CHAPTER 333
The Sovereign's Treatment
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A single sword strike shattered mountains and rivers, sent shockwaves through the Nine Provinces. Beneath his golden eyes, everything lay within his grasp.
Shedding the long robe that seemed faded from years of wear, Su Cheng stood before Yulan clad in black battle armor. He slowly straightened his back, as if stretching his shoulders.
No one could discern Su Cheng's movements. In an instant, another deafening roar echoed!
On the distant hillside, smoke billowed dozens of zhang high once more.
"Damn it, a bunch of stinking rats! Not much skill, but they sure can run fast!"
To be honest, the squad leader was baffled. How the hell was he supposed to fight this?
The mission's success hinged on Su Cheng losing his authority!
Asking them to kill a god-slaying king wielding apocalyptic power and brimming with combat experience? That's pure bullshit!
Here, take the blade. You try fighting him!
Who the hell knew how to fight this battle?
But did they have a way out?
None. None from the very start!
【No one can hold him off! Don't be foolish! Spread out! Target that woman!】
Yeah, pinning down the Godslayer King? They couldn't possibly manage that.
But they weren't without a chance. To kill Su Cheng, the King had granted them a Godslayer Arrow.
Immediately, another Shattering Void Blade shot forth—not toward Su Cheng, but toward Ye Qinghan, who was utterly immobilized.
【As expected, Su Cheng cares deeply for this woman.】
"Jue'er, take your senior sister away!"
"Yes!" Dongfang Jue's body and voice moved almost simultaneously. Had Yulan not held her back, she would have charged out already.
But even so, there were still far too many people needing protection on Su Cheng's side…
"Yu Lan, cover Jue'er!"
"Leave it to Yulan." Yulan tilted her small head, and the Imperial Weapon instantly materialized, trailing behind her.
【Our Honorable Lord doesn't seem to possess the same power as before.】
【I suspect the power of authority has been shared with Xiao Ai, limiting the portion of strength Su Cheng can utilize.】
【Is such a thing truly possible?】
【I don't know, but he certainly isn't as powerful as legend claims—far weaker than His Majesty.】
【Cut the chatter. Stay mobile. Figure out a way to take one down!】
The enemy lurked in the shadows, constantly shifting positions. Even Su Cheng was struggling to keep up.
It was like an eagle hunting chicks, except this mother hen wasn't facing a single eagle—she was facing a pack of wolves.
If this continued, by the three-minute mark, forget the disciples—he himself might not make it out alive.
If his disciples weren't here, he could focus solely on hunting down these rats!
But now, he couldn't spare a hand. From all directions, the moment an opportunity arose, they would ambush his disciples!
He was exhausted from constantly fending them off. This way, he'd be worn down and killed sooner or later!
Once he showed signs of fatigue, they'd all become lambs led to slaughter.
He must find a way!
If this continues, we'll all die here!
Surprisingly, Cheng Liang was also lending a hand, including Shangguan Rou.
It must be said, in this world, Cheng Liang was undoubtedly a top-tier combatant. Yet against the enemies before them, he could handle at most one opponent.
Even the White Void Blade couldn't hold him back!
Though he couldn't block it, at least like Yu Lan, he could dodge if he sensed it in advance.
It was one trap after another. At that very moment, the few Hunters that Su Cheng hadn't found earlier appeared!
【I need one chance. I only have one chance.】
There was only one Godslayer Arrow, and only one chance.
If it missed Su Cheng, and he became wary, it would likely be impossible to strike again.
The Hunters instantly tore through the group's defenses. With no other choice, Su Cheng covered the retreat of his direct disciples.
The teleportation array required time to activate, but with over a dozen opponents closing in, they wouldn't grant him that luxury.
The situation was dire, but the silver lining was that it couldn't get much worse.
"Miss Shangguan, may I borrow your blade?"
As Shangguan Rou dodged the Hunter's claws, she was ambushed by a foul rat lurking in the darkness, leaving her with several wounds.
"This blade was gifted by my master. To me, it is as precious as my own life. How could I possibly lend it?"
But then she thought, Su Cheng could probably just take it by force anyway. Lending it…
Just as Shangguan Rou hesitated, Cheng Liang unleashed a powerful attack for the first time in ages.
Protagonists always seemed to gain insights in peril, enhancing their strength to fight ever more fiercely and grow stronger with each battle.
Su Cheng didn't understand this logic. He was accustomed to death, but he simply didn't want it to appear around him.
In his worldview, no one could repel enemies with sheer willpower alone, nor did any "cosmic explosions" exist.
"Scarlet Flame Sword Array!"
A crimson sword formation unfolded, overlapping slightly with the Frostblade Formation, enveloping the entire ground beneath them.
Just as Su Cheng had anticipated, the moment the sword formation activated, Cheng Liang successfully entered the Fusion Stage.
Now, Cheng Liang even held a slight edge over Xu Zhanfeng in sheer presence.
Su Cheng believed that with Cheng Liang's protagonist's luck, Xu Zhanfeng might not even be able to defeat him.
Cheng Liang felt utterly invigorated in this moment. He could sense the laws of heaven and earth unfolding exactly as he envisioned—except for Su Cheng, that is.
This breakthrough had originally been projected to take several more years.
At this point, ordinary hunters stood no chance against Cheng Liang.
【Xu Zhanfeng, come take my disciple away.】
Soon, the white-robed steward arrived at the battlefield and spoke.
"Master, leave it to Zhanfeng."
"Don't be reckless. Take Qinghan and the others away. I still have matters to attend to."
Explosions lit up the sky like a chain reaction. Even the vast array of magical artifacts proved utterly useless against the enemy's countermeasures.
"Damn it, I told you to hide!"
Xu Zhanfeng's arrival finally granted Su Cheng a brief moment to catch his breath. But three minutes passed quickly—his time was running out.
The apocalyptic greatsword was raised high. Su Cheng swung his arm in a wide arc and brought the blade down…
[Lord Gu Ai, Yu Meng reporting. Something very strange has occurred…]
【What is it?】
【I saw Zero Two in Su Cheng's hands. Though its power is less than a tenth of what it once was, it is indeed the power of authority.】
【Impossible. Zero Two's authority lies with Xiao Ai… Should I go investigate?】
【Their heavy armor unit is being overrun by wolf cubs. Su Cheng can activate his divine perception, but lacks the ability to track and strike multiple high-speed targets.】
Xiao Ai slowly drew her longsword from the corpse, brushed the blood from its edge, and exhaled deeply.
【What do you think?】
Jet-black armor encased her form-fitting suit, overlaid with exoskeletal plates resembling 3D Maneuver Gear. The vibrant demonic mask wore an eerie, otherworldly quality within the black mist.
Yu Meng sat perched on a branch. Compared to the sleek, stylish armor worn by He Guang and the others, her double-layered armor made her appear slightly bulky. Within the squad, she was occasionally teased as the "chubby girl."
But she wasn't actually overweight. As the squad's frontline Breakthrough specialist, she required heavy armor that still allowed high-speed mobility. To survive, layering up was essential.
[Su Cheng is being tied down by the wolf pack tactics. If this continues, he'll be worn down and defeated sooner or later.]
【If we could provide Su Cheng with vision coverage to help him locate enemies, I believe this group wouldn't stand a chance against him.】
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