Chapter 1531

Hu Xiaotian sat on the flying eagle's body, quietly regulating his breath; the moonlight was silent, quietly enveloping him and the eagle's bodies; one person and one eagle under the moon seemed frozen, the scene filled with serene beauty.

Below was Red Valley County; after nightfall, most of the lamps in Red Valley County had already been extinguished; with large numbers of troops stationed inside and outside the county, the locals became cautious and timid, and few dared to leave the city after dark.

Hu Xiaotian opened his eyes and gazed toward the White Dragon River; that was where the Xichuan army's grain depot was located; once the Beggar Sect disciples took action, flames would ignite on that meadow. It was already approaching midnight, yet there was still no movement there.

There was not a breath of wind in the night sky; under such weather, even if that fire were lit, it could not spread easily, for fire relies on wind. Hu Xiaotian lifted his head to look at the bright moon in the sky, so pure, with not a cloud in the heavens and no wind to be felt; he knew that the Beggar Sect people were also waiting for the wind, just as he was.

Above the grain and forage camp, two Snow Eagles glided slowly; Xia Zhangming constantly monitored Long Xi Yue's condition, for today was her first time riding this Snow Eagle, fearing any mishap; but after a brief period of adaptation, Long Xi Yue had already mastered control, and that Snow Eagle was remarkably obedient, suggesting that any creature is lenient toward beauty.

The feathers on the Snow Eagle's neck trembled slightly; Xia Zhangming turned around, only to see Long Xi Yue also looking at him with delight, whispering, "The wind has come!"

Xia Zhangming nodded; the wind grew stronger; finally several points of firelight lit up from the grain and forage camp; the firelight, under the influence of the wind, began to expand, but the speed of expansion did not seem as swift as expected; Xia Zhangming let out a soft sigh; the two Snow Eagles dove downward. Xia Zhangming drew his jade flute and began to play; the flute sound rode the night wind outward; not long after, the birds already roosting flew from the surroundings of the grain and forage camp toward the flames, they frenziedly threw themselves into the fire, after being coated with fire, they then carried the flames toward the enemy camp. Long Xi Yue found it hard to watch, closed her eyes, but she understood that war is like this, allowing no mercy.

After the birds joined, the burning speed of the grain and forage camp increased rapidly, the burning range continually expanded; the soldiers tasked with guarding the grain and forage camp panicked, fetching water to fight the fire. Unfortunately, this firefighting method was terribly inefficient; they quickly realized this fire was beyond their ability to extinguish, and they retreated in disarray, constantly being overturned from the fire scene; the scene was filled with neighing horses and shouting people, chaos everywhere. The birds that fearlessly flung themselves into the fire were like madmen, crashing wildly, attacking anything they could reach.

Xia Zhangming smiled faintly, controlling the Snow Eagle to rise. He said to Long Xi Yue, "Your Highness, shall we go to the agreed place to wait for the lord to rendezvous?"

Although Long Xi Yue wanted to help, she also knew that if she appeared she would only distract Hu Xiaotian; suppressing her worry, she whispered, "Let's wait a bit longer, see if those Beggar Sect brothers can escape first."

Xia Zhangming nodded and said, "Princess, rest assured; I will assist them from the side in escaping."

At the instant the grain and forage camp ignited, Hu Xiaotian had already seen it from above; he smiled and said, "Elder Brother Eagle, it's time to move!" The flying eagle swooped down violently, carrying Hu Xiaotian as he turned into a black lightning bolt, rushing at astonishing speed toward the headquarters.

The scenery below rapidly enlarged before Hu Xiaotian's eyes; the flying eagle's control in flight was extremely strong, it began to decelerate at a certain altitude, and by the time it was ten zhang above the headquarters its speed had been reduced to a crawl; its massive body moved soundlessly, like a night spirit; Hu Xiaotian leapt into the air and swooped down; at the instant he left the eagle's back, the eagle swiftly climbed upward.

The place where Hu Xiaotian landed was precisely Yang Dao'yuan's residence; the room still had its lights on; Hu Xiaotian approached by gliding with the Art of Soaring. Near the gate, he drew his Breaking Wind Blade and with one strike split the door! The door split in two.

Inside, one person stood silently before a map, deep in thought—it was the Prefect of Xiezhou, Yang Dao'yuan.

Yang Dao'yuan heard the sound of the door shattering and instantly realized; he didn't even glance behind, planted his feet, and his obese, bulky body lunged forward leftward at astonishing speed. According to a normal person's reaction, upon hearing a disturbance they would first look to see what happened, but often in that glance they would miss the opportunity; a true master never reacts that way, for when life hangs by a thread, even a moment's hesitation can be fatal. Yang Dao'yuan reacted almost immediately; his escape route was left forward, because from the sound he had already discerned that his opponent wielded a blade, and specifically a right‑handed blade; no matter how fast the opponent's swordsmanship, the act of swinging still consumes time, and even the tiniest fraction of a second could become the key to turning the tide.

Hu Xiaotian's blade fell, releasing blade energy that sliced the hanging map in half; the invisible blade energy pursued Yang Dao'yuan's steps. Even though the blade energy was overbearing, it gradually weakened as it traveled. The blade energy struck Yang Dao'yuan's back; his body, propelled by the blade energy, lurched forward and shot out of the window like a ball; his robe was torn to shreds by the blade energy, revealing the golden silk armor underneath, the Golden Silk Coiling Dragon Armor. Although protected by the treasure armor, Yang Dao'yuan still felt the overbearing power; his dantian surged, and his body slammed into the front window, bursting out of the room like a rubber ball.

