Chapter 30: Taking a Shortcut to Break Through

In the end, the Fire Dragon proved slightly superior.

The Banesoldier general’s massive blade, dozens of meters long, failed to breach the Fire Dragon’s defenses. Instead, it suffered a recoil effect as the dragon struck back with full force. The Banesoldier was sent flying backward, smoke billowing from its body like a shooting star hurtling into the unknown depths of space.

With nothing left to impede it, the Fire Dragon charged forward unopposed, its claws extended and jaws wide open. The hundred-meter-long beast plowed through the ranks of banesoldiers as if they weren’t even there.

Wherever the dragon passed, any banesoldier it touched instantly burst into flames, disintegrating into ash in an instant.

“Die!”

From beneath the commander’s banner, a long spear flew forth, striking the Fire Dragon squarely on its head.

Boom!

An explosion rocked the air, sending shockwaves and fiery debris careening into the front lines. In that split second, a third of the army was reduced to nothing more than dust.

Not even second-rank banesoldiers could survive such explosive power.

Seeing this devastation, Qin Shu wasted no time. He grabbed Lu Yixi and shouted, “Go!”

A banesoldier rose into the sky, its hollow eyes glowing red, radiating an aura of deathly intent.

Another long spear materialized, hurtling directly towards Qin Shu.

Qin Shu sensed danger and immediately halted his steps, plunging the apricot-yellow flag into the ground. The Great Array of Five Elements took shape around them.

Boom!

As soon as the array solidified, the long spear arrived, slamming into the protective barrier.

This time, the entire formation trembled, teetering on the verge of collapse.

Lu Yixi clutched Qin Shu’s hand, her entire body radiating tension. “Why don’t we just leave now?”

“I haven’t even used my full strength yet!” Qin Shu patted her hand reassuringly. “Don’t be afraid. They’re still over ten kilometers away; they won’t catch up anytime soon. Let me deal with this banesoldier commander first.”

Whoosh!

Another sound pierced the air.

Qin Shu extended his hand, summoning the Flying Sand Sword embedded with the Qingping Sword Pill. It soared out of the array, hurtling towards the black spear.

Clang!

In a hurried clash, the Flying Sand Sword was no match for the long spear, rebounding off it and flying back towards him.

However, the impact also dispersed much of the spear’s momentum. When it struck the protective shield, its force had significantly diminished.

A black glow dissipated, revealing a towering figure over two meters tall standing outside the array. Clad in pitch-black battle armor, he wielded a three-meter-long spear as thick as a bowl’s rim.

Without a single word uttered, the giant’s foot crashed into the ground, sending earth flying as it carved out an enormous crater. Its body launched towards Qin Shu like an arrow, spear at the ready. The tip of its weapon coalesced with black mist, emitting an aura of destruction.

Lu Yixi felt his scalp tingle with fear; Isn’t this far too dangerous?

He glanced at Qin Shu—his face remained calm, not even a hint of concern.

Boom!

The long spear struck the protective barrier of the Great Array of Five Elements.

The shield quivered violently but held firm against being breached.

Had the entire army of banesoldiers arrived and formed their battle array, Qin Shu would indeed have needed to avoid their full force. But facing just one banesoldier general posed no significant threat in his eyes.

This defense, which had withstood the assault of near-fourth-rank monsters like the Armored Rhinoceros-Bull, was unlikely to succumb to the banesoldier before them.

“Roar!”

Instead, the counter-shock sent the creature reeling, eliciting a furious bellow from its throat. For an instant, its body froze in shock.

Qin Shu seized this fleeting opportunity without hesitation.

His sword moved swiftly, but it wasn’t Flying Sand Sword he wielded—it was Qingping Sword Pill, separated from its parent blade.

The sword pill was tiny, no larger than a thumb, but it concentrated more potent and sharper sword energy than the Flying Sand Sword.

Cyan Lotus Sword Art, third form: Lotus Bud Piercing Through Earth.

The sword energy on Qingping Sword Pill extended only as far as a pinky finger, resembling a lotus seed just beginning to sprout. Yet it was incredibly sharp, capable of piercing through even the most solid materials without resistance.

This strike drove directly into the forehead of the banesoldier commander, exiting from the back of its skull.

The banesoldier commander was not one of the lowest-tier first-rank soldiers; it was a third-rank, with increased strength and additional vital points.

