Chapter 78: Why Haven

He snorted, unleashed magic power to shield his entire body, preparing to endure the Dao technique. Human cultivators were weak; a company commander had thick magic power and heavy armor. A mere ordinary Foundation Establishment technique striking him would only cause minor injuries.

Two tornadoes appeared to the left and right of the company commander, sand and gravel the size of fists spinning at high speed, hammering his head and face. A water blade exploded before the warhorse, sending countless shards flying toward its head. The horse reared in fright, blocking the subsequent water blades with its chest and belly armor. Above, a meteor the size of a water barrel plummeted toward the company commander’s head.

The company commander’s vision remained blurred, but he drew his bow and shot an arrow that shattered the meteor overhead. Of the four Dao techniques, only the meteor posed any real threat; the other three were merely annoying. He burst into loud laughter and roared, “Harmless!”

At this moment, Xiang Weiyuan was less than fifty zhang away from him!

Xiang Weiyuan leapt from his horse, eyes flashing like lightning, locking onto the two hundred merit points ahead. He took a few steps forward, exerted all his strength, and hurled his twelve-foot spear!

For this throw, Xiang Weiyuan used his full strength—the warhorse could not have borne it; he had to dismount.

The spear shot forth like a dragon, piercing through the company commander’s side and exiting the other, its speed barely diminished!

The company commander’s body suddenly exploded, a wound nearly hollowing out half his torso. He struggled to look down, saw the horrific injury, then collapsed.

Xiang Weiyuan’s spear carried no Dao power—only raw physical force. The company commander’s vision had not yet recovered, and his spiritual sense was still disrupted by the Dao techniques. By the time he realized something was wrong, the spear was already upon him.

This was the first time Xiang Weiyuan and Li Zhi had coordinated. Li Zhi, noticing Xiang Weiyuan closing in on the company commander, chose not to dodge but to endure the next few arrows while using a Brilliant Sun Technique to blind his opponent. Xiang Weiyuan, meanwhile, unleashed several Dao techniques using only ordinary Foundation Establishment-level magic power—techniques too weak to threaten the company commander, but enough to make him believe two other human Foundation Establishment cultivators had already attacked, causing him to lower his guard and completely overlook Xiang Weiyuan, who was not yet a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The truly lethal strike was Xiang Weiyuan’s full-power spear throw!

“Qimu’er!!” Another company commander, who had been circling far away, saw this and his eyes bulged with rage. He turned and charged forward. At his movement, the surrounding cavalry followed suit.

Xiang Weiyuan tried to remount, but an arrow flew from somewhere and pierced his warhorse’s neck. Dozens of heavy arrows whistled toward him, raining down on his position on the ground.

Xiang Weiyuan acted instantly, leaping up and mounting the company commander’s abandoned warhorse.

The Liao horse, ferocious by nature, let out a roar and swung its head to smash into Xiang Weiyuan’s back. This horse, the company commander’s mount, stood two chi taller than ordinary Liao horses; this headbutt carried tremendous force—any ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator struck by it would spit blood. But Xiang Weiyuan’s body was immensely strong—he punched the horse’s occiput, smashing its legs into weakness, nearly toppling it. Then, a thread of black mist, invisible to the naked eye, slipped from Xiang Weiyuan’s body and entered the horse.

The Liao horse suddenly fell silent, standing motionless.

In Xiang Weiyuan’s spiritual sense, the horse’s soul resisted violently, refusing to submit. Xiang Weiyuan willed it—thousands of black threads in his mind-sea split off one more, sinking into the horse. The horse’s soul instantly turned gray-black, merging with Xiang Weiyuan’s consciousness. The horse, already tall, grew another chi taller, and white vapor began to puff from its nostrils.

Xiang Weiyuan spurred the Liao horse toward Li Zhi and shouted, “Get on!”

Li Zhi, though stunned, had no time to ask questions. He leapt onto the horse’s back, sharing the mount with Xiang Weiyuan. The company commander’s steed, mighty and invincible, now bolstered by the chaotic energy of Heaven’s Outcasts, carried two armored men as if they weighed nothing.

