CHAPTER 432: CHAPTER 48: QIAN STATE’S SECOND SWORD_3

"Master, you good-for-nothing wretch!"

"Master, you bastard!"

"Disciple, I, your master, must show you what the true number one sword in Qian State really is!"

Yuan Zhenxing muttered, seemingly to himself.

On the other bank, the Yan people were already sending men to test the ice’s thickness.

With a light tap of his foot, Yuan Zhenxing suddenly leaped into the air, landing in the middle of the river.

"Swordsman Yuan Zhenxing of Qian State is here!"

...

"He’s an expert," Zheng Fan said to Liang Cheng beside him.

Liang Cheng nodded. One look at him is enough to gauge his skill,

he thought. The man dared to stand alone before a horde of iron cavalry; he had to have some confidence. Plus, the lightness skill he’d just displayed proved he was no fool. His slovenly appearance also fit the common image of a reclusive master.

Zheng Fan helplessly patted his forehead. He felt a little embarrassed because he had divided his forces along the way to deal with ambushes, leaving his entire army in a somewhat scattered state. By sheer coincidence, Zheng Fan’s contingent had become the first Yan Army unit to reach the Bian River. Although reinforcements were continuously arriving, now that they were here, they couldn’t very well hang back and let others take the lead, could they?

Zheng Fan had never seen or heard of any martial artist in this world capable of moving mountains or filling seas. However, he had personally witnessed how even someone as formidable as Shatuo Queshi had perished under the onslaught of a cavalry encirclement. But Zheng Fan was genuinely worried he might be facing another Shatuo Queshi. It would take countless lives of his soldiers to wear such an opponent down, a cost he found unbearable.

Yuan Zhenxing thrust the sword in his hand directly into the ice beneath his feet.

The next moment, the two swords on the back of the sword boy on the riverbank flew out, landing beside Yuan Zhenxing.

BUZZ! BUZZ!

Three swords, all pierced into the ice.

"Rise!" Yuan Zhenxing let out a low shout.

Instantly, Sword Energy surged. The ice beneath him began to crack rapidly, the fissures spreading outwards.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Starting from Yuan Zhenxing, a hundred meters of ice on each side shattered, revealing the frigid water beneath. Three swords to shatter the ice, to halt your tens of thousands of iron cavalry!

Yuan Zhenxing’s three swords still hovered before him, wreathed in Sword Energy. Though he was slightly short of breath, his entire being seemed to radiate heat. The grime on his body looked as if it had been washed away, lending him an almost ethereal air of transcendence.

On the opposite bank, Fanli stared blankly at the river surface, now torn open by Sword Energy. He reached up, touched the helmet on his head, and asked, "How are we going to cross the river?"

Zheng Fan tapped Fanli’s iron-clad head with his saber and said impatiently, "Is he the idiot, or are you? Can’t we just go two hundred meters east and cross there?"

With that, Zheng Fan turned to Blindman beside him. "Blindman, do you think all swordsmen from Qian State are idiots? Does he really think breaking a mere hundred meters of ice will stop us from crossing the entire frozen river?"

Blindman nodded. Even with his intellect, he couldn’t fathom the intentions of this powerful swordsman from Qian State. The man’s actions were truly baffling. Not only was it a tremendous waste of Sword Energy, but its effect was also practically negligible.

"My lord, perhaps this is just the way of the street."

"The street?"

"Yes. Because only the street could cultivate so many powerful and adorable... idiots."

"HEH HEH." Zheng Fan chuckled and raised his hand.

The thousands of cavalrymen around him drew their bows and nocked arrows, aiming at Yuan Zhenxing, who stood on a sheet of floating ice in the river.

Yuan Zhenxing stood calmly, three swords bolstering him. Beneath the sword formation, he was fearless. Today, he intended to halt the Yan people on the banks of the Bian River, before the imperial capital, to buy time for the Qian army to deploy. Today, he felt exceptionally dashing.

However, Zheng Fan didn’t immediately order his men to fire. Instead, his gaze skipped past Yuan Zhenxing to the small sword boy kneeling on the opposite bank, weeping with a miserable expression on his face.

"Shoot him!"

All the cavalrymen were stunned. So was Yuan Zhenxing on his ice floe in the middle of the river. The sword boy was utterly dumbstruck.

"Shoot!"

Instantly, arrows whizzed through the air, heading straight for the little sword boy.

"Yan bastards! You animals!" Yuan Zhenxing roared. He had no time to retrieve his other two swords. He could only snatch one from the sword formation he’d set up and leap towards the bank. In that instant, he had effectively abandoned all the defenses he had meticulously prepared.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

A dense volley of arrows, carrying terrifying momentum, rained down. Yuan Zhenxing brandished his single sword, deflecting the deadly shower.

This scene left Zheng Fan somewhat speechless. I really need to either expand my army or find ways to make myself and the Demon Kings stronger, he thought. Otherwise, if a true master like this decides to come after my life, one careless slip and it’s all over.

However, a man’s stamina is finite. Yuan Zhenxing, having hastily rushed back to protect the sword boy behind him, had lost any chance to maneuver or catch his breath.

THWACK!

An arrow struck Yuan Zhenxing’s arm. He staggered. Immediately, another arrow pierced his left leg, and he crumpled to his knees.

THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!

Several more arrows found their mark, riddling Yuan Zhenxing until he resembled a porcupine.

Finally, the arrow storm ceased. The Yan people began to split their forces, preparing to cross the river to the east and west.

Yuan Zhenxing, looking utterly deflated, gazed weakly at the sword boy protected beneath him. "Why do I feel... like such an idiot..."

The sword boy, hugging Yuan Zhenxing’s waist from behind, burst into tears and wailed, "Master, I told you! I told you there was something wrong with your head!"

Today, on the banks of this ferry crossing,

The Second Sword of Qian State,

Perished.