It doesn't matter what the lord is.

34. The Hardest Road

The red-haired boy holding the gun glared at Reed and ran out after Lana.

Reed was almost in tears.

Fortunately, there were still some sensible people on the field. General Plant adjusted his glasses, patted Lid on the shoulder, and said:

"Thank you."

The situation was quite chaotic just now, but Plante's mind was clear from beginning to end. Lingwu came to snatch people, Plante didn't know why, but he knew that he must not give in. This was not only a question of Lide's ownership, but more importantly, the royal family's face could not be lost. Concession at this time was equivalent to bowing to Lingwu and admitting that the northward journey was handed over to the Lingwu lord to lead.

But at the same time, if this stalemate continues, it will definitely be disadvantageous to the royal family. Not to mention that this is Lingwu's home field, and they are at an absolute disadvantage in terms of strength, even if it escalates into a full-scale war between Lingwu and the royal family, the royal family's chances of winning are relatively low at present.

It is actually a very tricky dilemma to neither make concessions nor not make concessions.

Fortunately, Reed himself chose Lingwu, which meant that the matter came to nothing. At best, the little princess Lana failed to snatch the Lingwu lord away, but it was not that the royal family could not protect Reed after he chose the royal family. This was the best ending for the royal family.

"I will explain the cause of the incident to Lady Lana and Honglian. You don't have to worry too much about it. Wumi said that you are a very smart person, and now it seems to be true. Please take care of yourself."

Plant said this and left.

Only then did Reed know that the red-haired boy's name was Honglian.

Honglian's realm is the real nine-fold perfection.

Although he is not as top-notch as Xiao Hei, Xiao Bai, Ling Wu Lord and Huang Yan, his advantage is that he uses a spear, which is one of the most difficult martial arts to practice. The spear is the king of all weapons, and if used well, it can gain a considerable innate advantage on the front battlefield, but there are also only a handful of people in the world who can practice the spear well.

And looking at his fire lotus operation under the gun, ordinary gun players can't play it, probably there is a secret method. With such a person protecting Lana, Lid is more or less relieved. It seems that Wumi has indeed made some preparations, and he didn't just send Lana here to give her a head.

Lana, Honglian and Plant left one after another, and Lingwu's Hidden Guards Commander had already said goodbye, and the tent became quiet again. To be precise, it was not completely quiet, because there was a big hole in the tent, and the noisy wind blew randomly on his face.

Alayya quietly found the needle and thread, intending to use the needlework skills she had learned on the road to mend the tent, but the result of the repair was like nailing a few wooden boards on the window, or simply sticking a few seals on the door. Although Alayya stood by and wiped the sweat from her forehead as if she had just done something big, looking relieved, this level of repair was completely unacceptable.

Just as Lid was looking at the tent worriedly, a voice came from the door:

"Excuse me! I brought Xiaobai over to take a look--"

Lid turned around and saw that it was Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai who had arrived. The two had hardly changed since the last time they met in the capital. As soon as Xiao Hei came in, he saw the huge crack in the tent and said with a faint smile:

"What happened? Why did those guys make such a big noise? If we had known, Xiaobai and I would have come here earlier. The leader of the hidden guards even told me that he would never take action. Isn't this just deceiving me?"

"I'll have someone send another tent over when it's back... Oh well, but I think it won't take many days. Give yourself some time to get familiar with your teammates tomorrow, because you'll be pulled out to fight the giants the day after tomorrow."

"I'm really angry! I don't know what happened this year, but they suddenly split into three groups. Xiaobai and I didn't have anything to do with it, but now we have to count the number of people and distribute supplies tomorrow, and deal with all kinds of conflicts in the team. I'm really fed up. Although I really want to see the big sister, I will never come next year."

Xiao Hei started talking right away, from delivering the tent at the beginning to sitting down and complaining to Lid about Lingwu's arrangements. If Aleyya hadn't served tea, Xiao Hei would probably have continued complaining for another ten minutes after drinking some tea.

