Suddenly hearing that Pang Tang had been assassinated and died, Zhou Lan panicked immediately, and so did Wang Yunqiao beside her.
Just then, the man who had his head lowered suddenly looked up and with a fierce expression, charged towards Zhou Lan.
The distance between them was only about a yard, in the blink of an eye the man was already in front of Zhou Lan, a short knife stabbing straight at her chest. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novel·fire·net
Zhou Lan was still frazzled by the news of Pang Tang’s assassination and had no defense against the person in front of her, so much so that she failed to react at all.
Luckily, Wang Yunqiao noticed something odd about the man when he looked up and subconsciously threw herself at Zhou Lan.
However, her attempt to save did not prevent Zhou Lan from the man’s surprise attack; it only made Zhou Lan avoid a fatal blow as the knife fiercely stabbed into her shoulder.
Wang Yunqiao shouted loudly while swiftly kicking at the man with both legs.
However, the man did not dodge her attack and stoically took her kicks, continuing his pounce towards Zhou Lan.
Zhou Lan also came to her senses, drawing the long sword in her hand to block the man’s long knife.
At the same time, her personal followers also responded, rushing forward to engage in combat with the man’s subordinates.
Zhou Lan had left town only to inspect the military supplies stored at Yinghe Pier in the north and didn’t bring many cavalry, only thirty personal military followers.
Nevertheless, the man didn’t bring many followers either, just about a dozen, and both sides quickly clashed.
Wang Yunqiao drew her long spear from under the saddle, standing side by side with Zhou Lan against the man wielding short knives.
This man was extremely strong, possessing the cultivation of the Postnatal Ninth Layer, and Zhou Lan also was at the Postnatal Ninth Layer. However, she had just advanced to this level recently, and was no match for this man.
As for Wang Yunqiao, her cultivation wasn’t low either, having advanced to the Postnatal Eighth Layer just two months ago.
At her age, just turning thirty, reaching the Postnatal Eighth Layer, she was absolutely a genius among geniuses, yet she was still far weaker than the man before her.
Even as she and Zhou Lan teamed up against this man, they quickly found themselves at a disadvantage.
The man wielding two short knives kept swinging, his blades flashing like arcs of rainbow light, continuously pressing towards Zhou Lan.
"Protect the General!" Wang Yunqiao shouted as Zhou Lan’s situation grew increasingly perilous.
Hearing this, the female soldiers fighting nearby immediately considered rushing to Zhou Lan’s aid.
Three hundred elite female soldiers, most of whom were originally trained by Wang Yunqiao in the Tenglong Guard, among whom the outstanding ones had already reached the cultivation of the Postnatal Fifth Layer, while most were at the First or Second Layer.
Although their strength was much inferior to that of the man, eight female soldiers formed an array and managed to block the man momentarily.
But they paid a heavy price; the man’s dual blades were fast and ruthless, quickly breaking through the female soldiers’ formation, killing several of them.
Wang Yunqiao watched in horror as her comrades, close as sisters, fell before her, her eyes wide with fury.
Her long spear thrust forward, aiming directly at the man’s throat.
Unfortunately, the man easily dodged it, while on the other side, Zhou Lan, enduring severe pain from her shoulder, once again blocked the man’s knife with her sword.
"Who are you?" Zhou Lan demanded.
"Your killer!" the man replied, his expression even more fierce.
His onslaught intensified, Zhou Lan and Wang Yunqiao’s resistance became increasingly difficult. Caught off guard, a knife slashed Wang Yunqiao’s left shoulder; had it not been for her shoulder armor, her arm might have been severed.
"Protect the General!"
Seeing Zhou Lan’s peril, the female soldiers rushed over in attempt to save her.
But the gap in strength between them and the man was too vast, and their rescue resembled moths flying into flames, bravely taking their stand in front of Zhou Lan with a readiness to die.
The man also had followers around, though their cultivation wasn’t very high and matched the female soldiers’, but the soldiers were distracted with rescuing Zhou Lan, quickly becoming disadvantaged.
Zhou Lan gritted her teeth, disregarding her injuries to fight the man, yet the gap in cultivation could not be bridged by mere determination, especially with her severe wounds.
As the fight continued, she received a long gash across her abdomen.
Seeing the heavy casualties among the female soldiers, Zhou Lan and Wang Yunqiao suffering from more and more wounds, a sudden rush of hoofbeats came from the south.
Hundreds of cavalry charged forth; they were Chongshan Town’s defending soldiers. Two or three li wasn’t too far or too close, but with a telescope from atop the city walls, the soldiers could clearly see what was happening here.
Seeing Zhou Lan under attack, the soldiers on the city wall quickly gave the alarm, running to provide support.
The first wave consisted of about a hundred soldiers, but several hundred more were rapidly approaching.
Realizing that support from inside the city was imminent, the man’s attacks grew even fiercer. One strike hit Wang Yunqiao’s long spear with such force that she was knocked backward, then he swiftly swung another strike towards Zhou Lan.
The blade was fierce, and Zhou Lan could only struggle to raise her sword to block. With a clang, the sword flew from her hand.
The man’s expression turned even wilder, his eyes filled with a beast-like ferocity.
He had already raised his knife ready to finish Zhou Lan’s life, she, having lost the capability to resist, could only awkwardly roll on the ground to avoid the blows.
Dodging the first strike, there came the second.