Chapter 494: Chapter 223: Outbreak of Battle, Breaking the Siege, Honored Guest
Hou Hu still clutched his neck with his right hand, and in a panic, he first raised a stick with his left hand to fend off the blow.
But his strength was already inferior to Li Tiancheng, not to mention he was using just one hand.
Crack...
The great saber struck the stick, and this time it didn’t have the same defensive effect as before. With a crack, Hou Hu’s left hand dislocated, and even though he tried to supplement with his right hand, it was too late.
The stick was directly pressed onto his chest by the saber, and the blade had already split open his forehead, leaving a vertical blood trail across his face.
Even worse, the wound on his neck, unsecured by his right hand, burst open as he exerted all his strength to fend off the saber.
Blood spurted out, and everyone finally saw that the wound on Hou Hu’s neck was over ten centimeters long, and judging by the blood spurt, it was obviously much deeper than everyone had expected.
With the neck wound bursting and the face being ground by the saber, Hou Hu’s hysteria was finally dispersed by fear. With terror on his face, he lifted his head towards Li Tiancheng and pleaded:
"Uncle Tiancheng..."
Clang...
Just as he uttered a single word, his plea was interrupted.
It wasn’t because Li Tiancheng succeeded, but because someone had intervened to save him!
A slender long knife suddenly attacked from the lower side, abruptly knocking Li Tiancheng’s Ghost Head Great Saber aside, and then relentlessly continued its charge at the retreating Li Tiancheng.
The long knife was extremely narrow, yet its blade was incredibly long, moving at an astonishing speed. In just a few breaths, it had slashed a dozen times in mid-air, forcing Li Tiancheng back over ten meters.
Not only that, the wielder of the knife specifically targeted Li Tiancheng’s injured left shoulder.
When his saber was knocked away, Li Tiancheng’s expression slightly tensed, and as the long knife forced him back, he sensed that the knife wielder’s strength was not inferior to Hou Hu’s, making his expression even more grave.
"You’re quite old to be bullying the young!"
A playful voice sounded from behind the long knife, and the thoroughly repelled Li Tiancheng stood still. Seeing the owner of the long knife, his pupils slightly contracted.
The owner of that long knife was actually a young man in his early twenties.
The young man had an unremarkable appearance, looking somewhat ordinary. Yet, the black clothing he wore was obviously of high quality, and the narrow long knife in his hand, though made of ordinary iron ore, had a forging pattern with thousands of lines.
Thousand Forged Weapons were certainly found in Long Mountain, but the ability to continuously clash with a silver-made Ghost Mask Saber was unprecedented.
This could only indicate that the crafting technique of the long knife in the young man’s hand was far superior to Long Mountain, making a Thousand Forged Weapon capable of outright confronting a silver weapon.
Not only Li Tiancheng but also Hou Hu, and everyone else fighting on the east side, had caught sight of him out of the corner of their eyes.
"Thank you, brother, for stepping in to help. Hou Hu of Zhaoyang is immensely grateful!"
Hou Hu clutched his neck again, his face full of joy as he spoke to Xia Hong.
He didn’t know Xia Hong, but it was a fact that Xia Hong had saved him. From Xia Hong’s words about bullying the young, it seemed he might just be a passerby, simply stepping in because he couldn’t stand injustice.
Unlike Hou Hu’s joyous expression, Li Tiancheng and the others from Long Mountain, including Li Xuanyan on the east side, had much darker expressions.
Especially after hearing Hou Hu’s words, realizing he didn’t know this person, they couldn’t help but curse in their hearts.
Just one more step, just one more step, and Second Uncle could have killed Hou Hu.
Out of nowhere, someone appeared to save him.
How could this happen, how could this happen!
...
Since there was someone named Chen Yingyuan who had seen him before, Xia Hong naturally wouldn’t reveal his true identity. His identity as the Great Xia Leader shouldn’t be exposed for now in Longyou, as it would be disadvantageous for future operations.
Thinking about how Chen Yingyuan had seen him and even fought him before, Xia Hong turned his head toward the east side battlefield, directly locking his gaze onto Chen Yingyuan among the crowd.
Chen Yingyuan seemed to sense something, and their eyes met. The instant he saw the long knife in Xia Hong’s hand, his pupils suddenly trembled, clearly realizing something.
However, in the next second, he saw a clearly threatening look in Xia Hong’s eyes.
