Jiang Aijian’s sources had been walking on a knife’s edge for many years. They slept with the tigers and did not know when they would lose their lives From the moment they decided to follow Jiang Aijian, they knew that they would most probably die. Their lives were light as a feather, and their deaths like a breeze. Perhaps, nobody would even remember them. However, they did not shun death and viewed it as an old friend.
Jiang Aijian felt his heart stir when he heard Lu Zhou’s words. His impression of the great villain of the Evil Sky Pavilion changed again. What was a villain? What made a villain? Was someone who took away intelligent life and went against the laws of morality a villain? The longer he lived, the more he was convinced that everyone was a villain.
“You and you! I’d like to see how long he can keep this up!”
These two generals learned from their peers’ mistakes. They advanced in a pincer attack. Their blades stirred up a gust of wind.
Although the cultivators could not use their Primal Qi right now, their physical bodies were not something mortals could compare to since mortals did not undergo Body Tempering.
Every step the two generals took left a dent on the ground. In just a moment, they brought their blades down!
Lu Zhou pirouetted. He flipped Unnamed in his hand and wielded it the right side up. He lunged and thrust Unnamed.
“Hm?” The several simulations the two generals had run through in their minds were nullified by Lu Zhou’s puzzling action.
Lu Zhou was like an illusion as he slipped through their attacks. He slashed and turned around…
The swords of the two generals were still raised in the air. Their mouths were agape as they stared blankly into the air. They could feel their lives swiftly escaping their bodies through their wounds. It was agonizing for them to breathe, and they could feel their heartbeats slowing down. The metallic smell of blood filled their nostrils. They did not know if it belonged to themselves or to another person. It was no longer important to figure out how Old Villain Ji managed this. When they fell, the world spun around them, and everything was plunged into darkness.
Two more men lost their lives.
“This is for my disciple, Mingshi Yin.”
The 2,000 merit points Lu Zhou were rewarded with did not move him.
The glaring sunlight was so bright that it was difficult for the others to keep their eyes open. Even the smell of blood was prickling and dry. The serene and comfortable environment of the Obedient Villa was instantly turned into a scene of carnage.
There was no flashy Primal Qi or glaring energy. All that was left was the killing on the battlefield!
At this moment, Lu Zhou only had eyes for Mo Li. His opponents were now feeling less confident than they had been after he had consecutively killed six of their numbers. The six who were slain were no small fry either. They were members of the Imperial guard!
Mo Li seemed to have awoken from her daze, She waved her hand. “Generals, stand back!” The remaining four generals took several steps back.
At this juncture, no matter how powerful the elite was, they could not change anything. It was better to overwhelm Lu Zhou with foot soldiers. Throughout history, there had been plenty of heroic individuals being worn out by using the tactic of numbers. No matter how skilled a person was, they could never withstand attacks from numerous people.
“Kill Old Villain Ji, and you’ll be rewarded with 10,000 catties of gold. Also, you’ll be crowned as a prince or minister in the future!” Liu Huan announced.
There were two layers of meaning to this statement. The first was that Liu Huan was determined to wipe out the Evil Sky Pavilion. The second was that he wanted to become emperor. There would always be brave men when a handsome reward was offered. The soldiers nearby wielded their pickaxes and charged at Lu Zhou.
“Old senior, I’ll help you!” Jiang Aijian rushed over. He did not even bring Dragonsong along in order to hide his identity. He seemed like a flimsy reinforcement.
Mingshi Yin and Zhao Yue stood up.
“It’s only killing some people… It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way.”
“Don’t forget about me, senior brother, senior sister!” Little Yuan’er leaped out.
Everyone was gathered now.
Lu Zhou said, “Just take care of yourselves.”
Mingshi Yin was smart. He thought, ‘I’m surprised to find master possessing this level of combat strength at his age.’ He glanced at Unnamed in his master’s grasp. ‘This sword is more than what it seems…’
A master was a master. His experience that spanned a millennium and his aces were not things that these young people could compare with.
Mingshi Yin and Jiang Aijian’s confidence were instantly bolstered.
Liu Huan’s eyes darkened. He brought his arms down.
Many soldiers swarmed at them.
In Lu Zhou’s hand, Unnamed was slightly shaking. It was as if a millennium’s worth of killing techniques and experiences truly merged as one with Lu Zhou at this moment.
Sword and man became one!
Lu Zhou shot toward Mo Li. With lightning movements, he maneuvered through the soldiers.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The pickaxes snapped and fell to the ground.
Unnamed left a trail of dead souls in its wake.
The soldiers kept pushing forward in throngs. The scene before their eyes left them dumbfounded.
Lu Zhou’s figure was like a tilting doll as he swayed to the left and right while swinging Unnamed. His skills were clean and precise. There were no unnecessary movements.
Eventually, the final man dropped.
The scene fell silent once more.
Lu Zhou’s appearance remained the same. His expression was unchanging as always. He wielded the sword in his hand. A drop of scarlet blood glistened in the sunlight as it dropped off the tip of Unnamed’s blade and fell to the ground.
Lu Zhou had thoroughly frightened the soldiers. None of them dared to charge forward anymore. They aimed their spears at him… as they retreated.
Lu Zhou did not look back. The soldiers who had fallen to the sides opened up a sort of path for him to walk on. As he advanced, the soldiers retreated.
