Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 81: Chapter 34 Heaven’s Sole Calculation (Part 2)

The Japanese pirates on the outer perimeter simply couldn’t stop several powerful Wild Gods led by the Niutou Chantanner, and with the cavalry troops of the Volunteer Army’s vanguard Wang Liang and others eyeing fiercely, they also couldn’t spare much effort to obstruct them.

Soul of Kai (264)

Basic Amplification: Attack and defense increased by 86% (declines with personnel loss)

Soul Sucking: Omitted

Li Yan Troops (Unnamed) (482)

Basic Amplification: Attack, defense, and speed increased by 50% (fixed)n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Bright: Omitted

Before long, Li Yan and his men engaged in close-quarter combat with the Red Guards Army, which had arranged themselves in a scale formation.

The Niutou Chantanner, like a war fortress smeared with blood-mud, when the Red Guards’ horses charged, both men and horses were crushed to pieces, with blood and bones splattering everywhere.

The Red Guards Army, famous for facing death without fear, couldn’t help but feel their scalps tingle at such a sight.

The Jin Yanwa toad, despite being struck by two blades on its webbed feet, used its tongue to pierce through the skull of a Red Guard.

As that Red Guard fell, the Jin Yanwa knew something was amiss; its tongue flickered like lightning, jabbing into the Red Guard’s ankles, crippling but not killing.

Meanwhile, the Niutou Chantanner and Jin Yanwa started to accumulate wounds on their bodies, and local demons like the Iron-Eating Fox were quickly dismembered by the chaotic blades of the Red Guards after just a few exchanges.

The reckless sacrifice of these local demons allowed Li Yan’s troops, protected by the Nine-Winged Sudu, to directly reach Konishi Yukinaga, who was guarded by Hatamoto commanders.

Under the enormous shadow of the scorpion and the flutter of black petals, these Japanese commanders were particularly fierce. Except for Li Yan, others were generally at a disadvantage.

“Clang~”

Kato Tora, wielding a long spear, confronted this young Ming individual, who was clearly the enemy leader. After only a couple of exchanges, his arms numbed. The rainwater seeping into his mouth tasted bitter: “He’s out of my league.”

Li Yan’s eyes turned red, as his Raw Iron Hook-Scythe Spear lifted the opponent’s shoulder armor, then he swept back overhead. Had this spear hit solidly, Kato Tora might have lost his eyes!

Marquis Huan’s Eight Spears were originally horseback spearmanship techniques. Apart from spearmanship, horsemanship was also crucial. Since Li Yan was born in current times and not well-versed in horsemanship, when he first entered the fray, Yan Fu had blessed him with a 70% special proficiency in horsemanship. However, unlike spearmanship, which he had practiced through the years, his horsemanship didn’t come from continuous hard training, so his mounted combat displayed some roughness.

However, after days of constant adaptation, Li Yan’s mounted spearmanship had improved by more than a notch.

As the spearhead threatened Kato Tora, one rider abandoned his current opponent to intercept Li Yan’s thrust for Kato Tora.

This man wore a swallowtail helmet and a white Feather cloak, his broad katana clashing with the Hook and Sickle Spear.

Kato Hyo.

Kato Tora’s fear slightly subsided. A scorpion’s tail emerged behind him, stinging a delicate hand that had appeared out of nowhere.

A girl’s voice of sorrow filled the air.

“Nanako.”

Wang Sheng shouted in alarm and swung his long sword, which Kato Tora dodged with a tilt of his head, causing the scorpion tail to vanish as well. Seeing Wang Sheng unarmed, the Japanese pirate shouted and thrust his long sword towards his midsection. Wang Sheng tugged the saddle tight, twisting away from the blade, and with a look of horror in the pirate’s eyes, a backward arch hit his cheek.

After dealing with that Japanese pirate, Wang Sheng crouched low and stretched his arm to hook a long spear near a Japanese corpse, while a Red Guard evaded an attack from a local demon, striking down with his long sword towards Wang Sheng’s head.

A wisp of chilly black hair wrapped around the Red Guard’s head, the body of the Japanese pirate paused, but still, the blade swung down!

“Bang!”

A bullet pierced through his armor and thigh. Taking advantage of the Red Guard’s pain, a spectral tiger pounced and took him down.

A faint white mist retracted into Wang Sheng’s scabbard, and Nanako could fight no more. Li Yan, holding off both Kato Tora and Kato Hyo’s weapons with one hand, still had his Colt Pistol smoking from the shot.

The Colt Pistol belted at Li Yan’s waist was originally his trump card. Small in size, powerful in force, draw and fire – especially amidst the large gaps in mounted combat, what could compare to a pistol?

