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墨書 Inktalez
Lu Chen looked at the scene before him and couldn't help but let out a bitter smile.
At first, the Imperial Regular Army had the advantage in numbers and individual strength, nearly wiping out the Red Robe Sect's stronghold. The disciples stationed here suffered heavy casualties, almost completely annihilated.
But now, with Loyal and Brave Man Rosen killed by Ye Nanzhai, the Red-Clad Disciples gained momentum, their morale soaring. Seizing the opportunity while the Regular Army was leaderless, they immediately launched a counterattack.
Moreover, among the disciples of the Red Robe Sect was a formidable Branch Leader, a Qi Master who led over a hundred men to charge through the enemy lines, causing two to three times their number in the Regular Army to flee in panic.
A group of loyal Regular Army soldiers braved the chaos, desperately trying to retrieve Rosen's body.
After much effort, they managed to secure it, but were soon caught up by pursuing Red Robe Sect disciples. A fierce battle ensued, and only seven or eight managed to escape with Rosen's corpse, still being closely pursued by the Red Robe Sect disciples.
Seeing this, Lu Chen felt compassion and entered the battlefield. He jumped in front of the loyal Regular Army soldiers, startling them so much that they nearly lost their wits.
"Quickly go! Give your master a proper burial. Leave this place to me," Lu Chen said with righteous authority.
The soldiers were covered in dirt and injuries, skeptical yet half-convinced. They might not fully trust Lu Chen, but given their dire situation, there was little value for Lu Chen to deceive them.
Soon enough, they fled with Rosen's lifeless body.
Lu Chen blocked the pursuing Red-Clad Disciples and shouted, "Wait! Don't chase them; it's a trap."
The few disciples responsible for the pursuit were momentarily confused before realizing they thought Lu Chen was hindering them from chasing down the Imperial Regular Army. They became indignant and drew their long knives to confront Lu Chen.
"Hold on!"
Just then, a shout came from afar. Everyone turned to see it was the Branch Leader stationed at Mountain Valley, the highest commander here.
This man was tall and robust, wielding a large machete and wearing leather armor. A red scarf was tied around his neck, and his clean-shaven face bore several dried bloodstains.
"What’s going on?" the Branch Leader asked as he looked at Lu Chen. Earlier, Lu Chen had charged into the Regular Army like a fierce tiger and saved all of them. But now he was blocking them from pursuing the remnants of the Imperial Regular Army.
"Reporting to you, Branch Leader, this person is obstructing us and hindering military affairs, preventing us from avenging our fallen brothers," a Red-Clad Disciple said to the Branch Leader.
Lu Chen's current actions were indeed somewhat contradictory, which made it difficult for them to understand.
"You scoundrel," Lu Chen shouted, raising the Demon-Slaying Sword, which he drew with a hiss, and declared, "I am the Incense Ambassador secretly appointed by Sunzi Zhao Huang Ye. Do I need your guidance in my actions?"
The Demon-Slaying Sword gleamed coldly under the Golden Sunlight, its reflected light blinding the Branch Leader.
Lu Chen did not know how significant the title of Incense Ambassador was, but it was certainly enough to intimidate these small fries.
"Indeed, it is the Demon-Slaying Sword, a token of connection," the Branch Leader exclaimed in surprise, and he and the other Red-Clad Disciples knelt down together.
The shadowy group behind the Red Robe Sect was the Sun Family, and this Demon-Slaying Sword was a top-tier treasure owned by the Sun Family. Seeing this sword was equivalent to seeing the Sun Family itself.
With confidence, Lu Chen held up the sword and said, "Branch Leader, please recognize the current situation. Our Supreme Leader is battling someone high above in the clouds, and his fate is still uncertain. The court's Reinforcements will arrive shortly, yet you lead your disciples into danger without understanding the circumstances. What crime should you be punished for?"
"Reinforcements? May I ask, Incense Ambassador, where are the court's Reinforcements?" The Branch Leader felt sweat on his forehead. If he truly led this team to ruin, he would be fully responsible; regardless of whether the main headquarters would spare him, he would first have to commit suicide as an apology.
"The Reinforcements are right there," Lu Chen pointed into the distance where two units of the Regular Army were rapidly approaching.
The Branch Leader and others hurriedly stood up to look forward. Indeed, two fully armored armies were swiftly closing in, their morale at an all-time high with bright uniforms and fierce horses.
Their banners read one as Loyalty and Valor, and the other as Righteousness. It was certain that these two units belonged to the Defender of the Realm, specifically under the command of Barons from both Loyalty and Valor and Righteousness.
Earlier, Lu Chen had captured intelligence about a large force approaching. To save time, he had no choice but to reveal his identity as an Incense Ambassador. His true intention was to buy some time for these Red-Clad Disciples to escape.
Once a stronghold was lost, it was lost; as long as people remained, there was hope for reconstruction.
