Chapter 00306: A Single Strike to Kill
# A Single Strike to Kill
Chapter 306
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 306: A Single Strike to Kill
At this moment, they still had more than twenty ships sailing on the river, not yet having landed.
“We can win!” Zhao Pan’s heart steadied, and he let out a long laugh. “Men, push these bastards back to the riverbank! I want to see that old traitor throw himself into the river with my own eyes!”
With this command as the turning point, the Yi soldiers gradually overcame their initial panic.
They began to steady their minds and organize a counterattack.
The army, which had been shrinking, started to push back bit by bit, inching northward.
Every inch of progress came at the cost of rivers of blood.
Yet the Xunzhou forces made no move to return to the riverbank.
Instead, they retreated westward under pressure.
The terrain to the west was higher ground, with vast open fields behind.
They understood well—if forced back to the riverbank and still unable to prevail, it would only mean a dead end.
He Lingchuan swung his soaring dragon spear, killing several people in quick succession.
He heard a miserable scream not far away—a Yi soldier had his head half blown apart by a cannonball.
Half his scalp was peeled back, hanging loosely by his ear.
In the firelight, He Lingchuan could see reddish-white matter oozing from the wounded skull.
The man collapsed, unable to rise, but not yet dead.
He stretched out a hand toward his comrades, moaning endlessly.
He Lingchuan’s heart softened despite himself.
He fired a spear through the man’s throat.
The soldier died instantly, finally released from suffering.
During the brief pause as he drew back his spear, He Lingchuan surveyed the battlefield.
On both sides, seas of men clashed, their war cries and screams mingling in chaos.
Cannons and catapults added to the devastation—earth, stones, blood, and flesh flying everywhere.
The scene was nothing short of hell.
In a daze, he suddenly remembered—whether reality or dream, this was his first experience witnessing a large-scale battle.
Both sides combined numbered sixty or seventy thousand soldiers locked in combat.
Chaos was the main tune here.
Individual strength in such a massive fight was insignificant.
But just as this realization dawned, over to the southwest, from a forest not far behind the Yi army, more than a hundred horsemen suddenly charged out, heading straight for the Yi commander.
The closer they got, the faster they rode.
The horses were fine specimens, the riders skilled beyond compare.
The Yi soldiers along the way either hadn’t reacted in time or were just raising their blades when the riders had already cleaved them clean underfoot.
In the midst of the chaotic melee, this cavalry charge was like a sharp blade stabbing straight into the heart of the Yi army.
The riders at the tip were terrifying, cutting down enemies as if slicing through vegetables, as if there was no one around.
Some soldiers on the path were even thrown off by the sheer force of the surging wind as the riders came through.
Within mere breaths, the more than a hundred horsemen tore through the outer defenses of the Yi army amid the clamorous dust.
He Lingchuan glanced back sharply, his pupils contracting immediately.
He spurred his horse toward the high ground:
At the very front of that group was none other than Hong Chenglüe!
He had timed his move with terrifying precision.
The Xunzhou troops were falling back bit by bit under the Yi army’s pressure.
Naturally, the Yi had to split their forces to chase them toward the riverbank, meaning fewer guards protecting the main commander.
But no matter how few, that elite guard still numbered four or five hundred.
When people panic and horses run wild, no one noticed that He Lingchuan had thrown something away in passing.
Hong Chenglüe acted as though they didn’t exist at all.
The guards shouted angrily, moving to intercept, but he struck his horse’s belly with both legs.
The steed suddenly sped up wildly, and taking advantage of this, Hong Chenglüe swung his arm and hurled his spear like a javelin!
The power and speed of this strike rivaled the Great Wind Army.
The spear’s shaft crackled blue, sparks and lightning trailing behind it—the weapon carried the force of thunder!
So fast, even two elite guards nearby missed their chance to block it.
The spear’s tip pointed straight at He Yunchun, who was carefully guarded.
Hong Chenglüe had been patiently hidden in the forest all this time, unfazed even as the Xunzhou troops retreated in disarray.
His sole focus was on settling accounts with the murderer of his wife.
He Yunchun just turned his head when the spear’s lightning gleamed dazzlingly, blinding his eyes in a flash of electricity.
He was terrified to his core.
He tried to dodge, but the spear’s overwhelming aura locked onto him, pinning him still—he couldn’t even turn his neck.
Hong Chenglüe had concentrated the spiritual power of over a hundred riders into himself, determined to make this single spear strike a killing blow.
Just as the spear was about to pierce He Yunchun's skull, a flash of yellow light appeared about three yards in front of He Yunchun.
A towering figure as immovable as a mountain blocked the way, shielding him tightly.
The spear jabbed into this figure with a “puff,” passed through, and pierced it cleanly.
Though the spear still tried to push forward to pierce He Yunchun, the figure grabbed the butt of the weapon and yanked it out, tossing it away!
The wound didn’t bleed, and electricity crackled all over the figure’s body, but it still stood tall, facing Hong Chenglüe.
The soldiers nearby gasped in astonishment, relief flooding their hearts.
Sweat dripped down He Yunchun’s forehead at that moment.
Standing before him was a golden-armored bronze statue over fifteen feet tall!
Of course, he knew it was a toy his son had just finished making—a few days ago he even saw it wandering in a small forest.
He Yunchun hadn’t expected it to be put to use so soon.
Without the bronze statue shielding him, surrounded by a hundred soldiers, he would likely have already lost his head.
Though his vision was blocked, He Yunchun didn’t get a clear look at the attacker’s face, but he immediately guessed who it was and his heart turned ice cold.
