Mountain Yue Saber Technique Reaches Minor Mastery

The Yan Army stationed outside the city had apparently not expected the Qin Army to choose this moment to break out. Caught off guard, they struggled to respond; aside from the scattered arrows raining in, no one came to stop them.

Duan Hong was at the very front, leading four shield-bearing soldiers. They raised their shields high and blocked the arcing arrows.

On the city wall behind them, civilians and wounded soldiers were lowering themselves down hemp ropes.

By the time Young Master Tao was helped down by two soldiers, the bandages around him had already been soaked through with blood seeping from the wound in his chest.

Hu Chunniu leaned against the city wall. As he checked several wounded soldiers who had fallen and passed out, he gathered up the scattered medicinal herbs and returned them to his basket.

In the distance, the Yan Army's formation finally began to move, shifting toward the foot of the city wall.

Bang—

The Qin Army's remaining city-defense bows and crossbows rang out from the wall. Zhang-long crossbow bolts screamed through the air, holding back the approaching Yan soldiers.

"Rush through." Duan Hong led the soldiers into a Battle Formation. With sabers and shields in hand, they blocked the scattered arrows and charged toward the low woods ahead.

They leaped down from the two-zhang-high city wall, crossed the dry moat, and ran through less than two hundred zhang of woodland. Ahead lay a stretch of low forest.

The short trees connected to the mountain wilds in the distance. Even if Yan soldiers formed up around them, once these civilians and wounded entered the woods, their chances of surviving and escaping would be far greater.

Zhang Yuan pressed a hand against his saber hilt and ran in a slight crouch behind Chen Wuxiong.

The wounded and civilians followed with difficulty, running with all their strength.

Everyone knew that if they wanted to live, they had to rush into the low woods before the Yan Army arrived.

A team of Yan soldiers came charging over with furious roars, trying to cut off the Qin soldiers and civilians rushing ahead.

"Kill—"

Duan Hong roared wildly and flung out his long spear, piercing straight through the body of the leading Yan soldier.

Several soldiers behind him charged up, knocking down the other Yan soldiers blocking the way and smashing open a path.

Everyone followed close behind, heads lowered as they rushed forward.

"Don't look back." Chen Wuxiong panted heavily, dragging his long-handled battle axe. "We can't take care of everyone."

They could not take care of everyone.

From the corner of his eye, Zhang Yuan saw a team of Yan cavalry already sweeping in along an arc.

The curved sabers in those riders' hands carried chilling arcs of light, like sickles harvesting wheat.

Unarmed civilians and wounded soldiers had no power to resist before these war riders.

Zhang Yuan gritted his teeth, gripped his saber hilt with one hand, turned around, and charged back.

Great Qin Martial Guard—protect the homeland and defend the nation, guard their comrades-in-arms and the people.

He could not stand by and watch his comrades-in-arms and those civilians be slaughtered.

Even if he could only hold them back for one step, his heart would be at peace.

Chen Wuxiong reached out to grab him, but failed to catch Zhang Yuan's arm.

"Kid Zhang!" he cried urgently. Behind them, the soldiers carrying long spears and supporting several wounded men looked up.

An old soldier wearing half-body Leather Armor released the wounded man beside him, dragged his long spear along, and moved to meet Zhang Yuan.

On the other side, two soldiers looked back, then stopped in their tracks.

"Zhang Yuan, go forward." The old soldier holding the long spear swept its point aside, blocking Zhang Yuan's path.

Chen Youde, one of the eight Black Robe Guards who had come to Fengtian County with Zhang Yuan.

Before Zhang Yuan could say anything, Chen Youde had already led the two spear-wielding soldiers back toward the Yan cavalry.

Three long spears formed a triangular formation, spearheads facing forward as they met the cavalry's charge.

"Go, go—"

The civilians shouted. Someone reached out, grabbed Zhang Yuan by the arm, and pulled him toward the low woods.

When Zhang Yuan looked back again, the triangular spear formation had already vanished from sight.

At the head of that charging Yan cavalry team, a soldier carried a dripping human head in his hand.

Zhang Yuan's steps weighed a Thousand Jin.

"Go. Don't let Old Chen and the others die for nothing." Chen Wuxiong shoved Zhang Yuan forward with one hand as he ran, head lowered, teeth clenched in a Low shout.

In Three months, only these few comrades-in-arms remained from their battalion.

Behind them, the cavalry pursued and hacked down civilians and wounded soldiers, while miserable screams drifted over.

"Behind those low woods is a rocky cliff. To the right is a dead-end mountain cliff, while the road to the left leads to Chen Family Village." Chen Wuxiong looked ahead as he spoke. "Zhang Yuan, go left."

Chen Wuxiong gave Zhang Yuan a hard shove, dragged his long axe behind him, and turned to run back.

Zhang Yuan stood where he was, watching Chen Wuxiong swing his long axe and sweep a saber-wielding rider off his horse. Then, with another axe blow, he shattered a warhorse's knee, sending both horse and rider crashing down.

"Go, hurry—"

Chen Wuxiong waved his arm and shouted, urging the wounded and civilians lagging behind to catch up.

A curved saber flashed past Chen Wuxiong's left side, carrying half his arm and half his skull flying through the air.

Two wounded soldiers supporting each other were sent flying by a war rider. The instant one of them hit the ground, the warhorse trampled over him, crushing his chest and abdomen and splashing blood-red everywhere.

