Chapter 104

"Kill."

Lu Zhangsheng flashed his footsteps, raised his blade, and rushed up again.

In the blink of an eye, he arrived before the opponent and slashed forward with one blade.

"Whoosh..."

Cold light flashed, and the blade edge rubbed against the air, making bursts of whistling sounds.

This strike was still a full-strength attack, and the Threefold Wave secret art was always operating at full capacity.

He had sufficient Source Energy Points in his own hands, enough to support him in a bloody battle for several days.

Seeing this, Duan Zhanghe's eyes were full of solemnity.

The long blade in his hand also slashed forward, his body's qi and blood surging wildly, having long been pushed to the limit by him.

Facing such a great enemy, he dared not relax in the slightest.

Before striking, he had fantasized about blowing up the opponent in a few moves; he hadn't expected this person's strength to be so terrifying.

If he were careless, he might capsize in the gutter.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

A huge roaring sound resounded through the clouds, the force generated by the collision of the two sides swept in all directions, the entire battlefield was filled with dust and smoke, a mess.

The two fought a bloody battle endlessly by the city wall, becoming increasingly fierce.

As time passed, the movement of the fight became larger and larger.

The two's speed was as fast as lightning, traveling across the battlefield, making it gradually difficult for people to see clearly.

One could only see bursts of blade light flashing by the city wall, containing incomparably sharp murderous intent.

On the city wall, the group of heretic cultists stared fixedly at the two's battlefield, their eyes full of fear.

They hadn't expected that someone could fight their Helmsman to such a degree.

The group of remaining City Guards saw this, their faces full of excitement, and their momentum increased by a large margin.

As the long blades in their hands waved, they killed the group of heretic cultists until they retreated repeatedly.

With the support of a top-tier expert, their hope for survival increased greatly, so they naturally chose to fight to the death.

Time passed slowly.

Half an hour later.

"Who exactly are you?"

Duan Zhanghe looked horrified, monstrous waves seemingly surging in his heart.

The opponent had been using secret arts for a long time, yet he didn't show a hint of decline, which made him find it hard to believe.

Not only that, he felt that the long blade in his hand was becoming more and more strenuous to wave, and he had a feeling of being unable to parry the opponent's offensive.

Gradually, Duan Zhanghe was in an absolute disadvantage, struggling to resist the blade light all around.

"Not good, the Helmsman is unable to resist."

The group of heretic cultists looked fearful, their eyes wide, as if they had seen a ghost.

Everyone hadn't expected the mysterious strongman to be so terrifying, actually forcing Duan Zhanghe into such a desperate situation.

"Ten thousand victories! Ten thousand victories!"

The group of City Guards shouted wildly, their cries resounding through the clouds.

Their momentum was like a rainbow, killing the heretic cultists in front until they retreated repeatedly.

Everyone also saw the battle situation outside the city; as long as the mysterious strongman could kill the opponent's Helmsman, they would definitely win this battle.

This town finally had hope of being held.

Many civilians also saw the scene of the battle outside the city and couldn't help but have tears in their eyes.

"Mother... we are saved, government officials have come to save us..."

The group clenched their fists, silently praying for the strongman outside the city.

It seemed the prayers of the crowd had an effect.

Battlefield outside the city.

"Kill."

Lu Zhangsheng fully activated his footwork, traveling around Duan Zhanghe like a ghost, the blade light in his hand weaving into a large net, firmly controlling the opponent in the center.

Endless blade light flashed in the void, like snowflakes drifting across the entire battlefield.

A hint of fear appeared in Duan Zhanghe's eyes.

He wanted to escape, but he couldn't.

The opponent's speed was more than several times faster than his, and there were no Holy Sect experts nearby; today, he was likely in danger.

After activating his secret art for a long time, he had also reached his limit.

The long blade in his hand paused, and his momentum weakened significantly.

"Die."

Lu Zhangsheng seized the opportunity and slashed quickly.

Like a thunderclap.

Before the opponent could react, a bright blade light instantly sliced across his neck.

"You..."

Duan Zhanghe clutched his neck with one hand, his eyes full of fear and unwillingness.

He had killed countless people and dominated for a lifetime; he hadn't expected to fall at the hands of a strange expert.

A breath later, Duan Zhanghe fell to the ground, his head rolling to the side, and a large amount of blood gushed out, staining a small patch of bluestone ground red.

One strike, and the heretic cult Helmsman was dead.

From Duan Zhanghe revealing a flaw to his death, it happened in an instant.

The numerous martial artists on the city wall only then reacted, all filled with horror.

"Not good, the Helmsman is dead, run!"

The group of heretic cultists were like frightened birds, fleeing rapidly in all directions, wishing they had grown a few more legs.

Even they hadn't expected their Helmsman to be unable to even save his own life and be killed directly.

This left the numerous heretic cultists feeling terrified, as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.

"Kill them all, ten thousand victories."

The remaining City Guards' momentum surged, holding long spears, and stabbed toward the many heretic cultists.

Shouting, slashing, and the sound of weapons colliding intertwined, as if even the clouds in the sky were shaken away.

