Chapter 118: Butcher Armor, the Great Army Arrives!

After the elderly Martial Venerable jumped down, the Martial Masters from his family also followed suit and jumped down.

After more than twenty people landed, they cautiously guarded their surroundings, ready for any possible mechanisms that might appear.

Above, the other Martial Venerables at this moment all focused their attention on the elderly Martial Venerable, wanting to use him to test whether there was any danger in the small plaza below.

But after seeing the elderly Martial Venerable lead a group of Martial Masters forward nearly a hundred meters with no incident, some Martial Venerables could no longer sit still, and they brought their Martial Masters behind them and jumped down from the passage!

As more and more Martial Venerables saw this, they no longer waited and jumped down directly from the passage.

After all, Fang Xu was right before their eyes; the elderly Martial Venerable who had jumped down first was now less than a hundred meters from Fang Xu, a distance that even a Martial Venerable whose cultivation was suppressed by the seal could cross with a single burst.

Seeking wealth through risk, none of the Martial Venerables present were willing to simply hand over a first-rank martial technique.

In the center of the small plaza, Fang Xu watched as the Martial Venerables gradually surrounded him, roughly counting them at about fifty.

Seeing that they were about to close in, Fang Xu hesitated not, sprang up, and fled downward along the vines in front of the cave entrance!

"This brat wants to escape!"

Feeling the strong wind at the cave mouth, a Martial Venerable frowned and said.

The next moment, all the mutated fiendish humanoids launched an attack!

Relying on their strength and speed advantage, these fiendish humanoids often retreat at the first touch!

Their bodies are covered in hard scales; even if they suffer one or two attacks from these Martial Venerables, they will not sustain fatal injuries.

On the vast plaza, the surrounding rock walls, the vaulted ceiling above, and the altar in the center were all teeming with fiendish humanoids.

As soon as the words fell, he pursued downward along the thick vines at the cave mouth.

Gradually, Martial Master seventh level, ninth level, great perfection...

The forty or fifty Martial Venerables in the field were surrounded by many fiendish humanoids, their activity space continually shrinking, forcing them to huddle tightly together.

The remaining Martial Venerables, seeing this, hesitated a moment, then also followed down into the cave.

They never imagined, even in death, why these vicious fiendish humanoids would obey Fang Xu's words.

Time passed bit by bit, the battle in the field grew weaker and weaker, and when the fiendish humanoids tore apart the last Martial Venerable, the battle ceased.

"Howl..."

Howl!

Duanjiao, seeing this, immediately let out another angry roar!

Fang Xu, seeing this, slightly furrowed his brow.

But now, the seal suppresses part of their cultivation; wanting to rely solely on bodily strength with no aid, to climb straight up nearly two hundred meters, no one present could do it.

On the plaza, the corpses of fiendish humanoids and martial practitioners lay together, broken walls and ruins, shattered organs, brain matter splattered everywhere, and blood gathered into small streams that flowed along the strange patterns on the altar in all directions.

"Mutual destruction?"

Having said that, he waved his hand.

The cave's height from the ground is nearly two hundred meters; without the seal's suppression, this height would be nothing to a Martial Venerable-level martial practitioner.

Duanjiao came before Fang Xu, pointing at the many martial practitioner corpses on the ground, then pointing at the group of pitiful fiendish humanoids behind him.

At the third-stage entrance, after Fang Xu jumped down, he immediately signaled Duanjiao to get ready.

"You all think too much; I only want to keep you all here."

As soon as his words fell, Fang Xu slowly walked over with Duanjiao and a group of mutated fiendish humanoids.

As soon as his words fell, the elderly Martial Venerable's eyes flashed with resolve as he calmly said, "You all are afraid; I, an old man about to die, am not afraid—I will go first."

Martial practitioners at the Martial Master level were quickly slaughtered, leaving only those forty or fifty Martial Venerables in the field.

The surviving fiendish humanoids needed no prompting from Fang Xu; they voluntarily gathered all the treasures and pills dropped by the martial practitioners on the battlefield and placed them before him.

"Duanjiao, send them on their way." After Fang Xu spoke softly, his figure gradually retreated into the midst of the fiendish humanoids.

"There's a strong wind blowing inside the cave; there might be other exits. If we let this brat escape to the outside of the ruins, the whole Ti Lan Shan is so large that we'll have trouble finding him later!"

Large numbers of martial practitioners continued to come down from the cave, passing through a not-too-long passage, and appeared in the great plaza.

Aided by the light of the ever-burning lamp, hundreds of martial practitioners saw the dense swarms of fiendish humanoids below, and their faces all changed at once!

The number of fiendish humanoids before them was simply too great!

As their companions beside them dwindled, the remaining Martial Venerables fell into despair.

But he ultimately was a step too slow; Fang Xu's figure had already vanished into the cave!

