The Demon Lords-Chapter 673 - 129: The Might of the Sword Saint!_2

And so, the Sword Saint carved a path forward, killing as he went. Though there was no dazzling flurry of petals to accompany him, the sight of the garrison soldiers falling one by one around him as he passed was terrifying enough.

This, in fact, was a change in the Sword Saint. He had transformed from a swordsman who roamed the world with his blade into a killer who calculated every move in battle. It could also be said that he had transitioned from the realm of dreams to that of harsh reality.

A certain aesthetic was inevitably lost, but for those who could appreciate it, slaughter itself possessed an extreme beauty.

Below, Xue Three, accompanied by a group of subordinates and the Eldest Prince, cut down the garrison soldiers at the city gate before splitting his forces into two groups to secure their positions.

WOOOOOOOO!

In the distance, the sound of horns arose. The Shengle Army had already begun to move, their mounts pushed to their utmost limit as the charge began!

The cavalry on both wings moved immediately to divide and drive away the rebel forces stationed outside the city. Liang Cheng personally led the central army in a direct charge toward the west city gate!

In an instant, the rebels both inside and outside the city were thrown into chaos. The Yan Army had arrived too quickly, too suddenly, and under the cover of night, which greatly compounded the difficulty for the rebels to react.

Some thought of resisting; others single-mindedly began to flee. In this situation, the Shengle Army tore through the outskirts of the rebel encampment as if ripping through deadwood.

However, there were some who were not fools. Soon, an armored commander emerged from within the city, leading over a hundred mounted guards as they galloped towards the commotion.

This reaction was undeniably swift!

It could only be said that he might have been leading a patrol and rushed over immediately upon hearing the sounds.

"Damn!"

Xue Three cursed, then shouted, "Crossbows!"

Xue Three's scouts were trained like special forces, equipped with hidden crossbows of Xue Three's own design. Although their range was insufficient for long distances, at Xue Three's command, nearly twenty scouts unhesitatingly prepared to draw their blades and charge forward. They intended to use their own flesh and blood to halt the enemy cavalry's charge, and then, after closing the distance, use their hidden crossbows to shoot them down.

No matter what, they had to hold this city gate and wait for the main army to enter!

However, a long cry suddenly echoed.

The Sword Saint, having just finished a round of slaughter on the city wall, leaped down from above, landing directly in front of the charging rebel cavalry.

「Two years ago,」

Shatuo Queshi had single-handedly fought three thousand ironclad cavalry of the Earl of North Border at the gates of the Earl's manor, displaying to the world the might of a peak martial artist.

「Now,」

Facing the charge of over a hundred rebel cavalry, the Sword Saint was about to etch the pride of a swordsman into history!

Channel energy.

Focus spirit.

Level sword.

Draw back!

The blade slid forth smoothly, and Longyuan seemed to roar.

In that moment, the charging rebel cavalry felt as if they were crashing against a colossal mountain; an overwhelming sense of dread welled up in both men and their warhorses.

Then, the Sword Qi—had arrived!

The knights' armor began to rip apart; the bodies of their warhorses were sundered. One after another, they fell—smoothly, cleanly, decisively, without the slightest impediment, like a sharp blade slicing through soft clay.

With a single sword strike, nearly fifty knights, along with their mounts, were instantly cleaved in two. For a moment, the wide path became a gruesome scene of mangled flesh and blood.

Layers of blood mist still hung in the air, yet to fully disperse, veiling one's sight as if with sheets of red gauze.

The commander who had led his guards here instinctively yanked his reins; his remaining guards mirrored his action.

Faced with such a scene, stopping was almost a primal instinct.

At the same time, the commander had clearly discerned something from that single sword strike, his eyes wide with realization.

The Jin people were proud of their swordsmanship, for the Jin State had the Sword Saint.

The existence of the Sword Saint was the dream and aspiration of many martial artists in the Three Jin regions.

That previous sword strike had made too many things clear.

The commander knew that the man before him wore no armor and wielded no heavy sword; therefore, he could not be Li Liangshen of the Earl of North Border's army. He certainly wasn't Baili Sword of the Qian State, because Baili Sword would not appear here to attack them. The Sword Forgemaster of Chu State was their ally.

Therefore, the identity of the swordsman was already glaringly obvious.

In truth, this commander had come very close to extending the life of the pretender Cheng State. His timely charge would most likely have overwhelmed Xue Three and his men.

For while Xue Three was willing to sacrifice his subordinates to buy time, he himself would likely not have been willing to die; at the critical moment, he would surely have retreated.

Had the attempt to seize the gate failed, the Shengle Army would not have stopped to prepare for a siege here.

But the Sword Saint was here, and he had decisively crushed the one charge that could have turned the tide!

This was the power of a peak martial artist. He might not be able to alter the grand scheme of things, but on a local level, he could truly play the role of a final arbiter!

It was precisely because of the presence of the Sword Saint, whose individual martial prowess was simply off the charts, that Zheng Fan had dared to conceive such a plan of a long-distance raid to seize the city and capture the pretender emperor.

Fengxin was not Mianzhou. And no matter how weak the rebel army was, they were not the Qian Army, which had largely decayed under a century of peace.

But with a Sword Saint by his side, not to try such a thing would have been truly unsatisfying!

"Sword Saint, sir!" the commander shouted. "Sir, why do you stand with the Yan people!"

The Sword Saint chuckled and said directly, "You still have the gall to ask me?"

The next instant, the Sword Saint attacked again, taking the initiative and charging forward.

Seeing this, the guards around the commander instinctively scattered. The overwhelming power of the previous sword strike, combined with their commander having just cried out the Sword Saint's identity, left them utterly awestruck. It robbed them of any courage to step forward and protect their superior.