Just like that, Yan Nai’er left directly. Carrying Yan Yan’s crystal coffin on her shoulder, she walked towards the surface.
Do not follow me. Do not say another word to me. Let everything end here abruptly. Otherwise both of us will feel awkward.
In her words that allowed no refusal, her back figure disappeared from Suo Lun’s sight.
Suo Lun’s entire body’s meridians were restrained by a powerful energy. He stood inside the underground secret room, unable to move at all.
……
Not long after, the sound of drums came from the military camp. This was the signal for the entire army to assemble.
Then countless footsteps rang out. The entire Silver Wolf Legion began to gather.
They truly deserved to be the most elite mercenaries in the world. Although it was now the second half of the night and almost all the soldiers were still in their dreams, in less than a quarter of an hour more than three thousand soldiers had already assembled completely and stood neatly in formation on the training ground.
Several thousand torches burned fiercely, completely illuminating the entire training ground.
Yan Shuang stood on the high platform of the training ground, dressed in full armour.
In front of her was placed a crystal coffin, inside which lay Silver Wolf Yan Yan.
At the first moment, all the soldiers’ eyes turned to Yan Yan inside the coffin.
Instantly, it was as if the heavens were collapsing and the earth cracking.
This was their Wolf King, their leader, their pillar of support. Now he was actually lying inside a coffin.
This undefeated god of war, this legend among mercenaries, had actually… actually fallen!
It was completely a bolt from the blue, completely devastating news. The entire Silver Wolf Legion began to shake, began to tremble, and even began to disintegrate.
Yan Shuang’s gaze was ice cold as she looked at the Silver Wolf Legion below and said in a very clear and cold tone: There are four things.
First, just as you can see, my father Yan Yan has fallen.
Second, the Silver Wolf Legion is already in imminent danger. The twelve forces of Heavenly Wild City have already conspired together to destroy my Silver Wolf.
Third, whoever wants to leave, I will absolutely not detain you. You can go home, you can join other mercenaries, you can even become my enemy.
Fourth, I will not sit and wait for death. I will take the initiative to attack and seek survival from certain death. I need a suicide squad. The number is not limited. If there are one hundred people, I will lead one hundred people to fight out. If there are one thousand people, I will lead one thousand people to fight out.
In the night wind, Yan Shuang’s words were cold and carried no trace of sorrow.
But above the entire legion, there permeated an incomparably tragic and stirring atmosphere.
Everyone’s eyes still looked at Yan Shuang, urgently wanting her to say one more sentence. Whether it was to retain them or to boost morale, even one more sentence would be good.
I will not go to the Angry Wave Kingdom, nor to the Western Liang Kingdom, and I will certainly not go to the Night Orchid Principality to become the crown prince consort. I will only stay in Heavenly Wild City and keep fighting and killing until the end, even if I am smashed to pieces and die without a whole corpse.
Those who want to join my suicide squad had better think clearly. What you will face next is sleepless fighting, dozens of times more enemies, hunger, exhaustion, bleeding, and even a destined outcome of death.
If the Silver Wolf Legion is destined to be destroyed, then I hope to give it a brilliant funeral.
Having said that, Yan Shuang carried the crystal coffin down from the high platform, placed the coffin on a warhorse, and then mounted the fierce lion tiger beast herself.
Those who want to leave can go now.
Those who want to stay in the camp can remain here. But remember, when we are surrounded by the enemy and about to be destroyed, do not come to save us. And when you are surrounded by the enemy and about to be destroyed, I will not come to save you either.
Finally. Yan Shuang suddenly drew her sharp sword and said sternly: Those who are willing to be buried with the Silver Wolf Legion, those who are willing to follow me to seek survival from certain death, take your weapons, take all the bows and arrows, take all the grain, ride and lead away all the warhorses, and follow me to fight out, to carve out a dawn in the darkness…
Then Yan Shuang rode the lion tiger beast, continuously accelerating, galloping around the Silver Wolf camp.
There was no coercion at all. Those willing to join her suicide squad would ride their horses and follow behind her of their own accord.
And once they followed, what they would face was endless fighting, endless slaughter, day and night accompanied by the desert, accompanied by foul water, accompanied by fear, accompanied by death.
There was no promise, not even any illusion of victory.
The only sentence was to be buried with the Silver Wolf Legion and carve out a dawn in the darkness.
