I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

*Screech*—A heavy impact struck Qingdeng's left calf. Qingdeng lost his balance and nearly fell to the ground.

Qingdeng lowered his eyes and glanced at his lower body.

The arrow was lodged straight in his left calf, the fletching at the end wobbling slightly due to the reaction force.

Fortunately... the area hit was protected by leg armor, so the arrow did not penetrate too deeply into the flesh.

Finally, they hit Qingdeng—the archers had finally achieved something.

However, from another perspective, hitting Qingdeng in the calf... is not a good thing for the archers.

Because they had no more chances to shoot. The last round of shooting was their last chance to kill Qingdeng.

The 8-meter-long bridge is not an insurmountable distance—the carved Qingdeng has already crossed it!

The second line of defense organized by Yokokura Keinosuke: the pikemen hurriedly raised their rifles.

There were originally two spearmen, but the other one was killed by an arrow thrown back by Qingdeng, leaving only one to fight alone.

"Haaaaaaah!"

The spearman focused his energy in his dantian and steadily wielded his spear horizontally with both palms—he didn't thrust, but just swung the spear left and right repeatedly, like threshing grain, trying to force Qing Deng back, or at least prevent Qing Deng from getting close.

By now, Qing Deng has almost lost count of how many warriors wielding spears he has fought, and has long accumulated a wealth of experience in fighting against spearmen.

Qing Deng held his breath and focused intently on the trajectory of the gun as it swung horizontally.

The rapidly swinging gun body could only be seen as a blur to an ordinary person, but in Qing Deng's eyes, which were now fully sharp, there was absolutely nothing to hide!

In the blink of an eye, his body sank, and his left arm shot out! His iron-like left hand grabbed the shaft of the gun below the muzzle.

In the next instant, Qing Deng took a large step forward, further closing the distance between himself and the shaft, and then swung his sword diagonally upwards! He cleaved the more than 2-meter-long spear in two!

The next instant, Qing Deng let out a short shout, turned around gracefully in front of the broken spear and the swordsmen in front, leaving three streaks of light behind him.

Qing Deng didn't even look behind him, facing Yokokura Keinosuke—the two knife-wielders and the gunman behind him fell to the ground one after another!

Aoto looked at Yokokura Keinosuke, who was standing very close to him.

His mouth stretched wide to the sides, his eyes were forced into narrow slits by the arched cheek muscles, and his stark white teeth looked terrifying—a smile like that of a madman.

"Finally caught you...~~"

Keinosuke Yokokura gasped sharply, hastily adopting a rather peculiar mid-stance with his sword tip slightly raised, looking rather odd.

Just as he had gotten into position—

scoff!

Qing Deng's tall body suddenly sank down, his front legs pulled back, and just as he was about to kneel on the ground... he slashed upwards with his sword!

The spirit drew an arc, soaring through the air and slicing diagonally across Yokokura Keinosuke's side!

[Ding! Talent detected]

[Successfully replicated talent: "Yuan Yang"]

[Talent Introduction: Kidneys are less prone to disease. Kidney energy is far more abundant and healthier than average.]

[Ding! Detected that the host already possesses a talent of the same type]

[Ding! Initiating talent fusion]

[Ding! "Yuan Yang" begins to merge with "Yuan Yang"]

[Please wait, host... Please wait, host...]

[Ding! Talent fusion successful]

[“Yuan Yang” Ability Upgrade – “Yuan Yang +1”]

[“Yuan Yang +1” Talent Description: The talent effect is enhanced on top of its original effect. “+9” is the highest level.]

********

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Chapter 304 A Bizarre Battle! Qing Deng vs. The Man Possessed by an Evil Spirit! [5600]

Keinosuke Yokokura designed a triple defense.

The first line of defense is the archers.

When Qingdeng and his men passed through the archers' firing range, it was the second line of defense's turn... that is, the spearmen began to unleash their power.

If the spearmen's resistance is also breached, the two swordsmen closest to the bridgehead, wielding katanas, will bear the heavy responsibility of the last line of defense.

Judging from the positioning, personnel, and equipment configuration, Yokokura Keinosuke's formation was virtually flawless.

Ranged infantry stand in the back row, mid-range infantry in the middle, and melee infantry in the front row. Their weapons do not interfere with each other, maximizing their combat effectiveness.

However, alas... they encountered Qingdeng with all his buffs activated!

It's quite rare to see the "Lone Warrior," "Focus," and "Berserker" buffs activated together.

Although most of my energy was depleted during the "mountain parkour," it was still more than enough to deal with the lowly minions.

Whether they were swordsmen or spearmen, none of them could withstand a single blow from Qingdeng.

With three swift strokes, Aoto took the lives of the three men—including Yokokura Keinosuke.

The gleaming blade sliced ​​open a gaping wound on Yokokura Keinosuke's enormous, pig-like belly, a wound that would make even a 21st-century doctor frown and shake their head in disbelief.

Instantly, large amounts of foul-smelling blood and disgusting fat were sprayed all over the ground like a fountain.

