Chapter 295: Chapter 237: An Utter Rout
Tiger felt the surging battle intent from Ling Xiao and grew excited. In Tiger’s eyes, only the pleasure of swift and satisfying revenge felt right! All this beating around the bush wasn’t the Beastman way!
Outside, tens of thousands of Mercenaries from the Zhe Family had gathered!
It really was the Divine Wind Mercenary Corps! Their commander, Zhe Jianxiang, possessed the strength of a Tier Three Sword Sect!
Zhe Jianxiang was from a side branch of the Zhe Family. He and Zhe Jianye were paternal cousins, so they weren’t too distantly related. As a result, he held a high position in the Zhe Family, and his relationship with Zhe Jianye was also decent enough.
Zhe Jianxiang’s father and Zhe Shixun were half-brothers. His father had passed away long ago, so Zhe Shixun treated his nephew, Zhe Jianxiang, as one of his own children and had entrusted him with great responsibilities.
The Zhe Family’s grudge against Ling Xiao could be traced back to over half a year ago, during a night of revelry in the Lanyue Empire. Five thousand of the Zhe Family’s skilled Mercenaries had been completely wiped out in Penzes City; not a single one returned! What’s more, after their deaths, they were framed for a terrible crime—accused of plundering several major noble houses in Penzes City!
At the time, Zhe Jianxiang had nearly rallied the rest of the Divine Wind Mercenary Corps’ forces to attack Penzes City by sea. However, Zhe Jianye talked him out of it. Minor skirmishes were one thing, but launching an attack on Penzes City with over ten thousand Mercenaries would no longer be a private feud. It would become a true conflict between two empires!
Although the Zhe Family was powerful, the Lanyue Empire was not without its own formidable families!
The Ling Family was nothing to speak of, but the Qin Family of the Bauhinia Clan, who had guarded the Lanyue Empire’s northern border for generations, possessed strength no less than that of the Zhe Family!
On the surface, the Qin Family didn’t seem like much. Even their direct descendants were merely Sword Masters at the age of sixteen or seventeen. But behind the scenes, many knew that the most unique aspect of the Bauhinia Clan was that its members could only truly receive their inheritance after turning eighteen!
This so-called inheritance... was actually an enhancement through Elixirs!
The Bauhinia Clan also had an incredibly powerful backer among the hidden clans and sects. Moreover, the Lanyue Empire’s own Royal Family had been established by a major hidden clan. If a real war broke out, the most likely outcome would be mutual destruction!
Then someone else would just swoop in and reap the benefits.
Zhe Jianxiang had been suppressing his bitter resentment all this time. He had poured his heart and soul into the Divine Wind Mercenary Corps to make it a Second-level Mercenary Corps recognized by the Mercenary Guild!
It could be said that every single member of the corps, even if their martial abilities were average, definitely had their own specialty in other areas. It was no exaggeration to say that everyone who could join the Divine Wind Mercenary Corps was an elite!
To think that five thousand of these elites had been lost in a single battle in Penzes City!
This time, upon learning that his nephew, Zhe Xiaoxing, had died at Ling Xiao’s hands, Zhe Jianxiang finally unleashed all the rage in his heart. In Ling Xiao’s words, this was a case of new hatred piling on top of old. Zhe Jianxiang had originally planned to go all out, lead all his subordinates, and charge into Penzes City to slaughter Ling Xiao’s entire family to vent his fury.
But unexpectedly, Zhe Jianye had sent him here instead! Over three thousand Great Sword Masters, hundreds of Mad Sword Masters, dozens of Demon Sword Masters, eight Elders who were all at least Third Rank Demon Sword Masters, plus more than seven thousand fifth and sixth-rank Sword Masters... One could say that the Divine Wind Mercenary Corps’ entire foundation was gathered here!
The remaining ten thousand or so members, all at the Sword Master level, were scattered across various countries, either carrying out missions or serving some of the Zhe Family’s businesses.
Everyone who could come had come. Yet, Zhe Jianxiang was extremely puzzled. He knew about the Ancient Ruins here and understood their importance, but he simply couldn’t believe Ling Xiao would be so audacious. Why would he willingly jump into this pit of fire?
Therefore, Zhe Jianxiang was very dissatisfied! He believed Zhe Jianye didn’t trust his abilities and was looking down on him!
Zhe Jianxiang sat atop a powerful steed. He was in his sixties, yet he showed no signs of age! He had a full head of black hair, a strong build, and not even a wrinkle could be seen at the corners of his eyes.
His deep-set eyes stared at the depression ahead. Behind him stood eight men in a crescent formation. The youngest of them looked to be in his forties or fifties, and all of their eyes gleamed sharply as they studied the terrain with him.
These eight men were the eight great Elders of the Divine Wind Mercenary Corps; one could say they were Zhe Jianxiang’s most trusted confidants.
One of them, a thin elder with a long, narrow face, high cheekbones, and sunken eyes, stroked the wisp of a goatee on his chin. He spoke slowly in a hoarse voice, "Commander, in my opinion, it’s highly unlikely those people will come here. If that’s the case, why don’t we go in and investigate? The Patriarch sent us here, surely not for over ten thousand of us to stand around and stare, right? Just feeding everyone every day is a huge problem!"
