The corridors in Black Prison were exceptionally wide to accommodate the transport of Forbidden Items.
They were roughly ten meters across, allowing clerical staff to transport Forbidden Items with ease.
But they were still just corridors, not suitable for a large cavalry force to charge through together.
In fact, to cavalry, this kind of terrain was as good as a death trap.
The narrow space left no room for a large cavalry force to charge and then turn around.
Once the narrow passage was blocked, they would lose the mobility they relied on and become cumbersome and slow.
Yet after gathering at the corner, the Prairie Cavalry still began to accelerate and charge down the corridor.
They knew this terrain was indeed a death trap for cavalry.
If they were blocked by a superior force, they would become lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
But where was that superior force?
There were only two people in front of them!
Just two people, and they thought they could stop the Zhelan Iron Cavalry?
Hahahaha!
The cavalrymen let out wolf-like howls and began to charge faster. Those at the front even raised their bows and nocked arrows.
In an instant, arrows streaked through the air, their cold glints like a storm sweeping across the Northern Region.
They were like the howling winds of the Northern Region, ready to crush anything in their path with unstoppable force!
But the winds of the Northern Region crashed into towering mountains. All that awaited them was utter devastation!
The flying arrows were cut to pieces. The Dual Blade Knight instantly blurred into mist and flashed to the front of the army, its twin blades moving with blinding speed. The arrows were cut apart the moment they left their bows.
A few cavalrymen at the front were caught off guard. Before they could lower their bows, the Dual Blade Knight had already flashed in front of them, its twin blades swinging to take their heads.
At the same time, the sound of a frenzied heartbeat echoed in the ears of every cavalryman.
Faced with hundreds of charging cavalrymen, Li Yèlái didn't retreat. Instead, he accelerated and charged straight at them.
Compared with the horses, which hadn't yet reached full speed, Li Yèlái—empowered by Heart of Slaughter—was even faster.
He raised his hand and leaped into a downward slash, crashing into their ranks like a meteor!
He cleaved straight through a Prairie Cavalryman who had just dropped his bow and raised his curved saber, cutting both man and horse in two!
The foul-smelling black blood splattered across the ground, while the corpses of the cavalryman and his horse quickly rotted away after hitting the floor.
But Li Yèlái didn't stop attacking. Gripping the Crimson Longsword in one hand, he strode toward the oncoming cavalrymen.
Pivoting on his left foot, he spun with his right, exhaled, and roared.
He spun forward like a top and slammed into the cavalry formation!
Wherever his blade flashed, man and horse were shattered!
Cavalrymen, spears, curved sabers, and horses—all shattered on contact!
Blood sprayed everywhere, but before it could even touch the ground, Li Yèlái had already charged out through the bloody rain and toward the next wave of cavalry!
The Prairie Cavalrymen were shaken and terrified, but they still charged forward with a roar!
They had nowhere to retreat. Charging cavalrymen filled the space behind them, and if they stopped, the iron hooves behind them would trample them into the ground.
All they could do was overwhelm the monster!
"Charge!" one of the cavalrymen with a spear shouted.
The next moment, he ran straight into the charging Li Yèlái.
Li Yèlái smashed his left fist into the horse's head, making blood pour from every opening in its face. Before the rider on its back could hit the ground, Li Yèlái ran him through with his blade. Then, roaring, he swung the longsword and hurled the corpse at more cavalrymen, sending men and horses tumbling.
Before they could get back up, Li Yèlái was already upon them, blade swinging.
At that moment, Li Yèlái was like a God of War, carving his way into the formation by sheer force. No one could stop him!
With Heart of Slaughter active, Li Yèlái had an inexhaustible supply of strength.
He could put all his power into every punch and every strike, without worrying about running out of stamina!
Combined with Double Pupils, which let him see through his opponents' weaknesses, Li Yèlái could shatter the cavalrymen without even exerting much force.
His longsword swung, shattering man and horse! It was like a Mòdāo formation!
"You Xiongnu have never seen a Mòdāo formation, have you?" Li Yèlái kept charging. The urge to kill made him roar, "Then let me show you!"
