Chapter 172: Terrifying Physical Body!
The city walls of the Northern City had a great city-protecting formation cast by array masters at the command of the Great Xia Ancestral Emperor a thousand years ago. It required a command arrow from the Zhenbei Army to activate it.
Those inside could not go out, and those outside found it difficult to easily attack.
Originally, this small team escorting the command arrow was supposed to arrive here first and wait for them, but the sudden outbreak of war disrupted the army's rhythm and held back their footsteps.
So, about a quarter of an hour ago, a message from the army arrived, stating that the troops escorting the command arrow were on their way.
At this moment, those Prodigies from the Immortal Sects also landed from the city wall, their expressions looking somewhat grim.
The barbarian warriors were strong, robust, and tough.
This was their first impression of the barbarians when they watched the battle from the city wall, and it was exactly the same as Ji You's judgment.
This race was composed of countless Inhumans , who intermarried and reproduced, and then gradually evolved into a single race.
Each tribe of the Yi Ren Zu initially possessed unique talents, which had been merging over the past thousands of years, growing so powerful that they could no longer be ignored.
In fact, the Human Race had many opportunities to annihilate the barbarians, even on numerous occasions.
Especially after the founding of Great Xia, those Immortal Sects and Worldly Sect had grown immensely powerful by feeding on the offerings of the common people, and Immortals who could move mountains and fill seas were everywhere.
If they had not chosen to sit idly in the deep mountains pursuing the Immortal Dao at that time, but had instead swarmed out, the barbarians might have long ceased to exist.
But they did not.
In the current historical records, the reason why the Human Race did not act is not explicitly stated, but it can be inferred.
Either the Human Race also wished to recuperate after the wars between various states, or they felt that the timid and fearful barbarians at the time were not worth fearing at all.
And the more important reason was that the Human Race knew that Heavenly Dao had bestowed Luck upon them.
Just as it is often rumored among the common folk, the barbarians attacked Hantie Pass with the full strength of their tribe, but suddenly encountered a blizzard,
Nearly their entire army was wiped out, demonstrating that the Human Race was the chosen one of Heaven.
Under this atmosphere of being chosen by Heaven, the Human Race also began to prosper.
But in return, there were conflicts between Immortal Sects, conflicts between Worldly Sect, and Great Xia became a tool for Cultivators to rule over all people.
There were constant covert struggles, and people's hearts gradually became scattered.
By now, various Immortal Sect had their own hidden agendas, with internal discord and external competition.
Some even felt that since they could Cultivate and Ascend, what did tribal territories have to do with them?
Thus, if the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will surely be crooked.
To make them unite against a common enemy again, unless the enemy truly reached the foot of the mountains and attacked them directly.
In contrast, the barbarians, in their harsh environment, needed to huddle together for warmth, and instead grew stronger due to their unity, gradually becoming impossible to ignore.
Fortunately, it was the obstruction of the Northern City Wall, coupled with the qingyun immortal rules allowing the Zhenbei Army to Cultivate, that prevented the barbarians from ever succeeding until now.
Until the incident at Qi Ridge occurred, where the Zheng Family Old Ancestor ascended to Immortality through evil arts, as if proclaiming to the world that Heavenly Dao was abnormal.
Thus, the Yao Race also began to have designs, causing the balance to gradually tilt.
“Esteemed Immortals, Esteemed Envoys, this expedition out of the pass is fraught with danger. To cope with the unknown, we will divide into three teams at the pass gate.”
“The envoy delegation will be in the center of the formation, and the Immortals will be on both flanks of the delegation. The three teams will maintain a distance of no more than five li from each other, entering the Northern Territory in a 'Chuan' character formation.”
“This journey may encounter scattered barbarian soldiers. Our priority is to avoid them. Do not linger in battle, and ensure our marching speed!”
The person in charge of this mission was Peng Dongyang, the Deputy Supervisor of the Immortal Supervision Department, who was currently giving instructions and making arrangements for the departure.
Ji You was assigned to the right flank, forming a team with his fellow Disciple Xiao Hanyan, Jiang Chenfeng and Jiang Yan from Asked the Dao Sect, Gongshu Chou from Lingjian Mountain, and Yan Qiubai.