Although the head had been pierced through, it wasn’t enough to kill it outright. However, the killing fiendish qi within its body erupted out through the hole in its head, causing its power to instantly weaken by thirty percent.

“Roar!”

With an enraged bellow, the banesoldier commander condensed its fiendish energy once more, filling the hole in its forehead. The opening began to shrink rapidly.

Could Qin Shu endure this any longer? Without hesitation, he formed another Qingping Sword Pill, employing the Lotus Bud Piercing Through Earth technique again. It tore straight through the banesoldier commander’s chest.

Now there were two holes—above and below—and air escaped from both simultaneously.

“Roar-roar-roar!”

The Banesoldier General roared furiously; even abyssal creatures harbored a fear of total annihilation.

As the saying goes: “A wise corpse avoids unnecessary losses.” The general turned to flee, seeking to regroup with its army and replenish its strength.

But could Qin Shu let it escape?

“Great Fire Escape, Entwining Fire Dragons.”

The Great Array of Five Elements transformed into the fire element, unleashing over a hundred ten-meter-long fire dragons. Faster than the Banesoldier General, these fiery serpents coiled around its undead form.

Flames burned away the banesoldier’s malevolent aura as their heat seeped inward, incinerating flesh already corrupted by evil.

Roar!

This time, the cry was tinged with sorrow—a plea for help.

Moments later, hoofbeats thundered across the plain. A black banesoldier horse appeared out of nowhere, bearing a banesoldier warlord on its back. With a swift motion, the rider thrust his spear forward, sending dark blossoms akin to black pear flowers blooming in mid-air.

Pfft… Pfft… Pfft…

One by one, the fire dragons were sent flying before they fizzled out entirely.

In the distance, the banesoldier army—now bereft of both its commanding general and the deputy who had been sent reeling earlier—lost all cohesion. Their once formidable ranks dissolved into a disorganized mob, their former might now nothing more than scattered individual soldiers.

Qin Shu saw his chance and switched the Great Array of Five Elements to a defensive stance.

Next, he reinstalled the Qingping Sword Pill onto the Flying Sand Sword and sent it flying through the air until it hovered above the banesoldier army.

The yellow sand on the ground swirled around the Flying Sand Sword, quickly forming an airborne sea of sand.

Cyan Lotus Sword Art, second form: Myriad Lotus Blooms.

Lu Yixi looked up into the distant sky where, amidst the swirling sands, countless yellow lotus blossoms bloomed, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene.

Yet beneath this stunning appearance lay a fierce killing intent.

The desert lotuses unfurled silently, their slaughter equally noiseless.

As the Yellow Sand Sword energy descended, the world turned a uniform shade of yellow, resembling a sandstorm but possessing hundreds of times its destructive power.

In no time at all, the vast army was buried beneath the swirling sands.

All that remained visible was a sea of yellow.

This army of tens of thousands of banesoldiers had been nearly completely annihilated.

Why “nearly” you ask?

Firstly, the three great bosses still remained.

Additionally, beneath the swirling sands, several hundred second-rank banesoldiers managed to break through the earth, albeit with bodies far from intact.

Lu Yixi gazed upon Qin Shu’s face, a visage that melded elegance with steely resolve and a hint of frost. His heart skipped a beat involuntarily, a flicker of fear crossing his eyes.

How terrifying! Is this what a sword cultivator looks like? His spiritual soul must surely be a blade.

As Qin Shu annihilated the banesoldier army, aided by the banesoldier general, the banesoldier commander also completed its self-healing process. The two gaping holes in its body had already sealed shut.

But was everything truly as it seemed?

“Roar!”

Two long spears hurtled towards the protective barrier surrounding the array, their purpose clear: to pierce through Qin Shu’s defenses.

“Advance!”

“What?” A chill ran down Lu Yixi’s spine as he watched, helpless, as two banesoldiers charged unimpeded into the formation.

“Elevate! Rotate!”

Qin Shu’s hands danced in a practiced rhythm, orchestrating the transformation of the four elemental flags.

The plain white flag summoned swirling mists; the Black Yuan Banner trickled with flowing water; the apricot-yellow banner exerted crushing gravity; the flame banner glowed with ethereal light; and the Cyan Lotus Banner whipped with tempestuous winds.

In an instant, the Great Array of Five Elements shifted from defensive stance to deceptive mode, plunging the two banesoldiers into a bewildering maze.