Of course, he wasn't using a Mòdāo, but to Prairie Cavalrymen from the Xiongnu era who had never faced one, the result was the same.
Li Yèlái drew his Jet Axe, wielding the steel axe in his left hand and the longsword in his right. The Dual Blade Knight guarded his side.
Like a continuous mountain range, he blocked the winds blowing in from the Northern Region and smashed them to pieces—literally!
Some cavalrymen finally realized something was wrong. In this terrain, they had no way to fight Li Yèlái, so they called to the men behind them to retreat.
But then they heard a hoarse command: "Come back!"
The horses that had been about to turn around actually turned back.
This was Li Yèlái's second Awakening ability: Void Realm Beast Speech!
These cavalrymen did have some capabilities. They had Psychic Barriers and arrows that could be infused with psychic energy.
But their horses were ordinary.
At Li Yèlái's command, the cavalrymen who had been about to flee were forced to charge him again, watching helplessly as they rushed toward their deaths.
They screamed in terror and hastily raised their weapons. The merciless blades falling toward them were all that awaited them.
Broken weapons, pierced armor, shattered bodies, and severed horses—all in one fluid motion!
By the time Li Yèlái charged out around the corner, the passage behind him was covered in foul-smelling black blood.
More than seventy Prairie Cavalrymen lay scattered across the passage, quickly rotting away and vanishing.
Li Yèlái had truly carved his way through the cavalry formation like a Hegemon!
But in the distance, several arrows came streaking toward him.
Li Yèlái's Double Pupils shifted as he swung the Crimson Longsword diagonally, knocking away three heavy arrows in succession.
But a sharp pain shot through the base of his thumb!
Even empowered by Heart of Slaughter, he couldn't withstand that kind of force.
Those arrows were incredibly powerful!
At the same time, Li Yèlái noticed even more cavalrymen gathering from all directions.
There were even more elite Iron Armor Cavalrymen, clad head to toe in armor, carrying spears and heavy bows on their backs. They had fired the three heavy arrows just now, and were probably elite marksmen like eagle shooters.
At that moment, they were guarding a rider wearing a golden crown.
Behind the rider was a banner that fluttered despite the lack of wind.
"The Zhelan King's Banner!" Li Yèlái's thoughts stirred, and he came back to his senses from the urge to kill.
This was the most unusual of the Forbidden Items that had broken containment this time. It had originally been an unremarkable D-Rank Forbidden Item, yet it had summoned a vast number of Prairie Cavalrymen.
Judging by its destructive power, it could probably be considered a Class B Forbidden Item. The sheer numbers alone were enough to justify it.
'And the one at the front is...' Li Yèlái narrowed his Double Pupils and looked at the crowned rider.
The man wore wolfskin and carried a great bow on his back. His gaze was as sharp as an eagle's and as predatory as a wolf's. He certainly had the bearing of a high-ranking ruler.
'The Zhelan King?'
From the battle just now, Li Yèlái had learned that these cavalrymen possessed a degree of autonomy. Perhaps the Zhelan King could think for himself.
Maybe that was why the cavalrymen had gathered here.
'Does he want to find the Mobius Ring Diagram? Is he trying to use it to spread the chaos and let his true body escape Black Prison?'
Li Yèlái considered the possibilities. If the Zhelan King, with his ability to think, got hold of the Mobius Ring Diagram, the lower levels of Black Prison would be in trouble too.
The situation would become even more terrifying.
If they were smart enough to use other Forbidden Items as well, the danger would be even greater.
"But you came too late!" Li Yèlái said with a cold laugh.
They really were too late. After Li Yèlái carved through the Prairie Cavalry's formation,
he felt a faint tremor beneath his feet. The jumbled maze of corridors was gradually returning to normal.
Shā Lì and the others had managed to suppress the Mobius Ring Diagram. The maze was disappearing.
As for the danger in front of him, Li Yèlái wasn't worried.
So what if he called for reinforcements? The Mobius Ring Diagram had been suppressed, and he could call for help too!
Cheese and the others were in the passage behind him. With the Mobius Ring Diagram suppressed, they could come to his aid at any moment!
