Chapter 260 — The Soldier's Request

The aura radiating from the old man was vast and boundless, and it enveloped every one of them.

A cold snort, and a burly figure planted itself before Tang Tang. It was Tang Yi. Majestic in bearing, awe-inspiring without any show of anger, he leaned his horse-cleaving saber casually against the ground, his presence a seamless whole.

The old man's pupils contracted.

This soul general's stance looked careless, yet there was not the slightest flaw anywhere about him. The instant his own aura drew near, it was as though it had struck an invisible wall and could advance no further.

What a formidable soul general!

Fire Marr's expression shifted; her heart took another blow. Tang Yi had not lifted a finger earlier, and she had taken him for an ordinary soul general. Never had she expected him to be so fierce.

Just what was the background of this lot?

The less she knew, the more unsettled she became. The strength of Tang Tang and his two companions was already terrifying enough, and here was a soul general fiercer still. How could a company so lavishly outfitted appear in a backwater like the Lupus constellation?

The moment the old man loosed his aura, the reaction rippled outward in a chain.

Crane's gaze sharpened. His long, pale hand moved of its own accord to the sword hilt. His upright figure bowed slightly inward, the whole of him coiled and ready.

Ling Yan took up his spear. The slow, rhythmic ding-dong of the twin-sheep wind chimes drifted on the wind. His face was grave, and in his orange-red pupils flames leapt and danced.

Beside the old man, the armored warrior and the bone-whip woman gave cold snorts of their own, each releasing their aura.

Boom!

The armored warrior's body seemed to flow with molten silver; around his lower half bright silver mist swirled, and the shape of a horse's body could faintly be made out. In his hand had appeared a silver javelin half a meter long.

"Centaurus?" Ling Yan gave a cold laugh, the flames in his eyes burning brighter.

Among the forty-two constellations of the southern sky, strength varied wildly, the gap between them immense. Yet a handful stood supremely strong: Centaurus, Phoenix, Canis Major, Corona Australis. And Centaurus was chief among the forty-two. The Centaurus armor on this man was plainly no common article.

"Centaurus, Wings of the Silver Spear, Yingkong!"

The armored warrior announced himself in a deep voice.

"Ling Yan, Spear of Justice." Ling Yan spat out the words, battle spirit surging in his chest. The man's aura was powerful, in no way inferior to his own; an opponent like this was rare indeed.

Crane and the bone-whip woman, however, made a different picture.

"Oh my, what a handsome young gentleman." The bone-whip woman spoke with coy allure. "One glance and my heart is all aflutter. Why not yield to me, young master? Rest easy, I'll pamper you well."

Crane's expression was calm. "Might you be the Pink Skeleton?"

"Oh! The gentleman even knows my name. Could it be you set your heart on me long ago?" The bone-whip woman hid her mouth and giggled. "You should have said so sooner. Tonight, I am the gentleman's to command."

Her eyes flashed and sparked, and with a face full of seduction she twisted her waist and pressed close to Crane.

A cold gleam flashed through Crane's eyes. He thrust straight forward with the Crane Sword, scabbard and all.

Tch!

The sword qi was like a white crane's breath, wrapped in pale mist, tearing through the air.

"How cruel the gentleman is!" the bone-whip woman cried in a coquettish voice, while the bone whip in her hand rose eerily like a bone serpent and struck the sword qi.

Both moved with extraordinary speed: Crane's figure was elegant and unrestrained, his swordsmanship nimble; the bone-whip woman's whip was eerie and unpredictable, ever-changing.

Ling Yan and the armored warrior were another matter entirely. The centaur warrior moved swift as lightning, his javelin heavy and powerful, ranging to and fro. Ling Yan drove his flamingo like a blazing fire, the tip of his spear weaving an unending sea; let the foe but touch it, and he would be dragged into the curtain of spears. The centaur warrior knew well how fierce it was, and held Ling Yan's sea of spear points in the utmost dread.

The fiercest fight of all, however, was between the old man and Tang Yi.

The old man's claw technique was unbelievably fast, too fast for the eye to catch, and every claw came with a biting chill; snowflakes drifted among the blue claw shadows.

Tang Yi's saber technique was plain and unadorned, neither hurried nor slow. Only when his blade met those blue claws did the overbearing force within his saber light burst forth like rolling thunder.

The two sides were locked in a stalemate.

Tang Tang was astonished to find that no one was paying him the least attention.

What was going on here...

Suddenly something stirred in him, and he looked up toward the distance. He had the vague sense that someone was spying on them.

Some ten kilometers from Tang Island.

"Where in the world did these bastards crawl out from?" The speaker, a middle-aged man, was beside himself with fury. He was somewhat stout, with very small eyes, but his face was now hideous and twisted, exuding an indescribable killing intent.

This was Xin Li.

Beside him stood none other than the scrawny Yan Jiuzhi, whose face was utterly consumed by terror, drained of all color. Amid the shock, his heart was full of thanksgiving that he had fled quickly. Had he run into that soul general with the horse-cleaving saber from the start, he would surely have lost his head by now.

Through Yan Jiuzhi, Xin Li had made contact with the faction his master belonged to, and the three's astonishing strength filled Xin Li with confidence. Sweep this desert with the force of thunder, then contend with the three great powers.

He had been on the verge of finishing off Fire Marr; once that greatest obstacle was cleared away, the desert would be his. Then out of nowhere these formidable bastards had come charging in!

Wrecking his sure victory!

Damn them!

Xin Li ground his teeth, his expression shifting unpredictably.

Tang Tang, with nothing to do, scratched his head. Something was off about this rhythm. How could he be the only one without a fight? A godlike youth was supposed to be number one at fighting!

Tang Tang looked all around, eyes full of hope that another enemy reinforcement might come charging out.

The wilderness around them was silent.

Just then, a voice sounded in his mind: "Little Tang Tang, I've got a favor to ask."

The idle Tang Tang perked up at once. "Uncle, what is it?"

"Ahem." Soldier found it a little embarrassing to bring up. "Well... could you take down these few tribes for me?"

"Take down these tribes?" Tang Tang was stunned. "Uncle, what are you up to? Why would you be interested in jackal-man tribes? Aren't you busy with your training camp?"

"That's right, the training camp is coming along nicely." Soldier's tone was brisk, but soon enough he grew sheepish. "But there's a problem now."

"What problem?" Tang Tang asked, puzzled.

"No people." Soldier said helplessly. "Apart from the two lads the Mo family is sending over, the camp has not a single soul."

"You're kidding." Tang Tang gasped. "Uncle, are you that lame? All this time and you haven't recruited anyone?"

Soldier's voice was thoroughly awkward. "It's not that I'm lame... back in the days of the legion, I never had to worry about recruitment; everyone fought tooth and nail to get in. But now it's more troublesome. A few people did come knocking, but their talent was dreadful."

Tang Tang understood. "So Uncle wants to pick out the talented ones from among the jackal-men?"