To linger any longer would only result in more bloodshed and greater loss of life.
The white-clad woman's garments, once pristine, were now stained crimson, further diluted by the rain cascading from above. The ground around her had become increasingly muddy and soaked in blood, yet the number of those standing with her dwindled.
Perhaps aware that wearing down her opponent's soul power through such means was dishonorable, the middle-aged man, his face etched with sorrow, lowered his head and glanced irritably at the water dripping from his cotton robe.
Ultimately, no one remained standing beside the white-clad woman.
As the last thirty masked assassins realized they were surrounded by nothing but themselves, their frenzied bloodlust was finally overwhelmed by an uncontrollable fear. Yet, before they could turn to flee, a rain of arrows shot from the bamboo grove, pinning them all like hedgehogs.
The dozens of archers in the bamboo grove were as skilled as they were stoic, each capable of hitting a target from a hundred paces.
Faced with the impending deluge of arrows, the white-clad woman merely retreated into the carriage. Several black arrows struck her before she could deflect them, but they merely shimmered with an indistinguishable yellow glow, failing to pierce her skin, and fell into the blood-soaked mud below.
Her intention was clear; she was in no rush. As long as she survived, regardless of whether she took action or not, none of those present could escape unscathed. Since the carriage's interior was impervious to these arrows, she would wait inside. If anyone wished to kill her, they would have to come forward themselves.
In the bamboo grove, the sorrowful-faced middle-aged man smiled bitterly to himself. This noblewoman was indeed as formidable as the legends suggested. After brushing away a few fallen bamboo leaves from his head, he nodded to the eager armored giant beside him. "Let us proceed."
All the archers uniformly discarded their bows and drew forth black longswords from their waists.
"Roar!"
The heavily armored giant, resembling a steel-clad colossus, let out a jubilant roar. In an instant, his body transformed into a high-speed engine, the once-simple patterns of his bronze armor glowing with radiant yellow light, becoming a sight of breathtaking beauty. He brandished a massive white battle axe, matching his own size, and began to charge. His tremendous weight struck the ground, causing the air around him to resonate, shattering everything in his path, be it the falling rain or the resilient bamboo.
The sorrowful-faced middle-aged man followed at a measured pace behind the black-clad swordsman wearing a conical hat, while Li Qilong, who stood in the muddy official road, stepped out from beneath the oiled paper umbrella of the scholarly figure in a green robe, inching closer to the carriage.
In his hand appeared a pair of judge's pens, their black shafts adorned with delicate yellow patterns.
The armored giant burst forth from the bamboo grove, gaining speed until he seemed to bounce off the ground, each step covering two or three zhang.
The carriage door, now riddled with arrows, creaked open once more, and the white-clad woman emerged again, her garments darkened by blood.
Upon seeing the armored giant, who was at least four times her size, she furrowed her brow slightly. With a gentle push off the carriage's front, the entire vehicle shook violently, and she seemed to float weightlessly, soaring to stand before the armored giant.
The giant let out an exultant bellow, his colossal axe sweeping from left to right, akin to a white rainbow streaking through the air. The air was cleaved, producing a sound reminiscent of tearing silk, as countless glistening raindrops were transformed into a fine mist, an overwhelming display of might.
The white-clad woman remained unarmed, yet just as the giant's axe was about to cleave her in two, her right hand swept out towards the weapon.
A torrent of immense energy surged from her porcelain-like palm, and the countless raindrops around her shattered, curiously converging towards her hands, forming a beautiful mermaid with a faint yellow glow before her.
"Crack!"
The rain and the powerful force erupting from her body caused the mermaid to disintegrate instantly, yet the giant's heavy form and the axe in his hands abruptly halted mid-air.
In the next moment, the white-clad woman landed gracefully, while the armored giant crashed heavily to the ground, falling backward with a deep, muffled groan.
"Indeed, she possesses the cultivation of a Grand National Master… merging souls with the Mirror Sky Mermaid…" The sorrowful-faced middle-aged man, who had just leisurely stepped onto the muddy path, murmured in relief, as if finally affirming his earlier assessment upon witnessing the once-mighty giant suffer such a swift defeat.
Li Qilong, who had been less than twenty paces from the white-clad woman, now appeared pale, his judge's pen trembling as he pointed it at her, shouting like a madman, "You… you are indeed of Grand National Master cultivation!"
While his words expressed shock at her prowess, the true terror gripping his heart was known only to him. Although her strength was astonishing, it had not exceeded his expectations; what truly unnerved him was that the other three seemed entirely unconcerned with him.