Yan Shuang rode the lion tiger beast continuously galloping in circles. The number of people following behind her grew more and more, more and more…
First lap, second lap, third lap.
Time was up. The time left for everyone to think was over. Escape, stay behind, or bravely face death?
Fully over a thousand people joined the suicide squad behind Yan Shuang. These people had been fighting alongside Yan Yan for several years, even more than ten years. Many of them had watched Yan Shuang grow up since childhood.
These people were precisely the most elite part of the Silver Wolf Legion, the military soul of the Silver Wolf.
Yan Shuang turned around and looked at the one thousand suicide squad members following behind her. For the first time, a smile appeared on her ice cold face as she said: There are far more people who are wholeheartedly seeking death than I imagined.
Hahaha… Instantly the entire suicide squad burst into loud laughter.
Yan Shuang put away her smile and said: Then follow me to fight out, to raid and kill their merchant caravans, to plunder and kill their camps, to slaughter any lone teams of theirs. Let our Silver Wolf Legion be reborn through fighting and death…
Having said that, she rode the lion tiger beast, carrying her father’s coffin, and fiercely charged out of the camp, charging towards the distant dark night curtain, charging towards unknown slaughter.
Boom boom boom boom…
More than one thousand suicide squad members followed her back figure like a terrifying sharp sword, charging out of the camp and into the blood coloured dark night.
Carrying incomparably tragic determination, carrying soaring killing intent, carrying the resolve of certain death with no chance of survival.
……
Yan Nai’er, or rather Yan Shuang, had left without giving Suo Lun any chance.
There are people who, once they have decided something, it is absolutely unchangeable and irreversible.
Yan Shuang was such a person, and Suo Lun was also such a person.
A quarter of an hour after she left, Suo Lun’s body recovered its ability to move. Actually, if Yao Xing had broken through the meridian restraint with full power, he could have recovered earlier, but he did not.
Leaving the underground secret room and walking out of the central army pavilion, the entire camp had now fallen completely into an atmosphere of despair and desolation.
There was a blind old man leading a lion tiger beast, standing at the entrance waiting for Suo Lun. Suo Lun had once ridden this fierce beast.
The blind old man said: This is the mount the young miss gave you. She said she wishes you success.
Then he handed the reins to Suo Lun.
Suo Lun took them and was about to mount the lion tiger beast.
Roar… The lion tiger beast’s eyes showed fierce light, baring its teeth and roaring, not allowing Suo Lun to mount it.
The blind old man slapped its head and shouted: Little darling, what did the female master tell you earlier?
This lion tiger beast was fierce and powerful. It could easily tear the blind old man into pieces, yet after being slapped on the head it immediately whimpered, aggrieved, and obediently lowered its body, reluctantly allowing Suo Lun to mount its back.
In front of the blind old man, this fierce beast behaved as obediently as a little kitten.
The blind old man gently stroked the lion tiger beast’s head, his face full of infinite reluctance. Then he raised his face, using his completely turbid and dark eyes to face Suo Lun and said: Young master, I raised this lion tiger beast from when it was small. Please treat it well. Talk to it often, and control its mouth. Do not let it eat everything randomly.
Yes. Suo Lun said.
Then go. The old man patted the lion tiger beast’s back.
Instantly the lion tiger beast shot out like an arrow leaving the string and fiercely charged out of the Silver Wolf Legion camp, charging into the dark wilderness.
……
Riding the lion tiger beast, galloping wildly in the night.
Suo Lun suddenly did not know where to go. Should he follow the hoof prints to catch up with Yan Shuang’s army?
It was still possible to catch up now. In another half an hour the strong wind would blow away the hoof prints on the sandy ground. Because in the coming days Yan Shuang would continuously raid and continuously hide, carrying out Suo Lun’s guerrilla warfare strategy to the end. Once her tracks were lost, it would not be so easy to find her again.
But even if he caught up with Yan Shuang’s army now, it would already be meaningless.
Then take gold coins to Heavenly Wild City and directly hire an army to return to Tian Shui City?
That also would not work. The mercenaries of Heavenly Wild City had countless ties with the Angry Wave Kingdom. One could tell just from seeing Tu Lingduo being treated as an honoured guest.
Going there so rashly would be like throwing a meat bun at a dog, and his life might even be in danger.
Then go to another neutral mercenary city and hire a large army?
That also would not work. The other neutral cities were too far away. Even if he hired a large army, he would not be able to bring it to Tian Shui City.
