Chapter Eighty-Eight: Unstoppable

The combat style of the Sin Brigade was unlike that of other armies. Whether it was the Skywolf Legion or the Demon Army, their commanders rarely entered battle themselves; only when the enemy had committed strategic-level forces to the field, or when their own ranks were truly on the verge of collapse, would they personally take action.

Yet Ye Xin always fought at the very front. In every battle of the Sin Brigade, he was always first in line, charging the fiercest and killing with the greatest ruthlessness. That was how he won the recognition of the prisoners in the Sin Brigade, and how he became the Sin-Exec­uting War God whose name made the soldiers of the Great Summons Kingdom tremble with fear. The burden of command fell to Mister Ghost, while Mo Yan served as the brigade’s eyes, overseeing the entire battlefield, searching for weak points, watching for enemy reinforcements, and striking at the decisive moment to kill the enemy’s strongest generals.

As a rule, when forces were evenly matched, the first assault led by Ye Xin would always become a bitter struggle. Of course, Ye Xin had his own resolve and purpose. The living conditions in this world were too harsh; one could not survive by wit alone. He craved strength, and on the path of cultivation there were almost no shortcuts. At least, he had not found one. So he could only temper himself through repeated slaughter and bloodshed.

Then, under Mister Ghost’s command, the second detachment led by Little Fish and the third detachment led by Xue Baiqi would enter the battlefield in sequence, while another man led the fourth detachment as the general reserve. Relying on Mo Yan’s demon eye, the second and third detachments would strike the enemy’s weakest points with perfect accuracy, tearing the line apart completely. At such times, Mo Yan would usually make his move as well, sniping one of the enemy’s most crucial generals.

Most things in the world can be explained by logic. The Sin Brigade’s streak of invincibility was not a miracle, but the result of exquisite calculation and flawless coordination.

Setting aside Ye Xin’s fondness for striking the strong with the weak and avoiding, as far as possible, the Tiger Head Army of Zhuang Bujiu and the Demon Army of Xiao Mozhi in favor of attacking irregular forces, even if both sides were evenly matched, they still would not be Ye Xin’s match.

If one counted things mathematically, it became even clearer. When Ye Xin, the strongest in the Sin Brigade, led the charge, he used only one-tenth or one-fifth of the brigade’s total strength. His aim was chiefly to temper himself, to kill by borrowing another’s blade, and to eliminate troublesome foes, while also greatly wearing down the enemy’s power. By contrast, the other side usually had to commit half its strength just to barely suppress the Sin-Exec­uting War God’s offensive.

Then Little Fish and Xue Baiqi struck, bringing with them six-tenths of the Sin Brigade’s strength, attacking a temporary weak point caused by the enemy’s troop redeployments. They always shattered everything before them like dry weeds before a blazing fire. Moreover, Mo Yan’s divine arrow would kill a principal commander at precisely that moment, never missing.

What’s more, Mister Ghost possessed an array of utterly uncanny abilities. He was without question the second man in the Sin Brigade, second only to Ye Xin in both combat power and strategy. If Ye Xin fell in battle, he would be the only one qualified to take over command.

But Mister Ghost was very seasoned in his conduct. Because of that, he made every effort to stay far from Ye Xin’s inner circle, neither forming factions nor gathering retainers. He had neither subordinates nor personal guards, and whenever he did anything, he would choose to act alone, all to avoid Ye Xin’s suspicion.

Ye Xin trusted Mister Ghost very deeply. He had said countless times that there was no need for such caution, but Mister Ghost would only smile and give no answer, continuing thereafter to do as he pleased.

“You are right, my lord,” Fu Shang said with a nod. Then his eyes rolled. “My lord, we even went to the trouble of getting you a grand gift.”

“What gift?” Ye Xin was stunned. “Why didn’t you give it to me in Nine Cauldron City?”

“Heh heh... we brothers had a little selfishness, wanted to curry favor with you,” Fu Shang said with a rather sly grin. “So we didn’t tell Baiqi. We had planned to hand it over personally once we entered the city. Who knew your order would have us waiting in this place? So we had no choice but to bring the gift here as well.”

“Brothers, bring the thing over,” Fu Shang said, turning back with a laugh.

Two young men lifted a flat wooden chest more than three meters long and carried it over. The item inside the chest must have been very heavy, for they looked somewhat strained.

“Open it,” Fu Shang said.

Another young man stepped forward and opened the chest. The moment Ye Xin saw what was inside, he froze. A moment later, a trace of a smile bloomed at the corner of his mouth.

Xue Baiqi, Hao Fei, and Xie En crowded over. At a glance, they saw the contents of the chest, and all of them revealed expressions of pleasant surprise. Xie En cried out, “Th... isn’t that Boss’s War God Blade? The War God Blade was lost on Mount Tai Sui. Where did you get it?!”

Indeed, the chest held Ye Xin’s War God Blade. In the battle on Mount Tai Sui Plain, he had been gravely wounded by Zhuang Bujiu, and the War God Blade had been left behind on the battlefield.

“This is your lord’s treasure. How could I let it fall into the hands of those petty curs?” Fu Shang laughed with great self-satisfaction. “So I spent a fortune bribing a merchant caravan from the Feather Empire and had them search for this War God Blade in the Great Summons Kingdom. They didn’t disappoint me. They actually laid a trap and cheated that useless son of Zhuang Bujiu out of a great deal of money, forcing the brat to use this War God Blade to settle his debts. Hahaha...”

