Chapter 54 Blocking the Road Alone

Li Dao relied on brute force to continuously leverage his momentum, quickly leaping to the highest point of the canyon.

Looking along the canyon's fissure, he spotted in the distance the charging Northern Barbarian cavalry and, in hot pursuit behind them, the cavalry of the Yellow Sand Town Garrison.

No matter how one looked at it, there seemed to be no possibility of the Yellow Sand Town cavalry catching up to the Northern Barbarian cavalry; the gap would only widen further.

With this thought, he cast his gaze towards the far end of the canyon.

"I should be able to catch them."

Harboring this idea, Li Dao hoisted his box on his back and began running along the canyon cliffs toward the far end.

As he picked up the pace, his speed grew increasingly rapid, covering dozens of meters in the blink of an eye—faster than riding a horse. This was why he had abandoned his horse to pursue them on foot.

At his current speed, almost no animal could run faster than him.

......

Inside the canyon.

The Northern Barbarian leader led his cavalry as they continuously wove through the canyon.

The rubble on the canyon floor was completely useless against them; they easily dodged it.

The group couldn't help laughing heartily as they watched the Great Qian cavalry relentlessly pursuing them from behind without ever closing the distance.

"You Great Qian dogs in the back, did you forget to drink your mother's milk? Why are you running so slowly?"

"Is that all the skill you Great Qian people have? How dare you even think of fighting us on the plains?"

"If you ask me, you'd better hurry home and hand this grassland over to us Northern Barbarians."

The Northern Barbarian cavalry shouted back and forth, their voices loud and amplified by the canyon's echoes.

Even amidst the chaotic sound of hooves, Zhao Tong and the others heard every word clearly.

Each of them was so angry their teeth itched, yet they were utterly powerless to do anything about it.

"Dammit, if I ever get my hands on you, I'll tear the mouths off this bunch of scum!"

Zhao Tong cursed through gritted teeth, unable to contain his rage.

As they pressed on through the twists and turns.

The Northern Barbarian leader suddenly caught sight of a flash of bright light ahead, realizing they had reached the canyon exit.

"Hahaha, boys, it looks like the Great Qian folks are making fools of themselves for us again today."

The Northern Barbarian leader laughed heartily.

With that, he continued, "Alright, today's mission is accomplished, time to head back. Let those fellows behind play by themselves."

"Understood!"

Hearing this, the surrounding Northern Barbarian cavalry also burst into loud laughter.

Behind them, Zhao Tong and his men soon spotted the canyon exit in the distance, and their expressions instantly turned dark.

If the Northern Barbarian cavalry managed to escape through there, catching them would become even harder.

At that thought, he felt a suffocating frustration, his strength having nowhere to vent.

Seeing the canyon exit drawing closer, the Northern Barbarian cavalry instinctively whipped their horses to charge through.

However, right at that moment...

A thunderous roar!

A deafening sound erupted from above the canyon exit.

The next second, a massive amount of shattered rock began tumbling down from the top of the exit.

The Northern Barbarian leader, who had just rushed to this spot, saw his expression change instantly.

"Fall back!"

At his command, the surrounding Northern Barbarian cavalry reacted quickly, wheeling their horses around and retreating in unison.

With a loud clatter, rocks and soil poured down continuously, quickly piling up into a small steep slope right in front of them, blocking their path.

After regaining his composure, the Northern Barbarian leader observed the situation carefully and let out a long sigh of relief inwardly.

Although the road was partially blocked, it was still barely manageable for horses to climb over.

If it had been completely blocked, they would have been forced into battle with the enraged Great Qian soldiers behind them.

The mere thought of the casualties from their previous direct clashes made him shiver.

Glancing back at the rapidly approaching Great Qian cavalry, fearing that delays would bring unexpected trouble, he immediately ordered, "Everyone, speed up your horses and pull out of the canyon! Don't let them catch up!"

Hearing this, the Northern Barbarian cavalry realized the gravity of the situation and wasted no time.

The leading Northern Barbarian cavalrymen spurred their horses directly up the steep slope, with the rest following closely behind.

Just as the foremost riders were about to surmount the slope, a sudden commotion echoed from the sky.

The Northern Barbarian cavalry instinctively raised their heads, only to see a humanoid shadow plunging down from above the canyon.

With a resounding crash!

The figure landed precisely at the top of the steep slope, blocking the direct path of the Northern Barbarian cavalry.

"Cough, cough."

Li Dao brushed the dust from before his eyes, looked at the crowd of Northern Barbarian cavalry ahead, let out a sigh of relief, and muttered to himself, "Good thing I made it in time. If I'd let them get away, I probably wouldn't have been able to sleep tonight."

The Northern Barbarian leader was startled by the sudden appearance of this person. Recovering his wits, he instinctively demanded, "Who are you?"

Hearing this, Li Dao chuckled lightly. "What time is it, and you still have the leisure to ask who I am?"

