Chapter 56: Chapter 53: The Secret Guarded by Feudal Lords_1
Lu Yan and the scapegoat girl took action simultaneously.
The scapegoat girl, with a light touch of her toes, dashed at a big man like a ghost, the cold gleam of a small knife in her hand flashing as it slashed towards the big man’s throat.
The big man held a knife in both hands and swung it down, his Qi-blood surging.
The knife skill was not complicated, but it was fast, accurate, and ruthless. The blade’s radiance seemed capable of cutting through columns of rain, colliding with the small knife in the girl’s hand.
With a clang, the big man was forced to retreat continuously.
The girl remained unfazed, closing in with an intimidating aura.
"Top-tier Martial Arts, you’re a descendant of the Feudal Lords."
The big man growled, full of apprehension.
Though he, too, had undergone five Limit Breaks, he was at a disadvantage after a single face-off. The Qi-blood trained from his second-tier Martial Arts was easily broken by the girl.
The girl remained silent, her knife strokes falling like rain.
At the same time, Lu Yan confronted the Martial Marquis’ soldiers, three of them aligning against him.
Five soldiers, two had undergone five Limit Breaks while the other three had broken their limits four times.
The three, knowing their strength was inadequate, attacked in sync. Their War Knives, brought down one after another, unleashed a barrage of attacks like an endless tide.
This was a battle tactic for close-quarter combats. The trio, well-coordinated, produced enormous power.
Despite numerous attempts, Lu Yan couldn’t break through their barrier of knives and couldn’t help marveling at the terrifying power of battlefield formations.
No wonder there were rumors that even a Martial Marquis would avoid facing the unified formation of a hundred soldiers.
Nevertheless, their combat powers differed significantly.
The soldiers, not being from the Feudal Lords, were unable to cultivate top-tier Martial Arts. They usually practiced second-tier Martial Arts suitable for battlefield combats.
Being second-tier Martial Arts, they were obviously no match for Lu Yan.
Lu Yan’s arms bulged with muscles, turning golden as he unleashed his formidable punches without fear of the blade’s radiance.
Clang! Clang! Clang!...
His fists, like iron hammers, struck the War Knives directly without any damage, leaving a few marks on them.
If any part of Lu Yan could be considered the hardest, it would be his hands.
After consecutive tempering from Iron Thread Fist, Shattering Stone Palm, Savage Tiger Fist, Iron Sand Palm, and Vajra Body, they became as hard as iron once operated. Protected by Qi-blood, they were not afraid of ordinary swords and blades.
His enormous power caused the three soldiers to reel back, their formation falling apart.
Lu Yan advanced, hurling a punch at a soldier and breaking his breastbone. The soldier was sent flying and died before landing.
Without stopping, Lu Yan continued to attack with his fists, killing off the remaining two soldiers easily.
On the other side, the scapegoat girl had also finished her fight.
The soldier who had broken his limits five times stood no chance against her. He blocked her small knife, but was then slapped on the forehead by her. His head nearly exploded.
Lu Yan could not help but feel a chill as he observed the girl’s formidable power. She had managed to escape from the Martial Marquis and almost snatched the Mutated Heart Meat from Liu Yuansong.
Among all the people who had broken the limits five times that Lu Yan had encountered, she was arguably the strongest.
Meanwhile, Wang Shun was still locked in combat with a soldier who had broken his limits five times.
Seeing that Lu Yan and the scapegoat girl had already dealt with his comrades, the soldier panicked. Wang Shun seized the opportunity and severed his right arm.
The soldier turned to run, but the scapegoat girl blocked him. With a single palm strike from her, she sent him flying. He then lay motionless on the ground.
Voices could be heard coming from the direction of the tents. The main force of the army was evidently rushing in.
Escaping to the open was now impossible. If they ran into the army’s main force, they would be assaulted by a barrage of arrows. Even with the scapegoat girl’s agile movements, they couldn’t avoid them.
Wang Shun turned around and bolted towards the depth of the forbidden area.
Lu Yan and the scapegoat girl followed suit, each taking up positions to his left and right, keeping Wang Shun surrounded.
Hostile glares exchanged between the trio, the intent to kill becoming more apparent.
It was clear to them that Wang Shun had dragged them into trouble to secure his own safety; neither of them was a pushover.
Realizing their intent to kill, Wang Shun squeezed out an awkward smile and said, "My apologies for the earlier misunderstanding, but we’re in the same boat now. Working together serves both our interests. We stand a chance of escaping together. If we fight amongst ourselves, it’ll attract the army, and none of us will escape."
