Chapter 97: Soup 61

Popular recommendation: A thick liquid formed a line, splashing sparsely onto the ground, gradually gathering into a stream, and slowly flowing into the dirty, damp sewer beside the street.

It seemed that rats, or some similar creatures, had caught a scent different from the usual; they suddenly darted out from the shadows, excitedly gnawing on the severed flesh.

The taste of this meat was wonderful; they had never eaten it before.

How many people would die on the long street, and who would emerge victorious in the end, they did not care.

Perhaps they were praying for a few more fingers to fly out, to use as supplements for their rations.

Suddenly, the movements of the rats and insects stopped abruptly; they looked around vigilantly, as if something were approaching.

The ground began to transmit a slight, rhythmic vibration.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

A pair of sturdy military boots descended from the sky, trampling the rotting flesh and severed limbs on the street into pulp without a second glance.

Dozens of armored Haozhou Army soldiers walked silently from one end of the long street; they were silent, making it hard for people to breathe in such a dark night.

The front row of soldiers held heavy shields almost as tall as themselves.

Behind them were rows of spearmen and axemen.

And behind this group of soldiers was a squad holding crossbows.

They were like a group of iron men, silently closing in on the position where Lu Li was.

The slaughter between Lu Li and the martial artists ahead, or the howling night wind, could not cause any change in their expressions.

In fact, their expressions were hidden behind iron helmets.

This was a group of fully armed soldiers.

And behind this group of soldiers, a man held a long spear, sitting on horseback.

Beside him was a carriage.

The carriage curtain was slowly lifted, and the head of the Prefect emerged from the carriage.

"Yo, quite a few people have died."

The Prefect grinned and said, "This Bright Venerable killed so many people alone; he is not easy to deal with.

Tang Liuyi, are you confident?"

The man holding the spear on horseback nodded slightly: "Just a group of martial artists; in the sewers of this Haozhou, don't a few rats die every day?"

After speaking, Tang Liuyi turned his head to look at the Prefect and said coldly: "After tonight, I will no longer owe you, nor will I help you clean up rats again."

... Lu Li gently shook the long sword in his hand; the last guy also fell under his sword.

Even though these men burst out with astonishing will to survive and bloodthirst before death, in the face of absolute strength, all solitary courage was futile.

They were people of the martial arts world, but Lu Li was a sword cultivator.

The strength of the two sides was too far apart, just like a group of plump sheep standing in front of a ferocious tiger, then attempting a sliding tackle.

The peerless sword light poured out instantly, harvesting everyone's lives in just a moment.

The sword light entered the curtain, killing a patch of severed limbs and blood rain.

Standing in the blood rain, the Bright Venerable raised his head, revealing that ferocious mask.

In front of him stood the silent soldiers.

Lu Li spoke: "You are soldiers, people with merit to the country.

If possible, I do not want to take action."

Lu Li's gaze passed through the heavy shields and the crowd, landing on that carriage, and he said indifferently: "You protected the wrong person."

Tang Liuyi said coldly: "For those who march, there is no right or wrong.

Your martial arts are very high, but you shouldn't have come here tonight."

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because you will die."

Lu Li suddenly laughed: "You can kill me?"

"Under the whole heaven, there is no land that is not the king's; the most powerful army in this world must naturally be in the hands of the Imperial Court; the martial arts world is but a corner of the empire, and the true killing skills in this world are naturally in the army."

Tang Liuyi was very confident.

In his view, perhaps the Bright Venerable before him had high martial arts, but no one in the martial arts world could be a match for heavily armored soldiers.

Perhaps the cultivation of martial arts people was higher and their martial path stronger, but they could never be stronger than this country.

Otherwise, those martial arts experts would only need to pluck off the head of Kublai, and whichever Yuan Court emperor wanted to invade in the future, they would just assassinate him; how could the iron cavalry of the Tatars have broken through the Song? Tang Liuyi's confidence,

was built on his years of understanding of this world.

But tonight, his understanding was destined to be completely shattered.

Only to see Tang Liuyi steadily and firmly raise the long spear in his hand.

