The formless energy that Li Yan had drawn into his embrace transformed into a tangible flood dragon as he thrust his palms forward, pouncing ahead.
Instantly, the plates of Li Yan's armor rattled chaotically, and a fierce wind erupted around him, kicking up sand and stones. The dragon seemed to let out a roar as it swept forward.
Li Yan's right palm struck the snow-white spear tip head-on. With a deafening bang, the long spear, which had been fully infused with internal power and had remained undamaged even under the heavy blow of Li Yan's halberd, now bent like a fully drawn bow the moment Li Yan's palm connected.
The silver-armored general felt a formidable force transmit through the shaft. Unable to maintain their grip, their hands slipped. The spear, filled with true power, instantly snapped straight with a reverberating hum, and the butt of the spear slammed heavily into the silver-armored general's chest.
With a loud crack, a shower of sparks erupted between the spear's butt and the silver armor. The general's body was thrown backward. While still in mid-air, they spat out an arc of blood that painted a vibrant rainbow in the air. The force was so great that it sent their silver helmet flying high, its red tassel scattering.
But it wasn't over. Li Yan pressed his advantage relentlessly. Channeling internal power to his feet, his figure shot forward in pursuit.
With a single leap, he was already above the silver-armored general, having arrived after but reached first. His left palm, carrying another gust of tyrannical wind, chopped straight for their neck.
At this moment, the silver-armored general, having been struck by the spear recoiling like a drawn bow, was already considerably injured despite the protection of their silver armor. They had tried to urgently channel internal power to their chest to mitigate the blow, but it was too late. For a brief moment, the internal power in their body was in chaos, completely uncontrollable.
After spitting out a mouthful of blood, they were powerless in mid-air. Suddenly, their vision darkened, as if the entire sky had gone black in an instant.
A black shadow had soared into the air above them, descending like a hawk pouncing on a rabbit. They felt a fierce gust of wind press down, making it impossible to breathe.
A thought flashed through the silver-armored general's mind: 'This man's strength isn't just astonishingly divine; the sheer depth of his internal energy is unparalleled in this world. How can such a person exist? This kind of man shouldn't have been born in the mortal realm.'
The thought was fleeting. They knew there was no escape this time. They couldn't help but close their eyes, letting their body fall limply.
"Huh?!" Just as the soldiers on both sides below cried out in alarm, the silver-armored general heard a surprised exclamation from Li Yan. The suffocating pressure that had made it impossible to breathe vanished, and then a great force "struck" them toward the ground.
However, this force was more of a "cushioning" one. It seemed to slam the general heavily into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust, but it had actually used a subtle force to protect their internal organs, making the impact feel like a simple fall on flat ground.
By this time, the remaining soldiers of the State of Meng numbered less than one hundred and thirty. In the brief moment that Li Yan had engaged and trapped the silver-armored general, the west flank had been completely overwhelmed by the large number of soldiers Li Yan had brought.
It was often a case of seven or eight men surrounding one from the State of Meng. No matter how elite the opposing force was, few could fight one against ten like the silver-armored general.
However, when the remaining soldiers from the State of Meng saw their general defeated and, for a moment, thought them dead, their eyes instantly turned red. They charged desperately in this direction, but how could the Imperial Dynasty soldiers let them pass? They laughed heartily as they raised their sabers and swords in unison.
At this moment, Li Yan landed not far from where the silver-armored general had fallen. He paid no heed to the sounds of slaughter and curses in the distance. Instead, he stared at the white figure slowly being revealed as the dust settled, his face filled with confusion, but even more so with disbelief.
Earlier, as he had swooped down from the air to press his advantage, the silver helmet had flown off in an arc. He had seen a stunningly beautiful face, a head of raven-black hair fluttering wildly. Though blood trickled from the corner of the mouth, it revealed a smooth, snow-white neck, where the throat was as smooth as silk.
'A woman?' This was Li Yan's first reaction. Although women were not forbidden from practicing martial arts in this world, true female masters were rare. Li Yan had never even heard of a female martial artist reaching the Transformation Realm-level.
In fact, even first-rate and peerless female masters were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. The crucial thing was that when Li Yan saw the stubbornness in the line of her tightly closed lips, his heart inexplicably tightened. Despite his peerless martial arts, he felt a sense of breathlessness.
For a moment, he didn't even know what had happened, but he could no longer strike with the full force of his palm.
Li Yan walked forward slowly, stopping five paces from the silver-armored general on the ground.
The silver-armored general had already resigned themselves to death, but they were instead placed on the ground by a powerful lateral force. Although the impact still made their internal organs churn uncomfortably, their life was not in danger. For a moment, they were unsure of what had happened.
