Chapter 356: Battle I
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Rui Bing felt tears welling up in her eyes as she watched Ye Chong getting further and further away from her. She held back her tears, gathered herself, and darted towards Old Jalopy and others like a swooping white bird. She knew exactly what she had to do. On her lips were a faint taste of bufferleaf and a scent unique to Ye Chong.
"Please help us," Chief Wang pleaded. The old man shook his head grimly and said, "I will not. Wang Lu and his wife had acted dishonorably. Humph, since when has the Wang Family become too afraid to acknowledge their own flaws?" The old man’s tone of disdain made Chief Wang’s pale face flushed in embarrassment.
She spoke no more. From up here, she could see everything that was happening down there. She could not deny the old man’s words. On the other hand, she was also unwilling to criticize the actions of Wang Lu and wife, since she understood that, should things happened in according to the rules, then many ambitious members of the younger generation would choose to leave. These people were the backbone of the Wang Family’s strength. If they left, the Wang Family would lose their power in the next few decades.
She could not allow that to happen, and so she had quietly condoned the actions of Wang Lu and his wife. Ye Chong would never understand this extreme form of tribal spirit, but perhaps Rui Bing could.
Nonetheless, no one expected an alchemist, a weak fragile person like Ye Chong could be so strong!
The old man watched everything that was happening below and could not help but gasped, "What a strong killing aura!"
In fact, much blood was shed down below. Melees and close range combat were Ye Chong’s preferred ways of combat, and he excelled in them.
His lance moved unpredictably, the dark tip of the lance shining as bright as a star in outer space. The lance weaved an erratic trajectory in the air, ending the lives of people who never expected to die today. It was not dazzling or magnificent, but the flickering shine of the tip of the lance brought a chill to one’s heart.
Ye Chong understood Rui Bing’s nature. There was also no time to ask about the details of what happened earlier. He had wanted to use Han Jia, but quickly dismissed the idea.
He knew exactly what Han Jia meant to the people here. If he deployed Han Jia, Ye Chong was certain that no one could stop him, even if he could not wipe out the entire Wang Village. Of course, if he could escape this place, then so could Rui Bing. Ye Chong could even carry a few people with him as they escaped. However, since they were already labelled as outsiders since the beginning, showing the mechs would only invite an extreme and violent reaction from the locals.
Ye Chong was wary not only of the Wang Family members, but also of other strong fighters who took a neutral stance in this skirmish.
These include the shopkeeper of the Pavilion of Treasures and Master Yan. These days, Ye Chong came to realize that there were more strong characters in the free space zone than anywhere he had been. These people might not be a threat to him and Rui Bing, but they would be for the rest of his group. The threat could be fatal.
Better for him alone to be in danger than risking the entire group. He was confident of his own abilities, and there was always the option of retreating. However, if a few of the bodyguards died here, then they would never be able to leave the free space zone.
That was an outcome that Ye Chong must avoid at all costs.
This was why he had arrived at this seemingly dangerous plan that may not be perfect, or even the best option. However, in that short amount of time given to him, it was the best he could come up with.
In fact, Ye Chong’s decision was right. Up until now, those who attacked him were all Wang Family members. He stole a glance at the neutral bystanders, seeing their look of disdain towards the Wang Family Village, and knew that he had made the right choice.
This allowed him to focus entirely on the battle before him.
He did not have the leisure of contemplating if this was the most dangerous situation he was ever caught up in. The waves of enemies were suppressed quickly. Compared to the battle against the mutants in Ze Xi Academy, this was a piece of cake.
Everyone here would have been considered highly skilled in the He Yue Galaxy, and the creme of the crop in the Five Galaxies. Ye Chong was completed surrounded by weapons of all kinds, and his clothing was nearly torn to shreds.
Ye Chong moved his hands as fast as he could.
His movements were a blur. The sound of weapons clanging against each other as he blocked them did not cease since the beginning of the mass attack. Everyone was waiting for the climax of the attack to be over, but it never happened. The battle grew fiercer, and silence never came. The horrifying sound of clashing weapons was stressing for the observers.
45 seconds!
Ye Chong had held back against the attack for a solid 45 seconds! He feet never left the ground. He was like an unyielding rock against the crashing waves of the sea.
"What strong determination," the old man at the tip of Victory Tower commented with approval.
Ye Chong was in a sorry state. His clothes were almost gone. His shirt was full of long gashes from the weapons. Shreds of cloth were scattered in the air like butterflies.
Though Ye Chong was fast, and had keen eyesight and minimalistic combat moves, injury was still unavoidable. His nearly naked upper body was covered with many lacerations, and these bloody cuts were increasing by the second. The cuts bled, but the blood was quickly diluted by the sweat on his body.
Even though Ye Chong was now in a tight corner, no one treated him lightly. On the contrary, they were surprised and deeply impressed by him.
Just how in the world could someone fend against these attacks for 45 seconds? It would require incredible reflexes and rapid moves. More importantly, he must remain absolutely calm!
The spectators also noticed with fear that, given his tight spot, Ye Chong still managed to kill 36 villagers. This many kills, in just 45 seconds!
Ye Chong could feel his stamina depleting rapidly. The overwhelming attacks did not allow him to think. He was fighting only with his instincts. He still had three Night Enchantment pills with him, but there was no time for him to even reach for them.
"Everyone stand back!" An ancient but thundering voice exploded from the back. Everyone looked up to see three figures leaping across roofs, coming towards them.
"The Ancestral Hall Guards!" Someone in the crowd cried out. The neutral observers turned grim. If a young man like Wang Zishi was the backbone and strength of the Wang Family tribe, then the Ancestral Guards were the tribe’s last and strongest line of defense. The Ancestral Guards were responsible of protecting the tribe’s ancestral hall, and were usually not involved in matters of the village.
Every tribe’s Ancestral Hall Guards were the the tribe’s most secretive power. It was rare for them to appear at all.
"Wonderful, Uncle Yun and the others are finally here," Chief Wang clapped her hands as she declared, happy as a child.
Just then, Ye Chong felt a the attack force from around him slacking. He immediately reacted without thinking, grasping the opportunity. Like a spring unwinded, he began to attack back madly as the restrictive force around him was gone.
The lance shone in all its glory!
With the blue lines and dots all over his vision, Ye Chong could no longer tell one person from another. He could only see a simple mosaic of blue lines and blue dots.
The lance struck without hesitation, aiming at all the blue dots he could see.
The bloodshed reached its climax.
The victims howled in pain, as dozens of people fell under his attacks, blood spraying from their wounds. Blood rained for nearly 10 meters around Ye Chong.
Everyone was shocked!
Ye Chong’s head finally cleared up. He cursed his own confusion and switched to a more evasive stance. Mobile warfare [1] was a better strategy for his current situation.
"How dare you!" The three people charging towards him all looked furious, staring at him with bulging eyes. Usually, they would not get themselves involved with matters of the village, but their loyalty to the Wang Family was exceptional. Now that something so terrible was happening before them, how could they just stand by and watch?
Ye Chong ignored their raging voices as he made his next move, slipping easily between his enemies as he attacked them all like the God of Death. Wherever he passed, blood sprayed onto the ground, and painful howls were heard. The dimly shining tip of his lance belied its sharpness.
The average lance turned into a living being in Ye Chong’s deft hands. Everyone was vulnerable against it. Ye Chong had aimed at all the blue points he could see, and killed with every strike.
All the spectators paled as they watched. Ye Chong could feel some of his stamina returning. His sudden change in strategy had caught everyone off guard.
They paid the ultimate price for this.
Just then, Ye Chong heard an almost imperceivable breeze from behind him.