Chapter 11: The Last Stand

Continuing forward from here, the terrain opened up into a low-lying valley backed by a mountain.

In a normal place, such a depression would not matter. But here, in a bitterly cold region where snow fell year-round, a valley backed by a mountain would often accumulate extremely thick snow. Once a warhorse sank into it, moving forward would become difficult.

However, at this moment, the dozens of riders forming the encirclement behind were closing in on Lei Qing.

If this had been the old Lei Qing, he might have lost his will to fight. But after months of tempering, his will had become firm and calm. His resilient nature had helped him survive desperate situations many times. Even if he were to truly die here, Lei Qing would not even frown.

Fortunately, a few miles to the left, there seemed to be a pine forest covered in silver-white snow.

“If we can’t break through, we will all die here. Qianqian, prepare for battle.”

After shouting in a low voice, he did not hesitate, pulled the reins to turn his horse around, and charged down from the high ground, charging fiercely toward a group of cavalry on the left.

Zuo Qianqian remained silent, stuffing the iron box into her cotton-padded jacket. With a bow in hand, her red eyes revealed a fierce, animal-like glare. When the distance between them was only about ten zhang, she leaned back in her saddle. As the horse bumped along, she steadily pulled the bowstring and shot an arrow with a whoosh.

But she had clearly chosen the wrong target. The burly man leading the enemy raiders was a Elementary-stage Black Iron warrior. Facing the sharp arrow whistling toward him, he roared and slashed his curved blade upward, deflecting the arrow.

The other side obviously had archers skilled in mounted archery. As they galloped, they drew their horse bows and shot several sharp arrows toward Lei Qing. But Lei Qing was no easy opponent. As he waved his Ice Flame sword, it turned into several solid-looking sword lights, sweeping away the incoming arrows.

With a loud roar, he urged his horse to meet the burly man leading the group, who was an Elementary-stage Black Iron warrior. His sword light danced, and in an instant, he knocked the curved blade out of the man’s hand. With the sharp sword flashing like lightning, he beheaded the man. As blood sprayed, such a brutal way of killing momentarily frightened the group of raiders, making their limbs stiff involuntarily.

It is worth noting that the burly man who was killed was a notable figure among the raiders, known for his bravery and ferocity, yet his head was sliced off by a single sword strike. Especially those who were closest, seeing Lei Qing covered in blood with an awe-inspiring aura up close, all felt their limbs go cold, and their movements slowed down a beat.

In the midst of a battlefield, the most taboo thing is to feel fear. Fear makes one lose bravery. And once bravery is lost, Death tends to favor them even more.

Lei Qing pressed his horse’s sides, urging the nag to charge frantically. His Ice Flame sword erupted with brilliant light, as if the air itself was filled with sizzling electricity. In his desperate struggle, Lei Qing repeated the sword strike of his Fighting Qi technique, wielding Lightning Flash and Thunder Clap to its extreme.

Suddenly, he unleashed more than ten brilliant sword glares. Amidst the beauty, a fierce aura of slaughter emerged.

The three elite cavalrymen closest to him blinked, and their throats were cut. With disbelief in their eyes, they fell from their horses one after another.

But among these unruly raiders, there were also brave fighters. A dark-skinned burly man rode past, thrusting a spear at a tricky angle, aiming straight for Lei Qing’s throat. Judging by his aura, he did not seem weak and was likely a Black Iron-rank warrior.

Lei Qing, who had just unleashed his ultimate move, was at his weakest point in terms of Fighting Qi.

In the hasty parry, the spear slid downward. Through his damaged rhinoceros-hide armor, it stabbed hard into his shoulder. Even with Lei Qing’s resilience, he couldn’t help but groan in pain, his face twisting. But before his fierce smile could fully show, the sound of a bowstring vibrating rang out. With a whistle, a sharp arrow flew from close range, directly hitting his forehead, its heavy force driving it in several inches.

As blood flew everywhere, the burly man screamed and fell to the ground. Obviously, they had ignored the petite girl behind Lei Qing.