From the information they had heard and the records they had seen, Li Yan was a ruthless man. In a fight, unless it was a pre-arranged spar, his opponents would either die or be maimed. He possessed none of the chivalry of a hero; his style was more like the savagery of primitive man.
'Does he intend to capture me alive?' At this thought, the silver-armored general suddenly felt a cool breeze on their face and realized that the helmet that had always covered their cheeks had been broken at the clasps by the turbulent collision of their true energies. Thinking of this, they looked at the black-armored demon god walking towards them step by step, as if from the Nine Serenities Underworld, and their pretty face turned pale. They tried to push themselves up from the ground but felt a sharp pain in their chest and abdomen. They could only let out a muffled grunt and fall softly back to the ground.
Li Yan stared at the person before him, his confusion deepening. He was certain he had never seen this woman before, yet why did he feel an extreme sense of familiarity, as if he had known her for a long time?
The woman looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four, her youthfulness surprising Li Yan. She had a moon-like face, red lips, white teeth, and eyes as bright as stars. Her face gave off a feeling that was both gentle and strong, a sculpted beauty.
These two yin and yang qualities were typically starkly contrasting, yet somehow they merged perfectly on this one face. Her pair of dark brows were exceedingly beautiful—beautiful, not handsome, because they were not sword-like brows slanting towards the temples, nor were they heavy brows. They were eyebrows that carried sixty percent yin softness within their yang masculinity.
She possessed a heroic aura rare among women, which was perhaps why people, looking only at her eyes, would think of her in terms of legendary "silver-robed young generals."
Her pair of pitch-black eyebrows were thick, yet each strand grew neatly in one direction. Paired with her jade-like marble face, her heroic spirit was breathtaking.
Seeing Li Yan standing five paces away, staring at her without blinking, the silver-armored general grew increasingly flustered. At this moment, she had already lost the composure of a great martial arts master.
Hearing the heart-wrenching cries from all around, her heart felt as if it were being cut by a knife. Those were her sons, fighting to the death to save her. Although her internal breath was currently disrupted, her hearing was still extremely sharp. She could judge that fewer than seventy or eighty of her soldiers remained.
"State your name." A cold and oppressive voice interrupted the silver-armored general's thoughts. She took a deep breath, forcefully gathered her true power, and let out a strange howl, like a wounded she-wolf's final cry before death.
But to her disappointment, the sounds of fighting and shouting in her ears did not fade away; instead, they grew even more intense, interspersed with the familiar, unwilling roars of her men.
She no longer had the strength to issue a second command. At that moment, she felt an immense pressure wash over her. The man like a black demon god had taken two more steps toward her, and then the icy voice that seemed to come from the Nine Serenities sounded again.
"Your subordinates are brave soldiers. State your name."
Although the silver-armored general was flustered, her jade-like face was as cold as frost. "Martial Saint Li, number one in the world in martial arts, truly lives up to your reputation. My skills were inferior. You may kill me!"
"Oh? You want me to kill you? Why? Seeking death? How about I guess? Are you afraid of falling into my hands alive?" Li Yan crossed his arms, his eyes flashing sharply.
Hearing Li Yan's words, the silver-armored general's heart trembled, but her expression remained indifferent. She did not answer, instead closing her eyes.
"How about this? You tell me your origins, and I will let your men live a while longer. At least they won't die one by one before your eyes. How about it?"
In truth, Li Yan was not as calm as he appeared. On the contrary, his mind was in turmoil. He didn't know why this inexplicably appearing woman made it impossible for him to kill her. This was simply too incredible for him.
He had always destroyed his enemies with a wave of his hand, without thought or hesitation. So, he was all the more eager to know this person's origins. Could this woman have some connection to his sect?
But her martial arts were clearly not from his sect's lineage, and he had never heard his master speak of a disciple with such high martial skill.
If not for encountering him, it would have been extremely dangerous for Cui Feng to hold this place. It was only because of Cui Feng's rich experience, using the terrain and numbers to block the enemy, that they had held on. But the enemy only needed to use this person to gradually wear down their effective forces, and with the addition of the main army from the east, a surprise attack could have succeeded.
Li Yan's words made the silver-armored general, who had closed her eyes, open her beautiful eyes. She then stared at Li Yan, who was now no more than three steps away. This was the first time she had truly seen his face clearly.
He was clad in simple black armor, his exposed skin like refined iron, gleaming with the luster of power. His appearance could not be called handsome or good-looking. If you took away his blade-like aura and his armor, people would believe you if you said he was a manual laborer.
"My men will not listen to you!" she said coldly, her voice extremely weak.
"Pass the order. If the enemy continues to advance, I will kill this person immediately. You will also cease your pursuit and let them retreat for now."
After hearing the silver-armored general's words, Li Yan turned his head to the side and spoke. Of course, his words were meant for the guards not far away.