The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 562 Surprise Attack
On one side were several thousand elite soldiers brought by Wanyan Honglie, seasoned veterans of many battles; on the other side were the Three Masters of Quanzhen, the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan, and others watching the battle from the Mountain God Temple. Most of them were martial arts masters who had fought countless battles in their lives.

At that moment, everyone forgot that mouths can speak; they simply opened their mouths wide and unconsciously took long breaths.

No one could have imagined that Ouyang Feng, one of the Five Greats of the World, would die in this desolate wilderness. Under the pale moonlight, Ouyang Feng's corpse was covered with a thin layer of white light in addition to the blood and dust, adding to the desolation.

After a long while, everyone reacted. Qiu Chuji's lips moved slightly, his voice dry: "I never thought that one day, Ouyang Feng would be beaten to death right before my eyes."

The others nodded silently. Guo Jing's eyes filled with admiration. He had always respected his master, but at this moment he felt like a mayfly looking up at the blue sky, and the master seemed even more lofty than before.

The person who knew Wu Chengyu best was A-Ku, but even she was somewhat shocked at this moment. She was already at the top level, and only lacked the accumulation of skill and the ability to perceive subtle details to be a top master. With her talent, plus the guidance of Hong Qigong and Wu Chengyu, there was no doubt that she would be promoted to the top in the future.

But Ah Ku now knows that even if he advances to the pinnacle, he will probably never be able to reach his brother's combat power, which far surpasses the realm.

As for the Jin Kingdom's side, Wanyan Honglie, who was originally surrounded by more than twenty experts and stood at the front of the army formation, had silently retreated to the back of the formation at some point. Several more layers of sword and shield soldiers had appeared at the front, and the arrows of the hundreds of archers were now all aimed at Wu Chengyu.

With a large army pressing in on one side and martial arts masters on the other, anyone could imagine that the best way for Wu Chengyu's side to break the deadlock was to capture the leader first.

Seeing the Western Poison killed, Wanyan Honglie felt his scalp tingle. He was afraid that none of the experts around him could withstand three blows from Wu Chengyu. Even with the Jin soldiers surrounding him, he felt no sense of security at this moment, fearing that Wu Chengyu would suddenly grab him by the neck.

After sighing, Wu Chengyu looked at Wanyan Honglie.

“Your Highness Zhao, when did you step back? It’s rather impolite of you to be speaking with us so far apart and with so many people in between. Please come closer, Your Highness Zhao. I would like to bask in Your Highness’s noble presence.”

Wanyan Honglie smiled bitterly, his voice somewhat weak: "Martial arts master, you jest. It is truly astonishing how your martial arts skills are so terrifying that I am filled with fear. I have no choice but to keep my distance from you to avoid being injured by your sharp edge."

"We have lost today's battle, and I concede defeat. However, my love for my son is overwhelming, so I beg you to return him to me. Whatever your conditions, I will grant them."

Wu Chengyu's expression was subtle, but his voice seemed to carry a hint of resentment: "Your Highness, what are you saying? We agreed before we fought that no matter who wins or loses, as long as my wish to spar with a master is fulfilled, Yang Kang will be returned to Your Highness."

But now the prince's statement clearly means that Wu will break his promise. You should know that Wu is a man of integrity who always keeps his word. When has he ever suffered such an injustice?

Prince Zhao, you have made me very unhappy. I don't even know what I might do when I'm unhappy.

Since that's the case, the person still has to be returned, but there's always a difference between life and death. I was originally happy to have won and wanted to return a living Yang Kang to the prince.

Who would have thought that Your Highness would look down on me so much? Since my sincere feelings have been misplaced, I might as well return your corpse to Your Highness; only then can I somewhat alleviate the injustice in my heart.”

Wanyan Honglie truly loved his son dearly. Upon hearing Wu Chengyu's words, he immediately shouted, "Martial arts hero, wait! I have never doubted your integrity. I misspoke just now. Please spare my son's life!"

