Can a Scholar Be Called a Villain

Chapter 109: Catching two people first

Murong Lin’s figure weaved gracefully between the trees, leaving countless afterimages in his wake as he moved swiftly along the forest path. Soon, he found himself concealed among the trees, observing a massive field beyond.

In this vast field, tens of thousands of soldiers were encamped, and the prominent flag of Chu billowed high above the tents, emanating an aura of solemnity and majesty.

At the heart of this sprawling camp, the auras of two Sky Reaching realm experts radiated with formidable intensity.

Murong Lin recognized them as Jiang Bo Yue and Xiahou Yuan Rang.

With a sigh, he carefully assessed their auras. Both were at the seventh layer of the Sky Reaching realm, possessing similar levels of cultivation. The two of them walked together, engaged in conversation and wearing smiles on their faces.

“His Majesty’s recent orders just arrived, and he mentioned significant developments within the Demonic Beast Forest. But what did he mean by instructing us not to act rashly?”

“I don’t know, but if it can halt His Majesty’s advance, it might be a Cognizance realm expert.”

“Are you suggesting there’s a Cognizance realm expert within the Demonic Beast Forest? Then what about the other three nations? Could they possibly have Cognizance realm experts too?”

“Haha, Yuan Rang, have you lost your wits? Their countries are on the brink of destruction, and their so-called ‘Cognizance realm experts’ haven’t shown themselves. That means they don’t exist.”

Suddenly, both of them tensed, their ears picking up an unusual sound.

“What’s that noise?”

“I’m not sure. It sounds like the buzzing of some flying insects, but there are so many of them. Be cautious!”

The two generals exchanged warnings just as nearby soldiers in the camp swiftly armed themselves. A member of the Unstoppable Flying Army rushed over, shouting, “Generals! Generals! It’s a locust swarm! A locust swarm! There are countless locusts!”

In truth, he didn’t need to inform them. Anyone with eyes could see the nearby sky darken as the buzzing of insect wings grew louder.

The two generals possessed keen eyesight, and they used their spiritual powers to enhance their vision, allowing them to spot the Blood Bat Locusts concealed within the dark clouds.

Their expressions changed dramatically as they shouted a warning to the soldiers, “Be on high alert! Beware of the locust swarm!”

Qin Feng had chosen not to release all of the Blood Bat Locusts in his possession this time. Instead, he released three Sky Reaching realm locusts, which led a swarm of ten thousand Manifestation and Origin realm locusts, creating the appearance of a ferocious dark cloud.

Jiang Bo Yue and Xiahou Yuan Rang had noticed the leading seventh layer Sky Reaching realm locust and the two fourth layer Sky Reaching realm Blood Bat Locusts. While they felt nervous, their primary concern was for the Unstoppable Flying Army and the Danyang Soldiers under their command.

With their current cultivations, they were ill-equipped to resist the Blood Bat Locusts.

The locust swarm began its attack on the outskirts of the camp, instantly devouring those with lower cultivations.

However, these individuals were all summoned by Chu Ze’s system, and their loyalty and courage were exceptional. Not one of them retreated.

Jiang Bo Yue brandished his mace and charged forward. With wild swings, he reached the vicinity of the three Sky Reaching realm locusts and bellowed in anger, “Demonic beasts? You’re all heading for your own demise! How dare you attack the army of the mighty Chu? You’re all doomed!”

Xiahou Yuan Rang brandished his pike and joined his men in the crowd. The Unstoppable Flying Army and the Danyang Soldiers were capable of dealing with the locust swarm, but the tens of thousands of ordinary soldiers lacked the powerful cultivation and luck necessary for this situation.

In a matter of moments, during their chaotic clash, thousands of people were swiftly devoured by the relentless Blood Bat Locusts. Even other resources and supplies within the camp were consumed, leaving nothing behind.

“Ahhhhh! S-save me! I don’t want to die!”

“General, save me!”

These were the cries of those who belonged to the original Chu army, as well as soldiers recruited later on. They hadn’t undergone more than a few months of training before being dispatched to the Demonic Beast Forest to deal with the weaker beasts and clean up the aftermath of battles involving the summons from Chu Ze’s system.

Although they yearned to make significant contributions in battle, they had not experienced real warfare. The sudden eruption of this situation had caught them entirely off guard. No one had been prepared for this battle, and the onslaught of the Blood Bat Locusts took them by surprise.

In truth, only ten thousand soldiers belonged to the Unstoppable Flying Army and the Danyang Soldiers. The remaining ninety thousand were recruits from various counties within Chu.

