Faced with this person's inexplicable answer, Zhao Yun and Jian Jun Twelve Hates were both a little speechless.
Jiao's reaction was actually... immediately canceling his Musou Awakening state and leaping backward: "Damn it... consider yourselves lucky today, I'll settle this debt sooner or later!" After uttering this harsh remark, he turned and strode away, fleeing into the distance.
Jiao was also a rather intelligent person. Right now, all the demonic soldiers he led had been wiped out by Zhao Yun, and he was facing three opponents alone (he didn't even consider Xiao Tan, so he wasn't counted), which was obviously disadvantageous. He might as well take advantage of not being injured and retreat quickly, otherwise... if he continued to fight like this for a while, he might not be able to leave even if he wanted to.
"Are we just going to let him go like that?" Xiao Tan seemed a little eager to chase after him, because he felt... if this person wasn't eliminated, he would definitely become a great threat.
"Hero, as the saying goes, don't pursue a desperate foe..." Zhao Yun replied, "Let him go."
General Zhao was very good at speaking, saying "let him go" as if they were letting Jiao off the hook. But in fact... given the current situation, they had no choice but to let him go...
Not to mention that Jian Jun's hands hadn't fully recovered, Zhao Yun himself... had also suffered some damage in the battle with the demonic soldiers.
If Jiao retreated while fighting, entangling them, they wouldn't gain any advantage either.
"Uh... okay." Hearing this, Xiao Tan didn't say much. Among the four people present, he was the weakest; he had hardly played any positive role in the battle just now; under such circumstances, he was too embarrassed to clamor about chasing after him.
"By the way, I am Changshan Zhao Zilong..." Zhao Yun then looked at the man who had scared Jiao away, "May I ask for your name..."
"Are you okay?" Unexpectedly, that person completely ignored Zhao Yun, walked straight to Jian Jun Twelve Hates, maintained that smug, punchable look, and said with his eyes closed, "Are you okay? Miss. Alright! Don't ask me... you better not ask me! You must never fall in love with me, because a wanderer doesn't need women, wanderers are very lonely..."
The moment Jian Jun heard the address "Miss," he was shocked. He really didn't know what expression to use to respond... He wanted to say something, but the other party was talking to himself, not giving him a chance to interrupt at all.
"Alright... goodbye, Miss." That person continued, "Eh? You seem to want to say something? If not, I'm leaving... I know what you're thinking, but we are people from different worlds... we are impossible. Just think of me as a cloud passing through your heart... just remember that..." At this point, he turned around, his long clothes fluttering in the wind, leaving behind a profound and hidden back, "Alas... another girl is going to cry for me, I'm such an amazing man! Wahahahaha..."
He hadn't gone far before this guy let out a silly laugh, which made his forced coolness a few seconds ago seem even lower...
"Jian Jun... aren't you going to say something?" Zhao Yun moved two steps sideways and came to Jian Jun Twelve Hates' side, asking in a low voice.
"No need..." Jian Jun replied softly with a pained expression, "Since he's already gone... let him go..."
Jian Jun was indeed a Confucian disciple, handling matters with extraordinary grace. In this situation, if he were to say, "Brother, I am a man," the scene would definitely become extremely awkward. It was better to remain silent and let the other party leave...
As the saying goes, patience brings peace and tranquility, and taking a step back keeps you away from being a chuuni.
"However... speaking of which..." Zhao Yun continued, "Jian Jun, your hairstyle..."
"It's easy to cause misunderstandings, isn't it..." Jian Jun replied.
"Yes..." Zhao Yun nodded.
"You two!" At this moment, Xiao Tan came running to the two of them, "Thank you both for your help."
"Hero, you're too polite." Zhao Yun replied, "Anyone who is an enemy of Orochi is my friend."
"May I ask..." On the other side, Jian Jun looked at Xiao Tan, wanting to ask his name.
"I am Wang Tanzhi." Xiao Tan also looked at Jian Jun, "May I know your esteemed name, great hero?"