For a time, the entire battlefield was chaotic, filled with a tragic murderous aura.

Just at this moment, Lu Zhangsheng moved.

"Whoosh..."

He kicked his legs lightly, and his whole person rushed out rapidly.

Then he turned into countless residual shadows, traveling across the entire battlefield.

The residual shadows traveled among the many heretic cultists.

With a wave of his hand, he slashed with his blade, taking a head each time, like a death god from hell, wantonly harvesting lives on the field.

"Ah..."

Bursts of screams rang out on the battlefield, and a large amount of blood gushed out, staining the ground a blood red.

Lu Zhangsheng paced the battlefield as if taking a leisurely stroll, not even a trace of blood staining his body.

It formed a sharp contrast with the entire battlefield environment.

The aura around his body was as round as jade, blocking all filth from his body.

A moment later.

Lu Zhangsheng stood with his blade retracted, and a large number of corpses lay scattered around him.

Crimson blood flowed all over the ground, and the air was full of the smell of blood.

In a short period, he had killed over a hundred heretic cultists, which was very shocking.

With his strength, killing some ordinary martial artists was as simple as stepping on an ant.

At this time, a group of City Guards walked over with large strides.

They knelt on the ground with faces full of awe.

"Many thanks to the Lord for your help!"

The military respected the strong, and Lu Zhangsheng's performance completely conquered everyone on the field.

So many heretic cultists were slaughtered by the opponent like ants, leaving everyone shocked.

A large group of civilians also surrounded them, kneeling on the ground with faces full of gratitude, forming a dense crowd.

Among them were many women and children, holding some local specialties in their hands.

"Many thanks to the Lord for the grace of saving our lives."

They had all been quietly waiting for death to arrive, not expecting a turn of events and for an expert to come to their rescue.

This left everyone feeling incomparably grateful.

"Everyone, no need for such formalities; the county city will soon send experts to garrison this place, and I will stay here for a few days."

Lu Zhangsheng said in a hoarse voice, waving his hand.

At this moment, the heretic cultists had temporarily retreated, but it couldn't be ruled out that they would attack again.

By then, it would likely be several Blood Exchange Late-Stage experts.

As for letting the many civilians migrate, that was also unlikely.

Not to mention the long distance, they would be easily intercepted and killed halfway, so it was better to hold their ground and wait for reinforcements.

At the speed of Yue Shulan and the others, escaping back to the county city and then having the Demon-Suppressing Division send experts would take at most about three days.

Even if they were intercepted halfway, it would only delay them by one more day.

Lu Zhangsheng decided to hold his ground here for a few days; even if he were defeated in the end, with his speed, he could easily retreat.

If he left directly, this group of people would likely find it hard to survive.

Looking at the living lives in front of him, many children held their mothers tightly, looking at him with anticipation.

Lu Zhangsheng still prepared to try, at least to be able to live up to his conscience; this was also his original intention for practicing martial arts.

"The Lord is righteous."

Han Bingwu, the Deputy Commander of the City Guards, had eyes full of admiration. Everyone also knew that they would likely face a fierce counterattack from the heretic cult experts next.

Even if the opponent chose to leave, they couldn't force him to stay, and could only lead all the townspeople to relocate, at which point life and death would be unpredictable.

They hadn't expected the opponent to choose to hold their ground and wait for reinforcements.

This left everyone feeling full of joy for a time.

With an expert guarding the city, their chances of survival increased greatly.

"Many thanks to the Lord."

The many civilians kneeling on the ground kowtowed repeatedly, their faces full of excitement.

It was hard to leave one's homeland, and they didn't want to leave their hometown either.

Afterward, Lu Zhangsheng turned and walked toward the rear.

…………

Night, silent as water.

The bright moon in the high sky was obscured by haze, and the surroundings were pitch black.

Lu Zhangsheng sat in the courtyard and opened the panel.

A blue light screen appeared in the void in front of him.

Source Energy Points: 640.

Looking at the resource points in his hand, he was afraid it wouldn't be long before he could break through again.

This was also his greatest confidence in choosing to garrison this place.

As long as he could break through to Blood Exchange Mid-Stage, even if a heretic cult Blood Exchange Peak expert attacked, he could resist.

And according to this collection speed, in at most five days, he would be able to reach over two thousand Source Energy Points.

By then, it would be the time for his strength to increase greatly again.

He had a premonition that breaking through after Blood Exchange would likely require over two thousand Source Energy Points.

Lu Zhangsheng's mind moved, and he cast a thought into the exotic beast's body.

Looking around, it was still the familiar cave.

A large number of ant swarms were entering and exiting continuously, with some pale purple spirit jade hanging in their mouths.

In front of Lu Zhangsheng, a small mountain had already piled up, pale purple radiance flowing, quite magical.

He immediately placed his claws on the spirit jade.

"Low-grade spirit jade discovered, absorb?"

"Absorb."

He recited silently in his heart.

"Source Energy Points plus 1."

"Source Energy Points plus 1."

A moment later, the pile of spirit jade on the ground was all absorbed clean, and the resource points in his hand rose by another 200-plus points.

