Chapter 221: Chapter 196: One Man Against Thousands_1
After finishing what he wanted to say, Wei Changkong opened a parcel. Inside was an iron box, which, when opened, revealed a box cluttered with gold and silver tickets.
A glint flashed across Lu Yan’s eyes, but quickly receded.
"Brother Lu, as I promised earlier, you’re entitled to half of these. I do not go back on my word."
Wei Changkong said.
"Not so fast, senior. I’m curious about your next move," Lu Yan inquired.
"I plan to seek refuge in Lingwang City with the Zhao Clan. Together, we will tackle the Martial Spirits," Wei Changkong said.
"The seniors of Kunwu Mountain have left to assist with the Beast King. We should soon receive news from there. Why not head to Changfeng City to wait for their message?" Lu Yan suggested.
"That makes sense."
After a slight moment of consideration, Wei Changkong nodded in agreement.
The group immediately set off towards Changfeng City.
Blood Slaughter soared into the sky to scout.
As they progressed on their journey, they added four more Martial Cultivators from the Wei Family to their ranks, thanks to pointers from Blood Slaughter.
The four were the ones Lu Yan saved when he first arrived. They were also heading towards Changfeng City. They were overjoyed when they saw Wei Changkong.
Soon, they returned to Changfeng City.
Then they began to distribute the gold and silver.
After counting, it was estimated that the box contained gold and silver tickets worth about 1.2 million taels of silver.
1.2 million taels, while seemingly insignificant for a Master-level Feudal Lord, could be substantial because such Feudal Lords have numerous expenses. They need to support numerous Martial Cultivators and warriors, all of which cost money. Daily expenses can be staggering.
Being able to save 1.2 million taels is already quite an achievement.
When it came to money distribution, Lu Yan was unapologetic and took 600,000 taels for himself. With a lot of expenses lying ahead, there was no point in pretending to be modest.
Next up were the martial arts.
Wei Changkong only picked up the prime martial arts, leaving behind the second and third tier ones.
The Wei Family had a total of sixteen top-tier martial arts.
Lu Yan started going through each of them.
He quickly skimmed over martial arts techniques such as swordsmanship, spearmanship, and cudgel techniques.
His focus was on four types.
Knife Technique, speed-focused martial arts, archery martial arts, and body refining martial arts.
Eventually, Lu Yan selected three martial arts techniques, planning to comprehend them first.
One was a Knife Technique, namely the one Wei Changkong himself practiced, known as the God Blade Eight Styles.
The second was a body refining martial art known as the Bull Demon Body.
The third one, a speed-focused martial art, was called Chasing Wind and Moon.
Lu Yan stored away the Divine Intent Diagrams of these three martial arts and planned to comprehend them whenever he had some free time.
But of course, he had one more thing to do before he got to comprehension.
The dungeon.
A figure was lying on the ground like a pile of mud.
It was Li Canglin.
"Lu Yan, kill me if you dare! My father will avenge me!" Seeing Lu Yan, Li Canglin immediately shrieked.
"As you wish," said Lu Yan emotionlessly, unsheathing the Red Blood Blade. A head fell to the ground.
Initially, Li Canglin was kept alive as a bargaining chip to threaten Li Wenxuan. But knowing now that Li Wenxuan had become a pawn of the Spirit Sect and could no longer make decisions on his own, even threatening him with Li Canglin was useless. Thus, it was best to send the latter to his end.
After dealing with Li Canglin, Lu Yan took out the body refining martial art, the Bull Demon Body, and began comprehending it.
Besides making a breakthrough in his cultivation level, the only thing that could give him any improvement was to practice body refining martial arts.
This was because the effects were cumulative.
For example, Vajra Indestructible Skill and the Fiery Gold Body.
Having already mastered top-tier martial arts that combined the essence of martial arts and a man’s spirit, Lu Yan’s understanding of martial arts was far beyond the average master. Thus, the comprehension of top-tier martial arts advanced rapidly.
Only a few days later, he was on the verge of making significant progress. He believed that in less than ten days, he would be able to master the basics.
...
In Baicao City, inside the Li Family mansion and in the conference hall.
A green-haired old man sat at the head of the table. A smart-looking middle-aged man and a knight in iron armor were seated right below him.
Further down sat Li Wenxuan, head of the Gao Family, Gao Wentian, and Li Xinghen.
"Protectors, almost all the feudal lords in Southern Yi have pledged allegiance, and all the forces are under our control. In Li’an County, the Wei Family has been wiped out. Perhaps it’s time to march northward to eradicate Changfeng City?"
"Changfeng City contains several experts, and it will always be a threat." Li Wenxuan was the first to speak.
"Of course, Changfeng City needs to be eliminated. But we recently received news that Liu Zhenshuo and the Redhead Ghost have been slain outside Li’an City, utterly destroyed," the green-haired old man said.
"Liu Zhenshuo and the Redhead Ghost are dead? Who killed them?" On hearing the news, the faces of Li Wenxuan, Gao Wentian and others changed drastically.
They did not know much about the Redhead Ghost, probably someone from the Spirit Sect. But they knew Liu Zhenshuo well. Despite being a first-level master, he had robust life forces having been on the Martial Spirit path.
Back then, when the five masters jointly attacked Liu Zhenshuo, they almost let him escape.
Who could have killed him?
Could it have been a third-level master?
"It’s not clear who did it. The news from Li’an City suggests that it might be someone from Kunwu Mountain skilled in archery and flying on a giant eagle. They even killed two masters from the Qiu Family and the Ouyang Family in front of the Weapon Collection Pavilion of the Wei Family in Li’an City," the green-haired old man explained.
He did not mention the matter of Qiu Cao’s sudden change of character.
If he did, it would only worry people like Li Wenxuan and Gao Wentian.