Lid took the opportunity to ask:

"Sister-in-law?"

Xiao Hei nodded and answered surprisingly:

"It's the Lingwu Lord. No one knows her name. Outsiders usually call her Lord or Lord. What happened between us is not really a secret. When Xiaobai and I were young, it happened to be the time when Xiqin and Nanchu were fighting the most fiercely. My father and his father said that children should not watch such things. If they watch too much, they will imitate them in the future and it will be troublesome. So my brother and I were thrown into Lingwu. At that time, the Lingwu Lord was only a few years older than us. Xiaobai and I followed her around, running around everywhere, and it took several years before we returned to our respective families. Although we suffered a lot, we also learned a lot from her, so we habitually called her Big Sister."

This was something Lide had not expected. In fact, he had heard Xiao Hei mention the title of Big Sister when he was in the capital, but he did not take it seriously at the time.

A few days ago, he was wondering why Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai dared to come to Lingwu at this time. It turned out that they had a friendship with the Lord of Lingwu a long time ago.

"But now that I think about it, the eldest sister was already very mature at that age. She was born to be a superior. I would say that she is the real flower of Gaoling. She always stays rational, always stays sober, and always makes the right decision at the right time. This is very scary. Including this time, there are other reasons for transferring you to the second team. There is no need for her to conflict with the royal family at this time just to cause trouble for you."

Lid raised his eyebrows and asked:

"Oh? Is there anything else?"

Xiao Hei smiled and explained:

"Brother Hei, I'm not trying to whitewash her. The specific combat arrangements will be issued soon. Of the three routes for this Northern Expedition, the Royal Family will take the easiest one, Xiaobai and I will take the medium-difficulty one, and Lingwu will take the most difficult one. Not only are there the most giant tribes on the road, but there are also many unpredictable dangers. The big sister really needs to be fully prepared. Based on the principle of mutual trust among members of [Potian], Xiaobai and I both think you should be able to help, so we recommended you. Think about the bright side. If you can perform well this time, she probably won't care about the fact that you facilitated the alliance between Xi Qin and the Royal Family. Congratulations, congratulations."

Lid waved his hand unhappily:

"Congratulations, you two are the traitors. Alaiya, beat him up!"

Xiao Hei had finished what he had to say. Hearing this, he stood up, grabbed Xiao Bai's arm and ran away, sneaking out of the tent without looking back and saying:

"I'll deliver the tent tonight. You're so miserable. You found someone who could dismantle it but not someone who could repair it..."

Alayya walked forward with a cold face and sword in hand, but when she opened the curtain, she found that Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai had disappeared.

35. How lonely it is to be invincible

The next day was supposed to be about getting acquainted with teammates, but for Reid it was like enemies meeting each other with envy.

Lid is a sitting duck when he gets to this station. When others see him, they think, "Oh, you're here too. Once we leave Lingwu and reach the giants' territory, you'll be done for if I stab you."

Mu Risheng, the Ceylon prince who had signed the contract with him at the Jubei Inn, walked up to him, curled his lips, patted his shoulder, and said:

"What a pity. If you were assigned to another team, you might be able to spend some money to buy the head of a giant from someone else and claim credit for it, and defeat me by any means necessary. But now is not the right time, I will keep a close eye on your every move, and opportunistic methods will no longer work."

Mr. Hua Liang echoed beside him:

"Keep an eye on the people in other territories, don't let this guy take advantage of any opportunity. He took advantage of the opportunity when I first came to Lingwu, not only did he bribe the soldiers with a large sum of money, but he also had accomplices in the Ten Courts of Hell. This guy is very good at scheming and taking advantage of others, so we must be on guard against him."

The two men looked at each other. Although they had never met before, they believed that the enemy of my enemy is a friend, and they nodded together.

At this time, another voice came:

"Yes, as his biological brother, I can testify to this!"

