Under the dark red Tang flag, a warrior wearing black silver armor galloped across the city wall, slaying all Tibetan soldiers in his path.
Such was the sight that Zeng Lu and Abbot Palkyi saw.
For a moment, they wondered if they were dreaming.
For many years they had dreamed about this sight, only to be jolted awake at the peak of their excitement, with tears in their eyes.
Yet, when they found themselves in the pit of despair, the Tang flag suddenly emerged on Shuleâs city wall⊠It was so convenient that they could hardly believe it was happening.
Zeng Lu trembled. Abbot Palkyi widened his eyes.
Could this be yet another dream? If it is, heaven, Iâm begging you, please let us relish in it for a little longer.
But reality ripped through their confusion, telling them with an unwavering tone that this was not a dream.
The modao was evidence!
Shoosh!
The snowy-white blade sliced across the dark nightscape, its brilliant reflection pricking everyoneâs nerves.
After securing the city gates, Shu Yichao eyed the minimapâthe green dots were still flickering. Tightening his grip on his modao, he charged toward where the green dots were.
He utilized the still flying skeletons as stepping stones, maneuvering around with nimbleness reminiscent of a lively bird flying from branch to branch. With every leap he made, he brought despair and death upon the Tibetans. freewebnÞvel.coɱ
âAH!â
A Tibetan soldier who failed to dodge in time was sliced into two.
âUWA!â
A mage erected a barrier, but the modao easily sliced through the barrier and the mage within.
Wherever he went, enemies crumbled. freewebnÏvel.cĂžm
It was an uncanny scene.
To the backdrop of dancing black lotuses, the black silver knight crossed a path of white bones adorned with blossoming blood roses.
âAH!â
Screams of agony echoed from the distant east gate. Those were the most miserable sounds the Tibetan soldiers there had ever made in their lives.
âThe Tang army has gotten in!â
âMonsters! They are monsters!â
âSpare me, spââ
Boom!
Shule shook intensely, causing some of the housesâ roof tiles to fall and shatter on the ground.
ââŠâ
Tears trickled down Zeng Luâs eyes. He couldnât stop crying no matter how he wiped his tears. He sniffled twice before finally shouting out loud, âThey have finally returned. Our great nation has finally returned to the Western Region!â
The old man looked almost like a young child, laughing and crying at the same time, his tears and snot mixed together.
ââŠâ
Abbot Palkyiâs heart pounded nonstop. His vision had turned blurry. He put his hands together, only to realize that his robe was already soaked in tears.
âAmithabha,â he murmured a Buddhist chant with a quivering tone.
âHooray!â
The rebel army also broke out in cheers upon seeing Shu Yichao and his troops.
âThe Tang army has returned!â
âOur people have come for us!â
They clamored with the weapons in their hands to vent their surging emotions.
âLong live Great Tang! Long live the Tang army!â
In contrast, the Tibetans looked deflated. While they had no idea where this Tang army came from, they could tell that their defense had been breached.
They recalled about the atrocities they had inflicted on the other races, and they trembled when they thought about what the other races, with their decades worth of anger, would do to them. The ferocity they had displayed earlier was a hint into what was about to come.
It would be a vicious vengeance!
In the past, no one was concerned since they were just a bunch of lowly slaves, but with the tables turned on them nowâŠ
The Tibetans shuddered. They turned to Asudo, hoping that he would have a solution.
ââŠâ
Asudo placed his hands in his sleeves, his little hands trembling.
Itâs over.
His mind went numb when he saw Shu Yichao leaping onto the city wall.
What are the soldiers doing?! Our lightning defense towers and barriers have been operated, and the troops are in place too. Yet, you only managed to hold him off for this long?
He had come to deal with the rebels, thinking that they needed to first settle internal issues before tackling external threats, but it backfired on him. With the monsters rallying under the Tang flag charging into Shule, there was no way to resolve the situation anymore.
Putting aside how the rebel armyâs morale would rebound harder than ever, just the thought of the sea of skeletons spilling into the city was enough to make him shudder in fear.
Hold on!
Asudo suddenly realized one thing.
âDid that monster charge in here alone?!â
Even though Shu Yichao looked like an unstoppable force, destroying everyone in his path as he charged toward the City Lord Manor, it didnât change the fact that the mage controlling those monsters had been separated from his minions.
This is a good opportunity! We might still have a chance to turn things around!
Asudo was overjoyed.
He had no idea whether that mage was the deceased Shu Chuanfeng or not, but he knew that all problems would be resolved if he could kill that mage here.
Itâs fine.
He might be a hero, but Iâm a hero too. And I have the defensive artifacts my archmage master bestowed me with.
Archmages were the pinnacle of hero-class mages. The artifacts Asudo had received from his archmage master were bound to be formidable.
If he could quickly finish off the enemy mage, he would be able to stop the invasion of the monsters while inflicting another crushing blow to the rebel armyâs morale. There was nothing more cruel in this world than to see a glimmer of hope, only for it to be snatched away after.
Having made up his mind, Asudo cast Nimble Feet on himself.
âHmph! How meaningless.â
Before the Tibetansâ expectant eyes, Asudo gently floated in Shu Yichaoâs direction, looking both relaxed and graceful. His casual demeanor made it seem as if the valiant Tang general heading in his direction was an ant he could crush whenever he wanted.
But before Asudo got close to Shu YichaoâŠ
Shoosh!
âŠthe bracelet he was wearing suddenly glowed golden. An invisible gust of wind morphed into a treacherous mana arrow that shot toward Shu Yichao from his blind spot.
Hah?! You were expecting a proper showdown?
What are you? A three-year-old child? Of course Iâll launch a surprise assault if I can!