"How did you find me just now?"
The girl asked.
This was also a question on Lu Yan’s mind.
"I practiced a special Martial Art that enhances hearing, my hearing is sharper than an average person. A moment ago, I heard your heartbeat and breathing."
Explained Wang Shun.
Even though they were conversing, their feet did not stop, they continued to run, changing direction midway.
"What exactly did you see that drew the attention of the martial army? Speak up, I won’t hold the earlier incident against you."
Lu Yan said coldly.
The Scapegoat Girl immediately nodded, "Right, tell us. And don’t try to deceive us, otherwise..."
A small knife spun in the girl’s palm, the chilling light fierce.
A strong sense of dread flashed in Wang Shun’s eyes.
Lu Yan was alright, his strength was also impressive, powerfully slaying three of the martial army.
But those three soldiers had only undergone Limit Breaking four times. He was confident that with his full might, he could easily dispose of them.
But the Scapegoat Girl was different, slaying those who had undergone breaking their limit five times with ease, this was somewhat horrifying.
It wouldn’t be hard for her to kill him either.
"Since we are all in the same boat, naturally I won’t keep secrets from you..."
Wang Shun forced out a smile, continuing, "I saw ancient ruins beneath the collapsed mountains."
"That doesn’t need you to say, I saw it too, get to the point."
The girl said impatiently.
"I overheard the Feudal Lords’ conversation; the ruins seemed to be very dangerous. Once approached, they would be attacked by a mysterious force. They selected many young people and trained them, making these youths sacrifice their lives trying to find a safe route and avoid the deadly ones."
Explained Wang Shun.
Lu Yan shook in his heart.
He remembered the last time he entered the forbidden area and saw the pit filled with dead bodies. There were hundreds of corpses, all young people.
This coincided with what Wang Shun said.
So, the Liu Family and Wu Family recruiting young people for training and teaching them Martial Arts was a sham, their main goal was to use these young lives to explore the ancient ruins.
Lu Yan initially wanted to go, but was rejected because of his severe illness. Thinking back, it was indeed a lucky escape.
"No wonder such a large batch of refugees fled here, the two Feudal Lords were so kindly accepted them for two reasons. One, to draw out the Martial Spirits. Second, to recruit people to explore the ruins."
Lu Yan pondered.
His initial doubts were suddenly cleared.
"What’s beneath the ruin that makes the two Feudal Lords fill it with human sacrifices no matter the cost?"
Lu Yan asked.
"A Blood Land Vein."
The eyes of Wang Shun blazed brightly, "An undiscovered Blood Land Vein, a Blood Land Vein hidden deep underground."
"Hidden Blood Land Vein? This is really rare, what grade Blood Land Vein?" Even the Scapegoat Girl’s eyes began to glow.
"According to the Feudal Lords’ conversation, it should be of the first grade."
Wang Shun replied.
"First-grade Blood Land Vein?"
Lu Yan was puzzled, "Don’t the Liu family and Wu family each own a first-grade Blood Land Vein? Why do they need to care so much?"
"You are not aware of this, the Hidden Blood Land vein has been underground for years, undeveloped; the Energy of Earth Blood is rich, undoubtedly nurturing many Alien Beasts. These Alien Beasts belong to wild Alien Beasts."
"The effect of the wild Alien Beast meat is better than that of the Alien Beasts raised by the Feudal Lords, thus, its market price is higher. These Alien Beasts can be equated to a mobile treasure chest. Moreover, the high concentration of Earth Blood is likely to mutate the Alien Beasts, giving birth to Mutated Heart Meat which, for Martial Marquis level Feudal Lords, is a priceless treasure."
Wang Shun explained.
Lu Yan understood.
An undeveloped Blood Land Vein couy;ld potentially host dozens or even hundreds of Alien Beasts, an astonishingly valuable resource. Furthermore, there was a high chance that Mutated Heart Meat might be formed.
It made sense for the two Feudal Lords to spare no cost in developing it. If they could utilize this resource efficiently, the overall strength of the two Feudal Lords would increase significantly.
While the three were speaking, they had already run several miles entering a dense forest. They had changed direction several times on the way and it is difficult to track them in the night rain, the sound from behind gradually diminished, until it became inaudible.
Suddenly, a shiver ran up Lu Yan’s spine. He heard a terrible whooshing sound behind him and an icy chill directly hit the back of his neck.