Moreover, without a core of his own direct troops, the hired army would be like loose sand. No matter how many there were, it would be meaningless. In battle they would only suffer crushing defeat and might even drag him down with them.
In Suo Lun’s grand plan to retake Tian Shui City, the Silver Wolf Legion had always been the prerequisite core. Without it, everything else was pointless.
And now the elite of the Silver Wolf Legion had been taken away by Yan Shuang to fight, either to seek survival from certain death or to be completely destroyed under encirclement by dozens of times more enemies.
Since none of these three plans would work, then where should he go?
What lay before Suo Lun was a dead end, an absolute dead end.
Then where was the only living eye in this dead game of chess?
Suo Lun continued riding the lion tiger beast, galloping aimlessly in the desert under the night curtain, letting his mind clear up in the swift and fierce gallop.
In this rapid wild gallop, Suo Lun’s mind became clearer and clearer.
Correct, this was already a dead game of chess, but the only living eye in this dead game… was Yan Yan.
As long as Yan Yan was saved, this dead game would not only come alive instantly but could also completely reverse the situation, and all crises would be resolved in an instant.
Not only could the Silver Wolf Legion that was about to be destroyed be saved, but Suo Lun’s army would also have an absolute leader who could suppress twenty thousand mercenaries.
Suo Lun was only the one providing the money. He could not suppress twenty thousand mercenaries at all, but Yan Yan could.
Of course, Yan Yan was filled with absolute hostility towards him. The first moment he saw him he would want to kill him.
But this person also had one characteristic: he was absolutely proud and upright and unwilling to owe anyone any favour.
If he saved his life, then he would owe an enormous favour.
Moreover, his younger brother Yan Nu had died at Suo Han Yi’s hands. For both reason and emotion he would have to kill Suo Han Yi to take revenge.
Therefore, as long as Yan Yan was saved, all difficulties would be resolved smoothly.
But… now Silver Wolf Yan Yan was already finished. Fang Qingshu had said decisively that although Yan Yan could not be considered completely dead, he could almost be considered dead. Even the Divine Dragon Holy Temple could not save him.
Moreover earlier in the underground secret room Suo Lun had also asked Yao Xing whether Yan Yan could be saved, and Yao Xing had given an absolute negative answer.
The guardian undead of the Dragon Seal Stele was entrenched inside his body. Unless Yan Yan was killed and the guardian undead was killed, turning it into powerful dragon force and spiritual power, Yao Xing could then devour it.
But whether killing Yan Yan or killing the guardian undead was completely impossible.
……
Yao Xing, tell me, is there any way in the world to save Yan Yan? Any method is fine. Suo Lun asked.
Yao Xing was silent for a moment and said: Unless we can find the main body of the guardian undead. Then it will come out from Yan Yan’s body and return to its own main body.
Suo Lun said: Then where is the main body of the guardian undead? Is it in the Heavenly Demon Mountain Range, near the Dragon Seal Stele?
Yao Xing said: Countless tens of thousands of years have passed. The main body of the guardian undead has long turned to ashes and smoke.
Suo Lun said: Yao Xing, I have already understood your way of speaking. There must be a second method that can save Yan Yan, right?
Yao Xing was silent for a moment, then said: Correct. As long as we find a second ancient Dragon Seal sacred object, this guardian undead will immediately come out from Yan Yan’s body, drill into the new Dragon Seal sacred object, and continue its guarding mission.
Suo Lun said with pleasant surprise: Then where is the second Dragon Seal Stele?
Yao Xing said: Actually, this sacred object is not called the Dragon Seal Stele, nor the rubbing of the ancient Dragon Seal. It is called the Dragon Seal Relic. It is not necessarily a stele. It can also be other forms, such as a sword, a sculpture, and so on. It is the energy imprint left by the ancient divine dragon in this world, containing extremely powerful energy and secrets.
Suo Lun said: Then tell me, where is the second Dragon Seal Relic? You definitely know. Even your previous host must have gone looking for it.
Yao Xing was silent for a long time again, then said: Master, I do roughly know where the second Dragon Seal Relic is. Originally I also planned to tell you at the appropriate time, because the Dragon Seal Relics will bring you extremely powerful advancement. Yan Shuang is an example. But your current cultivation is too weak, and that place is far too dangerous. If I let you go now, it would be nine deaths and one life at best.
The Dragon Seal Relics were the greatest gift the ancient divine dragon left to this world.
