Chapter 52: The Attack

Li Zhi'an gripped his polo mallet, vaulted onto his horse, and sat in the saddle; the entire sequence of movements was clean, crisp, and dashing, immediately drawing screams from the noblewomen of Jindu nearby, and the crowd suddenly erupted.

Yan Shengyu said from the side, "Although I think my brother is also very handsome, compared to the Chief, he still lacks a certain charm."

Cheng Xi thought to herself that Li Zhi'an was indeed exceptionally good-looking; otherwise, she wouldn't have teased him on a whim that day, only to fall into his trap instead.

On the other side, Yan Yu also flew onto his horse, his dark hair held by a gold crown, a jade belt wrapped around his waist, which also drew many cheers.

The whistle blew, and the teams on both sides swarmed forward; Li Zhi'an took the lead, flicked his mallet, and the polo ball soared high, heading toward Jiang Boyu.

Jiang Boyu spurred his horse to chase the ball, while on the other side, Yan Yu intercepted midway; he occupied the tactical advantage, was a step faster than Jiang Boyu, and leaned down from his horse to snatch the polo ball away.

Once Yan Yu grabbed the ball, the spectators watching the match burst into cheers, especially those who had placed bets on the Demon Suppression Pavilion; they were dancing with joy, the color flags in their hands waving with a rustling sound.

Just at this moment, Li Zhi'an drove his horse straight toward Yan Yu at great speed; seeing that the mallet in his hand was about to strike Yan Yu, Yan Yu had no choice but to release the ball to protect himself, and in that split second, Jiang Boyu instantly whisked the ball away.

With a "bang," the polo mallets of Li Zhi'an and Yan Yu collided fiercely.

Yan Yu glanced at Li Zhi'an, ignored him further, and turned to chase the ball.

Jiang Boyu passed the ball to Ji Guanqi, who broke through the defense and struck the ball in with one shot; the whistle blew, and the Tongtian Division scored the first goal.

Everyone was stunned, and at this moment, Cheng Xi stood up and waved the flag in her hand, making it rustle loudly.

Empress Dowager:!

Yan Shengyu:...

When the Little Emperor saw this, he suppressed the urge to wave a flag, thinking to himself that Cheng Xi was truly worthy of being the person who had saved him; she was indeed different from others, daring to clearly and distinctly support the Tongtian Division, whom the Empress Dowager disliked.

Supporting the Tongtian Division meant supporting him, the Little Emperor!

The whistle blew, and the second round began; Yan Yu chased Li Zhi'an relentlessly, clinging tightly to him, while the others from the Demon Suppression Pavilion and the Tongtian Division tangled together, the polo ball rolling everywhere beneath their mallets.

The eyes of those in the stands could not keep up, and gasps of surprise rose continuously.

Cheng Xi's expression, however, gradually grew solemn; was Yan Yu's strength really this great?

It was not just Cheng Xi; others were also surprised, as Li Zhi'an's great name had dominated Jindu for years, and everyone had tacitly assumed he was the most powerful fighter among the younger generation.

Even though the Empress Dowager had established the Demon Suppression Pavilion, everyone felt that Yan Yu was far inferior to Li Zhi'an; it was only because the Empress Dowager stood behind him and Yan Yu was a member of the Yan Family that they dared not look down on the Demon Suppression Pavilion.

But now, everyone seemed to have a new understanding of Yan Yu's abilities.

The two went back and forth on the field, striking with extreme ruthlessness; this was not playing polo, but rather fighting for their lives.

Not only Cheng Xi, but the expressions of others also gradually became strange.

Yan Shengyu's face turned slightly pale, and she subconsciously grabbed Cheng Xi's hand.

Cheng Xi felt Yan Shengyu's hand was ice-cold; she looked over and saw that in addition to astonishment, a faint fear was spreading in her eyes.

She focused her attention on the field, and the conversations of other noblewomen reached her ears.

"Everyone says Chief Li is the number one among the young, but looking at Pavilion Master Yan today, he doesn't lose to him either."