Wu Chengyu silently walked up to Guo Jing, took Yang Kang from his hands, and grabbed Yang Kang's belt. Yang Kang's face was ashen, feeling like a chicken that Wu Chengyu had casually picked up, his life and death entirely in Wu Chengyu's control.

Even now, Yang Kang didn't believe that Wu Chengyu would obediently hand him over to Wanyan Honglie. Putting himself in others' shoes, if he were besieged by an army, how could he possibly return the hostages in his hands to the other side?

Wu Chengyu is definitely going to use himself as leverage to negotiate with his father. His promise of keeping his word was just a facade.

Many people present shared this view, including the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan.

Unexpectedly, Wu Chengyu, carrying Yang Kang, walked to the rows of swordsmen and shieldmen, standing only a zhang away. While everyone was waiting for him to continue and had no idea what was going on, he casually threw Yang Kang into the air, sending him hurtling into the Jin soldiers' camp.

It should be noted that behind each row of swordsmen and shieldmen was a row of spearmen, their spears protruding from the gaps in the shields, ready to face Wu Chengyu.

Seeing Yang Kang's body crashing towards them, about to be pierced through seven or eight holes by the raised spears, the soldiers panicked. Regardless of what they had heard that night, Yang Kang was still Wanyan Kang's acknowledged son and the young prince.

If Yang Kang's body were to pass through the spear in his hand and die on the spot, these soldiers would likely have no place to be buried in the future.

In the ensuing chaos, the previously neatly arranged military formation began to shift, revealing gaps. As a result, Yang Kang fell heavily to the ground. Although he didn't suffer any bullet holes, his forehead slammed into a shield, leaving him with a bruised and swollen face.

What shocked everyone the next moment was that they couldn't care less about Yang Kang, who was still lying on the ground with his pressure points sealed. All their attention was focused on Wanyan Honglie, or rather, on the person next to him.

The moment the military formation was disrupted, Wu Chengyu's figure also disappeared and appeared next to Wanyan Honglie, while several of his guards were simultaneously knocked away.

Sha Tongtian, whose iron paddle had been bent by Zhang Asheng's hammer during the day, was now thrown back into the air, his arm bones broken. The spare iron paddle was once again out of his hands and ended up in Wu Chengyu's hands.

Then there's Peng Lianhu, whose body had just been cured of the poison, and whose face was already pale. Now he was even whiter than a dead man. He wasn't thrown far away, but was directly trampled under Wu Chengyu's feet.

Wanyan Honglie, however, did not dare to move. He stood there in a cold sweat, his legs trembling involuntarily. If he were not the most accomplished prince of the Jin Kingdom and had a firm will, he would probably have already fallen to the ground.

Just as everyone's eyes were on Yang Kang, who was being thrown into the air, Wu Chengyu seized a gap in the army formation and flashed to Wanyan Honglie's side.

He snatched the iron paddle from Sha Tongtian's hand and swept him away. With his other hand, he slapped Peng Lianhu's shoulder, knocking him to the ground. He then stepped on Peng Lianhu's back and swept the iron paddle horizontally, knocking back several more guards. Finally, he placed the iron paddle on Wanyan Honglie's shoulder.

The iron paddle weighed a good sixty or seventy pounds. Wanyan Honglie felt a weight on his shoulders, as if his bones were about to crack, but he dared not utter a sound.

“Your Highness Zhao, I just said that if I wanted to bask in your noble aura, I should get closer and be more intimate with you. Now that we're at a distance, I can see you more clearly.”

To be fair, Prince Zhao is indeed handsome, with a well-defined nose and eyes. Add to that those three forehead wrinkles, and he's undeniably noble. But why are you sweating so much? Your health is too weak; no wonder you've never had children. You should really take some good care of yourself.

Wanyan Honglie forced himself to calm down and finally spoke, seemingly ignoring Wu Chengyu's sarcasm, and began negotiations directly.

"The martial arts master is indeed extraordinary. It turns out that his initial target was me. A prince's life is indeed more suitable to be a hostage. I am convinced of my defeat. However, even if the martial arts master is the best in the world, there is only one of him in the end."

Those people behind you are your relatives and friends. Once my army surrounds you, the martial arts heroes should be able to escape, but they might end up buried here.

