Chapter 14

Of course, Tang Yin didn’t know sorcery. He only knew great and savvy martial arts. He didn’t give the big man a chance to breathe and attacked again. He rushed to the big man, swayed his wrist, and the blade of the long spear bloomed three silver flowers in an instant that attacked both the big man’s chest as well as his lower abdomen.

The spiritual practitioners were always very straightforward in their attacks. They had always competed on whose Reiki’s cultivation was deeper, and whose spiritual art skills were better. There had never been martial styles that were as crafty as these.
The big man had a hard time adapting to this in a short time and panicked at Tang Yin’s fast attacks. There was no where for him to exert his high Reiki cultivation.

In the intermittent gaps of Tang Yin’s attacks, the big man could also counterattack a strike or two. However, Tang Yin who had understood his strength would not give him the slightest chance for him to attack forcefully. With his agile pace and extremely strong skills, he dissolved the big man’s counterattacks with ease.

The attacker would use up his energy, but the defender would have his energy drained even quicker. Not too long into the battle, the big man was exhausted to the point where he was drenched in sweat and at the same time, gasping for air. Yet there was also no way for him to take down Tang Yin.

This fight was like a battle between a fox and a bear.

Gradually, the big man found it hard to support his own weight. His strength got weaker and weaker, and his movement got slower and slower. His body had already four to five wounds that were opened up by the long spear. Although it wasn’t deathly, fighting till he was so exhausted had already made him feel unusually awkward.
Seeing that the other party’s energy had been drained almost to its limit, the light in Tang Yin’s eyes glowed even brighter. He grasped his chance and struck the spear toward the big man’s abdomen with force.

The big man had entered a state of insanity after being tortured by Tang Yin for so long. Seeing the spear that was piercing toward him, he no longer dodged. Only when the tip of the spear was just about to poke his skin, he twisted his waist and dodged the blade. He only took half a step short, and the tip of the spear still tore open a huge wound on the side of his waist.

The big man endured the pain forcefully and made a strange scream. He pulled his arm back with full force and clipped the blade under his rib. He threw away the silver spear that was in his other arm and grabbed Tang Yin by the neck as he roared, “I will strangle you to death!”

Tang Yin reacted very quickly. He simply discarded the long spear, and clasped the big man’s neck with both his hands instead.
With this, the reciprocated exciting battle had become a fight where the two were entangled with one another. And what Tang Yin wanted was exactly the direct contact of their bodies like this.

By grasping the opportunity when the big man was using his force to push forward, Tang Yin fell backward in the direction of his force. The two fell onto the ground. With the help of inertia, Tang Yin pulled the big man with him and rolled all the way into the bushes by the road.

None of those who were present would have imagined for the battle to turn out like this. They were stunned, and some didn’t know how to react to this.

Just at this moment, a sudden piercing scream came from the bushes. Nobody could make out what had happened. With the swaying of the bushes, Tang Yin walked out of the bushes with a smirk. He was even carrying a pile of clothes in his hands. When the people looked closely, they found that the clothes belonged to none other than the big man.
The Ning soldiers on the field were dumbfounded, the Feng state soldiers were also dumbfounded. No one knew what happened after Tang Yin and the big man rolled into the bushes, why was Tang Yin the only person to walk out, and with the big man’s clothes in his hands.

To say that someone could understand, it would only be Qiu Zhen. Seeing how Tang Yin’s face was more radiant than before and there was an intimidating light in his eyes, there was no need to ask. Just as he said earlier, he had ‘eaten’ the big man. It could also be said that he had used <The Flame of Darkness> to burn and absorb the big man.

For a spiritual practitioner whose cultivation had reached the ‘Break’ realm to be absorbed by Tang Yin, there was no doubt that his Reiki cultivation would increase highly. It could already be understood from how there was no trace of exhaustion on him and that he was glowing with excitement instead.

It’s just that Qiu Zhen still couldn’t seem to understand how despite the great difference in cultivation between the two, Tang Yin still managed to win in the end. Plus it wasn’t a tough win, it could be said that he had suppressed the other person completely from start till end.

Or, this man is exactly the person I’ve been looking for!
Qiu Zhen couldn’t suppress the joy in his heart. He rushed out of the bushes quickly and yelled as if he were a madman, “Ning state’s leader has been killed, bothers, attack!”

His sudden leap shocked all the Feng state’s deserters, yet his scream had also awaken everyone’s consciousness. We won! We actually won! Our brother has really killed the other party’s leader!

In a second, the Feng state deserters’ fighting spirit that was long lost, returned to their bodies once again. Even the fear and despair that were accumulated from the consecutive days of being chased were relieved completely. Everyone, similar to Qiu Zhen, took their weapons, eyes red as ever, and attacked toward the two hundred over Ning soldiers like madmen.

On the other hand, Ning soldiers who were large in number were frightened. The big man that Tang Yin killed was no ordinary leader, but Ning state’s commander of a thousand. He had always been a great and brave warrior who was equipped with extremely great spiritual martial skills. It was impossible for the Ning soldiers to not be afraid after seeing how he was killed by their opponent.

Without almost any resistance, the two hundred over Ning soldiers started to flee backwards. Losing the commands of their leader, they fled in an extremely chaotic manner. They were stepping and pushing against one another, and their havoc increased the Feng soldiers’ confidence even more. They only had thirty over people, yet they all seemed as if they were demons that had just climbed out from hell. They utilised all their weapons fully and chased after the Ning soldiers madly.

