Chapter 684: Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell, a Lone All‑In Heading West

"Quick! Take off this burden! No dawdling!"

The Commander of the Personal Guard growled.

His voice was extremely low, yet carried an undeniable ferocity.

He scanned the surroundings warily.

A long knife was held horizontally before his chest, its blade still dripping thick blood beads.

At this moment Gao Xiaoyu had no trace of the Crown Prince's dignity left.

His face was as pale as paper.

Cold sweat mixed with dust ran into his eyes.

His eyes ached from the killing, yet he dared not even wipe them.

His fingers trembled violently as he struggled to remove the Gold-inlaid Battle Armor he once took pride in.

The armor was too heavy, and too bright.

Under the scorching noon sun, the golden armor plates reflected a blinding glare.

It was as if shouting to the countless Zhou Army cavalry across the hills: the Crown Prince of Great Qi is right here!

Clack!

The Guardian Heart Mirror fell into the mudwater, splashing a few drops of bloodstain.

Gao Xiaoyu ripped off the straps haphazardly.

He hurled the priceless armor into the deep pit with force.

"Fetch the clothes!"

Gao Xiaoyu clenched his teeth. His voice trembled uselessly.

The personal guard quickly stripped a piece of Leather Armor from a freshly dead Qi soldier's corpse. The leather was filthy and even bore several holes.

Without any hesitation, Gao Xiaoyu slipped it on. The armor still retained the dead man's body heat. A strong stench of sweat and blood assaulted him.

His stomach churned, nearly making him vomit on the spot.

"His Highness, I have wronged you."

The Commander of the Personal Guard bent down, grabbed a handful of black blood mud mixed with horse dung, and without a word smeared it onto Gao Xiaoyu's pale Dark Hawk face.

Gao Xiaoyu closed his eyes, letting the foul odor spread across his face. He knew this was his only chance to live.

"You, put on the Crown Prince's golden armor, take that Commander's Banner, and charge east!"

The Commander of the Personal Guard pointed at a Suicide Warrior of similar build. His tone was as cold as delivering a death sentence.

The Suicide Warrior did not hesitate. A flash of resolve passed through his eyes. He knew that wearing this golden armor meant drawing all the Zhou Army's murderous intent onto himself.

He knelt heavily on the ground and gave Gao Xiaoyu a resounding kowtow. His forehead struck the Qingshi slab, producing a muffled thud.

"His Highness the Crown Prince, I, your humble servant, will go ahead! If there is a next life, I will serve Great Qi again!"

The Suicide Warrior rose, flipped onto his horse. He snatched the tattered Qi Character Banner. He raised the banner high, leading a dozen or so Suicide Warriors to charge eastward.

That was the direction where Chen Yan's main force was.

"Gao Xiaoyu is there! Don't let him escape!"

A thunderous shout rang from the Zhou Army formation.

Thousands of Iron Cavalry surged like sharks that smelled blood.

They instantly turned their spears, surging wildly toward that dazzling golden banner.

On a distant hillside, Chen Yan halted his horse and stood.

His Xuan Armor was as black as ink, and his horse lance rested across his knee.

His eyes, deep as a pool, narrowed slightly.

He watched the Commander's Banner suddenly accelerate eastward.

A playful cold smile tugged at Chen Yan's mouth corner.

"Golden cicada shedding its shell?"

Chen Yan's voice was low, yet carried an oppressive aura of life‑and‑death control.

"Playing such an old, hackneyed trick before this Duke…"

"Gao Xiaoyu, do you really think this Duke's many years of campaigns have been in vain?"

Chen Yan did not immediately order a pursuit.

He knew Gao Xiaoyu's kind all too well.

Such a Dark Hawk, cold‑blooded, extremely selfish individual.

Within his bones seeped a sour, rot‑like stench of a gutter.

In a desperate situation, Gao Xiaoyu would never choose a head‑on charge of life‑through‑death.

To him, so‑called dignity and glory meant nothing compared to survival.

He would only act like a rat in a gutter, searching for the most inconspicuous, humblest corner to crawl out of.

"Lu Ming!"

Chen Yan said lightly.

"Subordinate General here!"

Lu Ming galloped over. His two‑meter‑tall hulking body was like a small mountain. His face was smeared with blood and grime. His copper‑bell‑large eyes glittered with blood‑lust.

"Ignore that tattered banner."

Chen Yan raised his horse lance, pointing far toward a squad at the western edge.

"Watch over there. Those few who ride best yet walk with their necks tucked are the big fish. Gao Xiaoyu is among them."

Lu Ming chuckled. A mouthful of blood‑foamed white teeth showed. He swung his horse lance. Those sharp eyes instantly locked onto the west.

That unit had only a few dozen men. Though they wore tattered Leather Armor, their Warhorses were the finest, one in a hundred. Even amid the chaos, their guard posture was extremely professional.

They constantly kept a circular formation, protecting the cowering fellow in the center tightly.

"Understood! Pillar of the State, rest assured, these few rats can't slip out of the Subordinate General's palm!"

Lu Ming let out a long howl. He spurred his horse and charged out at an angle.

At that moment, Gao Xiaoyu's heart was about to leap out of his throat.

He blended among dozens of Suicide Warriors.

He kept his head down, threading through the disorderly troops.

The western battlefield was equally brutal. Commander Feng Muye's ten thousand Great Zhou Infantry advanced steadily like a Mopan.

Gao Xiaoyu saw with his own eyes the Great Zhou Infantry, expressionless, thrust into the chests of wounded Qi soldiers.

Fresh blood almost splashed onto his boots.

He clenched his teeth tightly.

He dug his fingernails deep into the saddle leather, daring not to make a sound.

"Charge forward! There's an opening ahead!"

The Commander of the Personal Guard roared in a low voice. Bloodshot veins filled his eyes.

As they were about to break out of the encirclement, a small squad of Zhou Army Patrol Cavalry spotted the unit.

"Stop! Which part? Take off your helmets!"

A Zhou Army Junior Officer shouted sharply.

"Kill them!"

The Commander of the Personal Guard said nothing. He drew his sword and slashed. Both sides instantly erupted into a brief but fierce melee.

One of Gao Xiaoyu's Bodyguards, trying to block the hail of arrows, was shot straight into a Hedgehog. He fell heavily from his horse. The horse's hooves trod over the corpse, producing a dull thud that made the teeth ache.

Gao Xiaoyu looked at the corpse that died in front of the horse. It was the old man who had followed him for ten years. His body shuddered violently.

Fear flooded him like a tide. He even felt the Grim Reaper's scythe pressed against the skin on the back of his neck.

"His Highness! Don't look! Run!"

The Commander's angry roar jolted him awake. Gao Xiaoyu gripped the reins tightly. The Warhorse under him leapt over the corpse. He raced wildly toward the endless western sands.

"His Highness! As long as the green mountains remain, we need not worry about firewood!"

The Commander, while cutting down pursuers, roared to encourage Gao Xiaoyu.

"As long as we see Duke Kuerdi and the allied Rouran Iron Cavalry, we will definitely kill our way back! Chop all these Zhou people up and feed them to the dogs!"

The Commander already had two arrows lodged in his back.

Fresh blood soaked his battle robe, yet he still fought to the death without retreat.

Gao Xiaoyu said nothing.

He was only desperately fleeing.

Wind‑blown sand struck his face, burning.

It left a trail of tiny bloodstains.

But he felt it was the most wonderful sensation in the world.

Because that meant…

He was gradually putting distance between himself and the nightmare named Chen Yan.