Shi Junhao from Tianshu Academy, Huo Hong, the illegitimate son of Mountain and Sea Pavilion, as well as Jiang Yuerou, Tu Ri, Xie Chenyu, and others formed another team.
Among the six Elders dispatched by the Six Great Immortal Sects, four were Sky Soaring and two were Boundless, and they would remain with the envoy delegation's convoy in the center line to respond to unforeseen circumstances.
After the assignments were completed, the carriages were arranged into three columns.
At this moment, Ji You summoned the seven best quality Spiritual Swords from his storage gourd and, along with their scabbards, tied them to his body, just like the old friend from A Chinese Ghost Story.
It wasn't very aesthetically pleasing, but practicality was what mattered.
Because if it truly came to a life-and-death battle, even a moment's delay could be fatal.
The barbarians would not give him time to summon weapons from his gourd, so this approach was the most secure.
At this moment, everyone assigned to the right flank turned to look at him, and seeing his peacock-like display, they couldn't help but discuss amongst themselves.
“What is this for?”
“Gongshu Chou said earlier that he is accustomed to using seven swords at once.”
Jiang Chenfeng watched him for a long time and couldn't help but shake his head, “If one's Divine Thought is insufficient to control multiple swords, they might even injure themselves. If I had known this, we should have swapped him for Tu Xu.”
The left and right flanks served as guard teams, and naturally, they needed a balanced strength, so their fellow Junior Brothers were assigned to the other side.
In their opinion, this Ji You clearly had the aura of cannon fodder, and it was uncertain if he would be useful if they truly encountered barbarians.
This was not a Dao discussion between Immortal Sects where one could stop at a certain point; the strength of one's combat power represented their chance of survival.
Gongshu Chou slowly walked over at this moment, looking at Ji You with a calm expression.
“Bearing seven swords, exuding heroic spirit, truly the demeanor of a gentleman.”
“?”
Ji You had just finished tying his swords, and a hint of confusion appeared on his face.
He didn't know that Gongshu Chou had created a theory where 'the greater your fame, the higher my intrinsic value'.
From his perspective, he had once almost killed Gongshu Chou by suppressing him with Evil Qi, so logically, there should be a life-and-death feud between them.
“You attacked me by surprise, causing my dignified Rongdao Realm cultivation to be severely injured, making me the laughingstock of the world. Today, it's either you die or I perish!”
“A mere Tong Xuan Realm cultivator, without the Evil Qi suppression in Qi Ridge, I could crush you with a single finger!”
“Scream! Even if you scream until your throat breaks now, no one will save you, Jiejiejiejie!”
In short, according to the web novels he had read, Gongshu Chou's attitude towards him should be like this, without any kindness whatsoever.
Now, suddenly, he came over and praised him, which he found incredibly strange.
I stabbed his heart an inch to the right in Qi Ridge, not his head an inch to the right, right?
However, before he could think deeply, a horse's neigh suddenly came from afar. Ji You turned his head and saw a team of dozens of people escorting the command arrow galloping towards them, then pulling on the reins, bringing their horses to a halt.
The leading warhorse carried a general in armor named Ding Ze, who looked very serious.
“Everyone, we just received intelligence that the barbarians are attacking today and have expanded their front line. Now, barbarian soldiers are scattered across a thousand li radius. I think they probably anticipated that the Human Race would send an envoy delegation to the Snow Region.”
“They don't know your departure time or your route, so they adopted this method of extending the front line. The patrolling soldiers responsible for monitoring are now spread throughout the area outside the pass.”
As his voice fell, the expressions of everyone in the envoy delegation instantly tightened.
Ding Ze raised his hand to quell the rising discussions: “However, please rest assured, everyone, the main barbarian army is still fighting our army at Hantie Pass. The patrolling cavalry responsible for monitoring are not lethal, but everyone must kill them all to prevent them from sending warnings, otherwise they will certainly attract large groups and pursue you relentlessly.”
Ji You stood on the left, and upon hearing this, he thought to himself that they would be busy now.
Originally, they had planned to avoid encounters and take a detour, but now it seemed they would not only encounter them but also have to push through a wave of enemy lines.
