Chapter 384: 358 Deployment

Li Yijian was startled for a moment, then saw the scene before his eyes blur, and he had already been moved to a different battlefield.

Before he could react, he felt a fierce wind rise; focusing his eyes, he saw a ferocious Asura waving a thick arm to knock away a sword, and it was stabbing a long spear toward the neck of another Sword Guest.

A moment of life and death!

At the critical hair-breadth moment, Li Yijian swung his sword; a silver wolf shadow flashed and vanished behind him, and the sword body transformed into a gray wolf, biting down fiercely and clamping onto the Asura's spear.

Sword Art—Bite!

The Asura's spear shattered instantly, turning into a pile of powder.

The Asura was stunned, unable to believe its indestructible weapon had shattered so easily. How could it know that the Bite Sword Art acts in opposition to the opponent's hardness? The harder it is, the easier it shatters; to preserve a weapon, one must either not be hit by the Sword Art or use a flexible weapon as a counter. Li Yijian had fought the Asura for a long time; the previous Asura had discovered this and switched to a sticky whip, preventing him from utilizing his Sword Art. This time, by suddenly changing the battlefield and catching the enemy off guard, he had achieved a miraculous feat right from the start.

The Sword Guest opposite him had escaped death and, upon realizing what happened, was overjoyed, shouting: "Comrade, reinforcements have arrived!"

Another Sword Guest opposite was just using their sword for Body Protection, straightening up in a somewhat disheveled state; seeing Li Yijian, they said happily: "Eh? Have you already won? So fast?"

Li Yijian also felt strange inside and said: "Oh, not quite..."

He had just been besieging an Asura with three other Sword Guests, and while they had the upper hand, they were still far from victory. Who would have thought that with a blur before his eyes, he had been moved to a different battlefield, playing a crucial role the moment he arrived.

Wait...

He suddenly realized something and looked down at his own body, where a trace of light seemed not to have dissipated yet.

That is...

Li Yijian suddenly turned his head to look at the old friend standing in the center of the Yunhai.

Tang Zhao seemed to sense his gaze, turned his head to smile at him, and then swung his sword; another beam of light flashed, and a Sword Guest was instantly transferred to another battlefield to join a different siege.

Li Yijian immediately understood: Tang Zhao was using his Sword Art, which could rapidly transfer people, to rationally deploy personnel across the battlefield!

He was not wrong; at that very moment, Tang Zhao had discovered the thing he was best suited to do.

With his strength as a Sword Guest, even if he joined a battlefield, he could only serve as one combatant, and the effect he could exert was very limited. But his light-speed Sword Art was actually best suited for—battlefield coordination!

The light-speed Sword Technique allows people to instantly reach the other end of the light. While there are limitations for long-distance travel or escape—as one would encounter obstacles blocking the light source and be unable to pass—it is invincible for short-distance maneuvering, especially on a large Pingyuan. A light-based transfer within a few miles takes less than a blink of an eye.

Moreover, the greatest strength of light-speed is that there is no need to disengage from battle; as long as the light shines on a place, it takes effect immediately. Wherever Tang Zhao's gaze reaches, the light can reach; he can mobilize anyone on the battlefield at will.

He might not be able to exert much effect on other battlefields, but this kind of small-scale siege is exactly what needs personnel coordination. After observing, Tang Zhao had already decided on a strategy.

Generally speaking, three Sword Guests are absolutely sufficient to fight one Asura, maintaining a stalemate; two people would be struggling and at risk of being consumed. Four people besieging an Asura is a pure waste; they can gain the upper hand and suppress it, but cannot achieve a quick victory, so it is actually unnecessary. Five Sword Guests, however, can gain an overwhelming advantage and can expect a quick victory.

Therefore, the simplest approach is to keep all battlefields at three Sword Guests, then concentrate all the extra Sword Guests onto a single battlefield—five, six, or even more people besieging one Asura to quickly take it down, then move on to the next battlefield together, accumulating an advantage like a snowball.

Of course, this is only the most basic coordination; more advanced is to further optimize the configuration of Sword Guests. Sword Guests can be versatile, but Sword Guests on the Qianxian usually fight in small teams. After working together for a long time, they naturally have positions they excel at—some are good at attacking, some at defending, some can provide support, and others are famous for their escape speed. It is best if every team has a balanced configuration of attack, defense, and support; then, let alone three-on-one, even three-on-two would be a fightable battle.

It is just that although Tang Zhao is on the high ground of the battlefield with a good view, he is too unfamiliar with the Sword Guests on the Qianxian. Trying to figure out everyone's background and properly configure them in a short time is asking too much. Even if just patching together numbers, because of the terrain, there are places where light cannot shine directly, making it hard to transfer everyone into position at once; he can only move them over step by step.

Just as he was about to move people to fixed battlefields evenly, he heard someone call out: "Sword Guest Tang!"

Tang Zhao looked back and saw a person climbing up from the Jiangtai, dusty and quite disheveled; it was actually Cui Jiangjun's son, Young Master Cui.

Tang Zhao said in astonishment: "How did you climb up? Where is your Fire Seed Carriage?"

Young Master Cui wiped his face and said: "I came from the Jiangtai. The Fire Seed Carriage is too big a target, and I, an ordinary person, cannot drive it. I came by snorkeling along the edge of the Yunhai."

Tang Zhao was very surprised. The Fire Seed Carriage was indeed too conspicuous, but crossing the Yunhai was even more dangerous, especially since this Young Master Cui was not a Sword Guest. Danger was everywhere there; a stray ripple from an attack could make him disappear without a sound. The safest place was his father's Jiangtai.

