Patrol Encounters Enemy

The fifteenth day of Li Jinshui's patrol, Eagle Beak Ravine.

This was a treacherous mountain ravine located thirty miles northwest of North-Rejecting City. Steep cliffs and jagged rocks lined both sides, while a winding stream cut through the center. In winter, the water level dropped, revealing vast stretches of pebble-strewn riverbanks.

This area was a frequent infiltration route for small bands of Northern Di cavalry, and the Third Battalion was tasked with regular patrols.

By now, Li Jinshui's Army-Breaking Saber Technique had reached the Great Completion stage through constant training.

The squad dispersed for their routine search, with Li Jinshui leading the five men of Squad Jia to cover a stretch of rocky beach on the right flank. The five men advanced cautiously in a fan formation, their footsteps crunching against the loose gravel.

"Squad Leader, it's eerily quiet here," whispered Er Gou, who was trailing behind Li Jinshui. He was a lean youth of eighteen or nineteen, though his eyes were sharp and alert.

Li Jinshui nodded, his right hand resting firmly on his saber hilt as his gaze swept the surroundings with keen intensity.

Beyond the sound of the wind and the babbling stream, the ravine was indeed unnervingly silent; not even the chirping of birds could be heard.

"Stay sharp, there might be an ambush," he ordered in a low voice.

No sooner had he spoken than a sharp, piercing bone-whistle blast erupted from behind a massive boulder just dozens of paces ahead!

"Enemy attack--!"

Almost the instant the whistle sounded, dozens of dark shadows leaped down from the towering cliffs on both sides like apes. They landed, rolled, and sprang to their feet—they were Northern Di Barbarian Soldiers!

They had clearly been lying in wait, merely biding their time for the patrol to enter their encirclement.

"Form a circular formation! Quickly!" Squad Leader Sun, who was in charge of the patrol, roared, his voice cracking with panic.

But the Barbarians were faster. Upon landing, they immediately fanned out into a semi-circle, charging forward—there were over thirty of them!

The leader was particularly striking: nine feet tall, his bare upper body a mass of knotted muscle covered in hideous blue tattoos. He wielded a battle-axe as large as a carriage wheel, its blade gleaming with a cold, murderous intent that hit them like a physical wave.

"A Squad Leader!" Squad Leader Sun's voice was laced with despair.

The giant squad leader grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellowed, rotting teeth, and without a word, he swung his battle-axe in a wide, horizontal arc!

"Squelch! Squelch!"

Two Zhou Army soldiers, unable to dodge in time, were cleaved in half along with their shields. Blood and viscera splattered the ground, and their screams were cut short instantly.

Li Jinshui's pupils contracted sharply.

The aura of this squad leader was like a mountain, far surpassing any Di person he had ever encountered!

That fierce, violent surge of blood energy was definitely at the peak of the sixth level of Body Forging!

"Squad Jia, with me! Block the gap on the right flank!" Li Jinshui shouted, suppressing the shock in his heart as he charged forward first. If the Barbarians completed their encirclement now, everyone would die here.

Though their faces were pale, Er Gou and the other four gritted their teeth and followed.

Over the past three months, Li Jinshui's fearless performance on the battlefield and the several times he had led them out of death traps had earned him their near-instinctive trust.

The giant squad leader's gaze shifted to the charging Li Jinshui, a flash of cruel mockery in his eyes: "Zhou dog, seeking death!"

Before the words had even faded, the battle-axe descended with a terrifying whistle!

The strike was simple, yet as fast as lightning and heavy as a collapsing mountain. Before the axe even arrived, the sharp wind pressure made it difficult to breathe.

Li Jinshui dared not meet it head-on. In the nick of time, he side-stepped, the axe grazing his leather armor and leaving a deep gash from the sheer wind blade.

He twisted his waist, his military saber turning into a flash of cold light as he launched an upward slash toward the giant's wrist!

"Clang!"

The giant reacted with incredible speed, flipping his wrist to parry the saber with his heavy axe handle.

Metal clashed against metal, sending sparks flying. Li Jinshui felt a massive force travel through his arm, leaving it numb and his palm stinging violently.

The giant grinned, his fan-sized left foot lashing out to kick Li Jinshui squarely in the chest.

Li Jinshui had no time to retract his saber, so he crossed his left arm over his chest, pushing his fifth-level Iron Shirt to its limit.

"Boom!"

With a muffled thud, Li Jinshui was sent flying back like a kite with a broken string. He slammed hard into a protruding rock, a sweet taste rising in his throat as his blood surged uncontrollably.

[Iron Shirt level 5 protection active, minor injury]

The system prompt flashed by. Li Jinshui forced himself to swallow the blood, flipped to his feet, and stared ahead with grave intensity.

The gap in strength was too great! This barbarian's raw power was likely over a thousand pounds, and his movements were swift—he was no mere brute.

"Squad Leader!" Er Gou cried out, preparing to lead the others forward.

"Fall back! Form a circle and protect yourselves! Don't come over here and throw your lives away!" Li Jinshui barked. This squad leader was too strong; if Er Gou and the others came, they would only be walking into their graves.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his roiling blood, and charged again.

This time, he did not trade blows directly. Instead, he utilized his footwork to dance around the giant.

With his Great Completion Army-Breaking Saber Technique in full swing, his blade flashed like falling snow, targeting the giant's weak points: his joints, ankles, and knees.

However, the giant was not only strong but possessed incredible defense.

His blood energy surged, his skin shimmering with a faint bronze luster—he clearly practiced a hard-body technique as well. Li Jinshui's blade left only shallow white marks, unable to inflict any substantial damage.

The giant's battle-axe danced in a blur, creating terrifying wind pressure that forced Li Jinshui into a constant, desperate dance of evasion.

"Die!" Unable to secure a quick kill, the giant seemed to grow impatient and suddenly roared, bringing his axe down with even greater ferocity.

Li Jinshui dodged sideways in a flash, the axe blade grazing his ribs; the wind from the strike sliced through his leather armor, leaving a gash an inch deep that instantly welled with blood.

The giant did not let up, shifting his axe from a downward chop to a horizontal sweep that whistled toward Li Jinshui's waist!

The range of the axe was massive and its speed blinding; with his old momentum spent and his new strength yet to gather, Li Jinshui could no longer evade it!

At this life-or-death moment, a ruthless glint flashed in Li Jinshui's eyes. Abandoning all attempts to dodge, he pushed his Iron Shirt to an unprecedented limit, his skin taking on a faint copper sheen as he gripped his blade with both hands to meet the mountain-splitting strike head-on—

"CLANG—!!! SNAP!!!"

Amidst the deafening roar, the standard-issue military saber in Li Jinshui's hands snapped clean in two!

The axe, its momentum barely diminished, slammed viciously into his arms, which were crossed to protect his chest, and then into his torso!

"PFFT—!"

Li Jinshui felt as if he had been struck by a giant hammer, blood spraying wildly from his mouth as the distinct sound of bone snapping echoed from his chest; at least three ribs had broken!

His body was sent flying backward like a discarded sack, crashing heavily into a pile of rubble seven or eight paces away, sending stones scattering in every direction.

A mountain of agonizing pain crashed over him, his vision swimming with darkness as if his internal organs had all been shifted out of place.

[Gravely injured! Iron Shirt on the verge of collapse, ribs fractured, internal organs damaged]

The system panel notification was harrowing to behold.