Chapter 83
At Tian Ailang's words, Moyong Dan spurred his beloved steed and the Heavenly Center Moyong Corps even harder. The white light armor emblazoned with the Moyong crest and the fluttering bloodwind flags surged forward with greater speed. They might not match the unrivaled cavalry of the Black Wind Corps, the finest riders in the martial world, but the Moyong riders—who roamed the northern wilds on horseback, constantly battling bandits—were no slouches either.
A fierce black-and-white pursuit unfolded across the vast snowy plains.
But after racing ahead for some time, the fleeing Black Wind Corps suddenly split and wheeled to either side. The maneuver was so swift that the Heavenly Center Moyong Corps had no chance to react. In an instant, they were funneled straight into the gap the Black Wind Corps had opened.
At the same moment, the Black Wind riders swung around from both flanks and regrouped, seizing the rear of the Heavenly Center Moyong Corps.
Moyong Dan was thrown into considerable disarray by the Black Wind Corps' astounding mobility tactics and discipline. Horses, by nature, couldn't pivot as sharply as martial artists—yet the Black Wind Corps handled theirs as if they could.
"Krahk!"
The rear of the Heavenly Center Moyong Corps, now caught, began falling to the Black Wind attackers. Since horses could only charge straight ahead, the pursuers from behind held the clear advantage under equal conditions.
Moyong Dan scowled, racking his brain for a strategy, but nothing viable came to mind in the moment. They couldn't accelerate further, wheel around for a counterattack, or scatter to evade without risking being picked off individually by the Black Wind Corps, whose members were known for their exceptional personal prowess.
If only there were obstacles to exploit for confusing turns—but this was an open, barren snowfield. For now, all they could do was push forward at full gallop.
"Ugh!"
Moyong Dan bit his lip as another cry rang out from a Moyong rider struck down. Just then, Tian Ailang placed a light hand on his shoulder and said, "Captain Dan, keep charging straight ahead and strike the enemy when the moment's right."
Tian Ailang gripped Moyong Dan's shoulder lightly, then rose and kicked off the horse's rump, leaping into the air.
"Lord Tian!"
Startled by the sudden move, Moyong Dan whipped around. Tian Ailang was already bounding toward the rear, lightly stepping on the shoulders of other Heavenly Center Moyong riders as he went.
His eyes locked on the Black Wind Corps leader at the forefront, even as he ran. The leader watched Tian Ailang charging in kind.
As the distance closed, the Black Wind leader swung his sword with ferocious power. His steed reared in alarm at its master's violent hip twist.
Clang!
The Black Wind leader's blade clashed hard against Tian Ailang's palm. Using the Plum Blossom Grafting technique, Tian Ailang yanked the sword toward him and unleashed a palm strike.
Paht!
The leader parried the incoming palm, launching himself high off his horse to absorb the impact. As he sailed out of range, Tian Ailang fired a Divine Dragon Finger Bullet.
The leader batted it away with his sword, naturally widening the gap between them. Tian Ailang didn't pursue immediately.
Instead, from atop his galloping mount, he formed Madness Bombs in both hands and hurled them at the heart of the enemy formation.
Kwa-gwang!
The orderly Black Wind ranks shattered under the unchecked explosions.
Only then did Tian Ailang stomp down with Thousand-Jun Step on the Black Wind leader's horse and leap skyward. At the same instant, he unleashed a blast of thunder qi at the Black Wind mounts.
Pajijijik!
Hiiing!
The horses shrieked and reared wildly from the sudden shock, plunging the Black Wind Corps into perfect chaos.
"Wings, scatter! Wheel! Wedge breakthrough!"
Watching Tian Ailang's actions loosen the pursuit, Moyong Dan immediately barked the order. The Heavenly Center Moyong Corps split wide to either flank just as the Black Wind had—but this time, to attack from both sides rather than seize the rear.
Hugging their saddles tight, they unleashed pure breakthrough cavalry maneuvers.
Kwaduk! Kwaduduk!
As the Moyong riders pierced the Black Wind's flanks in crossing wedge formation—the most penetrating cavalry tactic—bones snapped under thundering hooves, echoing across the battlefield.
The warhorses themselves were weapons at such speeds. Some Moyong riders and mounts took gashes from resisting Black Wind swordsmen, but the Black Wind suffered far heavier losses.
"Wheel! Wedge breakthrough!"
At Moyong Dan's command, the Heavenly Center Moyong Corps, having swept through the Black Wind once, wheeled their mounts again. Wounded riders fell back as the unharmed surged forward seamlessly, maintaining formation.
The hellish momentum sparked by Tian Ailang rippled through the Heavenly Center Moyong Corps, bringing thunderbolts down on the Black Wind. Snapping bones and screams reverberated over the snowfield.
Apart from the Black Wind and Heavenly Center Moyong clash, Tian Ailang was locked in fierce combat with the Black Wind leader.
Swish!
The leader's sword moved at invisible speeds, but Tian Ailang dodged by the slimmest margins. Sword-gang shards tore wildly at the air along its path, only to dissipate as mere breezes against Tian Ailang's protective aura.
Tian Ailang closed into the leader's guard and unleashed Golden Claw Hand.
Papat!
As Tian Ailang's hand shot for the sword wrist, the leader folded his arm to evade, then gripped his blade reverse-style and slashed short.
Tian Ailang dipped his head lightly to avoid it, then targeted the legs with a deep Divine Dragon Whirlwind Kick.
The leader's balance crumbled for a split second. Tian Ailang capitalized with the spring of his body, launching a Divine Dragon Soaring Kick.
Bak!
