Chapter 1128: Drawing the Sword and Sheathing the Sword
(Updated a bit late, but this chapter is six thousand words. Yes, you read that right, six thousand. Don't ask me why... In life, happiness is what matters most.)
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"We don't like Black Robe, not because he stole the glory of his fallen comrades back then, but because in the human storybooks we read as children and the plays in Xuelao City, the faces of betrayers are always ugly, and he is the most shameless betrayer of this millennium. Yet I must acknowledge his abilities and praise his arrangements this time."
The voice of Yanzhi Mountain Man echoed across the desolate night plains.
"Killing Xiao Zhang is not enough to change the situation in the world, but if we also kill the human race's Pope and Holy Maiden, history might become very different from now on."
Still, some problems had arisen. They hadn't expected that under the terrifying pressure they exerted, Xiao Zhang would break through his realm ahead of time.
Although he had just broken through and his grasp of the laws of heaven and earth was not yet refined, it was enough for him to fight his way out of the encirclement at the cost of severe injuries.
At least he was still alive now.
But Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong had still come. This was good, very good.
The grassland under the night sky was very quiet, starlight exuding a cold and eerie aura.
The earth hound poked its head out from behind Chen Changsheng, baring its sharp white fangs at the enormous shadow in the distance.
It wanted to intimidate the opponent, but it didn't even dare to let out a low whimper, clearly terrified by the other's pressure.
Xu Yourong asked, "How are you so sure that it would be us who came?"
"Xiao Zhang is a madman. He doesn't trust anyone, least of all the Zhou Dynasty court. He only trusts Chen Changsheng."
Yanzhi Mountain Man said, "And if Chen Changsheng comes, you will definitely appear as well."
Chen Changsheng would not be allowed to place himself in any possible danger, because he was the human race's Pope.
As his position as Pope became more and more stable, the power of this rule grew stronger and stronger.
If he truly wanted to break free from this restraint, believers like An Hua might really use death to remonstrate with him.
How could Linghai Zhiwang and the others allow him to leave White Emperor City alone?
There was only one situation that could gain the approval of all priests and believers.
That was if he traveled with Xu Yourong.
The entire continent knew that the combined sword technique of the Pope and the Holy Maiden possessed unimaginable power, enough to face even Saint Domain experts without worrying about safety.
Now, Mao Qiuyu was stationed at Cold Mountain, while the Prince of Xiang and the Prince of Zhongshan were at Yonglan Pass and Yongxue Pass, making gestures as if to march out. The Demon General personally led the troops in preparation for battle. Most of the Saint Domain experts of Xuelao City were currently on the front lines. Logically speaking, Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong secretly going to escort Xiao Zhang back to the Central Plains should not have encountered any danger.
However, whether it was Cold Mountain, Yonglan Pass, Yongxue Pass, or the tents stretching across the snow plains, they were all fake.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, knowingly or unknowingly, both the human race and the demon race were putting on a show.
This secluded and quiet grassland was the real battlefield.
The demon race had invited the Eight Mountain Men.
This was something no one had expected.
Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong hadn't expected it either.
Although only three had come, it was already a terrifying force beyond their ability to contend with.
"Why couldn't it be Wang Po who came?"
This was Xu Yourong's final question.
Wang Po was Xiao Zhang's lifelong rival, or rather, the powerful enemy who had suppressed Xiao Zhang for his entire life.
Xiao Zhang didn't like Wang Po and thought about defeating him all the time, but the person he trusted most should also be Wang Po, even more than Chen Changsheng.
Just like Xun Mei, before she died, the people she most wanted to see, besides Mao Qiuyu, were Wang Po.
In that era when wildflowers were just beginning to bloom, Wang Po was their goal, but wasn't he also their confidence and spirit?
Moreover, Wang Po was a Saint Domain expert whose blade technique had reached great mastery. If Xiao Zhang wanted to seek help, he was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.
It wasn't Yanzhi Mountain Man who answered Xu Yourong's question, but Chen Changsheng.
"Letting Wang Po see him break through his realm is naturally good, but letting him see him being chased so miserably is not good."
Chen Changsheng said, "That would be too embarrassing."
