Hu Yan led the charge, the long saber from her back already in her hand.
She was a fire-aspect cultivator, fierce and blazing in her style, and crimson flames followed wherever her saber flashed. She struck a Transforming Force dried corpse squarely in the shoulder, the flaming edge burning its way in. Like a hot knife through lard, it sliced the creature diagonally in two.
As expected of a Late Embryonic Breath cultivator who had reached full aperture, her first strike was extraordinary.
Her goal was clear, too: to relieve the three fellow disciples ahead, letting them regain their footing, turn around, and fight again.
Zhang Erguo's pair of Gourd Hammers also smashed their way into the enemy throng. Though fat, he moved nimbly, picking off ordinary dried corpses that had strayed from the pack and were far weaker, killing one with every blow. All the while, he kept shouting to rally the dozen or so fleeing soldiers, steady their morale, and get them to turn and resist.
Jiang Che, on the other hand, faced the greatest pressure.
Facing two Embryonic Breath Demon Monsters as soon as he engaged was manageable enough. One was at Transforming Force and the other at Inner Force; they were not beyond his ability to handle.
His Azure Torrent Sword Art excelled at defense and drawn-out engagements. It also had Wind Leaves No Trace, an elusive sword move that let the blade guide his body, making it particularly useful when outnumbered. Even while dealing with the two Embryonic Breath Demon Monsters, he could often use that move to slit the throat of any ordinary Demon Monster that approached.
However, the winged monster that had earlier pounced on and killed a Wu Army Captain had set its sights on him. Hidden among the monsters, it waited for its chance, then lunged through the air when Jiang Che's back was turned!
"Watch out!"
Hu Yan spotted it first, but she could not reach him in time and could only shout a warning.
Alarm rose in her heart.
It was not that Jiang Che's death would make the battle impossible to salvage. Rather, because of his connection with Du Yongchang, she was counting on him staying alive so she could obtain more information and guidance from Steward Du.
Though she doubted Jiang Che could block the attack, she still rushed to his aid with all her strength. Even if he suffered serious injuries, she would do her best to save him.
Yet, on hearing the warning, Jiang Che did not panic. Holding his sword in his right hand, he thrust backward beneath his left armpit. His whole body followed the momentum of the sword move, turning halfway around, his posture opening out as though aided by the wind!
The sword tip lightly touched the swooping Demon Monster's claw. Rather than meet its strength head-on, he merely deflected it and shifted half a body's width aside. Not only did he avoid being knocked down, but he also borrowed the enemy's force to launch an immediate counterattack.
His sword move, Returning Tide Rolls Leaves, flowed into a counterstrike, landing four unbroken touches on its body. All four wounds fell on its left arm and left wing, throwing it off balance.
After landing, the monster roared and pushed off with its feet to pounce again, but its imbalance slowed it by a fraction.
Jiang Che's next sword move followed on its heels.
His blade swept unhurriedly, yet like a full moon tracing the sky, it curved around the withered, wing-bearing claw and cut into a vital spot, finishing the creature.
Just then, the two Demon Monsters that had originally surrounded Jiang Che closed in again, about to injure him. Hu Yan arrived in a headlong rush to support him.
She had never imagined that Jiang Che could block that almost certain pounce, much less kill his attacker in return. But she reacted swiftly, immediately switching targets and cutting down the Transforming Force monster that was about to attack him again.
After that strike, Hu Yan looked at Jiang Che, her eyes bright with admiration.
How could she fail to recognize Jiang Che's Azure Torrent Sword Art?
However, this sword art was not among those ordinary disciples could choose. It only became available after entering a branch academy, and even then required additional sect contributions. Few chose it even after meeting those conditions, because it placed the greatest emphasis on technique. Not only was it difficult to master, but its killing power was often lacking, and it offered less initiative than more aggressive sword arts.
Nor was it merely that few chose it. Even fewer managed to master it.
Yet in Jiang Che's hands, this sword art was indescribably graceful and fluid-and remarkably lethal!
It still suffered from a lack of initiative, certainly, but in combat, the fiercer the opponent, the sharper the Azure Torrent Sword Art's counterattacks became!
Someone who could bring this sword art to such heights... Hu Yan felt her experience was still too limited. She could not think of anyone more outstanding than him!
After easily handling the other monster and driving his swift blade through its throat to kill it, Jiang Che noticed his senior sister's gaze. He gave Hu Yan a toothy smile and a word of thanks, then raised his sword again to help Zhang Erguo deal with another Transforming Force monster.
Hu Yan withdrew her gaze and returned to the fight with her saber.
A thought took root in her heart. Beyond his connection with Lord Du, Jiang Che's own abilities were a pleasant surprise. He was well worth getting to know better.
With Jiang Che and his two companions joining as fresh reinforcements, the tide of battle immediately turned.
Ten Embryonic Breath Demon Monsters were a terrifying force, but four or five had already been killed shortly after the clash began. Jiang Che fought well, but Hu Yan was the linchpin. A late-stage Embryonic Breath cultivator who had opened all her apertures, she also possessed a fire aspect and skill with a long saber. Her slashing blows killed with extraordinary efficiency.
The soldiers steadied themselves, and the three Azure Mystic disciples who had been pursued also began counterattacking.
If the fighting continued like this, the five surviving Embryonic Breath Demon Monsters would make little difference. They were certain to be wiped out.
Yet halfway through the battle, more Demon Monsters arrived.
Among this new wave were beastlike creatures, resembling giant crows and vicious dogs, but most were still humanoid dried corpses. Some crawled out of the surrounding ruins and surged toward them, but even more came running from the ruined temple in the center.
Worse still, the number of Embryonic Breath monsters among them was much the same as in the first wave-around ten!
The pressure suddenly mounted again. Divided among the six of them, each would have to handle two, with more to spare!
Perhaps they could still win in the end by holding fast and waiting for Hu Yan to kill them one by one. But casualties would likely occur before she could reach them.
In fact, that was exactly what happened.
Without Jiang Che watching over him, Zhang Erguo might have been one of them.
But Jiang Che's strength was still limited to Transforming Force, and he had only recently reached that level. Earning Hu Yan's inward praise was already quite an achievement. No matter how formidable he was or how accomplished his swordsmanship, he could not exceed that realm.
Working together with Zhang Erguo to fight five Embryonic Breath monsters at once, three of them at Transforming Force, was already his limit.
Elsewhere, one of their fellow disciples had already been overwhelmed and killed.
Fortunately, at that critical moment, another allied squad joined the battle. Presumably, they too had heard the commotion and rushed over to help. Their leader, Zhao Bo, came from a branch academy and was one of the three Full Aperture cultivators among this batch of registered disciples.
With him and his men arriving to support them, the pressure abruptly eased.
At the same time, however, Demon Monsters continued pouring out from the surroundings, though at least they were neither as numerous nor as powerful as the first two waves.
And so, with both sides tangled together, what had begun as separate clearing operations turned into a considerable melee.
Amid the ruins, flames soared into the sky and blood and flesh flew. Battle cries, screams, and the sounds of blades sinking into flesh mingled until none could be told apart.
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