The Demon Lords-Chapter 698 - 142: Never Retreat! _1

History is written by people. In other words, seemingly grand historical narratives, with a single stroke of the pen, are composed of one ordinary individual after another.

Take, for instance, the current predicament: the meeting of the two sides, under the watchful eyes of thousands. Yet, before the main generals of each side could utter a word or even exchange greetings, in the blink of an eye, both leaders wheeled their horses around, charging back toward their respective armies.

Instead, the flag bearers of the two sides, originally intended as minor characters or mere backdrops, began a duel!

Those unaware of the situation might be astounded, but such is the wondrous peculiarity of worldly affairs, often beyond comprehension.

The moment the Sword Saint sensed Geremu's intent to flee, his sword was drawn. The Golden Sash and all diplomatic phrases prepared by General Zheng remained unused. Red wine, candlelight, piano music, roses, a waterbed, certain granules... all were prepared, yet nothing came to pass. However, this was not the time for regret. When immortals fight, mortals must hide!

The gates of the Snow Sea outpost were flung open and, at the same time, Liang Cheng led two hundred cavalrymen in a preemptive charge. Regardless of whether the Wild People were giving chase, they had to get out first to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances. If there were expert Wild People or an army pursuing their general, these two hundred men would have to guard the rear. One could say these were two hundred men of sacrifice, ready to risk their lives for Zheng Fan.

Fortunately, it seemed Geremu had no intention of killing Zheng Fan, so unlike Zheng Fan, there was no precautionary setup on Geremu's side. But to be safe, even though Zheng Fan had already passed the two hundred cavalrymen led by Liang Cheng, Liang Cheng still didn't order a halt and return. Instead, he continued to charge forward, ensuring utmost safety for his lord by preventing any unexpected events.

After their general wheeled his horse around, the Wild People regiment holding the rear was momentarily confused. What was this? The negotiations hadn't even begun, and their leader was already retreating? It took a while before two thousand cavalrymen stormed out from both wings of the formation, trying to guard Geremu's retreat.

At the true center of the stage, the Sword Saint had already drawn his sword and lunged forward when Hasi burst into laughter, "HAHAHAHA! Yu Huaping, it's really you! You actually went to be a dog for the Yan people!"

The Sword Saint's gaze hardened, his aura completely locking onto Hasi.

"You, whom I've defeated before! Taste my sword again!"

I don't recognize you, but you look familiar. Therefore, you must be one of those I've defeated before. It's normal for me not to recognize you, as I have defeated so many. This was the Sword Saint's logic and worldview—seemingly arbitrary, yet remarkably accurate.

"Yu Huaping, your Jin State has fallen, yet you still dare to flaunt your Sword Saint prestige! This time, I will not lose to you again! Stars above, protect your people!" As he invoked the spell, a blue light surged.

A swordsman is recognized on the street as having the deadliest offense. As the pinnacle among them, when engaging the Sword Saint, anyone with a functional brain would know to prepare their defenses first. Even back then, outside the capital city of the Jin State, when Lord Jingnan dueled the Sword Saint, he first sought to wear down the Sword Saint's energy with his own martial stamina, rather than immediately seeking a decisive, life-or-death confrontation.

"Come, Yu Huaping!!!" Hasi let out a roar.

The Sword Saint came. Hasi spread his arms, diffusing the starlight, ready to receive the Sword Saint's strike!

However, the next moment, Hasi was stunned. The Sword Saint, who had seemed poised for a decisive duel after all the build-up, suddenly sidestepped. He swept past Hasi—the Sword Saint's blade never descended upon him. Touching down lightly, the Sword Saint pushed off again, bypassing Hasi and resuming his chase after the fleeing Geremu with even greater speed.

"YU HUAPING!!!!!!!!!!!" Hasi roared. You're the Sword Saint! The high and mighty Sword Saint! How could you toy with me like this!

Hasi still remembered seven years ago, when the Jin people were still powerful, their might looming over the Snow Plains. The Sword Saint of Jin State came to the Snow Plains, first finding the old priest, Hasi's own master. His master chose to concede directly, knowing he was old and could no longer withstand the Sword Saint's Sword Energy. And Hasi, then young and vigorous, volunteered to challenge the Jin State's Sword Saint. With a single strike, the Sword Saint shattered Hasi's starlight protection but spared his life, leaving behind only a single dismissive word: "Boring." Then, he left.

The Sword Saint was Hasi's Internal Devil, yet not one that inspired terror. Instead, this 'devil' constantly motivated Hasi to delve deeper into the power of the stars, hoping one day to find the Jin State's Sword Saint again. He didn't wish for revenge, but to defeat the Sword Saint before his very eyes and hurl those same two words back at him. No one knew that Hasi didn't harbor any hate towards the Sword Saint. Though defeated, he admired him.

Clad in flowing white, wielding a sword with peerless skill—throughout history, how many had harbored such a dream? How many youths, inspired by this vision, chose to dedicate their lives to the sword? Hasi was no different. However, he himself did not practice the sword. Yet, just as one who cannot paint can still appreciate masterpieces, he appreciated swords and the Sword Saint—even though he was one of the Wild People.