Chen Yingyuan’s body trembled slightly and immediately looked away.
Good, a smart man!
Regardless of what everyone else was thinking, after threatening Chen Yingyuan, Xia Hong turned back to look at Li Tiancheng, his eyes full of battle intent and with an eager expression.
He really wanted to have a showdown with Li Tiancheng.
During the moment he repelled him, Xia Hong could sense that Li Tiancheng’s strength should be around twenty tusks, just one or two tenths stronger than himself.
With strength like that, even if it were a burly adult, Xia Hong would not be fazed at all.
Moreover, Li Tiancheng before him was already quite old.
Yet, Li Tiancheng clearly had no desire to engage in a fight with him.
Looking at Hou Hu, who had run back to the front of the Blood Guard Army, Li Tiancheng’s face showed a trace of regret for a plan falling short, finally sighing lightly as he spoke to Xia Hong:
"Friend, are you from the Pingxi Plain?"
The fact that Li Tiancheng used the word "friend" was enough to prove that Xia Hong’s display of strength had won his respect.
Li Xuanyan and other Cold Resistance Level people from Long Mountain looked at Hou Hu, who had escaped alive, with extremely heavy expressions, finally turning their heads unanimously toward Xia Hong, their expressions full of hatred and hostility.
"No need to ask much, I just couldn’t stand the sight and stepped in to help. I’ve always disliked old men, especially those like you who, relying on their age, recklessly kill others. When I encounter this, naturally I have to step in and deal with it!"
Xia Hong had no intention to say much to Li Tiancheng because the more he spoke, the more likely it was he’d reveal himself. After some perfunctory words, he directly turned to Hou Hu and said with a smile:
"Brother, having saved your life, isn’t it about time you..."
With keen intuition, Hou Hu interrupted him before he finished, loudly clasping his fists and saying: "The life-saving grace of Your Excellency, Hou Hu will never forget. All of Zhaoyang will henceforth treat Your Excellency as an honored guest, and whatever we have in Zhaoyang Camp that Your Excellency might admire, Hou Hu will offer it with both hands!"
"Good, quick and to the point, I didn’t save you for nothing today."
Xia Hong pretended to be simple-minded and laughed heartily, as if genuinely connecting with Hou Hu on the spot, laughing loudly as he clasped his fists and said:
"I am Hong Xia, pleased to meet Leader Hou!"
Seeing Xia Hong’s naïve demeanor, Hou Hu’s eyes lit up instantly, especially recalling how he had just repelled Li Tiancheng with his formidable strength, his expression grew even hotter, and he couldn’t resist extending an invitation: "Brother Hong, if you don’t mind, please accompany me to Zhaoyang Camp so that Hou Hu can extend his hospitality, what do you say?"
"It would be my pleasure!"
Hou Hu’s face was all smiles, his heart bursting with joy;
On the other hand, Li Xuanyan, Li Xuantiang, and others from Long Mountain looked at the two getting acquainted so quickly and Xia Hong agreeing to visit Zhaoyang as a guest, looking incredibly sour.
Only Li Tiancheng stood silently in place, watching Xia Hong without saying a word. After more than ten breaths, he finally turned to Li Xuanyan and the others, speaking in a deep voice:
"Pack up and go back; today’s events end here!"
Having said that, he didn’t even spare a glance at Hou Hu and directly turned around heading for Long Mountain.
"Hahaha..."
Watching Li Xuanyan and others, Hou Hu’s face was openly mocking, laughing heartily several times, then turning to the Great Han beside him with an authoritative wave:
"Hou Hua, lead the group to retreat; we are going back to Zhaoyang to entertain the esteemed guest."
"Yes, Leader!"
The Great Han, Hou Hua, answered with a beaming smile.
Not only him, but all the Cold Resistance Level members in Zhaoyang Camp, including the Blood Guard Army soldiers below, had proud smiles on their faces.
In contrast, the Long Mountain people appeared despondent.
Evidently, this first encounter between the newcomer and old hegemon ended in a complete victory for the new power, Zhaoyang Camp, in Longyou.
And this was only the beginning!
The situation Long Mountain would face next would become even more dire.
"Brother Hong, please!"
Seeing Hou Hu’s invitation, Xia Hong showed a guileless smile, sheathing the Yi Blade as he nodded and walked alongside him toward the east side.