lin Tian shook his head slightly, chuckling, "Judging by the duel, Mu Yun indeed had the upper hand. Had there been a foot battle, Mu Yun should have won, but the horse battle ended with both on the ground, so calling it a draw makes sense."

"Mu Yun deliberately called it a draw to spare He Shan’s, even the ghost soldiers’ pride. Think about it, having their best fighter defeated by a woman would be such a disgrace for them," Lin Tian analyzed thoughtfully.

"Despite Mu Yun’s usual cold demeanor, her emotional intelligence is quite high," Zhang Lingyu praised.

He Shan approached, saluting Mu Yun with a fist, "Mu Yun Envoy, your skills are truly admirable," He Shan was sincere, not hiding his admiration for Mu Yun.

However, after a moment of seriousness, he continued, "The horse battle was exhilarating, but who will engage me in a foot battle?" His combative nature arose again, his gaze shifting to Lin Tian, the implication clear—he still didn’t want Lin Tian to escape.

Of course, in his view, Lin Tian was hiding behind a woman, as did the ghost soldiers present. Earlier, even City Lord Jia felt disappointed, though due to his status, he couldn’t say it outright.

"Looks like this Ghost General isn’t letting you off," Zhang Lingyu remarked, amused.

City Lord Jia glared at He Shan, about to reprimand him, when suddenly, a horn sounded above the fortress. The horn was majestic, yet urgent, as if something critical was happening.