146 Monster.

The army of tall barbarians marched forward.

The soldiers faithfully guarding the general quarters waited patiently in fear of battle.

The commander stood behind his soldiers.

Knowing the barbarian's usual method of making war he formed a fake circular defensive stance to bait the enemy to pierce through. once baited two thousand soldiers from both sides will flank them.

He looked up at theclouded sky

'This will be a muddy war.' He sighed.

The ground started to vibrate, the enemy was coming close.

He raised his arm, and in his most stern and authoritative voice he spoke.

"Rai-"

*Twuck*

His head fell.

In the soldier's disbelieving eyes the reflection of blood gushing out of the neck was imprinted.

"The request is complete."

A voice said, then a shadow jumped away.

The officials besides the commander turned to one another.the thing on their mind was only one thing, 'A hired assassin!'

Only a few nobles had contacts with assassins and even less could afford them, they needn't fear it so they umped for the next action.

"Raise shields! be ready for impact!" One official screamed, green flashing in his eyes.

"No! we should part ways andrush behind them while some keep them here!" Another wearing a golden armor yelled.

"Are you crazy!? their army is enormous!we won't reach their rear in time!"

Three officers, all three of them with their own idea, all of them eager to take control of the war, win it, and be promoted to the now opened commander spot.

A soldier shaking in fear snapped "Where's commander Zheng Li!? He's the one o call the shots! and in his absence, we should follow the first plan designed by the General!- uggha"

A blade pierced his neck, as he fell, the bloodied blade shone and a soldier with an eager smile looked at the officers.

"I'm Wang Hu. I have control of a thousand men! I'mwilling to go with them to the enemy'sthe rear!"

The officer who suggested that plan. smiled at him "good thinking!"

A Discussion ensued. Red eyes with bulging red veins and greed, all plastered their faces as they competed

Hilda watched from a hidden spot.

She sighed, 'Cutting all the heads of the serpent is so predictable and effective that it's boring.'

She observed all the soldiers shaking in their boots as the ground trembled more intensely by the second. The look in their eyes and cold sweat let on their morale. if somebody told her at least half of them would runaway, she would believe it.

'Too bad for you all... My lady wants blood.' She thought while looking at the direction the barbarians were coming.

'Where is Zheng Li?' She suddenly thought.

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Through a common merchant route, a hundred or so disguised soldiers trotted away.

"Sir, it's time to reenter the forest."

"Hm," Cheng Feng grunted from within the main carriage.

He was seated on the couch, his hands holding a black book with a gloomy dim aura.

'From life to death.' He read.

Bianca' soft words passed through his minds when he was getting ready to leave.

'A gift for the love of my life~I hope we meet again.'

He scoffed. "Like this until the end, really a terrible woman."

Her naked body flashed through his mind, and he laughed'But the cock wants what it wants.'

Suddenly his ears perked up.

The sound of wind being cut through, followed by a thud, reached his ears.

"General!a wind slash came at us from the right!" a soldier screamed.

"You really are my daughter. I knew I should've left sooner." Cheng Feng laughed.

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Zhi Rui signaled and Zhun Xuying did another horizontal slash. It tore through the air and with her vision Zhi Rui saw another head fall and the soldiers look all around for attackers in panic.

Zhi Rui and Zhun Xuying were just distant enough to be out of their scope of perception.

Zhi Rui stood in the middle of two tall tree's with heavy foliage to hide her presence and watch their movements.

Although mesmerized by the visage of Zhi Rui treating the air like solid ground. Zun Xuying followed her words with accuracy.

Zhi Rui squinted as there was not a movement on the main carriage, even though the soldiers were screaming.

'He must be searching for my position.' Zhi Rui thought, he was a level four, to trust his own sense to be above hers was a rational thought.

Zhi Rui knew his reach and remained on the edge of it.

She knew his exact position, his relaxed muscles even his breathing from inside the carriage. She knew everything. Now he only needed to attack him, with a fast and powerful enough attack she could strike him regardless if he noticed her arrival or not.

But something on her gut was keeping her in place.

'Don't underestimate the fourth level.' Zhi Rui repeated to herself.It was the first time facing an actually powerful foe and she was anxious to test her strength. but the fifty-year-old damaged woman inside of her didn't let her act on a whim.

Her eyes went eerily quiet.

Only their breathing could be heard. Still no signal of movement from the carriage.