Another heavy arrow, glowing yellow, pierced the air toward them. Xiang Weiyuan, now unarmed, grabbed it mid-flight with his bare hand. The arrow slid an inch into his palm before stopping, its shaft already stained with blood.

This arrow had been shot from eight hundred zhang away—still devastatingly powerful. Even with Xiang Weiyuan’s formidable body, catching it barehanded injured him.

“Take this!” Li Zhi tossed Xiang Weiyuan the beast-headed golden shield and the Lightning Spear, then drew his bow and loosed a blue-white magical arrow that shot forth like lightning toward the company commander eight hundred zhang away. The arrow accelerated as it flew, vanishing in an instant.

The company commander drew his curved blade and slashed through the arrow midair!

The moment the blade struck the arrow, it exploded—countless ice shards rained onto the company commander, coating his entire body in a chilling blue frost.

The company commander let out a thunderous roar, shattering all the ice shards. Though he shook off the ice needles, countless wounds spurted bloodlines—but he paid no heed, charging forward even faster. These minor wounds only enraged him.

Seeing the Ice Arrow had failed to cripple the enemy, Li Zhi decided instantly: “Retreat! Call for reinforcements!”

Of the sixty personal guards he had brought, eight or nine were already dead or wounded—elite warriors, each loss a blow to his heart. Li Zhi had no intention of fighting to the death against the Liao barbarians in a disadvantageous situation.

Li Zhi drew a red arrow and shot it skyward. The arrow exploded into smoke at a hundred zhang, flickering several times before slowly fading. This was the special reinforcement signal used by Dao Sect disciples—standard across all sects. The smoke’s flickers transmitted the rescuer’s identity and the enemy’s strength via Dao power; disciples within a hundred li possessing the specialized device could sense it. Those with high cultivation and strong spiritual sense could perceive it even without the device.

Li Zhi’s arrow, besides identifying himself, transmitted: encountering a powerful enemy, fighting while retreating, urgent reinforcement needed.

Xiang Weiyuan had his own signal arrow and had given one to Fang Hetong. But as a reinforcement call, Li Zhi could summon far more aid.

At this moment, yellow mist began to churn in the distance, growing increasingly violent. Xiang Weiyuan’s expression hardened—he recalled the terrain and said, “Retreat toward Quyang County!”

Li Zhi had intended to retreat toward the military fort, but upon hearing Xiang Weiyuan, he understood: retreating toward Quyang County offered the shortest escape from Liao territory. Within human lands, the Northern Liao cavalry’s strength dropped by seventy percent. Li Zhi had also sensed the anomaly ahead—he knew more Northern Liao cavalry were approaching.

The Southern Qi personal guards, though elite, retreated without disorder, forming a circular formation, galloping back and forth, firing magical arrows at the surrounding Liao cavalry—like a spiky ball slowly rolling southward.

The Northern Liao cavalry circled outside, drenching the Southern Qi guards in arrows. The company commander clashed several times with Xiang Weiyuan and Li Zhi; Xiang Weiyuan took two more arrows but speared the commander’s horse dead. Li Zhi seized the chance to return fire, piercing the commander’s thigh. But the commander was ferocious—he seized a soldier’s horse, mounted it, and charged again despite his wound.

Xiang Weiyuan and Li Zhi fought as they retreated. In moments, another hundred cavalry burst from the yellow mist ahead. But then, Xiang Weiyuan suddenly felt lighter—as if he’d brushed off years of accumulated dust, utterly refreshing.

We’ve finally returned to human territory!

The Southern Qi elite now numbered only forty riders. After re-entering human lands, they finally stabilized their formation. The Liao cavalry moved slower, their arrows weaker than before. But their numbers were too great—still, some guards were shot down.

“Prince! Why haven’t the reinforcements arrived yet?” One guard captain could no longer hold back and shouted at Li Zhi.

Li Zhi’s face darkened, veins bulging on his temple—he said nothing.

(End of Chapter)