“Hmph.” Lei Qing gripped the spear with his back hand, pulled it out with great force, and removed it from his shoulder. Blood splashed briefly, then stopped temporarily under the mystical control of his Fighting Qi. Lei Qing, with a fierce expression, threw the spear. It flew through the air like a startled goose, piercing the chest of a cavalryman.

After just a few seconds of contact, in the cruel and direct slaughter, six of the enemy were dead, two of whom were Black Iron-rank warriors. Of course, one of those Black Iron-rank warriors was killed by Zuo Qianqian’s arrow.

This also highlights the treachery and cruelty of the battlefield, where anything can happen. It was completely different from a frontal duel. Especially that Black Iron-rank warrior; if he had fought Zuo Qianqian in a direct one-on-one duel, she would definitely have died.

But Lei Qing also paid a heavy price.

Fortunately, relying on Lei Qing’s bravery and Zuo Qianqian’s support, they broke through the blockade of this small group of cavalry in just a few seconds. The nag galloped through. Lei Qing dared not delay for even a moment. He poured his remaining Fighting Qi frantically into the nag.

The eyes of this nag were already red, and it kept puffing out hot mist from its nostrils, panting heavily. But with the help of Lei Qing’s Fighting Qi, it still burst forth with strong speed, breaking the blockade and galloping toward the pine forest.

Breaking through the blockade in such a short time was due to two reasons: Lei Qing’s bravery and a bit of luck. Especially without that god-like arrow shot by Zuo Qianqian, the two of them and the horse would probably have all died there.

Even if the enemy had only hesitated for a moment to entangle Lei Qing, preventing his horse from gaining speed, the cavalry that followed would have hacked him into mincemeat. In fact, even if Lei Qing were to do it again, he wasn’t very confident he could break through.

The crisis was far from over. This group of cavalry, after being charged and killed by Lei Qing, still had eight left. If it were just these eight of them facing such a brave Lei Qing, they might not dare to pursue and might even flee. But there were still dozens of brothers behind them.

Immediately, those eight cavalrymen reacted first, turning their horses around and chasing after Lei Qing. The distance between them was only seven or eight zhang. Although Lei Qing’s nag had been urged to speed up, it was still far from being able to easily shake off its enemies.

Among those cavalrymen, three or four were skilled in mounted archery. At this distance, they all drew their bows and shot arrows at Lei Qing.

Lei Qing had been trained in horsemanship since childhood and was very proficient in riding. When his life was at stake, he brought his ability to listen to the wind and judge positions to the extreme. Pulling the reins, he constantly changed direction amidst the sound of bowstrings, almost achieving the state of man and horse as one.

As arrows missed their mark, Zuo Qianqian, who was also skilled in archery, twisted her petite body at an incredible angle backward. With steady aim, she fired counterattacks at the mounted archers. She had few arrows left, only four or five, so she couldn’t afford to waste many.

After more than ten breaths, Lei Qing and Zuo Qianqian had coordinated extremely well. When Zuo Qianqian fired her last arrow, she was luckily accurate again, hitting a mounted archer. This was the second mounted archer to fall to her hands in a short time.

But unfortunately, her arrows ran out, and there were still two mounted archers alive among the enemy. With a whistle, a sharp arrow flew and hit Zuo Qianqian’s thigh. But she only let out a low groan, clenched her teeth tightly, and endured the piercing pain without letting it distract Lei Qing.

Fortunately, after a long gallop, the nag’s advantages, stimulated by the Fighting Qi, gradually came into play. The distance between them stretched to fifteen or sixteen zhang. At this distance, the enemy’s mounted archers could not possibly shoot with high precision.

As time dragged on, the nag’s advantages became more and more obvious. At this moment, they were only a li away from the pine forest. But just then, the nag under Lei Qing could no longer bear the whipping. After a mournful neigh, its front legs gave way, and it fell to the ground, twitching and unable to get up.

……