Chapter 432: Battle: Yan Soul Guard

Four days ago...

Four days ago, Lu Chao had been at the Peak Second Layer and had fought him to a draw. Now, Lu Chao was at the Peak Fourth Layer. Nan Zhuiming was certain he couldn't win.

And with his words... SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Four figures immediately flashed into the tent—they were, of course, the four Yan Soul Guards from outside.

The moment they entered, Lu Chao shouted, "Marshal, go!"

By the time Nan Zhuiming entered, Fan Changcun had already retreated to the edge of the tent behind Lu Chao.

With all the assassins now inside, Fan Changcun could slip away. Lu Chao would keep them occupied, breaking their focus on Fan Changcun and allowing him to escape to the safety of the Dragon Flame Soldiers and Horses.

Lu Chao wasn't afraid of being besieged by Nan Zhuiming and the four others. His fear was that they would tie him down, allowing one of them to slip away and assassinate Fan Changcun.

That was why Lu Chao had pulled Fan Changcun into the tent...

...then revealed his new realm to use Nan Zhuiming's fear, luring in the four Yan Soul Guards. At that exact moment, Fan Changcun was no longer their target.

In the blink of an eye, only Lu Chao remained in the command tent to face Nan Zhuiming and the four guards alone.

Seeing this, a cold glint flashed in one of the Yan Soul Guard's eyes...

"Our Young Master and Lord Mo Jing want this Lu Chao alive. You two, go kill Fan Changcun."

"The two of us will capture Lu Chao."

With that, a series of rumbles erupted as the four Yan Soul Guards simultaneously unleashed their True Qi. Wasting no words, two of them shot off in Fan Changcun's direction while the other two charged at Lu Chao.

As for Nan Zhuiming... no one paid him any mind.

At that very moment, however, Lu Chao shouted in a low voice, "Red Blood Fierce Wolf Bone, Blood Sword!"

HUMMMMM...

Lu Chao unleashed his True Qi through the Red Blood Fierce Wolf Bone, instantly forming dozens of crimson flying swords. He then commanded, "Slaughter Sword, Thousand Kills."

The dozens of Blood Swords instantly intercepted all four Yan Soul Guards.

It blocked them all, both those pursuing Fan Changcun and those attacking Lu Chao himself.

Then, the Slaughter Sword Bone erupted with True Qi, launching dozens of swift swords that stabbed at the four Yan Soul Guards one after another.

The four assassins' expressions changed slightly.

Their True Qi, at the peak of the Peak Realm, surged wildly as they continuously struck at Lu Chao's crimson flying swords.

But that brief delay meant they could no longer catch Fan Changcun.

One of the Yan Soul Guards barked, "Nan Zhuiming, hurry up and go after Fan Changcun!"

Right now, Nan Zhuiming was the only one standing idly by...

Snapping to his senses, he acknowledged the order and tore through the side of the tent to give chase. But the moment he burst outside, a volley of countless arrows—SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!—flew toward him, forcing him back inside.

At the same time, Fan Changcun's aged voice rang out from outside, "Muster the troops! The moment General Lu Chao emerges free from the assassins' attack, immediately annihilate Nan Zhuiming and the others!"

At Fan Changcun's words, the expressions of the four Yan Soul Guards and Nan Zhuiming changed drastically.

One of the Yan Soul Guards commanded again, "Capture Lu Chao and let's go, now! We can't stay here any longer."

They couldn't possibly stand against the combined power of an entire army. Although their Heavenly Destiny Bones could suppress other Destiny Bones, their cultivation realms were far inferior to Mo Jing's. They were incapable of suppressing an army of hundreds of thousands.

As he spoke, the four Yan Soul Guards shattered the last of Lu Chao's crimson flying swords and closed in for the kill.

But just then... CLANG!

Somehow, Lu Chao was now holding a long spear. Facing the Peak Realm Peak experts of the Cyan Sword Great Empire, he stood tall and fearless. "Soldier-Breaking, Fury Dragon Spear Slash!"

His Dragon General Bone erupted, augmented by the Power of Moon Profound Breaking Soldier Bone, and he unleashed a devastating attack.

