The Demon Lords-Chapter 674 - 129: The Might of the Sword Saint!_3
When facing true top-tier powerhouses on the battlefield, you have only two choices. One is to dispatch a dedicated force to stall and exhaust them. The other is to deploy your own powerful combatants for a trade-off. The former requires soldiers who are fearless and willing to sacrifice their lives, essentially using bodies to fill the gap. However, these rebel guards were clearly incapable of such a feat. If the Sword Saint encountered the Shengle Army, even if he slew fifty cavalrymen with a single strike, the next fifty would quickly fill their places, followed by batch after batch. It would become a pure war of attrition. Before five hundred riders were lost, the Sword Saint would undoubtedly be exhausted to death. No matter how strong he was, he was still human. Moreover, swordsmen differed from martial artists; they lacked an inexhaustible flow of vital energy and a formidable physique for support. What they truly excelled at was single combat.
Therefore, the swordsman advanced toward the general. The general, in turn, realized with a sense of absurdity that he had somehow found himself in a one-on-one duel with the Sword Saint on this very battlefield! A one-on-one duel! With the Sword Saint!
The general slashed down with his saber. The Sword Saint, however, raised his sword. Its edge scraped against the general's saber, and as he drew it back, he simultaneously deflected the force of the blow. When the general attempted a horizontal cut, the Sword Saint's entire body had already seemed to float and turn, soaring upwards. His left hand came to rest on the general's shoulder, while his right hand, holding his sword, Longyuan, positioned it across the general's throat.
Longyuan sliced into the general's neck. The Sword Saint then grabbed the general's head with his left hand.
CRUNCH!
The sound was so crisp it was almost pleasant to hear.
A fine head was already held in the Sword Saint's hand, while the startled warhorse continued to carry its headless master forward in a panicked rush.
This spectacle completely shattered the courage of these guards, and they began to flee instinctively. They couldn't care less about the city gate anymore; the thunderous hoofbeats outside grew clearer, an obvious sign that the great army of the Yan people had arrived and was about to storm the city. The Sword Saint didn't pursue them, instead turning his gaze toward the city's interior.
THUD.
The freshly severed head in his hand dropped to the ground. The Sword Saint cared little for military merits, nor did he intend to seek promotion and fortune under Zheng Fan. Today, his killing intent was strong. And he knew he was far from having killed enough!
However, Xue Three's shouts pulled the Sword Saint back to reality.
"My lord, we need help here!"
Outside the city, rebels were continuously trying to flee into the city. Although the space at the drawbridge was narrow, allowing Xue Three's side to hold them off for the time being, the number of rebels rushing over was simply too large, and they were finding it increasingly strenuous. The Sword Saint, sword in hand, turned around. He suppressed the impulse to go directly into the city to find Situ Yi. Instead, he turned back and came to the city gate area.
The Eldest Prince's saber was being wielded with such power that it generated gusts of wind. It was precisely because of the Eldest Prince's formidable strength that the rebels had not been able to cross the drawbridge. Yet, in just a short while, the Eldest Prince had already suffered several wounds.
The Sword Saint arrived. He bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of essence blood, spraying it onto the blade of Longyuan. He then thrust Longyuan forward and pointed his fingertip forward!
SWOOSH!
Longyuan transformed into a crimson streak of light, instantly rushing into the crowd of rebels ahead.
"AHHH!!!!"
"AHHH!!!!!"
A series of horrific screams erupted. Heaven knew how many rebels' armor and bodies Longyuan, imbued with the Sword Saint's fundamental aura, had pierced at that moment. In any case, the rebels' offensive was directly suppressed.
There was no time to retrieve Longyuan for the moment, but the Sword Saint channeled Sword Energy through his fingertips and charged onto the drawbridge. With a wave of his fingertips, streaks of Sword Energy pierced through the bodies of these rebels. Screams echoed continuously as one rebel after another tumbled off the drawbridge and into the moat.
The Eldest Prince, still engaged in fierce combat, naturally noticed this scene. A wave of shock went through him. He truly hadn't expected that the swordsman who had infiltrated the city with him, pretending to be gay, was actually the Sword Saint of Jin State! Such a being, even before his father, could swiftly become a top-ranking Imperial Censorate Officer of the state, a transcendent existence. Yet, he would actually stay by Zheng Fan's side and willingly be used by Zheng Fan as a 'sword'. How on earth... did he manage that?
Xue Three's jaw dropped. Actually, among the many battles he had witnessed, the strongest combatant he had seen was probably Mr. Chen. But looking at him now, comparing Mr. Chen to the Sword Saint—both sword users—Mr. Chen was practically a novice! This Sword Saint is so damn formidable! He alone is an army! No wonder My Lord was so careful in coaxing him. This coaxing was truly worth it! No, it's more than worth it!
With the Sword Saint constantly fighting back and forth, appearing wherever the line was about to break, this west city gate remained firmly in the hands of Xue Three and the others.
Finally, accompanied by the thunderous roar of iron hooves, the knights of the Shengle Army directly smashed through the rebels ahead and charged in.
Xue Three immediately yelled, "Fall back!"
Everyone retreated. The Shengle cavalry galloped swiftly across the drawbridge and charged directly into the city, pouring in one after another.
The Eldest Prince dropped the saber in his hand and leaned against a post behind him to stay upright. The wounds elsewhere on his body were manageable, but a spear had pierced his abdomen, embedding itself quite deeply. Xue Three quickly approached to help the Eldest Prince staunch the bleeding.
"That... that man... Is... is he the Sword Saint?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, yes, he is the Sword Saint."
"Very strong."
"Isn't he just? Truly formidable."
The Eldest Prince nodded and said no more. Then, something suddenly occurred to him, and he instinctively reached for his saber. There was still someone he hadn't killed.
Just then, the Sword Saint returned. He held the retrieved Longyuan in his left hand and the head of that potbellied general in his right.
The Sword Saint's body swayed slightly; the preceding battle had left even him, the Sword Saint, somewhat exhausted. However, his posture also made him look as if he were drunk.
The Sword Saint tossed the potbellied general's head to the ground and promptly sat on it. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he muttered to himself, "That Zheng kid was right. Blood is indeed more intoxicating than wine."
