Chapter 369: Scarlet Ta.s.sel Spear!
At this point, Bai Siling was starting to pity Zhao Yatong.
She understood vividly what Zhao Yatong was feeling at this moment, the helplessness and frustration of ignorance. That was because she had just undergone that phase herself just a few days ago.
Even when w.a.n.g Chong was placed in a desperate situation, being forced to fight to the bitter end for his life, he was still able to factor the escaping Iron Cloak Highwaymen into his plans.
Back then, Bai Siling thought that w.a.n.g Chong had forgotten about their existence, but who could have known that he was actually making use of them to open up Iron Cloak Li"s treasure vault!
Even though it had been some time since that incident, she still remembered it as clearly as though it had happened yesterday.
However, the one thing fortunate about it was that she had at least gone through a life-and-death situation with w.a.n.g Chong, and the intense experience then had allowed her to see past all of this.
However, such wasn"t the case for Zhao Yatong.
Patting Zhao Yatong"s back, Bai SIling said, "Yatong, there"s no need for you to think too much into it. You just have to recall how Longxi"s Geshu Han, Western Protectorate Manor"s Go Seonji, and Western Region Protectorate Manor"s Fumeng Lingcha were left shaking in fury due to what he did, even rallying everyone in their connections to have him executed, taking the entire royal court by storm, and you should be able to get used to it."
To think that even the great Spear of Crimson Blaze, whose gaze was so high that few in the capital could catch her eye, would end up being embarra.s.sed by w.a.n.g Chong twice!
Bai Siling was starting to wonder whether it was the correct decision for her to bring Zhao Yatong into this matter.
"Alright. Since w.a.n.g gongzi has said so, let"s just do as he said." Perhaps Bai Siling"s words had worked its wonders, Zhao Yatong didn"t seem to be as stifled as she was a moment ago.
After those words were spoken, everyone immediately scattered to do their work.
And just as the group was scattering, no one noticed a pair of callous eyes filled with killing intent was currently looking upon everything, and was slowly approaching this crucial resting point.
There were many cavalrymen and soldiers moving to and fro in the perimeter of the resting point, making it difficult for any invaders to approach.
However, no one noticed this figure.
His movements were slow but composed. This was because this wasn"t the first time he had been here.
The entire layout of the resting point, the deployment of each sentry, the timing which they would change s.h.i.+fts, the areas where the experts were stationed, the location of the ration warehouse... All of these, he had them in his grasp.
Perhaps, he might even be more familiar with this area than the recruits who had been here for a very long time. In fact, there was once that he had a meal with the cavalrymen here.
Yet, no one had doubted his ident.i.ty.
"Hah, these fools! By tomorrow, you all will be reduced to a pile of corpses. No one can stand against the cavalry of our great empire! To even dream of fighting of us on mountainous terrain, what utter foolishness!" that fellow muttered under his breath as he advanced.
He had come here a few days ago as well, but there was nothing noteworthy. Just yet another bunch of fools who were charging to their deaths.
He even knew when they would attack and the strength of their forces, and yet these soldiers never suspected anything, thinking that the Tibetans were waiting obediently at the mountain peak for their attack.
"Just wait and see, this is just a beginning, the current Great Tang isn"t how it used to be. When the Great Minister finishes his final wave of summons, that will be the day that we trample across Longxi and dominate the Central Plains! It"s laughable how you can remain ignorant before such a huge threat!" that figure sneered disdainfully.
Once, the Great Tang military was known for its astounding strength. Even with just an army of ten thousand, they could conquer a battlefield against foes that outnumbered them several times.
But the current generation of Great Tang was no longer as driven and valiant as their predecessors were.
Peace had worn down their edge, while the strong winds of the highlands had groomed the strongest of warriors in Ü-Tsang. Before long, their n.o.ble eagle flags would be flown up high across the Central Plains.
The sons of Heaven would dominate the Central Plains!
With such thoughts in mind, the figure slowly approached the resting point, listening to every conversation and complaint that reached his ear. He didn"t even allow a single yawn to pa.s.s him by.
Here, he was able to travel freely and unhindered.
Weng!
But just as he was immersed in his glee, his heart suddenly pounded in alarm. Out of the blue, he felt a sharp gaze on him.
That figure felt his heart leaping in fear. He subconsciously glanced to where the sharp gaze was coming from, and he saw a sixteen-year-old youth staring fixedly at him.
A simple gaze it was, but so inconceivably sharp that it spent chills down his spine.
Just as he was worrying whether he had accidentally shown anything that would have given him away, that youth"s gaze went elsewhere.
It was like that gaze had just fallen on him out of coincidence. Furthermore, considering how the young man was already walking toward a beautiful red-robed lady, that was likely to be the case.
---
"Zhao Yatong, wait a moment!" w.a.n.g Chong yelled.