Despite having left the local military for many years, his body having grown portly, he had never ceased his meditation and cultivation. His prowess had reached the pinnacle of a Grand Soul Master, his foot already on the threshold of becoming a National Scholar. Even though he was far from her level, he still possessed the ability to fight… Yet the fallen giant, the sorrowful-faced middle-aged man in the gray robe, and the scholarly figure in the green robe who had sheltered him from the rain had all ignored him completely.
Especially when he paused, the green-robed scholar passed by him, holding the umbrella, without even casting a glance in his direction.
He should have been the one orchestrating this assassination; only with his approval and cooperation could these three powerful individuals and so many assassins appear here under the Empire's gaze. Yet their attitude now suggested that this affair had nothing to do with him.
...
No one paid attention to the stunned Li Qilong, standing in the muddy official road. The sorrowful-faced middle-aged man continued to follow the advancing group of black-clad swordsmen, their conical hats bobbing as they moved. The green-robed scholar, shielding his face with the oiled paper umbrella, walked past Li Qilong with remarkable patience.
The giant, now fallen into the mud, could see only the white-clad woman. As he crashed down, splattering mud and blood everywhere, he was unaware of how the yellow light on his thick bronze armor shone brighter, the symbols appearing like golden flowers blooming. His massive iron form pressed down, causing the ground to tremble beneath him.
But before he could swing his gleaming axe again, the calm and composed white-clad woman had already placed her palm against his left abdomen.
An overwhelming force struck his armor, and as her hand met the cold metal surface, a circle of transparent shockwaves erupted from the shattered mist. The armored giant let out an unwilling roar, his immense body crashing heavily to the right.
The white-clad woman stepped onto the giant's chest, gazing down at him, who was struggling to rise, and spoke coolly, "To don the royal blue heavy armor with such ease, you must possess not only the cultivation of a National Scholar but also innate divine strength. If you cease your resistance and follow me, I can guarantee you a place of glory in history."
Since the moment she stepped out from the towering walls of the Central State Imperial City, no one had doubted her words. If she made such a promise, all the giant had to do was nod, and a brilliant future awaited him.
However, upon hearing her words, the armored giant let out a roar from the cold metal gaps before his mouth, accompanied by a spurt of blood foam, even louder than before. Though the white-clad woman's strength far exceeded his imagination, he was a true soldier, driven not only by the thirst for battle but also by an unwavering will.
In the midst of his roar, he flipped over, attempting to pin the white-clad woman beneath him, while raising his massive axe once more.
A fleeting expression of regret crossed the white-clad woman's face, quickly replaced by cold, detached killing intent.
With a gentle push against the giant's chest armor, she soared over his head. At the same time, a dazzling water-colored mermaid, exuding a mountain-like aura, erupted from her feet, forcefully pressing down on the first vertebra at the back of the giant's skull.
"Crack!"
The joint of the armor shifted slightly, a surge of power penetrating through, and blood foam sprayed from the metal gaps before the giant.
As the armored giant swayed, the white-clad woman twisted in mid-air and struck the misaligned section of armor once more.
More blood foam gushed from the metal gaps before the giant's mouth and nose, the massive axe in his hand drooping as if he were drunkenly swaying. Yet the sorrowful-faced middle-aged man and the green-robed scholar holding the umbrella showed no intention of intervening, proceeding at a leisurely pace.
The white-clad woman was fully aware that their actions were aimed at depleting her soul power, yet whether due to her absolute confidence in her strength or an innate sense of superiority, she paid no heed to the other two, focusing solely on delivering blow after blow to the first vertebra at the back of the armored giant's skull.
A black-clad swordsman, wearing a conical hat, had crept up behind her, his body curled, and with an insidious thrust of his black longsword, aimed directly at the white-clad woman's most vulnerable point.
For ordinary soldiers or low-level practitioners… or for swordsmen who were not practitioners at all, the white-clad woman represented a level of strength that made her the only target of attack.
Faced with the assassination attempt of this evidently powerful warrior, the white-clad woman remained unfazed, delivering yet another strike to the giant's skull.
As if calculated with precision, the blow landed, and the sound of breaking bones echoed as the giant's massive body could no longer stand, collapsing forward helplessly. The white-clad woman effortlessly drew the giant's axe from his weak grip, wielding it with one hand as she struck downward.
The black-clad swordsman, aiming for her lower body, was struck as if by a speeding carriage, his black longsword shattering into three pieces, and he was sent flying, crashing into several swordsmen behind him, landing in a pitiful heap like a limp noodle.