"Fire."

Swish, swish!

Swish, swish, swish, swish!

The moment his voice was issued, the soldiers in front made a reaction in the shortest time, pulling the triggers in their hands, and dozens of crossbow bolts, wrapped in sharp, air-piercing sounds, shot toward Lu Li instantly.

The number of this rain of arrows was not large, but it was denser, more precise, and more ferocious than the blood rain just now!

Facing the sky full of arrows, Lu Li suddenly stepped forward, and a dazzling sword light instantly formed a curtain of light in front of him.

His sword seemed to have grown eyes, deflecting all the crossbow bolts shooting at him.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!

Countless crossbow bolts were cut off by Lu Li's long sword, or fell at his feet, or were forcibly shaken away, shooting randomly at the surrounding ground and walls at an extremely fast speed, making muffled sounds.

"Charge!"

However, when Lu Li swung his sword to parry, those soldiers had already begun their next move.

The heavy shield formation pressed toward Lu Li in an instant, and as they advanced, the first group of crossbowmen quickly retreated to reload, while another group of crossbowmen instantly continued the rain of arrows.

By the time the rain of arrows ceased, the heavy shields had already reached Lu Li, and sharp long spears and Steel Sabers struck at Lu Li in an instant.

"Kill!"

The coordination between the soldiers was tight; they obeyed orders and prohibited what was forbidden.

They had no flashy moves, nor did they have surging True Qi.

Every saber strike and every spear thrust was like a precise machine, sealing off all of Lu Li's paths of retreat.

A seemingly crude saber strike could always, as if by instinct, hack toward the enemy's most vulnerable spot.

A single strike to kill—that was the true method of warfare.

Lu Li's movements became extremely fast in an instant; a terrifying aura fluctuation erupted from his body, and Sword Qi slashed madly at the soldiers before him.

Lu Li's Sword Intent was like a mountain, slamming violently against the heavy shields.

The sword light collided with the heavy shields, striking out a patch of blinding sparks.

Two rows of heavy shields were jolted by the Sword Intent and fell backward violently; several of the shields were even severed by the Sword Qi, and the soldiers behind the shields were also sent flying by the immense force.

And the blade in Lu Li's hand also curled instantly.

Yet, facing such terrifying Sword Qi, not one of these soldiers retreated, and their weapons did not even tremble in the slightest; the gaps were quickly filled.

Sword Intent, Sword Qi, exceptionally sharp and killing without form, but so what? Even thousands of troops and horses had been crushed by them, and continuous artillery fire had once exploded right at their feet!

What force in this world could shake an army that charges into battle? "To think there could be such an army in Haozhou City? No wonder they could block the impact of the Tatars."

Lu Li said loudly, "I cannot bear to kill such good soldiers as you all."

The Sword Qi on Lu Li's sword suddenly retracted; he knew that if he erupted with full power, this group of soldiers would not be able to block his sword.

Who says one cannot kill without a blade? But such elite soldiers made Lu Li feel admiration.

As he spoke, spear wind and saber light slashed toward Lu Li in an instant.

Lu Li let out a long whistle, his body twisting suddenly.

He stepped onto a shield with one foot, stomping the two shield-bearers directly to the ground.

True Qi erupted from under his feet, and Lu Li's body soared into the air, sweeping over the crowd like an eagle.

Thud-thud!

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

Crossbow bolts shot out again, firing toward Lu Li, who was in mid-air.

Facing the sky-filling rain of arrows, Lu Li had nowhere left to hide.

However, he did not need to hide either.

One could see him turning with his sword, his entire person descending from the sky carrying peerless Sword Qi.

Have you ever seen a sword technique that descends from the sky? Boom!

Lu Li slammed into the crossbow unit like a cannonball.

The next moment.

All the crossbowmen instantly threw away their crossbows, drew their side-sabers from their waists, and charged up directly like a wild boar rush.

In ancient armies, the soldiers capable of drawing bows and shooting arrows were the strongest and most powerful men in the army, by no means weaklings unable to fight in close quarters.

