Chapter 827: The Death of Zhang He (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
This was something Shen Tang hadn't anticipated.
She had thought this mysterious avatar of literary energy would pose a threat to her, after all, the abilities of a literary scholar were diverse, and there was no guarantee that the other party wouldn't try to scheme against her. Unexpectedly, this person didn't even make a ripple before being attacked.
The embodiment of literary spirit is, after all, composed of a mass of "qi".
Once the balance is lost, the embodiment of literary energy will dissipate.
According to Gong Xichou, this guy was backfired.
This matter also exceeded Zhang He's expectations.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, a vague unease creeping into his heart, making him feel as if he were struggling to breathe. Suddenly, he felt an intense gaze upon him. Under this gaze, he felt as if his skin had been peeled away, leaving him feeling insecure from the inside out. Zhang He followed the gaze and met Shen Tang's almond-shaped eyes, which held a gloomy and murderous aura.
The latter's gaze gave him a pricking sensation.
A cold wind blew across my neck, making my skin tremble.
Shen Tang twirled her sword gracefully and casually asked, "Gong Xi Chou, are you confident you can take on this army formation by yourself?"
Gong Xichou laughed loudly: "Give me the man, I'll carry him for you to see!"
The person he was referring to was that high priest.
Shen Tang said, "One incense stick's time, at the latest one incense stick's time!"
A stick of incense—
Take Zhang He's head!
Huang Lie's main force headed towards Chaoli Pass. His heavy shield warrior legion was enormous; how long could the border barrier at Chaoli Pass hold out? Even with Wei Shou and Chu Jie stationed there, they could only delay that sixteenth-rank Grandmaster for a while. She and Gong Xichou needed to return to reinforce as soon as possible. If the two of them joined forces and concentrated their strength to forcibly break through the formation, there wouldn't be much of a suspense, but they were reluctant to simply charge back.
If she could kill Zhang He, she could break the alliance between Huang Lie and Zhang He at its root, greatly reducing the pressure on her side. Most importantly, she needed Zhang He's head to boost the morale of her army. Therefore, Zhang He was doomed to die today! Shen Tang's eyes turned cold, radiating killing intent.
She shouted, "Gong Xichou!"
A thick python coiled and flew in.
The snake raised its head high and used its body to block Shen Tang's way.
Shen Tang drew her sword and transformed into a sword shadow, heading straight for Zhang He. The moment Zhang He met Shen Tang's eyes, he knew about her decapitation plan. How could he dare to gamble with his own life?
His reaction wasn't slow, but Shen Tang's movements were even faster.
The sword energy pierced the air, tearing apart the space in its path as if by an invisible hand, leaving only a faintly distorted path. The sword energy, accompanied by a deafening sonic boom, hurtled towards the obstacle with earth-shattering force.
Pfft, pfft, pfft—
Blood blossoms bloomed from the horrific wound, and the intact body split in two along with the blood blossoms, leaving the original spot under the thrust of the blood column. The hands, feet, eyes, mouth and other organs could still move.
As the blood-soaked rain poured down, a strong, pungent stench filled the air, catching nearby soldiers off guard and spraying them in the face.
A gust of sword energy swept across my cheek, causing a slight stinging sensation.
Someone raised their hand to touch it, and their face peeled off.
You can even feel the fat and blood vessels under the skin with your fingertips.
Zhang He paid no attention to any of this.
The threat to his life clung to him like a venomous snake, tightening its grip and slowly robbing him of the little air left in his chest. The sharp, white blade magnified infinitely before his eyes until a familiar, explosive shout pulled him back to reality.
"You scoundrel, how dare you harm my lord?" Zhang He's troops were quite capable, and although their ranks weren't as impressive as Wu Xian's, they were still respectable, though pale in comparison to Shen Tang. He knew he couldn't stop Shen Tang, yet he was still willing to risk his life.
Gong Xichou was responsible for holding back the legion, while Shen Tang charged into the enemy's core alone to carry out the decapitation plan. If he could not achieve his goal as quickly as possible, he would be surrounded by the enemy.
Therefore, she wanted to finish the job quickly.
Anyone who stands in her way, whether ghost or god—
kill!
