Chapter 203: 203. A Mere Fox Demon, Daring to Show Off Before an Expert? (Seeking Monthly Votes!)

Gasp!

Everyone was stunned on the spot, at a loss for what to do.

They all cast their gazes toward Zhai Dali in the main seat, and Su Yueqiao, who was issuing the orders.

They had begun arranging their troops the night before, and because they were to oppose Yunxiao Stronghold, almost every Mountain Stronghold had poured out its entire nest.

For the sake of the profit from this Salt Well, they had almost staked their fates on it.

The manpower deployed at several mountain passes, plus the reserve forces, amounted to nearly seven or eight thousand!

Especially at the main gate.

It was the most critical point of defense; the troops on both sides, plus the reserves, numbered four thousand.

It was just unexpected.

The other side was simply too fierce! A small squad of fewer than a hundred people not only crushed Black Tiger Stronghold, but had also so easily broken through a defensive line where two thousand men were lying in ambush.

This is fucking—are you sure this isn't a stage play? "What is to be done, what is to be done!"

"Sigh! I knew it, we shouldn't have agreed so easily. Now look, the other side has broken through our defenses so effortlessly; the situation is lost, the situation is lost!"

"Alright, alright, stop talking. The most pressing matter now is to think about how to block their offensive!"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, we should think about the aftermath!"

"..."

After a moment of terror, the several Stronghold Masters all simultaneously felt the urge to retreat.

They began to secretly plot how to defect once again.

Although it would be a heavy blow, as long as the stronghold remained, there would be a chance to develop! If they really went all the way to the dark with Zhai Dali of Fenglei Stronghold, they feared the final outcome would be the total annihilation of their entire stronghold!

And seeing that the other major Stronghold Masters all had thoughts of retreating.

Zhai Dali's face turned gloomy; he stood up and let out a sudden shout, simultaneously drawing his blade and swinging it. A fierce, extreme aura rose sharply from beneath the blade's edge, slicing straight out along the center of the assembly hall.

A biting blade aura instantly carved a crack into the floor of the assembly hall.

The crack continuously shattered and spread, forming a gully the width of a little finger.

This move instantly stunned the many Mountain Stronghold leaders present.

"Everyone, stay calm!"

"I still have two thousand elite troops, every one of them a top-notch fighter, the weakest being at the Opening Aperture Realm, all deployed on the southeast flatlands to meet Yunxiao Stronghold!"

"To put it bluntly, the other side only has fifty-some people, and that strange beast is just terrifying. This Alliance Leader only needs to recall this batch of troops, and we can rest easy!"

Zhai Dali shouted coldly.

It immediately intimidated those Stronghold Masters who had thoughts of retreating.

Especially.

Seeing that Zhai Dali was actually able to unleash such a long blade aura, everyone was struck with horror in their hearts.

This guy, out of the blue, when did he actually break through to become a Grandmaster? This external projection of blade aura—one cannot use it below the Grandmaster level!

No wonder this bastard dared to overthrow the rule of that woman Zhu Yaluan and go against Yunxiao Stronghold!

He hid it deep! Although everyone sighed in their hearts, they all bowed their heads in obedience.

"Alliance Leader is wise!"

"We have no two hearts and will act according to the Alliance Leader's orders!"

Wang Tong and the other Stronghold Masters and heads of the mountain strongholds all cupped their fists.

"Pass the order, recall half of the troops from the southeast flatlands to defend..."

Immediately.

Zhai Dali issued the order with a powerful aura.

But before his order was fully spoken, before his voice had faded.

At this moment.

A panicked messenger lackey ran in through the door again.

"Report! The southeast flatlands have already clashed with the troops of Yunxiao Stronghold, and it is hard to tell who is winning!"

"..."

Zhai Dali immediately furrowed his brows.

Yunxiao Stronghold had come so fast! It was clearly impossible to withdraw troops to reinforce now.

The most pressing matter was to personally step forward, reorganize the ranks, and organize manpower within the stronghold to counter-kill.

At the very least, there were still several thousand elite reserves left in the stronghold; dealing with thirty or fifty of them was already enough. As long as the subordinates saw them, having these Stronghold Masters personally take the field would be equivalent to having a backbone, and they wouldn't be crushed by a single charge, scattered like sand! Once he thought of this.

Zhai Dali exchanged a look with Su Yueqiao and immediately prepared to modify the order.

The other Stronghold Masters also looked at each other, silent, but they began to communicate with their eyes.

And just at this moment.

Another panicked, disheveled messenger lackey ran in through the door.

"Report! Another path of Yunxiao Stronghold's troops has ambushed and charged the southeast flatlands; our side is gradually unable to hold on!"

Gasp! So fast? Even if these were two thousand pigs, they wouldn't be dealt with like this in the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, right? Everyone was stunned and horrified.

This time, even Zhai Dali's face began to show panic.

He didn't know what to do about this situation either.

The entire assembly hall was suddenly filled with a panicked and desolate atmosphere.

