Chapter 40 - 40: Traversing the Galaxy on a Sword
It was night, and the sky was the color of deep indigo.
Stars like pieces of glaze crowded the entire heavens, forming a romantic river of stars along the eastern firmament, extending endlessly into the vast cosmos.
The stars were slowly shifting, as if in several years they would all pour into the ocean of nothingness, but on this land below there would always be a brilliant starlight, with clusters of stars from different skies arriving with the winds of the years…
Zhu Minglang was now amidst this river of stars.
Yet on that starry path above, the figure wielding a sword in flight made Zhu
Minglang utterly forget how dazzling the starry sky overhead was, as if all the celestial brilliance was but a backdrop for her!
Li Yunzi was already as beautiful as a fairy, but at this moment, riding her sword through the skies, she resembled the legendary fairy dwelling in
Guanghan Palace…
She truly was a God and Mortal.
The sword threads were her divine mortal artifacts!
No wonder she had always been called Valkyrie!
This Sword Flight distinguished her from mortals, even making some Dragon Shepherds green with envy!
In a city-state, one might see many Dragon Shepherds, but God and Mortals were extremely rare, mostly unattainable through later training, and usually tied to some ancient divine inheritance that required a very special physique.
God and Mortals could surpass human limits and wield supernatural abilities like some ancient, powerful creatures.
Regrettably, God and Mortals were not superior to the truly powerful Dragon Shepherds.
Some God and Mortals couldn’t even withstand the onslaught of a Dragon Herding Sanctifier’s dragon swarm.
Moreover, God and Mortals did not possess a Spirit Realm; they could not raise dragons.
Ahead, numerous shadows appeared, lining up in a row like migrating geese, flying towards the eastern lands.
Li Yunzi’s silver Flying Sword was evidently quicker than those figures flying in the night sky. With a light tap on her sword, the silver Flying Sword under both Zhu Minglang and Li Yunzi picked up speed, catching up to the shadows ahead.
Flying Bird Camp, the elite forces of Ancestral Dragon City were racing through the night sky, heading towards Rong Valley City.
A large group of Flying Bird Pseudo-Dragons, their neat wingbeats creating a massive airstream enveloping the lengthy ranks, allowed them to glide even when some grew weary, without falling out of formation.
The Flying Bird Camp was moving very fast, and it would probably not take long to reach Rong Valley City. Given the current situation there, City Lord Zheng Yu should be able to delay until the arrival of this brigade.
“It’s the Female Monarch!”
The soldiers in the rear of the formation saw Li Yunzi and Zhu Minglang, wielding a sword as they approached, and they all showed expressions of amazement.
They had heard of Li Yunzi’s reputation and occasionally saw her among the troops, but it was their first time witnessing her flying on a sword like a Sword Immortal!
“General Lu,” Li Yunzi passed through the whole Flying Bird Camp and stopped the commanding general.
“Female Monarch, what is it?” General Lu asked with confusion.
“Take half of the soldiers back to Ancestral Dragon City, the other half will follow me to Rong Vallev Citv.” Li Yunzi said.
Just as General Lu was about to question, Li Yunzi threw him the commanding token for the military. Taking the order token, General Lu fell into thought; after a moment, he handed the token back to Li Yunzi and asked, “How goes the battle in the west?”
“Once you return to the city, you will know. Bring me what I want to the front as quickly as possible,” Li Yunzi didn’t dwell further with the general.
The General of Flying Bird Camp saluted, then ordered two lieutenants to follow all of Li Yunzi’s commands.
The two lieutenants felt puzzled.
With half of the Flying Bird Camp sent away and the remaining half, while fearsome, facing the daunting task of attacking the tens of thousands strong Riot Army was no easy matter—it was a risky venture!
Li Yunzi, still riding her sword, commanded the troops. One of the lieutenants whispered something, to which Li Yunzi turned and, with a slash of her sword, severed the lieutenant’s ear.
The lieutenant was shocked and angry but dared not react, simply pressing his hand against his bleeding ear.
“Manage your subordinates. The next one who speaks out of turn will lose more than an ear!” Li Yunzi was like an iceberg, her frosty and formidable aura evoking fear!
The lieutenant dared not utter another word and retreated. The long line behind him, having witnessed their commander’s ear being sliced off, fell silent!
Soon, the Flying Bird Camp regained its orderly formation and continued its flight eastward, the atmosphere no longer as casual as before.
Two colossal mountain ranges intersected at the end of the Li Chuan Plain, segregating the Wutu lands from the territories of Ancestral Dragon City.
Dongxu Fortress stood proudly on the eastern foot of the mountain range, with Rong Valley City on the western side, separated by merely fifty li.
Crossing mountains and ridges isn’t realistic; the sheer cliffs are not conducive to marching an army. To truly enter the Li Chuan Plain, one must pass through Rong Valley City.
But not even the tall fortification walls could withstand the tens of thousands in the Riot Army; how much longer could this small Rong Valley City possibly hold?