Zheng Fan himself had never expected that here, in this situation, the Sword Saint would encounter a previously defeated opponent who was also, essentially, his devoted fan.

Indeed, months of life as a city-gate guard—the water vats, children's toys, old women's chatter, and the gentleness of women—had taught the Sword Saint to sheathe his sharpest edges. But while he learned to sheathe his edge, his fundamental aura and temperament, much like his appearance, had not changed at all. Just like a modern stealth fighter, its stealth is merely "invisibility" to radar detection; to the naked eye, it remains perfectly visible.

It was precisely because he recognized the Sword Saint that Hasi had initially warned Geremu in a somewhat joking manner. It wasn't that he failed to grasp the gravity of the situation; rather, he was genuinely... thrilled. Such a reunion was truly a delightful surprise!

However, the dream shattered with shocking speed. The great Sword Saint had actually deceived him like this, bypassed him, and then continued to pursue his original target. This wasn't something the Sword Saint should do! How could the Sword Saint act like this?

In fact, the Sword Saint's change was ultimately due to one person. That person, however, had no time to explain at this moment; he was still galloping furiously on his horse, unable to even glance back at the unfolding scene.

Geremu rode his warhorse swiftly, but the Sword Saint gradually narrowed the distance. For with every touch of his toes to the ground, the Sword Saint released a strand of Sword Energy, forcibly augmenting his speed. The distance between them was shrinking rapidly.

Geremu felt the hairs on his nape bristle. Having crawled out from piles of corpses and followed the Wild King through countless life-or-death situations over the years, he naturally understood what this ominous premonition signified. Yu Huaping... the Jin State's Sword Saint... Damn it! It really *is* the Sword Saint! Hasi's jest had actually come true!

Ahead, the Wild People cavalry was galloping towards them, and Geremu saw a flicker of hope. He didn't dare to turn around to confront the Sword Saint because he knew that against such a terrifying existence, if the latter was determined to kill him, even if Geremu only gave him the chance for a single strike, the Sword Saint could still seize it. When a Sword Saint was bent on killing someone, the victim's desires were irrelevant.

Closer, closer, closer!

Thanks to Geremu's unhesitating decision to flee, he had bought himself precious reaction time. He could already hear the thundering hoofbeats of his own cavalry approaching from the front. However, the Sword Intent bearing down on him from behind showed no sign of abating or turning aside; it continued its relentless advance.

Damn it, why don't you retreat? Why don't you fall back? Two thousand cavalrymen are enough to trample you into paste! Even if you are a saint among swordsmen, you have no chance of escape!

In an open field, facing the thundering charge of a thousand cavalry, even a Third Rank Martial Cultivator would find it difficult to remain unmoved. In the past, Shatuo Queshi had single-handedly fought three thousand soldiers of the Beijin Army; though the spectacle was magnificent, the outcome was his death after his vitality and blood qi were completely exhausted. A swordsman's physique was inherently unsuited for, and incapable of, engaging in large-scale battles.

But the Sword Saint showed no signs of slowing. Instead, he continued to accelerate, maintaining his own rhythm. Ahead, the rolling hoofbeats kicked up dust. In the Sword Saint's eyes, it seemed as if this chaos didn't exist at all. In his line of sight, there was only one man and his mount.

Zheng Fan had said: Kill him. The tens of thousands of Wild People outside the city would be leaderless, and the siege would consequently halt. Moreover, this man was Jin, so he understood siegecraft far better than the Wild People. Kill him, and the Snow Sea Pass could be held with much greater certainty. If the Snow Sea Pass was held, all the Wild People forces that had entered through it would be trapped here, utterly! So long as this man before me dies!

The distance shrank further, reaching a perilous point where, even if the Sword Saint managed to kill Geremu, he would inevitably be surrounded by the two thousand Wild People cavalrymen. However, the Sword Saint still kept going forward, continuing to close the distance with the man in front. He had completely abandoned everything. A swordsman, single-minded, allows their blade to sweep away all obstacles! 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Geremu's heart leaped into his throat. He could sense that the Sword Intent behind him was not diminishing; instead, it was growing stronger. This meant that the terrifying entity, the living monument once worshipped by all martial cultivators in the lands of the Three Jin, was drawing ever closer.

Suddenly, the foremost Wild People cavalrymen charged in to intercept. They allowed Geremu to pass through their ranks while they fanned out in a crisscross pattern to block his pursuer. Two streams of Sword Energy shot out, piercing the chests of two Wild People riders at the fore. Two lines of blood spurted in their wake. This time, the Sword Saint's toes landed on the head of a warhorse. The next moment, the warhorse's skull exploded. Propelled by the force, the Sword Saint's speed reached its absolute peak. In an instant, he once again closed the distance to Geremu.

The Longyuan sword trembled. Sword Intent coalesced. He thrust!

In the past, beneath the walls of the imperial capital, facing thousands of the Beijin iron cavalry, Baili Sword had fled back into the city without making a single strike.

Today, he, Yu Huaping, would not retreat!