The court's army was undoubtedly tightly interconnected; their communication was seamless and unimaginable. This time, as the Defender of the Realm launched an eastern campaign against bandits, the forces known as the Loyalty and Righteousness Sixteen Men split into sixteen groups to encircle the Wind Blinder Archipelago. Each stronghold of the Red Robe Sect suffered damage due to the overwhelming strength of the Imperial Regular Army, which had been pre-deployed for effective encirclement of other strongholds in the archipelago.
Only here did Loyal and Brave Man Rosen encounter resistance, but other Barons would surely be aware of this news. Therefore, it was only a matter of time before the court's Reinforcements arrived.
Lu Chen's decision to stop the Branch Leader and others from recklessly pursuing was wise and reasonable.
"The Supreme Leader killing Rosen may have been a mistake," Lu Chen said, his brow furrowed.
The Branch Leader and the others gasped. They did not deny Lu Chen's adaptability, but it was somewhat excessive for him to question the actions of Supreme Leader Ye Nanzhai. Both the Branch Leader and the Red-Clad Disciples beside him shared this sentiment.
Lu Chen continued his analysis: "The Loyalty and Righteousness Sixteen Barons share not only a brotherhood but are as close as family. Now that the Loyal and Brave Man Rosen has been killed here, we cannot rule out the possibility of them seeking revenge. Originally, the court's encirclement of the Red Robe Sect was merely a pretext, but now the situation has changed. The Defender of the Realm may alter their strategy due to Rosen's death. Even if not immediately, once they deal with the Su Family's Sky Dragon Bat in the East Sea, they may launch a deadly attack on our East Sea headquarters."
Lu Chen's reasoning was coherent; despite his young age, his words carried an undeniable persuasive power.
His assertion made it seem plausible that Rosen's death could indeed trigger renewed targeting of the Red Robe Sect.
"What should we do now? We will follow the Incense Ambassador's decision," the Branch Leader said sincerely, raising his hands. Lu Chen's displayed abilities, combined with his identity as Incense Ambassador, compelled these individuals to trust him.
Lu Chen blinked and said gravely, "Branch Leader, listen to me: do not pursue any further. Retreat immediately. If I am correct, all our other outposts on the island have likely been taken down. We should abandon this outpost; preserving our fire is key."
"Where should we retreat to? Subordinate Zuo Zhi will follow the Incense Ambassador's arrangements," the Branch Leader declared nobly, having completely regarded Lu Chen as their mainstay.
"You are Zuo Zhi, right? Good. Zuo Zhi, listen to me: this Alliance Army encirclement of our Red Robe Sect is merely a formality. Since that is the case, you should temporarily retreat to the headquarters. Although the Great Zhou Court's ultimate goal does not lie with us, we must also guard against their counterattacks. This is a significant test for us; only by uniting as one can we hope to preserve the embers of resistance against Zhou."
Lu Chen spoke each word with fervor; his impassioned speech resonated deeply.
"Alright, united as one," Zuo Zhi and others murmured in agreement.
"Hurry and call for the other brothers to retreat; I will hold them off," Lu Chen commanded as he sheathed his Demon-Slaying Sword and raised Moon King's Blade to stand before everyone.
"Incense Ambassador, I will stay with you while the brothers retreat first," Zuo Zhi insisted recklessly.
Lu Chen felt a surge of anger and shouted, "Zuo Zhi, Flag Master, please obey my orders and retreat immediately! Let me hold them off. If I am alone, I have a ninety percent chance of escaping unharmed; if you stay behind, you will only become a burden. Leave at once."
"Incense Ambassador, we will wait for you at headquarters."
Zuo Zhi wiped away his tears and, along with the other disciples, glanced back three times as they called to their brothers and quickly retreated into the nearby forest.
They had been active in the area for a long time and were familiar with the terrain, so if they decided to escape, no one could catch up to them.
Lu Chen stood in place with his Dual Blades. The Loyalty Man and Righteous Faithful Man walked over to take a look and surprisingly left on their own.
This outcome surprised Lu Chen; it was possible that his Dual Blades had a deterrent effect. It seemed that the reputation of Giant Barbarian Island and the Yue Family still held significant weight.
A large group of people slowly passed by, leaving a cloud of dust in the air. Just moments ago, Lu Chen, along with the Loyalty Man and Righteous Faithful Man, caught a brief glimpse of them. The looks exchanged were not particularly friendly, but ultimately, they did not take action. This was for the best, as it avoided a fierce battle.
These two men were among the sixteen Barons and were certainly not easy to deal with. Lu Chen noticed that among the soldiers, some were running while carrying crosses, on which hung humanoid armor.
It was easy to guess that it must be Nether War Armor.
In fact, there were only eight pieces of Nether War Armor in the entire Great Zhou Court, all assigned under Defender of the Realm Huangfu Xin. The Defender of the Realm had awarded them to the top eight Barons based on military merit and capability.
Lu Chen didn't know whether to consider himself lucky or unlucky; he had unexpectedly come into contact with three pieces of Nether War Armor at once, and one of them had already unknowingly fallen into his hands.
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