Only Su Yueqiao, standing in front of Zhai Dali, remained calm and composed, a faint, bewitching smile playing on the corners of her mouth.

"Look at how anxious you all are. You are all iron-boned men; why worry about such a small scene?"

"Stronghold Masters, follow the Alliance Leader and kill your way out of the hall. With you there, the brothers below will have a backbone, and only then can we win the victory of this war!"

"Rest assured, everyone. The Alliance Leader and I will personally take the field. With one Grandmaster and one Divine Origin Realm True Person, what does it matter if the enemy has three heads and six arms?"

Su Yueqiao gave a charming smile.

She then raised her arms with a shout, soared directly into the air, and flew out through the door of the council hall.

"Everyone, for the sake of wealth and glory, follow me and kill!"

Zhai Dali reacted, likewise raising the long blade in his hand, then rose and charged out of the council hall to kill.

Only.

Wang Tong and the other Stronghold Masters were not the hot-blooded youth type; they did not follow this couple to charge out and kill at the first moment.

Although they shouted at the top of their lungs.

Their footsteps were very slow.

The various leaders of the mountain strongholds, under the lead of the Stronghold Masters, walked out of the council hall in a scattered and loose manner.

And after exiting the hall.

The situation on the drill ground made everyone's expressions change abruptly.

It was not that their own side had already collapsed into a rout.

On the contrary, the subordinates of Fenglei Stronghold and the major mountain strongholds had not lost their formation, but were retreating steadily in an orderly fashion; furthermore, with the appearance of Zhai Dali and Su Yueqiao, the situation within the battle formation had already shown quite a bit of improvement.

What shocked Wang Tong and the others was.

They witnessed with their own eyes the powerful combat strength erupted by that team of only forty-some people through their mutual coordination.

They formed groups of three, arranging themselves into a 'pin' character formation.

The leaders were all individuals with formidable Cultivation Points, strong in body and not easily exhausted.

Although the power of those defending on the sides was slightly weaker, under the lead of the heads, they erupted with combat strength exceeding the ordinary.

Those little triangles were just like sharp blades.

The three coordinated with each other, and nine people formed a larger blade formation.

Within this relatively narrow drill ground, their offensive was not only not hindered in the slightest, but they grew braver the more they fought.

Coupled with that long and strong standardized Wuji, they were practically war meat grinders; the number of people who died under this blade formation was countless.

The entire drill ground was almost about to be dyed red with fresh blood.

Hiss! Seeing this scene, Wang Tong and the others almost all swallowed their saliva, their faces deathly pale.

What kind of background does this Ningyang Stronghold have? Looking at this blade formation, it is clearly a military method, and not an ordinary army, to be able to train such disciplined combat strength.

Looking at their own side in contrast.

They were all rough folks who had turned to banditry; although a few occasionally had higher Cultivation Points than the opponents, they were all people skilled only in individual fighting and did not understand mutual coordination at all.

For small-scale highway robbery and raiding homes, it was naturally more than enough.

But in front of this kind of large-scale battle formation, what use was higher Cultivation Points?

Unless.

One's personal strength already exceeded worldly power by far too much, only then would one have the strength to fight before a military formation.

Just like at this moment. Su Yueqiao, who had already engaged the enemy and was fighting back and forth in the air with that female hero wielding a black Whisk.

The strength of these two had already exceeded the scope of a Grandmaster's duel.

The power overflowing from every move and stance even caused many people on the ground to be affected.

At the first exchange, they seemed evenly matched, fighting to a draw.

But soon.

Wang Tong and the others discovered.

The situation had undergone a change that could not be ignored.

Zhai Dali's wife, Su Yueqiao, was clearly no match for that female hero with the Whisk; after only a few dozen moves, she was at a disadvantage, defending in a sorry state.

And that female hero with the Whisk, while fighting Su Yueqiao, could still look after the disadvantaged areas on the ground.

If any blade formation was being dismantled, she would immediately strike.

With a wave of her Whisk, a vast and peerless domineering power would rescue the blade formation in a weak position and reverse the decline.

It was precisely because of her all-encompassing, dead-angle-free help from the sky.

That the blade formation of forty-some people was able to advance steadily and smoothly!

And besides this.

There was also Zhai Dali, who had already achieved the status of Sitting Reflection Grandmaster, also locked in battle with that youth riding a terrifying exotic beast.

That youth was clearly the leader of the opposing side.

Not only did he have an exotic beast, but there were also several beautiful maidens by his side providing cover.

He was beating Zhai Dali throughout the entire process.

"The situation doesn't look good like this!"

"More than that, in my opinion, the battle will end in at most an hour; there's no suspense left!"

"Then what do we do?"

"What do you say, old brother?"

"Do it! Continuing like this is just death; strike them once, and maybe we can survive. Anyway, it's always been like this in the past; the profit of this Salt Well is not something we can get our hands on!"

"Good, do it!"

