Chapter 92: The Battle Between Yang Shengtian and Huang Xianlin (Part One)

Chapter Ninety-Two: The Battle Between Yang Shengtian and Huang Xianlin
(Continued from Chapter Eighty-Eight)

Huang Xianlin reined in his mount, halting the Qilin Divine Beast as he watched Yang Shengtian soaring toward him.

Yang Shengtian, riding his strange beast, Little Black, stopped before Huang Xianlin and spoke:

“General Huang, we meet again!” said Yang Shengtian.

“Greetings, General Yang,” replied Huang Xianlin.

“Thank you for leaving Wang Chuying’s body intact last time! Although you showed mercy to one of my subordinates, that is a separate matter. On the battlefield, each fights for his own lord—I will show no mercy to your men. Make your move!”

Huang Xianlin responded, “Prince Huicheng, I greatly admire your character. Since I joined the army, I have never seen a commander who treats his soldiers as well as you do. But before we fight, may I ask: what has become of our general, Wei Xiaoping?”

In the battle between Huang Xianlin and Wang Chuying last month, nearly all of Wang Chuying’s soldiers were slain by Huang Xianlin’s troops, leaving barely one or two thousand survivors.

As the saying goes, killing should not go beyond what is necessary. Originally, Huang Xianlin did not intend to slaughter so many, believing that capturing the leader would be enough. But the enemy soldiers refused to surrender, and, driven to desperation, fought back with reckless resolve. Thus, Huang Xianlin had no choice but to strike hard, nearly annihilating them.

In the end, he spared a thousand or so to carry away the bodies of their fallen and to deliver a message, intending to bury the enemy dead.

Unexpectedly, the very next day Yang Shengtian sent two or three thousand men to collect the bodies for burial, and over the course of nearly a month, informed each family of their loved one’s fate, offering compensation according to rank, and inviting bereaved families to pay their respects.

Yang Shengtian hesitated for a moment, then said, “General Wei Xiaoping was wounded by me. His mount has already carried him away.”

Hearing that Wei Xiaoping was injured and taken away by Da Huang, Huang Xianlin’s heart skipped a beat. He thought, “General Wei is hurt? Seriously? Otherwise, why would he be spirited away without our knowledge? Isn’t this Yang Shengtian supposed to be General Wei’s long-lost brother? Perhaps not—there are countless people in the world, and likenesses are not uncommon. Since Yang Shengtian is not General Wei’s brother, and has even wounded him, this will not stand!”

At that moment, the ancient voice in Yang Shengtian’s mind spoke again: “Yang Shengtian, the man before you is Wei Xiaoping’s trusted aide. Kill him quickly and eliminate future trouble!”

Yang Shengtian winced in pain, shaking his head. Raising his right hand, a golden halberd suddenly appeared in his grasp.

With a tug of the reins, his beast Little Black let out a piercing cry and, flapping its wings, flew at Huang Xianlin.

“General Huang, strike! We each fight for our own lord—no need for mercy!” Yang Shengtian shouted as he charged with his halberd.

Seeing Yang Shengtian approach, Huang Xianlin thought, “Since you are not General Wei’s twin brother and have wounded him, if I do not avenge him, I am unworthy of the general’s trust!” Clutching his wolf-tooth spear in both hands, he pressed his knees to the Qilin Divine Beast, which roared and charged toward the foe.

As Little Black flew in, it opened its jaws and spewed a long stream of flame at the Qilin Divine Beast.

Yang Shengtian raised his golden halberd, aiming for Huang Xianlin’s chest.

Seeing that the enemy beast could breathe fire as well, the Qilin Divine Beast opened its mouth and shot a tongue of flame to meet the oncoming blaze.

As they closed, Huang Xianlin watched the golden halberd thrust toward him. At the last moment, he squeezed with his knees; the Qilin Divine Beast instantly understood, ducking and veering below Yang Shengtian’s mount. Huang Xianlin pressed himself to the Qilin’s back, evading the thrust. As Yang Shengtian’s beast soared overhead, Huang Xianlin raised his spear, aiming its sharp end at Little Black.

Huang Xianlin had hoped to wound Little Black while dodging the halberd, reasoning that if the beast were injured, Yang Shengtian would lose much of his power. But Little Black moved with such speed that by the time the spear struck out, it was already several meters away.

Yang Shengtian saw that he had missed Huang Xianlin, and that his own mount had narrowly avoided being wounded. Fortunately, Little Black was swift!

“Strike the horse before the rider—an excellent idea!” Yang Shengtian praised Huang Xianlin as he wheeled Little Black around and charged again with his halberd.

By this time, Huang Xianlin had also turned his Qilin Divine Beast to face Yang Shengtian, and the two rushed toward each other.

Yang Shengtian’s halberd was a magical weapon, capable of shrinking or growing at his command.

As he flew at Huang Xianlin, Yang Shengtian aimed the sharp end at his foe and shouted, “Extend!” Instantly, the halberd lengthened like lightning, streaking toward Huang Xianlin’s chest.

Huang Xianlin, flying to meet him, saw the halberd suddenly shoot out and immediately pressed himself flat against the Qilin’s back.

He had just ducked down when the halberd grazed his armor, leaving a long mark across his back.