"I dare not be called a great hero, Jian Jun Twelve Hates... just a man who asks about swords." Jian Jun replied.
"So it's Brother Jian Jun, I'm honored..." Although Xiao Tan didn't recognize Jian Jun, judging from the art style, he knew that the other party should be from *Pili Puppet Show*; and from his appearance, demeanor, and poem title, he could probably guess what kind of person he was.
"By the way, may I ask... do you two know how to get to Magic City?" After some small talk, Xiao Tan asked a more practical question.
"Magic City?" Zhao Yun looked puzzled.
"Uh... it's the place where the martial arts tournament is held." Wang Tanzhi added.
"Oh~ you mean Gu Zhi Castle." Zhao Yun replied.
"Ah, right, right, Gu Zhi Castle." Xiao Tan quickly responded. He had taken the name "Magic City" for granted. After Zhao Yun reminded him, Xiao Tan realized that the city should be called "Gu Zhi Castle."
"Young Brother Wang, are you going to Gu Zhi Castle... could it be that you are also going to participate in that 'Musou Martial Arts Tournament'?" Jian Jun asked.
"Yes, I'm going." Xiao Tan nodded firmly.
Hearing this, Jian Jun immediately turned his head and exchanged glances with Zhao Yun. Although they didn't speak, their expressions showed everything—they both thought Xiao Tan was going to his death.
"Alas... forgive me for speaking frankly..." Jian Jun thought for a moment, deciding that it was better for him to say the unpleasant words, "Young brother, I don't question your determination to challenge Orochi, but... do you have the confidence to pass the threshold of that martial arts tournament?"
"Huh?" Xiao Tan was also quite honest, "Threshold?"
"So you didn't know? No wonder..." Zhao Yun revealed a look of sudden realization, "Hero Wang... to participate in the martial arts tournament, you need to pass a test."
"Oh?" Xiao Tan immediately asked, "What test?"
............
At the same moment, outside Gu Zhi Castle, Musou Plains.
This place originally had no name, because it was a piece of land that appeared after Orochi twisted space and time.
Since when, people had begun to call it that...
In the gloomy clouds, a demonic city stood floating in the air. Below the city... was yellow earth, withered rocks, mournful winds, and broken bones...
Rivers of lava intertwined on this desolate plain, and bridges made of huge chains and iron bars spanned those rivers of fire, forming transportation hubs.
Broken weapons, wreckage left by chariots and baggage trains, dried-up white bones, and so on... decorated this desolate land.
"Beneath the serpent demon's city, lies the grave of Musou heroes."
Musou Plains had witnessed too many earth-shattering, heroic struggles, witnessed too much death and separation...
On this day, a solitary, cold figure appeared before a hanging bridge of fire.
This bridge was one of the four paths leading to the "Musou Martial Arts Tournament Arena" below Gu Zhi Castle, and the bridgehead was heavily guarded... In addition to more than five hundred demonic soldiers and five fortress captains, there were also three demonic generals, namely—[Hyakume], [Ushi-oni], and [Tesso].
The names of these three were all taken from Japanese ghost legends, and their prototypes had all appeared in the *Night Parade of One Hundred Demons*, but as generic demonic generals, their designs obviously followed the forms in the *Musou Orochi* game.
First, let's look at Hyakume. Although his name is "Hyakume," he actually only has one eye on his face.
His head... looked like EVA Unit-01 from a distance, but there were still some differences... His skin and armor were gray, while EVA was purple; also, EVA's head armor was embedded in its head, while he wore a detachable unicorn helmet; in addition... Hyakume's helmet had a brim that extended in a fan shape all the way to the back of his head, and there was a leather fringe hanging down from the brim.
In terms of physique, Hyakume was much "slimmer" than Jiao. He had the slender, ninja-like physique, long legs, a narrow waist, and a seductive figure, basically a starving version of Fuuma Kotaro. His equipment was also relatively light, and apart from the large metal pauldron on his right shoulder, he had almost no particularly thick armor, mainly cloth and bandages, and a tattered crimson belt fluttering in the wind, which was quite something.
