Chapter 14: The Minor Leader

With a single stroke, Wang Liang shattered more than a dozen skeletons before him. Yet he did not feel exhilarated by his feat; instead, he gazed solemnly at the skeletons. He had already discerned their nature—they were immortal. Even if destroyed in an instant, they would soon reconstitute themselves into new skeletons. Therefore, fighting here was meaningless. Even if Wang Liang exhausted himself to death, he could not truly kill any of them.

Dragging his horse, Wang Liang turned to Wang Yi and said, "Keep the horse under control. If you can't keep up, you might as well wait here for death." As he spoke, the skeletons began to move onto the main road. Though dead, their instinct to attack remained. Brandishing spears and short blades, they swung their weapons ceaselessly, narrowing the space available to traverse the road.

Wang Liang had no time to explain further. He mounted his horse and charged ahead. Frightened by Wang Liang's urgency, Wang Yi dared not hesitate; clutching the horse's neck, he closed his eyes and followed in pursuit.

Fortunately, Wang Liang's strength was formidable. Knowing he could not cut down all the skeletons flanking the road, he focused on hacking only those on one side. Thus, the skeletons on the right fell in numbers, and the horses galloped over their scattered remains, proceeding with little hindrance.

Yet as they pressed onward, Wang Liang gradually sensed something was amiss. The skeletons that emerged grew ever stronger. At first, he could cleave through seven or eight with a single swing; now, his blade could only fell one at a time. Their armor thickened, some even bearing breastplates and similar protection.

Wang Liang did not feel fatigued. When he established his foundation, he had strengthened his power and constitution; his stamina now rivaled the fierce generals of the late Han, far surpassing ordinary men, though not quite attaining the prowess to stand alone against ten thousand. Riding on horseback, all he needed was to swing his Blade of Life. So, his journey demanded little more than exerting his arm.

His worry, however, lay not in exhaustion, but in the ever-strengthening foes. These undead soldiers could not be killed. Should his pace falter, he risked being surrounded. Thus, Wang Liang pressed forward, barely pausing to think. Whenever a white shadow flickered before him, he struck it down without hesitation.

Gradually, his mastery over the unfamiliar blade evolved. The method of wielding it changed as well. Before, Wang Liang planted both feet firmly, pouring all his strength into his strikes. Such blows could cut even charging cavalry into four pieces. Now, as he became the cavalryman himself, he used the horse's speed and the strength of one hand to slash downward, adapting his force accordingly.

Again and again, Wang Liang swung his arm, striving to enhance the blade's power. Slowly, he began to merge the qualities of Boundless Heaven and Unfixed Heaven into his arm. His arm subtly thickened—a trait of Boundless Heaven, fortifying strength and defense. Yet he did not reinforce his whole body, only his right hand, which held the blade.

Meanwhile, his shoulder pivoted in an oddly contorted fashion—a mark of Unfixed Heaven, enabling Wang Liang to make the greatest movements within the smallest range. Coupled with the horse’s momentum, the strength and speed of his strikes became no less potent than traditional blade techniques.

Just as Wang Liang thought the battle would continue thus, he suddenly heard a metallic clang. His Blade of Life was blocked. The horse, unable to stop in time, tossed Wang Liang into the air.

Fortunately, Wang Liang was experienced—even flight was not unfamiliar to him. Instantly, he twisted his body midair and landed safely on the ground.

Upon landing, Wang Liang saw a general whose body was covered in decaying flesh, clad in fish-scale armor, wielding a spiked mace, and wearing a bronze helmet adorned with a beast’s head. The flesh on his body and face remained, making him appear far more terrifying than the skeletal soldiers.

As Wang Liang touched down, the general’s eyes rolled, then fixed upon Wang Liang.

At that moment, Wang Yi’s horse halted on its own. Sensing danger, Wang Yi opened his eyes and saw the ghastly figure with rotten flesh. He screamed in terror.

“Black Commander—is that you?”

Wang Liang retreated a step, positioning himself beside Wang Yi’s horse. “You know him?”

“The last time, he was the commander of the auxiliary soldiers at Demon Ridge—Black Yuanzi, Black Commander. Among the local troops, he was the most formidable. I never imagined he would end up like this.” Wang Yi gulped and hurriedly divulged all he knew.

Wang Liang immediately understood: this was a fierce general among the undead, not one of the Four Heavenly Kings. That brought him some relief—had it been one of the Four Kings, he truly would have doubted his ability to save Wang Yi’s fat life.

“Hide yourself well. Don’t let those skeletons behind scratch you. Once I deal with this fellow, we’ll break through.” Wang Liang pointed his Blade of Life forward. “See the road ahead? There are no other skeletons there. If we kill this one, we’re out.”

Hearing Wang Liang’s certainty, Wang Yi nodded desperately, afraid that any lapse would cause Wang Liang to abandon him.

Wang Liang paid no heed to Wang Yi’s expression. He stared intently into the Black Commander’s eyes, his body slightly crouched, both hands gripping the Blade of Life, calculating the best point of attack.

He knew well that his stamina was ample, but the blade’s fighting style demanded life or death in a single stroke. If he could not slay his foe within a few moves, he had no other recourse. Thus, he had to fell the Black Commander with one strike.

Recalling the strength with which the Black Commander had blocked his blow, Wang Liang realized he must seek victory by other means. Fixing his gaze on the commander’s body, he searched for weaknesses. Gradually, something changed in his vision: everything else faded away, leaving only the Black Commander.

Strange red lines appeared on the general’s body—some thick, some thin. For reasons unknown, the thinner lines glowed brighter. Wang Liang sensed that, if he followed the thinnest line and struck, one cut would end the Black Commander.

As Wang Liang focused on a single red line, the Black Commander moved.