Chapter 40

It was night, the sky a deep indigo.

The sky was filled with stars like pieces of glass, forming a romantic Milky Way along the eastern horizon, stretching endlessly into the vast universe.

The stars slowly moved, as if they would all pour into the void of the ocean after many years, but the earth beneath always remained illuminated by their brilliance, and star clusters from another universe would follow the wind of time to this place...

Zhu Minglang was now amidst this river of stars.

But on the starlit path, a figure flying with a sword in hand made Zhu Minglang completely forget the brilliance of the stars above, as if all the starlight was merely a foil for her!

Li Yunzi was already beautiful like a celestial being, and now, as she flew with her sword, she resembled a fairy from the legend who resided in the Moon Palace...

She was indeed a Divine Mortal.

The sword thread was her Divine Mortal manifestation!

No wonder she had always been known as a Valkyrie!

This ability to fly with a sword distinguished her from ordinary people, and even made some Dragon Tamers envious!

In a city-state, one might see many Dragon Tamers, but Divine Mortals were extremely rare, almost impossible to achieve through postnatal cultivation. Most were ancient divine legacies, and required a very special constitution.

Divine Mortals could surpass human limits and use extraordinary abilities like some ancient powerful creatures.

Unfortunately, Divine Mortals were not superior to truly powerful Dragon Tamers.

Some Divine Mortals could not even withstand the dragon swarm attacks of Dragon Venerables.

Moreover, Divine Mortals did not have spirit domains, so they could not raise dragons.

Ahead, numerous dark shadows appeared, arranged in a line like migrating geese, flying toward the eastern territory.

Li Yunzi's silver-threaded sword was clearly faster than those flying figures in the night sky. She lightly stepped on the sword, and the silver sword beneath Zhu Minglang and Li Yunzi simultaneously accelerated, catching up to the dark shadows ahead.

The Flying Bird Corps, now racing through the night sky, were the elite of Zulong City, heading to Ronggu City.

A large group of pseudo-dragons, flapping their wings in unison, created a massive airflow that enveloped the entire long formation of the Flying Bird Corps. In this airflow cycle, even if some pseudo-dragons were exhausted, they could glide using their wings without falling out of formation.

The Flying Bird Corps moved very quickly, and it would not take long to reach Ronggu City. Given the current situation in Ronggu City, the city lord Zheng Yu should be able to hold out until the arrival of this force.

"It's the Lady!"

Some of the Flying Bird soldiers in the rear saw Li Yunzi and Zhu Minglang flying with swords and were surprised.

They had heard of Li Yunzi's reputation and occasionally seen her in the military, but this was the first time they witnessed her flying like a sword immortal!

"General Lu." Li Yunzi passed through the entire Flying Bird Corps and intercepted the commander leading the corps.

"Lady, what is it?" General Lu asked in confusion.

"Take half of the soldiers back to Zulong City, and the other half will follow me to Ronggu City." Li Yunzi said.

General Lu was about to question her, but Li Yunzi threw the military command token to the general riding the winged dragon.

After receiving the token, General Lu fell into deep thought. After a moment, he returned the token to Li Yunzi and asked, "How is the situation in the west?"

"Once you return to the city, you will know. Bring what I need to the front line as soon as possible." Li Yunzi did not say more to the general.

The general of the Flying Bird Corps saluted and instructed two deputy generals to follow Li Yunzi's orders.

The two deputy generals were puzzled.

With half of the Flying Bird Corps dispatched, the remaining half, though powerful and fearless, would find it difficult to fight against the tens of thousands of rioters. It was a risky move!

Li Yunzi continued to command the troops, still flying with her sword. At this moment, one of the deputy generals whispered something, and Li Yunzi turned and sliced off the deputy general's ear with a sword.

The deputy general was both shocked and angry but did not dare to make any move, only covering his bleeding ear with his hand.

"Control your subordinates. If anyone else speaks out, they will lose more than just their ears!" Li Yunzi was like an iceberg, her frosty and powerful aura instilling fear.

The deputy general did not dare to say another word and stepped back. The long formation behind also witnessed their commander losing an ear and fell silent.

Soon, the entire Flying Bird Corps resumed their orderly formation and flew eastward, the atmosphere no longer as casual as before.

...

Two giant mountain ranges intersected at the end of the Lichuan Plain, separating the wasteland from the territory of Zulong City. Dongxu Fort stood on the eastern slope of the mountain range, while Ronggu City was on the west side, only fifty miles apart.

Crossing the mountains was impractical, as the steep cliffs made it difficult for troops to move. To truly enter the Lichuan Plain, one had to pass through Ronggu City.

