Chapter 10

"Luoyun, clear a path, let them roll away..." At this moment, Zichen's voice sounded again, and the group of captives saw the cavalry that had been surrounding them part to make a wide path, a path leading to the grasslands.

Could he really be planning to let them go?

However, no one took that step for a moment. Apart from worrying that Zichen might go back on his word, the bigger reason was that they understood that even if they returned to the grasslands, what would happen? The Great Khan's most beloved prince, Wanyan Guzhan, died in battle, and they had surrendered and become captives. Given the Great Khan's attitude towards those who surrendered, returning would mean certain death, not only for themselves but possibly for their families as well.

It might be better not to return. That way, at least the Great Khan would think they had died in battle and would not implicate their families.

"How about it? Don't want to go back? Are you afraid of the Great Khan's punishment? Or are you afraid I'll go back on my word? Rest assured, though I'm not old, I'm a man of my word and won't send anyone to chase you. If you want to leave, do it quickly..." Zichen said again, but to his surprise, no one left.

Though familiar with the Great Khan's character and knowing that these people would not escape death upon return, Zichen had thought that at least some would leave out of侥幸. After all, following him north would mean a life of slavery, and for these proud people, losing freedom was clearly more terrifying than death.

Their reluctance to leave clearly stemmed from other concerns, but Zichen was more satisfied with this outcome.

As for Luoyun and the others, they were all dumbfounded. No one had expected that none of the captives would choose to leave. This was a chance for them to go free. Had their minds gone crazy?

"It seems you know the consequences of leaving. Since none of you want to leave, I'll give you two more options. One, continue to be slaves. After heading north, you'll either become slave soldiers, cannon fodder against the Northern Savages, or laborers, to be enslaved. Two, swear allegiance to me in the name of the Great Demon God and become my soldiers. Of course, if you think swearing allegiance to a Han person is beneath your dignity, you can challenge me. If you kill me and bring my head back to your Khan, perhaps he will spare your lives." Zichen said coldly.

He knew that his elder brother, who had given him this task, would never let such an opportunity to eliminate him pass. With only three thousand cavalry, escorting twenty thousand captives from the edge of the Western Wasteland to the Northern Transport City was a pipe dream. Any group of grassland cavalry could incite these captives, and he would have to flee. If he failed to complete the mission, he would be executed according to military law. He didn't want to die, so the only way was to give these desperate captives a glimmer of hope, making them his soldiers. If they swore allegiance to him, he would have twenty-three thousand soldiers, a formidable force that only the Great Khan himself could challenge.

As for the issue of their loyalty after swearing, Zichen wasn't too worried. Unlike the people of the Tang Empire, the grassland demons were extremely devout to their deities. Once they made a promise in the name of the grassland god, they would never break it, or they would be abandoned by the god even in death. Even if some didn't believe, Zichen had ways to make them his most loyal soldiers.

"How do we know your men won't let us go if we challenge you?" At this moment, a loud voice sounded from among the captives.

Zichen looked closely and saw a man over two meters tall.

"Luoyun, pass my order. If these guys really kill me, let them go. Anyone who obstructs them will be disobeying military orders." Zichen said coldly.

"Yes, sir!" Luoyun, though worried, agreed, remembering Zichen's terrifying arrows.

"Now, you can challenge me with peace of mind..." A cold smile appeared on Zichen's lips as he jumped off his horse, casually discarding his longbow, and stood before the twenty thousand captives with his hands behind his back.

Seeing such confidence in Zichen, the man who had spoken in the crowd was stunned, seemingly not expecting Zichen to accept their challenge.

He looked at the others, who all nodded subtly, then stepped out together, standing before Zichen.

Seeing over a dozen people step out at once, Luoyun raised an eyebrow, about to stop them, but heard Zichen's voice: "Since you all want to challenge me, come on together..."

This wasn't arrogance but confidence in his own strength.