The relentless Riot Army was currently trapped between the Fortress City and Rong Valley City, like a pack of hungry beasts, their momentum unstoppable. As soon as the floodwaters receded from the lake depression, they would vent all their fury on the inhabitants of Rong Valley City, and to drink their blood and eat their flesh would be no exaggeration.
The armies of the Flying Bird Camp circled in the sky above, and faced with the situation before them, they too felt disbelief.
The massive Riot Army lay densely outside the valley, causing even these battle-hardened and brave soldiers a sense of dread; yet that fragile ancient city was still standing.
The enemy was at the gates, but they resisted stubbornly. Without tall city walls or elite soldiers, what they relied on was just a depression filled with water and the one thousand archers occupying the high ground!
If they had not seen it with their own eyes, how could they believe that Rong Valley City had withstood the Riot Army and delayed until the tardy arrival of reinforcements!
“A miracle!”
“This time, the heavens bless our Ancestral Dragon City-State. Indeed, these despicable commoners abandoned by the gods have no right to set foot in the Li Chuan Plain!” said the lieutenant with the stopped bleeding in his ear.
“Female Monarch, allow me to take a hundred men and strike from above the lake depression, and eliminate those restless rioters first,” another lieutenant with long eyebrows requested.
For the average soldiers, the Flying Bird Pseudo-Dragons were already raptors. At this moment, many were still trapped in the narrow pass, and a direct dive attack on them would be as simple as an eagle catching a chick!
“I will make amends for my actions and lead the troops to face the enemy!” said the lieutenant with half an ear.
Li Yunzi didn’t rush to give orders; she stood on her silver Flying Sword, surveying the entire situation.
“Female Monarch, please issue your orders quickly. The water in the depression will be gone soon, and once the Riot Army breaks into Rong Valley City, no matter how swiftly we kill, we will ultimately be unable to save everyone,” the long-eyebrowed lieutenant spoke. “Hold positions in the sky,” Li Yunzi said. “They’re about to cross the depression!”
“Hold positions!” Li Yunzi repeated.
The two lieutenants were burning with impatience, but they could only bow respectfully.
“Minglang, go into Rong Valley City and calm the citizens,” Li Yunzi said to Zhu Minglang.
“Actually, I…” Zhu Minglang wanted to say something when suddenly the silver Flying Sword beneath his feet sped up, heading straight for Rong Valley City.
At the tower of Rong Valley City, City Lord Zheng Yu gaped as he saw Zhu Minglang forced into Sword Flight, and watched him wobble unstably before jumping off the Flying Sword.
“Zhu… Brother Zhu??” Zheng Yu hurried forward to confirm the identity of the person as the student from the Dragon Taming Academy, and a weary joy appeared on his face as he said, “It’s Brother Zhu who has brought the reinforcements; I, on behalf of all the people of Rong Valley City, express our deepest gratitude!”
Zheng Yu bowed meticulously, which made Zhu Minglang feel somewhat ashamed, and he quickly helped him up.
“It’s you who have protected the citizens of Rong Valley City. I am just a messenger, an observer, that’s all,” Zhu Minglang said.
“Flying Sword Flight—that must be the Female Monarch?” Zheng Yu looked up and asked.
“Yes.”
“Brother Zhu is acquainted with the Female Monarch?” Zheng Yu inquired.
“Uh, somewhat acquainted,” Zhu Minglang felt the question was a bit sharp.
“The Flying Bird Camp has appeared in the east, this is bad news,” Zheng Yu didn’t feel joy at the arrival of the reinforcements; instead, he sighed deeply.
“Why?” Zhu Minglang didn’t understand Zheng Yu’s concern.
“I have been so foolish, overlooking the current situation of the Ancestral Dragon City-State. The day the fortress in the east falls will be when Lingxiao City-State mounts a massive attack on our western territories. Now that the elite Flying Bird Camp of Ancestral Dragon City-State has come to the east to quell the riot, I fear all our western cities might be taken. We may have held Rong Valley City but lost the bigger picture!” Zheng Yu was filled with self- reproach.
The citizens of Rong Valley City are people, and so are the citizens of the West Four Cities. Given the brutality of Lingxiao City-State, I fear they will show no mercy to the civilians of the Western Cities!
Zhu Minglang didn’t know much about the situation of Ancestral Dragon City-State, but from Zheng Yu’s analysis, he suddenly understood Luo Xiao’s actions.
Luo Xiao must have colluded with Lingxiao City-State. As soon as the Fortress City fell, he immediately informed Lingxiao City-State, then cut down all the messengers, causing a delay in battle reports to Ancestral Dragon City-State, so that it would be hard-pressed on both fronts, teetering on the edge of collapse!
How malicious the heart!
“Although it’s too late, I must still trouble Brother Zhu to inform the Female Monarch,” Zheng Yu said.
“Brother Zheng, there’s no need to worry. Lingxiao City-State must have suffered a setback in their clash with us. The enemy general was captured, and when I left the council hall, the envoy of Lingxiao City-State was kneeling to write the deed of cession, with the Female Monarch personally filling in the names of the cities she demanded,” Zhu Minglang said.
“Really??” Zheng Yu asked in amazement.
“Really..”