Lide looked at the person who came and found that he was also an old acquaintance - the third son of Yunyang, Li Neng, the former lord of Rivet City. Not long ago, Li Neng had mobilized all his forces to attack Yuxi City but was captured by Fang Shisan. In the subsequent negotiations, Yunyang spent a sum of money to redeem him. Lide originally thought that he would become a rich man somewhere, but he didn't expect that people would not be willing to be lonely after all.

Li Neng stared at Li De with undisguised resentment in his eyes and sneered:

"I don't know why He Yue Fang Shisan and the others are following you so devotedly. I don't have anyone who can match them, so I'm naturally no match for Yu Xicheng. But I grew up with you, and I know exactly what kind of person you are. Without their help, you will definitely lose this time!"

Mu Risheng, Master Hua Liang, and Li Neng looked at each other and immediately felt a sense of mutual appreciation. They put their three hands together, and there was a strange light flashing in everyone's eyes.

The "Taobao Rebate Alliance" was born. Fortunately, the peach blossoms had already withered in this cold weather, otherwise Li De thought that these three people might find a place to light three incense sticks and start sworn brotherhood at any time.

While they were not paying attention, Reed directly pulled Alayya away.

He felt that Li Neng had not figured out a truth. Just like what Lord Lingwu said, the people who appeared here were either like Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai who were 100% sure that they could survive, or they were dispensable people in each territory. Li De didn't know much about the situation of Mu Risheng and Master Hua Liang, but he was sure that Li Neng was 100% the latter. Most likely, after returning last time, he was abandoned by Lord Yunyang because his fiefdom was lost, and he wanted to regain his trust by making some achievements outside the Great Wall. At this time, he was still willing to cooperate with others to make trouble. It can only be said that he is really bold.

Lid originally thought that he would have a chance to meet the Lingwu Lord up close when he got to know his teammates, but in fact, the Lingwu Lord did not show up until the end. Instead, Vilotte from Zhaoxin Territory came to him to drink again. He drank up the several bottles of strong liquor he got from Lid last time. He was craving for more and couldn't get rid of it. He was too embarrassed to ask Lid directly for more, so he called it a drinking party:

"Brothers, each of you should bring two bottles of local wine. Let's see who brings the best wine!"

Reed did not expose Vellot's freeloading behavior. He really had nothing to do today, so he planned to go with Vellot to take a look, but when Alayya was about to leave, she was suddenly stopped by someone.

Reed originally thought that someone wanted to strike up a conversation, but when he looked up, he saw that it was the great Lingwu swordsman, Galberd.

The sword arts were completely different from Qingyun's. Standing next to him, one would feel an omnipresent sense of oppression, and the frenzied momentum almost cut people into pieces. Alayya almost immediately stood in front of Lid, and this action made Garberd full of doubts. Like Qingyun, he could see Lid's realm and cultivation. Alayya, who was a seventh-level perfection, was protecting Lid, who was a ninth-level perfection. No matter how you looked at it, it was confusing.

However, he originally came to see Alaiya this time, so he did not ask this question, but directly said to Alaiya:

"You must be Qingyun's only disciple, don't be nervous. I just want to ask... what did Qingyun look like when he died?"

It seems that he did not intentionally release such a terrifying sword energy to intimidate Alayya. If you think about it carefully, there is really no need for him to do so. This shows that his sword energy is like this, frantic, sharp, violent, and disordered, as if he wants to poke a hole in the sky, smash a pit in the earth, and mess up everything in the world.

Alayya replied briefly:

"Master used his sword to break open the belly of the giant dragon, and then his body disintegrated and his soul turned into a butterfly. The sword energy spread into the capital, and the sky cleared for a hundred miles."

Garberd let out a breath, and the sword energy on his body became more vast and majestic. Even the sword on Alayya's waist made a buzzing sound, as if it was resonating.

"He died with some dignity."