That shot was meant for Konishi Yukinaga, but catching sight of Wang Sheng in danger, Li Yan fired almost without thinking, not only losing the upper hand but also engaging both Japanese generals with his left hand, leaving only the right to parry. There was no time to turn the pistol around.

But so what?

Li Yan’s eyes were cold as swords. As the two Japanese generals roared and pressed down on his weapon, Li Yan flicked his wrist, hurling the Colt at Kato Tora’s eyes. His right hand loosened, the Hook and Sickle Spear pushed to the left, freeing both hands. Li Yan gripped the spear shaft, leaned back on his horse, and with a surge of strength, he swung the iron spear in a wide arc, not only forcing the two back but also shattering Kato Hyo’s chest armor. Then, sitting upright on his horse, he thrust the spear without any gap towards Kato Hyo.

Despite facing two enemies, he did not retreat the slightest!

Kato Hyo’s katana clashed with the hook and sickle spear, while alongside him, Kato Tora’s spearhead jabbed towards Li Yan’s face.

Unexpectedly, when the spearhead touched the blade of the katana, it twisted sharply, spraying the rainwater from the blood groove onto Kato Hyo’s face, and the body of the spear swung straight over, hitting Kato Tora’s spear.

Kato Tora, after being struck several times by Li Yan’s long spear, trembled slightly in pain, dreading the ferocity of the man’s spear technique and the explosive power that came with each swing.

Then, something Li Yan couldn’t have imagined happened: the warhorse he was riding, its eyes red, seized an opportunity and bit down on the neck of Kato Hyo’s steed with its molars!

The teeth of the blue-maned warhorse were covered in scorching horse blood, its eyes blood-red as it bit off a chunk of flesh from Kato Tora’s mount’s neck!

Kato Hyo was unsteady on his horse, and Li Yan’s long spear was already upon him!

In the midst of dark clouds, another bolt of lightning split the sky, and Kato Hyo clutched his throat, his face quickly turned ashen amidst the bubbling pink foam in his mouth.

Kato Tora let out a mournful scream as a dark scorpion emerged behind him, the spear held high above his head and chopping down.

Li Yan twisted the spear around and thrust it up with his hand, roaring strangely without fear, facing the scorpion figure head-on.

The Daimyo’s Ghostly Power confronted the Chaos Tattoo!

It was hard to say who would win, but when Kato Tora’s spear was just over three inches from Li Yan’s helmet tassel, Li Yan’s long spear had already pierced Kato Tora’s chest.

“Konishi, meet your death!”

Li Yan withdrew his blade, eyes wide, his face spattered with blood, which made him look even more ferocious.

Konishi Yukinaga lamented as the Kato brothers, his last trump cards, proved no match for this man from the Ming. Clutching his katana, with Joseon’s volunteer army in front and Ming cavalry on both sides, and the ferocious Ming commander attacking like thunder in the rainy night, he had no place left to retreat.

“Red Guards, charge!”

Konishi shouted, resolved to die.

A wave of panic and noise came from the direction of Joseon’s volunteer army. Amid the chaotic battle under the night rain, visibility was only provided by the occasional flash of lightning, leaving everyone uncertain of what was happening.

At this moment, Li Yan was determined to kill. His spear-like troop was less than twenty meters from Konishi!

The noise first intensified, then gradually died away, as if a steel tidal wave had surged into the chaotic battlefield.

A crude, barrel-thick bolt of blue-purple lightning flashed, and for an instant, the entire battlefield was as bright as day.

Wang Liang caught a fleeting glimpse, feeling all the blood rush to his head, his brain nearly bursting!

A mass of warriors, a forest of swords standing tall, and… the war banners of the Warring States Daimyo.

The sound of the wind and rain was relentless.

The standing hollyhock of Honda Tadakatsu!

The Sanguisorba bird of Liusheng Zongyan!

The syllable ‘Bi’ of Uesugi Kagekatsu!

The ivy of Hidetada Masasuke!

And lastly, the symbol of the Temple Guardian.

The unparalleled warrior of the Western lands, Tachibana Muneshige!

…

The icy currents of the Datong River were swift, the clear ice chunks colliding with each other, tinkling melodiously, when a lean yet powerful arm burst from the water, splashing wildly.

Hidetada Osho rose from the surface, a ghastly scarlet gash running through his cheek to the back of his ear, while his ragged robes were stained with stubborn blood.

With a fish clenched in his teeth, he clawed at the muddy bank, greedily sucking the blood and juices from the fish, while gripping a severed arm with his calves, the arm’s pale fingers nearly embedded into the monk’s own flesh, refusing to let go even when severed.

Wrapped around the severed limb was a blue tiger-headed beast arm protector.

After a while, Hidetada spat out the shriveled fish, and uncontrollably burst into loud laughter, his voice echoing through the fields as the dark clouds overhead gathered thicker…