This blow truly startled Huang Xianlin—had the halberd been aimed just a finger’s breadth lower, his back would have been pierced!

Failing to strike Huang Xianlin, Yang Shengtian, carried by Little Black’s momentum, shot forward several meters.

Dodging the halberd, Huang Xianlin rose up, charging several meters ahead with his beast before stopping. He quickly turned the Qilin around, facing Yang Shengtian five or six meters away, and leveled his spear.

“General Yang, that was a fierce thrust—nearly cost me my life! I salute you,” Huang Xianlin said, his tone revealing utter composure.

Yang Shengtian, seeing Huang Xianlin remain unflustered, secretly admired him.

“General Huang, you’re not bad yourself—to face such danger so calmly!” Yang Shengtian replied, then spurred Little Black and charged again, halberd raised.

Seeing the oncoming attack, Huang Xianlin brandished his spear and met the charge head-on, using every technique at his disposal—parry, sweep, smash, thrust—to fend off the halberd.

They fought thus for a quarter of an hour.

Yang Shengtian did not wait for Huang Xianlin to recover—he closed in, raising his halberd for a crushing blow.

Seeing the halberd descend, Huang Xianlin quickly raised his spear horizontally above his head.

There was a resounding crash as the halberd struck the center of the spear, sending out flashes of white light where the two weapons met.

Huang Xianlin’s arms were jolted violently, and both he and his Qilin Divine Beast were driven downward a dozen meters.

“General Yang, what strength! I, a man more than ten years your senior, couldn’t withstand that blow!” Huang Xianlin exclaimed.

“General Huang, you’re not bad! You’re the second man ever to withstand my strike,” Yang Shengtian replied.

“Oh? Thank you for the compliment. I’m the second? Then who was the first?” asked Huang Xianlin as he urged his beast back into the air.

“Your own General Wei Xiaoping!” said Yang Shengtian.

“General? Yang Shengtian, what have you done to General Wei Xiaoping? In my heart, there are few on the entire Wildlands who could even fight him to a draw, let alone wound him!” Huang Xianlin said as they clashed.

Yang Shengtian, hearing such praise for Wei Xiaoping, felt a twinge of pride and retorted, “You have too much faith in your general! If he is so formidable, why did I wound him so badly?” Yet in his heart, Yang Shengtian knew: if Wei Xiaoping hadn’t let him strike three times without retaliation, he might not have prevailed. And it was only with guidance from that mysterious voice in his mind that he had managed to break Wei’s Divine Nine Heavens Defense. This thought brought him a pang of guilt.

Huang Xianlin, hearing that Wei Xiaoping had been gravely injured, could scarcely believe it. His junior’s martial skill and magical power were unmatched, and he possessed the legendary Demon-Slaying Sword—how could he be so easily beaten, let alone wounded? Yet if he were not, why had both he and Da Huang vanished?

At that moment, Yang Shengtian flew close again, halberd raised for a crushing blow.

They were so near that Huang Xianlin had no time to dodge; gathering his strength, he gripped his spear and raised it horizontally to block the strike.

Having taken the blow head-on once before, Huang Xianlin knew how powerful it was. This time, instead of blocking directly, he angled the spear to deflect the force.

Yang Shengtian noticed the change and thought, “A clever move—by angling the block, much of my force is dispersed.”

There was a loud bang as the halberd struck the oblique spear.

Not only was Huang Xianlin unhurt, but the halberd glanced off harmlessly to the side.

“General Huang, your angled block was impressive! Not only did you avoid the shock, but you deflected my halberd as well,” Yang Shengtian praised.

Taking advantage of the deflection, Huang Xianlin pushed the spear to the right, then swept the other end at Yang Shengtian.

Seeing the spear sweep toward him, Yang Shengtian pressed himself to Little Black’s back and signaled with his legs; Little Black instantly leapt aside.

“General Huang, you move with such agility!” Yang Shengtian said sincerely.

Again they charged at each other, crossing weapons and words as they fought.

Their mounts also fought, biting and breathing fire.

Huang Xianlin, preoccupied with Wei Xiaoping’s injury, asked, “General Yang, how did you manage to wound General Wei?”

“Do you mean to suggest you doubt my ability?” Yang Shengtian replied.

“Why do you say that?” asked Huang Xianlin.

“Do you think I could only defeat General Wei through trickery?”

“That is not my meaning! It’s just that, among men of our age, I have never met anyone who could best him—let alone seriously injure him!”

As Huang Xianlin spoke, Yang Shengtian recalled his bout with Wei Xiaoping. He had gained no advantage until Wei, wagering on their match, allowed him three unanswered strikes. Only then, and with the help of the mysterious voice guiding him through the Divine Nine Heavens Defense, had he managed to wound Wei. The memory filled him with shame.

So he answered honestly: “He was foolish—he let me strike him three times without fighting back. But I admire his sense of honor and integrity.”

“Why would he do that?” Huang Xianlin asked, puzzled. “Why let you strike him three times without retaliation? Yang Shengtian, can’t you just explain it all at once?”

“He took three blows for your sake,” Yang Shengtian replied.

“For my sake?” Huang Xianlin was astonished. “General Yang, can you speak plainly?”

“It’s because you killed several of my generals and over twenty thousand of my soldiers,” Yang Shengtian said.