Seeing that Shen Tang neither dodged nor yielded, the enemy general was terrified and dared not hold back at all. In an instant, he unleashed a dazzling light like the blazing sun! A giant hammer, half the height of a man, crashed down on Shen Tang's head!
bite--
A barely perceptible crisp sound.
The enemy general's expression, which had just relaxed for a moment, turned serious again, disbelief lingering in his eyes. Then, with a soft cracking sound, an inconspicuous crack appeared around the hammer. A sliver of firelight cast a reddish line along the crack, landing in his eyes.
The hammer handle splits in the middle.
At that moment, he felt a needle-like pain in the mouth of his hand.
I can't feel my fingers for some reason.
With a thud, a severed hand fell to the ground, and the heavy hammer dissipated.
He subconsciously tried to swallow, his Adam's apple bobbing halfway up, and a thin red mark cut his body in two.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
He even wondered why the temperature had suddenly dropped and why his field of vision had suddenly become lower.
Before he lost consciousness, he saw a blood-stained jawline, clean and smooth, and the other person stepped over him.
The surrounding shouts of battle grew increasingly faint and indistinct.
One person died, but many more surged forth like a receding tide, blocking Shen Tang's path and completely separating her from her target. A spear, seemingly from an unknown source, pierced through Shen Tang's protective aura, heading straight for her eyes. Without even glancing at them, she drew her sword from the heart of one of the victims, the blood-stained blade clashing with the hooked edge of the spear, slicing it in two as easily as cutting tofu.
boom--
A violent and martial aura erupted from her body.
The weaker enemies nearby didn't even have time to scream before their bodies flew backward. Some were lucky enough to only lose consciousness, while others were stabbed through the heart by their own comrades from behind. Taking advantage of the clearing of the area, Shen Tang approached his target again.
"Zhang Yongqing!"
This is what you call a decapitation strike!
The sensation of the sword cleaving through flesh was real, but the person before him had changed from Zhang He to a strange-looking martial artist. The opponent was prepared, shouting and unleashing his potential, slashing his broadsword at Shen Tang's neck at less than an arm's length away.
Shen Tang, whose body was half-covered in blood, merely turned her head slightly.
Her free left hand is tilted upwards at an angle.
With just two fingers, the blade can be held in place, making it difficult to advance any further.
"Tsk, you're a real man, I'll reward you with a swift death!" As her head and body were severed in two, Shen Tang kicked the remaining remains away, her sword sweeping in a circle, a circular sword aura clearing a space around her. She once again locked onto Zhang He's aura and location.
Shen Tang was not surprised by this result.
If she were to fall into Zhang He's predicament, Wu Hui and the others would fight to the death, just to buy time and gain a chance to survive. Zhang He, as the leader of a powerful faction, and one who rose to power through the "benevolence of a healer," had countless people willing to die for him out of gratitude. However, even if there were many, they could all be killed!
Across the sea of people, Zhang He saw Shen Tang, covered in blood, give him a sinister grin. The muscles on the sides of his nose twitched, and he dared not delay any longer. He wasn't afraid of Shen Tang alone, but with Gong Xichou bearing the brunt of the legion's firepower and Shen Youli no longer restrained, he had to be afraid! This man, driven mad and desperate, could really kill him!
"Stop them! Stop them!"
Zhang He's guards on either side called out loudly.
However, these very orders, instead of calming the situation, made the battlefield even more chaotic—without shouting, the soldiers on the front lines, focused on fighting, had no idea that their lord was about to be killed in single combat. But by shouting at the top of their lungs, more people heard them.
Furthermore, Shen Tang's rampage, leaving a trail of carnage in his wake, inevitably caused panic, further easing the pressure on Gong Xichou. As mentioned before, the effectiveness of an army formation is related to the soldiers' will; when morale is low, it's like a dam bursting...
Wouldn't Gong Xichou face less pressure then?
Shen Tang's reckless decapitation strike instantly reversed the situation, leaving Zhang He's army in an awkward position.
They diverted a great deal of energy to protect Zhang He, allowing Gong Xichou to seize the opportunity to rise up and eliminate soldiers in the weaker parts of the legion's defenses. If they focused on dealing with Gong Xichou, Zhang He would be relentlessly pursued and beheaded by Shen Tang, that mad dog-like Sixteenth-Rank Grand Master.