Xu Yourong couldn't quite understand this boring male sense of pride, which was why she was puzzled, but after hearing Chen Changsheng's explanation, she understood.
Still, she couldn't accept this male attitude of preferring to lose face rather than lose their lives.
Whether it was the breeze or a breath, the blood-stained white paper rustled.
Xiao Zhang was still unconscious, not knowing if he had heard Chen Changsheng's words or sensed Xu Yourong's meaning.
The ground trembled, and the nearby group of demon beasts, ignoring the earth hound's ferocity, fled in terror in all directions.
Not long after, several screams came from the night, followed by a faint smell of blood.
Mixed in with the blood smell was another kind of fishy odor. As Chen Changsheng smelled it, his mood soured.
It wasn't because he had a slight case of mysophobia, but because he had smelled this scent before, on the snow plain battlefield.
The sound of hooves grew dense, and the grassland surface trembled continuously.
The smell of blood and decay grew stronger and stronger, until it seemed ready to tear open the night.
Hundreds of demon wolf cavalry appeared on the grassland, surrounding Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong in the middle.
These bloodthirsty giant wolves were about three meters tall, and with the demon cavalry on their backs, they appeared even more imposing.
The wolf pack opened their bloody maws, exhaling hot, foul breath. Their steel needle-like fur was very clear under the starlight.
The faces of those demon cavalry were also clearly illuminated, with drool constantly dripping from their V-shaped mouths, also extremely foul.
Wolf cavalry were the demon race's most elite cavalry. In one-on-one combat, they could directly confront and even defeat the Zhou Dynasty's Black Armored Heavy Cavalry.
With hundreds of wolf cavalry gathered together, what kind of terrifying impact and killing power would they possess?
But in tonight's battle, these wolf cavalry, who had traveled thousands of miles in a long-distance raid, were not even qualified to serve as the main force.
"The fate of the divine race might be decided tonight, so I will be very cautious. I have been very cautious these past few days as well, so I am sure he hasn't notified anyone else, and I am also sure that you came in such a hurry that you didn't have time to notify anyone. I think I will have quite a bit of time, so I will strike very seriously and carefully to ensure I completely kill you."
Yanzhi Mountain Man said to Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong.
In the night, his eyes shone as brightly as torches, filled with the wisdom and calm of one who had seen through the affairs of the world and its laws, which also meant coldness and terror.
These previous conversations, logically speaking, didn't need to happen. Yanzhi Mountain Man didn't need to explain, and Chen Changsheng didn't need a reason for being ambushed by the demon race. But they still asked and answered, because Chen Changsheng wanted to buy time, and Yanzhi Mountain Man needed time to make the encirclement more perfect.
The ground began to tremble slightly, and that enormous shadow moved southward. Although its speed was very slow, it carried an extremely terrifying sense of oppression.
Yanzhi Mountain Man's attitude was very clear—tonight, he wanted stability and didn't want any loopholes.
Looking at that black mountain in the night, Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment before asking, "What are the chances?"
He was asking about the chances of leaving alive, of course, taking Xiao Zhang with him.
Xu Yourong and the white crane's speed was faster than lightning, unmatched in the world. If they went all out, even if the Eight Mountain Men's realms were unfathomable, they might not be able to catch up.
A breeze stirred her sleeves as Xu Yourong put the Fate Star Disk back into her sleeve, and the faint rotation of star tracks could be seen.
She didn't answer Chen Changsheng's question, just shook her head.
Clearly, the Fate Star Disk's deduction and calculation results were quite bad—leaving... there was simply no possibility of success.
Black Robe had calculated that it would be Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong who came to escort Xiao Zhang, so he naturally made corresponding arrangements.
On the southern grassland, Jingpo Mountain Man and Yichun Mountain Man were like two mountain ranges, stretching for dozens of miles, blocking all paths of escape.
If Zhi Zhi were here, the hope of leaving tonight might be greater.
Chen Changsheng thought of the black-clad girl who was probably sunbathing on a warm island at this moment, feeling no regret in his heart, just a bit of melancholy.
"Then what should we do next?"
He asked Xu Yourong.
This was trust.
When it came to deduction, calculation, and strategic planning, there were few in the world stronger than her.