“Well done, Fu Shang. Your brain... tsk tsk, it really is quite sharp,” Xie En sighed.

“Exactly. None of us thought to bring this War God Blade back,” Xue Baiqi said. “We assumed we’d have to wait until after we defeated Zhuang Bujiu... who would have thought, who would have thought.”

“If I had no skill at all, how would I dare claim to be one of my lord’s trusted lieutenants?” Fu Shang grew even more pleased with himself.

“Fu Shang, well done!” Ye Xin finally suppressed the turmoil in his heart and bent down to pick up the War God Blade.

Ye Xin’s War God Blade was more than three meters long. Its blade was like a willow leaf, carrying an elegant curve. From the outside it looked light and thin, but in truth it weighed more than a thousand catties, and under the moonlight it gave off a faint blue-green glow.

The Boundless Skywolf beneath him let out a whimper. Its burden-bearing ability was beyond question; even several thousand catties would have posed no problem. But the sudden added weight made it somewhat uncomfortable.

“What a dense murderous aura...” Qiu Jieshan murmured from afar.

“It looks beautiful, but it isn’t very suitable for breaking a charge,” an old general said in a low voice. “A blade this thin would probably shatter after a few rounds of hacking and killing.”

“Look at the claws of the Boundless Skywolf beneath the young commander,” Qiu Jieshan said calmly.

The old general looked closely and was instantly shocked. The Boundless Skywolf under Ye Xin was standing on a patch of soft earth, and all four claws had sunk deep into it. It kept lifting a paw, trying to move to another spot, only to sink in again at once.

“This... this heavy?” the old general nearly could not believe his eyes. “Then the young commander...”

“Right now, perhaps you are not fully convinced when you call him young commander, thinking he cannot inherit the Wolf Commander’s mantle,” Qiu Jieshan said with a smile. “But soon, you will understand.”

Qiu Jieshan’s favorable opinion of Ye Xin had risen greatly. Ye Xin had not remained in Nine Cauldron City to continue those unspeakable dealings. Instead, he had decisively left the city, marched north, and gone to intercept the Great Summons Kingdom’s army. In his eyes, this was a true man who acted for the nation and the people.

Ye Xin flicked his wrist, and the War God Blade swept through the air, drawing a pale blue-green curtain of light. “Fu Shang, you’ve truly done me a great favor. Tell me then, how should I reward you?”

“My lord, the reward can wait,” Fu Shang said with a grin. “This time I spent quite a lot to buy back the War God Blade. I took out five hundred thousand in banknotes and used sixty essence stones. If you don’t scold me, my lord, I’m already more than satisfied.”

“Whatever you spent was worth it,” Ye Xin said. “Speak. What do you want?”

“In truth... my lord, you can probably already see it.” Fu Shang turned to glance at the warhorses tethered nearby, then looked at the Boundless Skywolf beneath Ye Xin, and finally gave Ye Xin a flattering smile.

“You want a Boundless Skywolf?” Ye Xin paused. “Then you’ll have to wait until I go to Boundless Mountain.”

“It’s enough that my lord has agreed,” Fu Shang said overjoyed. “I’m not in any hurry for a moment or two.”

“Young commander, why not make a trip to Seal City?” Qiu Jieshan suddenly called out.

“What would I do in Seal City?” Ye Xin asked, turning back.

“Seal City is where the Wolf Commander first rose to prominence,” Qiu Jieshan said. “Young commander has never been to the Skywolf Army, so you may not know this, but the Skywolf Legion has holdings in Seal City. Some of the wounded old brothers were left there—on the one hand, to give them a way to survive so they would not be left uncared for; on the other, they can keep watch over those beasts. As far as I know, there are still at least thirty-odd Boundless Skywolves in the forests around Seal City.”

“Oh?” Ye Xin pondered for a moment. “Very well, let us change course and go to Seal City.”

“Haha, so I’ll soon have a Boundless Skywolf of my own?!” Fu Shang had not expected his wish to be fulfilled so quickly.

“In the past, I was only sixty or seventy percent sure. Now I have full confidence.” Ye Xin gazed at the pale blue sword light radiating from the War God Blade and said slowly, “Do you know what momentum is? It is when, at the critical moment, you suddenly discover that people arrive just when you lack them, things arrive just when you need them, one pleasant surprise follows another, like swimming in a mountain flood. You cannot stop it even if you try. Follow the current, and everything can be resolved with ease.”

Xue Baiqi, Hao Fei, and the others quietly watched Ye Xin. At this moment, Ye Xin was radiating an astonishing aura. The Sin-Exec­uting War God in their memories had finally returned.

“Now... no one can stop me anymore.” Ye Xin let out a soft breath. “Move out. To Seal City!”

With that, Ye Xin urged the Boundless Skywolf forward and rode toward Seal City.

Fu Shang and the others hurried back to the warhorses, untied the reins, swung into the saddles, and strained to catch up with Ye Xin. Unfortunately, compared with the speed of the Boundless Skywolf, the warhorses fell far behind in only a few breaths of time.

“My lord, wait for us!” Fu Shang shouted as he whipped his horse on desperately.

“This is only three hundred li from Seal City. There is no need for you to spare the horses,” Ye Xin said, and then he also eased the Boundless Skywolf’s running speed.

Tomorrow it will be put on the shelves. I humbly beg for guaranteed monthly tickets and recommendation votes!