All the Martial Venerables gathered together at the cave entrance, staring at the dark opening and glancing at each other.

Behind him, the Martial Masters who had followed him saw that their ancestor had already gone down, and without any hesitation, they directly jumped down after him.

Behind him, Duanjiao walked up slowly to his face and let out a great roar toward the passage!

The martial practitioners still hadn't figured out what was happening; behind them, the vines at the cave mouth they had descended through were all thrown down at once.

As for those Martial Venerables, facing the wave-like assault of countless fiendish humanoids, they had no chance to catch a breath; a moment's carelessness would see them torn apart by the fiendish humanoids' sharp claws, large chunks of flesh ripped from their bodies!

The attack continued, and casualties kept rising.

Ordinary fiendish humanoids, plus Duanjiao's type with scale-covered bodies and horned heads—these mutated fiendish humanoids numbered over ten thousand!

"This little beast wants to perish together with us!" a martial practitioner exclaimed, his face changing dramatically.

Watching Fang Xu jump into the cave, the elderly Martial Venerable who had jumped down first changed expression, his body surged forward, hoping to seize the opportunity to intercept Fang Xu.

"You want to eat them?"

Duanjiao's gaze shifted slightly, then he brought over an ordinary fiendish humanoid, pointed at it, then at the corpse, then at himself.

The meaning is roughly that ordinary fiendish humanoids, after eating martial practitioner corpses, can transform into mutated fiendish humanoids like it.

Duanjiao gave them a mocking glance, then suddenly let out an angry roar!

This move undoubtedly cut off their retreat.

The next moment, all the fiendish humanoids on the plaza sprang into action!

On the rock walls, on the vaulted ceiling, from all directions, nearly ten thousand fiendish humanoids swarmed toward the hundreds of martial practitioners present!

The brutal slaughter began; those martial artists below the fifth level of Warrior Master had no ability to fight back, and in the blink of an eye were torn apart by the angry man-beasts.

Fang Xu hesitated for a moment, then slowly turned and said, "Move faster."

As a person, when facing the martial artists who come to kill him, he feels no psychological pressure and lets the man-beasts slaughter them.

But to have him watch the man-beasts gnaw human corpses right before his eyes is something he cannot accept.

This is not due to excessive compassion; he simply cannot overcome this psychological barrier.

Broken Horn, seeing this, immediately let out a low growl at the man-beasts behind him.

Having received its command, the man-beasts began frantically gnawing on the martial artists' bodies; even though Fang Xu had turned his back, the sound of chewing and gnawing reaching his ears still made him feel creepy.

Enduring this discomfort for about half an hour, after which there was no sound behind him, Fang Xu then turned around.

The man-beasts behind him had thoughtfully cleaned up all the remaining bones, and some of them carefully checked their companions, wiping blood from the corners of their mouths.

Fang Xu took a deep breath, collecting all the martial artists' belongings before him into his Cosmos Bag.

Gazing at the deep pool before him, a sense of anxiety rose in his heart.

He also didn't know how Yun Wan was doing over there.

……

Maple Forest Town.

Eight days had passed since those martial artists were slain; on this day, a large contingent of soldiers wearing black-scaled mystic light armor, holding dark long spears, with iron-backed long bows and quivers on their backs appeared on the official road outside Maple Forest Town.

On the official road, the martial artists coming and going all changed their expressions upon seeing this contingent of soldiers radiating a lethal aura.

The black-scaled mystic light armor is also called the "Slaughterer's Armor", crafted by the Slaughterer Zhao Wují.

The fact that these soldiers can wear the Slaughterer's Armor proves they are no ordinary troops, but the elite forces under the Slaughterer Zhao Wují.

The imperial court mobilizing troops to Maple Forest Town surely indicates a major move.

At the forefront of the mighty army rode Yun Wan in purple robes on a fine horse, alongside a middle-aged man in crimson general's armor.

The middle-aged man is called Sha Tianrui, his cultivation reaching the sixth level of Warrior Lord.

Under the Slaughterer Zhao Wují are four brave and skilled generals, collectively known as the "Blood Slaughter Kill".

Among them, aside from the Blood General whose cultivation reaches the seventh level of Warrior Lord, the other three are at the sixth level of Warrior Lord.

After returning to Huang Prefecture, Yun Wan informed her father Yun Tianming of the discovery of the Yanshen Sect's secret base; Yun Tianming, recognizing the gravity of the matter, without hesitation personally went to Zhong Prefecture and reported it to Emperor Yu.

Upon receiving this news, Emperor Yu directly summoned Zhao Wují into the palace; after their discussion, the Slaughterer Zhao Wují immediately dispatched Sha Tianrui to personally lead ten thousand elite troops to Maple Forest Town to exterminate the Yanshen Sect.

"Miss Yun..."