Lu Li was instantly surrounded by a group of burly men, but a moment later, crossbowmen were already flying backward.

One could see sword shadows flying everywhere; Lu Li had entered a realm where no one could stop him.

Lu Li's side-sword, which had curled edges, appeared on the faces of every soldier at a curved angle, and then they were slapped away by Lu Li.

Lu Li could not bear to kill this group of elite soldiers, and since they had followed the wrong person, he could only—beat their heads crooked.

In just a few breaths of time, there was no one left standing beside Lu Li.

Before him, only one horse and one spear remained.

For the first time, an extra expression appeared in Tang Liuyi's eyes; it was shock, and it carried deep confusion.

The powerful self-confidence he had built over half a lifetime of military service was simply slapped away by Lu Li, one man with one sword!

Yes, Lu Li did not use a sharp blade to kill all his subordinate soldiers.

Lu Li even used the body of his long sword to slap everyone away without harming a single soldier.

That feeling was as if a father saw his own naughty child being disobedient, and then casually picked up a broom to fiercely spank his bottom.

Tang Liuyi's face felt a bit hot, because this was truly somewhat shameful.

And behind Lu Li, a crowd of saber-shield and spear soldiers were still watching from afar.

They were somewhat dumbfounded at this moment.

One person, without any armor, relying only on a broken sword with curled edges, had defeated their army completely.

Just a few breaths ago, Lu Li had stepped on them, crossed this fierce defensive line directly, and charged into the rear camp.

And the experts in their army, that group of crossbowmen, were now lying on the ground dizzy, only able to emit painful groans with difficulty.

This isn't right!

How is the person before them different from any enemy they had encountered before? It wasn't that they hadn't encountered martial arts experts, but so what? They had strong men on their side leading the rhythm too.

Not to mention their precise coordination, even without an army, any one of them drifting through the pugilistic world would be a ruthless person capable of carving out a piece of heaven anywhere.

But today, they were defeated by a long sword with a "slap-slap."

And on the carriage, the Prefect Cai was already scared out of his wits.

If one were to ask who was the most afraid among everyone right now, it would certainly be him.

He had thought that by inviting the heavy armor team led by Tang Liuyi, this rabble of the Ming Cult would surely be annihilated in one go, but who could have imagined that the army he relied upon would be directly scattered by one person!

Bright Venerable!

Prefect Cai's legs had already gone weak; he tried desperately to retreat, but he could not do so.

Exhausting his last shred of strength, Prefect Cai shouted, "Tang Liuyi... save me!"

Tang Liuyi, on his warhorse, was finally jolted awake from his dazed state by this cry.

What of a powerhouse? What of soldiers scattering? I am a general of an army; how can I be cowardly and refuse to fight!

The next moment, the long spear in his hand thrust out suddenly.

The spear emerged like a dragon, carrying arrogance and killing intent, fiercely thrusting toward Lu Li.

Yet Lu Li seemed not to care at all, slowly walking forward.

He lifted his foot lightly, and with precision, stepped onto the tip of Tang Liuyi's spear, then followed up with a forceful tap to leap onto the head of the warhorse.

It was as if that spear thrust was not meant to assassinate him, but rather a staircase delivered to him.

Under Lu Li's feet, the warhorse dared not move, and Lu Li's sword instantly landed on Tang Liuyi's neck.

"You are right, no matter how strong a martial artist is, they cannot contend with an army.

But for me, taking the head of an enemy general from amidst ten thousand troops is as easy as reaching into a bag to take an object."

Because, he was not just a martial artist.

Tang Liuyi slowly closed his eyes; he knew he was no match for the Bright Venerable before him, and he had already decided to meet his death.

Who would have thought, the chill on his neck suddenly vanished.

"Go back; you and your soldiers owe me a life."

In the darkness far down the long street, a voice came.

Tang Liuyi turned his head abruptly to look, only to see that Prefect Cai was no longer on the carriage, and he had vanished into the night along with the Bright Venerable.

---Author's Note--- A long chapter.