Next, let's look at Ushi-oni.
He was also a "misnamed" guy, because his head was completely a huge boar's head... If you had to say what connection he had with cows, it was that the tusks on both sides of his mouth were different from normal boar tusks, growing upward like bull horns.
His physique was simple to describe in four words—"broad shoulders and a thick waist." This guy was a typical power-type demonic general, tall like a giant, estimated to be over three meters tall, with thick upper limbs comparable to tree trunks, and holding a wolf-fang club thicker than a man. Apart from two gauntlets with sharp teeth and a chain around his waist, he had nothing on his body that could be called armor. Obviously... with his skin as thick as a city wall, he didn't need any armor to protect him.
Finally, let's look at Tesso.
He... looked exactly like Jiao.
There was no way around it, he was just a generic face... As mentioned earlier, the character models weren't unique, and even the voice actors were the same person. If they didn't introduce themselves, probably only the people inside the demon army would know how to tell them apart...
Alright, now that we've introduced the demonic generals, let's take a look at the person who was crossing the bridge...
A smart and trim outfit that fit snugly, an ancient longsword at her waist, a lithe and graceful figure, and a sharp killing intent as cold as ice and snow.
A crosswind swept past, stirring up a faint dust, and the person seemed to be walking out of the mist, but her aura... made it impossible to look away.
"Who goes there?" As she approached, a fortress captain standing at the head of the bridge stepped forward with a shield (fortress captains were equipped with shields, while soldiers usually only had weapons) and shouted loudly.
"I want to participate in the martial arts tournament." Ruo Yu didn't answer the other party's question, but instead stated her purpose.
Her tone was cold, and her eyes were also cold. For a moment, the fortress captain felt a little flustered and didn't know how to respond.
"Another one?" At this moment, Tesso's voice rang out. He slowly walked over from the bridge. "Let me see..." As he walked, he sized Ruo Yu up and down. "I don't recognize you."
"So what?" Ruo Yu replied.
"Lord Orochi has already given the word..." Tesso's attitude was also quite calm, "The one-on-one combat power of those who come to participate in the martial arts tournament must not be too bad, otherwise it would be too anticlimactic... So, we have to be responsible for keeping the miscellaneous fish out." He paused, "If I recognize you and know something about your strength, I can naturally decide immediately whether to let you cross the bridge. Unfortunately... I don't recognize you..." He turned his head and glanced at Hyakume and Ushi-oni in the distance, "Brothers, have you seen this person before?"
Neither of the two spoke, but just silently shook their heads.
"Well..." Tesso looked at Ruo Yu again and said, "Then there's no way... You have to prove your strength first before you can pass."
"Is killing you considered proof?" Ruo Yu asked this question without thinking, in a rather impatient tone.
"Hehe..." Tesso chuckled, "Don't worry... I haven't finished yet..." He raised his hand and pointed behind him, "You can choose one of us... me or those two... as your opponent. As long as you can fight ten moves against any of us without being defeated, you can cross the bridge." As he said this, he still looked very relaxed, "Of course... if you can really kill me, that's even better. No one else will make things difficult for you. They will immediately let you cross the bridge. Because... Lord Orochi likes the strong the most."
The demonic generals under Orochi's command weren't afraid of death. As long as Orochi was still alive, they could be resurrected by the Demon King's power, so they all had a bit of a "seeing death as going home" attitude.
"Then I'll choose you." After listening to the other party's words, Ruo Yu replied in a rather impatient tone, "Can I kill you now?"
"Hehe... good choice, I'm the weakest of the three of us." Tesso laughed and raised the long spear in his hand, assuming a fighting stance.
*Chī yīng—*
Responding to him was the sound of a sword ringing.
The intent of the soul moved, and the sword's edge arrived.