Garberd shook his head, made a comment, and then said to Alayya:

"His sword is similar to yours, both seem to be tripped by something. You are clearer than him because you determined the motivation for practicing sword a long time ago, but Qingyun did not. He is like an alien who is incompatible with the world. He has lived with the attitude of not hurting anyone since he was born. When he was young, he did not have the courage to hold the hand of the woman he loved and take her to the ends of the earth. This mistake lasted for twenty years. How much time did he really spend pursuing the way of the sword? People all say that his way of the sword was ruined by the massacre of the Cangzhou army. In my opinion, he was still like a human being at that time! Ten years before and after, he was never as crazy as that day. He was just trying to cultivate himself with a bamboo stick to eliminate his desire for that woman."

Garberd's tone was complicated, like disdain and also like disappointment.

The sword energy on his body became a little calmer, and the two swords hanging on Alaiya's waist finally calmed down as well.

Garberd looked at Alayya and said with a little emotion:

"What a pity. The only ones who were qualified to fight with me, one died in the capital, and the other stayed at home like a woman to take care of the kids. That Mr. Tingchao is also a coward. I have sent out eighty letters of challenge, but he still doesn't dare to accept the challenge. Now those people in the capital have given me the title of the best in the world, and no one dares to fight me. Since you are Qingyun's apprentice, you should practice sword skills well, grow up quickly, and have a good fight with me. I want to see if those fancy Zen swords that so many people brag about can beat my strength overpowering skill."

Garberd brushed off his snow-covered sleeves and walked away step by step in a pair of straw sandals.

Halfway through the walk, he turned back and shouted to Alayya:

"Don't be like him and be trapped by love. Don't create a fake tenth level. If you do, I will be the first one to disagree!"

36. The Solitary Heaven Festival in the Northern Frontier

"Don't listen to his nonsense, Alaiya. If you ever fall in love, I'll be the first to support you."

Reed patted his chest, indicating to Alayya that the person you are in love with must be the one in front of you.

If she ran away with another man, Reed would be the first to jump out and object, without any need for Garberd.

The atmosphere was lively that day, with many people huddling together for warmth, encouraging each other to return alive, and talking about their life ideals and ambitions. Many people drank a lot of wine. However, by the next day, there was only a bleak atmosphere in the air.

When Lid got up, he just heard the Lingwu army singing military songs in unison, which were desolate and tragic.

Alayya and Shiloh also woke up early and packed their bags. The usually active little slime was quiet, curled up in the box and kept looking around. His sense of danger seemed to be stronger, and he began to tremble before entering the giants' territory.

Alayya carried the box and followed the assembled army. When she was closest to the iron wall, she looked up at the towering ramparts that rose to the sky. The sound of the giants attacking the city wall could be clearly heard outside, and the clanging sound was like a series of thunderous explosions.

With a loud roar, the iron wall gate slowly opened to both sides.

The giants outside seemed to have sensed something and suddenly stopped attacking the city, becoming extremely quiet.

Inside the iron wall, the dark mass of cavalry also stood still, their spears pointed at strikingly similar angles, and their faces beneath their armor were expressionless.

At this moment, the north wind stopped whimpering, and the snow was filled with silence. All eyes were fixed on the slowly widening crack in the door, and the sound of their own throbbing hearts filled their ears.

Will humans recall the fear of being dominated by them?

Will you be unable to stand under this tremendous pressure, and crawl on the ground trembling?

Or, will you run away in a panic with an emotional breakdown?

No! They didn't!

Unlike unarmed civilians, they are battle-hardened warriors.

The soldiers of Lingwu carried a huge honor on their shoulders, which was enough to drive them forward. No matter what kind of opponent they faced, they would not stop, let alone retreat, which was a cowardly act. They would only attack, even if their flesh was torn and their bodies were separated during the charge, they would jump and die thoroughly.

