A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 458 Annihilating the Enemy
"Does Mr. Yan Lu wish for me to lend the Mohist school a helping hand?"

"No, Yan Lu would never dare to say that. I only hope that you, sir, can help the Confucian school survive a calamity in case of emergency. If you agree, Yan Lu will be at your service from now on!"

Yan Lu bowed deeply to Gu Xu, but his body was lifted half a foot off the ground by a surge of true energy. No matter how hard Yan Lu tried, he could not budge it. Then a gentle breeze swept by, and Yan Lu involuntarily straightened up, looking at Gu Xu, who was drinking tea opposite him, with a horrified expression.

"Mr. Yan Lu is being too polite today, which is unlike his usual indifferent nature."

Gu Xu chuckled lightly, looked at the somewhat astonished Yan Lu, and picked up his teacup.

"Sir, you've agreed. I thank you." Yan Lu smiled. He originally wanted to bow, but remembering Gu Xu's teasing earlier, he gave a simple bow instead.

Seeing this, Gu Xu nodded slightly and gestured to Yan Lu, who immediately picked up his teacup. The two raised their cups at the same time, and everything was understood without words.

"Gai Nie and the others will be here soon, are you ready?"

The moon was high in the sky. On the high ground of the wilderness, the Wolf King looked at the Peerless Ghost beside him. The latter replied with a muffled sound. The Wolf King nodded in satisfaction. Although this big guy only had brute strength, he was just right to deal with Gai Nie. Not to mention that Gai Nie was already seriously injured. It would not be difficult to entangle him. If it weren't for Wei Zhuang's orders, he would really want to have a good time with this Sword Saint.

"coming!"

The Azure Wolf King's emerald eyes flashed with a sinister light. He raised his hand high, and under the cold moonlight, his bronze wolf claws gleamed with a chilling light, sending a shiver down one's spine.

Wushuang Gui nodded to Canglang Wang, then leaped directly from the high ground. With a thunderous crash, both races were plunged into the ground. He then rose again, kicking up a cloud of dust. Wushuang Gui had already hidden in the dense forest, waiting for his prey to be caught in his net.

The Wolf King's eyes revealed a cruel glint. He howled at the cold moon in the sky, and wolves appeared one by one on the wilderness. At the Wolf King's command, they hid in the grass.

The sound of approaching hooves grew louder. The Wolf King's ears twitched, and he judged that there were no more than twenty people coming. He felt reassured. A moment later, the sound of the carriage grew closer and closer, accompanied by more than ten fast horses.

At this moment, Gai Nie and Tianming sat facing each other in the carriage, which was protected by horses in the middle.

"Uncle, you were clearly not injured, so why did you lie to Shaoyu and the others? Are they bad people?"

"Uncle, I didn't mean to hide it. It's just a precaution. We've encountered so many enemies along the way. If we don't use some tricks, how can we lure them in? I feel that besides the Empire, there is another familiar force involved."

Tianming couldn't understand Gai Nie's words, but he knew that his uncle was very powerful and that none of the bad guys were a match for him. As long as his uncle was alright, everything would be fine.

“Liusha, Xiao Zhuang, you have finally chosen this path.” Gai Nie stroked the Yuanhong in his hand and fell into deep thought.

Meanwhile, on the lead horse, a handsome young man in brocade robes with a hint of heroic spirit suddenly frowned, hurriedly reined in the horse, and the horse reared up before coming to a stop. The attendant beside him also stopped and looked at the young man, asking, "Young Master, what's wrong?"

“Something’s not right. Don’t you think this place is too quiet? It’s only just nightfall, the time when nocturnal animals are most active. Why is it so quiet?”

After Shao Yu finished speaking, a horse galloped out from behind him. On the horse was an old man with white hair and a dignified face. After hearing Shao Yu's words, the old man stroked his beard and said, "What Shao Yu said is right. It is indeed very strange. But even if there are traps, we have to go through them. After we cross this wilderness, we will reach Mirror Lake Medical Manor. Only when we get there can we go to the Mechanized City. General Xiang, have people be careful and on guard, and speed up our advance."

