Chapter 778: I think it's the Beast Path!

Heitian Chongxin lifted his head and looked over. Oh, it was the junior officer who had been shouting arrogantly below the city that day.

A cold smile curled on his lips; he raised his hand to wipe the dust and ash from his face, gripped his great blade tightly, and coldly stared at Xiao Ningchen.

The soldiers on the city wall rushed down toward the breach, running to block the cavalry's advance.

But the cavalry poured in through the breach like a flood bursting a dam, endless and relentless.

Spears pierced the still-resisting Eastern Ocean infantry; horse hooves trampled the shattered rammed earth, and the clashing of iron armor mingled with screams into a cacophony.

Zhang Wu'an drew his great blade, pointed it to the sky, and roared like thunder: "Brothers! The Royal City has fallen! Follow me in to kill!"

The soldiers beneath the shield carts shouted in unison, brandishing their blades as they surged into the flaming breach.

Xiao Er ran in the lead, kicked aside a still-smoking piece of broken wood, and with a backhand slash cut down an Eastern Ocean soldier who had lunged from the side.

"Second brother!" Xiao Ningxun reined his horse to a stop beside Xiao Ningchen, followed his gaze, and saw Heitian Chongxin gripping his great blade.

"Third brother," Xiao Ningchen locked his gaze on Heitian Chongxin like a predator on prey, and said, "You take men into the city; I'll come after."

Xiao Ningxun glanced at him, asked no more, and nodded: "All right."

He turned his horse's head, spurred it forward a few steps, and saw Xiao Er running ahead with his blade raised.

Xiao Ningxun leaned down and extended his arm: "Come up!"

Xiao Er grabbed his wrist in one motion and vaulted onto the horse's back.

The two, leading the cavalry, continued charging deeper into the Royal City.

The infantry had not yet arrived; at the breach only Xiao Ningchen and Heitian Chongxin remained.

Heitian Chongxin gripped his blade with both hands, point aimed at Xiao Ningchen, and said: "You are a general of the Fierce Kingdom; I am a warrior of the Eastern Ocean."

"According to the spirit of our warrior's way, you should dismount and duel me one-on-one, to settle this fairly and squarely."

Xiao Ningchen sat astride his horse, looking down on him, his mouth twisted in a contemptuous smile.

Without a word, he squeezed his legs against the horse's belly; the steed shot forward like an arrow, and his spear thrust straight at Heitian Chongxin's face.

Heitian Chongxin's pupils contracted sharply; he hastily twisted his body to evade.

The spear tip grazed his ear, drawing a line of blood.

He retreated several steps, then shouted angrily: "Why won't you dismount? Fighting me, a foot soldier, from on high—don't you feel ashamed?"

Xiao Ningchen reined in his warhorse, spear still pointed at him: "Ashamed? Heh."

"When you slaughtered the unarmed High Beauty civilians with your blade, didn't you feel ashamed?"

"And now you have the nerve to say this to me? Do you even deserve to?"

Heitian Chongxin opened his mouth but could not utter a word; he was speechless.

The civilians in the mass graves, the High Beauty people he himself had slaughtered on the city walls that day, were indeed unarmed—but he had killed them all.

Xiao Ningchen snorted, gave him no chance to catch his breath, and thrust his spear again.

Heitian Chongxin raised his blade to block; spear and blade clashed, sending sparks flying.

Each of Xiao Ningchen's thrusts carried the forward momentum of his warhorse's charge.

After only a few dozen exchanges, Heitian Chongxin was forced to retreat step by step, loose stones rolling under his feet, his back already against the wall.

"I—I am the warrior's way of the Eastern Ocean..." Heitian Chongxin gasped, just beginning to speak.

"Warrior's way?" Xiao Ningchen brought his spear down in a chop, curled his lip, cut him off, and said, "I think it's the Beast Path!"

"You!" Heitian Chongxin shuddered all over, as if punched in the chest.

He had devoted his life to the warrior's way, yet in the mouth of this Fierce Kingdom junior officer it was worth nothing?

Hatred surged in his heart; he flung his left hand outward, and three hidden weapons shot from his sleeve straight at Xiao Ningchen's face.

