Chapter 675: Chapter 401: The Border of the Sun Kingdom_2
Here’s the translated text:
Suddenly, he noticed a particular scent—the smell of decomposing flesh. Turning toward it, Yan Xiaobao immediately recognized what it was. It was the same smell he had encountered earlier.
Xu Yue’s thoughts flashed through Yan Xiaobao’s mind as he stopped the army behind him. "Have they sacrificed themselves to distract us? Are they trying to lure us into rushing ahead and falling into a trap?" Yan Xiaobao muttered to himself, shaken by the overwhelming stench. He understood it signified the death of Crusaders, but he also knew that his troops hadn’t engaged with the Crusaders yet. If they had, he would have heard the sounds of battle easily.
As the scent guided them through a narrow alleyway, Yan Xiaobao and his soldiers became increasingly alert, unsure of what lay ahead. When Yan Xiaobao reached the alley, he stopped in his tracks, completely shocked by what he saw. Inside the alley lay the corpses of all the Crusaders that remained. They were in varying stages of decomposition—bones, ashes, and flesh. Spotting Li Meilin’s face lying on the ground, Yan Xiaobao felt a jolt of satisfaction.
He inhaled deeply and noticed four small holes on her forehead, with her body being the most intact among the corpses.
Yan Xiaobao sensed someone watching him. His eyes darted skyward and locked onto a pair of golden eyes. A smug grin adorned the face of the figure seated mid-air, as if sitting there was the most natural thing in the world. Glancing around, Yan Xiaobao quickly deduced that none of his soldiers could see this expert, who sat loftily above them.
Staring at the floating man, Yan Xiaobao remembered seeing him before. Although the man was now hovering above the slain Crusaders, Yan Xiaobao didn’t perceive him as threatening. It was as if this person was entirely unbothered by mundane things like war.
"Mrs. Sun, Qiao, evacuate everyone from this alley. I need to handle something," Yan Xiaobao whispered, regaining control over his body, while something deep inside caused hesitation in two individuals. The women protested. Both immediately began ushering beasts away. Yan Xiaobao spread golden martial power wings until he stood face-to-face with the man with golden eyes.
"I thank you for helping with these Crusaders, but may I ask why you killed them?" he asked politely. The golden boy gazed at him, shrugging as the arrogance on his face remained unchanged. "I hold a grudge against their master," he replied, his words narrowing Yan Xiaobao’s eyes. "I didn’t do this for you. I simply want to eliminate as many Crusaders as possible until I am ready to kill their master."
"Hey," Yan Xiaobao said with a smirk upon hearing those words. "I’m sorry, but get in line. He’s my problem," he remarked, some of Lan Feng’s rampant arrogance leaking through. The bird inside his lower dantian roared and shrieked absurdities like, "Who’s this fool from nowhere?" "Strength alone doesn’t mean superiority," and "That bastard is mine. I’ve needed to kill him ever since he stole my body."
The man appeared initially surprised by Yan Xiaobao’s response. "You aim to kill him?" he repeated, confusion pooling in his golden eyes. "How do you know An Hee?" he asked.
Yan Xiaobao sighed deeply and replied vaguely, "I’ve harbored a grudge against him for over four thousand years. Even if your disdain for him runs deep, it cannot rival mine."
"Age alone doesn’t mean you have priority in vengeance!" the golden boy retorted, his arrogance turning into a childish tantrum. Yan Xiaobao and the floating man glared at each other furiously. Finally, Yan Xiaobao shook his head and sighed. "The point is—we both lack the power to defeat him outright. All we can do is destroy his Undead Crusade to provoke him," Yan Xiaobao sighed, his words prompting the man to nod with a serious expression.
"Join me," Yan Xiaobao suggested as he prepared to descend again. "If we work together, we can decide who gets the chance to kill him when we reach him. We pose a greater threat together than alone," he chuckled. The tall man hesitated briefly before nodding.
"Hmm, it’s good to meet you," he began, shaking hands with Yan Xiaobao, "I’m Cai Jie, a foreigner to this world."
"You come from another world?" Yan Xiaobao frowned. He knew of the existence of multiple worlds, as he hailed from one himself, but he believed one needed to be a God to traverse worlds unscathed. Even Lan Feng had required the power of death to pull Yan Xiaobao from his own world for reincarnation. Despite the man’s formidable strength, Yan Xiaobao was certain he wasn’t stronger than a Saint. Yet he had managed to defeat two Saint Fighters from the Crusaders without suffering injury. This man was anything but ordinary.
As Yan Xiaobao stared at Cai Jie, the notion seemed to reflect in the other’s thoughts. The white-haired young man smiled politely. "I’m Yan Xiaobao," he introduced himself, adding with a sharp edge, "My grudge against An Hee can only be resolved through his death." Cai Jie chuckled at the fierce declaration. "It seems we are in agreement," he said with a smile. A golden light flashed from his body, temporarily blinding Yan Xiaobao. Soon after, the golden boy continued to smile before him. Both young men descended to the ground. Yan Xiaobao cast one last glance at Li Meilin, igniting a blue flame and hurling it toward the corpse. Seeing the blue fire, Cai Jie raised an eyebrow in surprise but said nothing. Standing side by side, the two of them watched as the corpses burned in the blue blaze.
"Sister Meilin!" someone called from above, prompting Yan Xiaobao to look up. There, he saw the Saint who had once battled Wan Qiao, now arriving on the scene. His eyes brimmed with hatred as his body trembled, clutching the woman’s corpse while extinguishing the flames.
"Who killed her?!" he shouted as he turned. His entire body erupted with tremendous energy, fueled by his fury and grief.
"She was a Crusader," Yan Xiaobao said calmly. He sensed Wan Qiao standing behind him, transformed into her bird form and ready for a fight. She awaited Yan Xiaobao’s signal. "We returned her to you, unaware of what happened to her afterward," he explained. "You must understand who controls the Crusaders and grants them life."
Everything Yan Xiaobao said darkened Li Xiaopeng’s expression further. While he understood Yan Xiaobao’s words, he recalled how his beloved sister had changed after returning from the Beast Forest. It was evidently the fault of the beasts, leading to her tragic demise. Consumed by rage, the furious man lunged at Yan Xiaobao.
As shadows loomed over them, both Yan Xiaobao and Cai Jie recoiled to avoid the attack. The Unihorn Jasmine Eagle swooped down before them, its talons gripping Li Xiaopeng’s arm. She refused to let his attack reach its mark. Li Xiaopeng was clearly at a disadvantage. Though he had once fought Wan Qiao on equal footing, the circumstances now were vastly different.
Scanning the surroundings, Yan Xiaobao raised an arm, signaling Saints to retreat slowly. He sought to ensure Wan Qiao’s fight remained unobstructed.
"If he’s here, then the rest of the Saints from the Siban Empire are nearby with the Great Marshall. Begin searching the area but stay grouped. There are far more Saints among them than I anticipated, and I don’t want to lose anyone else," he ordered. The Saints nodded in acknowledgment, dividing into three groups to thoroughly search the city.
"That guy’s as good as dead," Cai Jie remarked calmly, observing the battle between Wan Qiao and Li Xiaopeng. Watching the fight, Yan Xiaobao nodded in agreement. "Being blinded by rage will do him no favors," Yan Xiaobao agreed as the clash unfolded before them. Clutching the corpse tightly with one arm, Li Xiaopeng tried to extract the talons of the Unihorn Jasmine Eagle with the other. His legs gleamed with golden light as he solidified energy around them. He formed a long blade of martial power extending from his leg. As he slashed it toward her talons, Wan Qiao withdrew, ascending into the sky and circling him.
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