When Zhao Cheng charged head-on at over a hundred soldiers with his sword in hand, the County Commandant burst out laughing, dismissing him as a reckless fool with more courage than brains.
But before long, the County Commandant's smile gradually froze on his face.
The vicious man plunged into the ranks with his sword, instantly raising sprays of blood. His charge was so fierce, it was like a cone piercing through a bag!
In the blink of an eye, he had charged more than three zhang into their ranks. Sprays of blood burst up behind him, staining a wide area red.
His movements were simple and direct, yet extremely fierce and effective.
Every move was incredibly crisp, using the smallest motions to either seal a throat with his sword or pierce a vital point.
Each tiny movement brought devastating force, easily taking a life.
Everywhere he passed, countless heads flew into the air. As blood spurted, wave after wave of soldiers fell like wheat beneath a sickle.
One wave of soldiers after another charged at him, crashing into him, yet they were like withered grass falling on a blade, instantly cleaved in two.
When his sword struck the soldiers' armor, it cut through and opened it as easily as slicing tofu!
But when the soldiers' blades fell on Zhao Cheng, they seemed to be blocked by a film of energy. His skin only caved in slightly before their blades were deflected, unable to wound him at all.
As Zhao Cheng fought his way through them, his movements grew simpler and his attacks ever more vicious. He was killing faster and faster, too.
Behind him, countless bodies already littered the ground. He had carved through the hundred-man formation several times over.
Ahead of him, the soldiers' faces were pale. They shrank back, as if staring at a demon.
Some even dropped their weapons and turned to run.
"We can't kill him! This man just won't die!"
"If this keeps up, we'll all die here!"
"A demon! A demon!"
"Run!"
Zhao Cheng could clearly feel himself entering some kind of state. His swordplay grew more and more vicious, his movements increasingly crisp!
Seeing the soldiers about to flee, he wasn't about to let them get away. He raised his sword and gave chase.
And so, a scene unfolded outside the Government Office: dozens of soldiers fled in panic, while one man chased them with a sword in hand!
Zhao Cheng was so fast that even a tiger charging down a mountain couldn't match his momentum. How could ordinary soldiers possibly outrun him?
One anguished cry after another rang out behind them. The breath of death bore down relentlessly, terrifying everyone until they were scared out of their wits!
Even the County Commandant's expression changed drastically. He turned and ran!
Foolhardy? When someone was this insanely brave, whether he had brains hardly mattered.
If he didn't run, he'd die here too!
"Where do you think you're going!"
When Zhao Cheng saw the County Commandant flee, he abandoned the scattered soldiers and charged straight after him.
Primordial Qi surged through his body. Energy burst from his calves, and in just two or three strides, he crossed seven or eight zhang, appearing right behind the County Commandant.
The County Commandant was scared out of his wits!
He had never seen anyone run so fast. By the time he thought to turn around and fight back, it was already too late. His head was instantly severed.
In the distance, shouts rang out, and torchlight drew closer and closer.
Zhao Cheng grinned. Without a hint of panic, he picked up a fresh weapon—a bow and arrows—from the ground, then stepped into the Government Office.
As he walked, he breathed in and out slowly and deeply.
As Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi poured into him, the little energy he'd spent was instantly replenished.
The energy within him was inexhaustible, bringing strength like a vast ocean.
He had fought fiercely all this time, yet his condition remained terrifyingly good.
Zhao Cheng checked the system.
[Current Remaining Lifespan: 4385 years]
I've taken about two thousand five hundred years of lifespan so far.
Too bad I'm still a little short of mastering Killing Sword Technique. I still haven't even begun.
But I've got time. There's no need to rush.
Zhao Cheng strolled leisurely to the storage area. After the battle, there wasn't a single guard in sight. The place was quiet and empty.
He opened the granary and took a look. "There's not much grain, either. With the city's garrison eating sparingly, it'll last at most another seven or eight days."
After thinking it over, he ultimately decided not to burn the grain.
If the city fell tomorrow, all this grain would be his. If he burned it now, wouldn't he be burning his own provisions?
Instead, he went to the main Government Office building and set it ablaze.
In the heart of Ye City, a great blaze sprang up in the night, black smoke billowing into the sky. Even the people atop the city walls on all four sides turned to stare.
Han Jiang hurried to the wall, eyes wide as he stared at the Government Office burning in the city. Rage surged through him until he nearly spat blood!
"The grain! The army's grain!"
"How did the Government Office catch fire?"
"That useless Du Shuang still hasn't caught the Qin Army infiltrator, and now he's let him break into the Government Office and burn the grain!?"
He was so enraged that he bit through his lip without even realizing it.
"Mobilize the troops! Surround the city and find that infiltrator! Kill him!"
"Kill him!"
His deputy immediately led troops out. A huge number of soldiers poured from the camp beneath the city and made straight for the Government Office.
From afar, they looked like a long, winding dragon. There were at least two or three thousand of them.
Outside the Government Office, Du Shuang was nearly pissing himself.