Hesitation is the worst thing to do on the battlefield.
Hesitant and indecisive.
The general commanding the legion hesitated, but their lord, Zhang He, was incredibly decisive. But what was that saying again?
Hesitation leads to defeat, while decisiveness leads to failure.
Zhang He decisively chose to evacuate.
He withdrew, but he didn't completely withdraw.
He considered that if the legion moved, the power of the army formation would be greatly reduced, and they would be unable to hold off Gong Xichou, at which point he himself would be doomed. Therefore, the final decision was that Zhang He would be escorted away by a portion of his elite troops, allowing the four-sided army formation to surround Shen Tang for a short time.
That's enough time for Zhang He to escape far away.
And this, in turn, fell right into Shen Tang's hands.
When Zhang He retreats, a gap will inevitably appear in the four-sided army formation, which will be the weakest point in the defense. It won't be difficult to break through at that moment. Finding Zhang He among ten thousand people is not easy, and it's exhausting to traverse a sea of people. But once he leaves, without the protection of the main army, what difference is there between a few dozen people and being alone? Wouldn't they be as conspicuous as lice on a bald man's head?
With the relentless assistance of his trusted advisors, Zhang He traversed most of the mountain in just two breaths. Although he couldn't hear the sounds of battle, he knew he was far from safe. With Shen Tang's strength, if he was determined, he could still catch up…
He wants to run even further.
"Let's go to Chaoli Pass!"
Huang Lie's troops are safest there, and they are also closest to him.
Ten breaths after Zhang He's retreat, Shen Tang had already killed all the assassins who were blocking her way, finally breaking through the encirclement of the four-sided army. However, Zhang He and his group were also cunning; during their escape, they had two groups of avatars retreat in different directions, thus creating a diversion and confusing the enemy.
"Huh? Three choices?"
There's only one choice for her.
Without hesitation, she headed straight for Chaoli Pass. There was no need to conserve resources at this point; Shen Tang pushed her physical speed to the limit and soon made a discovery. Following her intuition, she swung the Compassionate Mother Sword, softly chanting, "[Starry Sky]!"
Buzz—
The energy of heaven and earth trembled.
The dense text forms the vertical and horizontal lines on the chessboard, instantly expanding to its limit, and the entire chessboard is her domain.
"Zhang He, [has realized his mistake and returned to the right path]!"
The moment the [Scattered Stars] scroll appeared beneath his feet, Zhang He sensed something was wrong. His heart sank, and when he saw a giant, floating scroll formed from literary energy appear above the path, his eyelids twitched violently! He had meticulously studied the details of Shen Tang's slaying of Jiang Ao, a sixteenth-rank Grandmaster, during the Dragon Slaying Bureau incident. The same scene unfolding before him meant that the King of Hell's death warrant was about to fall upon him!
Even his trusted confidants knew about this deadly move.
Unexpectedly, the scroll's suction only targeted Zhang He.
At the critical moment, a substitution was made!
Shen Tang watched the withered tree fall from mid-air, cursing inwardly. He hadn't felt anything before, but now only one thought remained—the profession of Wenxin Scholar was truly hated! The kill was almost within reach, yet he managed to forcefully dodge!
Those with a weaker mentality, wouldn't they break down?
Oh--
So what if Zhang He had literary figures protecting him?
"I am also a scholar of the literary mind!" As long as Zhang He and the others are still within her [scattered like stars] range, she can make her move.
What could be more desperate than being trapped in a hopeless situation?
Naturally, it was when he thought he had escaped death!
Amidst the scattered stars, a chess piece, unseen by anyone, falls. *Snap*, and ripples spread outwards in circles of transparent waves.
This chess piece is named—
[Blinded by a leaf!]
A leaf before the eyes obscures Mount Tai.
——
Zhang He and the others were on high alert.
Before all this happened, they never imagined their careers would take such a dramatic turn—a valiant warrior facing off against an army of ten thousand. Two of them were at the sixteenth rank, a supreme level!