I am a prince of the Great Jin Dynasty. It would be a waste for me to exchange my life for these roughnecks, but I also have the courage to perish with you all.

"Martial arts heroes, why don't you give it a try and see if my army can leave all those people behind you here?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wanyan Honglie seemed to regain his confidence. He forced himself to stand up straight and shouted loudly, "All soldiers, listen to my command! I am a member of the royal family of the Great Jin Kingdom. I would rather die than be threatened. If this person dares to lay a hand on me, you need not worry about my life. Protect the young prince, and then the army will march out together and kill these rebellious madmen before us."

The soldiers around him were all die-hard supporters of Wanyan Honglie and understood his true intentions. Since they had already fallen into enemy hands, there was no point in begging for mercy at this moment. The only way was to force Wu Chengyu to stop by using the method of mutual destruction.

Wu Chengyu shook his head and clicked his tongue repeatedly: "I originally intended to serve Mingyue, but Mingyue just talked nonsense. I've already said that I just wanted to get some of the prince's noble air. From beginning to end, when did I ever say that I wanted to kidnap the prince? What a pointless thing to do."

Wanyan Honglie didn't believe a word Wu Chengyu said. This guy always spoke with three parts sarcasm and three parts mischief, and the last four parts were full of malice.

Just then, a great earthquake was heard behind the Jin army. A Jin general shouted, "Your Highness, the reinforcements will be here soon. With our current strength, we can keep all these traitors here."

Wanyan Honglie was also overjoyed and threatened Wu Chengyu in return: "Martial arts hero, tonight's events started in a hurry. I first led several thousand elite soldiers to pursue them, but there are reinforcements behind us. The vanguard camp outside Zhongdu City has a total of five thousand men, who have also received my token and will arrive in an instant."

I now command nearly ten thousand elite soldiers. So what if a martial arts master's skills are unparalleled throughout history? I have never heard of a martial arts expert being able to stand up to an army.

Even if I am now held hostage by you, do you really dare to kill me? If I die, these soldiers, in order to avoid being punished by the court, will surely kill you all here and tear you to pieces.

"In my opinion, martial arts heroes should submit to my Jin Dynasty court and become servants in my Prince Zhao's mansion, where they will enjoy endless wealth and honor."

Wu Chengyu nodded: "Prince Zhao is indeed shrewd; even now, he is still thinking of recruiting me."

But Wu reiterated, "You've misunderstood me. I genuinely never intended to kidnap you; I just wanted to get close to you. You'll see."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Chengyu leaped into the air, took a few steps in the high sky, and immediately broke free from the encirclement of the army formation, returning to the open space where the martial arts competition had just taken place.

Wanyan Honglie was dumbfounded. He had no idea what Wu Chengyu was up to. With the army surrounding them, he, as a hostage, should have been the enemy's only lifeline. But Wu Chengyu just let him go so easily.
"What exactly do you want? Now that I and my son are no longer hostages, with my entire army mobilized, you will have no chance. You're just giving up like this? Do you want to die?"

Even the most shrewd Wanyan Honglie was caught off guard by Wu Chengyu's strange behavior.

Just then, the tremors on the ground intensified, and the reinforcements, carrying torches, drew ever closer. Wanyan Honglie quickly weighed the situation in his mind and ultimately decided to ignore whatever conspiracy Wu Chengyu might have. When a large army arrives, its sheer force will overwhelm the enemy; no conspiracy can compare to absolute power.

"Since that's the case, you've brought this upon yourself, so don't blame me..."

Just then, Wu Chengyu turned her head and glanced at Aku behind her. Aku immediately understood, smiled sweetly, took out a bamboo tube from her bosom, opened the lid and turned it upwards. There was a hemp rope at the other end. She gently pulled it, and a plume of smoke immediately shot into the sky.

As fireworks illuminated half the night sky, Wu Chengyu shouted, "Where are the sons and daughters of China now?"

The first response was the thunderous clang of iron hooves, bringing a bloodthirsty roar into the dead of night.

