Chapter 157 - Ambush

Chapter 157: Chapter 150 AmbushNightingale’s concerns had indeed come to fruition; two powerful families had arrived at the Yuanhua Plane the day before, and at this moment, they were being secretly positioned within the mountains on the west side of the battlefield, ready to deliver a fatal blow to the imperial army at the critical moment.

Due to the massive size of the two families’ armies, they had not initially considered the need to hide their movements. However, after Lu Hong had infiltrated Gold City alone and managed to escape successfully, the Gold Family realized they had overestimated the strength of their own defenses.

To prevent the imperial intelligence officers from discovering the traces of the two families, the army of three hundred thousand soldiers was divided into thousands of small units, with those warriors of the Third Transition and above acting independently from their troops, all to better conceal their whereabouts.

Nevertheless, these measures were utterly ineffective against the organization cultivated by Caesar.

Nightingale pointed to a path ahead and said, "In another three hours, eight thousand Chi Lan family soldiers will pass through here. If you want to vent your anger, you are welcome to do so, and I will send support."

"Are you sure none of these people are Third Transition warriors?"

Nightingale smiled, "Since its inception over a thousand years ago, my organization has never once erred in its intelligence. You can rest assured on this matter."

"That settles it," Lu Hong replied confidently. "Since there are no Third Transition warriors among this batch of enemies, your men just need to set up defenses on the perimeter to ensure no one escapes to spread the news." He had no intention of sharing the experience needed for leveling up with others. The experience the eight thousand enemies could provide might not be enough for him to advance, but that didn’t really matter. There would be plenty more from the two large families to come.

"Are you sure you want to face these eight thousand enemies alone?" Nightingale’s tone held a tinge of dissatisfaction. "I hope you’re not acting out of pride. Although I am under orders from my master to protect you, I will not stop you if you’re seeking death."

Even if Nightingale were to take action personally, she wouldn’t be able to eliminate eight thousand enemies in a short period. And these eight thousand weren’t mere straw men awaiting death. Normally, only characters at or beyond the Third Transition Middle Stage would dare to boast of killing eight thousand at once.

"No matter, if I die in battle, you need not save me." Lu Hong didn’t take it to heart; to him, Nightingale had already done him a life-saving favor. Moreover, his situation was different from ordinary people, and not something he could easily explain.

"By the way, do you have any Magic Potions for restoring vigour?"

"Yes, specially prepared for you. The master said you’re an Angry Blood Warrior, so I had some top-quality Magic Potions made, all above seventh grade." Nightingale said as she took out three potions. "Here, use these for now."

Lu Hong felt deeply grateful for Caesar’s thoughtfulness as he accepted the Magic Potions; this put his mind at ease.

"Oh, and the master reminded me to give you the bill." Nightingale then produced a long list that was filled with the names of various Demon Beasts and precious herbs. At the very end, there was also a charge for a hundred thousand Gold Coin labor fee for an Alchemist.

"The total comes to... one million one hundred thousand?!" Lu Hong nearly bit his tongue. "How could it be this much? How many bottles did you make?"

"Over six hundred bottles, but take your time using them," Nightingale said with a smile, fixing her gaze on him. "It’s always better to have them than not. They can save your life in a critical moment, right?" She continued, "The master also said if you decide to default, you’ll have to work off your debt for me later."

"That’s a matter for future discussion," Lu Hong said sheepishly, taking another batch of Magic Potions from Nightingale.

Three hours wasn’t particularly long, but to ensure that the upcoming eight thousand enemies were completely stopped, Nightingale still had to make preparations, especially to prevent any Space Mages from sending out messages.

Space Mages were rare and difficult to cultivate. However, most armies would select some mediocre Mages to specialize in space Spells to use them like mobile phones. There was no need for these individuals to reach a very high level, just successful Second Transition was enough to unlock the function of thousand-mile communication.

Under Caesar’s guidance, Nightingale’s Black Pupil had become adept at burglary and robbery. After some arrangements, they sealed off the entire path so thoroughly that once the enemy entered the trap, there would be no return.

With less than half an hour to go before the enemy’s arrival, Lu Hong stepped into the middle of the road, and the War Holy Sword quietly landed in his hands.

"Have your people pull back a bit further, I wouldn’t want to accidentally harm them."

Nightingale suddenly felt that the warrior she had been tasked to take care of was somewhat blindly arrogant. Any hint of fondness she had held for him vanished in an instant. In this world, the most foolish were those who could not accurately assess their own strength.

"You worry too much," Nightingale responded indifferently. "If they’re too far away, it’s easy to let a few escape."