Mo Li took a staggering step backward. Her face was ghastly pale! She never expected the Evil Sky Pavilion’s Old Villain Ji would be this powerful.
Lu Zhou stopped in his tracks. Like an ordinary old man on the streets with an exquisite sword in his hand, he looked to his left and right. “If you want to die, I don’t mind killing a couple more.”
Mo Li knew that he was trying to manipulate them. She said at once, “Stop him! Stop him!”
Liu Huan’s eyes ablaze. They were bloodshot.
There was a handsome reward. However, there were also cowards. Money was nothing if one was dead. Having an official’s hat was nothing if one could not wear it!
The soldiers retreated!
“Defectors will be court-martialed!”
When Lu Zhou saw that several hundred soldiers were about to charge at him again, he shook his head slightly. “Bi An.”
Roar!
A thunderous roar resounded through the villa as Bi An charged in.
Dong!
When it entered the Ten Terminal Formation, the auspicious clouds at its feet scattered, and it dropped to the ground.
“Bi An can’t utilize its Primal Qi as well?”
However, even without its Primal Qi, Bi An’s fangs and formidable body was not something these ordinary soldiers could fight against.
Bi An understood its master’s intentions. It charged into the ranks of the fear-stricken soldiers. With every swipe of its paws, a soldier was sent flying. For a time, the crowd fell into disarray!
“What’s this?!”
“Old Senior Ji’s mount?” “How’s that possible?!”
They were frightened to begin with. With Bi An charging into their ranks, their morale crumbled. The hundreds of soldiers did not even think before they tossed their spears aside and scampered away.
Lu Zhou did not have time for the soldiers…
Bi An sprinted wildly. The soldiers who stood in its way were swatted away.
It ran up to Mingshi Yin and the others.
Then, it sat on the ground like a guardian deity. Nobody else dared to approach them.
“Wow. Old senior, you should’ve summoned this beast a long time ago. Nobody would’ve dared to stand up against us.” Jiang Aijian moved closer to Bi An. He extended a hand to touch it, but when Bi An growled, he pulled his arm back at once in fright.
Little Yuan’er walked up to Bi An, grabbed a tuft of its hair, and said, “It hates you.”
“Protect them,” Lu Zhou ordered.
Bi An obeyed and sat on the ground. It no longer attacked the soldiers. Perhaps, it knew that its Primal Qi was restricted. Hence, it smartly conserved its energy.
Mo Li was stunned, and so was Liu Huan. This was completely out of their expectations.
Even so, many soldiers planted themselves before the two of them.
Lu Zhou continued moving forward. He suddenly felt that the lives of the people before him were very fragile. They were as fragile as paper. “I’ve told you… Inside the Ten Terminal Formation, I’m undefeatable.”
Mo Li fought back her disapproval as she waved her hand and said, “Shut it down… Shut the Formation down! Now!”
Jiang Aijian shook his head and said, “Once the Ten Terminal Formation is activated, it can’t be disturbed for an hour. Didn’t you know that when you obtained the cloned blueprints?”
“How did you know about that?” Mo Li looked at Jiang Aijian. Jiang Aijian scratched his head. They were still teenagers when the fire at Jing He Palace happened. Throughout the years, their appearances had changed greatly. Moreover, with Jiang Aijian’s sloppy and mischievous appearance, nobody would have guessed that he was the Third Prince. However, that was no longer important.
Mo Li look at Lu Zhou who was slowly making his way toward her.
Beside the Empress Dowager, Liu Huan shouted, “What are you standing around for… Fourth brother, tell your men to attack!”
They were soldiers from the borders, after all. They should not be afraid of death.
However, Liu Bing shrugged. He spread his arms and said, “Brother, this has nothing to do with me! I’ve only brought a few men, and they have to protect me as well…” He turned to look at Lu Zhou at once and said, “Old senior, I have nothing to do with this. I can only protect myself!” Lu Zhou did not look at him. He continued walking forward.
The air felt extremely suffocating at this moment.
Mo Li and Liu Huan were flustered. They felt the stifling sensation of calling out to the heavens and the earth only to have their pleas fall on deaf ears.
“Black Knights!” Mo Li retreated again. There were four more soldiers left before herself.
At this moment, the Black Knights finally charged into the villa from outside.
The soldiers no longer stopped them.
Liu Huan felt much more at ease as he said, “Heed my order, Black Knights. Kill everyone from the Evil Sky Pavilion!”
When the Black Knights entered, the largest steed in the forefront charged toward Mo Li.
“Out of the way!”
“Fan Xiuwen is here to save the day!”
When they heard the name, the four generals shuddered and parted.
Fan Xiuwen leaped off his horse.
Mo Li was overjoyed. She smiled. “General Fan, just in time. I…”
Splurch!
“I… I…”
The others in the surroundings were drawn by the sound of a sword piercing flesh. Soldiers on the battlefield were no stranger to this sound. Their gazes instantly shifted from Lu Zhou to Fan Xiuwen.
The sword in Fan Xiuwen’s hand was embedded in Mo Li’s stomach.
Mo Li’s voice was stuck in her throat. Her words sounded weak. Her eyes widened as her body slackened. She lowered her head slowly as she looked at the sword that pierced her stomach. It was drenched in blood.