But the tall fortress walls could not stop the tens of thousands of rioters. How long could this small Ronggu City hold out?

The rioting army was endless, now trapped between the fort and Ronggu City. They were like a pack of hungry beasts, their momentum unstoppable. Once the floodwaters from the lake receded, they would unleash their fury on the residents of Ronggu City, drinking blood and eating flesh, which was not an exaggeration.

The Flying Bird Corps hovered in the air, finding the situation before them almost unbelievable.

The vast rioting army was densely packed outside the valley, even these battle-hardened soldiers felt a sense of fear. Yet, the fragile ancient city still stood.

Facing the enemy at the city gates, it stubbornly resisted without tall walls or elite warriors, relying only on the lake and a thousand archers on the high ground!

If they had not seen it with their own eyes, how could they believe that Ronggu City had held off the rioting army and delayed the arrival of the reinforcements?

"A miracle!!"

"This is the will of the gods, those outcasts rejected by the gods do not deserve to step into the Lichuan Plain!" said the deputy general whose ear had stopped bleeding.

"Lady, I will lead a hundred men to attack from above the lake and crush those restless rioters," said the other long-browed deputy general, volunteering.

The Flying Bird pseudo-dragons were already fierce predators to ordinary soldiers. Many of them were still in the narrow road, and at this moment, a direct dive attack would be as easy as an eagle catching a chick!

"I will make up for my mistake and lead the troops to fight head-on!" said the deputy general with half an ear.

Li Yunzi did not rush to give orders. She stood on the silver sword, observing the entire situation.

"Lady, please give orders quickly. The water in the lake is about to drain. Once these rioters break into Ronggu City, no matter how fast we kill, we cannot save everyone," said the long-browed deputy general.

"Stand by in the air." Li Yunzi said.

"They are about to cross the lake!"

"Stand by!" Li Yunzi repeated.

The two deputy generals were anxious but could only salute respectfully.

"Minglang, go to Ronggu City and reassure the citizens," Li Yunzi said to Zhu Minglang.

"I actually..." Zhu Minglang wanted to speak, but the silver sword beneath his feet suddenly accelerated, flying straight toward Ronggu City.

At the city gate of Ronggu City, City Lord Zheng Yu opened his mouth wide, watching Zhu Minglang forced to fly with a sword, and then wobbling and unsteady, jumping off the sword.

"Zhu... Brother Zhu??" Zheng Yu quickly walked forward, confirming that this was indeed the student from the Dragon Taming Academy, and his tired face showed a look of joy, "It's Brother Zhu who brought the reinforcements. I, Zheng Yu, on behalf of all the citizens of Ronggu City, thank you!"

Zheng Yu bowed meticulously, which made Zhu Minglang feel somewhat ashamed and hurriedly helped him up.

"The citizens of Ronggu City are protected by you. I am just a messenger, an observer," Zhu Minglang said.

"Is that the Lady flying with a sword?" Zheng Yu asked, looking up.

"Yes."

"Brother Zhu, are you acquainted with the Lady?" Zheng Yu asked.

"Um, slightly." Zhu Minglang felt this question was a bit sharp.

"The Flying Bird Corps appearing in the east is not a good sign!" Zheng Yu did not rejoice at the arrival of the reinforcements but sighed deeply.

"Why?" Zhu Minglang did not understand Zheng Yu's concern.

"I am still foolish, overlooking the current situation in Zulong City. The day the eastern fort is breached is the day Lingxiao City will launch a major attack on our western territory. Now that the elite Flying Bird Corps of Zulong City have come to the east to quell the riots, our western cities are likely to be captured. We have held Ronggu City but lost the bigger picture!" Zheng Yu was full of self-reproach.

The people of Ronggu City are people, and the people of the western cities are also people. With Lingxiao City's brutality, they would show no mercy to the civilians in the western cities!

Zhu Minglang did not know much about the situation in Zulong City, but after hearing Zheng Yu's analysis, he immediately understood Luo Xiao's actions.

Luo Xiao must have already colluded with Lingxiao City. Once the fort was breached, he immediately informed Lingxiao City and then intercepted all messengers, delaying the war reports to Zulong City, making it difficult for Zulong City to handle both fronts, leading to a near collapse!

What a wicked heart!

"Even if it is of no help, please inform the Lady on my behalf," Zheng Yu said.

"Brother Zheng, don't worry. When Lingxiao City clashed with us, they suffered a setback. The enemy general was captured, and when I left the council hall, the envoy of Lingxiao City was kneeling to write a surrender document, with the Lady personally filling in the names of the cities to be ceded," Zhu Minglang said.

"Really??" Zheng Yu asked in surprise.

"Really."