Chapter 1549: Chapter 1549: Escape from Danger

Ye Shikai’s Fire Element was obtained from the Atlantis relic; indeed, it is a precious treasure that even many cultivators covet. These Qin Army soldiers are just ordinary people, so naturally, they couldn’t have seen it, and coupled with Ye Shikai’s sudden "supernatural resurrection," it’s normal for them to be shocked.

"A ghost!"

"Run, run!"

Hundreds of Qin Soldiers, as if encountering spirits, ran away in panic, shedding helmets and armor. In reality, Ye Shikai’s appearance hadn’t changed at all; they were deceived by the so-called "demons and spirits." But it’s not their fault, after all, in this era, without modern science, they strongly believed in these "supernatural tales."

"Report to Lord Han, General Ye... General Ye has come back to life!"

"What, how is that possible." Han Hao saw the soldiers in front fleeing like lost souls and almost fell off his horse at the sight of a familiar figure charging out of the meteor crater, shocked. Ye Shikai, like a War God, effortlessly broke through the Qin Army’s encirclement; no one could stop him as the soldiers rushing towards him couldn’t even get close, being shattered by Sword Qi.

"My lord, General Ye must be possessed by a ghost."

"Nonsense, where’s the ghost? Shoot the arrows, kill him for me."

Han Hao felt a brief joy when seeing Ye Shikai alive, but then murderous intent emerged. Ying Huo Shou Xin, the meteor falling has touched the emperor’s most sensitive nerves. Now that the people have fled, if Ye Shikai escapes too, the emperor is bound to be furious, and would surely execute Han Hao for "inadequate suppression."

The emperor’s wrath always results in deaths.

"Quick, shoot the arrows."

Over a thousand soldiers simultaneously released a rain of arrows, darkening the sky, aimed at Ye Shikai.

"You Xi Sword."

Ye Shikai took out the You Xi Sword from the Storage Ring, operated his Inner Strength, and unleashed a powerful Sword intent. The nearby soldiers felt an intense pressure, as if a heavy stone was pressed against their chests, making it hard to breathe. When the arrows descended, they suddenly "paused" at a three-foot distance from Ye Shikai, as if time had frozen, suspended in mid-air.

"This..."

"How could this be."

Even if Han Hao was skeptical before, seeing this scene forced him to believe, how could anyone block arrows in mid-air? Clearly, this is paranormal!

"Do not panic, General, Wan Qi Yuan is here." Suddenly, a chaotic shout emerged from the rear of the army formation; Wan Qi Yuan led the cavalry in a wedge formation, like a chisel, breaking through the impervious defensive line, charging straight ahead.

Upon hearing Wan Qi Yuan’s voice, Ye Shikai also killed his way towards the source of the sound. The Qin Army soldiers had long been frightened by Ye Shikai’s appearance, wielding a sword in his right hand and flames in his left, making it hard for soldiers to approach, even "submissively" opening a path for him.

"Kill him quickly; move forward and survive, retreat and die; kill him for me," Han Hao shouted loudly. Wan Qi Yuan was also a fierce warrior, leading the charge himself, with a swift horse, a long spear, and a horse blade, penetrating the formation with no one able to stop him.

"General." Wan Qi Yuan quickly found Ye Shikai amidst the formation. Honestly, this fearlessly fierce Wolf Clan man was startled by Ye Shikai’s appearance as well; is this even human?

Wan Qi Yuan turned his horse towards Ye Shikai’s direction and charged, followed closely by his trusted aides, dispersing the Qin Soldiers as they came before Ye Shikai.

"General, follow me."

"Alright."

Ye Shikai jumped and leaped onto a warhorse; Wan Qi Yuan did not dare linger and swiftly led the crowd away.

"Cavalry team, cover the General’s retreat."

"Affirmative."

"Affirmative."

"Quick, pursue them; don’t let them escape; kill every last one," Han Hao shouted frantically, but the cavalry’s mobility was extremely high, and in a blink, they had broken through the formation, heading east towards the valley.

........................

"Old Ye, are you alright?" Not long after the cavalry broke out of the formation, Shangguan Jian, coming to the rescue, met them. He had only a few hundred men with him, all his trusted personal guards.

"Don’t worry, I’m fine." Ye Shikai was covered in wounds, blood all over, his armor broken, looking terrifying, yet his spirit was remarkably well, not at all like someone severely injured. Now that Ye Shikai possessed Inner Strength, his body’s self-healing ability was much faster than most, although the wounds looked scary, the bleeding had stopped, and healing was only a matter of time.

"Alright, let’s hurry and leave."

"Report to the Generals, the Qin Army is chasing us, over ten thousand cavalry have caught up."

"Damn, let’s retreat immediately," Ye Shikai commanded.

"General, I will lead the Iron Armor Army to stop them," Man Cang also returned with his soldiers; the group reconvened with a sense of relief.

"Good, Man Cang, you must be extra careful, retreat while fighting, don’t engage in prolonged battles," Ye Shikai ordered. Man Cang had only a few thousand soldiers under him; they could act as rearguard but shouldn’t entangle with Han Hao’s large army.

"Understood, I accept the orders."

"Old Ye, let’s retreat quickly."

"Alright."

A stick of incense later, at the valley entrance.

"Shangguan, have the people retreated?" Ye Shikai inquired.

"More or less, most of the people have evacuated into the mountains; once they cross the mountain paths, they’ll be safe."

"Wonderful." Ye Shikai nodded in agreement, although over ten thousand people were killed in the fierce battle, they at least saved a hundred thousand, marking the operation as relatively successful.

"The valley entrance is narrow, making it difficult for Han Hao’s army to deploy, and we have stationed three thousand crossbowmen here, which is enough to hold them back," Shangguan Jian explained; everything was proceeding according to plan. Meanwhile, Man Cang also led his forces to retreat back; upon entering the valley entrance, Shangguan Jian immediately ordered the crossbowmen to fire arrows, repelling the Qin Army.

"Lord Han, the rebels have deployed heavy troops on both sides above the valley entrance, sending a storm of arrows; our troops were shot to pieces upon getting close, it’s impossible to advance further." In front of the valley entrance, many defeated Qin Army soldiers retreated miserably; this is a "one-man-defends, ten-thousand-men-cannot-breach" valley, easy to defend and hard to attack.

"Damn it, have the soldiers raise their shields; even if taking one step at a time, we must pursue them for me," Han Hao shouted loudly.

"Understood."

"Quick, throw stones, seal the valley entrance," Seeing this, Ye Shikai immediately ordered the soldiers to gather rocks and hurl them from above, quickly "building" a "stone wall" blocking the Qin Army outside the valley.

"Shangguan, instruct the troops to retreat into the mountains; the Qin Army won’t give up easily, they will certainly search the mountains, but if we hold out until nightfall, they’ll be helpless."

"Alright, I’ll go right away."