"Skilled in archery, capable of killing a master... Could it be the one behind Lu Yan? The Lu Yan who has ties with Kunwu Mountain?"
Li Wenxuan speculated.
"It’s not impossible. Therefore, we cannot underestimate Changfeng City, especially that master of archery. He’s capable of launching sneak attacks which are difficult to defend against. Just like the last time in Baiyue City, you almost exposed your martial spirits."
The green-haired old man looked at Li Wenxuan and Li Xinghen.
Their expressions shifted slightly.
Last time in Baiyue City, even if they did kill someone suspected to be a master of archery, it turned out that the person wasn’t made of flesh and blood.
Although with their knowledge, they didn’t know what it was, they could speculate that the master of archery had not died.
"Let’s be clear beforehand. Anyone severely injured must not use their martial spirit power in front of others. If this disrupts the big picture, you’ll be held accountable."
The green-haired old man said coldly.
"We all fear death. I’m afraid that some might not resist using their martial spirit power and expose their identities when they are critically injured. Then let all the martial spirits pretend to be ordinary soldiers, dress in iron armor and helmets, and blend in with the soldiers. That master of archery would not be able to pick them out."
"As for Li Wenxuan, who will command the Li Family’s people, you can reveal yourself, but you’ll have the great protector to guard you, and you should be safe."
The refined middle-aged man suggested.
"Fine, let’s do it that way."
The green-haired old man, who is also the great protector, nodded.
After discussing the details a bit, they started to muster the troops and prepared to head north.
...
It took Lu Yan nine days to comprehend the Bull Demon Body and condense a martial arts avatar.
The speed was several times faster than when he first came into contact with top martial arts.
At this point, if he perceived knife technique, he would be even quicker.
At this time, Li Qi came to report that their scout had discovered that the combined forces of the Li and Gao families had begun to march northward.
"Finally, they’re coming. If we just passively defend, the few hundred soldiers in Changfeng City standing in their way is akin to a mantis trying to stop a chariot. It’s better if we take the initiative to launch an attack."
Lu Yan made a decision. He discussed it with Wei Changkong and then asked him to stay and guard Changfeng City, while he himself rode the Blood Slaughter towards the south on his own.
On the back of the Blood Slaughter, rows of metal arrows were placed, with thousands in total.
In addition to the horn bow, there were also two iron bows. Their quality might not be as good as the horn bow, but they are still top-grade strong bows.
The Blood Slaughter flew at high altitude with great speed. In just a moment, Lu Yan saw a dense mass of figures below.
They were all soldiers, estimated to be tens of thousands.
They had really given him face to deploy tens of thousands of soldiers against a single Changfeng City.
The iron cavalries moved swiftly, and the ground trembled. The army moved along the mountain road, forming a giant dragon.
The beasts in the mountains fled in panic.
Lu Yan looked down and examined carefully. His brows furrowed.
There was only one person who was clearly a martial spirit, Li Wenxuan.
The others, such as Li Xinghen, were nowhere to be seen.
Were they not coming, or were they hiding among the soldiers?
Clearly, the battle in Baiyue City last time had left a deep impression on them.
"Let’s start with Li Wenxuan then."
With a thought, Lu Yan summoned his Chasing Star Arrow avatar, standing beside him.
The Blood Slaughter, now accustomed to such things, swooped down.
"Be careful."
Standing next to Li Wenxuan, the green-haired old man was the first to spot the Blood Slaughter and warned in loud voice.
Li Wenxuan pulled out his sword.
Whoosh!
An arrow flew in the sky, rushing like thunder, bringing a terrible whistling sound.
Li Wenxuan’s pupils shrank, his muscles tensed, and he gripped the sword handle tightly, his veins popping. He was preparing to take the arrow head-on.
At the critical moment, the green-haired old man leaped up, swung his spear, and hit the arrow shaft.
With a loud ’Dang,’ the arrow was knocked away and exploded in midair.
"Third-Level Master."
Lu Yan’s eyes narrowed.
With his current strength, the arrows injected with top bone strength, although not as powerful as when he held the Red Blood Blade and used the Jiu Jie Knife, could pose a great threat to a second-rank master. The only one who could easily knock away the arrows was a third-level master.
After knocking the arrow away, the green-haired elder landed next to Li Wenxuan, and there was also a hint of solemnity in his eyes.
Whoosh! Whoosh!...
Lu Yan continuously drew his bow, firing five arrows. However, the green-haired elder swung his long spear, and five spear shadows appeared in the sky, blocking all of his arrows.
"This green-haired old ghost is too strong. With him protecting Li Wenxuan, it’s hard for me to hurt him, let alone severely injure Li Wenxuan and force him to reveal his martial spirit."
Lu Yan knitted his brows.
Swoosh!
Just then, an iron-armored strong man stepped forward, holding a short spear, and threw it vigorously towards the sky.
The short spear was like a flash of lightning, flying hundreds of meters into the sky and aiming at Blood Slaughter.
The Chasing Star Arrow avatar on the side fired an arrow, which hit the short spear directly.
The short spear flew hundreds of meters into the sky, and it was already out of energy. When it was hit by the arrow from the Chasing Star Arrow avatar, it was sent flying to the side.
And Lu Yan, fired three arrows in a row, but they were all blocked by the green-haired elder.
"All soldiers, you don’t need to worry about this person. The whole army will attack and head straight for Changfeng City."
Li Wenxuan shouted loudly.
Suddenly, the iron horses started running and continued to move forward, quickly heading towards the direction of Changfeng City.
Whoosh! Whoosh...
Lu Yan and his Chasing Star Arrow avatar turned and shot arrows at the soldiers.
In an instant, they fired more than a dozen arrows, taking down more than a dozen soldiers.
