Longzang

Chapter 22 No Chatting

Li Zhi knew he had only a slim chance of victory. But the outcome was actually predetermined before the martial arts test; it wasn't that he, Li Zhi, lost to Bao Yun, but rather that the Duke of Hui'en lost to the Bao family. For this slim chance of victory, Li Zhi decided to hold the south and never go to the north for a decisive battle.

As they waited, the forty men Li Zhi had sent out on both flanks were almost entirely wiped out, and less than twenty men remained on the Qing Brigade's flanks. Jiang Qun and Xu Yu remembered Bao Yun's orders and, instead of returning to rest, led their remaining troops to attack Li Zhi's central army.

Li Zhi sighed, knowing that Bao Yun's main force was already on its way and would soon appear before him.

Knowing defeat was inevitable, Li Zhi had no choice but to fight. He finally mobilized his central army to meet Jiang Qun and Xu Yu. As soon as they made contact, the dozen or so exhausted soldiers of the Qing Brigade crashed into Li Zhi's central army, which had been resting and recuperating. They were like waves crashing against rocks, instantly crushed.

Even after the team leaders Jiang Qun and Xu Yu vanished in a flash, Bao Yun's main force did not appear.

Even Li Zhi hadn't expected this result. Li Zhi still had over fifty men, while Bao Yun's main force should still have ninety, so the gap was still huge. However, Li Zhi still had thirty elite troops in his central army, and he had only lost one of his subordinates who knew the secret art of Qi, Wang Fang. Bao Yun, on the other hand, had lost Jiang Qun and Xu Yu, so the gap between the two sides had actually narrowed a little.

Just as Li Zhi was about to send a few more men to check the north, he saw one of the scouts he had sent out earlier emerge from the woods on the side and scramble over, shouting, "Senior Brother Li, the main force of the Green Team in the north has been wiped out, and Bao Yun has been driven back!"

Li Zhi's first reaction was disbelief. He thought, "If I haven't made a move, who can destroy Bao Yun?"

The scout, breathless, said, "A man rode a boar and wiped out the Green Team. It's absolutely true; I saw it with my own eyes! But..."

Li Zhi was beyond hearing any "buts" anymore; this was simply a windfall!

In his ecstasy, Li Zhi suddenly felt the earth tremble slightly, and a massive figure appeared in his field of vision, approaching him unhurriedly. Li Zhi's heart skipped a beat, but he immediately breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the man's yellow armor. Not only Li Zhi, but the tension and fear on the faces of the other youths around him also vanished, replaced by arrogance.

"Who is this person?" someone asked.

A young man stood with his hands behind his back, saying arrogantly, "Who cares who he is? Since he's in yellow, he's one of our subordinates, oh, and also one of Junior Brother Li's subordinates. This kid's interesting; he actually managed to get his hands on such a large wild boar. He might actually be able to take down Bao Yun. That's quite a feat; I think he deserves a reward. Let's call him over and talk!"

Another youth said, "Senior Brother Cui is always so approachable, which isn't good. That big oaf must be a commoner. For a mere commoner, the Crimson Tide Sect is the maximum we can give him. If we give him anything higher, people will inevitably say that our rewards and punishments are unfair."

The young man surnamed Cui nodded and said, "Brother Wang is indeed very thoughtful."

The two young men, Cui and Wang, continued talking to themselves, completely ignoring Li Zhi. A flash of annoyance crossed Li Zhi's eyes, but he remained outwardly calm, carefully observing the approaching man.

It's certain that this person isn't within his recruitment pool. But that doesn't matter. Cui and Wang are right; as long as he belongs to Team Yellow, things will be easy. Li Zhi is the leader of Team Yellow, and if Team Yellow wins, he'll be the top contributor. To put it bluntly, no matter how many others kill, it won't matter; all the credit will go to Li Zhi. Of course, the young men and women around him will also get a share; at the very least, they've all been reserved for places in the grotto-heavens.

Those soldiers who charge into battle will only find at the very end that their score is unexpectedly low.

Upon seeing the mountain-sized wild boar, Li Zhi's eyelids twitched, and he began to understand how Bao Yun had lost. If such a beast were to charge at him, even with his secret techniques of luck, Li Zhi wouldn't dare say he could win.

As Wei Yuan approached, Li Zhi, standing atop the high slope, looked down at him and said loudly, "Senior brother, I am Li Zhi, the unworthy leader of the Yellow Team. How shall I address you, senior brother?"

Wei Yuan frowned slightly. It was one thing for those who were recruited to submit to Li Zhi, but did he, who had explicitly refused recruitment, also have to submit to him?
Outrageous!

Wei Yuan wasn't stupid. History records countless instances of subordinates fighting to the death, only to have all the credit taken by their commanders. Now that Li Zhi had appointed himself leader of the Yellow Team, if Wei Yuan accepted, wouldn't the credit for annihilating the Green Team also belong to Li Zhi?
Having studied under Zhang Sheng for a long time, Wei Yuan had gradually come to despise those petty people who, either through their birth or by manipulating power, usurped the credit of others. Compared to them, manipulating power was somewhat better, since those who did it at least relied on their own schemes; wealth and status weren't entirely free. Those who seized power through trickery and cunning only needed to be born into a better family.

Seeing Li Zhi's condescending and arrogant attitude, Wei Yuan's face had already darkened, though it was hidden by his mask.

In the deliberation hall, the old scholar stroked his beard and smiled, feeling that Li Zhi had made a brilliant move. The young cultivator, on the other hand, looked furious, wishing he could possess Wei Yuan's body and personally rebuke Li Zhi on Wei Yuan's behalf.