Though the grassland warriors were powerful and fierce, they rarely had experts. Besides the less abundant earth qi in the grasslands compared to the Tang Empire, their meridians were also problematic. Even with the same cultivation techniques, their progress was much slower. In battles between experts, the grassland demons were always at a disadvantage. For example, Prince Wanyan Guzhan, despite his status, only had four Great Martial Masters protecting him. If it were a prince of the Tang Empire, he would have at least a Xiantian Martial Master, or even a Peak Martial Master, as a bodyguard.

The strongest Great Martial Masters had already been killed by Zichen, and the injured one was missing. The other experts had either died in battle or fled back to the grasslands. What kind of experts could be found among the captives?

If there was one Martial Warrior, it would be a good start.

Besides, even if there were experts, he still had three thousand cavalry behind him. If he couldn't handle it, he could order them to attack. The idea of a fair duel was a joke; Zichen wouldn't be foolish enough to have a fair duel with these captives.

Hearing Zichen's arrogant words, the warriors' eyes flashed with joy. The man who had spoken first said loudly, "You're a man!"

As he spoke, he took a large step forward, rushing at Zichen. Not only him, but the others also charged at full speed.

In the blink of an eye, the man was in front of Zichen, raising his right fist to strike.

His speed was fast, his punch even faster, and a powerful fist wind formed instantly. This was clearly a Martial Warrior, whose strong body made him capable of fighting ordinary Martial Masters in the Tang Empire.

But Zichen didn't even flinch, stepping forward and punching at the man's fist.

His punch was even faster, reaching the man's fist in the blink of an eye.

With a loud "Bang!" the two fists collided, followed by a crisp "Crack!" The giant man's knuckles shattered instantly, and his arm, as thick as a human calf, broke visibly, revealing white bones.

Before he could scream, Zichen delivered a left hook, the force of which shattered the man's jaw, sending his two-meter-tall body flying.

Zichen then paused, sidestepped to avoid another giant man's punch, grabbed his wrist, and twisted it.

"Crack!" The man's arm was easily twisted into a pretzel shape, white bones exposed. Zichen's backhand punch sent him flying, but he held back.

Another man approached, but Zichen didn't give him a chance to punch, stepping forward and striking his head.

The man was startled, raising his arm to block Zichen's punch.

"Crack!" The man felt his arm as if hit by a hammer, breaking instantly. Zichen then kicked him, sending him flying.

All this happened in a flash. No one expected Zichen to not only have divine archery skills but also such formidable close combat abilities.

What kind of strength was hidden in his seemingly frail body?

What did he eat to grow so strong?

Several of his companions fell, but the grassland demons did not retreat. Instead, they became even more fierce, the remaining ones charging at Zichen with all their might.

Zichen turned his body, leaving a shadow in the air, and delivered a spinning side kick, sending another man flying. The man's weight seemed negligible under his foot, as if he were kicking a simple ball.

At this moment, two men grabbed Zichen's arms from either side.

Another man charged at him, punching at his chest.

Suddenly grabbed by two men, Zichen remained calm. With his arms' strength of three thousand pounds, how could these warriors hold him?

Seeing the man charging, Zichen used the two men holding his arms to kick the man's chin, sending him flying. The sound of his jaw breaking was clearly heard.

As Zichen landed, another man was already in front of him, crouching like a fierce beast, his right hand on his waist.

Zichen's heart raced as the man raised his right hand, holding a black dagger.

Where did he get the dagger?

Zichen's heart raced, but now was not the time to think. As the dagger stabbed at him, he tried to throw the two men holding his arms, but suddenly felt a heavy weight. Both men were emitting a yellow glow.

Martial Masters? They were Martial Masters using the "Roar of the Earth" technique, a low-level yellow-grade technique that spread true qi throughout the body to enhance strength.

Zichen struggled but couldn't break free, and the dagger was getting closer to his heart. He heard Luoyun's cry, "Sir!"