Chapter 20: Turning the Tide Against the Odds
"Then let’s see who sends whom to hell!"
Gu Zhan snorted coldly, hefting the Horizontal Saber,
Walking slowly, then speeding up, jogging, finally breaking into a sprint.
He seemed like a warrior charging across the battlefield, aura surging like a rainbow. His thin frame, once running, was swift as lightning, momentum overwhelming, footsteps packed close together,
The Horizontal Saber spun rapidly, cutting through the night sky, the saber edge gleamed, reflecting mottled yellow light in the night, the howling sound sliced open the air, giving the Martial World men of Established in the Martial World charging at him not a moment to react. In just a few breaths, four or five heads had already fallen to the ground.
In that instant, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, whose morale had been flagging, was suddenly reignited with fighting spirit; their momentum rose instantly.
When ordinary people brawl, they rely on aura,
Some people are ruthless and imposing— even if facing someone bigger and stronger in qi power, they can still win.
On the true battlefield, aura is especially critical,
A good leader can always win outnumbered; besides strategy, the most crucial thing is momentum.
And these Martial World group battles fall somewhere in between,
Most times, such brawls are not about tactics; it’s about numbers and momentum.
Just like now,
The number of Embroidered Uniform Guard able to fight was at most no more than thirty, while Celestial Water Gang had over a hundred men. In terms of numbers, the Embroidered Uniform Guard didn’t have the slightest advantage. They could barely make up the gap with the coordinated Battle Array.
At this moment, Gu Zhan’s role as the leader became particularly crucial,
He charged forward and hacked down several Martial World men,
Instantly pulling up the fighting spirit of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
"Hold the others off! I’ll kill him myself!"
As someone who rose up by playing tricks, Xing Kuan naturally understood how important a leader was in such Martial World group fights,
Even in well-trained armies, a mishap with the commander could spell disaster. In Martial World gangs, that’s even more the case; when a leader is killed, the others scatter instantly— that included the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard may be an official group,
but their core isn’t much different from ordinary Martial World gangs. They have some team spirit, but not as deep as an army— just a bit better than common gangs.
This principle,
Gu Zhan understood, and Xing Kuan did as well.
So, following Xing Kuan’s order, a group of his experts swiftly led men from several directions to encircle Gu Zhan, instantly trapping him alone.
The combined strength of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was already no match for Celestial Water Gang. Now, with targeted tactics, Chen Fei and the others saw through Celestial Water Gang’s intention— to kill Gu Zhan and destroy their morale— yet could only watch anxiously, utterly powerless.
Xing Kuan had brought several Martial Artists of Fourth and Fifth Grade,
Although they couldn’t break through the Formation Array of the Embroidered Uniform Guard,
it was easy for them to simply pin them down.
In an instant, an all-out battle erupted,
The Embroidered Uniform Guard’s signal flares soared into the sky.
But everyone knew, at this moment, reinforcement from the Hundred Households Office would never make it in time.
Catching the fleeting opportunity, Xing Kuan followed in close pursuit, the Broken Sword in his hand, charging at Gu Zhan, and struck down with a sword!
A fierce burst of wind howled.
The two exchanged more than a dozen moves at lightning speed,
In the fierce clash, Gu Zhan felt a surging force, making his tiger’s mouth numb. His body kept retreating, that final strike forcing him back seven or eight steps before he stopped, his arm trembling slightly.
"Lord Gu, stop this futile resistance. Your cultivation is lacking— give up, and I’ll leave your corpse intact, how about that?"
Though Xing Kuan wore a smile, his sword never relaxed, every thrust aiming for Gu Zhan’s vital points. Gu Zhan was continually forced into desperate straits, suffering several sword wounds.
This scene made every member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard inwardly anxious,
Especially those Small Banners,
All of them were experts. At a glance they could see Gu Zhan’s condition— at this rate, he’d be cut down in five moves at most.
But Gu Zhan was unexpectedly calm at this moment,
He narrowed his eyes slightly,
Judging the timing was just right,
And in that instant,
His consciousness activated the System:
[Use 500 Experience Points]
[Profound Yuan Skill upgrades to the Sixth Floor]
[Current Realm ascended to Fourth Grade]
...
[Use 70 Experience Points]
[Mountain-Opening Saber Technique upgraded to Great Success Realm]
...
[Use 30 Experience Points]
[Big Goose Skill upgrades to Minor Success Level]
[Use 70 Experience Points]
[Big Goose Skill upgrades to Great Success Level]
...
In just the blink of an eye,
Gu Zhan had changed, though only he knew exactly how much he’d changed.
His cultivation had broken through from Fifth to Fourth Grade— a qualitative leap— and his Mountain-Opening Saber Technique had jumped from Entry Realm straight to Great Success Realm.
His combat power had literally multiplied.
Yet Xing Kuan had no idea; he remained confident in victory and continued talking to disturb Gu Zhan’s mindset.
"Lord Gu, most of the Embroidered Uniform Guard are dead. If you keep this up..."
"Go fuck yourself!"
Gu Zhan suddenly bellowed, a saber light shrouded in a dense killing intent and baleful aura.
Heavenly slaughter—Mountain-Opening Slash,
This was the ultimate mental realm of the Mountain-Opening Saber Technique,
Using absolute force and speed to annihilate the enemy.
"Klang."
The saber came crashing down,
Xing Kuan’s body was driven back several steps from the pressure, his palm bleeding, his expression changed drastically as he cried, "You were hiding your strength all along?!"
But Gu Zhan didn’t explain; in a split second, his body was as graceful as a startled swan, like a ghost, hurtling towards Xing Kuan,
This was the Big Goose Skill at its Great Success Realm,
As light as a swallow, as nimble as a lark!
A suffocating force emanated from his body, the saber in his hand exuding murderous intent, carving a shaft of radiance into the night,
This slash was enough to make ghosts and gods wail, stunning all who saw it.
"Bang!"
With a thunderous crash, a deep saber wound split open Xing Kuan’s chest, blood spraying as his body crashed heavily to the ground.
He stared at Gu Zhan, eyes filled with shock,
"So you were lulling me all along!"
In that moment, countless emotions flashed through Xing Kuan’s mind,
Your cultivation was never just Fifth Grade; your saber technique outstripped mine by at least tenfold, and that Qinggong...
This man... what scheming depth!
Unimaginable, truly unimaginable,
To think, the hunter is sometimes bitten by the goose,
All these years he’d always outplayed others, never thought tonight he’d be outplayed himself,
He suddenly remembered admonishing his son not long ago— a lion uses all its strength to chase a rabbit, never underestimate your foe,
Who would’ve thought, in just a short time,
He’d fall to this very mistake himself!
"Squad Leader!" "Squad Leader..."
The scene instantly spiraled into chaos.
"Father..."
And in that moment, a cry of shock rang amid the chaos.
At the same time,
A group of people charged over,
Xing Kuan was yanked back to reality by that cry of "Father,"
At this moment, Gu Zhan’s second slash was coming down,
Xing Kuan didn’t dodge, instead thrust his chest straight onto the saber’s tip, then, gripping the blade fiercely, snarled with a twisted expression, "Xing Ying, run!"