Xiao Ningchen sidestepped; the hidden weapons whizzed past his shoulder and lodged in the broken wall behind him.

He turned his head back, gazed at Heitian Chongxin, and the contempt in his eyes deepened.

"So the Beast Path also uses hidden weapons, huh."

Heitian Chongxin's face instantly flushed crimson.

A warrior's duel truly forbids hidden weapons, but he had been driven to desperation.

Xiao Ningchen spurred his horse forward, swept his spear, forcing him back half a step, then reversed and thrust the spear into his right shoulder.

Heitian Chongxin let out a muffled groan, and his great blade clanged to the ground.

Xiao Ningchen jerked his wrist, pulled the spear free, and then, following the motion, flicked it downward.

The spear tip, sharp as a blade, sliced across his wrist, severing the tendons of both his hands.

Heitian Chongxin fell to his knees, unable to grasp anything with his hands any longer.

Watching blood stream down his wrist and drip onto the shattered blue‑brick fragments.

"Kill—!" tens of thousands of infantry arrived, surging into the breach.

Xiao Ningchen retracted his spear: "Someone! Tie him up and hand him over to the High Beauty civilians he slaughtered."

"Yes!" Several soldiers ran over, produced rope, dragged Heitian Chongxin from the ground, and bound him tightly.

Heitian Chongxin jerked his head up, eyes blood‑red, and hoarsely shouted: "A scholar may be killed but not humiliated!"

"Go ahead and kill me! Didn't you say you would cut me to a thousand pieces?"

Xiao Ningchen had already turned his horse to charge forward, but hearing this he halted, turned back, and glanced at Heitian Chongxin.

His face remained calm as ever, yet full of contempt: "Kill you?"

"I'd rather not dirty my spear."

"Grudges have origins and debts have owners; those High Beauty civilians will themselves cut you to a thousand pieces—why should I lift a hand?"

Having said that, he spurred his horse onward and never looked back.

At the same moment, the North City Gate slowly opened; over a hundred Eastern Ocean cavalry surged out first, clashing with the few Fierce Kingdom garrison troops stationed outside.

As the battle raged, a detachment rushed out from the city, at its head none other than Tengyuan Liangxin.

Behind him, closely following were Anbei Taiqin, Songyong Jiuxiu, Liu Guiyan, and a unit of personal troops.

Inside the gate behind him, the killing roar shook the heavens.

"Charge!" Tengyuan didn't turn his head, running towards the mountains outside the city.

They plunged into the forest, their horses never stopping as they crossed over a hill.

After passing through a dense pine forest, an abandoned small fishing port suddenly appeared before their eyes.

The trestle bridge had long rotted, and several broken fishing boats lay tilted at the shore.

Among the reefs, two Eastern Ocean warships lay quietly anchored, their masts bare of flags, their hulls covered in pine branches.

Unless one got up close, one could not tell that they were actually two warships.

The dozens of marines left on guard saw the few people and hurriedly saluted: "Chief, Commander Sir!"

Tengyuan Liangxin said calmly: "Raise the sails."

The marines fumbled, pulling off the pine branches from the ship and raising the sails.

The group boarded the warship, each involuntarily letting out a sigh of relief.

Songyong Jiuxiu looked back toward the direction of Royal City: "We've finally escaped!"

Tengyuan Liangxin stood at the ship's rail: "Return to the Eastern Ocean!"

"Yes!"

Songyong Jiuxiu turned to look at him, blazing with anger and asked: "Tengyuan Liangxin! Escaping with our lives is one thing, but as commander, how could you just flee like that?"

In High Splendid, besides Royal City, outside there are still over ten thousand Eastern Ocean soldiers; how could you abandon them?

If I were to report this to the general, your Wisteria Field family...

Tengyuan Liangxin turned his head and glanced at Liu Guiyan.

Liu Guiyan smiled, stepped forward, and bowed to Songyong Jiuxiu: "Please, sir, calm your anger."

Songyong Jiuxiu snorted.

Liu Guiyan rose to his feet, and with a slight flick of his sleeve.