This account had to be kept by the Master's Courtyard, and he would demand more silver when he returned, because this was a blatant discrepancy between the picture and the actual product.
At this moment, Ding Ze suddenly raised the command arrow in his hand high. In an instant, a dazzling Mystic Light shot straight into the sky like a sharp arrow, and in a flash, it accurately struck the top of Luo Yue Pass's city wall.
In an instant, a layer of ethereal blue array patterns slowly emerged on the wall like ink in water, and in a mere moment, they receded from the city gate outwards like a retreating tide.
At the same time, the incredibly heavy Mystic Iron gate slowly opened amidst a grating, ear-splitting screech and deafening rumbling vibrations.
At this moment, the sounds of battle outside the pass instantly became clearer, and the air pouring in from outside the city carried a hint of blood.
So, everyone stepped into their carriages and drove out of Luo Yue Pass, following the smoke drifting from afar.
Looking out, ahead was a vast, desolate wilderness covered in weeds, even more barren than Feng Province.
There were no roads here; the further one went, the wilder it became. Even sitting in the carriage, one could feel the muddy sensation beneath the wheels, and a sense of killing intent seemed to penetrate the carriage.
According to the Immortal Supervision Department's manual, the land outside the Northern Territory is extremely unsuitable for crop growth; only grasses with thin and dense fibrous roots, flat stems, and flat, dark green leaves can grow.
And most of these grasses are highly poisonous.
Therefore, the barbarians' desire to return to Kyushu is understandable.
This place is truly not suitable for long-term residence.
At this moment, the convoy was speeding across the wilderness outside the Northern Plains. As Spiritual Qi whistled, Magical Artifacts that isolated Qi fluctuations also continuously operated. In the following days, news of the barbarian offensive resuming during the envoy delegation's journey gradually spread back to Kyushu.
Upon hearing this news, most people remained calm as usual, as battles outside Hantie Pass were already constant,
One more battle did not particularly affect their nerves.
And the enthusiasm of the empty streets when the envoy delegation departed seemed to serve only one purpose: to join the fun.
For example, in the Outer Courtyard of Tianshu Academy, not even a discussion was sparked; everyone's focus was still on who could enter the Inner Courtyard.
Puyang Xing had already begun to condense his second Mystic Light, while Lu Hanyan was catching up rapidly, now at a similar pace.
As for Fang Jincheng, he decided at this moment to completely give up on sensing the Heavenly Book.
Relying on his Family connections, his grand-uncle had almost sent all the Inner Courtyard Disciples of Chang Sheng Dian who had sensed the Heavenly Book.
After several attempts, his hanging heart finally died.
He couldn't sense it, not even a clue.
Thus, in the first year of Taichu, no Outer Courtyard Disciple could sense the Heavenly Book.
However, a small number of people, who cared about the frontier, or rather, cared about those who went to the frontier, appeared particularly uneasy among the calm crowd.
For example, Cao Jinsong, Ban Yangshu, and Wen Zhengxin, as well as Pei Ruyi and Qiu Zhong from Ji Village, were almost living with bated breath, at times worried, at times regretful.
Previously, Ji You said that if Hantie Pass fell, Feng Province would surely be lost, so he had to go, and they expressed understanding.
But after he truly left, they felt that no matter what he said at the time, they should not have agreed.
Because even if this mission to the Snow Region successfully prevented the barbarian-Yao alliance, if he died, Feng Province would certainly not fare much better.
After all, with him as a precedent, those foreign Immortal Villas would no longer allow any Immortal Sect Disciple to appear in Feng Province.
Then taxes and tributes would rise even further, and the common people would suffer even more.
In addition, the Young Miss of the Prime Minister's residence had not left her home for many days, staying indoors, gazing north, oblivious to the rotation of stars and moon, day after day.
And the scholar she yearned for was currently inside Hantie Pass, standing in the Zhenbei Army's encampment.
The battle outside the pass was intense, with arrogant Qi constantly whistling through the sky. The clashes created sudden strong winds, causing yellow dust to churn on the city wall and settle on him, yet he paid no mind to washing up.
“General Ding, it’s the fifth day. Has any news come back from outside the pass?”
“My apologies, Director, there’s no news from them today.”