An incredibly potent True Qi surged from his Star Devouring Bone as he brought the spear down in a heavy slash toward the four Yan Soul Guards.

At the sight of this slash, the pupils of all four Yan Soul Guards constricted. They hastily formed True Qi Shields to defend themselves...

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

A series of explosive sounds rang out as Lu Chao's spear actually sent the four Yan Soul Guards stumbling backward. They stared in disbelief, and one of them cried out, "That's at least the Power of a Moon Profound Bone! Impossible!"

Lu Chao stepped forward...

"Nothing is impossible... Soldier-Breaking Slaughter Sword, Thousand Kills!"

Dozens of crimson flying swords once again formed around him, shooting toward the four Yan Soul Guards. This time, not only were they fast, but they were also imbued with the Power of Soldier-Breaking. Thanks to the Moon Profound Breaking Soldier Bone, nothing was unbreakable.

Gripping his spear, Lu Chao charged forward with the barrage of blood swords, taking the offensive.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The Yan Soul Guards' True Qi Shields bore the assault of the Soldier-Breaking Blood Swords. The instant the last blood sword vanished, the True Qi Shields of the two weaker guards abruptly shattered.

And as they shattered, Lu Chao's spear arrived... PFFT! PFFT!

With a single sweep of his spear, two heads flew high into the air, showering the tent in blood.

The two remaining Yan Soul Guards were utterly stunned by the sight.

They immediately cried out, "This brat's combat power is terrifying, and his methods are too bizarre! We have to run!"

'Two of us are already dead. If we don't run now, are we just going to wait to die?'

With that, the two Yan Soul Guards leaped high, tore open the tent roof, and rushed out, blowing sharp whistles as they went.

Meanwhile, a dumbstruck Nan Zhuiming shrieked, "Wait for me!"

He too rushed out of the tent, but in the blink of an eye, a cold voice sounded in his ear. "Nan Zhuiming, you might as well come back down. If you run out there, you'll likely be shot full of arrows, and I don't want you to die just yet."

As the voice spoke, Nan Zhuiming felt himself get grabbed and then flung heavily back into the tent.

THUD!

He landed heavily beside the corpses of the two Yan Soul Guards.

Looking up frantically, Nan Zhuiming saw Lu Chao, the one who had pulled him back, now soaring into the sky and leaping out through the torn roof of the tent.

Through the torn opening, Nan Zhuiming saw...

...the two Yan Soul Guards using their whistles to summon two Flying Bird Mounts. They dodged a storm of arrows as they soared into the sky. He also saw a Flying Feather Black Eagle appear beneath Lu Chao's feet, carrying him in hot pursuit of the two guards.

Nan Zhuiming spoke in a daze...

"A Flying Feather Black Eagle at the True Fate Realm Peak... No wonder Lu Chao got here so quickly."

"How can this be? Is his rate of improvement even human?!"

"Four days ago, I fought him to a draw. Four days later, he can kill me without breaking a sweat. Why?!"

He roared, indignant. "No! I have to escape!"

With that, Nan Zhuiming once again dashed out of the tent.

Unfortunately, what awaited him was Fan Changcun and innumerable Dragon Flame Soldiers and Horses, all with their bows drawn and aimed right at him. Nan Zhuiming froze solid.

Standing among the Dragon Flame Soldiers and Horses, Fan Changcun spoke calmly...

"Nan Zhuiming. I've heard so much about you. And yet, you've failed again."

"You are of the Creation Realm, which makes you extremely dangerous. If you dare make the slightest move, you will be pierced by ten thousand arrows."

Meanwhile, in the sky...

Just as Nan Zhuiming had seen, the two surviving Yan Soul Guards were fleeing frantically on their mounts. Their mounts were also at the True Fate Realm—a common type of Flying Wolf from the Cyan Sword Great Empire.

One of them said, his voice dripping with cold fury, "Calling that Nan Zhuiming a useless piece of trash would be a compliment. That bastard deserves to be cut into a thousand pieces."

The second Yan Soul Guard nodded. "I have no idea why Lord Mo Jing chose an idiot like that. He got us into this mess."