Chapter 72

If it were just the artificial humans, they indeed posed no significant threat to the remaining Divine Strategy Army.

Without Bai Chen, the powerful fighter, the role of the artificial humans was greatly diminished.

Especially the remaining few bodyguards, who attacked with reckless abandon.

Although the artificial humans were incredibly strong, they could not harm these bodyguards with innate cultivation, and thus were helpless.

After several rounds of attacks, Bai Chen had become a blood-soaked figure, with no inch of his body left unscathed.

Suddenly, a sound of charging troops came from the edge of the battlefield. A group of black-clothed figures emerged from the grass.

Bai Chen and the artificial humans initially thought it was reinforcements for the Divine Strategy Army, and their hearts sank.

But upon closer inspection, these black-clothed figures immediately engaged the Divine Strategy Army in close combat, and they breathed a sigh of relief.

These black-clothed figures were incredibly skilled, especially the two leaders.

One of them wielded a heavy crossbow, yet there was no sense of weight. Each shot from the crossbow pinned a Divine Strategy Army soldier, and occasionally, a single shot would take down two. His crossbow skills were exquisite, with hidden mechanisms and sleeve arrows that killed silently.

The other black-clothed figure was clearly a young woman, her face veiled but her beautiful features still visible. She held a dagger and moved like a swallow, each strike leaving a trail of blood. When a target was farther away, she would release hidden weapons, and her skill with the death needle was astonishing.

Under the leadership of these two black-clothed figures, the others also displayed their strengths. Although their cultivation was not as high as the two leaders, they moved freely among the fleeing soldiers.

Even if Bai Chen had no experience, he could tell who these people were: the Tang Sect!

Although Bai Chen was a novice in the martial world, he had gradually learned about the two top sects in Shu, the Ten Thousand Flower Valley and the Tang Sect, through his time in Qingzhou City.

Even the two venerables of the Ten Thousand Flower Valley, the Medicine Venerable and the Poison Venerable, held the Tang Sect in high regard.

The Tang Sect was not known for direct combat but for their mechanisms and hidden weapons. What truly made the Tang Sect famous and a top sect was their unique puppets.

The previous leader of the Tang Sect, Tang Xuantian, had once been the leader of the Four Continents Alliance and led the campaign against the Northern Miao Tianyi Sect. After the conflict ended, he stepped down and disappeared from the martial world, leaving behind countless speculations.

At this moment, a graceful voice sounded in Bai Chen's ear. The leading woman came to his side, pulled down her veil, and said, "Friend, how are your injuries? This is our sect's healing pill, the Qingxuan Pill, which can temporarily suppress internal injuries and restore a small amount of internal energy."

Without hesitation, Bai Chen took the pill. He didn't think it would be very effective, as he had many healing pills he had refined himself. Perhaps due to the Xuanhu Gong, ordinary pills could not alleviate his injuries, and he had to rely on the self-healing ability of the Xuanhu Gong.

However, he couldn't refuse the other party's kindness, and accepting the pill was a way to show goodwill.

"Thanks, beautiful lady."

Fang Ziyuan smiled, unperturbed by Bai Chen's rudeness. Bai Chen felt like he was basking in a warm breeze. She turned, extended her finger, and a silver light flashed, causing a bodyguard who was about to ambush them to fall silently.

Suddenly, another group of troops charged out. The leader was young, riding a white horse, wielding a cherry blossom spear, and wearing silver armor. Under the moonlight, his sharp brows and extraordinary appearance were striking, and he issued a command to attack.

The soldiers behind him were like fierce tigers, their combat skills surpassing those of the Divine Strategy Army. The moment they engaged the Divine Strategy Army, it was like a tidal wave.

The Divine Strategy Army was already in disarray, and the arrival of new enemies left them with no courage to fight. Faced with the Tang Sect disciples and the young general and his elite soldiers, they were powerless to resist.

"Divine Strategy Army? Brother Zhao!" Fang Ziyuan's face lit up as she looked at the silver-armored general, feeling a surge of joy.

Zhao Mo rode his white horse to Fang Ziyuan's side, glanced at Bai Chen, then at Fang Ziyuan, his face still fierce. "Fang Ziyuan, who told you to charge recklessly? Take your fellow disciples and get out of here, don't get in the way."

"Brother Zhao, I..."

Fang Ziyuan looked like a wronged wife, biting her lower lip, unwilling, and her gaze wandering.

Bai Chen, who had a good impression of Fang Ziyuan, was angry at the white horse general's harsh words: "Is this your territory?"

However, Zhao Mo showed no anger at Bai Chen's rudeness and instead saluted with his spear. "I am Zhao Mo of the Heavenly Strategy Mansion. I admire your bravery in facing a thousand enemies alone."

With that, Zhao Mo spurred his horse and charged back into the chaos.

Bai Chen was quite frustrated. Zhao Mo was harsh to Fang Ziyuan but polite to him, a stark contrast.

The Heavenly Strategy Army was clear about their friends and enemies, treating both the Tang Sect disciples and the artificial humans with respect.

In a short time, the Divine Strategy Army was almost completely annihilated, with the Xu family general committing suicide on the battlefield.