Ding Ze, who had opened Luo Yue Pass for the envoy delegation that day, returned from the city wall at this moment and, hearing the question, cupped his hands and informed him.
Upon hearing this, Kuang Cheng's brows furrowed slightly, and the fist hidden beneath his sleeve involuntarily tightened.
After parting ways with Ji You in northwest Feng Province, he had come here.
The Human Race had reconnaissance units operating outside the city, monitoring the barbarians' movements, and occasionally sending back news about the envoy delegation.
For example, when they were ten li from the city, they encountered barbarian skirmishers and secretly annihilated them. Fifty li from the city, they avoided a large barbarian force by taking a detour. However, in the subsequent days, there was no such news at all.
Ding Ze patted his shoulder at this moment: “Our reconnaissance team cannot penetrate deep into the wilderness, so not getting news is a good thing. This means their speed is not slow, and they are almost out of the combat zone. But similarly, there will be no more news coming back after this.”
“They’ve already gone this far—?”
Ding Ze nodded and then said, “Does Director have friends in the envoy delegation?”
Kuang Cheng nodded: “I have a close friend, and I am very worried about his safety.”
“Director, you needn't worry too much. The Immortal Sects have sent many experts this time. By advancing in a 'Chuan' character formation, the envoys will be well protected. Although the barbarians have powerful Physical Bodies and Innate talents, they are not close to Heavenly Dao, and only a very few can Cultivate.”
“Therefore, while it is dangerous for a Rongdao Realm cultivator to leave the pass, being cautious will prevent them from losing their lives. In my opinion, the only one who might die in this envoy delegation is that Tong Xuan Realm cultivator who tied himself up like a peacock displaying its feathers.”
To comfort Kuang Cheng, Ding Ze chuckled a few times after speaking, but then saw the scholar turn to look at him, his gaze sharp, not smiling.
Meanwhile, a hundred li away, on a mountain ridge deep in the wilderness.
A heavily furred, muscular barbarian soldier was looking at the sword-wielding man walking towards him, and a surge of Battle Intent rose in his eyes.
His name was Langda, leader of the third squad of the patrol team.
The day before yesterday, he received an order from the Clan Chief, stating that the Human Race might send an envoy delegation to the Snow Region soon, and they were to keep a close watch and leave no survivors.
He hadn't taken it too seriously at first, but who knew that in the following days, his soldiers began to lose contact one after another. So, he had a premonition that the Human Race must have entered, and it was in his direction, so he specifically came here to patrol, and unexpectedly, he indeed encountered one.
Excellent! I will earn merit!
Langda dismounted, holding a steel saber, revealing a bloodthirsty and ferocious expression. His powerful arms constantly bulged, containing incredibly wild strength.
Buzz!
The sound of breaking air suddenly rang out, like thunder.
Langda fiercely swung his iron saber, and saw a sword light whistling towards the sky before him!
With a clang, the sword and saber clashed. Langda's pupils suddenly constricted. He immediately held his saber to his chest and re-examined the Human Race in front of him, a hint of disbelief flashing in his eyes.
Their Barbarian Race was superior to the Human Race, with unparalleled Innate Divine Power, far beyond what the Human Race could compare to.
Yet, with this clash of blades today, he actually felt a colossal force like a mountain, which suddenly made him wary, and his thick nostrils began to pant frantically.
This was not a sign of exhaustion, but a kind of excitement!
Langda gripped his saber with both hands, looked at the slender Human Race in front of him, and with a cruel smile, charged forward!
Horizontal slash!
Direct cut!
Circular slice!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Langda, the Barbarian Race with overwhelming Qi, slashed forward fiercely with his saber wind like a barrier. He saw the Human Race in front of him expressionlessly drawing his sword, his posture swaying and swift, with sword light flashing before him, fiercely colliding with his iron saber.
At this moment, the sun began to set in the west, and yellow sand rose across the land.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of clashes between saber and sword echoed, sparks flying!
Langda leaped forward with his feet, his iron saber falling straight down, his entire Battle Intent ignited, because he discovered that this Human Race in front of him, like their Barbarian Race warriors, also possessed great strength!
He had previously participated in the vanguard, killing many Human Race soldiers, feeling that they were as soft as noodles,
Almost shattering with a single cut.