Lu Zhangsheng stood up directly and rushed toward the outside of the cave rapidly.

He had to strike and dig personally.

Now the situation was becoming increasingly tense, and he had to break through to Blood Exchange Mid-Stage within five days, otherwise, he would have to abandon the city and retreat.

A sense of crisis lingered in his heart; unless it was a last resort, he didn't want to give up so many living lives.

It could be predicted that the heretic cult experts would definitely come for revenge.

Lu Zhangsheng led a large group of ant swarms, rushing out of the cave in a mighty force, heading toward the depths of the mountain along the way.

Exploring and moving forward along the way.

Not long after, a hint of purple radiance suddenly came from ahead.

"Something's up."

Lu Zhangsheng's face was full of joy, and he rushed toward the light source location rapidly.

Soon he arrived in front of a large boulder.

He saw a large cluster of purple spirit jade embedded in the rock wall, emitting a faint spiritual energy, making people feel refreshed.

Lu Zhangsheng didn't hesitate anymore, immediately stretched out his sharp claws, and stabbed fiercely into the rock wall.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Pieces of spirit jade were dug out, and not long after, a large hole appeared on the rock wall.

"Intermediate spirit jade discovered, absorb?"

"Absorb."

"Source Energy Points plus 5."

"Source Energy Points plus 5."

A moment later, the spirit jade on the ground was all absorbed, and the resource points in his hand rose by another three hundred-plus.

Lu Zhangsheng felt full of energy, leading the ant swarm toward the deeper parts of the mountain again.

At this moment, he was racing against time with that group of heretic cult experts.

………………

The next day, early morning.

The morning sun rose, and rays of golden light sprinkled over the entire town, as if dispelling the haze in everyone's hearts.

By the city wall, a group of City Guards were repairing the damaged city wall, and many civilians also spontaneously stepped forward to help.

Everyone carried some giant stone bricks and wood on their shoulders, heading toward the hole by the city wall.

Everything was so orderly.

However, when everyone looked at the white-robed figure on the city wall, their faces were full of awe.

Lu Zhangsheng sat on the city wall, his gaze always fixed on the jungle in the distance.

He guessed that heretic cult experts would definitely attack on the first day, so he had been squatting here early in the morning.

Time passed slowly.

Soon it was noon.

At this time, Han Bingwu, the Deputy Commander of the City Guards, walked toward Lu Zhangsheng with large strides, holding some food in his hand.

"Lord Ye, it's noon, eat something."

Han Bingwu handed over the food with a respectful face.

He also knew the rumors about the mysterious strongman in the county city, so he naturally guessed the other party's identity.

"Hmm, put it on the ground."

Lu Zhangsheng smiled faintly.

He rarely ate food from outside, except for what he made himself.

As a Blood Exchange martial artist, his qi and blood were extremely full; even if he didn't eat or drink for several days, it wouldn't affect his state.

According to rumors, Xiantian martial artists could even go a month without eating or drinking, which was even more terrifying.

That kind of expert had already begun to evolve toward being "non-human."

Just as the two were talking, a sudden change occurred.

"Whoosh..."

A violent whistling sound came from afar, instantly spreading throughout the city.

Immediately afterward, three figures rushed toward the city wall rapidly, like lightning.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived near the city gate, revealing two old men and a middle-aged man.

The three had rolling murderous auras around their bodies, rushing straight into the clouds.

Among the two old men, one was thin, and the other had a sinister face, his eyebrows like hooks.

The middle-aged man was sturdy, standing in the clearing like a mountain, his aura steady.

All three were Blood Exchange experts of the Wenxiang Sect.

"Not good, they are top-tier experts on the government's wanted list, all three are Blood Exchange Late-Stage..."

Han Bingwu looked solemn when he saw this.

These three were notorious and had long been known by many government martial artists.

Rumor had it that these people loved to torture and kill young girls and children the most, satisfying their own extremely evil desires.

By the city wall, the many City Guards were also full of despair.

They hadn't expected the heretic cult's revenge to come so quickly.

Three Blood Exchange Late-Stage experts—that was a force that made people despair.

A group of civilians also began to cry out, and an extremely pessimistic atmosphere lingered throughout the city.

"Lord Ye, please evacuate this place immediately; you are young and even have hope for the Xiantian martial dao, it is truly not worth it to be buried here with us..."

A hint of a will to die appeared in Han Bingwu's eyes, and he spoke to advise Lu Zhangsheng.

In his view, one against three, there was almost no hope of winning.

The fall of a genius martial artist would be a huge blow to the county government.

He had to advise the other party to evacuate this place immediately.

Lu Zhangsheng's expression was as calm as water, and he didn't answer the other party.

Instead, he patted his white robe lightly, then stood up and watched the three Blood Exchange Late-Stage experts outside the city quietly.

"Lord Ye, you..."

Seeing that the other party had no intention of leaving, Han Bingwu immediately knelt on the ground with a pleading face.

The many City Guards behind him also knelt on the ground one after another.

"Please, Lord, preserve your useful body..."

The loud shouts resounded through the clouds, but they revealed a tragic and desperate meaning.

(End of chapter)