From the beginning, Ruo Yu used the advanced application of [Limit Efficiency]—[Restriction Burst], releasing her right hand.
This sword was fast, accurate, and heavy.
The sword's edge fell from a perfect angle, simple and direct, with great skill appearing clumsy.
There were no superfluous techniques, and no released sword energy. All the power was concentrated in the sword body.
*Pāng—*
With the sound of metal clashing, the spear rose, and the demonic figure retreated.
After one move, Tesso's expression changed drastically, and he retreated several feet. His trembling hands and the cold sweat on his forehead were all proclaiming the strength of the sword just now.
Hyakume and Ushi-oni, who had been uninterested in the distance, also instantly perked up and looked vigilantly at the woman holding the sword.
"Just who is this guy..." Having reorganized his stance, Tesso thought to himself, still in shock, "If I hadn't instinctively blocked with my spear, that sword just now... would have cut me in two..."
In this script, the demonic generals under Orochi's command were mostly knowledgeable. They had fought with many experts from different universes and planes, and had died at the hands of those people more than once; the demonic generals would have an impression of any slightly powerful character. Therefore, after receiving Ruo Yu's move, Tesso seemed particularly surprised... This female swordswoman had at least the strength of a near-first-rate expert, how could he not recognize her?
"I see..." Ruo Yu's voice interrupted Tesso's thoughts, "Stronger than I thought... I might not be able to kill you within ten moves."
"Don't get carried away!" Ruo Yu's attitude aroused a nameless fire in Tesso's heart, "I was just careless just now, as long as I get serious..."
"Don't be stubborn~" Suddenly, another voice joined their conversation and said with a playful smile, "Even I can tell that you're scared to death~"
"Who is it?" The voice came from Tesso's side. Tesso was like a frightened bird at this moment, any slight disturbance made him extremely nervous.
"Nene Ninja Art!" But one heard a delicate cry, bringing out two points of cold light.
Tesso's reaction was also not slow, immediately waving his spear in succession, knocking down the two shuriken that were shot.
"Tch... a nasty guy came." When the other party's figure flashed out of the light and shadow, Tesso already knew the other party's identity.
In the next second, a female ninja wearing a white, form-fitting short suit with silk nets on her hands and feet appeared in front of everyone. She opened her mouth and said to Ruo Yu: "Yo~ this lady, your skills are really good, how about we travel together?"
Her tone sounded very charming, with a strong mature-sister vibe, but her appearance looked like a maiden; clear short hair, a hot body, and even her voice was delicate. It was hard to imagine that such a "cute" woman was a cold-blooded ninja in the setting.
Ruo Yu glanced at the other party, considered for two seconds, and then... "Okay." Gave a concise answer.
"Hehe... this child doesn't seem to like talking much." Nene said with a smile.
After saying this, she turned her head and looked at Tesso: "Hey, you nasty guy over there, can you let us pass? Our strength should be enough to participate in the martial arts tournament, right?"
That's right, but... Tesso was already enraged by them, and he had to regain some face.
"Hmph... you're very confident." Tesso said coldly, "A mere spy, it's fine to do assassination and eavesdropping, but the martial arts tournament is a frontal contest... what are you doing here?"
"What's it to you?" Nene replied, "Are you going to let us through or not?"
"What if I don't?" As Tesso said this, he waved his hand to the rear. The hundreds of demonic soldiers understood and took the opportunity to spread out their formation, forcing their way over...
"What? Do you want to disobey your king's order?" Nene asked.
"Ha..." Tesso laughed and imitated the other party's mature-sister tone, "What's it to you?"
"You..." Although Nene was angry, she didn't dare to fight against so many demonic soldiers.
Just as she was considering whether to call Ruo Yu to retreat together... from the horizon, came a poem title...
"Heads held high, gazing afar at a thousand hills, a roar echoing amidst the winds; where can I find a worthy opponent to discuss swords, the heights are unbearably cold."