Everyone turned to look behind the Jin soldiers, and saw the black tide slowly approaching. Five thousand black-armored soldiers rolled across the ground like thunder. With each step they took, the earth groaned and trembled. Even the crescent moon in the sky was devoured by this iron-colored torrent, hanging timidly above the dome, becoming even dimmer and gloomy.

At the forefront stood a thousand black-armored cavalrymen, arranged in a neat and sharp formation. Beneath their iron helmets, the eyes of both men and horses were obscured by the cold, hard leather armor. Their long spears pointed diagonally to the sky, their tips gleaming like the spitting tongues of venomous snakes. Even the breeze seemed to be pierced and torn apart, scattering with a mournful wail.

Behind the cavalry formation, an even heavier and more terrifying rumble of trampling sounds rose up, like continuous muffled thunder rising from the earth's core.

A thousand Mo Dao soldiers, each nearly 1.9 meters tall, advanced like a black iron wall. They were clad in heavy armor, their steps heavy and powerful, each step seemingly about to crack and dent the ground beneath their feet.

The seven-foot-long swords were as long as a giant forest, their blades gleaming with a cold light. The hilts were held tightly in the hands, and the swords were raised high above the head in unison, forming a death forest of swords that swallowed the sky.

Five thousand people remained silent, the only sound being the rustling and cracking of their armor scales rubbing and colliding against each other, like countless venomous snakes slithering through withered grass, each step carrying a chilling killing intent.

The armor was jet black, reflecting the dim light of the sky, as if absorbing all the light in the world; the blades and halberds reflected the moonlight, their cold gleam dazzling.

They marched forward in silence, their steps heavy and uniform. The earth trembled and groaned, and the dust they raised seemed to be held in mid-air by an invisible hand, stagnant and unyielding. It was as if even the wind was frozen by this intense killing intent, no longer daring to move.

Finally, they stopped abruptly a few hundred paces away from Wanyan Honglie's formation, as if an iron gate had suddenly collapsed.

The entire military formation froze instantly, as still as mountains forged from black iron, leaving only a deathly silence.

Every blade, every spear tip, every gaze, was like a quenched nail, menacingly pointed at the opposing formation.

The silent killing intent suddenly solidified into a tangible form, like ice water poured over one's head, instantly seizing control over every single person in the opposing formation.

The condensed killing intent seemed to have taken shape, as viscous as molten iron and as heavy as a mountain, pressing down on the soldiers opposite, almost suffocating them.

Wanyan Honglie's expression changed again. He had been living in fear all night and had been repeatedly tricked by Wu Chengyu, but his face had never been so pale.

This is definitely not the Jin army. The killing intent, the formation, the discipline, the imposing military formation—even the Jin army's most elite troops could not achieve such power.

Once the black-armored soldiers had taken their positions, the lead black-armored cavalry split into two groups and bypassed them, confronting Wanyan Honglie's cavalry.

The Mo Dao team that followed took a step out from the middle to both sides, leaving a passage ten feet wide. Immediately afterwards, a female general dressed in red robes and red armor stepped out from the crowd, riding a rouge horse and holding a bright silver spear with a blood-red tip and a red tassel.

Although the female general was not burly, she stood tall and straight like a spear. Her imposing presence, along with that of the black-armored soldiers around her, made it impossible for anyone to look directly at her.

She wasn't wearing a helmet; instead, she wore a face mask that covered her mouth and nose, leaving only her eyes exposed. Her gaze was like lightning, and everyone who saw those eyes felt a chill run down their spines.

The female general stopped her horse and gave a soft shout that resounded through the night: "Who in the world does not know you?"

Wanyan Honglie gasped in shock. Within the Jin Kingdom, there was only one female general, Hong Niangzi, who could lead troops to fight against the Jin Kingdom and was dressed in red armor.

This has always been a major enemy of the Jin Dynasty. Even in the eyes of the Jin Dynasty's high-ranking officials, the Mongols in the northern grasslands were a potential crisis, but the Red Lady, who had been leading the rebel army within the Jin Dynasty's territory, was the real threat.

(End of this chapter)