Zhe Jianxiang’s lips curled into a slight sneer. "What can I do?" he said in a low voice. "He doesn’t believe I can conquer Penzes City. Says he’s afraid of causing some diplomatic incident between two empires. Bullshit! The Royal Families of the various empires are all bullshit! They’re just puppets! What do they amount to? Hmph, the hidden clans are the real masters of the Royal Families! We’re just going for revenge. Would that bullshit King of the Lanyue Empire dare to say a word?"
Another man, a burly giant in his forties with a square face, dark skin, and a powerful physique, was also one of the eight Elders behind Zhe Jianxiang. He was also the youngest of them and Zhe Jianxiang’s own younger brother, Zhejian Mountain, who possessed the formidable strength of a Fifth Rank Demon Sword Master. He sneered and said, "Brother, when you get down to it, this is just the main branch not trusting us. Now that Xiaoxing has been killed, they’re probably terrified, afraid that our branch will replace theirs! Hmph, if you ask me, it’s their own fault the main branch’s fertility is so poor! You’re telling me we don’t count as the direct line?"
Zhe Jianxiang gave a cynical laugh, not angered by his younger brother’s words. He chuckled, "Side branch versus main branch—there are strict rules about that. It’s not something we can just decide for ourselves."
"Bullshit!"
Zhejian Mountain sneered. "Our grandmother also came from a hidden clan. Wasn’t it only because her clan later declined that our branch was pushed around..."
Zhe Jianxiang waved his hand, frowning slightly. "Enough. This isn’t the time for such talk!" Zhejian Mountain often complained like this in front of him. It was one thing when it was just the two of them, but openly discussing family matters in front of the eight Elders and the dozens of Demon Sword Masters behind them... Even though these men were his absolute confidants, it still felt like airing their dirty laundry in public.
Zhejian Mountain grunted twice. He knew his older brother was just as dissatisfied. After all, the current Patriarch, Zhe Jianye, was merely a Sixth Rank Demon Sword Master. He was only one rank higher than Zhejian Mountain himself, and more than a full rank lower than his own brother! On what basis could he be the Patriarch, second to only one man and above all others?
However, sowing the seeds of ambition was a long and arduous task. The recent catastrophe that had befallen the Zhe Family’s main line was an excellent opportunity for side branches like theirs!
Because both Zhe Jianxiang and Zhejian Mountain knew clearly that in the eyes of the hidden clan backing the Zhe Family, their status was no different from Zhe Jianye’s! They were all descendants of the Zhe Family!
Zhe Shixun’s grandfather... was also their great-grandfather!
Zhe Jianxiang, who possessed the strength of a Tier Three Sword Sect, suddenly narrowed his eyes. He stared intently at the hollow in the cliff face opposite them and said, "There’s someone inside!"
As he spoke, the massive boulder in the hollow suddenly shot out! It hurtled straight toward the assembled men of the Divine Wind Mercenary Corps!
Zhe Jianxiang snorted coldly, his eyes blazing with fury. With a flash of his sword, he pulverized the giant boulder! A sky full of rock fragments rained down.
Immediately after, the men behind Zhe Jianxiang all drew their weapons. In an instant, killing intent filled the air!
Tiger flew out, expanding his body to its original size. He thrust out a gigantic palm and slapped viciously at Zhe Jianxiang’s head!
Zhe Jianxiang felt an incomparably powerful pressure and was scared out of his wits. He never imagined that Ling Xiao and the others... were actually here!
At the last possible moment, Zhe Jianxiang’s body shot up from his horse. He flew straight backward for a hundred meters, dodging Tiger’s palm strike!
The steed beneath him was smacked to death by Tiger’s blow. Tiger then flew into the air and spoke contemptuously to Zhe Jianxiang, "Kid, don’t run! Let me smack you to death with one hit!"
At that moment, the well-trained members of the Divine Wind Mercenary Corps below suddenly fired their powerful crossbows!
Thousands of powerful arrows shot forth like a swarm of locusts, casting a shadow over the land as they flew toward Tiger!
Tiger let out a wild laugh. The aura from his body suddenly formed an eggshell-shaped protective layer around him. An instant later, a massive sphere of arrows formed in the air, seeming to swallow Tiger whole!
The Mercenaries below let out a roaring cheer! They naturally assumed the giant had been shot to death! No one could survive being simultaneously riddled with arrows by thousands of people! At least, they had never seen it happen!
"Get down! Watch out!"
Zhe Jianxiang roared from the air, but his warning came a fraction of a second too late.
The massive "arrow-ball" was seen to suddenly expand.
BANG! It exploded, sending the volley of arrows raining back down, covering the sky and earth as they shot toward the Mercenary Corps members below!
Instantly, countless blood-curdling screams rang out. The single exchange had resulted in innumerable deaths and injuries!
The dozens of Demon Sword Masters and the eight Elders dodged the rain of arrows. Seeing the heavy casualties on their side, their eyes turned bloodshot. The eight Elders roared, leaping into the air to join Zhe Jianxiang in surrounding the vicious giant!
Meanwhile, at the mouth of the cave, Ling Xiao stood with the Demon Blood Red Lotus Sword floating in the air. Ling Xiao pointed at the distant Zhe Jianxiang, commanded the Demon Blood Red Lotus Sword with his mind, and shouted crisply, "Slay!"
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