Chapter 39: The Blade of Universal Equality

The Northern Barbarian leader was far from panicked; instead, he regarded the strange man standing not far away as a lamb ready for slaughter, and the woman inside the carriage as already firmly within his grasp.

He gestured with a wave of his hand, "All of you, go together! Surround him and the carriage, and don't let him slip away."

"Understood."

The cavalry captain led a dozen horsemen charging toward the location of the carriage.

Seeing this, one of the captured women felt a flash of bitter hatred in her eyes. She immediately stood up and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Run! They're coming for you!"

"Shut your mouth!"

The Northern Barbarian leader's expression shifted. With a flick of his riding crop, he lashed out, sending the woman flying through the air to crash heavily onto the ground.

Li Dao’s razor-sharp senses caught the commotion over there. Watching the horde of Northern Barbarian cavalry charging his way, he hefted his profound iron saber and paced forward.

Seeing the other party actively approaching, the cavalry captain's face turned icy. "A few of you, keep an eye on that carriage. The rest of you, surround him!"

"Understood!"

Soon, the Northern Barbarian cavalrymen closed in on Li Dao. Two of them, intending to follow their captain's orders to watch the carriage, spurred their horses past Li Dao on either side.

Right at that moment, two flashes of chilling light swept through the air in the blink of an eye.

The cavalry captain, who had just drawn near, paused for a fraction of a second and asked the man beside him, "Did you see anything happen just now?"

"Did something happen?"

"I didn't see anything either."

"That guy didn't even move."

Just as a few of them were murmuring amongst themselves, the cavalry captain abruptly noticed that the two men he had sent to guard the carriage had suddenly stopped midway, utterly motionless.

"What are you two doing!" the cavalry captain instinctively barked.

Yet, the two men remained frozen in place, horses and all.

Suddenly, a faint crimson line appeared across the necks of the two horses. A moment later, the exact same bloody trace materialized across the throats of the two Northern Barbarian riders.

While everyone was still shrouded in confusion, they saw the two Northern Barbarian riders move.

It wasn't a normal movement; their torsos shifted right down the middle, and the necks of the two horses shifted as well.

Thud! Thud!

With four successive heavy thuds hitting the ground, everyone finally realized that the two Northern Barbarian riders, along with their horses' heads, had been cleanly sliced off.

Yet, the only person present on the scene was the fair-faced young man slowly walking toward them.

This bizarre and eerie scene caused the expressions of all the Northern Barbarian cavalrymen surrounding Li Dao to alter drastically.

A few of the more cowardly horsemen, seeing the enemy approach, instinctively tightened their reins and tried to retreat.

"Don't be afraid of him!" the cavalry captain shouted, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead as he sensed his men's morale wavering.

"Captain!" suddenly cried one of the Northern Barbarian riders with a look of pure panic.

"What is it again?!" The cavalry captain jumped, startled.

"He... he's gone."

At this, everyone looked up, only to find that the man who had been walking toward them a moment ago had vanished from his spot.

Screech!

Abruptly, a spray of fresh blood was scattered across the crowd.

The remaining men followed the direction of the sound, only to realize that their target had somehow already reached their midst.

Li Dao glanced at an open doorway nearby and slowly spoke, "All of you deserve to die."

Inside that doorway, the ground was soaked in blood. A man and a woman lay brutally murdered in the pool of crimson.

Beside the man and woman lay three more corpses.

The eldest appeared to be around ten years old, while the youngest looked to be only a year or two old.

An ordinary, happy family of five, wiped out and brutally slaughtered within their own home.

Although he had already understood the cruelty of the Northern Barbarians toward the subjects of the Great Qian Dynasty, actually witnessing this scene firsthand made Li Dao realize he still found it hard to accept.

And since he felt distressed, he needed an outlet. These Northern Barbarian cavalrymen before him were the absolute best targets.

Bang!

Li Dao stamped heavily onto the ground. Propelled by sheer, terrifying strength, he hoisted his profound iron saber and charged straight toward a Northern Barbarian cavalryman.

Seeing this, the horseman instinctively raised his saber to block.

Crack!

Accompanied by a crisp snap, the long saber shattered, along with the Northern Barbarian rider.

Li Dao's stride did not halt for even a split second. Without a moment's hesitation, he pivoted and set his sights on the next horseman.

At this moment, the cavalry captain panicked completely, roaring at the top of his lungs, "Move! Surround him! All of you, rush him and hack him to pieces!"

However, the remaining Northern Barbarian cavalrymen were given no opportunity at all.

For after one horseman fell, within three seconds, the next one followed him into death.

Barely thirty seconds later, only the cavalry captain was left alive on horseback in Li Dao's vicinity.