And their Barbarian Race did not allow internal strife, which made him very unhappy!
Now it was good, he actually encountered a Human Race who could make him use his full strength!
Buzz!
With the iron saber vibrating, Langda once again slashed horizontally! Cut directly! Sliced circularly! Attempting to crush the slender Human Race in front of him with his immense strength.
But at this moment, he suddenly saw the sword in front of him suddenly tremble, and the sword light came like surging waves, striking his saber with a bang, and a strong Qi surged through his iron saber!
With a clang, the iron saber flew out of his hand, and Langda's green pupils instantly widened.
He couldn't understand the Human Race's sword Dao, and after much thought, he still couldn't figure out why his iron saber kept trembling and was difficult to control. His expression instantly turned to anger.
But at this moment, his pupils constricted again, because after his iron saber landed, he found that the slender Human Race opposite him also threw his sword aside.
"Please go berserk."
"?"
"Go berserk, hurry up, or you're disrespecting me."
Langda hadn't fully understood when he suddenly saw the other party raise his arms, and then felt a scorching aura rush towards him, blowing his hair.
At this time, as the sun set in the west, night gradually enveloped the area, little by little covering this world.
And under this night, a mist was also quietly approaching.
From Shen Shi to You Shi, an hour passed, and the sky had completely darkened.
At this time, in the western part of the deep mountain range, in the withered wood forest next to the black swamp.
The envoy's convoy was currently resting in the forest, trying to remain quiet.
Lingjian Mountain Disciple Yan Qiubai looked around in the forest, observing the surrounding movements with Divine Thought.
He then saw a burst of Spiritual Qi flying in the air, bending the grass.
A moment later, Jiang Yan arrived gracefully, carrying a hairy corpse in her hand, her long sword dripping with blood.
"Only one?"
"One is not enough. Sister, perhaps you don't know, the deeper we go, the stronger the Barbarian Race we encounter."
Jiang Yan threw down the corpse in her hand: "I don't know if the Barbarian Race has the same strength divisions as us. In any case, this one today is much stronger than the ones from a few days ago, especially after going berserk. Both its strength and speed are completely different from before.
And their Physical Body is truly incredibly solid, even more so after going berserk."
They entered the wilderness five days ago, and now the deeper they went, the more Barbarian Race scouts they encountered. Perhaps the area they needed to patrol was too vast, and they didn't have enough manpower to form groups, so they were mostly scattered.
To ensure their tracks weren't discovered, leading to pursuit, they had to split up each time to clear out the surrounding Barbarian Race stragglers.
Furthermore, they had to bring the corpses back for disposal, otherwise the dead Barbarian Race along the way would expose their direction of travel.
And the Barbarian Race they encountered these past few days, just as Jiang Yan said, the deeper the scouts, the harder they were to deal with.
Yan Qiubai looked at the corpse on the ground: "The Barbarian Race's strength divisions were previously explained by the Zhenbei Army. Due to years of continuous warfare, they are divided by military rank: three soldier Realms (upper, middle, lower) and three general Realms (upper, middle, lower), and above that, three king Realms."
Jiang Yan frowned: "What about this one of mine?"
"Upper Soldier Realm. After going berserk, it's equivalent to the Profound Connection Realm. Some Barbarian Race possess the ability of extreme recovery, and can even reach the level of the early Rongdao Realm."
"Their third Realm is already so strong?"
Yan Qiubai smiled faintly: "Sister Jiang Yan, don't worry, because they find it difficult to get close to the Heavenly Dao, their three General Realms are merely an improvement in Physical Body and talent, but their Battle Intent is far less enhanced than ours."
Jiang Yan immediately understood: due to their naturally strong Physical Body and Innate abilities, their starting strength was very high.
However, the Battle Intent brought by subsequent Realm advancements was actually not as strong as the Battle Intent brought by the Human Race's Realm advancements.
Just then, another whistle came from the night sky. Jiang Chenfeng arrived gracefully, landing in a burst of Qi, and casually threw out two corpses of Upper Soldier Realm in a light glance.
There are also differences between Rongdao Realm and Rongdao Realm, specifically depending on the Dao and techniques they Cultivate.