On the high platform in front of the Loyalty Hall, the leaders of Beidou Stronghold, Seven Star Stronghold, Yunyan Ridge, and other mountain strongholds whispered and conferred with one another.

They then made up their minds.

"Brothers of Beidou Stronghold, follow me to execute the villains of Fenglei Stronghold!"

"Seven Star Stronghold, charge, kill these sons of bitches from Fenglei Stronghold!"

"Brothers of Yunyan Ridge, look sharp, kill the scum of Fenglei Stronghold!"

"..."

Following the order, in an instant.

The scene within the battle formation on the drill ground suddenly turned chaotic.

The men from various families and strongholds turned their blades one after another, following their own Stronghold Masters, and hacked at the Fenglei Stronghold brothers who had been fighting side-by-side with them just moments before.

In a flash.

The entire drill ground was filled with sounds of cursing.

"Guo Laosan, you bastard, why are you hacking at me!"

"Fuck your mother, Xue Laoliu, where the hell are you stabbing!"

"Damn it, are your eyes just for show, why are you hacking at me!"

"..."

Sounds of angry cursing, fearful screams, miserable wails...

Rose and fell, one after another, never ceasing.

"Damn it!"

Seeing this situation, Zhai Dali knew the tide had turned; with such sons of bitches defecting in the face of battle, Fenglei Stronghold was beyond saving.

Immediately.

He let out an angry roar, and having no heart to continue the fight, he retreated directly.

Having attained the rank of Grandmaster, although he was at a disadvantage, retreating was still extremely easy, just a bit disheveled.

This was also thanks to the fact that in the opposing camp, Ning Mu's strength was insufficient, and Ye Qingxian, who was guarding the flanks, although able to steadily suppress him in terms of Cultivation Points, was after all an injured person and could not stop Zhai Dali's escape.

"Shitai, don't let this scoundrel escape!"

Immediately.

Ning Mu, riding on the back of the old driver and wielding his spear, shouted at Liuli Shitai.

And at this moment.

Zhai Dali had already retreated to the high platform.

His gaze was sinister as he glared at the backs of Wang Tong and the other Stronghold Masters.

Now that it had come to this, he would use his last breath to finish off these scoundrels who had defected in the face of battle.

Just then.

He had just raised his blade, not yet having time to strike.

"Report... Stronghold Master, the Salt Well at Luoxia Slope..."

Just at this moment, a middle-aged man covered in wounds and grime was seen riding a warhorse, entering from a small path and arriving before Zhai Dali.

He tumbled off his horse, and before he could finish his sentence, he vomited a mouthful of fresh blood.

"Lao San, what happened to you, what happened to the Salt Well!"

Zhai Dali's expression changed instantly.

The person who arrived was none other than the Third Stronghold Master of Fenglei Stronghold, the leader responsible for the Luoxia Slope Salt Well.

"Big Brother, the Salt Well has been seized by someone, the opponent is a True Person of the Divine Origin Realm!"

Lao San vomited another mouthful of blood, knelt on the ground, and beat his chest and stamped his feet.

Another True Person of the Divine Origin Realm?

Zhai Dali's face was instantly filled with extreme terror, his gaze subconsciously looking toward the sky at Liuli, who was suppressing Su Yueqiao.

Just how many True Persons did the other side have! Is this fucking thing really just a small Mountain Stronghold? Or is it a large army sent by the Imperial Court in disguise? At this moment, Zhai Dali had no more fighting spirit in his heart, his face ashen.

And before he could figure all this out.

Suddenly.

He saw in the distant sky that his wife, Su Yueqiao, suddenly dropped a move and was struck in the chest by the opponent's palm.

"A mere fox demon, daring to show off?"

"Kasaya Subduing Demons!"

"Heavenly Drum Thunder Sound, Zen Demon Heaven Mixing, Prajna All Buddhas, Prajna Om Mani Padme Hum!"

Liuli shouted coldly.

A palm strike containing ten-tenths of her Cultivation Points blasted out directly.

Boom! Su Yueqiao was instantly beaten back to her original form, falling from the sky like a discarded stone, withering as she hit the ground.

And at the same time.

Zhai Dali, standing on the high platform and overlooking the whole situation, felt a sweetness in his throat, and a stream of blood gushed out from his throat, completely unstoppable.

This vomiting of blood without any warning.

Left him staring blankly, not knowing what was going on.

But.

He could feel that the vitality within his body was rapidly fading away.

Suddenly.

He seemed to have understood something.

He looked at the distant ground, at that fox demon lying there, already dead or alive unknown.

His heart lost focus for an instant.

He did not know if that fox was truly a fox demon, or his own wife! Or, perhaps, both.

It was just that he had never known that his wife was a fox demon, and the fox demon was his wife! He had blocked this strike from a True Person on behalf of his wife! It was all over.

Lying on the ground, looking at the azure sky, a tear flowed from the corner of Zhai Dali's eye, and then his rapidly dilating pupils were slowly covered by his increasingly heavy eyelids.

(End of this chapter)