Chapter 13: Zhang Yuan, if you were still alive, what would you want to do?

Duan Hong froze, a look of madness surfacing on his face as he let out a wild roar and sprinted toward the direction of the rocky cliffs.

*Swish—*

Dozens of long arrows shot out from amidst the scattered rocks.

The body of the civilian leading the charge was pierced through.

"Retreat—!"

Hu Chunniu’s face turned crimson. He flung aside his basket and dragged a civilian, who had been struck in the chest, backward.

From within the rocks, dozens of Yan soldiers rushed out. Two Qin infantrymen at the front charged forward, but after exchanging a few blows, their bodies were pierced, and they collapsed to the ground.

Duan Hong’s entire company consisted of only about a dozen combat-capable soldiers, and more than half were already dead or wounded.

The Yan soldiers emerging from the rocks brandished their weapons, scattering the civilians and the wounded. They cared nothing for whether someone was a civilian or a soldier; as soon as they saw a target, they charged with blades and spears.

Zhang Yuan’s eyes were now bloodshot.

He hated himself for not realizing there was an ambush sooner.

As he sprinted, the grid-like dashed lines before his eyes differentiated the positions of all the Yan soldiers relative to the trees.

"Kill—!"

With a thunderous shout, Zhang Yuan had already charged in front of a Yan soldier wielding a spear.

His long saber swung upward, and Zhang Yuan did not slow his pace in the slightest.

*Clang—!*

As the saber and spear collided, the immense force carried by Zhang Yuan’s blade sent a shockwave through the opponent. The soldier’s body recoiled uncontrollably, crashing into a thorn bush and tumbling to the ground.

Before the Yan soldier could rise, Zhang Yuan stepped left with his saber, the blade tracing an arc as he used the momentum of his body's rotation to deliver a heavy horizontal slash.

*Thud—!*

The saber struck the shield of a Yan soldier.

The soldier's arm could not withstand the impact; the shield slammed into his own chest, turning his face pale as he coughed up blood and stumbled backward.

This strike had utilized the power of the Mountain Saber Technique; the force of the slash exceeded a thousand catties, making the shielded Yan soldier feel as though he had been struck by a charging horse.

Without pausing after the horizontal slash, Zhang Yuan pressed forward, meeting another Yan soldier thrusting a spear from the other side.

In the dense forest, the opponent could not find a clear line of sight. Zhang Yuan pressed the tip of his blade forward, using the enemy's spear shaft to shave at his fingers.

As Zhang Yuan advanced, the opponent retreated.

In the midst of this ebb and flow, a stray rock tripped the enemy soldier.

Zhang Yuan’s saber slid down following the momentum, slicing through the Yan soldier's chest and abdomen. The blade sank a foot into the body, and blood instantly sprayed, drenching Zhang Yuan’s head.

With his saber in hand, Zhang Yuan swept it horizontally, scaring off two Yan soldiers who were closing in.

His face and head were covered in blood, his expression so ferocious and terrifying that the surrounding Yan soldiers dared not approach.

"Don't get bogged down in combat!"

A war spear thrust out from the flank, forcing a Yan soldier back.

The spear swept across, striking the shield of another Yan soldier and sending him staggering.

Holding his long spear, Duan Hong drew close to Zhang Yuan and barked in a low, heavy voice, "Go!"

The two pressed their backs against each other and retreated into the woods.

The Yan soldiers, armed with blades and spears, pursued them from behind.

After retreating for more than ten yards, Zhang Yuan turned to look in the direction the civilians and wounded were fleeing, and his expression shifted again.

"Something is wrong. The Yan army is trying to drive us into a dead end!"

"Brother Wu Xiong said to go left! We have to go left!"

Scattered throughout the forest, the Yan soldiers were intentionally or unintentionally herding the civilians and the wounded toward the cliffs on the right.

Duan Hong’s expression was grim. Gripping his war spear, his eyes remained fixed on the Yan soldiers who were pressing forward with measured steps.

"Zhang Yuan, go. Lead the civilians and the brothers out."

"I'll hold them here."

One man against seven or eight approaching Yan soldiers?

Even if Duan Hong was at the mid-stage of the Houtian Realm and possessed a thousand catties of strength, he could not hold off these soldiers.

Military combat was different from street brawling; it relied on coordination. A small tactical formation could hold off a highly skilled martial artist.

Unless one was a Xiantian Realm expert, it was difficult to escape once surrounded by a military formation.

Even Xiantian experts avoided being caught in such formations if they could help it.

Examples of a hundred soldiers taking down a Xiantian expert were common in the military. It was a rarity for a Xiantian expert to break through a hundred men.