Anyone who obtained a Dragon Seal Relic would have their cultivation advance by leaps and bounds. Yan Shuang had broken through to Dragon Warrior at only twenty two years old.
But in several decades or over a hundred years, humans might not even find one Dragon Seal Relic.
Therefore in many people’s eyes, the Dragon Seal Relics were treated as supreme sacred objects.
Where is the other Dragon Seal Relic? Tell me. I must know. Suo Lun asked solemnly.
Yao Xing paused for a moment, then said: It is in the Blood Shore Lost City. This is an ancient ruin surrounded by deep mountains.
Suo Lun said: Then I will go immediately now.
You cannot. Yao Xing said: This place is on the Southern Barbarian Continent. You have to cross the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains and go deep into barbarian territory. And any human entering barbarian territory will almost certainly die.
The barbarians and humans had been slaughtering each other for ten thousand years, with deep blood feuds that would not end until one side was destroyed. Even now the barbarians still charged down the mountains to plunder human villages, and every time they would massacre the village or town and treat human flesh as food.
Humans also gathered in groups inside the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains and hunted barbarians like wild beasts.
Once a human appeared among the barbarians, the only outcome was death. Even a Dragon Warrior with powerful martial prowess did not dare to go deep into barbarian territory.
Suo Lun suddenly smiled and said: I can go to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains to find Meng Tuo Luo, then disguise myself as a member of the Poison Snake Tribe and take the opportunity to go deep into barbarian territory to enter the Blood Shore Lost City ruins and find the Dragon Seal Relic.
Then he touched his own face and said: Do you not think my current face is strange and ugly, like a devil, very much like a barbarian?
But even so, it would still be nine deaths and one life.
Yao Xing was silent for a moment and said: You are the master. Everything is up to you. At worst, if you die, I will also turn to ashes and smoke with you.
Go, to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, to find the black widow Meng Tuo Luo.
Suo Lun laughed boldly. After setting the new direction, the haze in Suo Lun’s heart was completely swept away. Then he galloped wildly towards the southeast Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
……
However, Suo Lun had galloped less than ten li when a person and a horse blocked the way ahead.
From her tall and healthy back figure, Suo Lun instantly recognised that she was Tu Lingduo.
She, had she not already left? Had she not ultimately failed to recognise that he was Suo Lun? Why was she still blocking him?
Without hesitation, Suo Lun immediately turned direction and fled desperately.
He was riding a lion tiger beast, which was definitely faster than Tu Lingduo’s warhorse. In a wild gallop she might not be able to catch up.
But in the next second.
Whoosh… Tu Lingduo flung out a hidden arrow that shot towards Suo Lun like lightning.
Suo Lun’s spiritual power instantly captured this hidden weapon. He drew his sword and quickly blocked.
However, his cultivation was really too weak and his speed was really too slow. Before the sword was even drawn, the hidden arrow had already struck his chest.
Instantly his entire body became completely paralysed and unable to move. He directly rolled off the galloping lion tiger beast.
Tumbling, Suo Lun fell to the ground in a complete mess, with a bloody nose and swollen face.
Immediately after, Tu Lingduo’s figure flashed. In the next instant she appeared in front of Suo Lun.
Suo Lun, your time of death has come. Tu Lingduo said through gritted teeth: But before killing you, I will let you taste the flavour of hell and let you know what it means to be unable to live or die.
When saying these words, Tu Lingduo’s eyes shot out bone-deep hatred. This hatred was actually even more intense than Gui Qin Shao’s.
Why was this? It was understandable that Tu Lingduo wanted to kill him. After all, her family was loyal to Zhi Li.
But why did she hate him so much?
There was no reason. Her martial prowess was so high. Even if the scumbag Suo Lun wanted to do something to her, it would have been completely impossible.
What grudge or resentment did the two of them have before? Moreover, had she not failed to recognise that he was Suo Lun earlier?
Tu Lingduo squatted down, stared into his eyes and said coldly: What? Have you completely forgotten what you did to me before? You shameless, despicable evil thief, you rapist!
Hearing the last two words, Suo Lun’s heart suddenly jolted violently.
What exactly had that scumbag Suo Lun done to her? To make her hate him so bone-deep that she would shout out the words rapist.
Her martial prowess was so high and the scumbag Suo Lun was so useless. Even if he wanted to do something, he should not have been able to, right?