Launched airborne, the leader swiftly regained poise and unleashed Chaotic Flower Black Wind Sword. Originally a spear art from Chaotic Flower Black Wind Spear, he wielded it with sword after hurling his spear at the North Sea Ice Palace Lord. Its hallmark: unleashing relentless blasts of immense sword-gang.
Tian Ailang countered the black sword-gang with his own blasts.
Kagagagang!
Their clash birthed monstrous qi collisions in the space between. Despite Tian Ailang's barrage, the leader's sword-gang overpowered and pressed on.
Tian Ailang's eyes flashed. The leader's sword-gang veered midair, slamming elsewhere.
Tian Ailang had manipulated the air's currents, warping space in an instant. A nearby Black Wind rider suffered the misfortune.
"Kraaaah!"
"Dodge!"
The leader landed and quickly regulated his breathing. Chaotic Flower Black Wind drained inner energy massively despite its power.
But Tian Ailang gave no quarter, closing in with Thunder Dragon Descent and Shrinking Earth Technique.
Divine Dragon Overlord Step.
Under Tian Ailang's true step, the leader—unable to fully recover breath or qi—endured crushing pressure.
Oppression.
"Kuhk!"
The leader's perpetually icy expression twisted savagely.
Black Dragon Fang.
Explosive, feral energy erupted from the leader, clawing at Tian Ailang.
"Hup?!"
Shocked by the rending assault, Tian Ailang urgently retreated. I thought I'd cleared it plenty.
Gazing at his torn front hem, Tian Ailang eyed the leader. The man rose, panting, black qi and murderous intent roiling ominously from him.
Immense killing intent.
The leader's killing intent had tangibly manifested upon meeting his qi, shredding snow and ground nearby with a pagagak.
He's extended his attack range by manifesting that killing intent.
Tian Ailang braced for the leader's strike. If it came, he'd dodge wider than calculated and bind the foe with lightning, then sever the throat with a razor-sharp palm blast riding wind currents.
But contrary to expectation, the leader veered far from Tian Ailang and bolted toward the heart of the Black Wind-Heavenly Center Moyong melee.
"Damn!"
Tian Ailang scowled at the unexpected move. In his hand was a hasty chunk of the leader's clothing and flesh.
He hadn't anticipated such self-sacrifice for evasion; his reaction lagged.
As it did, screams multiplied on the field.
"Kraaak!"
"Ugh!"
The Heavenly Center Moyong riders battling Black Wind panicked at their monstrous leader's arrival. Initial charges had favored the mounted Moyong over the tactically crippled Black Wind, yielding big gains.
But as the individually superior Black Wind regrouped, the formations balanced into a stalemate.
The leader's plunge into that center tipped it instantly toward Black Wind.
Kurung!
Tian Ailang appeared before Moyong Dan via Thunder Dragon Descent in a flash, parrying the leader's incoming sword.
Unhesitating as it blocked, the leader leaped elsewhere—like a man bent on victory at any cost.
"Look after your men."
Moyong Dan nodded at Tian Ailang's words, steadying his pounding heart. He'd prided himself on steady progress in the supreme realm.
But witnessing Tian Ailang and the Black Wind leader today left him speechless.
Tian Ailang pursued the leader at once. More Heavenly Center Moyong riders tumbled from saddles under the manifested killing intent's slashes.
Clang!
Tian Ailang caught up, blocking the strike. The leader vaulted away without pause.
Clang!
He seemed resolved never to engage Tian Ailang directly, hunting only the weak instead.
Tian Ailang overtook and blocked again. A Moyong rider, spared death's terror, collapsed in the snow.
The cycle repeated: leader fleeing like from Tian Ailang, Tian blocking the pursuit.
Tian Ailang grimaced repeatedly while parrying. The leader's style was irksome, but qi-shard fallout from clashes harmed bystanders more.
Elite Black Wind riders blocked the debris readily; lesser Heavenly Center Moyong riders fared worse.
Can't ignore the leader to target his men alone.
Even wiping out Black Wind would doom the Moyong warriors. Revenge on the Demonic Cult mattered, but not at the cost of allies who'd come from afar to aid him. Another chance would come.
"Retreat! Everyone, fall back!"
Reading the field as Tian Ailang had, Moyong Dan shouted urgently, rallying his men.
Kwa-gwang!
Tian Ailang lobbed Madness Bombs into a Black Wind cluster, sowing chaos. Pursuing the leader, he flung open all upper dantian gates, drawing every ounce of qi into his sphere of influence.
He compressed the sphere to its limit. The denser the compression, the greater his dominion over it.
Tian Ailang shrank it by three paces. As in Shaolin, his eyes filled with whites, then the iris gleamed gold from thunder qi.
The leader, who'd been evading relentlessly, twisted midair in shock at the chilling aura. His superhuman senses—attuned via roiling qi and intent—vanished in a blink, drowned in abyssal void.
Kwajik! Eudeuk!
Eerie sounds rent the field as the leader's left arm tore clean from the shoulder.
Aimed for the head.
Regret aside, Tian Ailang wheeled to Moyong Dan, who was gathering his men.
He'd wanted to finish the leader, but couldn't. Black Wind riders swarmed their master like moths to flame the instant they sensed his wound. Plus, the sphere's exertion and backlash brought crushing fatigue.
Tian Ailang pulled back, eyeing the leader. Propped by comrades' hasty aid, he glared with viscous killing intent.
Tian Ailang mouthed silently, for the leader's eyes alone: Next time, you're dead. Wait for me.
Reading it, the leader spewed fury's killing intent—then backflowing blood, before blacking out.