Chapter 160: The Hegemon Speaks No Valor of Yore, the Youth Claims Glory Alone (3)

Two long columns of Mo-Dao infantry kicked up trails of dust as they surged forward in fierce pursuit. Kong Sheng reined in his mount after a brief gallop, slowly turning the horse around. Sitting squarely atop the Wind-Chaser, the corners of his mouth twitched upward into a mocking, ambiguous smile.

He was no fool; how could he possibly throw his life away in reckless, brute valor? To face a hundred-man Mo-Dao squad single-handedly without employing strategy and wit would be nothing more than licking blood from the blade's edge—a foolish, meaningless death!

Yet, constantly dodging and leading these fierce bladesmen on a wild chase all over the field like a monkey was hardly a viable solution either.

Kong Sheng knew that unless he displayed some genuine, undeniable skill, that stubborn blockhead Li Chuan up on the command platform would never let the matter rest.

With this thought, he took a deep breath and lowered his posture, pressing his body almost flat against the Wind-Chaser's back. He raised his Halberd of Heavenly Guidance high above his head with one hand while gripping the reins with the other, spinning the weapon so rapidly it became a blur. Defying expectations, he charged straight back toward the oncoming Mo-Dao squad, roaring with battle cries.

"Those who stand in my way shall die!"

Kong Sheng's furious roar echoed long and hard across the drill ground. Above his head, the halberd had been whipped into a dense, impenetrable propeller-like blur resembling a helicopter rotor. It stirred up howling winds and churning air currents, projecting a terrifying aura of dominance.

Though these Mo-Dao soldiers were fierce and rugged, they were hardly men eager to throw their lives away blindly. Seeing the tremendous weight and blistering momentum behind Kong Sheng's spinning halberd, they knew instinctively that a collision meant certain death.

The leading soldiers in both columns almost subconsciously slackened their pace and began retreating toward the flanks. Consequently, their once-uniform formation fractured, men colliding with one another as chaos ensued.

Laughing wildly, Kong Sheng slashed his way into the heart of the newly formed disarray. With a mighty sweep to the left, his halberd struck. A series of crisp, explosive metallic clashes rang out as four or five gleaming Mo-Dao sabers were sent flying by a single blow. They clattered heavily to the ground, narrowly missing the soldiers who wielded them.

The disarmed guards stared in horror and disbelief, rooted to the spot. Surrounding soldiers cried out in alarm, brandishing their sabers and charging haphazardly toward Kong Sheng and the horse's head as the Wind-Chaser dashed like the wind.

A flash of murderous intent crossed Kong Sheng's eyes. These soldiers were acting like madmen bent on his destruction. Anger surged within him, awakening an indomitable, fearless tenacity deep in his soul. He abruptly straightened up in the saddle, roared with fury, gripped the halberd with both hands, and blocked the front of his horse.

A relentless barrage of heavy metallic hums echoed endlessly. Seven Mo-Dao sabers, carrying whistling winds, bitter grievances, and killing intent, hacked down simultaneously against the shaft and blade of Kong Sheng's halberd. The incomparable, massive force transmitted through the weapons sent a sharp, numbing shock straight up to the tiger's mouths of his gripping hands, nearly knocking the halberd from his grasp. Beneath him, the Wind-Chaser let out a heavy, burdened neigh and lashed out with its front hooves, kicking the closest soldier flying.

The combined strength of seven fierce warriors crashing down at once, carried forward by momentum and inertia, generated a devastating force that tested the absolute limits of Kong Sheng's physical power.

"Get out of the way!" Kong Sheng shouted, raising his head high in the saddle. Pouring every ounce of his strength into an upward thrust, he sent all seven Mo-Dao sabers flying into the air in different directions.

Kicking his heels hard against the horse's flanks, the Wind-Chaser surged forward with unimaginable speed. As they flew across the field, Kong Sheng continued to whirl his halberd, caught up in the thrill of combat and abandoning all restraint. The heavy, formidable weapon specifically targeted the vital points of the scattering soldiers, sending the panicked and retreating ranks fleeing in sheer terror before long.

Yet these elite bladesmen were, after all, thoroughly trained. Following a brief moment of panic—once the front-line soldiers had fled, fallen injured, or collapsed—the rear guard regained their composure. They quickly reorganized their formation on the fly. Even in their haste, more than ten soldiers formed a mobile fortress, standing shoulder-to-shoulder and back-to-back with their sabers facing outward. Slowly advancing, they blocked Kong Sheng's path.

Up on the command platform, Li Chuan's face was twisted in a savage, vicious expression. Earlier, the disarray of the Mo-Dao formation had allowed Kong Sheng to wander through unopposed, injuring many; he had nearly leaped from the platform to command the battle personally. Now, seeing his men regain their footing and form the long-practiced mobile killing formation, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Clenching his fists fiercely, he violently waved down his command flag!

Li Xuan's complexion—naturally unpowdered yet radiant like snow reflecting morning clouds—suddenly paled with intense anxiety. She sprang to the edge of the platform, her hand instinctively resting on the hilt of the sword at her waist.

No matter how brave and ferocious Kong Sheng might be, these Mo-Dao soldiers were no pushovers. Their formation advanced and retreated with discipline, perfectly balancing offense and defense. At Kong Sheng's current sprinting speed, colliding head-on with this outward-pointing blade-bristling juggernaut meant certain death for both man and horse!

The red-robed woman atop the distant wall also underwent a dramatic change in expression. Springing to her feet, she smoothly unslung the longbow from her back, nocked an arrow, drew the string, and prepared to leap into action.

Kong Sheng was well aware of the impending crisis, but his charging horse was moving far too fast for him to rein it in.

