Chapter 2303: Chapter 2303 Rescue Mission
Even when they did not possess all the information, the commander’s statements conveyed an aura of superiority emanating from the Sanctuary landers.
Their belief that all lives should be sacrificed for their benefit made them callous to the lives of people in other realms.
Other worlds to them were nothing more than hunting grounds to plunder resources and train their troops.
Ye Liuyun’s Spatial World was now vast enough to accommodate all the soldiers and bettelship. After storing them away, he prepared to enter the island with Qiong Qi to conduct a thorough reconnaissance.
Ye Liuyun first used his Golden Phantom Eyes to observe the island group from the celestial to have a basic understanding of the situation.
The Sanctuary Knight had advanced to the central region of this world. Most of the local martial practitioners settled down in a single city, while the population of the other cities significantly declined.
They had only been able to gather about fifty thousand soldiers, though, which was half the size of the Sanctuary Knight’s army.
Both sides were almost equal in terms of cultivation levels. However, the locals were essentially martial practitioners without a formal military structure.
It seemed their armies had already been scattered, and now these martial practitioners were ready to make a stand against the Sanctuary Knight.
The Sanctuary Knight had dispatched fifty thousand troops to surround the city, while the other half remained in standby.
Thousands of women were held hostage in a particular section of their camp, serving as entertainment for the soldiers.
The cities behind the Sanctuary Knight’s base were in ruins, evidence of fierce resistance. The land inside and outside the city walls was littered with the remains of slain warriors.
Small groups of martial practitioners still lingered around the base of the Sanctuary Knight, likely planning guerrilla tactics to retaliate against them.
"There are no capitulated soldiers among their troops! They don’t even bother to clean up the battlefield!"
Ye Liuyun considered these observations somewhat peculiar.
At that moment, Ye Liuyun spotted a group of over twenty martial practitioners attempting an ambush on a military camp that was in the midst of regrouping.
However, the troops on patrol saw them and sounded the alarm. Following many failed attempts to breach the camp, the squad started to withdraw.
The Sanctuary Knights were well-coordinated based on their tactics and formations. Ye Liuyun estimated that their fighting prowess was comparable to that of his army.
Soon, about a hundred soldiers dashed out of their camp and gave chase, determined to hunt down the fleeing martial practitioners.
Seeing this, Ye Liuyun immediately headed towards the scene with Qiong Qi.
Some of the twenty or so martial artists who were escaping were hurt, hindering their escape. Hence, they were soon surrounded by the pursuing soldiers.
The soldier’s captain yelled at them, "Surrender, and we spare your life! On top of that, we will also liberate your women!"
"Dream on!" The commander of the martial practitioners, a robust man named Zheng Huan, shouted, "The soldiers of the Sirius Realm would rather perish in a fight than surrender to the likes of you!"
But a young man next to him stepped forward, clearly upset.
"What do you think you’re doing, Mheng Tuo?" Zheng Huan reprimanded.
"I..." Meng Tuo’s face turned red with grief. He hesitated for a second before choking out, "I want to save my sister, Zheng Huan! She is still young. I can’t let these scum ruin her!"
Seizing the opportunity, the Commander chimed in, "That’s not a problem! If you surrender, you can save whoever you want!"
Then, with a smug look on his face, the commander faced the other men and enticed them, asking, "How about the rest of you? You all have someone to save, too, don’t you? I can assure you of your family’s safety if you surrender. Otherwise, it will be too late once they are sent to the soldiers."
Upon hearing this, the other men were distraught, their expressions contorted with a mix of wrath and exasperation as they gripped their fists even more tightly around their weapons.
With his heart heavy with sorrow, Zheng Huan looked at Mheng Tuo. "Mheng Tuo, you are not alone. You are not the only one with family in the hands of these demons. I know how you feel."
"But these monsters will not stop until they destroy our world! Trying to rescue only one life is pointless. Will they truly spare you by then? Or your sister even?"
As tears rolled down his cheeks, Mheng Tuo’s voice quivered with anguish. His hand gripping the knife shook violently.
He lunged towards the enemy’s commander with a graturral howl, knife in hand up in the air.
"Mheng Tuo!"
Zheng Huan let out a panicked shout as he rallied his men to stop him.
"You stubborn fool!"
Just as opposing commander was ready to instruct men to charge, he suddenly appeared to be paralysed and abruptly froze.
Just in time, his soldiers rushed forward to shield him from Mheng Tuo’s assault.
Suddenly, a fresh platoon of black-armored warriors emerged on the periphery, causing a momentary halt on both fronts.
"Commander!"
One of the soldiers shouted out to warn the commander. However, the commander seemed to be in a daze. He strode forward as if offering himself to Mheng Tuo.
It was at that moment that Ye Liuyun and Qiong Qi made their appearance.
"Strike!"
Reacting to Ye Liuyun’s command, the black-armored soldiers swiftly engaged the enemy.
The squad of Sanctuary soldiers scrambled to regroup into a formation to defend themselves while Zheng Huan and his group huddled together, cautious of the impending mayhem. Taking advantage of the situation, Mheng Tuo pounced on the oncoming commander, slashing him in half with a single, vicious blow, and then retreated to Zheng Huan’s side.
Without uttering a word of criticism or accusation, Zheng Huan offered him a comforting pat on the shoulder.
The combat between the two forces was intense. It was palpable that these were no regular combatants. If Ye Liuyun hadn’t brought his formidable Dark Legion that outnumbered their force by three times, it would have been hard to overcome them.
"These men aren’t going down easily!" Their prowess was recognised even by the Qiong Qi.
"Indeed, their formation is fairly formidable,"
Ye Liuyun gave a knowing nod.
"Thank you for your rescue. Which city are you from?"
Zheng Huan offered a slight bow in gratitude towards Ye Liuyun after the last of the Sanctuary soldiers had fallen.
Ye Liuyun accepted the gesture and began to introduce himself.
He was interested in befriending these individuals and stepped up to interfere because he respected their honesty and bravery.
Zheng Huan’s expression shifted as he found out that Ye Liuyun and his soldiers were outsiders.
"We will not repay your kindness with hostility. After all, you saved us. But we hope you won’t bring us harm like those before."
You should discuss with the city-state alliance’s elders in the city to talk about the alliance you proposed. I have no authority in such matters. But be warned, though. Evil Creature are not welcome here, your may be met with attack from them."
Their attitude didn’t bother Ye Liuyun. It was understandable, given the recent invasion by outsiders.
"I plan to lead a raid to rescue the captivated women. Could you provide us with more details?"
"Also, once they’re rescued, we’ll need you to take them to safety," Ye Liuyun proposed.
Zheng Huan and his soldiers exchanged anxious looks. "You have only three hundred soldiers, you’re likely to cause nothing more than a mere distraction!"
Ye Liuyun let out a chuckle as he replied, "Well, I have more than three hundred men! You don’t need to worry yourself about the specifics of the attack. Just wait and watch."