"How can one easily believe such rumors? If Pavilion Master Yan had no ability, how would Her Majesty the Empress Dowager dare to let him manage a place like the Demon Suppression Pavilion?"

"That makes sense; I heard that during the last suppression of a Demon, the Demon Suppression Pavilion also achieved remarkable results..."

Literature is for the poor, martial arts for the rich.

Moreover, this was a time and space that valued talent; many children of noble families practiced martial arts from a young age in hopes of their talents manifesting early.

In the past, it was extremely rare for someone with talent to appear, but in the last hundred years, as the Seal gradually loosened and Spirit Essence gradually leaked through the Barrier into Tianshuo, more and more people had their talents awakened, yet even so, it was one in a thousand.

If it were not for this, the wife of the Duke of the State would not have harbored thoughts of breaking the engagement back then because the original owner had not awakened her talent.

Everyone marveled in their hearts; no wonder the Empress Dowager dared to form the Demon Suppression Pavilion. The Yan Family was truly too low-key; to be able to remain so composed despite having a talent like Yan Yu, allowing Li Zhi'an to become world-famous.

In just this short while, the whistle blew, and the Demon Suppression Pavilion scored a goal.

The crowd cheered loudly.

The Empress Dowager was all smiles, and a group of ladies nearby were praising Yan Yu to the skies, wishing they could praise him into a flower.

The Little Emperor's face was tense, his eyes fixed on the field.

The competition in the third round was even more intense; since they had tied previously, this round would determine the winner.

Just at this moment, Cheng Xi's expression changed slightly, her eyes looking toward a certain spot in the sky.

At this very moment, Li Zhi'an, who was playing, also suddenly spurred his horse backward to distance himself from Yan Yu; Yan Yu was furious and about to pursue, but discovered Li Zhi'an looking up at the sky, and he could not help but look over as well.

In that instant, the previously clear sky suddenly became covered with dark clouds, and the sky seemed to be torn open by a large gash; a two-headed black wolf leaped out of thin air, attacking toward the direction of the Empress Dowager and the Little Emperor.

"Save the Emperor!"

The guards swarmed forward, surrounding the Empress Dowager and the Little Emperor in the center; the ladies in the stands each took their daughters to find places to hide, and screams were incessant.

Yan Shengyu took out her Long Whip and stared at the black wolf in mid-air with a pale face; the two-headed wolf had a massive body, and although she had awakened her talent and her family had recently hired teachers to instruct her, she had never truly fought anyone, let alone a Demon like this.

She trembled slightly, but she did not retreat.

Cheng Xi pulled her behind herself and whispered, "Don't move."

Yan Shengyu trusted Cheng Xi implicitly and truly did not move as she stood behind her.

"Xixi, why did a Demon suddenly appear?" Yan Shengyu asked in a low voice, her tone filled with a hint of anxiety.

From afar, she saw her mother leaning against the wife of the Duke of the State, hiding behind a stone bench; she did not know how the two had come together.

Cheng Xi looked up at the sky, "Don't be afraid, it's just a two-headed wolf; judging by its size, it's not yet an adult. As for why it could pass through the Seal and arrive by tearing through the void, we will have to wait for the Demon Suppression Pavilion and the Tongtian Division to investigate."

Just then, Yan Yu flew up, his Long Sword thrusting straight at the Demon wolf's eyes. The Demon wolf's entire body exuded a cold, murderous aura; it roared and charged toward Yan Yu. The air waves swept through the sky, and although Yan Yu blocked most of them, a small portion still escaped, and one wave swept directly toward the stands.

The gale, wrapped in the foul, fishy stench of the Demon wolf, swept over the crowd; screams in the stands were incessant, and the guards used their bodies as shields to protect the Empress Dowager and the Little Emperor.

Others were not so lucky; many were blown off the stands by this demonic wind, and Yan Shengyu saw her mother knocked over by the wind and instantly lunged forward to catch her.

With a "clang," Li Zhi'an leaped into mid-air, his Long Blade hacking fiercely at the Demon wolf's leg, but it emitted the crisp sound of metal striking metal.

Cheng Xi's expression finally changed; the Demon wolf had actually undergone metallic mutation!