But after just a single glance, Liuu Tian looked away and shook her head. ’I must be overthinking things,’ she thought.
He was just a boy. No matter how strong he was, how could he possibly be a match for Li Kuang and his men?
After all, Li Kuang and his men were all Battle Grandmasters!
Against six Battle Grandmasters, even if Tang Yi had the power of a Battle Spirit, his only option would be to flee!
And so, she no longer held out any hope for Tang Yi.
’Maybe my initial impression of Tang Yi wasn’t accurate...’ she mused.
"I can see that I’m your target. We can put down our weapons and stop our resistance, but I have one condition: let my corps members go, and I’ll go with you," Liuu Tian said through gritted teeth after a moment’s thought.
It was a desperate solution born from a hopeless situation. By surrendering willingly, she might be able to secure her team’s escape.
"No way, Sister Liuu!"
"Sister Liuu, you can’t go with them!"
"Falling into their hands is a death sentence!"
"We’re not leaving! We’ll live or die with you, Sister Liuu!"
The members of the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps all cried out in protest.
Seeing her members remain so loyal at such a critical moment warmed Liuu Tian’s heart, and tears almost welled up in her eyes.
But she held them back and said, "Thank you, everyone. You’ve always respected me, looked out for me, followed my lead, and honored me as your leader. But I’ve always thought of you as my friends. Meeting friends like you... that’s a blessing I, Liuu Tian, must have earned over three lifetimes. It’s been worth it."
"Right now, I’m their target. This has nothing to do with any of you. There’s no need to throw your lives away for me. Where there’s life, there’s hope. You are all hardened men with greater ambitions and more brilliant futures ahead of you. You shouldn’t be buried here with me."
By the time she finished, Liuu Tian’s eyes were already glistening with tears.
After hearing Liuu Tian’s words, the members of the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts.
Finally, one member’s eyes burned with determination as he looked at Liuu Tian and said firmly, "I’m not leaving!"
"I’m not leaving either!"
"I won’t leave either!"
"I’ll live or die with Sister Liuu!"
Once one spoke up, a second followed, and soon all the members declared they would face life and death with Liuu Tian, their eyes filled with grim resolve.
"You guys!" Liuu Tian was so moved she could no longer hold back. Tears streamed down her face as she began to cry.
"Well, well, look how loyal you all are. But I’m sorry to say, we never planned on letting you go. Everyone here today, except for Leader Liuu, is going to die!" Li Kuang said viciously.
Even though this display of loyalty was touching, he felt no sympathy. On the Saint Martial Continent, the strong reigned supreme. Only the strong could survive. Relying on emotion... wouldn’t keep you alive for long.
And when Li Kuang said ’everyone here,’ he was including Tang Yi.
After all, their line of work wasn’t exactly honorable. Moreover, they were from the Wolf Heaven Mercenary Corps; their identities were sensitive, so they couldn’t leave any witnesses.
"Leader, let’s fight them to the death!" a member of the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps exclaimed.
"Alright. If we survive today, I, Liuu Tian, swear that I will get justice for all our brothers," Liuu Tian declared, her eyes filled with a fearless and unstoppable momentum.
She knew escape was impossible today. Since everyone had decided to stay, they would fight to the bitter end.
"Heh, how naive!" Zhangg Yuxi sneered. He then looked at a young man in a gray robe beside him and said, "Zhao Wu, go deal with those annoying ants. As for Liuu Tian, I want her alive!"
"Yes!" The Martial Artist in the gray robe named Zhao Wu acknowledged the order and stepped forward.
Zhao Wu, a Two-star Battle Grandmaster. His strength was a notch above Li Kuang’s!
Li Kuang alone could fight the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps to a stalemate, even managing to kill one or two with sneak attacks. Now, with Zhao Wu—who was even stronger than Li Kuang—taking action, it would be an effortless task.
After approaching Liuu Tian and her group, Zhao Wu sneered and glanced disdainfully at the members of the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps. He then stomped his right foot hard on the ground, using the reactive force to charge forward at extreme speed.
"He’s coming!" Liuu Tian’s gaze sharpened. She gripped her longsword tightly, her body tensing up.
The other members of the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps shuffled their feet nervously, watching Zhao Wu. Though they were ready to die, they had no confidence in facing him.
"Wind Soaring Palm!"
Before Zhao Wu even arrived, he swung his right hand and sent a palm strike flying.
Instantly, a terrifying aura filled the air. The faint sound of whistling wind reached everyone’s ears, and as Zhao Wu’s palm strike drew closer, a biting chill came with it.
"Everyone, lend me your strength!"
"Flying Snow Traceless!"
Luu Tian cried out, raising her sword to meet the attack.
Hearing her cry, the members of the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps behind her quickly closed in, bringing their five longswords together. They merged their fierce attacks into a single point to meet Zhao Wu’s palm.
The Six Swords Unite looked impressive, its momentum extraordinary.
However...
How could Zhao Wu’s power possibly be something the six of them could resist just by joining forces?
BAM!
With just a single palm strike, Liuu Tian and the other five were sent flying backward, thrown by the powerful shockwave as their longswords were knocked from their hands.
SPURT! SPURT! SPURT!
They all coughed up blood as they hit the ground, suffering severe injuries. Two of them, who were in worse shape, simply closed their eyes and passed out.
The might of a Battle Grandmaster’s palm strike was just that powerful.
Only Liuu Tian, being slightly stronger, managed to get away with minor injuries, merely spitting out a mouthful of blood. She could barely muster her spirit.
Unfortunately, her corps members had all lost their combat power.
This battle could no longer be fought.
"Heh!"
Zhao Wu let out a disdainful laugh, then looked toward Zhangg Yuxi, awaiting his instructions.
"Very good. Leave Liuu Tian, kill the rest," Zhangg Yuxi said coolly.
"Yes!"
Receiving Zhangg Yuxi’s order, a vicious gleam appeared in Zhao Wu’s eyes as he slowly walked toward the members of the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps.
’Is this how we die?’
The members of the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps thought to themselves.
Meanwhile, Liuu Tian was filled with indignation. Her face was ashen as she watched helplessly, able to do nothing. Her despair was absolute.
"Die!" Zhao Wu chopped down with his palm toward the head of a Nine Cities Mercenary Corps member.
If this palm strike landed, the member’s head would be smashed to pieces like a watermelon.
SWOOSH!
But just then, a figure drifted in. It moved so fast it became a series of illusions, appearing before Zhao Wu before anyone could react.
"Celestial Star Palm!"
With a thunderous shout, a slender palm suddenly struck out, colliding with Zhao Wu’s own.
BANG!
Zhao Wu’s figure was sent flying backward, violently spewing blood in mid-air. He landed on the ground and showed no signs of life, his fate unknown.
"This..."
This scene stunned everyone. Both Zhangg Yuxi and Liuu Tian stared wide-eyed, utterly shocked.
They fixed their gazes on the owner of that slender palm, only to discover that such a ferocious and incomparably powerful strike had been delivered by the young man who had been standing nearby all along!

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