Zhang Kui's Journey to the West in the Investiture of the Gods

Chapter 46 Killing to Save Lives

Three days later, a military order bearing the seal of the central government was delivered to Zhang Kui's residence.

The document formally appointed Zhang Kui, the deputy commander of the Northern Army, as the commander of the local militia, to lead his 1,000 elite troops to garrison Youli City, and granted him the authority to act expediently, and to train a new army of 30,000.

On the surface, this military order was to strengthen the defenses of Youli, the city where serious criminals were imprisoned, and to deal with possible unrest. However, it also provided Zhang Kui with a legitimate excuse and sufficient power base to protect Ji Chang and stay away from the vortex of Chaoge.

After receiving the order, Zhang Kui did not set off immediately. He first went to the Northern Army camp to muster his 1,000 most elite Xuanjia cavalrymen. Among them, 300 were veterans who had fought alongside him in the Northern Sea, known for their discipline and formidable fighting spirit. The remaining 700 were young men from good families newly selected and recruited after arriving in Chaoge. Afterward, he ordered Wu Wenhua to pacify the scouts and set off three days ahead of schedule to survey the terrain along the way, especially the several dangerous places that were necessary to reach Youli.

Meanwhile, he secretly maintained contact with Bigan, precisely obtaining the date and planned route for Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xibo, to be escorted out of Chaoge. Everything was prepared in silence.

On the day Ji Chang was escorted away from the capital, the sky over Chaoge was overcast, with leaden-gray clouds hanging low. A group of fewer than fifty people escorted a simple prison cart, silently leaving the south gate of Chaoge.

Ji Chang, inside the prison cart, had white hair and beard, and a haggard face, but his eyes remained calm, revealing a wisdom and compassion that seemed to have seen through the ways of the world. Apart from ten prison guards, the rest of the procession consisted of Ji Chang's loyal servants.

Zhang Kui stood atop a high slope outside the city, watching the lone column disappear into the distance at the end of the official road. Beside him, Wu Wenhua, clad in black armor, asked in a low voice, "General, when do we depart?"

"No rush," Zhang Kui said with a deep gaze. "Let the fish bite first, then we'll haul in the net. Send the order down: the whole army should eat their fill, inspect their armor, and set off in the afternoon."

He chose to delay his departure by half a day, both to avoid drawing too much attention by traveling with the escort team and to give those secretly watching him an opportunity to strike. The terrain along the way was treacherous, and the most densely forested and deep-ravine area was Wild Boar Ridge, which was absolutely the perfect place to kill and silence witnesses.

Sure enough, during the afternoon march, as Zhang Kui led a thousand Xuanjia Iron Cavalry like a black torrent approaching Wild Boar Ridge, a scout rushed to report: "General, there are shouts of killing coming from inside the ridge. A large number of unidentified people have been discovered attacking the escorting convoy."

A cold glint flashed in Zhang Kui's eyes, and he said in a cold voice, "All troops, accelerate, form a wedge formation, and charge!"

"Yes, sir!" A thousand riders responded in unison, their voices echoing across the land.

The iron hooves thundered across the ground, causing the entire earth to tremble. The thousand riders, like a black blade unsheathed, tore through the air and charged wildly along the winding mountain road toward the direction from which the sounds of battle were coming.

Inside Wild Boar Ridge, a scene of carnage unfolded. Over two hundred masked assassins dressed in black and wielding blades were frantically attacking Ji Chang's troops. The ten Chaoge jailers, who had thought this mission was a lucrative one and had accepted bribes from You Hun, were prepared to turn a blind eye if anything "unexpected" happened. However, they never expected that their opponent would also try to silence them, and they were already lying in pools of blood.

Although Ji Chang's servants fought desperately, they were outnumbered and suffered heavy casualties. Only a dozen or so remained, desperately holding on around the prison cart.

Ji Chang, in the prison cart, was pale but showed no fear; he simply closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

Seeing that their target was about to be captured, the leader of the assassins revealed a ferocious look in his eyes, brandished his sword and shouted, "Quickly finish this, leave no one alive!"

Just then, the earth trembled violently, as if a dragon were turning over. Immediately afterwards, the sound of hooves, like thunder from the depths of hell, grew louder and louder, filling the entire valley in an instant.

"Cavalry! A large number of cavalry!" The assassins turned around in terror, only to see a black torrent of steel surging towards the entrance of the valley like the floodwaters of the Styx bursting its banks. At the forefront, the armor of a general gleamed eerily in the dim light, and his unicorn-like beast, its hooves treading on black smoke, resembled a demon god descending to earth. Behind him, the cavalry, both men and horses, were clad in black armor, their spears forming a forest, their killing intent soaring to the heavens.

"Damn it, it's Zhang Kui's Xuanjia cavalry from the Northern Army!" The leader of the assassins was terrified. He recognized the unit. "Retreat!"

However, it was too late.