Although Jiang Chenfeng was Jiang Yan's cousin, his strength was indeed higher. He killed two Upper Soldiers alone,
And only his hair ornament was knocked askew.
"Chenfeng, how do you feel?"
"My left shoulder is slightly sore."
Jiang Chenfeng covered his shoulder: "Actually, the Battle Intent of these two stragglers is only average, but their Physical Body is truly Heaven-Defying. However, as long as they don't get close, they're basically at our mercy."
Jiang Yan looked at his shoulder: "You were approached?"
"It's fine. It's because I wanted to test the techniques I comprehended during my seclusion, which allowed them to exploit a loophole."
Just then, another sound came from the forest.
The three turned their heads and saw a figure seemingly walking out of the thick fog, gradually approaching.
Then they clearly saw Ji You's face, an expression of contemplation on it, as if he was thinking about something, and he was dragging a corpse with thick fur in his hand.
Yan Qiubai saw this and asked: "Did any Barbarian Race escape?"
Ji You threw down the corpse in his hand: "No, just this one."
"How do you feel?"
"The Barbarian Race is indeed too ferocious and impolite, and their Physical Body is terrifyingly strong, especially the ones encountered these past two days, which completely exceeded my expectations."
After Ji You finished speaking, he couldn't help but cough twice.
From the first Barbarian Race he encountered at the blockade after entering the Pass to this one today, he had killed a total of five. Although yesterday's and today's were the strongest, the first three were not weak either.
It is said that the Barbarian Race's Divine Power and physique are Innate, meaning that the lowest Battle Intent of the Barbarian Race is almost much higher than that of the Human Race.
It was already so dangerous just entering, perhaps this was why only Rongdao Realm could come.
Damn it, too ferocious, I need more money.
Jiang Yan saw him lost in thought due to the Barbarian Race's strong Physical Body and couldn't help but smile inwardly.
Even they, who were in the Rongdao Realm, felt the Barbarian Race's Physical Body was exceptionally terrifying, let alone him, who was in the Tong Xuan Realm.
Then Ji You cupped his hands to bid them farewell and found a corner to sit quietly and recover.
Only then did they notice that Ji You's hair ornament was cracked, his clothes were torn with a large opening, and he seemed somewhat exhausted. Even while sitting quietly, he kept coughing, causing his chest to tremble slightly, far from Jiang Chenfeng's elegant and unrestrained demeanor.
Seeing this, Yan Qiubai and Jiang Yan couldn't help but exchange glances.
In fact, since the first decision to clear out the stragglers, Ji You had been sent out every night, and would always return dragging a corpse.
After all, the ones they initially encountered were just some Lower Soldier Realm, which was the strength of the early Tong Xuan Realm, and meant nothing to him.
However, his speed of returning victorious was much slower than others, which might be the difference in their own strength.
And in recent days, Ji You's return speed has been noticeably slower, and judging by the disheveled state of his clothes and appearance, the fight must have been very perilous. Some even suspected he might have sustained internal injuries but was too embarrassed to say so.
"With his strength, he's pretty much at his limit by now."
Yan Qiubai regained her composure and glanced at Jiang Yan: "There's still more than half the journey to the Snow Region. If we encounter a Barbarian Race General Realm in the future, it will probably be difficult for him to return like this."
Jiang Yan also turned to look at Yan Qiubai: "This is still the good scenario. At least the two from Tianshu Academy still have a chance to save him, as they are fellow Disciples."
"And a bad scenario?"
"That would be if the Barbarian Race discovered us, and we couldn't completely clear them out, or let a few slip through, attracting more and stronger Barbarian Race troops. At that time, everyone would surely rush forward to escort the envoy's party first."
Jiang Yan looked at Ji You, who was sitting cross-legged under the tree: "With our Rongdao Realm Cultivation, even if we are injured while covering the rear, we can retreat safely, but he, being in the Tong Xuan Realm, would surely die."
Yan Qiubai pondered for a moment, then her red lips parted slightly: "Sister Jiang Yan said that if we encounter one, those two from Tianshu Academy would save him, but I doubt it."
"Hmm?"
"They sent a Tong Xuan Realm, clearly intending for him to die."