So, as the unending cavalry surrounded him, Li Yèlái prepared to retreat into the passage.
The passage was a good place to fight. He wouldn't have to worry about the cavalry shooting over his head, and he could force them to charge in and engage in close combat.
And Li Yèlái feared no cavalry charge now.
But when he turned around, he couldn't see the passage.
???
The passage he had just carved through, its floor strewn with corpses, had disappeared?
What was going on? Where were the others? Where was the way back?
Li Yèlái froze, then immediately understood.
The Mobius Ring Diagram!
The Mobius Ring Diagram could rearrange space at will.
For example, it could turn the original abcdefg into cfad.
Of course, the actual situation was far more complicated. That was why someone could open the door to a containment room and find a restroom inside.
With the Mobius Ring Diagram suppressed, the distorted space had immediately returned to normal.
That had restored Li Yèlái's space to its original position, separating him from Cheese and the others.
So Li Yèlái had one piece of good news and one piece of bad news.
The good news was that the Mobius Ring Diagram had been successfully suppressed. There was no need to worry about it affecting the lower levels, and for now, he didn't have to worry about suddenly facing a Class B Forbidden Item.
The bad news was that he had been separated from Cheese and the others and was now in the same space as a massive force of enemies.
He would have to face the even larger Zhelan Iron Cavalry alone!
"Hsss." Li Yèlái exhaled as he watched the cavalry close in around him. "Damn, my luck really is terrible."
Li Yèlái didn't know that this was the curse Ghost Divination Nuo Mask had told him about: the curse of always encountering powerful enemies.
Whenever a dragon appeared, a tiger was sure to follow!
But even if Li Yèlái had known, he wouldn't have had the time to complain.
With more room to maneuver, the cavalrymen had already begun to surround him.
Countless arrows were aimed at Li Yèlái.
Earlier, in the passage, they hadn't been able to organize an effective attack or use their mounted archery skills. They could only fight Li Yèlái at close quarters, and suffered heavy losses as a result.
But now, in the spacious transfer hall, they had surrounded Li Yèlái in tight ranks. They seemed intent on turning him into a pincushion.
Li Yèlái turned his gaze toward the Zhelan King. Things hadn't gone quite according to plan,
but there was nothing more to say about it now.
He might as well give it a try. Could he cut down the enemy commander in the midst of a thousand troops? Could he pull off an assassination and kill the king?
He would cut off the Zhelan King's head and offer it in tribute to the heroes who had died today!
The Zhelan King seemed to notice Li Yèlái's gaze and laughed.
He waved a hand, and countless arrows were aimed at Li Yèlái.
The Zhelan King wasn't as courteous as Cao Cao. He hadn't ordered his men to hold their fire when Zilong charged through enemy lines seven times.
Faced with Li Yèlái, who had just killed more than seventy of his cavalrymen, the Zhelan King gave a simple order: kill him!
But just as the rain of arrows was about to fly,
Li Yèlái suddenly vanished from their sight.
At the same time, a cryptic command echoed across the battlefield.
"Charge!"
It was Void Realm Beast Speech!
In an instant, the horses ran amok and charged. Countless cavalrymen collided head-on. The rain of arrows that should have poured down faltered when their target disappeared, and some even struck their own men as they scattered in confusion.
At that very moment, a figure charged into the confused cavalry ranks.
It was Li Yèlái, using visual disruption!
The visual disruption from Psychic Weapon allowed Li Yèlái to successfully break into their formation.
It was almost laughable. Visual disruption was suited to assassination, yet Li Yèlái used it to charge into the enemy ranks.
Roaring, Li Yèlái swung his longsword and began killing again.
In an instant, he shattered several cavalrymen in his path, while the Dual Blade Knight guarded his back against arrows from behind.
Li Yèlái's target was the Zhelan King!
The Zhelan King clearly realized this and ordered even more cavalrymen to shoot at Li Yèlái, heedless of their own men.
In an instant, countless arrows rained down on the cavalry ranks where Li Yèlái stood.
In that moment, the number of Zhelan cavalrymen killed by their comrades' arrows almost caught up with the number Li Yèlái had killed.