Xu Yourong looked at the earth hound and said a few numbers representing distance and direction.
She knew it could understand her words and grasp her meaning.
Clearly, the earth hound did understand. Its body became stiff, seemingly frightened.
Many years ago, when the Zhou Garden incident occurred, it had seen Xu Yourong and knew the relationship between her and Chen Changsheng.
So it very wisely didn't look at Chen Changsheng, much less plead for mercy, but directly burrowed into the ground.
It didn't take long for it to burrow back up.
Its brown, tattered fur was covered in dirt and grass roots, and a gash had appeared on its brow, bleeding continuously, making it look quite miserable.
Chen Changsheng crushed a pill and applied it to its wound.
The pill was made from leftover scraps of cinnabar pills, not particularly miraculous, but very effective for stopping bleeding.
The earth hound licked the blood at the corner of its mouth, glanced at Xu Yourong, its eyes cold and carrying a hint of resentment.
It could burrow through the ground, but how could it evade the divine sense of an expert like Yanzhi Mountain Man?
More than ten miles away, beneath a stretch of hills, it had been caught in a wave of terrifying pressure and suffered considerable injury.
In its view, this was forced upon it by Xu Yourong, so naturally, it held some grudge.
Chen Changsheng was treating its wound and didn't see its change in expression.
Xu Yourong saw it but paid it no mind, asking, "How is it?"
The earth hound let out two low cries, using its short, thin forelimbs to gesture something continuously.
Xu Yourong watched seriously, silently calculating for a moment, then looked at Chen Changsheng and said, "Still not possible."
Chen Changsheng stood up and looked at that black mountain in the night, his right hand falling on his sword hilt.
"Then we have to fight."
The Eight Mountain Men were ancient demon race experts who had fought against Wang Zhice, Qin Zhong, and Yu Gong beneath Xuelao City hundreds of years ago.
If he and Xu Yourong faced them head-on, they would surely lose.
The enormous black shadow moved slowly, an unimaginably heavy pressure bearing down on Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong.
The grassland under the night became incredibly terrifying.
"The good news is, we only need to fight one."
Xu Yourong said.
Immovable as a mountain.
The Eight Mountain Men's realms were indeed unfathomable, like demon gods. When they were still, they could even be said to be perfect, without flaw. But when they began to move, they could no longer maintain that perfect state, and some openings would appear.
Just like real mountain peaks under the starry sky, when connected to the earth, they were unshakable; when they moved, their foundations became unstable.
In tonight's killing game, Jingpo Mountain Man and Yichun Mountain Man cut off Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong's retreat on the southern grassland, so they couldn't move.
Yanzhi Mountain Man, along with the hundreds of wolf cavalry, were the main attacking force.
In fact, when Yanzhi Mountain Man slowly approached with the night, he couldn't maintain his previous towering posture either.
Through the Fate Star Disk's deduction and the earth hound's risky underground probing, Xu Yourong had discovered a possible path of escape.
But she didn't choose to leave through that path, nor did she even mention it to Chen Changsheng.
It wasn't because of the terrifying bloodthirsty wolf cavalry surrounding the grassland, nor because of the dozen or so fierce birds illuminated by the Southern Cross constellation in the northern night sky, but because she sensed a hint of danger in the deepest part of the night, which made her suspect that path might be a trap set by Black Robe.
Yanzhi Mountain Man stopped.
Although no one could see exactly how he moved, much less see his feet.
At this moment, he was still ten miles away from the grassland where Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong were.
For ordinary people, ten miles is a very distant distance. It's hard to see clearly what's happening there, let alone attack.
But right here.
Across a distance of ten miles, unexpectedly and against all reason, incredibly and astonishingly.
Yanzhi Mountain Man launched an attack on Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong.
He raised his right hand.
The countless stars in the sky immediately dimmed considerably.
Because a black shadow more than ten miles long had suddenly appeared in the night sky, blocking hundreds of stars.
That black shadow came crashing down from the starry sky toward the grassland.
A rumbling sound like thunder echoed through the sky—the sound of air that couldn't escape in time being compressed and then torn apart by the immense force.