"What"s wrong?" Zhao Yatong turned around in astonishment, unable to understand why w.a.n.g Chong would suddenly call for her.
"I suddenly realized that I have neglected to inform you of something!" w.a.n.g Chong yelled as he galloped over on his steed.
"What"s wrong?" Zhao Yatong asked in curiosity.
"I forgot to tell you that it would be impossible for you to catch their scouts like that. We have to tweak our measures slightly..." w.a.n.g Chong said with a bitter smile.
It was just a moment ago that he realized that he had failed to consider a very important matter. From the very start, they had been looking in the wrong places, and if they were to go down this path, their search would just end in a failure.
There were many men walking to and fro on the perimeter of the gathering point. Just as w.a.n.g Chong was heading toward Zhao Yatong, he pa.s.sed by a fence, and he noticed a heavily wounded cavalryman with his armor cloaked with blood, and he seemed to be having difficulty moving about.
Weng!
w.a.n.g Chong"s eyes narrowed as sharp killing intent flashed across his eyes.
How brazen of you to dare to come here!
It was like thunder had shaken the entire resting point. That heavily wounded cavalryman"s body jolted in shock.
Boom!
At that moment, w.a.n.g Chong suddenly launched his attack.
"Eight Steps of the Furious Flood Dragon!"
Without any hesitation, w.a.n.g Chong resorted to his ultimate technique. Pus.h.i.+ng his body to his limit, eight dragons appeared from eight different directions, encircling the cavalryman tightly.
Moo!
At that moment, the deafening call reminiscent of that of a bull sounded, and the image of a st.u.r.dy white yak appeared above the cavalrymen. A white halo rippled beneath his feet, and it surged furiously along with his billowing Stellar Energy.
Boom!
w.a.n.g Chong"s Wootz steel sword sliced through the cavalryman"s Stellar Energy and stabbed right through the right side of his chest. But at the same time, despite suffering a heavy blow, that figure also managed to knock w.a.n.g Chong back.
Neighhhh!
At the moment w.a.n.g Chong was knocked back, the white halo immediately extended down to his steed, and the rider and steed immediately fled as fast as they could.
"Stop him!" Pressing his hand against the ground at the moment of his landing, he pushed himself up and leapt onto the back of the White-hoofed Shadow once more.
That man"s fighting prowess was far more formidable than he had imagined, and his reaction and decisiveness were top-notch as well.
w.a.n.g Chong"s sword was aimed right at his heart, but that figure managed to dodge at the last moment, resulting in his blade striking the other party"s right lung instead. By sustaining this blow, he gained an opportunity to push w.a.n.g Chong away, earning him some time to escape.
It was just an instant between that figure jolting w.a.n.g Chong away and fleeing, but he had already managed to accelerate his steed to a fair speed.
It seemed like his horsemans.h.i.+p had reached an incredible mastery as well.
Boom!
Chaos broke out in the region. No one could understand why a recruit would suddenly attack their own cavalryman, and before they could process what was happening, the cavalryman was already fleeing in fear.
Some men instinctively obeyed w.a.n.g Chong"s command to intercept the cavalryman while others were rooted to the spot, dumbfounded by the situation before them.
This gathering point had been peaceful for too long, such a situation had never happened before.
Di da da!
While most people were still stupefied by the turn of events, the attacked cavalryman had already escaped to the outer perimeters of the resting point.
There were quite a few people who tried to attack him, but they were shaken off by his astounding speed.
A gleam of light appeared before that figure; he was already nearing the outer defense circle of the resting point, and a hint of smile crept onto his lips.
Even though he had no idea how he was discovered, he still managed to escape with his life.
As numerous as his enemies were, in the end, there was nothing they could do about him.
"Hmph!"
Just as that figure was just moments away from victory, a cold harrumph suddenly reached his ears. Proud, disdainful, and graceful it was, just like a phoenix gazing down on mortal ants from the clouds.
"Did you think that you will be able to escape? Let me tell you, there won"t be a single person who can step out of this encirclement without my permission!" That cold voice echoed amidst the forest. It was neither loud nor soft, but he heard every word clearly.
A jolt ran through that figure"s body, as an overwhelming sense of danger clutched at him.
He immediately tried to pull on his reins to flee in the opposite direction from the voice, but he realized that he couldn"t move his fingers.
The world abruptly spun around him, and it took an instant before he realized that his head was spinning in the air.
Neighhh!
A war steed neighed as it galloped away into the distance. Watching the blood spurt from the headless corpse on the steed"s back, reality suddenly dawned on that figure. He was dead.
Fast...
This was the final thought flas.h.i.+ng through his mind as his head flew higher and higher in the air. The final thing he saw was a crimson steed and a valiant red-robed lady on its back.
In her hands was the long Scarlet Ta.s.sel Spear, emanating brilliant crimson flames.
And in the next moment, everything blacked out...