Looking around at his subordinates—who had been full of life just moments ago—now reduced to a pile of corpses, the cavalry captain finally cracked under the terror, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Ten meters away, Li Dao flicked his profound iron saber, sending a spray of blood trailing across the ground. Then, he raised his blade and began walking toward the cavalry captain.

"Move, damn you!"

Overwhelmed by horror, the cavalry captain frantically pulled on his reins, desperate to flee.

Yet he discovered that the horse beneath him was frozen solid, refusing to budge even an inch.

He could feel the body of his mount trembling.

Was it afraid?

So terrified that it couldn't even move!

Seeing Li Dao draw closer and closer, the cavalry captain finally snapped.

"Useless beast, move!"

He drove the tip of his saber fiercely into the horse's flank, trying to use pain to goad the animal into motion.

But at that exact moment, the unexpected happened.

Stung by the pain, the horse did move, but instead of bolting forward, it began bucking and struggling wildly in place.

The cavalry captain was caught completely off guard by this sudden turn of events.

With a misstep, he tumbled right out of the saddle.

At that very instant, the horse stopped bucking. As if sensing that it was no longer restrained, it turned and fled without the slightest hesitation.

The cavalry captain: "???"

He froze entirely in place, utterly dumbfounded.

The wretched beast had actually abandoned him and run away by itself?

"Damn you! When I get back, I'll butcher you!" the cavalry captain cursed furiously at the top of his lungs.

Just then, a series of footsteps halted right behind him, sending a fresh jolt of terror through his heart.

He whipped his head around, only to realize that the man who had slaughtered his subordinates was already standing directly behind him.

"You... mmph..."

The cavalry captain tried to say something, but the next second, a flash of cold light swept past, and he could never make a sound again.

A bloody gash had already been sliced across his throat by the blade's edge.

[Killed one enemy. Attribute gained: 0.68]

When the final cavalry captain drew his last breath, nothing was left around Li Dao except a field of corpses. He stood alone in the center, gripping his blood-stained profound iron saber.

From start to finish, all of this seemed like a long ordeal, but in reality, less than three minutes had passed.

Thus, to the Northern Barbarian leader and his faction not far away, everything felt entirely too abrupt.

They had simply watched as Li Dao butchered his subordinates like cutting vegetables, clean and decisive, happening so fast they hadn't even had time to react.

At the same time, this sight wiped the arrogant look right off the Northern Barbarian leader's face.

He now understood that the man before him was a formidable and troublesome adversary.

"Commander, what do we do now?" a Northern Barbarian horseman asked aloud.

The Northern Barbarian leader spoke in a deep voice, "This fellow is no ordinary man. Everyone, stay alert."

If the opponent had just displayed the obvious trait of true Qi erupting outward, he would have turned and fled without a moment's hesitation, because their entire troop combined wouldn't be enough for a single Xiantian martial artist to slaughter.

Yet, recalling the way the man had killed just now, he hadn't detected a single ripple of true Qi.

In other words, this person was not a Xiantian martial artist; he was merely exceptionally powerful among Houtian martial artists.

Although he had lost over a dozen subordinates, he still had more than ninety men left. Coupled with his own strength as a third-rank Houtian expert, even if the enemy was a first-rank Houtian, it would be more than enough to handle him.

Hearing this, the remaining Northern Barbarian cavalrymen also reined in their previous levity.

Some began casting off the heavy loads from their horses' backs, even untying and discarding the women who had been bound to the mounts. They were finally taking this seriously.

Once released, the women quickly huddled together. They didn't attempt to flee because they knew running was useless; if the Northern Barbarian cavalry ultimately won, they, on bare feet, could never outrun horses with four legs.

It was far better to stay behind and silently place their hopes on the unknown man to save them.

With that thought, they began to pray silently in their hearts.

Inside the carriage not far away, Jiu'er cautiously lifted the curtain and caught sight of Li Dao standing amidst the corpses.

She completely ignored the bodies. Seeing that her young master was unharmed, she let out a sigh of relief while quietly cheering him on from the bottom of her heart.

Having cleared away the surrounding cavalry, Li Dao did not pause his steps. He continued walking toward the main body of Northern Barbarian horsemen.

Whether for harvesting attributes through slaughter or to vent the lingering irritation in his chest, these people were going to stay right here today.

Kill!

Chanting silently in his heart, Li Dao hefted his profound iron saber and charged rapidly toward the main force of the Northern Barbarian cavalry.

Opposite him, the Northern Barbarian leader had long since prepared himself and immediately barked an order, "Kill him!"

"Whoever takes his head will be rewarded with a hundred cattle and sheep, ten beauties, and a promotion by one rank!"

Hearing this, the eyes of the Northern Barbarian cavalrymen flushed red. Nothing could incentivize the human heart quite like these rewards.