Seeing that his strike had hit the target yet the opponent was unharmed, Hu Xiaotian secretly marveled; he also noticed the golden armor on Yang Dao'yuan's body—this treasure armor could actually withstand his blade energy, its defensive strength comparable to the Silkworm Treasure Armor he had given Long Xi Yue.

Hu Xiaotian would not let Yang Dao'yuan escape just like that; he tapped the tip of his foot and followed as Yang Dao'yuan leapt out the window.

As Yang Dao'yuan fled into the courtyard, four figures approached from different angles; four black‑clad swordsmen raised their long swords and thrust simultaneously at Hu Xiaotian, intending to block his path.

Hu Xiaotian snorted coldly, his long blade arcing outward; a clang rang out, the opponents' longswords snapped in the middle; his blade momentum did not cease, puff! puff! … striking the bodies of the four swordsmen, cleaving them in half.

Yet at that moment Yang Dao'yuan halted his steps, his hand resting on the sword hilt without rushing to draw it; his narrow eyes fixed coldly on Hu Xiaotian, and he said in a sinister tone, "Sir, your skill is formidable; I know not what grudge I have with you, why do you press me so hard?"

Hu Xiaotian said nothing, raising his Breaking Wind Blade, gathering his inner strength to cleave Yang Dao'yuan with this strike.

Yang Dao'yuan felt an unprecedentedly strong killing intent pressing down from opposite him, this oppressive sensation making him barely able to breathe; he knew that in terms of inner strength alone he was no match for his opponent, and suddenly his throat let out a strange roar as he violently drew the long sword at his waist.

Sword light! Blinding sword radiance flashed, its brilliance rivaling sun and moon; Hu Xiaotian's eyes were dazzled by the intense sword glow, and at that very moment Yang Dao'yuan swung his sword. The later striker arrives first: although Hu Xiaotian raised his blade first, it was Yang Dao'yuan who launched the attack, sending an invisible sword qi slicing toward Hu Xiaotian's body—Yang Dao'yuan was actually a master of projecting sword qi.

Although Hu Xiaotian's vision was briefly impaired by the strong light, his judgment of the surroundings remained intact; though he could not see the opponent's move clearly, he sensed the direction of the incoming sword qi, stepped sideways to the right, and the sword qi brushed past his left shoulder.

Yang Dao'yuan seized the rare opportunity, his sword dancing wildly like a madman, crisscrossing sword lights flying toward Hu Xiaotian; Hu Xiaotian waved his Breaking Wind Blade back and forth, turning it into a mist of light that blocked the opponent's sword qi.

At this moment a dark mass of bats swooped through the air; Yang Dao'yuan muttered an incantation, and the cloud of bats pressed down on Hu Xiaotian like a dark cloud; Yang Dao'yuan was not only a swordmaster but also a Beast Tamer, and these bats were under his control.

Hu Xiaotian sliced through the bat swarm with two consecutive blows, but although countless bats were killed or injured and scattered by the blade energy, they immediately regrouped in a frenzy; though these bats could not harm Hu Xiaotian, they caused him great disturbance.

At this moment a large number of warriors rushed in from outside, each raising their bows to shoot at Hu Xiaotian.

Yang Dao'yuan was extremely cunning; he did not linger in battle, seeing that the bat swarm had temporarily entangled Hu Xiaotian, he turned and fled.

Hu Xiaotian silently thought, "Not good"; if he let Yang Dao'yuan escape today, killing him later would be even harder, but these bat swarms were truly annoying, and the arriving warriors each aimed and shot arrows; Hu Xiaotian had to both drive off the bats and block the arrow rain—though these attacks could not injure him, he could not disengage for a moment; just then a low cry came from the air, and hearing it the bat flock scattered in fright.

The warriors followed the sound and looked up, only to see a gigantic bird like a monster swooping down from the sky, arriving before them in an instant; most of the warriors were so frightened they dropped their bows and fled, while a few mustered courage to shoot a few arrows, but the feathered arrows striking the flying eagle caused it no harm whatsoever; the eagle's massive wings beat upon the warriors, shattering their formation like a rotten stalk pulled apart, and the warriors, screaming, were flung into the air like broken kites.

With the flying eagle relieving his siege, Hu Xiaotian's spirits lifted instantly; he shook off the bat swarm, leapt into the air, already standing on the eagle's back, and the eagle carried him aloft.

Yang Dao'yuan had not ceased his flight even for a moment; he had thought he had escaped danger, but seeing himself shrouded in a huge shadow, his fear rose to the extreme, and even with his composure he could not help but look up.

There he saw an unimaginably majestic raptor hovering above him; a dark shadow descended from the flying eagle's body—it was Hu Xiaotian, aided by the eagle in breaking through the encirclement; Hu Xiaotian gripped his blade with both hands and let out a heaven‑shaking roar, then swung down, releasing an invisible blade energy that tore toward the ground with the force of rending heaven and earth.

In his panic Yang Dao'yuan could only swing his sword to meet the attack, but before he could generate any sword qi, the blade energy had already swept past his neck; his head flew off, far away, and the ruptured cavity spat out a great spray of blood with a puff, the dark night filling with a heavy stench of blood.

This is Zhangyu's Third Update today; tonight there is still one more update; I am writing it, should be finished before midnight; the last two days, I hope you all are willing to join me in striving to complete this final battle! (To be continued~^~)