Wei Yuan did not reply immediately, and before Li Zhi could even react, he had already angered several young men and women, led by Prince Cui.

These men were no less well-off than Li Zhi in terms of family background, and Cui and Wang were even better off. However, they knew their talents and learning were inferior to Li Zhi's, so they submitted to him as their leader and allowed him to command. Outside of battle, Li Zhi treated them with utmost courtesy. The two young masters, Cui and Wang, were used to being high and mighty; how could they tolerate anyone being arrogant in their presence, especially a commoner?

The young man surnamed Wang was enveloped in a burst of light, soaring ten zhang in a single leap before landing in front of Wei Yuan. Pointing at Wei Yuan's nose, he shouted, "Where did this lowly commoner come from! Why don't you kneel down and pay your respects to us?"

Wei Yuan finally lowered his head and looked at the young man in front of him. The young man surnamed Wang instantly felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head; his whole body stiffened, and he couldn't move!
Under the influence of their intertwined energies, Wei Yuan felt that the boy before him was not only slow but also fragile, like a freshly laid egg, its soft shell still slightly warm. With just a little force, he could smash out the yolk. As for what the boy was shouting, Wei Yuan was too lazy to listen. He raised his gun and brought it down, a burst of white light rising.

Zhang Sheng's instruction to Wei Yuan was to level the area, not to engage in idle chatter.

The boys and girls around Li Zhi were in an uproar, none of them believing their eyes. Li Zhi was trembling with rage. He was the leader of the Yellow Team, and this man not only disobeyed orders but also dared to attack his own teammate?

Enraged, the young man surnamed Cui leaped into the air, his body radiating light and leaving a long, seven-colored trail as he thrust his sword at Wei Yuan from mid-air!

Wei Yuan made no other move, simply raising his spear and lowering it into the air. The young man surnamed Cui, like a seven-colored meteor, crashed into Wei Yuan's spear and vanished in a flash of light.

Having already eliminated two members of his team, Wei Yuan was even less inclined to say anything more. Clouds of mist began to billow from the wild boar's nostrils, its low growl sounding like thunder, and its size increased several notches. Li Zhi's expression also changed. He knew that since Wei Yuan had already started killing his own teammates and had lost points, if Li Zhi were Wei Yuan, he would also want to wipe out the entire Yellow Team. Otherwise, leaving a few survivors might have resulted in a higher score than his own.

Wei Yuan pointed his spear forward, and the wild boar immediately sensed his intention. Its eyes turned dark red again, and it spewed out two plumes of blazing cloud-like energy. The next moment, the clouds dispersed, and the mountain-like boar and the death-like Wei Yuan on its back became one, charging towards Huang Zhen!
Li Zhi drew his longsword and shouted in a deep voice, "Form ranks and meet the enemy!"

Although he knew that these ordinary people without any special abilities or secret techniques were powerless against the mountain-sized wild boars, he was willing to buy himself some time.

Upon receiving the order, Li Zhi's thirty elite troops, whom he was so proud of, scattered in all directions, leaving none behind.

Li Zhi was both shocked and furious. Looking around, he saw that everyone had fled. The girl carrying the medicine tray had run the fastest and the farthest, leaving Li Zhi with not a single pill.

These young men and women weren't stupid. That guy could kill anyone with a single shot; who could stop him? Moreover, this god of death hadn't uttered a single word so far, making communication impossible. Without communication, their most valuable assets—their connections and influence—were rendered useless. If they didn't run now, when would they? Did they really intend to stay and serve Li Zhi? The Duke of Hui'en didn't have that kind of influence.

In the blink of an eye, Li Zhi was left all alone; everyone had run faster than wild boars.

For a moment, Li Zhi felt a sense of desolation, as if his imperial ambitions had vanished in an instant. Just moments ago, he had a large army by his side and a group of trusted confidants, but now he was all alone. Such is the fickle nature of the world.

At that moment, Li Zhi felt the sky darken and the wind howl, so he abandoned his instinct to escape and prepared to die a heroic death.

In a sorrowful state of mind, Li Zhi's "Leaving Home" was ignited, and a giant golden pillar shot into the sky!

Without pausing, Wei Yuan swung his spear in a circular motion, bringing it down on Li Zhi's head! With a loud bang, the golden pillar shattered.

Wei Yuan leaped into the air and landed lightly on the hilltop. The wild boar continued forward, a long sword embedded in its chest, its hilt gone. The boar charged for several dozen more feet before crashing to the ground, howling in agony. Suddenly, its size began to shrink, and a wisp of black energy flew out of its body and returned to Wei Yuan's body.

Wei Yuan landed right next to Li Zhi.

Li Zhi was severely injured by the attack, and even getting up was difficult. He suddenly remembered that there were many commentators watching from above, and many important figures even higher up. So he took a deep breath, preparing to recite a few lines of poetry to express his resolve. But before he could finish taking a breath, Wei Yuan had already raised his spear and brought it down, a burst of white light rising.

After studying literature for three years, Wei Yuan recited texts every day. He hated those who recited poems on their deathbeds, as it added a lot of extra homework out of nowhere.

Standing atop the hill, Wei Yuan looked around and saw dozens of Yellow Team members scattered across the open field, fleeing in all directions. It must be said that the Yellow Team was more pragmatic than the Green Team; they neither huddled together nor stayed behind to watch the spectacle.

Now that things had come to this, Wei Yuan could no longer keep them. Just then, a small wild boar came running out of the distant forest and headed straight for Wei Yuan.

The wild boar leaped into the air, but before it could meet the wisp of black mist, a bell rang throughout the illusion.

This pig was ultimately not meant to be with Wei Yuan.

The martial arts test has ended.

(End of this chapter)