However, considering what Shen Tang did at the Xiaocheng Alliance back then, it doesn't seem so surprising. After all, this madman surnamed Shen fought Gongxi Chou on the battlefield and even provoked the army formation in the end. How come he didn't suffer a backlash and die back then?
Zhang He cursed inwardly.
But the thought of being forced to flee for his life by two young men fueled his anger even more—instead of obediently guarding Chaoli Pass, these two were running around recklessly? If it weren't for their interference, Wu Zhaode's head would have been taken long ago! He tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead!
This place is very close to Chaoli Pass.
If one concentrates their martial energy into their ears, they can still hear the faint sounds of battle cries. Beyond the two mountain peaks, one can see the formidable pass engulfed in flames of war. Here, Zhang He is completely safe.
But his face remained ashen.
Because the elite troops he brought out were still being held back by Gongxi Chou.
Before the retreat, they had been instructed to fight and retreat simultaneously. Shen Tang had been lured away, leaving only Gong Xi Chou, making the army's retreat much less stressful. Although the losses seemed small, Zhang He knew that his reputation had been utterly tarnished and trampled upon by Shen Tang and his companion.
Such humiliation can only be washed away with blood!
“Gongxi Chou…”
"The Gongxi clan..."
And that Shen Youli...
Zhang He was like a vicious serpent, his words dripping with deadly venom: "How long can you remain arrogant?"
Grasshoppers in autumn won't be able to hop around for many more days!
They also had sharp blades hanging from their necks!
A sweet, metallic taste rose in Zhang He's throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. After calming his breathing slightly, he prepared to continue his journey and join Huang Lie's troops.
Before he could even straighten up, his trusted scholar beside him suddenly opened his eyes, his expression hesitant: "My lord?"
Zhang He asked, "What's wrong?"
The scholar looked around: "Something's not right!"
Upon hearing this, the survivors tensed up again, instinctively surrounding Zhang He and warily glancing around. Zhang He's heart skipped a beat: "Where?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the night wind stirred up the rustling leaves.
Zhang He did not notice anything unusual.
However, he always trusted his trusted confidants, and since something was amiss, he decided it was best not to linger there and immediately set off for Chaoli Pass. Upon arriving at the battlefield, he found the fighting to be even more brutal than he had anticipated.
Snap—
His raised foot seemed to be caught by something.
Zhang He kicked the soldier, who was only half a body with his large and small intestines scattered all over the ground, and he rolled several times on the ground.
The soldier survived with such severe injuries.
He groaned, revealing a blood-stained face, lying helplessly on his back. As he turned his head, a pair of eyes that Zhang He recognized very well were revealed. Before Zhang He could recall where he had seen those eyes before, the man opened his mouth weakly.
"ah……"
"...You kicked me so hard..."
"...My legs, my intestines, my stomach..."
"...It hurts, it hurts so much, where's my foot...?"
The man kept muttering about his legs, his hands frantically searching his sides, only finding bloody stumps. His limbs below the waist were gone. Seemingly unable to accept this, he strained his waist and neck, trying to sit up: "My legs, my legs!"
"Ha ha ha ha--"
"My leg, Zhang Yongqing—"
"Where are my legs? Where are my legs?"
The man called out Zhang He's name, and the guards around him turned pale, realizing that what they were seeing was probably a lie. One of the more hot-tempered generals simply swung his sword, the blade piercing through the man's body. The severed upper body closed up before everyone's eyes, while the man was still groping for his missing lower limb.
My legs—
"My legs!"
The man's voice grew increasingly mournful.
The scholars around Zhang He tried to break the illusion, but their efforts only created ripples in the environment, which quickly returned to calm. Then, Zhang He remembered where he had seen those eyes before—in the bronze mirror!
Those were his eyes, his face!
When he realized this, his face turned ashen.
What followed was even more terrifying—
A smiling female voice rang in his ear, and a cool breath brushed against his earlobe, sending wisps of coolness straight to his heart.
"Zhang Yongqing, where's your leg?"
|ω`)
The mushrooms need to be added to the word count; any extra words will be free.
PS: It's finished.
P.S.: After each update, I'll correct any typos or grammatical errors to ensure readability. You can refresh the page the next day.
(End of this chapter)
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