"Go! I'm a death-row prisoner from a bandit background; I've already lived more than my share!" Seeing that Zhang Yuan remained motionless, Duan Hong kicked him in his armor and charged toward the approaching Yan soldiers with his spear.

Gritting his teeth, Zhang Yuan turned and ran.

At this moment, some of the civilians ahead also realized the path was wrong; they began to clamor, making the fleeing crowd even more chaotic.

"Follow me!"

With a loud shout, Zhang Yuan gripped his saber, lowered his head slightly, and sprinted toward the left.

Over there, several Yan soldiers with blades and spears had already blocked the path.

Two Qin soldiers with shields rushed forward to protect Zhang Yuan's flank.

Zhang Yuan did not stop, his eyes locked onto the spears ahead.

Charge.

His pace grew faster and faster, his long saber trailing low, each step covering five feet.

Three yards.

Two yards.

One yard.

The two spears ahead retracted slightly before lunging toward him with gathered strength.

The Qin soldier on the left raised his arm, blocking one of the spears.

His body was pushed back by the impact, and his footsteps faltered.

Zhang Yuan’s saber transitioned from a low drag to an upward swing, the blade clashing against the second spear thrusting at him.

*Clang—!*

The spear was parried upward.

Without breaking his stride, Zhang Yuan stepped onto a half-man-high square shield planted in the ground ahead. His free left hand balled into a fist and struck heavily into the chest of the spear-wielding Yan soldier.

Mountain Fist Technique: *Trampling the Mountain and Galloping the Peak.*

*Boom—!*

The Yan soldier blocking the path coughed up blood, his body sent flying two yards away, his ribs shattered.

This strike from Zhang Yuan had been built up over three yards of momentum, aided by the stepping motion, resulting in a force exceeding thirteen hundred catties!

This was the combat enhancement provided by high-level martial arts techniques; Zhang Yuan, who originally possessed a thousand catties of strength, had unleashed thirteen hundred catties with a single punch.

*Pfft—*

A shielded soldier charging alongside Zhang Yuan was pierced through the chest and abdomen by a spear.

With a roar, Zhang Yuan delivered a horizontal slash, his blade severing two arms and cutting through the waists of two Yan soldiers.

At this moment, Zhang Yuan was like a ferocious demon. He cleaved down another Yan soldier, completely breaking through the small formation that had been blocking the path.

The civilians and the wounded rushed past, following the mountain path toward Chen Family Village, while the scattered Yan soldiers in the forest began to regroup.

Zhang Yuan stood in place, his blood surging, as the light screen flickered in his mind.

***

**[Zhang Yuan]**

**Identity:** 9th-Rank Zao-Yi Guard of Luyang Prefecture, Great Qin; Conscripted Soldier of the Crimson Scale Army

**Cultivation:** Mid-stage Houtian Realm; requires 10 Blood Essence Beads to upgrade

**Martial Arts Training:** * Cloak Saber Technique: Great Perfection (cannot upgrade) * Iron Armor Fist: Great Perfection (cannot upgrade) * Mountain Saber Technique: Small Success (requires 10 Insight Beads to upgrade) * Mountain Fist: Beginner (cannot upgrade)

**Battle Formation:** Gray Wolf Formation: Small Success

**Chaos Space:** 8 Blood Essence Beads, 12 Insight Beads

**Chaos Auxiliary Combat:** Enabled

***

"Zhang kid, move!" Hu Chunniu reached out to grab Zhang Yuan's arm, but Zhang Yuan brushed him off.

With his saber in hand, Zhang Yuan began to walk slowly back.

When he reached the side of Young Master Tao, who was being supported by others, he pulled a linen roll from his robes and pressed it into Tao's hands.

"Zhang Yuan..." Young Master Tao turned his head, tears instantly welling in his eyes.

He knew Zhang Yuan intended to be the rearguard for everyone.

"Zhang Yuan, if you live... what do you want to do?" Young Master Tao called out softly.

Zhang Yuan lowered his head slightly, dragging his saber as he walked, his eyes clear and piercing.

In this moment, Zhang Yuan reached an epiphany.

A martial guard of Great Qin protects the home and country, guards the people, and guards his comrades.

The path of life lies behind, and the path of death lies ahead; to live through death, to fight a hundred battles without regret.

"Who says we have no clothing? We share the same robe with you."

"Zhang Yuan, 9th-Rank Zao-Yi Guard of Luyang Prefecture, Great Qin, is here! Come, Yan dogs, and die—"

(End of Chapter)