After the slaughter, without Zhao Mo's orders, the Heavenly Strategy Army spontaneously reorganized and counted their casualties.

In comparison, the Tang Sect disciples, though not suffering any fatalities, only had a few minor injuries, but their formation was chaotic and disorganized, making the difference clear.

Zhao Mo, leading his horse, came to Bai Chen with Tang Jian, his eyes filled with admiration. "I am Zhao Mo of the Heavenly Strategy Mansion. What is your name, brother?"

"Wuliang Sect, Bai Chen."

Fang Ziyuan exclaimed, "Aren't you one of the Three Heroes and Four Heroes?"

"Who are the Three Heroes and Four Heroes? I've never heard of them."

To Fang Ziyuan and Tang Jian, this was incredibly arrogant.

Bai Chen not being one of the Three Heroes and Four Heroes lowered his status in their eyes.

However, Zhao Mo's expression did not change. To him, Bai Chen was a born military genius.

This time, he had brought a thousand troops, equal in number to the Divine Strategy Army led by Wu Mouzi.

He was skilled in charging into battle but found Wu Mouzi's cunning strategies very troublesome.

In previous battles, he had suffered significant losses and was still troubled by how to reduce casualties.

He never expected that Bai Chen and the artificial humans, just two "people," would completely annihilate the Divine Strategy Army.

Even Wu Mouzi, one of the Seven Officials under the Flame King, was killed on the spot, an unprecedented victory.

It was said that in the Heavenly Strategy Mansion, the Grand Commander Li Chengfeng once said that Wu Mouzi was worth ten thousand elite soldiers.

This showed how formidable Wu Mouzi was, yet he was killed by an unknown young man in this small Qing Shui Town, which made Zhao Mo feel somewhat incredulous.

For Zhao Mo, who disliked people from the martial world, Bai Chen was the person he most admired.

"Brother Zhao, why are you here?" Fang Ziyuan interjected, her eyes filled with stars, nothing else.

Zhao Mo's face darkened. "Only your Tang Sect can come here, but the Heavenly Strategy Mansion cannot?"

"Brother Zhao, that's not what I meant. Please listen to me." Fang Ziyuan was in a hurry, afraid that Zhao Mo would misunderstand, and she waved her hands.

At this moment, Fang Ziyuan had none of the coolness of a martial world person, looking like a wronged wife, her face tense and anxious.

"Why do you always speak harshly to Miss Fang?" Bai Chen frowned, slightly annoyed.

Although Zhao Mo was very polite to him, he treated Fang Ziyuan like a mortal enemy.

Zhao Mo was taken aback. Bai Chen thought Zhao Mo would be angry, but unexpectedly, Zhao Mo saluted Fang Ziyuan. "Miss Fang, I apologize for my earlier rudeness." However, his apology sounded stiff, more like a grudge.

Fang Ziyuan bit her lower lip, her head lowered, feeling wronged, and dared not speak again to anger Zhao Mo.

Bai Chen found their expressions strange and looked at Tang Jian, who did not stand up for his junior sister, making him even more puzzled.

Even as an outsider, Bai Chen could not stand it. How could Tang Jian, as a senior, allow others to repeatedly humiliate his junior sister?

Tang Jian quietly shook his head at Bai Chen, as if warning him not to get involved in their affairs.

At this moment, there was a commotion at the front of the Heavenly Strategy Army. A soldier reported, "General, three people are looking for someone. The guards have stopped them. Please give orders."

Bai Chen saw from a distance that the newcomers were Qin Kelan, holding the unconscious Yuan He, and Guan Dongtian, walking with a wooden cane, struggling.

After the guards let them through, Qin Kelan rushed to Bai Chen, almost embracing him without regard for Yuan He.

"Bai Chen, you must not take such risks again. If you do, I will die before you." Qin Kelan's face was not good, as Bai Chen's earlier recklessness had made her very worried. Although she saw that Bai Chen was safe, her emotions were still unsettled.

"Are these your fellow disciples, Brother Bai?" Zhao Mo was polite to Bai Chen's companions.

"My name is Qin Kelan." Qin Kelan glanced at Bai Chen, her face flushed, and she lowered her head shyly.

"I am Guan Dongtian."

"Are you Guan Dongtian?" Zhao Mo suddenly exclaimed, pointing at Guan Dongtian in surprise.

No one expected Zhao Mo to react so strongly. Bai Chen stood up, blocking Guan Dongtian, as Guan Dongtian was a bandit and Zhao Mo an official, naturally at odds.

"Guan Dongtian? Aren't you the notorious bandit who terrorized several cities?" Tang Jian looked at Guan Dongtian with a strange expression, seeing his bandit-like appearance, and was almost certain of his identity.

Suddenly, Zhao Mo knelt down, bowing three times, his eyes filled with gratitude.

"I am Zhao Mo, on behalf of my mother and the tens of thousands of people in Xizhou, I thank you, Great Hero Guan, for saving our lives."

"Brother Zhao, why are you doing this?" Tang Jian, who had known Zhao Mo for a long time, had never seen him show such respect to anyone.