Yan Qiubai said, then walked to the right: "I'll go tell Senior Brother and the others to come handle the bodies and clear the traces."
Jiang Yan heard this and asked: "Sink them into the swamp?"
"Yes, that's the fastest way to deal with them."
Yan Qiubai swayed her slender waist, then called Gongshu Chou, Xie Chenyu, and others.
They were all stay-behind personnel. Besides monitoring the surrounding movements, they also needed to handle the corpses for those who went out to fight, which was a reasonable division of labor.
Then Gongshu Chou and Xie Chenyu dragged all the killed Barbarian Race to the edge of the swamp and sank them one by one. A few bubbles appeared on the mud, and then there was no trace of them.
At this time, Yan Qiubai went to drag the corpse Ji You had brought back, taking it to the edge of the swamp. She also specifically checked the engravings on the corpse's armor, finding that it was indeed an Upper Soldier.
The news from the Zhenbei Army stated that most Upper Soldiers had strength equivalent to the Profound Connection Realm.
A small portion, due to powerful accompanying talents, could barely reach the early Rongdao Realm.
Yan Qiubai now had some experience. She could distinguish from the shape and color of its fur that this was not a Barbarian Race with powerful accompanying talents.
This meant that the strength of this Barbarian Race should be considered that of a Profound Connection Realm.
It seems that rumors cannot be fully trusted...
Under the night, Yan Qiubai couldn't help but murmur.
Senior Brother Gongshu said that Ji You once killed eighteen Tong Xuan Realm in one night, and even cross-Realm sword-killed a Rongdao Realm, which truly sounded majestic and extraordinary.
But now it seemed that those Rongdao Realm cultivated in Immortal Villas through years of arduous effort could not truly be considered genuine Rongdao Realm. This Ji You was merely at the level of the Profound Connection Realm.
Upper, middle, and lower belong to three minor Realms, not cross-Realms, so a Tongxuan Middle Stage defeating a Profound Connection Realm is particularly common.
Yan Qiubai dragged the corpse to the swamp, intending to sink it, but when her gaze swept over it again, her brow couldn't help but furrow slightly.
"Qiubai, are you done with it?"
"Sister Yan, come take a look."
Jiang Yan stepped forward: "What's wrong?"
Yan Qiubai's red lips were slightly pursed as she pointed to the corpse on the ground: "This is the corpse Ji You brought back."
Jiang Yan looked down: "Judging by the fur color, it shouldn't be the type with extremely high Innate talent, meaning it's at the Profound Connection Realm level. It seems Chenfeng was right; those Rongdao Realm from the Immortal Villas truly aren't true Rongdao Realm, no wonder they were killed by Ji You."
"I asked you to look at the wounds. Haven't you noticed there seem to be no sword wounds on this corpse?"
"?"
Jiang Yan paused slightly and re-examined the corpse.
She knew Ji You used a sword; on the day he left seclusion, he even carried seven swords on his back in front of everyone, attracting a lot of attention.
And the Barbarian Race's Physical Body was incredibly powerful, incomparable to the Human Race. Even a Rongdao Realm would have to exert some effort to break their defense, so she thought Ji You must have killed it with his strongest sword Dao.
But the problem was that this Barbarian Race corpse was indeed as Yan Qiubai said, without any sword wounds.
Because whether it was a stab or a slash, there would always be blood seeping out, and since this Barbarian Race corpse had fur, it would be very obvious, but they didn't see any.
The only bloodstains were those that had seeped out from the Barbarian Race's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and they had already dried up.
Yan Qiubai had felt puzzled just now precisely because of the unusual state of this Barbarian Race corpse.
"Blood overflowing from the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, could it be poison?"
Jiang Yan pondered for a long time, then felt it was wrong: "I've never heard of poison specifically for the Barbarian Race, otherwise the Zhenbei Army wouldn't have had such a difficult time fighting all these years."
As she muttered, she suddenly noticed Yan Qiubai staring intently at the Barbarian Race scout's chest. Before she could ask, Yan Qiubai reached out, drew her sword, and pulled open its clothes, instantly freezing.
Because the Barbarian Race's chest had collapsed into a large pit, and upon closer inspection of the bottom of the pit, it was clearly the mark of a fist having penetrated it.
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