"Kill—"

Zhang Yuan roared, drew his long saber, and dragged it as he charged back.

The Yan cavalryman who had just turned his horse around twisted back. A faint smile appeared on his face. With a low shout, he clamped his legs around the horse's belly and charged at Zhang Yuan.

Among the soldiers and civilians around him, Zhang Yuan was one of the few wearing armor.

A war rider charging at full speed carried Thousand Jin Strength. As long as the saber-wielding rider borrowed the horse's momentum, his blade could easily strike with more than Five Hundred Jin of force.

An ordinary soldier would be sent flying outright even if he merely raised a weapon to block it, let alone took a slash to the body.

Zhang Yuan dragged his saber in his right hand and ran forward, meeting the shouting war rider head-on.

Breaking cavalry on foot.

Before this, he would not even have had the courage to face a charging war rider.

"Chaos, Auxiliary Battle."

Before Zhang Yuan, grid after grid appeared.

At that moment, his long saber was in hand. He ran half a step forward. When the war rider was a Zhang away, he suddenly crouched low, stretched half a step forward, flipped the saber in his right hand ahead, and used the strength of his arm to point it diagonally outward.

The blade edge was two chi above the ground.

Mountain Yue Saber Technique, Cliff-Cleaving Cloud.

The charging war rider brushed past him. The rider on horseback pressed his curved saber downward, but failed to reach Zhang Yuan's head. It grazed past his hair.

Zhang Yuan's blade paused, and a thread of blood instantly sprayed out.

The warhorse's forelegs avoided the blade, but its hind legs struck it as it charged. Borrowing the horse's momentum, the blade sliced through the warhorse's hamstrings.

The war rider, having charged three zhang away, crashed to the ground. As the rider fell, he rolled over and held his curved saber across his body.

Just as he turned back, a heavy long saber came spinning down with a thunderous chop upon his chest and abdomen, cleaving off half his body and splitting his spine apart with it.

Cape Saber Technique, Whirlwind Slash.

Only, Zhang Yuan had used this move as a thrown saber.

Zhang Yuan caught up to the thrown long saber in two steps, seized its hilt, and Pulled it back. The blade scraped against bone, and a piercing creak Sounded.

The long saber reversed. With one strike, it pierced the neck of the warhorse lying on the ground and spitting Blood foam. Zhang Yuan spun, pulled his saber free, and raised its edge.

Clang—

A descending curved saber was blocked by the long saber.

Borrowing the warhorse's strength, this strike exceeded Five Hundred Jin!

Zhang Yuan's body was dragged backward by the blow, his feet carving a deep furrow into the ground.

The rider pressed his blade down, intending to stab it into Zhang Yuan's neck.

Zhang Yuan swept his long saber backward. Borrowing the force of the opponent's slash, he flipped backward, seized the hind leg of the charging warhorse, and was dragged several steps before flipping himself up and slashing down from behind the mounted rider, hacking him off the horse.

Mountain Yue Saber Technique, Mountain-Turning Sea-Flipping.

After killing two men and a horse in succession, Zhang Yuan's vitality and blood surged through him, and redness spread across his eyes.

In his mind, Vitality Beads and Insight Beads rolled down the Chaos Screen.

Long saber in hand, Zhang Yuan watched as the remaining dozen or so cavalry riders slowly came to a halt.

Without room to charge, those war riders stamped their hooves, not daring to approach.

Zhang Yuan had broken cavalry on foot. The methods and strength he displayed were absolutely those of an elite battle soldier.

At least Houtian Mid-stage cultivation.

Taking this chance, the wounded and civilians at the rear of the group rushed into the low woods.

"Be careful." Young Master Tao, supported by two civilians, passed Zhang Yuan and gave him a quiet reminder.

Zhang Yuan nodded, held his long saber at a slant, and slowly retreated.

Boom—

A thunderous sound came from the direction of the city gate.

A third surge of Xiantian energy rose and charged into the battle.

Two Xiantian Realm experts of the Yan Army were besieging Crimson Scale Army Commander Yu Lin.

Even with Yu Lin's formidable strength, it would be hard to say whether he could fight one against two.

Besides, there were more than two Xiantian Realm experts in the Yan Army.

Zhang Yuan retreated while dragging his saber. A Crimson Bead shattered in his mind.

Thousand Jin Strength!

The instant he broke through the threshold of a thousand jin of strength, Zhang Yuan felt his entire body lighten.

Hummm—

An Insight Bead shattered. Brilliance burst from Zhang Yuan's eyes.

Mountain Yue Saber Technique, Minor Mastery!

Sure enough, actual combat was the fastest means of improving cultivation and martial skill.

"Fall back."

Duan Hong's voice Sounded. Four shield soldiers protected Zhang Yuan, while Duan Hong, holding a long spear, grabbed Zhang Yuan's armor with one hand and examined him. Only after seeing that he was uninjured did he let out a breath.

They retreated step by step into the low woods. The war riders hesitated before the trees, not daring to enter.

The civilians and wounded had already reached the depths of the low woods. As long as they crossed the rocky ground, they would basically be safe.

Zhang Yuan raised his head and Looked towards the front, his expression changing drastically in an instant.

Chaos Auxiliary Battle activated. At the rocky cliff ahead within the low woods, everything was awash in scarlet.

Yan soldiers were hiding there!

"An ambush!"

Zhang Yuan shouted and charged forward.