Chen Changsheng even thought he heard the sound of a large patch of night being forcibly ripped off.
Xu Yourong drew her sword.
As soon as she did, it was the most powerful Great Light Sword.
Countless sword marks, carrying countless flames, illuminated the desolate grassland.
The black shadow in the sky was reflected more clearly, more real.
Then, Chen Changsheng drew his sword.
He used the Burning Sword from the Wasteland Three Styles.
Yes, after many years, the three sword techniques Su Li had taught him on the wasteland had finally received formal names in the Dao Canon.
Scorching, formless flames merged into the light.
The sword intent of the Stainless Sword met the sword intent of the Zhai Sword, and then they merged.
Two sword rainbows rose together, instantly generating a feeling of inexhaustibility, perfectly harmonious, as if they were not of this mortal world.
Two sword intents met.
Two sword techniques combined.
Two sword lights merged.
This was the Combined Sword Technique of Nanxi Zhai.
This was the combined sword technique of Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong that had shocked the world.
A mass of light appeared on the grassland under the night.
That mass of light was composed of the purest sword light, blazing intensely, very dazzling, like a sun that had never set.
The black shadow more than ten miles long descended from the sky and landed precisely on this mass of light.
With a loud bang!
The grass within dozens of meters was overturned, and countless black clods of dirt flew in all directions like arrows.
A light shield formed by sword light, several meters above Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong in the night sky, resisted the black shadow carrying terrifying pressure.
The light shield kept creaking, like an old, unmaintained wooden door, or a stool that couldn't bear the weight, seeming like it might break at any moment.
The earth hound lay behind Chen Changsheng, covering its eyes with its thin forelimbs, trembling in fear, blood constantly seeping through its fingers—a moment ago, it had tried to burrow away, but it hadn't expected the underground soil to be compressed into something as hard as steel by Yanzhi Mountain Man's pressure and the sword intent filling the sky, directly causing it to smash its head and bleed.
A howl filled with brutality and cruelty rang out in the night.
Hundreds of wolf cavalry charged madly toward Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong.
On the southern grassland, the mountain shadow stretching for hundreds of miles was incredibly majestic and imposing, impossible to cross.
Jingpo Mountain Man and Yichun Mountain Man had cut off their retreat.
Yanzhi Mountain Man, from ten miles away, launched an attack of magnificent scale.
Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong, with their combined swords, could only barely hold on.
Now the wolf cavalry were charging in. What could they do?
At this moment, the earth hound secretly glanced at Chen Changsheng.
Its eyes were somewhat sorrowful.
It thought it had guessed how Chen Changsheng would deal with those wolf cavalry.
Chen Changsheng should summon the demon beasts from the Zhou Garden.
No matter how terrifying the hundreds of wolf cavalry were, they couldn't be a match for the many demon beasts of the Sunset Grassland.
Not to mention that among those demon beasts were two of the earth hound's powerful companions—the Jian Beast and the Daoshan Hao.
But even if they killed these wolf cavalry, there were still three ancient demon race experts.
In the end, how many of the demon beasts in the Zhou Garden could survive?
Thinking of such an outcome, the earth hound felt uncomfortable.
But it asked itself, in this situation, if it were in his place, it would make the same choice.
So it had no opinion on Chen Changsheng, no resentment, just some sorrow.
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Xu Yourong also knew there were many demon beasts in the Zhou Garden. If Chen Changsheng summoned them, he could resolve the crisis brought by these wolf cavalry.
But she didn't look at Chen Changsheng—neither secretly nor openly.
Because she wasn't that sorrowful earth hound. She and Chen Changsheng truly understood each other's hearts, and she knew Chen Changsheng wouldn't do that.
In other words, she knew what Chen Changsheng planned to do.
She took a step forward, standing in front of Chen Changsheng.
Her pure white wings spread behind her, golden phoenix fire began to burn, and the Zhai Sword in her hand emitted even more light.
In a very brief moment, she chose to take on part of the pressure that Chen Changsheng's short sword had been bearing.
Chen Changsheng sat cross-legged on the ground and closed his eyes.
Swish, swish, swish, swish—like a rainstorm piercing the air, like arrows breaking through clouds.