"Then, I will try to control my strength," Lu Hong nodded earnestly, his expression sincere. Ever since deciding to use the holy sword, Lu Hong had been concerned about how to avoid injuring his own people.

However, it seemed Nightingale thought he was boasting. Lu Hong smacked his lips, his figure sinking down as he began to gather power for the ultimate flash.

This time, he had ample time to accumulate strength, more than enough indeed.

The gulp was quite large, and the killing circle delineated by Nightingale spanned three miles, still impossible to discern the end at a glance.

As time passed, the soldiers of the Chi Lan Clan appeared before Lu Hong as expected.

Eight thousand soldiers brimming with morale, showing no signs of being a defeated army.

"Sir, if not for those cowardly elders in the clan who fear death, we would have driven those imperial dogs out of our homeland under your leadership long ago."

"Yes, yes, sir, with your brilliant command, we will surely rise again under your leadership. It’s just a pity that those elders are blind fools!"

"Ahem!" The general leading the team feigned a cough to interrupt the adulation of those around him and forcefully suppressed his pride as he said, "Gentlemen, watch your words, watch your words."

"General, everyone here truly supports you wholeheartedly."

"Exactly, and we believe that not only us but everyone in the Chi Lan Clan—aside from those stubborn old fools—absolutely wishes for you, General, to hold sole power. To carve out a place for us to live in this chaotic world, instead of living at others’ mercy, barely clinging on to life, sneaking to the frontline to fight in staggered groups."

"Perhaps..." At this moment, prompted by the words of the soldier who had just spoken, a deputy general suddenly thought of something and hurriedly said to the general, "Could this be a scheme against you, General?"

"What do you mean?" The crowd raised their eyebrows in concern, and even the general looked seriously at his deputy and said, "Continue with your analysis."

"By your command," the deputy general spoke with a face full of fright, revealing his sudden musings, "I just feel that marching in batches like this seems too far-fetched. What harm would it do if the empire’s spies infiltrated the Gold Family’s territory? Currently, the imperial army is already at a disadvantage. Don’t we, as two great families, make the same impression rushing straight to the battlefield as we would with a surprise attack? As long as we reach the frontline, it will be the empire’s doomsday. Why bother with this superfluous move?"

"Enough!" The general’s eyes flickered with a cold light. He was the first person under the Chi Lan Clan’s Elder Council, wielding great power within the clan, but even he had to follow the orders to split the forces this time. Since there wasn’t much rationale to splitting up, this move must have a deeper meaning.

The general, no fool, said in a deep voice: "I am aware of what Deputy Commander Tong has said. On the march, please pay extra attention, and be on guard for ambushes!"

As soon as the general’s words ended, an exclamation made everyone’s nerves tense up instantly.

"General, there are people ahead."

The general quickly followed his deputy’s point and looked towards the fully-prepared Lu Hong.

"Kill him." Although the general was puzzled that there was only one person blocking the way, now that he had figured out the key to dividing the forces, whoever the person was, must be eliminated.

"Slash!" Lu Hong, who had been charging up, released his Sword Qi, which, if held in any longer, might have backfired on him.

The War Holy Sword let out a cry of defiance, and the sound of the blade immediately echoed through heaven and earth.

In an instant, the sky changed color, and all that was seen in everyone’s eyes was a streak of white sword light.

The next second, the army of eight thousand men had no time to resist. The commander, still dreaming of holding power in the family, fell unwillingly. Cut in two, his blood immediately spilled across the land.

Not just the eight thousand soldiers, but also anyone in Lu Hong’s line of sight was cleaved in two. Compared to the rushed use at the Silver White Family’s mansion, this time even the sky cracked open under the might of the sword light, leaving a kilometer-long void in its wake.

Nightengale, who had been hiding not far away, ready to provide support, was now filled with shock. A single strike killing eight thousand people; this kind of power was comparable to a major skill in the late Third Transition stage.

"Commander, we’ve lost contact with two hundred men!" A wail from her subordinate reached Nightingale’s ear.

Lu Hong’s strike, while restrained, had still claimed the lives of over two hundred Black Pupil members who were too close.

"Turukulu! Why didn’t you say something earlier?!" Nightingale suddenly felt like she’d been played and stormed over to Lu Hong, shouting angrily, "You’ve cost me two hundred men, do you think our lives are a joke?!"

"I... I did tell you earlier..." Lu Hong’s eyelids were heavy as he barely managed to down a bottle of Magic Potion before collapsing onto Nightingale’s solid frame.

Nightingale was taken aback. Indeed, before this, Lu Hong had kindly asked them to step back further—yet at that time, Nightingale had merely taken his words for a jest.

She had not realized this youngster truly possessed such strength!

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