The white-haired old man gave an order to the bearded middle-aged man beside him. The middle-aged man first looked at Shao Yu, who nodded. Xiang Liang immediately accepted the order, and soon all the guards were notified.

After Xiang Liang returned to report, the white-haired old man rode up to Shao Yu's side and said in a deep voice, "Shao Yu, no matter what happens later, your safety must be the top priority. Even if it is to be a burden to me, you must put it aside, understand?"

"Master Fan..."

Before Shao Yu could finish speaking, Fan Zeng stopped him. The latter glanced at the carriage and said in a low voice, "With Sword Saint Gai Nie here, as long as we buy time, you will be fine. Shao Yu, you must remember that you bear a heavy responsibility and cannot act rashly. Preserving your strength is the most important thing. Right now, the only one who can help our Xiang clan is the Mo family. You must go to the Mechanical City alive."

Fan Zeng gave repeated instructions, which Shao Yu remembered with tears in his eyes. After arranging the formation, the group continued on their way. Gai Nie, inside the carriage, had already noticed the change in the atmosphere outside and secretly became more vigilant, gripping Yuan Hong tightly in his hand.

Although Tianming on the other side was not skilled in martial arts, he could vaguely feel a sense of oppression due to the pure true energy transmitted to him by Gu Xu, which made him very uncomfortable.

"Heh, this military formation is quite impressive. If it were a hundred people, I would be wary, but a mere twenty or so people think they can stop my treasures? The moon is full tonight, perfect for my treasures to have a good feast."

The Wolf King licked his wolf claws with his tongue, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he sneered a few times. As the carriage came into view, he howled, and the wolf pack that had been lying in ambush in the grass rushed out and began to tear at the oncoming crowd.

"Oh no, it's a pack of wolves! Everyone be careful, prepare to fight!"

Fan Zeng looked at the pairs of eerie green eyes that appeared in the night, and his heart suddenly turned cold. He trembled all over, but he reacted quickly. He immediately drew his long sword, mounted his horse, and charged forward.

The others, who were already armed when the wolf pack appeared, immediately shouted and, led by Shao Yu, formed two lines to meet them upon hearing Fan Zeng's words.

The lead black wolf, seeing the charging men, howled a few times and leaped into the air, charging straight at Shao Yu. Upon seeing this, Shao Yu's expression turned cold. He flicked his spear, its cold light flashing, and instantly pierced the black wolf's belly. The wolf howled in agony and died instantly. Shao Yu flicked his wrist, throwing the wolf's carcass forward violently. The moment it landed, the corpse turned into a pile of rotten flesh, and several black wolves immediately surrounded it, devouring their companion.

Just as Shao Yu killed the black wolf, two more black wolves pounced on Xiang Liang from the left and right. The latter immediately crouched down on his horse, and the two black wolves collided instantly. Upon seeing this, Xiang Liang swung his longsword and killed both wolves, splattering blood all over himself.

"Kill them, kill them! The more you kill, the more ferocious my darlings will become." The Wolf King looked at the wolf-men fighting in a chaotic melee, his eyes filled with madness. Half a moment later, the Xiang clan, being outnumbered and outmatched, was already in dire straits under the wolf pack's encirclement. Although they had killed many black wolves, five of their followers had also perished, and the remaining dozen or so were almost all wounded. What made them even more desperate was that the blood on the ground stimulated the wolf pack, which fearlessly charged forward, constantly draining everyone's strength.

"Young Master, be careful!"

As one of the Xiang clan members watched his young master concentrate on dealing with the black wolves, a tall black wolf suddenly lunged at Shao Yu from behind. At that moment, Shao Yu's spear was being held by two black wolves, and he was unable to break free. The Xiang clan member immediately threw his spear, which pierced through the throat of the tall black wolf.