"Uncle Sha, just call me Wan'er."

Sha Tianrui had just begun to speak when Yun Wan hurriedly bowed respectfully and interrupted him.

Sha Tianrui and his father have long been acquainted; in terms of strength, both are at the sixth level of Warrior Lord; in terms of status, although the Four Great Generals are subordinates of Zhao Wují, they are among the few most trusted by the current Emperor Yu, their status not inferior to that of the hegemons of the Seven Provinces.

"Hehe... little girl, this trial has helped you grow quite a bit." Seeing Yun Wan say that, Sha Tianrui smiled faintly and said, "Regarding the Yanshen Sect, do you still have anything concealed?"

Upon hearing this, Yun Wan's heart gave a slight start, but she dared not show any flaw on her face; she immediately bowed and asked, "Uncle Sha, do you feel something is off?"

Sha Tianrui glanced at her indifferently and said, "The methods of those Yanshen Sect people are eerily strange, no less than the witches of the Mu Yun Kingdom."

"Even in my view, they are harder to deal with than the witches."

"You were discovered by them yet managed to escape; could there be some conspiracy in between?"

Upon hearing this, Yun Wan's heart relaxed a little.

She had thought Sha Tianrui had seen through something, but in fact he was merely worried that the Yanshen Sect might have set a trap regarding this matter.

"Wan'er feels there should be no conspiracy." Yun Wan pondered a moment, then smiled lightly and said, "With Uncle Sha's strength, plus these ten thousand elite troops whose cultivation reaches Warrior Master level, clearing the remnants of the Yanshen Sect would be effortless."

Sha Tianrui smiled but said nothing.

Turning his head to look at the deputy commander behind him, he said, "Ahead is Maple Forest Town; notify the troops to quicken the march."

The deputy commander bowed, quickly reined in his warhorse, and ran toward the rear of the column:

"General's order: quicken the march!"

"General's order: quicken the march!"

……

The army soon arrived outside Maple Forest Town; Sha Tianrui reined in his warhorse, turned, and ordered, "The army will camp outside the town; I, the general, will go pay a visit to the Seventh Prince."

Besides the mission to exterminate the Yanshen Sect, he also brought back a reply letter from Zhao Wují to Li Xun.

Zhao Wují personally instructed him to, if necessary, lend a hand to Li Xun and Li Xingchao.

"Wan'er, let's go." Sha Tianrui glanced at Yun Wan beside him and said with a smile.

Yun Wan blinked slightly, then gave a bitter smile and shook her head: "Uncle Sha, you go ahead; Wan'er... Wan'er will not go."

Originally, to avoid marrying Li Xun, she secretly sneaked into the ruins of Tilan Mountain.

Now asking her to meet Li Xun and Li Xingchao again is somewhat difficult for her.

Regarding Li Xun and Yun Wan's affair, Sha Tianrui had also heard a bit; seeing Yun Wan refuse, he said nothing more, merely remarking lightly: "What must be faced must be faced, little girl; take care of yourself."

Riding his warhorse, Sha Tianrui soon arrived at the Maple Forest Town government office.

After seeing Li Xingchao, he briefly stated the purpose of his trip, handed Zhao Wují's personal letter to Li Xun, and was about to leave when Li Xingchao called out to him.

"General Sha, I am curious: how did you learn the location of the Yanshen Sect's secret base?"

Sha Tianrui turned, gave a half-smile toward Li Xingchao, then bowed and said, "It was the Yun family's young lady who happened upon it in the mountains; Yun Tianming submitted the matter to the emperor, and after the emperor and the grand general discussed it, they sent me, the junior general, to handle this."

"The Yun family's young lady? Is it Yun Wan?" Li Xingchao's eyes flashed, somewhat unable to believe.

That day Yun Wan secretly sneaked into the Tilan Mountain ruins; it has been two or three months since then, and Li Xingchao had thought she had perished.

"Your Highness... this junior general has something to say, but I'm not sure whether I should speak it." Seeing the glint in Li Xingchao's eyes, Sha Tianrui hesitated a moment, then bowed and said.

"Please speak, General Sha." Li Xingchao extended his hand and said.

"The Princess Yan Yang is your elder sister; Your Highness, you should know how the Princess has fared since marrying into the Tuoba family."

Upon hearing this, Li Xingchao frowned slightly as he looked at Sha Tianrui and asked, "General, what do you mean by that?"

Sha Tianrui's expression was somewhat complex, his tone a bit sorrowful as he said, "Your Highness, please forgive me; I am a rough man, I don't understand court affairs, and I don't even know what kind of relationship this is, one obtained by sacrificing the happiness of one's children's marriage."

After saying that, he again cupped his fists toward Li Xingchao, then turned and left the government office.

Watching Sha Tianrui's departing figure, Li Xingchao's face darkened somewhat.