Countless swords streamed out from the Hidden Edge Sword Sheath, their light illuminating the grassland under the night.
Three thousand swords filled the space between heaven and earth, forming the Nanxi Zhai Sword Formation.
At this moment, the starlight in the sky seemed so dim.
The grim and awe-inspiring sword intent descended, and the foremost wolf cavalry instantly disintegrated into dozens of lumps of flesh and blood.
Then another bloodthirsty giant wolf had its forelimbs severed, crashing heavily to the ground.
To the northwest, a demon cavalryman's horns and armor were neatly cut off, exposing his brains, which shimmered under the starlight like the smallest lake in the world.
The sound of heavy objects hitting the ground rang out continuously, screams echoing without end.
Blood of indescribable color sprayed everywhere.
The wolf cavalry's charge was very fast, so they fell even faster.
In a few breaths, more than thirty wolf cavalry died under the Nanxi Zhai Sword Formation, and more than ten were severely injured, unable to fight any longer.
The urgent sound of military orders rang out in the night.
Yanzhi Mountain Man's deep voice also came from ten miles away.
The wolf cavalry stopped charging, bypassed Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong, and retreated into the night, not stopping until they were several hundred meters away.
With a soft clang.
A thin Dao sword silently appeared from the night sky, slitting a demon cavalryman's throat.
The starlight was slightly brighter than before.
The sight of green blood flowing through fingers covered in black fur was truly disgusting.
The wolf cavalry panicked and withdrew further outward, not stopping until they were several miles away, confirming they were out of the sword formation's attack range.
Fear showed in the eyes of many demon cavalry.
They had seen many experts, but never a fighting style like this.
The Nanxi Zhai Sword Formation could be said to be the most perfect defensive method on the battlefield, as well as the most efficient group attack method.
But in the past, it required hundreds of Nanxi Zhai disciples to gather the sword formation, making it easy for demon experts to launch separate sneak attacks, with a high risk of breaking the formation.
Now that Chen Changsheng could execute the Nanxi Zhai Sword Formation alone, standing amidst the rain of swords, how could he be broken through?
In other words, no one was more suited than Chen Changsheng to kill enemies on the battlefield, even if their realm and strength were higher than his.
Was the young human Pope really this terrifying?
The hundreds of wolf cavalry let out piercing and shrill howls.
Out of fear, out of anger, out of unwillingness.
Those demon cavalry and bloodthirsty giant wolves wanted to express their desire for revenge through this.
They stopped several miles away, ready to charge again at any moment.
At such a distance, no matter how powerful Chen Changsheng's divine sense was, he couldn't control his swords to injure them.
They only needed to apply enough pressure on him and wait for Yanzhi Mountain Man to break through his defense.
After Chen Changsheng formed the Nanxi Zhai Sword Formation, Xu Yourong was left to bear Yanzhi Mountain Man's attacks alone.
Even though she unhesitatingly burned her phoenix fire, she couldn't hold out for long.
Chen Changsheng's sword formation needed to guard against the wolf cavalry charging again. How much longer could she hold on? Could she hold on forever?
Looking at the current situation, the final outcome seemed to be that Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong would be suppressed by Yanzhi Mountain Man, then bitten to death by the wolf cavalry.
At least in the eyes of those demon cavalry, this was already the predetermined conclusion.
They looked over, thinking about how they would kill the human race's Pope and Holy Maiden later, then tear them apart and eat them raw. Their eyes grew more ferocious, their breathing heavier.
Xu Yourong's face turned somewhat pale, looking like she couldn't hold on much longer.
At this critical moment, she suddenly made a very unexpected move.
The brilliant light in the sky suddenly vanished.
She withdrew the Zhai Sword.
Then who would resist Yanzhi Mountain Man's pressure?
The Nanxi Zhai Sword Formation in the night sky suddenly moved, turning in perfect unison.
Those densely packed swords, originally pointing in all directions across the grassland, now all aimed at the sky.
Still a rain of swords filling the sky, but now ready to fall upward.
Three thousand swords faced the black shadow in the sky.
Starlight and sword light reflected off each other, making the night sky even brighter.
That black shadow more than ten miles long finally revealed its true form.