"Oh? Is that so? Quite the bold claim!"
Jiang Yuan chuckled, stepping forward two paces until he was face-to-face with One Blade Breaks Ten Thousand Laws, close enough to feel each other's breath on their skin.
"And what if I insist on going in?" Jiang Yuan asked, meeting One Blade Breaks Ten Thousand Laws' icy gaze.
"You can ask him." A contemptuous smirk flickered across One Blade Breaks Ten Thousand Laws' face. Seeming uncomfortable with the proximity, he stepped back a few paces, pointed at Wen Ding Cang Sheng, and chuckled before slowly retreating.
"Brother Jiang Yuan, I tried just now—it's tough to break through their defense. Take a look." Wen Ding Cang Sheng pulled Jiang Yuan aside, pointing ahead. "This terrain is high ground, easy to defend and hard to attack. They've stationed all their mages and sharpshooters on the cliffs. Our people can't reach them, but they can hit us easily. If my healers weren't quick to revive us, my Tianbo Mansion crew would've had to run all the way back."
"They only have two squads. Can't your forty-plus people push through?" Jiang Yuan looked up at the enemy sharpshooters and mages on the cliffs, then turned to Wen Ding Cang Sheng in disbelief.
"See that gap behind them? It can fit at most ten people at a time. Any more, and it's too cramped. If this were flat ground, forget a few of them—even if the entire Emperor's Domain and Ten Thousand Leagues Alliance came at once, I wouldn't flinch!" Wen Ding Cang Sheng's face twisted with bitter frustration as he growled.
Jiang Yuan patted Wen Ding Cang Sheng on the shoulder and nodded. "The terrain does favor them, but that doesn't mean we can't break through. Pull your people back and let me give it a shot."
"Alright, be careful!" Wen Ding Cang Sheng nodded, signaled his team, and had Tianbo Mansion's forty-man squad retreat a hundred meters, clearing the space. He gestured to Jiang Yuan.
"First and second squads, follow me!" Testing the waters, Jiang Yuan didn't commit to a full assault. Instead, he led two squads toward the narrow stone gate guarded by One Blade Breaks Ten Thousand Laws.
"Prepare to attack!" As Jiang Yuan approached with ten men, One Blade Breaks Ten Thousand Laws drew a long blade, his face tense with focus.
The battle was about to erupt. Chuang Shi Xiao Xuan Feng leaped high, aiming for the sharpshooters and mages on the opposite cliff. But mid-air, a hail of arrows forced him to land swiftly, activate stealth, and slink back to Jiang Yuan's side.
"No good—their firepower's too intense. Can't get up there!" Chuang Shi Xiao Xuan Feng wiped cold sweat from his brow, reporting to Jiang Yuan. If he hadn't reacted fast, he'd have been riddled with arrows.
"Forget the ones above—charge the front with me." Jiang Yuan summoned a Dragon Beard Tiger, cast "Soul Sacrifice," inheriting its stats to boost his health to 140,000, and led the ten men straight ahead!
"Whoosh! Whoosh!" Just as they reached within a dozen meters of One Blade Breaks Ten Thousand Laws, a rain of fire descended from above. The mages from Emperor's Domain and Ten Thousand Leagues Alliance on the cliffs hurled flame skills down at Jiang Yuan's group.
"Don't dodge—tank it and keep charging!" Facing the torrent of skills, Jiang Yuan roared and led the charge forward.
To his dismay, the enemy's skills were too numerous and dense. Even with over 100,000 health, after weathering a few waves from the mages and sharpshooters, Jiang Yuan quickly faltered, his health halved, and he retreated in defeat.
"Take this, you bastard!" Only Ding Ye, who had specialized into "Tiger Ben Cavalry," with his hundreds of thousands of health, managed to withstand the barrage and reach One Blade Breaks Ten Thousand Laws. He roared, swinging his long blade down.
"Tread Flame, Raise Banner!" "Thunder Walk, Wind Slash!"
A spark of fire erupted from the tip of One Blade Breaks Ten Thousand Laws' blade, striking Ding Ye and exploding into black smoke—a control skill from the Overlord class, stunning the target before knocking them down.
Sure enough, Ding Ye was stunned and fell to the ground. One Blade Breaks Ten Thousand Laws followed up with "Thunder Walk, Wind Slash," landing squarely on Ding Ye!
The Overlord's "Thunder Walk, Wind Slash" required a 4-second charge to deal full damage. By weaving in a control skill beforehand, One Blade Breaks Ten Thousand Laws perfectly exploited the 4-second knockdown to cover the charge window—a brilliantly calculated move!
The fully charged "Thunder Walk, Wind Slash" hit Ding Ye, and a damage number of over 500,000 floated above his head. Jiang Yuan watched Ding Ye's health bar vanish instantly as he collapsed.
"Damn! Five hundred thousand damage in one hit—is this guy even human?!" Ding Ye, now a corpse on the ground, kept cursing.
A healer quickly cast "Resurrection" on Ding Ye. With the brief 2-second invincibility after revival, Ding Ye leaped back to Jiang Yuan's side.
"No wonder Ao Shi Long Huang stationed him here. With that kind of insane damage, hardly anyone can withstand it." Jiang Yuan glanced at Wen Ding Cang Sheng and remarked flatly. No wonder they couldn't break through—One Blade Breaks Ten Thousand Laws had grown even stronger!
"Everyone fall back. I'll take him on." Seeing the enhanced One Blade Breaks Ten Thousand Laws, Jiang Yuan's fighting spirit ignited. He told the group and slowly stepped forward.
The others from Tianbo Mansion and Hanjiang City wisely retreated, giving Jiang Yuan ample space to face One Blade Breaks Ten Thousand Laws.
Jiang Yuan clasped his hands in a seal, murmuring incantations. The sky above the cliffs began to churn with wind and clouds.
"By the covenant's oath, I summon the power of the stars to manifest as the Black Tortoise, bound to my will." An ancient, weathered voice echoed through the area as the sacred beast Black Tortoise slowly coalesced within a thick beam of light descending from the sky.
Facing One Blade Breaks Ten Thousand Laws' explosive output, Jiang Yuan dared not be careless. He unleashed his strongest skill—the Sacred Beast Black Tortoise!
"Water Healing Shield!" As the Black Tortoise appeared, a shimmering blue shield enveloped Jiang Yuan, forming a super barrier capable of absorbing 7.5 million damage!
"Vice-Leader One Blade, how about a wager?" Shielded, Jiang Yuan winked at One Blade Breaks Ten Thousand Laws with a sly grin.
"Oh? Let's hear it?" One Blade Breaks Ten Thousand Laws stood by the stone gate gap, leaning on his blade like a war god, and replied slowly.