Chapter 60: Wang Yu Annihilates the Enemy Single-Handedly

"They are here!" The chaotic battle cries grew closer, and Wang Yu began making his preparations in secret.

Next came the time to harvest enemy kills. Only by having himself or his subordinates eliminate the enemy could he earn summoning points. If that brat Zhao Kuangwei were to secure the kills, those summoning points would have nothing to do with him.

"All troops, listen to my command! Charge with me and leave none alive!" Once the bandits finally entered the ambush zone, Wang Yu decided to wait no longer. Taking the Black Cavalry as the arrowhead, followed by the remaining five hundred imperial guards, he launched a fierce assault.

"Ding, Wang Yu's general skill activated.
Warrior: A unique skill exclusive to top-tier generals. Upon activation, temporarily increases martial prowess by +2; inflicts an additional 1-point martial suppression against owners of martial soldier skills, and an additional 2-point martial suppression against owners of realm-less skills. Can be upgraded to Martial King.
Wang Yu's base martial prowess is 91, general skill +2, Flaming Qilin Spear +1, Benxiao +1, current martial prowess rises to 95."

This point once again illustrated the importance of a good starting position. There was no need to grind mobs to drop equipment; his family had already prepared everything for him—warhorse, weapons, and even armor were all complete.

The Flaming Qilin Spear weighed forty-five catties and was personally forged by an elder of the Mo School. Its main body was crafted from star fragments that had fallen from the heavens. Although the fragments looked like ordinary rock, they burned with raging flames, hence the name Flaming Qilin Spear.

Furthermore, various metals were blended into the spear shaft during further casting to enhance its power while simultaneously eliminating its malevolent aura.

Moreover, plenty of the raw materials used during the initial forging still remained. Therefore, as Wang Yu's martial prowess increased, the weapon could be reforged to increase its weight.

Legend has it that during the unification of the realm, Emperor Shenwu eagerly collected all kinds of famous horses, the most renowned of which were the Eight Steeds: the first was Juedi, whose hooves did not touch the earth; the second was Fanyu, which outpaced flying birds; the third was Benxiao, capable of traveling ten thousand miles by night; the fourth was Chaoying, chasing the sun in its flight; the fifth was Yuhui, with a coat glowing brilliantly; the sixth was Chaoguang, casting ten shadows from a single form; the seventh was Tengwu, galloping while riding the clouds; and the eighth was Fuyi, possessing flesh-born wings.

And this Benxiao was one of those Eight Steeds, possessing the ability to travel ten thousand miles by night. Although somewhat exaggerated, it nonetheless reflected the extraordinary speed of this steed.

By this time, although the bandits realized they had walked into an ambush, it was already too late to escape; they had no choice but to brace themselves and resist!

"Kill!" Propelled by the supreme speed of Benxiao, Wang Yu swept across the battlefield on horseback, charging straight toward his chosen opponent. This person was Xu Zhen, known as the Tyrannosaurus among the Eight Dragons. While his moniker sounded impressive, his actual strength was thoroughly mediocre, possessing merely second-rate martial prowess with a base score of only 76.

As for Li Que, the strongest among the Eight Dragons, Zhao Yun was sent to deal with him. Wang Yu chose Xu Zhen because he was entirely confident of executing him in the shortest possible time to quickly acquire his summoning points. Facing Li Que with his current strength, however, would likely require a considerable expenditure of effort.

For Wang Yu, the process was irrelevant; the outcome was what truly mattered. As long as his objective was achieved, that was enough.

That being said, these so-called Three Mountains' Eight Dragons were truly a joke. With such meager strength, daring to call themselves the Eight Dragons—they were more like eight worms.

"Die!" With a soft shout, his long spear thrust toward Xu Zhen like a soaring fire dragon, lunging and clawing fiercely as it closed in for the kill.

"Ding, affected by Wang Yu's general skill, Xu Zhen's martial prowess -2, current martial prowess drops to 74."

"Clang!" The sound of clashing weapons rang out. With just a single strike, the long staff in Xu Zhen's hands was sent flying by Wang Yu's spear. In the next instant, Wang Yu smoothly followed up with an upward thrust, the spear tip piercing straight through Xu Zhen's throat.

Fresh blood bubbled endlessly from the ghastly wound at his throat. Wang Yu was extremely neat and efficient in his work, ensuring that in his final moments, Xu Zhen would feel absolutely no pain.

"You pretty boy! How dare you provoke this lord? Prepare to die!" Li Que's angry roars echoed continuously as he brought his spiked club down upon Zhao Yun with mountain-splitting force, blow after blow.

"Ding, Li Que's base martial prowess is 90, general skill +2, current martial prowess rises to 92."

Li Que simply refused to believe that the pretty boy before him possessed any genuine skill. In his eyes, the youth was merely a silver-speared wax candle—nice to look at, but utterly useless.

With his own strength, it would take no more than a few strikes to beat this pretty boy until he cried for his parents, making him deeply regret his audacity in coming forward to provoke him.

However, the actual combat situation between the two clearly differed from what Li Que had imagined.

"Ding, Zhao Yun's base martial prowess is 97, general skill +2, Zhaoye Yushizi +1, Bright Silver Dragon-Guts Spear +1, current martial prowess rises to 101."

With a gentle twirl of the Bright Silver Dragon-Guts Spear, Zhao Yun effortlessly deflected the majority of Li Que's proud strength, rendering it completely incapable of inflicting even the slightest harm upon him.

On the contrary, Zhao Yun's silver spear was erratic and unpredictable, leaving Li Que entirely unable to guard against it. With Li Que's skill and discernment, he could not even trace the trajectory of Zhao Yun's spear. The two had exchanged no more than five or six blows before Zhao Yun carved an opening in Li Que's thigh.

"Cursed brat! Do you only dare to dodge and evade? If you have the guts, face your grandfather in a direct clash!" The searing pain from his thigh stimulated Li Que, driving him to roar furiously.

"Ding, Li Que's physical strength skill activated.
Physical Strength: Individuals with extraordinary natural strength have a certain probability of awakening this skill. Depending on the extent of their physical might, it is categorized into three tiers: Physical Might, Giant Might, and Divine Might. Upon meeting certain conditions, there is a certain probability of advancing to the next tier.
Effect: Upon activation, personal martial prowess increases by +3."

The ultimate limit of human strength was largely determined by innate endowment. Therefore, this skill, to a great extent, remained at the level it possessed upon awakening. Unless one encountered truly heaven-defying fortune, advancement of this skill was virtually impossible.

"Ding, Li Que's physical strength skill activated, martial prowess +3, current martial prowess rises to 95."

"Bah! Pretty boy, taste your grandfather's strike!" Li Que's voice boomed like a bronze bell as his spiked club swept forward, generating a piercingly shrill whistling wind.

This move was considered Li Que's ultimate technique. Years ago, while pillaging a passing merchant on the mountain, he had obtained it from a martial artist hired by that merchant. Although it consisted of merely three or four stances and was not particularly profound staff technique, to someone of impoverished background like Li Que, it was an immensely precious treasure.

For years, Li Que had kept these staff techniques as his trump card, unwilling to use them lightly. But today, faced with Zhao Yun—who had wounded him within just a few exchanges—Li Que was forced to resort to these self-proclaimed ultimate stances.