Free Web NovelChapter 314: Chapter 314: Great Victory, the Strong Retreat
Of the Six Great Flame Countries’ commanders from the battle at Sword Tooth City, all had now died except for Guan Zanyi.
With that, Lu Chao raised his spear, hoisted the corpse of the Three Flames Commander high, and roared, "All you from the Three Great Flame Countries, listen! I am Lu Chao! Your commander is dead! The Eagle Flame Commander is dead! And Tiger Flame’s Guan Zanyi has... knelt and fled!"
In truth, Lu Chao had no idea where Guan Zanyi had suddenly run off to.
So he just casually said the man had knelt and fled.
That coward probably saw the situation turning south and bolted. He had a history of it, having already fled once on the Hundred Countries Battlefield to save his own skin.
"Surrender now, and you will be spared."
Paying Guan Zanyi no more mind, Lu Chao’s voice boomed out once more.
Instantly, the group of Peak Climbers battling Cheng Yunsu on Sword Thinking Peak trembled from head to toe. They scrambled to the edge of the peak to look down, and then, one after another, they collapsed to the ground in despair.
’It’s over. It’s all over!’
Immediately after, the voices of Fan Jinhua, Dean Jiang, Yu Fei, Luo Wendeng, Wu Caicai, and other members of Dragon Flame Academy erupted from all around Sword Thinking Peak. "Your commanders are dead! Drop your weapons! Surrender and you will be spared!"
The shouts rose and fell, echoing endlessly around Sword Thinking Peak...
The Three Flames soldiers were already in a panic from the brutal fighting. Hearing the shouts, they dropped their weapons one by one and raised their hands.
Their commanders were either dead or had fled, and they were being cut down and thrown into confusion. What else could they do but surrender?
Meanwhile...
Zeng Quan and his men, who were frantically rushing toward Sword Thinking Peak, were left utterly dumbfounded.
He couldn’t stop himself from shrieking, "Do not surrender! We are here! All of you, pick up your weapons again!"
Zeng Quan and his men had never imagined that the Three Flames army would collapse before they even got there.
’Those three commanders of the Three Flames are completely useless.’
Hearing his words, the Three Flames soldiers looked up in Zeng Quan’s direction, but only a few picked their weapons back up.
However, any who dared to rearm were immediately cut down by the various Dragon Flame forces.
In the minds of most Three Flames soldiers, Zeng Quan and his companions were powerful experts, no doubt. But they weren’t generals. Their arrival couldn’t possibly turn the tide now, especially since they didn’t understand the Soldier Dao.
On the other side...
Zheng Liling and Ming Huawan, who were weaving through the Beast Flame structures, also froze in their tracks, their bodies trembling violently.
’The Three Flames army has collapsed? How could it have been so fast?’
Ming Huawan’s eyes turned cold as he hurriedly asked, "Patriarch Zheng, what do we do now?"
GRIND...
Zheng Liling ground his teeth so hard they audibly clicked. He then bellowed a single word: "Retreat!"
The command to retreat thundered toward the heavens.
’Retreat is the only option. We have to get Zeng Quan and his men to pull back immediately. They might be masters, even the top masters in this region, but if they get surrounded by soldiers, there’s no escape.’
’Besides, there’s still Dongfang Ren and that hidden powerhouse from the Dragon Flame King...’
’The Three Flames army was defeated. Utterly and completely defeated.’
Of course, Zheng Liling was incredibly resentful, but no matter how much it stung, there was nothing to be done. This was war.
With his shout to retreat, Zheng Liling and Ming Huawan turned and vanished.
As for Zeng Quan and his men, their faces were twisted in frustration, but since Patriarch Zheng had given the order, they had no choice but to turn and flee. They had to get away before the Dragon Flame Academy’s forces could converge on them.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t escape at all.
In the blink of an eye, all the experts on the Three Flames’ side had frantically withdrawn from the old Azure Flame Sect grounds.
Back on the peak...
Lu Chao returned to the summit of Sword Thinking Peak.
The corpse of the Three Flames Commander was still in his hand. He gazed out over the old grounds of the Azure Flame Sect and let out a soft sigh.
’This battle... he had won!’
Although he had returned late, they hadn’t suffered catastrophic losses. Thanks to the terrain advantages of the Azure Flame Sect’s thirty-six battle arrays, he could see that the casualties among the thirty-five routes of soldiers were not severe.
Lu Chao had heard Zheng Liling’s cry of "Retreat!" and had also seen Zeng Quan and the others depart.
Now, they could officially declare victory.
Just then, Cheng Yunsu, drenched in sweat, came to Lu Chao’s side. An excited smile was spread across her face...
Looking at Cheng Yunsu, Lu Chao said softly, "It’s a good thing Guan Zanyi got scared and ran. If all three commanders had ganged up on me, it wouldn’t have been this easy."
It was the truth. When Lu Chao had leapt from Sword Thinking Peak, he had been prepared for a grueling battle.
Even he hadn’t expected Guan Zanyi to just bolt.
At this, Cheng Yunsu laughed softly. "Well, he was scared away by us, after all."
Lu Chao smiled and said no more. Behind him, new students from Dragon Flame Academy were asking in trembling voices, "Senior Brother Lu Chao, did we really win? Is it okay to cheer?"
Lu Chao turned around, smiled at these still somewhat green new students of Dragon Flame, and nodded firmly. "We won. Go ahead and cheer!"
The scene fell silent for a split second... then erupted.
Cheers erupted continuously from Sword Thinking Peak. These were new students of Dragon Flame. Even though they had participated in the earlier battles against the likes of Lion Flame and the other Flame Countries, they had never experienced such a truly desperate fight—a fight they had very nearly lost.
Lu Chao had returned late, hunted all the way by Three Flames elites. The fighting on Sword Thinking Peak had been a frantic slaughter.
All of it had brought them to the very brink of death.
If Senior Brother Lu Chao hadn’t been so strong, if Senior Sister Yunsu hadn’t been so formidable, they truly would not have held out.
And now, they had won. They could finally let themselves cheer.
Just then, Lu Chao spoke again. "Once you’re done cheering, go and secure all the prisoners."
The new Dragon Flame students instantly fell silent and replied in one resounding voice, "Yes, Senior Brother Lu Chao!"
The two thousand new students immediately rushed out.
They began the work of binding and controlling the men of the Three Flames. Since the Three Flames army had surrendered, they had to be secured. It wasn’t just the new Dragon Flame students; the soldiers from the Thirty-Fifth Route of the Small Kingdom were also busy taking control of the captives.
Suddenly, a figure descended...
Dongfang Ren was the first to arrive back at Sword Thinking Peak. He froze, taking in the sight: the bodies covering the peak, the new Dragon Flame students securing prisoners, the cheers of victory echoing from all across the old Azure Flame Sect grounds.
His hunched back slowly began to straighten as he looked at Lu Chao in disbelief.
Lu Chao quickly cupped his fist in salute. "Elder Dongfang, thank you for your hard work."
Dongfang Ren was not a man of many words. Though his eyes were filled with shock and joy, he simply gave a slight shake of his head, as if to say it was merely his duty.
At this, Lu Chao took another deep breath and said, "Elder Dongfang, this battle is won, but Marshal Fan and Elder Sun are in grave danger. We don’t know their current situation. I must ask you to accompany me to the Azure Flame Forbidden Land."
Lu Chao was still worried about Fan Changcun and Sun Shijin; he had to get there as quickly as possible.
And he had to bring Dongfang Ren with him...
If Ming Huasheng was still inside the Forbidden Land, only Dongfang Ren would be able to face him.
