Chapter 12: Entering the Fray

Just as Wang Liang was convinced that the bronze cauldron was some kind of magical treasure, an unbelievable scene unfolded before him. The box began to disassemble itself, swiftly assembling pieces atop the bronze cauldron until it formed a wooden puppet three meters tall.

No one could tell how such a small box could produce so many parts.

Once the puppet was complete, it drew a long sword and stood guard behind the sand barge and all its passengers, shielding them.

Meanwhile, Wang Liang noticed Wei Ban seemed to have lost his senses, sitting in a corner staring blankly, while Zhao Gongming held something resembling a command flag, leaping about and directing his summoned little ghosts and demons to attack the yellow-sand bandit soldiers.

Seeing Wang Liang dazed, Zhao Gongming shouted, “Stop standing there! Go control one of the Seven Treasures Light Towers. Just pour your inner strength into it, then do whatever you think of afterwards.”

Wang Liang hurried over to the Seven Treasures Light Tower previously operated by Niu Xuang Guang, placed his hand upon it, and two choices appeared before him: a mastery-level bow technique, or a beginner-level Innate Universe Art.

Normally, Wang Liang would have chosen the skill he was strongest at, but for some reason, a feeling told him to select the Innate Universe Art.

He instinctively infused the tower with the inner force of the Innate Universe Art. In the next instant, the Eight Trigrams symbols appeared all around the tower.

Zhao Gongming noticed this and remarked, “What kind of technique is that? Eight Trigrams Linked Palms? Eight Trigrams Life-and-Death Formula?”

“Innate Universe Art. Why?”

“Nothing, you’re just really lucky.”

While replying to Wang Liang, Zhao Gongming privately messaged Niu Xuang Guang: “Boss, we’ve struck gold. You know what that multi-talented guy’s practicing? It’s the Innate Universe Art—a level 60 advanced technique he can use right away. Looks like he really has connections.”

“I told you so ages ago.” At that moment, Niu Xuang Guang was locked in battle with a yellow-sand bandit, so his response was slower. “I saw it at a glance. You guys are still too green, haha…”

Feeling proud, Niu Xuang Guang’s attacks grew stronger, severing a bandit’s head with a single sword stroke.

At that moment, the merchant caravan finally joined the fray.

On this journey, they’d faced attacks from yellow-sand bandits often enough to know who among the chaotic fighters were friends and who were foes.

Leaving three knights to guard the white-robed group, all the heavy-armored knights raised their spears and charged at the bandits.

Though their numbers added up to only seven, their charge had the momentum of a thousand horsemen.

Watching the armored knights charge, Wang Liang even felt a sudden urge to strike them all down.

Fortunately, he remembered these knights were allies for now and suppressed that impulse, directing the Seven Treasures Light Tower to attack the yellow-sand bandits instead.

It was then that Wang Liang realized how formidable the bandits truly were.

He’d watched Niu Xuang Guang’s sword flash—bandits sliced to pieces. But when he attacked, even after launching four or five fireballs or wind blades, the bandits barely seemed affected and continued fighting.

Noticing Wang Liang’s troubled expression, Zhao Gongming explained, “Don’t overthink it. Those are still yellow-sand bandits, but they’re all level thirty or higher. Didn’t you notice even the boss needs three or five hits to take one down?”

Wang Liang looked across the battlefield and saw it was true—both Niu Xuang Guang and the weeping maiden needed three or four blows to kill a bandit, and Zhao Gongming’s summoned ghosts could only stall them, unable to slay foes as easily as before.

This convinced Wang Liang, who now shifted his focus to the armored cavalry.

He noticed these knights seemed trained specifically to counter Persian curved swords. Their armor was essentially iron plates coated with something like oil, causing slashing weapons to glance off at an angle.

Normal cuts couldn’t harm them much; only blunt impacts from hammers or charges could inflict real damage.

As Wang Liang continued analyzing the enemy, he suddenly felt a chill at his neck. Instinctively, he let go of the tower and dove forward, rolling across the ground.

In that instant, a curved sword struck the tower right where he’d been standing.

It turned out the yellow-sand bandit Wang Liang had repeatedly attacked without killing had locked onto him, leaping from across the battlefield to land before him.

Fortunately, Wang Liang’s quick reflexes and the bandit’s heavy injuries prevented him from being killed outright.

Now the bandit was aboard the sand barge. As Wang Liang rolled across the ground, the bandit’s focus shifted to Wei Ban and Zhao Gongming.

Zhao Gongming was controlling his puppet—he himself couldn’t move. The puppet, too large to board the sand barge, could only turn and swing its wooden sword at the bandit.

Meanwhile, Zhao Gongming frantically jumped about, tossing talismans at the bandit. The talismans transformed into lightning bolts and fireballs, but even these were less effective than Wang Liang’s attacks with the Seven Treasures Light Tower.

Having rolled away, Wang Liang got to his feet, eyes locked on the bandit, both hands gripping the Slaying Blade. He saw a blood-red line just below the bandit’s neck.

Though unsure what it signified, Wang Liang knew that was the spot to strike.

Without any wind-up, he stepped forward and raised his blade as soon as he regained his balance.

It was the standard move of a heavy blade soldier—Wang Liang had practiced it countless times. Even when confronting a cavalry charge head-on, he could face it without so much as blinking.

The bandit before him was less intimidating than any cavalryman, causing Wang Liang little pressure.

His step was steady, muscles contracting under the influence of the Innate Universe Art, all his strength concentrated in his legs and transferred through his waist to his arms.

As the bandit turned his head, Wang Liang struck like lightning, the blade cleaving precisely along the blood-red line beneath the bandit’s neck.

The moment the blade fell, Wang Liang felt a surge of heat in his arms—the edge seemed to slice through something—then a torrent of blood erupted like a fountain, drenching him from head to toe.