Jiang Bo Yue and Xiahou Yuan Rang exchanged glances and nodded in unison. Jiang Bo Yue reassured, “Hold on, our support army is right at the borders of the Demonic Beast Forest. They will quickly detect that something is wrong, and they will come to our aid.”

“En.” Xiahou Yuan Rang affirmed calmly.

However, in the midst of their conversation, Xiahou Yuan Rang noticed someone unusual within the crowd. Before he could react, this person had already reached him, and he immediately realized something was terribly wrong.

But it was too late.

Murong Lin, clad in stolen Chu armour, swung his blade at Xiahou Yuan Rang even as he waved his pike.

“Sky Net Style!”

Despite their cultivations being on par, Murong Lin was capable of holding his own against those beyond his realm.

Xiahou Yuan Rang exerted all his strength, using the ‘Ten Direction Dark Dragon Brawl’ technique to barely block Murong Lin’s attack.

In the next moment, Murong Lin swung his blade again.

“Catastrophe Style!”

This time, Xiahou Yuan Rang couldn’t block the attack, and his face turned pale with fear.

At the same time, Jiang Bo Yue had noticed the unfolding danger and quickly left his opponents, the three Blood Bat Locusts, to charge toward Murong Lin.

He raised his mace and unleashed the ‘Unwilling Dark Sky’ technique.

The ground trembled as their attacks clashed, with Jiang Bo Yue managing to block Murong Lin’s second blade. However, Jiang Bo Yue seemingly sustained a significant injury in the process.

The expressions on their faces changed dramatically as they asked, “Who exactly are you? Why are you attacking us?”

“Were you the one that had caused this locust plague?”

Murong Lin grinned and continued his assault, using the ‘Dark Sky Style’ for his third attack.

At that instant, darkness enveloped Jiang Bo Yue and Xiahou Yuan Rang’s worlds, causing their expression to worsen as panic overtook their pale complexions.

Xiahou Yuan Rang urgently shouted, “Let’s work together! We need to kill him immediately!”

In this moment, the two of them found themselves hindered by Murong Lin’s relentless assault as their subordinates were locked in a fierce battle against the relentless swarm of Blood Bat Locusts.

And among them were three Sky Reaching realm locusts!

Xiahou Yuan Rang’s face contorted with anxiety, blood essence trickling from his mouth. His lone eye blazed with determination as he clenched his teeth and shouted, “Drawing upon the heavens’ strength, invoking the cosmic law, the power of a solitary gaze wields marvels, and with one mighty stroke, the heavens shall part!”

With a swift and forceful motion, he brandished his pike, causing a radiant aura to gradually emanate from its tip. In an instant, it exploded into a dazzling burst of light, aimed at dispelling the oppressive darkness cast by Murong Lin’s third blade.

Simultaneously, Jiang Bo Yue swung his formidable mace downward, striking the earth beneath him. The ground shattered into pieces, sending billowing clouds of dust into the air. This powerful shockwave forced Murong Lin to ascend into the skies, where he unleashed his 《Heart-hurting Arrow》 toward the two generals.

Though Xiahou Yuan Rang and Jiang Bo Yue had successfully shattered Murong Lin’s third blade through their combined efforts, they found themselves vulnerable to his subsequent attack: the 《Heart-hurting Arrow》.

With a mere flick of his fingers, the expressions on the faces of the two distant men contorted, gradually draining of life.

Murong Lin took advantage of their vulnerability, approaching swiftly to render them unconscious. Drawing upon the puppet-refining techniques embedded within Sheng Yi’s memories, he asserted control over these two individuals. He intended to refine them into his obedient puppets as soon as he had gathered the necessary materials.

As a precaution, Murong Lin decided to stow the two unconscious men within the confines of the system space he possessed.

Turning his attention to the surrounding battlefield, it was evident that the once formidable army had been reduced to a state of disarray and devastation. While the Unstoppable Flying Army and Danyang Soldiers had joined forces to resist the relentless onslaught of the Blood Bat Locusts, the remainder of Chu’s army was woefully ill-equipped to handle the swarming threat and was quickly devoured clean.

As they witnessed their two commanding generals fall to the individual controlling the Blood Bat Locusts, they fell into deeper despair.

“Commander, you must retreat immediately! Relay this dire situation to His Majesty without delay!” An armoured Danyang Soldier cut down a Blood Bat Locust before him with eyes full of determination before addressing the commander at his side.

Translator’s note

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