In that split second, Kong Sheng clenched his teeth tight, gripped the halberd with one hand, and dug his heels hard into the horse's flanks while yanking violently on the reins with his other hand. The Wind-Chaser let out a piercing, earth-shaking neigh mid-gallop, and rather than slowing down, its speed surged explosively. Amidst the gasps of shock from the crowd on the platform and the spectators around the walls, the Wind-Chaser's four hooves left the ground. Swallowed by dust, horse and rider executed a breathtaking, gravity-defying leap right over the top of the mobile blade formation!

As the Wind-Chaser soared through the air, its front hooves extended slightly during the descent, touching down lightly on the ground and smoothly utilizing its momentum to continue sprinting forward.

Cold sweat drenched Kong Sheng; this was the second time the Wind-Chaser had saved his life! This king among Turkic horses, selected from millions, had once again demonstrated an astonishing, unfathomable capacity!

On the command platform, Li Chuan stared in stupefied silence, his face turning an even deeper shade of ashen blue.

Prince Guo of Jubei, Li Ju, stood up abruptly, staring in shock at the receding figure of horse and rider in the distance. The corners of his mouth twitched, forcefully swallowing the praise that rose to his lips.

General of Xuanwei, Du Ping, suddenly clapped his hands and shouted, "What a fine young lad is Kong Sheng! Such divine valor, facing a hundred men without fear—truly the Overlord reborn!"

Commander of Guide, Song An, fixed a burning gaze upon Kong Sheng's mount. "What a rare and divine steed! Even the Prince's Curly-Maned Lion Beast falls short of this!"

Prefect of Pengcheng, Xue Sheng, slowly stood up and paced forward two steps. "The Overlord himself lacked such valor, yet this youth claims supremacy in silence! Your Highness, this young man possesses soaring literary talent and innate divine might. In this humble official's view, there is no need for this contest to continue. We might as well call it off—"

Nodding with a dark expression, Li Ju was just about to order the contest halted when billows of dust rolled across the distant drill ground. Kong Sheng was charging back once more on horseback.

A white horse, gleaming armor; the man like a dragon, the horse like the wind. The halberd in his hand swept horizontally across the air, his heroic spirit soaring and his momentum reaching the heavens!

Mid-gallop, Kong Sheng suddenly let out a furious roar. Swinging his halberd downward at an angle toward the ground ahead, a dazzling white beam of light shot forth, striking the earth like a thunderbolt with an earth-shaking explosion. Dust billowed into the air. When the dust finally settled, Kong Sheng stood upright on his horse holding his halberd, while a crater over a foot wide and deep lay directly in his path!

The Mo-Dao soldiers, who had formed up and prepared to charge, felt their blood run cold and their hair stand on end. A profound terror welled up from the depths of their hearts, making it difficult for them to even maintain their grip on their cold blades.

Was this something mere human strength could accomplish?! Such a divine existence—who would dare to face him in combat?!

Up on the platform, General Du Ping and Commander Song An wore expressions of shock, their jaws dropping wide open. Prince Li Ju's mouth twitched as he stood frozen, his expression shifting silently without words.

Li Chuan's ashen face turned deathly pale. Kong Sheng's divine valor far exceeded his imagination and understanding. Such a youth of godlike prowess, reminiscent of the legendary Overlord reincarnated, had utterly shattered his worldview and arrogant conceit with his overwhelming might!

Li Xuan trembled violently, slowly relaxing her grip on the sword at her waist.

Below the command platform, Mu Changfeng shouted excitedly to Wu Xian and Wu Jie, "Did you two see that? I never imagined the young master's internal qi had reached the level of channeling through weapons to strike from a distance! Truly wondrous and magnificent!"

"What a youthful hero!"

"White horse and gleaming armor, the Overlord reborn—unmatched in all the world!"

In another corner among the observing townspeople, a thunderous wave of applause and cheers erupted. Watching the excitement actually required a certain level of expertise; whether one truly understood it was one thing, but knowing how to cheer and when to applaud required finesse.

The red-robed woman in the distance drew in a sharp breath. *This fellow is practically a monster beyond mortal logic,* she thought to herself. *He has thoroughly mastered the Shangqing internal arts taught by Sima Chengzhen, reaching the advanced state of projecting qi to injure foes from afar. With his genuine qi infused into weapons, given time, plucking leaves or petals to kill—reaching the realm of a swordsman—will be mere child's play.*

Out in the arena, Kong Sheng stood majestically with his halberd horizontal, feeling immensely exhilarated. He shouted loudly, "Kong Sheng is right here! Does anyone else dare step forward to challenge me?!"

Up on the platform, Li Ju glanced once more at Li Chuan, waved his hand, and said in a deep voice, "Enough. This battle ends here. Kong Sheng is a youthful hero of extraordinary valor, capable of fighting off a hundred-man squad—proof enough that the commendation from Princess Fengyang was well-founded. Guards, issue my military order: reward Kong Sheng with three jars of fine wine and a set of silks and treasures!"

"Prepare the carriage, return to the city!"

Laughing heartily, Li Ju led Xue Sheng and other civil and military officials back to the city. As Li Xuan departed the drill ground, she cast one final glance at Kong Sheng, who sat proudly on his horse basking in his triumph, the complex emotions in her heart growing heavier by the moment.

Li Chuan rode away with a gloomy expression, staring fixedly at the Wind-Chaser beneath Kong Sheng, a covetous glint flashing in his eyes. Though not a frontline general, he was an avid lover of fine horses; the peerless, astonishing performance of Kong Sheng's mount had directly ignited his greed.

Mu Changfeng led Wu Xian and Wu Jie as they rode toward Kong Sheng. Meanwhile, the red-robed woman, who had been "spying" from the wall for half the day, slung her Cloud-Piercing Bow over her shoulder, cast one deep, lingering look at Kong Sheng, and vaulted down from the wall, vanishing without a trace.