Zhang Kui didn't give them any chance to speak. He knew that if these assassins were to implicate Fei Zhong and You Hun, it would put him in a passive position. It was better to simply label them "bandits" and kill them all.

"All troops, listen to my command!" Zhang Kui's voice was icy, piercing through the battlefield. "The bandits ahead have attacked the imperial guards escorting a criminal. Their crime is tantamount to treason; they shall be executed without mercy."

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" A thousand riders roared in unison, their voices like a tidal wave, shaking the forest and causing the leaves to fall in a rustling sound.

The next moment, the black arrowhead pierced fiercely into the chaotic formation of the assassins.

Zhang Kui took the lead, wielding no long weapon, but instead channeling his Golden Core Dao, pouring immense magical power into his arms, and unleashing the divine power of "Subduing Dragons and Tigers." With his right hand forming a sword, he swung it, accompanied by the sounds of dragon roars and tiger howls. Wherever the gale passed, the air distorted, and any approaching assassins were struck as if by a long blade, their tendons and bones snapping, sending them flying backward.

Wu Wenhua followed closely behind, like a ferocious humanoid beast, wielding a huge spiked club. Each strike carried the terrifying brute force of an Earth Witch Realm cultivator, cracking the ground and sending blood and flesh flying. He was no match for Wu Wenhua.

The thousand Xuanjia cavalry were highly efficient killing machines; their iron hooves trampled, their spears thrust, and their coordinated attacks divided, surrounded, and annihilated the chaotic assassins. The battle was a completely one-sided massacre.

The leader of the assassins tried to struggle and organize a resistance, but Zhang Kui's eyes turned cold. With a slight thought, he activated the Heavenly Gang Divine Power "Five Elements Great Escape." His body didn't move, but an invisible force of the five elements had already enveloped him. The leader immediately felt the air around him solidify, as if he were sinking into quagmire. His movements became more than ten times slower, and he watched helplessly as a spear from a Xuanjia cavalryman easily pierced through his chest.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, all three hundred assassins were killed, and the valley was littered with corpses, the stench of blood filling the air.

Zhang Kui reined in his beast and raised his hand to stop his troops. He scanned the battlefield, confirming that there were no more survivors, before slowly urging his horse toward the wrecked prison cart.

Beside the prison cart, the few surviving servants of Ji Chang looked at the black-armored general, who seemed like a god descending to earth, still in shock.

Zhang Kui dismounted, walked to the prison cart, looked at Ji Chang inside, bowed respectfully, and said calmly, "My lord, you have been frightened. This humble general, Zhang Kui, was ordered by the central military command to be transferred to Youli, and happened to arrive at this time."

Ji Chang opened his eyes, looked at Zhang Kui, and a complex and inscrutable light flashed in his eyes, his gratitude overflowing. He struggled to bow in return inside the prison cart: "So it's an old friend. Ji Chang thanks the general for saving my life. But... these villains..." His gaze swept over the black-clad corpses scattered on the ground.

Zhang Kui raised his hand to interrupt him. His voice was not loud, but it left no room for doubt: "They were just a group of audacious mountain bandits who coveted wealth. They dared to attack the Marquis's carriage. They have now been executed. The Marquis need not worry about it." He said this not only to Ji Chang, but also to all the living people present, thus setting the tone for the matter.

Ji Chang, being a man of great stature, immediately understood Zhang Kui's intentions, inwardly admiring the man's meticulous planning and decisive methods. He asked no further questions, only sighing, "General, your handling of the situation is appropriate. I... thank you."

"It's my duty," Zhang Kui said calmly. "This place is not safe to stay any longer. Please rest for a while, my lord. We will set off for Youli immediately. I will escort you along the way."

He ordered his men to quickly clear the battlefield, burying the fallen servants of Ji Chang on the spot. As for the corpses of the assassins and jailers, they were left to rot in the wilderness as proof of their status as "bandits." Afterward, the group resumed their journey.

Zhang Kui's thousand iron cavalry escorted Ji Chang's army in the center, marching majestically towards Youli City. Ji Chang sat in the swaying prison cart, watching Zhang Kui's tall, upright figure ahead, his heart filled with turmoil. This Zhang Kui possessed unfathomable cultivation, acted with shrewdness and decisiveness, and, most importantly, was loyal and righteous. Could Wen Zhong really have such a figure under his command?

Zhang Kui, meanwhile, was already thinking about his next move. After garrisoning Youli City, he needed to consider training a new army and building his own power base, since a single tree cannot make a forest.

As for Fei Zhong and You Hun of Chaoge, and even the demon concubine Daji behind them, Zhang Kui did not take them seriously.

"The road ahead is long, and only strength is the foundation." Zhang Kui clenched his fist, feeling the immense magical power flowing through his golden core and the cool touch of the treasure-dropping coin in his arms.

As dusk fell, the group arrived at Youli, the city that had served as their place of imprisonment. In the afterglow of the setting sun, the city walls cast enormous shadows, like a silent behemoth awaiting its new prey.