Seeing this, how could the Northern Barbarian leader fail to realize that this person was here to cause trouble?

As the sound of approaching hooves grew clearer, he knew he couldn't wait any longer. Whoever this person was, anyone blocking their path had to die.

Therefore, he immediately issued the order: "Kill him and charge through!"

Hearing the command, the frontline Northern Barbarian cavalry did not hesitate, resolutely spurting their horses toward Li Dao.

At this sight, Li Dao smiled faintly.

He reached back to sling the dark iron saber at his waist onto his back, then unlatched the box beside him, revealing the dragon-patterned halberd within.

Caressing the halberd shaft, Li Dao muttered to himself, "It's time to test this peerless halberd technique."

When the first Northern Barbarian cavalryman charged right up to Li Dao, he drew the curved saber at his waist and slashed fiercely.

The next second, a piercing sound rang out.

The Northern Barbarian cavalryman was hoisted directly into the air by a single thrust of the long halberd.

A large amount of fresh blood continuously splashed onto the ground.

At the same time, Li Dao discovered yet another wondrous property of the dragon-patterned halberd: it did not retain blood. The gore simply did not flow down along the halberd shaft.

With a sharp thud!

Li Dao flicked the halberd tip, and the corpse was flung directly away.

The long-absent system prompt chimed in his ear:

[Killed one enemy, obtained attribute: 0.23]

Looking at the remaining stunned Northern Barbarian cavalry, Li Dao crooked a finger at them. "Come on over."

Regaining his senses, the Northern Barbarian leader's face turned pitch black.

"All of you, attack together! I refuse to believe a single man can block so many of us."

"Charge!"

Amidst echoing battle cries, the rest of the Northern Barbarian cavalry launched a frantic charge toward Li Dao.

Because if they lingered here and let the Great Qian cavalry catch up, they would be in for a grim fate.

Facing the oncoming tide of cavalry, a flash of crimson crossed the depths of Li Dao's eyes as he grinned. "Well timed!"

He gripped the dragon-patterned halberd tightly in one hand and swept it horizontally.

With a shrieking tear!

The two frontline Northern Barbarian cavalrymen, along with their steeds, were cleaved cleanly in two by the astral qi coating the dragon-patterned halberd.

The cavalrymen behind could not react in time, continuing to charge forward wave after wave.

"Peerless! Wild Dance!"

Li Dao swung the dragon-patterned halberd, painting countless afterimages in the air.

In an instant, his entire figure seemed to transform into a meat grinder.

Any Northern Barbarian cavalryman who charged within his designated perimeter was instantly hacked into multiple pieces, blood spraying in all directions.

In the span of a few brief moments, dozens of Northern Barbarian cavalrymen had died beneath his dragon-patterned halberd.

Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed through the air.

A Northern Barbarian cavalryman leaped over the heads of the crowd with a look of ecstatic surprise on his face, attempting to fly past Li Dao's blockade from above.

The next second, a long halberd pierced through the air.

Driving upward straight from the horse's belly, it impaled both the steed and the rider on its back simultaneously.

Looking closely, that Northern Barbarian cavalryman—man and horse alike—was hoisted high into the air on the tip of a single-handedly wielded halberd.

At that second, all the Northern Barbarian cavalry fell completely silent, their eyes fixed on this scene, unable to recover for a long time.

Feeling the droplets of blood splattering against his cheek, Li Dao flicked his right wrist.

With a sharp rip!

The man and horse impaled on the halberd instantly tore apart into four or five pieces, flesh and blood scattering across the ground.

As for this, Li Dao felt not a single ripple of negative emotion; what he felt was pure exhilaration.

Having witnessed the cruelty of that batch of Northern Barbarians in Peach Blossom Village, his impression of them had reached a level of visceral hatred.

To put it simply, killing these Northern Barbarians felt completely free of psychological burden, much like how his past-life self would feel killing Japanese invaders.

Shaking the fresh blood off the dragon-patterned halberd, Li Dao lifted his brow to reveal a pair of spirited eyes, pointed his long halberd at the remaining Northern Barbarian cavalry, and broke into a brilliant smile.

"Gentlemen, why aren't you stepping up to meet your deaths?"

These words pierced the hearts of every Northern Barbarian cavalryman like a sharp thorn.

Looking at the blood-drenched Li Dao bathed in the evening twilight, alongside the sea of severed limbs belonging to their compatriots scattered all around.

At this moment, in the minds of these Northern Barbarians, the figure before them no longer looked human—he looked like a homicidal ghost.

"Ahhhhh! I can't take it anymore!"

Suddenly, unable to bear the psychological pressure inflicted by Li Dao any longer, a Northern Barbarian cavalryman wheeled his horse around and fled in panic.

This act of flight seemed to ignite some kind of switch, and many other Northern Barbarian cavalrymen chose to run as well.