Just as he was about to die at the hands of wolves after losing his weapon, a beam of light shot out from the carriage. The Xiang clan member, who had been sitting and waiting for his death, did not feel any pain for a long time. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Gai Nie holding Yuanhong on the roof of the carriage. The cold light flickered and his robes fluttered. Against the backdrop of the bright moon in the sky, he looked like a god descending to earth.

"Gai Nie!"

When the Wolf King saw Gai Nie appear, a glint flashed in his eyes. With another howl, the wolf pack that had been surrounding and killing the group suddenly changed formation. Instead of being in groups of three or five, they became groups of ten, abandoning those who were difficult to kill and instead targeting the followers who were easier to deal with.

This change in formation led to increasing losses for everyone. Three followers were caught off guard and killed by the wolf pack. If Gai Nie hadn't intervened in time, the other four would have been in grave danger.

"Hurry up and rush over there; we can't stay here any longer."

Gai Nie gave a deep shout, and Shao Yu called out to Fan Zeng. The group immediately spurred their horses forward. The wolf pack was about to attack when they saw this, but they were blocked by Gai Nie's sword energy. More than a dozen black wolves forced their way across the defensive line, their bodies instantly torn to pieces, and blood splattered all over the ground.

"It's your turn to step in."

The Wolf King whispered something, then manipulated the wolf pack to bypass the sword energy barrier and accelerate towards the group. However, the group had only run half a mile when a fierce gust of wind came from the forest. One person was unable to dodge in time and was hit by the strong wind, falling off his horse. He let out a miserable cry and then died. Shao Yu's face immediately turned grim, but he simply whipped his horse and increased the speed, leading the group to continue their charge. Gai Nie, standing on the roof of the carriage, looked at the giant axe coming towards him. His eyes narrowed slightly. He thrust his Yuanhong Sword forward, the tip of the sword touching the axe blade. With a clang, he flicked upwards and gently tapped the blade, knocking the giant axe away.

Before the giant axe could even hit the ground, a giant grabbed it in his hand. The man stared coldly at Gai Nie, then pushed off with both feet and swiftly approached the carriage.

"The Wolf King of the Quicksand, the Peerless Ghost."

Gai Nie's expression remained unchanged as he addressed the crowd, "Please continue on your journey. I, Gai Nie, will take care of the rearguard matters."

Having said that, Gai Nie stood alone on the roof of the carriage with only his sword. Watching the approaching Wushuang Gui and the dozen or so black wolves, his eyes flashed with a sharp light. He then slashed forward with his Yuanhong Sword, and a massive sword aura descended heavily. The dozen or so black wolves had no way to avoid it and were all turned into a shower of blood and flesh. Wushuang Gui, who was chasing after him, was also cut down by the sword aura and knelt down. Several ravines cracked open in the ground, and blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. Even though he had a deep understanding of external martial arts, he did not gain any advantage under the sword of Gai Nie at his peak.

"How is it possible that Gai Nie is uninjured? The intelligence must have been wrong, he deserves to die!"

When the Wolf King saw Gai Nie severely injure Wushuang Gui with a single sword strike, his expression changed drastically. He mounted a black wolf, transmitted a few words to the heavily wounded Wushuang Gui using a telepathic technique, and then sped off to catch up.

On the roof of the carriage, after severely injuring Wushuang Gui with a single sword strike, Gai Nie's true energy also stagnated slightly. He activated the Guigu Breathing Technique, calming his agitated true energy. Looking at Canglang Wang, who was chasing after him again, Gai Nie remained calm and fearless in the face of danger. Although Canglang Wang was also one of the Four Heavenly Kings, apart from his skill in controlling the wolf pack, his martial arts were not particularly outstanding, far inferior to Wushuang Gui.

The carriage sped forward, with a pack of wolves hot on its heels. Shao Yu noticed the wolf howls growing closer and felt a surge of anxiety. He turned around and was met with a startling sight: sword energy crisscrossed the heavens and earth, forming a net of swords that killed any wolves that tried to cross the line. Shao Yu was dumbfounded, and at the same time, the thought of becoming Gai Nie's disciple arose in his mind.

