"Ruins?" Ling Yunfeng raised an eyebrow upon hearing the mention of ancient ruins. "Are you saying you're not responsible for the disappearance of the Sword Sect masters?"
"Hmph! Why would I lie?" Orion replied calmly. "If I had wiped out hundreds of your masters, do you think they wouldn't have had a chance to send for help?"
Ling Yunfeng scrutinized Orion, finding it difficult to discern any deceit. Orion's explanation made sense—perhaps the Great Elder and the others had indeed stumbled into ancient ruins and met their end due to the dangers within.
At this moment, Ling Yunfeng found himself leaning toward that explanation, unwilling to consider the more sinister alternative.
"If there are ruins… then that's interesting!" A flash of greed appeared in Ling Yunfeng's eyes. Ruins were both perilous and filled with potential treasure. Throughout history, whenever ruins were discovered, people from all over the continent would rush to claim them, often resulting in fierce battles.
"Where are these ruins?" Ling Yunfeng asked, his voice laced with barely concealed greed. If the Wenjian Sect could secure these ruins first, their power would rise to unprecedented levels.
Orion rolled his eyes, looking at Ling Yunfeng as if he were a fool. "Why would I tell you? Even if I knew, I wouldn't share it with you!" he snapped.
Ling Yunfeng narrowed his eyes, realizing that peaceful negotiations were no longer an option. If the ruins existed, the news couldn't be allowed to spread. Orion and his forces needed to be eliminated.
"Enough talk! Let's settle this with our swords!" Ling Yunfeng declared. "If Prince Lu insists on battle, then the Sword Sect will oblige!"
Orion, disgusted by Ling Yunfeng's hypocritical righteousness, was eager to begin the fight. With Li Sandao and Yuan Zuozong lying in ambush, Orion was ready to strike.
Without further warning, the battle erupted.
As the largest sect in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Wenjian Sect's disciples were formidable, especially the core members, who were often great martial arts masters or even Martial Kings and Martial Emperors. However, these elite disciples were few in number. The majority were lower-level outer disciples.
In contrast, Orion's Dragoon Army was composed of warriors who were at least peak-level martial artists. They rode monstrous warhorses, wielded high-quality weapons, and wore enchanted black iron armor. Their coordinated battle formations made them a force to be reckoned with.
The difference in combat strength was immediately apparent. Two core disciples of the Wenjian Sect, both great martial arts masters, attacked a single dragoon soldier. However, they were quickly overpowered, knocked aside by the warhorse, and left vomiting blood on the ground. Before they could recover, the warhorses trampled them into a bloody pulp.
"Retreat!" "No, don't kill me!" "I don't want to die!" "Please, spare me!"
The initial clash resulted in heavy losses for the Wenjian Sect disciples. Many, having lived in the mountains and never witnessed such bloodshed, were horrified by the carnage. They threw down their swords, fell to their knees, and begged for mercy, but there was no reprieve. The Dragoon Army showed no mercy, trampling the fallen underfoot.
Some of the more skilled disciples managed to resist, but the majority were in full retreat, abandoning their posts and fleeing in terror. In their panic, they made the fatal mistake of turning their backs to the Dragoon Army. The dragoons, with their monstrous warhorses, easily caught up and slaughtered the fleeing disciples.
Screams filled the air as the massacre unfolded. In mere moments, most of the Wenjian Sect disciples lay dead, their blood staining the ground and turning the mountain gate scarlet.
"What incredible fighting power!" Ling Yunfeng's eyes widened in shock, his face grim. Now he understood how Orion's army had managed to capture Liangzhou County so swiftly. The Dragoon Army was far more powerful than any ordinary disciples of the Wenjian Sect.
Orion paid no attention to the slaughter and instead focused on Ling Yunfeng. He knew the old man would soon make his move. And indeed, seeing his disciples being butchered, Ling Yunfeng's eyes burned with fury. If this continued, the Wenjian Sect would be wiped out.
"Elders, it's time for us to act!" Ling Yunfeng roared, drawing his sword from his space ring. The blade, golden and exuding a fierce aura, shimmered with lethal energy. This was no ordinary sword—it was a spiritual weapon!
"Kill!"
At Ling Yunfeng's command, the dozen or so Wenjian Sect elders behind him drew their spiritual swords, their blades dancing with blinding light.
"Sword Rain!" "Rainbow Sword Qi!" "Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Clan!"
The elders unleashed their powerful techniques in unison, their combined might creating a storm of sword energy that threatened to overwhelm the Dragoon Army. The defeated disciples, seeing their elders' powerful display, regained their confidence and joined the counterattack.
"Hmph! Your opponents are us!" Xu Chu and the other half-saints on Orion's side stepped forward to confront the Wenjian Sect elders. Though they were outnumbered, with only six half-saints against more than a dozen, their strength was formidable. Xu Chu, a peak half-saint, could even fight three opponents at once without faltering.