The border between Wuzhou and Yunzhou of the Yan Yang Dynasty—the Horn of Plenty.
"Boom!"
Surging primal energy erupted from Shen Yu's body, shimmering with faint silver light. Shen Yu's face was flushed red, filled with resentment. He couldn't believe that after a lifetime of unwavering loyalty, he was being treated as a mere pawn by Xiao Bei Long.
He stomped his right foot, and thunder roared. The long saber in his hand ignited with a bloody light, and his entire being transformed into a streak of starlight, madly hacking towards Bei Feng. The saber flashed, its chilling glint reflecting outwards.
Bei Feng sneered repeatedly, looking at Shen Yu who was ferociously attacking him. "Today, your head is mine!"
With a flick of his right hand, a blood-red long saber was swung, directly striking at the approaching Shen Yu. The saber's energy slashed across, incredibly fast. Both were masters of the fourth level of Tong Ling, and victory would be decided in an instant.
Bei Feng's powerful physique made the entire long saber seem like a toy in his hand, stirring up the heavens and earth. With a single strike, as Shen Yu's saber passed, Bei Feng slightly shifted his body, dodging the fatal blow.
As his body moved, the trajectory of the saber's energy in his hand changed. It swept up from below, instantly tearing through Shen Yu's armor, revealing the soft armor underneath.
"Crack!"
Shen Yu struck Bei Feng's back with a palm. The fierce impact sent dust flying from the armor, and the breastplate cracked under Shen Yu's palm.
They passed each other, seemingly evenly matched.
"Swish!"
Shen Yu ripped off his armor, his eyes fixed on Bei Feng's retreating back, a fierce look on his face as he slashed again.
"Hmph!"
A killing intent seeped into his back. Bei Feng forcefully stomped his right leg, executing a perfect 180-degree turn in mid-air. His right hand brought the saber up, narrowly blocking Shen Yu's attack.
"Bang!"
Shen Yu sneered and stomped his foot directly onto Bei Feng's right knee. With a bang, Bei Feng knelt single-kneed in mid-air.
"Ah!"
As Bei Feng knelt, his left hand clawed fiercely at Shen Yu's right arm, tearing off a large chunk of flesh. White bone was exposed, and the meridians were shattered.
"Ah!"
Shen Yu roared, whether in anger or intense pain, and then wielded his saber with his left hand, hacking towards Bei Feng who was kneeling before him.
Bei Feng pushed off with his left foot, quickly creating distance between them and adjusting his angle, then charged forward again. For a time, they fought desperately in the air.
Dozens of miles away, Wang Baobao stared intently at the battlefield in the Horn of Plenty. A quarter of an hour had passed, and the two commanding generals were locked in a fierce battle in the air. The cries and shouts of the armies below were steadily weakening, and the fires were gradually diminishing.
"All troops, advance!"
Wang Baobao extended his hand. The armies were too far away. By the time they arrived, the enemy would likely be in defensive formation, hindering the element of surprise for an ambush.
For a time, it was like a torrent in the dark night. A large number of dark figures were slowly moving on the high ground several dozen miles away from the Horn of Plenty.
Half an hour later, Wang Baobao's army was extremely close to the battlefield where the two armies were clashing.
"Maintain cover!"
Wang Baobao said softly. Above, Shen Yu and Bei Feng were still fiercely clashing, with occasional drops of blood falling from the air.
The fifty thousand strong army, each equipped with a bow and three arrows, silently awaited Wang Baobao's command.
"Boom!"
Thunderclaps erupted in the sky as the two battling figures separated again.
Both were now weak, their primal energy disordered, their bodies covered in blood and crisscrossed with wounds of varying depths.
Bei Feng stood in mid-air on one leg, his long saber's edge chipped. He gasped for breath. "Shen Yu, I respect you as a man. If you can come to your senses, I will speak favorably of you to Prince Zuo Bo!"
"Pah!"
"You are merely Zuo Zheng's house general, a pawn used by that scoundrel Zuo Zheng to weaken Zuo Bo. Now you are swaggering with borrowed power. We are all the same, hahaha!" Shen Yu held his saber with his left hand, his right arm bleeding profusely, dangling weakly in front of him.
"You!"
Bei Feng's face instantly contorted with anger. This was his sore spot. A few years ago, he had made a mistake, incurred Xiao Bei Long's suspicion, and was then sent to the west to support Zuo Bo.
Zuo Bo was a timid and fearful man. With nowhere else to turn, he had to rely on Zuo Bo to wield power in the west. This ambush at the Horn of Plenty was a rare opportunity for him. By taking Shen Yu's head, he could gain favor with Zuo Bo and become his foremost general.
"Hahaha, a traitorous house general, do you think Zuo Bo will trust you!" Shen Yu continued to taunt Bei Feng with a cold laugh.
"You... Hahaha, Shen Yu, you should worry about yourself!" Bei Feng sneered.
"Hmph, do you think that while you're fighting me here, your master Zuo Bo is still in Wuzhou?" Shen Yu was recovering his primal energy, buying time.
"What do you mean?" Bei Feng's face instantly darkened as he looked at the silhouette of Wuzhou City in the distance.
"Hahaha, Zuo Bo is in Yunzhou now. Do you really think everything you've done will earn you Zuo Bo's pity? Ridiculous!"
"King Xiao, your lifelong cultivation will be repaid today!"
"Kill!"
Shen Yu suddenly erupted, madly expending his weakened primal energy.
"You're insane?"
Bei Feng's eyelids twitched wildly as he saw Shen Yu's state.
"Kill!"
Shen Yu roared, lifting his saber with his left hand and charging at Bei Feng. The frenzied primal energy instantly turned blood-red, and threads of blood seeped from his body, merging into the energy.
"You asked for this!" Bei Feng stomped his left foot, channeling his body and saber towards Shen Yu.
"Boom!!"
"Boom!!"
A burst of blood mist exploded, and a bloody silhouette was sent flying hundreds of feet away. Layers of mist dispersed from the center of the explosion.
"Cough cough!"
The bloody silhouette stabilized itself. "Shen Yu, you're good!"
"Kill!"
Suddenly, shouts of killing erupted from the mountain range below. Countless figures unleashed a volley of arrows, madly sweeping towards the narrow mountain pass of the Horn of Plenty.
"Boom!"
A figure shot out of the air, looking at Bei Feng with an icy expression, clapping his hands rhythmically, "snap," "snap," "snap."
"Splendid, truly splendid!" Wang Baobao, wearing a fur-lined hat, sneered as he looked at the nearly exhausted Bei Feng before him.
"Who are you, to dare ambush me!" Bei Feng spoke weakly, his primal energy severely depleted and long gone.
"Me?"
"The one who will take your life!"
"Swish!"
Two crescent-shaped projectiles shot into the air. A sharp glint, like a thunderclap from the ninth heaven, pierced out with two spears. Instantly, the moonlight dimmed, and the temperature plummeted, chilling to the bone.
"No!"
...