Instantly, every single one of them summoned their peak momentum and charged toward Li Dao alone.

Little did they know, in the eyes of their target, their so-called charge resembled humans trying to slide-tackle a tiger—a completely delusional posture born of wanting to stuff the tiger to death.

Can a tiger be stuffed to death? Would Li Dao be stuffed to death?

No, because he wasn't a tiger; he was a Taotie with a bottomless appetite!

No matter how many of these ordinary Northern Barbarian cavalrymen came, he could consume them all.

The lead Northern Barbarian horseman charged the fastest.

Because the previous scene had left a deep impression on him, he knew the enemy's blade was razor-sharp and naturally wouldn't dare meet it head-on. Thus, he cleverly pinpointed a weakness of his opponent.

The enemy was a man standing on foot, while he was charging on horseback.

All he needed to do next was use his horse to plow into the man. If the man dodged, he would be fine; if the man stubbornly tried to deal with the horse, he could counter-attack and finish the man off.

With this thought, he felt as though he could already see the commander's rewards beckoning to him.

As he closed in on his target and saw that the man wasn't dodging at all, his heart surged with elation.

Especially seeing the other party's stubborn attempt to meet force with force, he mentally cursed him as a "fool." This was a charging warhorse; even a martial artist would struggle to withstand it.

Facing the incoming steed, Li Dao raised his palm.

The next second, the horse's face smashed squarely into that bare hand.

Yet, to the lead horseman's utter disbelief, the imagined scene of the enemy being sent flying never materialized. Instead, it was *he* who went airborne, flung forward by his own momentum as the horse came to an abrupt, screeching halt.

Mid-air, he caught a glimpse of a flash of chilling light. A sudden chill gripped his body, and consciousness rapidly faded from his mind.

In the end, everything the Northern Barbarian horseman had seen and thought was merely a product of his own wishful thinking.

Little did he know that in Li Dao's eyes, he was no different from an ant crawling by the roadside, one that could be crushed to death with a casual step.

[Killed one enemy. Attribute gained: 0.19]

Ignoring the system notification chiming in his ear, Li Dao gripped his profound iron saber and plunged fiercely into the thick of the cavalry.

The blade continuously swept and danced through the air. Relying on its supreme sharpness and immense strength, nothing in its path could block it.

Single-handedly, he practically flipped the entire troop of Northern Barbarian cavalry upside down.

In a single clash, a dozen horsemen perished beneath his blade.

The reason the remaining Northern Barbarian cavalrymen remained safe and sound was entirely because they hadn't had the chance to charge in front of Li Dao yet, thus escaping disaster by a hair's breadth.

Moreover, Li Dao's bloody massacre instantly sobered up the rest of the Northern Barbarian horsemen, snapping them out of the spell woven by their commander's promised rewards.

"What are you all staring for?! Attack and kill him!"

The Northern Barbarian leader had charged over as well, roaring angrily at his subordinates.

Seeing them hesitate, he bluntly cursed, "A bunch of utter trash!"

He turned his gaze toward Li Dao. "Boy, this time next year will be your death anniversary."

Then, turning back to his men, he shouted, "I'll charge first! You lot of useless cowards, follow closely behind!"

Hearing this, the Northern Barbarian cavalrymen finally managed to muster their drive once more.

Their commander was so formidable; all they needed to do was provide backup support.

"Kill!"

With a resounding battle cry from their leader, the Northern Barbarian cavalry spurred their swift horses forward to meet Li Dao head-on.

The horsemen following behind immediately launched another charge.

"Boy, taste my blade!"

The Northern Barbarian leader reached Li Dao in an instant, simultaneously swinging his long saber downward.

The blow descended from the air, carrying boundless momentum alongside the leader's indomitable, peerless aura—resembling a ferocious tiger opening its giant maw, lunging straight for Li Dao's face.

Screech!

The next second, a spray of fresh blood painted the air as a human head soared high into the sky before plummeting to the ground.

Li Dao held his blade, gazing down at the unblinking, lifeless head of the Northern Barbarian leader, and murmured softly, "Good aura. Pity it's useless."

In a single encounter, the Northern Barbarian leader had perished under Li Dao's blade.

This was precisely what made Li Dao so terrifying: the enhancement of his physical body brought about a complete, flawless elevation in every single aspect of his being.

With his current physique—nearly a hundred times that of an ordinary person—levels below Xiantian martial artists posed zero threat to him.

In a head-on collision, no Houtian martial artist could withstand a single blow from him.

Therefore, whether it was a first-rank Houtian or an ordinary mortal, to him, it was always just a matter of a single strike.

This kind of strike, Li Dao liked to call it by another name:

The 'Equality of All Beings Blade'.