Book 8: Chapter 11: Those Who Live to Serve

The broadsword wielding Black Snake Army commander leapt up again.

The snake-like runes on his armor released cold black light, the navy blue wide forked broadsword also released light. Only at this time could one see that this broadsword was also covered in fine eagle feather-like runes.

Chi!

His broadsword stabbed deeply into the neck of a giant lizard in front of him, moreover dragged out a half meter long wound across its neck.

Strong smelling blood gushed out from that wound. Meanwhile, this giant lizard, under sad cries, still didn’t fall, still bringing the cave barbarian rider above forward. Its giant pillar-like soles still continuously trampled on the black earth, releasing rumbling noises.

The great earth was shaking, black dust flying on the ground surface, forming surging black mist.

When looking down from above, it was hard to see just how intense the battle within the black mist was.

There were only fierce clashing noises and ear-splitting noises of weapons meeting. Stalks of giant traveler’s root that were full of a fantasy feeling came crashing down, blasts of even thicker black dust surging.

…

Finally, there were no longer any traveler’s roots that fell, no longer any black dust surging.

Water rushed out from the fine white openings of the traveler’s roots that snapped with chi chi noises.

The dust slowly returned to the ground surface, revealing the figure of the broadsword wielding Black Snake Army commander.

Around him were pits that seemed like they were formed from falling meteorites. Giant lizard corpses with their flesh diced up were lying in disorder all around him.

This Black Snake Army commander’s hands and body were shaking uncontrollably.

Among these massive giant lizard corpses, there were only thirteen Black Snake Army soldiers who were still standing like him.

Near the lizards’ bodies, there were scattered giant spears, cave barbarian corpses and entirely black-armored Black Snake Army soldiers’ corpses.

This Black Snake Army commander suddenly began to cough continuously. While looking at the black-scaled corpses and the pits on the ground, the corners of his eyes suddenly split apart, releasing several drops of blood, as if they were tears of blood.

…

This Black Snake Army commander was named Yan Xuanyi, similarly an expert from Immortal Academy.

In Dragon Snake Border Pass, everyone knew that Black Snake Army wasn’t an ordinary army.

However, only the higher level figures of Dragon Snake military, as well as the members of Black Snake, Black Dragon, and Black Flag, these three troops, knew that these three powerful and mysterious armies were formed precisely to deal with the local cultivators.

This was a powerful force established precisely to cut down cultivators.

This was especially the case in Dragon Snake Mountain Range and Great Desolate Swamp, in these types of places, if one wished to kill a cultivator, relying purely on numbers was useless. There were many regions that soldiers couldn’t move through, cultivators could completely exploit their powerful stamina and speed to flee the oppression of an army. This was also the reason why many Yunqin criminals would try to flee into Dragon Snake Mountain Range and become refugees.

In this type of place, there were only soldiers who possessed powerful strength, at least able to catch up to or face cultivators.

This type of soldier, apart from not having the support of soul force, unable to use soul weapons and not having enough stamina, they were already not that different from ordinary cultivators. Moreover, to develop this type of strength, these soldiers had definitely been tempered in this border pass through life or death for a long time, far exceeding the age ordinary soldiers served for.

These types of soldiers had more unique methods and experiences, every one of them able to serve as the military instructor of an ordinary border army troop. These were elites of elites, their numbers naturally wouldn’t be that high.

The entire Black Snake Army only had less than two hundred members.

These Black Snake Army soldiers were all ‘wily old foxes’, existences that were extremely difficult to kill. However, when the dust scattered, of the hundred and thirty Black Snake Army soldiers who set out, there were now only fourteen left.

It was hard for these individuals to die, that was why many of these Black Snake Army members had already followed Yan Xuanyi in this border army for six or even seven years, some of them entering Black Snake Army with him. There were some that they personally trained and brought in. After all these years, the emotions they shared already couldn’t be described with words. On the battlefield, their tacit cooperation could be transmitted with just a single look.

However, only fourteen individuals and Yan Xuanyi still stood in the end… Even if the mind of a commander like Yan Xuanyi was who knew how many times stronger, colder and sturdier than an ordinary person, this type of result was still completely impossible for him to accept.

…

Tears of blood slid down Yan Xuanyi’s cheeks.

Yan Xuanyi silently looked at the craters around him.

Black Snake Army wasn’t an ordinary military, that was why both he and these Black Snake Army members long understood that these giant lizard riders only appeared because of the female cultivator from behind Great Desolate Swamp.

However, the giant lizard riders, for Black Snake Army, for Yunqin’s military and the empire as a whole, were still a mystery.

As for how such incredibly savage man-eating lizards who just eat, their pure strength greater than ordinary cultivators, normal military blades unable to stab through their sturdy skin, were made to listen to orders obediently, this was a mystery.