With such a scene, even Qiu Zhen felt the fire in his heart growing stronger and stronger. He screamed constantly, “Don’t let any of the enemies escape, we want to take the enemies’ heads back to collect merits!”

When his scream entered the ears of the Feng soldiers, it was as if they had all been injected by some kind of stimulant and chased after the enemies even more recklessly. Some of them who didn’t have weapons chased after enemies and hit them with their fists and legs. When they no longer had the energy to hit, they even used their teeth to bite. Their mad appearance was no different from a beast.
The situation on the battlefield changed enormously in just a blink of an eye, the chasers had now become the ones being chased. This was why as long as a battle wasn’t over, regardless of how significant the difference between the two parties’ strengths, no one would dare to guarantee that they would be the final winner on the battlefield.

The one-sided battle ended quickly. Under the chase of thirty over Feng soldiers, two hundred over Ning state soldiers left more than half dead bodies and injured soldiers behind, and the rest had fled without leaving a trace.

Tang Yin didn’t participate in the pursuit. He sat by the side of the road and tore a piece of cloth from his robe, wrapping up his open wound carelessly.

Qiu Zhen walked up to him, looked at the bandage that was wrapped messily on his hand and frowned. He squatted down and said with a serious face, “Let me help you!” As he spoke, he tore open the cloth without a care if Tang Yin agreed, and helped him re-wrap the bandage.

Earlier, he saw that Tang Yin’s hand was bleeding and felt that the injury was pretty serious. But seeing the wound now, it was no longer bleeding and was starting to heal, leaving a faint red line. He gasped silently in his heart, The ability of a dark spiritual practitioner to heal himself is indeed shocking.

“Don’t do this again next time!” Qiu Zhen lowered his head and said.
His sudden statement that had no context shocked Tang Yin. He asked, “What do I not do again?”

Qiu Zhen said in a deep voice, “Don’t take risks like that again, this is taking your life as a joke.”

Tang Yin, who had never seen the playful Qiu Zhen to have such serious moments, was shocked at first, and then followed to laugh. He said leisurely, “That’s my business.”

“Perhaps it used to be, but it’s not like that anymore.” Seeing Tang Yin raise his eyebrows, Qiu Zhen looked a little sadder and muttered, “At least ever since I started following you, it’s not like this anymore. Your life is no longer just yours, but mine as well. I don’t wish for you to die, and even more so, I don’t wish for the hope I’ve placed on you to go in vain.”

No one had ever said something like this to Tang Yin. All along, he had always been a lonely person. Everything he did was very simple, that is just for him to survive better. But it was a little different now. There was an extra Qiu Zhen by his side, making him feel as if he had an additional… responsibility.
“What is the hope you’ve placed on me?” This sense of responsibility was unfamiliar to Tang Yin, but he didn’t hate it. At least, he felt that he was no longer a dispensable person, and that there was someone in this world who worried about him.

“I still can’t be sure right now, but I have a strong feeling that as long as we’re together, we will be able to make a great event for sure! In this chaotic world, there will be a place for us!” Qiu Zhen’s tone was firm, and the expression on his face had also become enthusiastic.

Tang Yin looked at Qiu Zhen for a long time, and grinned out of a sudden. He then said jokingly, “I always thought that your heart was just black, I didn’t think that you still had some passion.”

Hearing this, it was Qiu Zhen’s turn to be stunned. He asked blankly, “You can tell that my heart is black? To tell the truth, I never thought so myself.” Of course, saying this was equivalent to acknowledging it.
“Hehe-” Tang Yin chuckled lightly. He didn’t know how to judge people, but his gut instincts had always been very accurate.

“I will remember your words.” He stood up and nodded at Qiu Zhen. He then laughed, “But you also have to remember that I have never been a person who would take my life as a joke. The reason to why I rushed out against your advice was because I thought I could win. And in reality, I did win. Didn’t I?”

Tang Yin’s answer was not satisfactory, but Qiu Zhen had to admit that it was a fact.

The more he interacted with Tang Yin, the more he felt that he was a weirdo. Theoretically, he should have an extremely high Reiki cultivation with his extraordinary skills. Yet in reality, it was the complete opposite. He didn’t even have a fixed weapon. He could use spears, and he could use swords. It was like he could use any sort of weapon, and would be extremely skilled in them.

There was still plenty of time, there would definitely be a chance for him to understand Tang Yin better. Qiu Zhen returned to his usual playful appearance and looked down to scavenge the big guy’s clothes. Soon enough, he found a small military plate and read it aloud curiously, “Zhao Yuan, Twenty-third Infantry Regiment, Eighth Line, Commander of a Thousand…”
Seeing the word commander of a thousand, Qiu Zhen’s eyes widened. He gasped, “Oh my god, the guy… the guy who was eaten by you earlier was a commander of a thousand!”

The military system of the Haotian Empire had thirty people in a squadron, a hundred people in a brigade, a thousand people in an array, ten thousand people in a regiment, and a hundred thousand people in an assembly. In large-scale conflicts between countries, they would usually dispatch units of arrays or regiments. The status as a commander of a thousand was indeed not low.

“You’ve done a huge contribution now!” Qiu Zhen said with a beam of light in his eyes.