"What are we going to do?!"
"Never mind the County Commandant being dead, the emergency grain stores are still inside..."
After all that scrambling through half the night, they'd gathered so many troops, yet not only had they failed to surround the Qin Army infiltrator, they'd let him break into the Government Office!
All the city's emergency grain supplies were inside! There hadn't been much to begin with. If that Qin Army infiltrator burned it too, they were finished!
"Get in there! Find the enemy infiltrator!"
He gave the order, but his men dragged their feet, showing not a hint of enthusiasm.
As if! Fifty or sixty bodies were sprawled outside the Government Office. Add that to the rumors spreading through the city, and who would dare provoke that fiend?
Du Shuang roared, "He's been fighting all night. He's at the end of his strength! Whoever goes in and wounds him gets promoted one rank and a hundred gold coins!
"Whoever kills him gets promoted three ranks, a thousand gold coins, and a thousand qing of land!"
A huge reward would bring out the brave.
Nobody wanted to risk their life for nothing, but with rewards this generous, some were willing to go in with their heads on the line.
One man charged in, howling. The others immediately feared someone would steal the credit, and rushed in after him.
But the moment the group entered the Government Office, before they even caught sight of their reward, they were hit by several arrows and lost their lives.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
One after another, more than ten men fell. The soldiers who had been howling and eager to charge in went weak at the knees, no longer willing to enter. They all lingered by the entrance, too afraid to move forward.
"Fools! Go over the side wall! Use the back entrance! Go through the little gate! He's defending the front by himself. You think he can guard every other direction too?"
The soldiers thought he had a point.
So they circled around to the sides and rear of the Government Office. Some climbed the walls, some used the side gates, and some crawled through dog holes, pouring into the compound.
In an instant, the enemy attacked from every direction.
Inside the Government Office, Zhao Cheng had dragged over a chair and crossed his legs. He sat leisurely atop the burning county-seat platform.
He drew the powerful bow casually, then let an arrow fly.
Every arrow took an enemy with it, claiming another life.
[You killed an enemy and seized thirteen years of lifespan!] [You killed an enemy and seized eleven years of lifespan!] [You killed an enemy and seized twenty-two years of lifespan!]
As he watched his remaining lifespan keep climbing in the system, a delighted smile appeared on Zhao Cheng's heroic face. Against the backdrop of blood and fire, it looked all the more eerie.
Anyone lucky enough to see his smile was overcome with utter terror.
And the instant that terror took hold, Zhao Cheng's arrow was already there, sealing their throats with deadly precision and harvesting their lives.
As the attacks came from every side, more and more Han Army soldiers poured into the Government Office. The twang of the bowstrings inside grew denser and denser, too.
The rhythm was steady, quick, and unbroken. Du Shuang felt a chill wash over him again and again, and a terrible premonition took root in his heart.
Sure enough, before even the time it took to burn a stick of incense had passed, the Han Army retreated like a receding tide, returning to Du Shuang's side.
One man said, his face ashen, "My lord, we... we can't break in!"
"Every brother who went in is dead..."
Du Shuang cursed furiously, but there was nothing he could do.
Forget his soldiers—even he felt cold all over now.
This man was downright uncanny. They had fought fiercely for half the night, yet no one had even seen his face, while hundreds of his men were already dead!
But the fire inside was still burning!
This wasn't just the Government Office burning. It was like they were roasting him over the flames!
Du Shuang gritted his teeth, knowing he had to stop this now. Even if he survived the night, he wouldn't live long once he got back.
He roared and charged in at the head of his men. "I refuse to believe it! Attack again! Follow me inside!"
He had resolved to risk his life, yet he still shoved a soldier in front of himself as a shield, charging in from behind him.
But the moment he stepped through the Government Office's main gate, an arrow whistled in. His throat went cold!
Du Shuang stared in disbelief as he touched his throat and felt a hand covered in blood. Looking down, he saw the arrow had passed through the neck of the man in front of him and pierced his own throat!
"Urgh..."
He tried to speak, but only blood bubbled from his mouth. His strength ebbed like the tide, and before long he fell to the ground without a sound.
The soldiers who had been halfway through the charge immediately turned and retreated.
They stared at one another. Then someone dropped his weapon, and the whole crowd scattered in a panic.
"Commander Du is dead! The fiend is coming out! Run!"
Over a thousand soldiers fled.
Inside, Zhao Cheng heard the commotion and was stunned.
"Wait, why are they running?"
"The close-quarters fight hasn't even started yet! They can't just run!"
He didn't bother sitting around any longer. He got to his feet and chased outside.
He raced through the city, hunting them down in the dark.
Like a life-snatching Yama, he pursued the enemy from behind, reaping lives one after another.
Screams kept rising behind them, and many of the soldiers fleeing for their lives in front had wet themselves in terror.
How could this fiend not even let them run away!
He was really chasing down a thousand of them all by himself?
Was he going to leave them no way out at all?!
Before you continue