"Your Highness, General Sha obviously still bears a grudge over what happened back then," Xu Liang murmured beside Li Xingchao.

The matter from back then?

Li Xun looked somewhat bewildered at his father and asked, "Father, what happened back then?"

Li Xingchao's eyes flickered, then he sighed deeply and said, "These are just old stories; back then, Sha Tianrui was a member of the Jinlin Guard and served as your aunt's personal bodyguard."

"After spending a long time together, they secretly developed feelings for each other, so Sha Tianrui went to beg your imperial grandfather to let him marry your aunt."

Upon hearing this, Li Xun's face filled with shock!

He hadn't expected that there was such a past between his aunt Yan Yang and Sha Tianrui.

"Did your imperial grandfather refuse?" Li Xun pursued.

Li Xingchao nodded: "Back then, Tuoba Hao of the Tuoba family also took a liking to your aunt, pestering his own father to propose marriage to your imperial grandfather."

"One was a lowly Jinlin Guard, the other the future head of the Tuoba family; Sha Tianrui and Tuoba Hao are simply incomparable."

"After your aunt married into the Tuoba family, Sha Tianrui requested to go to the army, but he never expected……"

Li Xingchao's words trailed off.

But Li Xun knew what he was going to say; he guessed that even the imperial grandfather hadn't imagined that Sha Tianrui would not only survive in the army, but also rise to his present stature.

As the crown prince, Li Xun knew that his aunt's life after marrying into the Tuoba family was not happy.

That Tuoba Hao is a typical playboy, fond of novelty, bored with the old, and lustful by nature.

Not long after marrying his aunt, the novelty wore off and he began to fool around outside; although they were husband and wife in name, his aunt was left living as a widow.

"All right, don't let this leak out, and don't mention it in front of your imperial grandfather either." Having instructed Li Xun thus, Li Xingchao straightaway returned to his room.

Outside Fenglin Town, after Sha Tianrui returned, he immediately took a detachment of his personal guards and followed Yun Wan toward Ti Lan Mountain.

To wipe out this outpost of the Yanshen Sect this time, we must make full preparations and strive to catch them all in one net.

Otherwise, if we let this bunch escape, the vast mountains stretch for tens of thousands of miles, making them hard to track down later.

As the sky grew dark, a group of more than ten walked along the mountain path of Ti Lan Mountain, observing the various martial artists around them; Sha Tianrui spoke up: "Little lass, I heard rumors a few days ago that someone had grasped a first-rank martial technique in these ruins—is that true?"

Yun Wan's expression flickered slightly upon hearing that.

She had also heard of this.

Earlier, having seen Fang Xu in the ruins, Yun Wan learned from him that he had killed many people.

At that time, Yun Wan didn't know why Fang Xu killed people, but after hearing this news she realized that Fang Xu was very likely the one who had grasped a first-rank martial technique.

Only that could explain it.

"Uncle Sha, are you also interested in that first-rank martial technique?" Yun Wan asked tentatively.

She did this to drive off the wolf and help the tiger, in order to aid Fang Xu's escape.

But if Sha Tianrui also takes an interest in that first-rank martial technique, then while we might drive away the tiger, we'd be left with a pack of vicious wolves, which would be troublesome.

Sha Tianrui heard her, looked at her and smiled: "As for first-rank martial techniques, it should be said that very few martial artists can resist their allure."

Upon hearing him say that, Yun Wan's heart sank instantly.

"Well… fate determines destiny; what is meant to be will come, what is not meant to be should not be forced…"

Sha Tianrui said calmly: "Forcing what is not yours will ultimately bring disaster."

Yun Wan froze.

She hadn't expected Sha Tianrui to be so open-minded about it.

"Uncle Sha, you really aren't interested in that first-rank martial technique?" Yun Wan said, half-disbelieving.

"Interested… Uncle, as I just said, no martial artist can resist the allure of a first-rank martial technique; I am merely a mortal and have not yet attained that state of desirelessness." Sha Tianrui gave a faint smile: "If a first-rank martial technique were placed before me, I would certainly take it."

His words left Yun Wan pondering, and for a moment she didn't know how to help Fang Xu.

The group continued forward, soon bypassing the entrance to the Ti Lan Mountain ruins and arriving before a waterfall with a tremendous drop.

Under the bright moonlight, Yun Wan, Sha Tianrui and the others stood on a towering boulder, surveying the forest across the waterfall.

"Uncle Sha, it's over there."

Following the direction of Yun Wan's finger, Sha Tianrui focused his gaze and, amid the dim forest, indeed saw some inconspicuous wooden huts.

"You lot, go scout it out—just don't alert the enemy."

Sha Tianrui waved his hand and said in a low voice.

"Yes!"

The few soldiers who had followed behind cupped their fists and then swiftly vanished into the forest.

(End of chapter)