A chill suddenly came over her spine.

The presence inside the carriage faded like fog.

Zhi Rui's eyes snapped wide open, her inner energy bolted in action. In less than a second, she was in front of Zhun Xuying.

Boom!

A bright golden shield smashed her crossed arms shoving her backward.

Zhun Xuying thought fast and acted even faster. In the moment of impact, instead of resisting, she used her affinity with the wind, grabbed Zhi Rui that was coming in her direction, by the nape and gently hopped backward.

The wind followed her will, light as a feather, they flew backward creating distance and dissipating the impact damage.

They settled ten meters away. The wind turned green and danced around Zhi Rui's arms.

She could feel the muscles numbing and her bones mending.

"Haha! what a way to greet your own daughter!" Zhi Rui screamed.

"Ingrate! after years of care and love, only for you to come and ambush your own father!?"

They stared at each other for seconds and laughed.

Their shoulders shook with the laughter. But Zhun Xuying on the back trembled, the energy emanating from Cheng Feng was too great, like a bright sun, the pressure was crushing and her breathing was ragged.

She looked at Zhi Rui's back and saw how incredible she was for not reacting whatsoever.

"Distance yourself.If you see a chance to deal damage, act. Otherwise, just run away."

Zhi Rui's ominous voice reached her ears without spreading outwards.

For a second she hesitated, but she couldn't even withstand his pressure. she bit her lips and with a last venomous glare, she flew away.

Zhi Rui's red eyes locked on Cheng Feng.

He smirked. "To give me that glare my little plaything must hold quite the grudge."

Her eyes were cold and calm, not an ounce left of the previews mood.

'He didn't use an ability, that was a technique.'

Techniques were abilities, either learned or self-created based on specific attributes, unlike spells, once learned it evolves with the person. But it's only possible from the third level above.

'He's been at the fourth level for a long time now, I overlook this...'

Her shoulders relaxed and she smiled.

"Old man,I still need someone to reign in that headless kingdom. You can st-"

She couldn't finish talking as a golden light flashed on her left side. She snorted and jumped up.

Upside down she looked where she stood seconds ago.

Cheng Feng, her father, was smiling sardonically. "Mother and daughter,the same mold, same feathers."

His eyes shone brightly."Both tried to play me for a fool."

His thick arm suddenly was in front of her nose.

Thumpft!

The branches of the trees broke upwards as Zhi Rui flew upwards. For a fraction of seconds, her eyes were dazed and she lost conscience. Hearing the air being thundered through with another attack, she woke up. Materialized a wall beside her and threw herself to the side.

As she fell, she used the impulse to turn around on her back. Her eyes watched asCheng Feng kept his momentum upwards with a ferocious smile. A golden mace in his hand.

The sun shot on his back darkening his frontal features, only his bright eyes bore holes in her mind.

Her nose was bleeding profusely but her bones were in place. she wasn't caught off guard by personal ability, it was a punch.

'One of his abilities reinforce muscles, together with his energy... if it was before I'd have my face caved and my brain shattered.Barely two weeks of temperingmy body and I can already withstand this amount of blunt power.'

Her eyes shone a malevolent red, her lips arched up whiles the blood streamed down her nose.

As he started to free fall, a glint shined in Zhi Rui's eyes,

'No abilities for air motion!'

Zhi Rui manipulated her energy and managed to tilt Cheng Fen sideways, so his back is to her.

Zh Rui stood where she was in the sky and waited for gravity to bring him to her.

The general entered reach. She jumped up and with all strength, she could muster she swung her ankle on a wide motion at him.

His muscles are reinforced and were like iron. Zhi Rui aimed at the vertebrae right under the nape of his neck.

Her ankle connected. She felt his bone shattering.

"HAAAAA!!" She screamed and her leg sent him like a meteor to the ground.

She stood looking down as the dust settled. Her leg was broken from the feet to her waist. She used all her strength and she had hit a vital place. But her gut told her it was not enough.

"HAHAHAHAHA! YOU'RE REALLY MY DAUGHTER!" His voice tore through the cloud of dust and sent it away.

He laughed with his arms open wide and saliva with blood spurting out of his mouth.

All his bones regenerated and thickened.

Zhi Rui sighed. 'The boned mammoth core.He used it to withstand his reinforce muscles...'

Her strongest physical attack on a weak spot did nothing but light damage.

She clicked her tongue.

"This damn monster..."