But since he had come, as a soldier, Tang Zhao did not ask about his danger, only asking: "You came to..."

Young Master Cui said: "Father has already seen your Sword Art from the platform and praised it highly, saying your approach is correct. He is keeping a close watch on the Great Heavenly Demon over there, so you are to command the battlefield. You can mobilize the Sword Guests at will, but he feared you might not know the other Sword Guests, so he sent me to help provide you with information."

Tang Zhao suddenly understood and said: "You know all these Sword Guests? You know their strengths?"

Young Master Cui stood up straight and said: "Eight or nine out of ten, yes."

Tang Zhao praised him inwardly; this Young Master Cui indeed had his own merits and was not just following his father to the Qianxian to slack off.

No, it should be said he was very brave. His father sending him over meant he was treated completely as an ordinary soldier, without special regard for his life. This was both training and a clear distinction between public and private, not allowing him to lie his way to merit.

Tang Zhao was just in need of someone to help him distinguish these Sword Guests, so he didn't waste words and said: "Help me look, which Sword Guests can serve as main attackers? I will configure the Sword Guests based on the main attackers."

Young Master Cui immediately entered the state and said: "Among these Sword Guests, there are nine who are capable of being main attackers, such as 'Flowing Flame Sword' Hu Jianke, 'Yellow Bell Sword' Liang Yu, 'Drum Horn Sword' Shanye Gang..."

He pointed out the nine Sword Guests one by one, indeed knowing them like the back of his hand, even knowing their signature Sword Techniques. Tang Zhao asked for details and, after counting, found that among the nine Sword Guests, only one main attacker could be spared to be placed on another battlefield as the main force to deliver the final blow.

Tang Zhao did not hesitate and immediately decided to move Li Yijian. It wasn't that Li Yijian was the strongest, but that there was the most trust between the two. He could easily move Li Yijian several times without causing suspicion, and Li Yijian could immediately understand his tactical intent, which was the most important thing.

He then hurriedly asked for the names of the Sword Guests, remembering them after just one pass, and said: "Good, you go back first."

Young Master Cui said: "I will help you signal with flags here; this is our Qianxian communication method. I brought the General's great banner; using flag signals first will make everyone trust you more." He put down the bundle on his back and indeed pulled out a Pixiu banner.

Tang Zhao said: "Bud soldiers can also use flag signals; you go back, it is too dangerous here."

Young Master Cui's expression turned stern, and he said: "Sword Guest Tang, do you look down on me?"

Tang Zhao waved his hand and said: "That is not what I meant, it is just that Cui Jiangjun..." He knew that if he kept talking, he would really offend him, so he said: "Fine, you help me with the flag signals, and by the way, keep an eye on that Boundary Gap. I cannot attend to that place; if there is any abnormality, notify me immediately."

Young Master Cui agreed and indeed stood at the highest point, signaling with flags while watching the Boundary Gap, which had already been mostly covered by the Fire Quality Layer.

The shadow of that Great Heavenly Demon was still lingering at the edge of the Boundary Gap—when would it come over?

Young Master Cui's heart rose. When he was observing from the Jiangtai far behind his father, because of his strength and eyesight, he could not see nearly as clearly. Now, at such close range, seeing the shadow of the three-headed, six-armed Great Heavenly Demon head-on, he felt a sense of suffocation.

It seemed—the pressure his father gave him was far less intense than this shadow.

If the Heavenly Demon breaks through the boundary and comes over, perhaps it is all over.

Young Master Cui had this thought, then suppressed it. Thinking about these things on the battlefield is meaningless and will only disturb his mind.

It is just...

When he stood at the highest point overlooking the Boundary Gap, why did it feel like there wasn't just one kind of pressure?

It was as if on this side of the Boundary Gap, there was also a faint pressure that made him unable to catch his breath.

Young Master Cui highly suspected he had sensed it wrong. His Inspiration was very high; if not for his father suppressing him for training, he could already be a Sword Guest. With his Inspiration, if he could sense it, he should be able to see it.

Perhaps he was distracted.

At this moment, the fairy standing at the entrance of the rift turned her head, looked at him from afar, and then turned back.

Chi—

A flash of light passed, and Li Yijian discovered there was one more person beside him.

Four Sword Guests fighting one Asura?

Isn't that a bit of a waste?

Out of trust for Tang Zhao, he had already begun to ponder the deeper meaning of Tang Zhao's arrangement; the next moment, his vision blurred, and he had already been swapped to another battlefield.

Oh, so it was still three-on-one, and I was the one swapped out?

Li Yijian understood in an instant, and upon looking closely at his surroundings, there were five Sword Guests present.

This wave is six-on-one!

Li Yijian instantly became excited; he understood even better the reason Tang Zhao had sent him here—this was to have him deliver the final blow.

Since that is the case—

Sword Art—Wolf Pack!

His sword thrust forward rapidly, and countless wolf shadows flashed out from within—ten, a hundred, countless heads...

Countless wolf shadows rushed over, covering the sky and earth, and the Three-Headed Six-Armed entity was instantly submerged within the wolf shadows.

The Sword Guests who were currently besieging it and winning step by step paused simultaneously, staring blankly at this Sword Guest who had appeared out of nowhere and unleashed a powerful ultimate move right from the start. They could never have imagined that after they had worked so hard to besiege it for so long, how could someone else have come to snatch the victory?

Click—

At the same time, the extending Fire Quality Layer suddenly stalled, emitting a not-so-loud shattering sound.

A crack appeared on the Dharma Artifact used for mending.

Young Master Cui's hair stood on end as if he had been electrocuted, and he shouted:

"It's here!"