In their minds right now, facing this murderous ghost blocking their path offered zero chance of survival, whereas fighting desperately against the Great Qian cavalry behind them might at least afford a sliver of hope for escape.

"Don't run, none of you run!"

The Northern Barbarian leader yelled in exasperation at this sight.

But by now, his authority was completely gone. From the moment he chose not to fight the Great Qian cavalry head-on, such an outcome was destined to befall him sooner or later.

Watching the fleeing soldiers, the Northern Barbarian leader turned his glare back to Li Dao and gritted his teeth. "Playing ghosts, are you? Go to hell!"

With that, he brandished the curved saber at his waist and lunged straight toward Li Dao.

Mid-air, the curved saber was cloaked in a faint, hazy layer of true qi.

In a fraction of a second, Li Dao deduced the cultivation level of this Northern Barbarian leader.

Judging from the wispy true qi, this was a Postnatal First-Rank peak martial artist—specifically, one who had already touched the threshold of the Innate realm.

If given a bit more time, he might genuinely have had a chance to break through.

Unfortunately, that time was gone.

Without entering the Innate realm, one was no different from an ant in front of Li Dao.

Facing the oncoming Northern Barbarian leader, Li Dao's gaze remained serene.

He thrust his dragon-patterned halberd forward with lightning speed, aiming straight for that incoming blade.

In a flash, the curved saber and the dragon-patterned halberd collided.

With a sharp crack!

Instantly, under Li Dao's terrifying strength, fractures webbed across the entire curved saber.

The Northern Barbarian leader's face turned instantly ashen.

Yet at this point, he no longer had any room for regret.

With a wet squelch!

The dragon-patterned halberd paused for a mere split second before shattering the curved saber entirely, driving straight through the Northern Barbarian leader's neck.

Li Dao flicked his wrist casually, tossing the Northern Barbarian leader away like a tattered cloth sack.

After struggling on the ground for a few seconds, the man breathed his last.

[Killed one enemy, obtained attribute: 3.41]

Those remaining Northern Barbarian cavalrymen who had stayed behind, waiting for their leader to work a miracle instead of fleeing, froze completely at this sight.

A dignified Postnatal First-Rank peak expert—someone who was just a single step away from breaking through to the Innate realm—had been casually dealt with as if he were mere garbage?

By now, those who finally snapped out of it realized there was zero possibility of them opposing the person before them.

They instantly decided to join those terrified deserters and turn back to fight the Great Qian cavalry for their lives.

"Trying to hand over free kills?"

Li Dao quickly caught onto their intentions.

In his view, these Northern Barbarian cavalrymen were purely trying to gift his hard-earned kill points to his teammates. How could he possibly tolerate that?

He was carrying this entire operation solo; suffering a stolen kill at this stage would be a terrible loss.

He immediately hoisted his dragon-patterned halberd and gave chase.

And thus, the following scene unfolded.

Li Dao, all by himself, carrying a dragon-patterned halberd, chased after a whole herd of Northern Barbarian cavalry to slaughter them.

On the other side.

Zhao Tong was leading a relentless pursuit, growing increasingly desperate as they drew closer to the canyon exit.

Yet just as they were about to give up, what did they see?

The Northern Barbarian cavalry were actually turning around and charging back toward them!

Regardless of whether this was some conspiracy or if the Northern Barbarian cavalry had simply lost their minds, Zhao Tong had no intention of letting them go.

However, the closer the Northern Barbarian cavalry got, the stranger Zhao Tong's expression became.

Why didn't these Northern Barbarian cavalrymen look like they wanted to fight? They looked more like they were running for their lives.

What kind of monster in this damn place could possibly make them run like that?

Still, this was no longer the time to ponder such things. Zhao Tong raised his saber and barked an order: "Keep your eyes peeled! Not a single barbarian gets past us. Whoever lets one slip by will spend time in solitary confinement when we get back, understand?"

"Understood!"

Opposite them, the Northern Barbarian cavalry also noticed Zhao Tong and his men blocking the path.

Thinking of that terrifying man behind them, they could care less and charged forward with a reckless desperation.

"Kill!"

The Northern Barbarian cavalry roared and launched a reckless charge.

Zhao Tong shouted as well, leading his men into a charge of their own.

The two sides clashed in an instant.

Whether it was because they were stimulated by Li Dao or not, these remaining Northern Barbarian cavalrymen acted as though they had been pumped full of adrenaline, their combat prowess skyrocketing for a brief moment.

Meanwhile.

Further back, Li Dao had chased them all the way here, only to find that the remaining Northern Barbarian cavalry had already engaged the Yellow Sand Town garrison.

Watching the soldiers of the Yellow Sand Town garrison hack away at the Northern Barbarian cavalry with their sabers, he felt a slight sense of helplessness—these Northern Barbarians were giving away their lives far too quickly.