Everyone knows that Lingwu is bitterly cold, and everyone knows that the soldiers in Lingwu are man-eating beasts.

How could such a strong army be nurtured in such a cold and bitter land? Only through constant dedication and long-term sacrifice, Lingwu, which was not rich to begin with, drained all its fresh blood to feed this army. How could the soldiers not know this? During training, they had meat for one meal a day and white flour buns or brown rice once every two days. Otherwise, they would not be able to keep up with the nutrition and even resist the cold, and all the training would be in vain.

What kind of life do the people of Lingwu live?

Young boys and girls often had no new clothes or meat to eat. Many families had soldiers in the army, and the death rate was frighteningly high. People in mourning were everywhere in Lingwu.

The people also lived with bated breath, because they believed that one day Lingwu would be able to look down on the world, and then the giants in the north would no longer dare to set foot on human territory, and the many territories and the Yongtian royal family in the south would have to live by their will. This expectation fell on the soldiers of the army, and it was heavy, making them dare not slack off every minute and every second.

So the soldiers will not retreat. Heavier than armor is honor, and greater than death is retreat.

The moment the gate opened, the giants roared excitedly, rumbling forward, shaking the earth. In contrast, Lingwu was in deathly silence, with the army formation motionless, like an arrow on a bowstring ready to be shot.

Three thousand meters, the soldiers did not move.

One thousand meters, as quiet as still water.

Five hundred meters, the sound of breathing in and out can be clearly heard, and the heartbeat in the ears is like a war drum.

Two hundred meters away, Garberd, who stood at the front of the army, pulled out his long sword from the snow. The sword had accompanied him in battles throughout his life and was already covered with scars, with the edge of the sword like saw teeth. Garberd wiped the blade with his index finger and swung the sword upward from bottom to top, instantly clearing a path in the snow outside the Great Wall and splitting a giant in the front into two pieces!

The soldiers pointed their spears at the ground and shouted in unison. The voices of tens of thousands of people reached the sky, and even the giants who were running towards them could not help but pause for a moment.

There was no need for the Lingwu Lord to give any more orders; Gabrielberd's sword was the best starting gun.

The first to move were the Lingwu cavalry, followed by the armored soldiers. The densely packed artillery batteries on the city walls began to cover the fire. The shells infused with compressed magic exploded the moment they touched the giants. The shrapnel penetrated deeply into the flesh of the giants, making them even more crazy. The cavalry charged, and all the soldiers stabbed at the giants' ankles and calves with all their strength. The galloping of the horses gave this attack a more powerful force. In the blink of an eye, the ankles of a giant were covered with scars, as if the flesh had waded through a river of blades.

Likewise, the giants raised their feet high and stomped heavily, or stretched out their hands to grab a handful of human cavalrymen and threw them into their mouths. Steel armor was like shrimp shells to them, and although it was a bit hard on the teeth, they could chew it up and swallow it. Blood kept flowing down the corners of their mouths, emitting fresh heat in the cold weather.

Food arouses their greater desire.

Pain came from the feet, tendons were cut, and they gradually lost their balance, and finally fell down. Countless companions repeated the same death, but the first-level giants with little intelligence were willing to repeat the same fate. Their desire for food was so deep-rooted. Humans were the food they raised in the Eternal Heaven Kingdom. Now they wanted to take these livestock out and eat them. This primitive desire drove them forward.

What's more, they can also cause quite effective damage to human military formations.

It would be better to say that human casualties are greater than theirs.

With one punch, one kick, one bite, and one swallow, dozens or even hundreds of lives were lost in an instant. Even so, the Lingwu army continued to charge forward until they tore a gap in the iron wall filled with giants, using their lives to fight for a bloody path in this battle.

Other territories also sent some troops, but at this moment they could only follow Lingwu's team, and all the shock was firmly engraved in their minds. To be honest, the troops of other territories were just helping in the battle, and the main force heading north had always been the soldiers that Lingwu was proud of.