His recent unease was true—Hong Chenglüe had indeed come.
They bore bitter hatred; one of them had to die here.
The bronze statue appeared from nowhere, knocking down two Yi riders.
Hong Chenglüe and the statue were only about ten yards apart, and at the current speed of the horse, it was no more than a step away.
Everyone saw Hong Chenglüe almost throw himself and his horse into the bronze man’s embrace!
The shock was incredible.
Even the firmly planted bronze statue staggered back a step before regaining its balance.
Of course, under He Lingchuan’s control, the statue wouldn’t miss this moment.
It wrapped its arms around Hong Chenglüe in a bear hug, squeezing him tightly against its chest.
He Lingchuan had learned this move from Meng Shan.
Unfortunately, Hong Chenglüe was just as agile as when He Lingchuan first saw him.
Though the horse suffered cracked tendons and broken bones, crying out in pain hitting the bronze armor, Hong Chenglüe used the momentum to leap up, drawing his waist knife!
The fierce gleam of that blade was hard to describe in words.
The bronze statue instantly froze.
A crack appeared along its thick neck.
If it were human, it would have been sprayed with neck blood by now.
Hong Chenglüe used the statue’s shoulder for leverage and stepped off it again, lunging at He Yunchun.
He Yunchun had just been blocked by the statue, but he immediately spun and charged the opposite way, throwing caution to the wind.
Unfortunately, surrounded as he was, the soldiers around him now became obstacles instead of help.
He Yunchun ducked behind two tall men.
Hong Chenglüe closed in, cutting both men in half with a single slash at their waists!
Just then, he caught a gleam from the corner of his eye—a long knife hurled toward him.
The blade’s aura was fierce.
Hong Chenglüe couldn’t take it lightly.
He canceled an attack mid-flight, deflecting the knife first.
With a sharp “ding,” the Floating Life Blade flew out sideways.
He Yunchun took advantage of the moment to pull something out from his sleeve.
Hong Chenglüe laughed loudly, flashing behind He Yunchun.
With a backhand, he slashed!
Four or five flashes exploded on He Yunchun’s body—protective spirit tools activating but being shattered instantly.
Using this brief moment, He Yunchun managed to move another step away.
“Father!” He Lingchuan had just ridden up, shocked at the scene.
He saw the tip of Hong Chenglüe’s blade graze He Yunchun’s side neck!
Light and swift... merciless!
He Yunchun lost his balance, clutching his neck with one hand and collapsing to the ground.
Hong Chenglüe was about to move closer to check when he felt a slight breeze at his back.
He turned sharply just in time to see that long knife flying through the air—no one throwing it.
Was the weapon capable of homing attacks?
In the nick of time, Hong Chenglüe knocked it away again.
The blade spun twice in the air before flying into He Lingchuan’s hand.
The weapon didn’t stop until it wounded someone, but its master now summoned it back for defense.
Once in hand, the Azure Speckled Beast accelerated, and He Lingchuan and Hong Chenglüe passed by each other in a flash.
With a clashing clang of metal, the lingering sound was long as a shockwave swept their surroundings, knocking nearby soldiers to the ground.
He Lingchuan on horseback also recoiled, the flesh at his thumb bursting and bleeding.
His strike had been fueled with all his qi, spiritual power, and the full strength of his horse.
It was his best slash ever—perfect spirit, energy, soul, all at their peak.
Even the tent poles behind Hong Chenglüe, each thicker than a bowl, broke in half.
Yet the slash hit Hong Chenglüe’s unyielding body like chopping a pillar in a mountain, failing to split him in two.
He Lingchuan himself was shaken badly, his hand bleeding and internal organs like they’d been struck by a heavy hammer.
Remember, Hong Chenglüe was standing firm, moving from stillness to motion, taking that blow head-on.
After just this encounter, He Lingchuan essentially concluded that Hong Chenglüe’s skills might not be lower than Commander Xiao’s.
Hong Chenglüe himself retreated three big steps, each footprint deeper than the last, barely shaking off the force enough not to fall on his rear.
He Lingchuan was troubled and in pain.
His treasured sword almost slipped from his grip.
The force transferred through the blade burned and froze his meridians.
If not treated soon, it could cause serious trouble.
Only he knew that a wave of turmoil was churning in his chest; his internal organs had truly taken a shock.
That young man’s slash was flawless, the angle and murderous intent indisputable.
Perhaps the only flaw was a lack of cunning.
If left to grow, in no more than five years, Yi Kingdom would gain another great general.
At this thought, Hong Chenglüe’s killing intent flared up.
He recognized the youth from the previous negotiations at Baiming Valley—he always stood beside He Yunchun and should be the dead official’s eldest son, He Lingchuan.
Baili Qing was the one who had his arm cut off by that young man’s blade; now it seemed his defeat was well deserved.
Such a pity—someone as treacherous as He Yunchun did not deserve such a fierce and talented son.
But because of this delay, waves of Yi soldiers surged like tides, encircling Hong Chenglüe in the middle and separating him from the He family father and son.
Hong Chenglüe could only glance regretfully at He Lingchuan.
He Lingchuan had no time to cause more trouble; he jumped off his horse and ran to He Yunchun’s side.
“Father!”
Since coming through, he had lived with the He family for several months.
His relationship with the fake father, He Yunchun, was complicated, distant, and wary.
But seeing him fall wounded in his vital spot, He Lingchuan’s heart was in his throat.
He Yunchun was the commander of the Xuzhou army—how could he fall now?
(End of chapter)