.How the giant lizards could still recognize friend and foe after their riders have been killed, moreover continue to kill Yunqin soldiers, wouldn’t accidentally harm cave barbarians, this was also a mystery.

As for how to make these lizards move underground, this was even more so a mystery.

According to the previous military intelligence, the judgment of the entire Yunqin military was that these giant lizards hid underground, in the paths previously dug out by cave barbarians.

It was because even though the hind legs of these giant lizards were exceptionally strong, even able to carry several fully armed cave barbarians on its back and fiercely jump, a single jump able to cross seven or eight meters of distance, these giant lizards’ forelegs weren’t as strong as their hind legs, not that good at digging.

However, right now, they were the ones who ambushed these cave barbarians who were advancing, so there was no way these cave barbarians could have already hid underground. That was why the previous judgment Yunqin Military made regarding these giant lizard riders was completely wrong!

The cave barbarians definitely had something that allowed these giant lizards to move quickly underground, suddenly launch a sudden attack!

Moreover, this method, including the tactics of cave barbarians emerging from the ground, was definitely something taught by that female cultivator.

It was precisely because they sensed that there were large troops of cave barbarians that might pass through this place, providing that fleeing female cultivator with aid, that was why the Black Snake Army would accept the order to lie in ambush here. However, Yan Xuanyi never expected that they would actually encounter such a massive giant lizard rider troop in this place… enough to exceed forty giant lizards, forced to fight an incredibly bitter battle under thick black dust.

Even after striking down more than thirty giant lizards, there were still a few that got away.

This expanse of traveler’s roots stretched more than ten li, line of sight extremely clear. Originally, even if the cave barbarians wanted to flee, they couldn’t, so it was supposed to be an extremely easy great victory… However, so many giant lizard riders and the black smoke that prevented them from breathing, blocking their line of sight, instead made their battle become incredibly bitter.

Yan Xuanyi remained silent for a long time, until the blood on the corners of his eyes dried.

He straightened his body, giving all of these black snake armored bodies that were becoming colder and colder a respectful military salute.

All of the Black Snake Army soldiers who were standing like him similarly silently carried out a military salute.

Everything was for Yunqin.

Everything was for glory.

There was already no way these companions could ever stand back up, yet they were still standing, so they had to carry out their own missions.

For such a large and powerful cave barbarian troopfleet to travel through this place… this could only prove that Yunqin Army’s dispatches were effective. That female cultivator from behind Great Desolate Swamp was definitely right within the region Yunqin military surrounded and pressured, that was why countless cave barbarians would hurry over from all directions without any consideration for the price.

Under the gloomy sunlight, these dozen or so Black Snake Army soldiers’ military salutes flickered with unusual brilliance.

Chi!

When the military salute was completed, a Black Snake Army soldier fired a burning fire arrow.

Principal Zhang had long told Lin Xi that this world didn’t have explosives, so there were no dazzling fireworks in this world.

However, right when this burning flame arrow reached the highest point, about to reach the extremely low clouds, this Black Snake Army soldier fired another arrow.

This arrow struck the already falling flame arrow with incomparable precision. The arrow point and shaft exploded, a burst of fine powder scattering, and then ignited, turning into a clump of yellow smoke that scattered in the air.

…

Lin Xi and the patrol army were currently carefully advancing through Great Desolate Swamp.

Suddenly, he sensed something. He raised his head, seeing a clump of thick yellow smoke in the northeastern direction.

A petite figure dressed in long death god-like robes similar to the ones in the movies Lin Xi was familiar with, even her face covered, was heading towards Lin Xi’s Patrol Army from far away.

Judging from her figure, this should be a petite and weak girl. The black robes she wore were extremely strange, as if they were made from skin, but they continuously released dense black energy, as if it was eternally night.

Suddenly, she stopped, looking towards the sky where the thick clump of yellow smoke was released. However, at the same time, her figure suddenly went rigid. She slowly turned around, looking towards her left.

To her left was an expanse of cattail trees.

“Don’t worry, I am not your enemy.”

An extremely pleasant sounding voice transmitted from the cattail forest. Like a light breeze, it transmitted clearly into the petite and small girl’s ears through the eternal darkness.

A red-clothed woman whose face was covered in light muslin, a zither case on her back, made her way out from the cattail forest. Her bright eyes sized up this extremely alert petite black-robed girl who might act out at any time and then she released a light laugh, pointing towards Lin Xi and his Patrol Army’s direction, “With your cultivation, you could still discover my existence, I believe you obtained some unique inheritance… Are you a Green Luan Academy Watchman? If that is the case, our objective should be the same.”

Within the eternal darkness black robes, the thin and weak looking woman didn’t relax in the slightest because of this red-clothed zither master’s words, her entire back instead bending slightly, clearly even more nervous and vigilant. “Who are you?” A low voice sounded.

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