"This is the kind of master my teacher, Xiang Shaoyu!"

Seeing that the wolf pack was at a disadvantage after a prolonged battle, and noting that the distance between the two sides was not too far, the Wolf King pushed off the wolf's back with his right foot, using the momentum to leap into the air. With a whoosh, the bronze wolf claw shot towards the area below the carriage. With a crack, the wolf claw gripped the rope tightly. The Wolf King's face lit up with joy, and he reached out and pulled, flying towards the carriage. Meanwhile, Gai Nie on the roof of the carriage turned around, swung his longsword, and slashed at the rope on the wolf claw. At the same time, the Wolf King's other wolf claw also came flying through the air, aiming straight for Gai Nie's throat. Seeing this, the latter had no choice but to defend first, deflecting the wolf claw away with his sword.

"Sword Saint, what a prestigious title! Let me see just how capable you are as a Sword Saint."

Seizing the opportunity, the Wolf King immediately leaped onto the roof of the carriage, its two wolf fangs flashing with an eerie light as it attacked Gai Nie's throat and chest. This attack was swift, creating a fierce gust of wind. However, Gai Nie treated it as nothing, holding the Yuanhong Sword upside down in his hand and swinging it upwards. With two sharp cracks, he forcefully forced the wolf fangs away. Then, the longsword blade emitted a cold light and thrust straight at the Wolf King's throat. If this sword were to strike, the Wolf King would surely die on the spot.

The Wolf King felt the biting cold and his expression changed drastically. In a flash, he put his hands directly in front of his throat. The Abyss Rainbow Sword passed through the wolf claws and stopped half an inch away from the Wolf King's throat. The reason was that the wolf claws had locked the Abyss Rainbow Sword and could not go any further.

Having narrowly escaped death, the Wolf King was now drenched in cold sweat and filled with terror. This Sword Saint was indeed worthy of his reputation; in just two or three moves, he had almost taken his life. Gai Nie frowned slightly as he looked at the locked sword, then poured in his true energy, and the clear light reappeared. With a few clangs, he directly shook off the two wolf claws. However, the Wolf King had now gained a chance to catch his breath and hurriedly jumped away. But just then, he suddenly felt a heat under his feet and discovered that his legs were on fire. In his astonishment, Gai Nie swept his sword horizontally, and the Wolf King had no choice but to block the wolf claws in front of him, hoping to dodge another killing move.

But this time Gai Nie didn't give him another chance. With this sword strike, he cut the man and his claws in two. The corpse rolled down the ground, and the wolves below immediately stopped chasing Gai Nie and the others. Instead, they began to tear at the corpse of the Wolf King, eating it with great relish.

"Tianming, are you alright?"

Gai Nie sheathed his sword and looked at Tianming, who had come up with a torch at some unknown time, and felt a wave of fear wash over him.

"Uncle, I'm fine. Are you alright? Where's that bad guy?"

Tianming quickly threw down the torch, clapped his hands, and ran to Gai Nie. Upon hearing this, Gai Nie first looked Tianming up and down, and seeing that he was unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief. Then he carried him back to the carriage and said a few words to the outside. When Shao Yu heard that the invading enemy had been eliminated, he was overjoyed and ordered his men to hurry on their way.

"With this change in fate, the entire trajectory of the stars has changed. The Yin-Yang School is not the most skilled at divination and astrology. How should we predict this time?"

At Xiaoshengxianzhuang, Gu Xu watched as the stars in the sky, which had originally belonged to Gai Nie, were now bright and clear, their dimness gone.

Meanwhile, deep underground in the Qin Palace, in a circular palace, a mysterious woman dressed in a moon-patterned robe, her face veiled by a thin gauze, and with waist-length purple hair, frowned as she watched the changing stars on the jade disc.

(End of this chapter)