"Ho...ho...ho...!"

Yokokura Keinosuke's face, which had lost all color as quickly as a receding tide, was now as pale as if his face had just been covered in a layer of flour.

While making meaningless "ho ho ho" sounds, he subconsciously made a counterattack gesture—one hand pressed against his bleeding stomach, and the other hand tremblingly raised the knife overhead.

But only a moment later, the knife in his hand fell to the ground, his eyes rolled upwards, his head tilted back as if pulled by his eyes, his body bent forward like a shrimp, and then he collapsed to the ground. He was barely breathing; even Hua Tuo and Sun Simiao couldn't save him.

The enemy ahead consisted of only two archers—these two no longer required Qingdeng's personal intervention.

"Waaaaaah!"

"Kill them!"

Lan Jing and the others, who were right behind Qing Deng, rushed past Qing Deng from the left and right sides like wolves and tigers, pouncing on the two archers like ferocious beasts!

Morale is a truly wonderful thing.

The two archers, who, along with Yokokura Keinosuke and their other companions, had made up their minds to "not run away anymore, but fight the dog soldiers right here and now," were full of fighting spirit and ready to die just a minute ago.

As a result, just one minute later, after witnessing Qingdeng break through their arrow blockade and spear interception one after another, and reduce their comrades to a number that could be counted on one hand, their morale and fighting spirit collapsed instantly.

Completely demoralized—the two archers briefly forgot their lower body fatigue and turned to flee.

But clearly, it was too late.

Shirasaki Heijiro—this self-important veteran—had an expression of unprecedented complexity on his face when he witnessed Aoto draw his sword and chop Akabane in two without a word. It was difficult to fathom what he was thinking after seeing Akabane's gruesome death.

Although his thoughts and intentions are unfathomable, it is clear to anyone with discerning eyes that his attitude has suddenly become exceptionally obedient and proactive.

Not only did he steadfastly follow Qingdeng despite his advanced age, but he also showed great enthusiasm during the bridge-seizing operation—he was the second person to leap onto the log bridge after Qingdeng.

With his spear skills, which were among the best in the Third Division, Shirasaki Heijiro let out a short shout, thrust his spear straight at an archer, piercing him through the heart with a single shot, leaving two holes in his body!

As for the other person, he was more unlucky. In his haste to retreat and escape, he didn't notice a protruding rock at his feet—smack—with a loud thud that made everyone's toes ache, the man screamed and fell face-first to the ground.

What happened next... needs no further explanation.

The flashing blades and gunshots that surged from all directions brought an end to his life of evil deeds...

……

—Success...!

Aoto lowered his head, fixing his rapidly rising and falling, swaying gaze on Yokokura Keinosuke, whose breathing was already very weak, at his feet.

Then, Qingdeng looked at the Ghost-Stabilizing Spell in his hand, and then looked at his subordinates beside him.

They actually outran the mountain bandits who were familiar with the terrain in the vast mountains and captured the leader of the Soma gang: Yokokura Keinosuke—just thinking about this made a sense of unreality, as if he were floating in the air, uncontrollably surge into Aoto's heart.

At this moment, a dark shadow, like a fluttering bird, swayed slightly in the corner of Qingdeng's right eye, bringing Qingdeng back to reality.

Turning my head, I saw the "Sincerity" flag that Qing Deng had forcefully thrown into the ground behind Yokokura Keinosuke and the others during the battle, in order to free up his left hand.

Qingdeng regulated his breathing as he walked towards the flag planted diagonally in the ground, and pulled the flagpole back into his palm.

Then, he slowly turned around and faced his followers.

The calm spirit and the light smile rose in unison—the former soaring towards the sky, the latter towards Qing Deng's cheeks.

"The bandit chief... has been... taken down by our Third Division!"

The next moment, a huge cheer lifted the heavy air.

"Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh—!"

Those who still had the strength to shout should do so loudly.

Even those who lacked the strength to cry out tried their best to raise their fists or the weapons in their hands high.

The atmosphere was vibrant and uplifting!

"..." Shirasaki Heijiro silently looked at everything around him, silently looked at his colleagues who were immersed in the atmosphere of ecstasy.

At first, Shirasaki thought it was his imagination. But gradually, he realized that he was not mistaken—his colleagues' spirits were indeed a little bit higher than before... different.

Strictly speaking, the members of the Third Division did not make any particularly significant contributions in this chase.

Most of the bandits, including Yokokura Keinosuke, were killed by Aoto. The only heads the others got were those of the two archers.

However! The fact that the soldiers were able to stay close to their captain and fight alongside him to the very end is a remarkable achievement in itself, especially given the declining power of the Tokugawa family and the general inability of the shogunate's soldiers to shoulder great responsibilities!

When rewards are distributed in the future, everyone present will definitely receive their share.

How long has it been since the members of the Third Division have had such a brilliant performance on the battlefield? How long has it been since they felt so triumphant?

At that moment, Shirasaki realized what that extra something in his colleagues' spirit was.

It's a source of pride.