But Li Yèlái still hadn't fallen. A figure burst from the mountain of corpses and sea of blood.
Li Yèlái held his blade in one hand, several Prairie Cavalrymen pierced through with arrows strung along its edge.
He used the Prairie Cavalrymen as a shield!
He blocked that volley and charged toward the Zhelan King once more!
Even the Zhelan King was stunned by the sight of this ghostly figure.
Then he ordered, "Keep firing!"
"Where do you think you're going?" Li Yèlái roared. He swung his longsword, using the corpses to shield himself from the arrows, then used Void Realm Beast Speech again.
He closed the distance to the Zhelan King once more.
Fifty meters left! Just fifty more meters!
But the Zhelan King seemed to have noticed Li Yèlái's Beast Speech ability and ordered his men to plug the horses' ears.
So when Li Yèlái charged forward again and used Beast Speech for the third time, it had no effect.
Instead, the cavalrymen who had pulled back began circling Li Yèlái and using mounted archery tactics.
They had seen how powerful Li Yèlái was in close combat, and refused to engage him in hand-to-hand fighting.
They had to use their mounted archery skills to kill Li Yèlái!
Li Yèlái had already been hit by arrows. His left arm and right calf had both been grazed.
Those were minor injuries. The truly deadly threat came from the Iron Armor Knights' heavy arrows!
Those heavy arrows packed tremendous force. Even Li Yèlái, whose strength was constantly enhanced by the Heart of Slaughter, couldn't safely block them.
The cavalrymen's corpses he'd grabbed to use as shields were pierced straight through.
The Iron Armor Knights were far too elite. The Dual Blade Knight had tried to use his mist-forming flash-step ability to assassinate the Zhelan King, but had been blocked time and time again. Instead, a heavy arrow had pierced his shoulder.
This wasn't working. The Dual Blade Knight, with his flash-step ability, couldn't kill the Zhelan King, while Li Yèlái, with his immense close-combat strength, couldn't catch up to him!
After dodging another surprise attack by heavy arrows, Li Yèlái felt his heart pounding violently. He didn't know if it was because he was furious, or because of his bloodlust.
His breathing grew more and more ragged.
He was now in an awkward predicament: he couldn't catch up, and he couldn't outrun them.
All he could do was passively endure these cavalrymen's mounted archery. If this went on, even with unlimited stamina, he'd be worn down to death.
Besides, Li Yèlái had been wearing the Heart of Slaughter for over half an hour already. How long had it been now?
Forty minutes? Or fifty?
At that moment, Li Yèlái didn't know. He'd been completely lost in the slaughter for a time.
He had no idea he'd been carrying the Heart of Slaughter for over an hour!
And Li Yèlái even felt that the Heart of Slaughter was afraid of something, as if it were trying to escape his body.
"Damn it, what are you running for? Why don't you keep tempting me, you bastard!" Li Yèlái tore off his shirt and pressed the agitated Heart of Slaughter against his scarred chest.
If he lost the Heart of Slaughter now, he'd be killed on the spot in his weakened state.
No—even with the Heart of Slaughter, he still couldn't catch up to the Zhelan King.
What terrible luck. Even if he and the enemy were in the same area, couldn't he at least get some decent terrain?
With terrain like this, all he could do was let them kite him!
Was he really left with no choice but to make a deal with Mr. Shadow?
"Just as I thought..." As Li Yèlái dodged the arrows, an idea suddenly came to him.
No, it hadn't come to that yet. He... still had a second mask!
That was it, his second mask! Give me a mask that can help me catch up to the Zhelan King!
In a daze, Li Yèlái saw a pitch-black tentacle reach out from his shadow.
The tentacle unfurled, revealing a snow-white mask.
Li Yèlái grinned and swept his hand across his face.
In the distance, the Zhelan King suddenly felt a nameless terror, as if some natural predator had arrived.
Meanwhile, Li Yèlái found himself inside a certain illusion.
It was a stern ancient military camp, where a Young General smiled and said,
"Uncle, I'm going to go capture a prisoner for questioning."
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