Chapter 673 Meeting Old Friend.
Shi Lang stood in a barren field, and an old man with a halberd stood before him. The old man was a commander, and Shi Lang was a new volunteer. The former was an Immortal King. However, the people did not find this odd. They have seen many volunteers who tried to act out, but later, the commanders of their forces would tame them down.
To the soldiers at the side, Shi Lang was just another guy who overestimated himself. The old man said, "I am Yan Lian, the seventh commander of the Dragon Army. Do you want to challenge me for the right to lead a unit?"
Shi Lang nodded and took out his spear. The old man was holding a halberd. Yan Lian watched Shi Lang and frowned. He could not pick any gaps in the stance, but Shi Lang did not seem serious. This was something he had never faced before. He shook his head, thinking it was a tactic for Shi Lang to disturb his thought process.
He said, "The battle will be simple; the one who can make the first life-threatening attack will win. We all must remember that despite the internal struggle, the aim is to fight the demonic beasts and not kill ourselves."
Shi Lang nodded softly, and he had no problem with these rules. On the surface, it may seem like the old man held the advantage and would suffer a bitter loss, but only he knew what he could and would do when facing the old man.
Yan Lian said, "Cheng Kang, you will be the referee."
Cheng Kang was an immortal lord, and Shi Lang guessed this middle-aged man to be the deputy serving under Yan Lian. He had no problem in this regard either. He was planning on a complete victory so the referee would not be able to make things difficult for him, and if something unexpected happened, he would call out to Long Tian.
...
While the two people were preparing to face each other in the battle, Tian Long sipped tea in the camp with Fairy Moon Jade beside him. The lady said, "He has arrived. Are you not going to meet him?"
Tian Long snorted and said, "You can go and meet him if you wish to. I have important things to do."
The Fairy smiled and vanished from her place. She was going to look for Shi Lang because, like Tian Long, she also wanted to see someone from her past. It had been such a long time since she had seen this guy and had some fun.
Shi Lang had a name and reputation in the past life, the scavenger king. This name was not to glorify his skills but how he would not spare anyone who stood in his way. This guy was so focused on reaching the peak back in the day that he did not even spare women and robbed cultivation resources from them.
Fairy Moon Jade appeared in the void and concealed her aura completely as she watched the two people about to fight with each other.
...
Cheng Kang gazed at the two people and said, "The rules are simple: first deadly blow wins. No killing, maiming, or crippling of cultivation is allowed. If you are found using any restrictive medicine, then death would feel like a luxury. Do you both understand?"
Shi Lang nodded, and so did the old man. Cheng Kang said, "Begin."
The two people rushed off from their positions. They were so fast that people could only glimpse their afterimages. They could understand what was happening to Yan Lian, but Shi Lang could move this fast, which stunned them all.
The old commander was shocked himself. He did not expect this young man to be this fast. While he was in a daze, Shi Lang said, "Lightning domain."
The next moment, a boundary of lightning erupted. Yan Lian was caught completely off-guard. Not only was Shi Lang fast, but he also hindered his speed. This wasn't good. At this rate, he would suffer a defeat. His brain was jumbled, as he did not know how an Immortal Lord could produce a domain skill.
Shi Lang smiled as he approached the old man and attacked with his spear. Yan Lian was slowed down but was still quick enough to block the attack. The terran had expected this. After all, he was well aware of his skills. He watched the old man cut at him with the halberd, and he bent down to dodge the attack.
Yan Lian sneered. He was sure he would win because the angle of dodging the attack was inappropriate. However, the joke fell on him. Shi Lang dodged the attack and moved to the side with his spear swinging behind him in a beautiful arc that landed a blow to the old man's side.
Yan Lian was an experienced soldier, but he had been fighting beasts for so long that his skills against the humans were a little rusty. Shi Lang created a window and exposed it brutally. The impact was controlled, but Yan Lian was still forced to retreat a few steps. When he recovered, Shi Lang was onto him with the tip of his spear. The duel ended, and Yan Lian, the commander of the Dragon Army, was defeated by a new volunteer.
The surrounding was filled with utter silence. None of the volunteers or the soldiers knew what to say to this. Shi Lang had displayed skills that none of them would ever be able to reach. The courage to face an expert above the boundary of his realm and that too without asking the opponent to lower the realm. This was worthy of respect, and he managed to win in such conditions.
The people did not know how to react, nor did the opponent, Old Commander Yan Lian. At this moment, a faint applause from the void broke the silence, and the people realized that what they had watched was real. The people raised their gazes to look at the clapping person and found a fairy.
They could not see her face but knew who this person was. Dressed in pristine white, this person was Immortal Sovereign Zither Soul. This was Moon Jade's name in the immortal realm. She was also the dao companion of Sovereign Tian Long. This lady was taking note of this match and even appeared in person. It was truly too shocking for them.
Yan Lian was still in a daze when the lady landed on the ground. He woke up and quickly knelt on the ground with his right palm covering his heart in a salutation. The rest of the soldiers followed his actions. Even the volunteers did the same. Then they saw another shocking sight. Shi Lang was standing on the ground with his eyes looking at the lady.
They were sure that now he was going to die. Sovereign Zither Soul hated those who acted boldly before her. Many people had died at her hands before she had gained the title of Sovereign.
Shi Lang opened his mouth and said, "In the cloudless night, the moon shines like the jade, and a fairy descends on earth."
The people's hearts were about to explode when they heard a gentle chuckle, and the lady spoke, "To think you would still remember that, old friend."
Shi Lang smiled and said, "It would be a pity to forget a beautiful poem. Also, I am not old just yet, Fairy."
Fairy Moon Jade chuckled and nodded. She said, "Commander Yan Lian, you lost to him fair and square. Do you have any objection to ceding your position to him? Let him lead your unit, and I promise you the casualties will be lower than ever."
Yan Lian was shocked. He looked around and found that the other people were just confused. He realized that the Sovereign had created a barrier around them. After all, she had been talking to Shi Lang in such a familiar tone that it was evident that they knew each other.
He nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I will follow your command. So will the men under my command."
The fairy nodded, and Shi Lang asked, "Fairy Moon Jade, where is this fellow? He called me here, but he has yet to show up. Such bad reception."
The lady smiled and said, "He is dealing with some business. Do not worry, you will meet him soon. Now shall we move to a tent and have a chat? We still have a day to welcome the beast tide."
Shi Lang shrugged and said, "I do not mind that unless you want to settle the account of that soul-nourishing grass."
The fairy waved her hand and said, "I am not that petty just yet. However, do not tell him about this. He might puke some old blood."
Shi Lang nodded solemnly as they walked toward a tent on the side. Yan Lian shivered, realizing what the people were talking about. He did not expect the relationship between them to be so close. He realized why he lost to this young man.
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