Immortal Venerable's Order
Chapter 63: Taking the Stronghold

Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Taking the Stronghold

The contest for the stronghold, on the hillside over there, a noncommissioned officer from a special team laughed and said, "Instructor Hu, we’re almost at the stronghold. We haven’t seen a single shadow from the First Base or Fifth Base. Are they scared and not coming?"

"Haha..."

"Everyone, don’t let your guard down. Once we take the stronghold, I’ll treat you all," Hu Yixiang said.

"Sure thing, Instructor Hu. Don’t worry, we’ll definitely take the stronghold this time!" a noncommissioned officer said confidently.

"Hmph."

"Hu Yixiang, did you forget they have Yan Rufeng on their side?"

Hu Yixiang replied respectfully, "Immortal Hou, how could I forget him? Once he appears, I’ll take his life."

"Just you? Even I am no match for him. I’ve had to call Senior Brother Han this time. You go cool off somewhere. I want Yan Rufeng dead today."

"Junior Brother Hou, the Yan Rufeng you’re talking about, where is he? Is he so scared of my reputation that he’s afraid to show up?"

"Haha..."

With a "bang," Hu Yixiang, walking at the front, crashed into an invisible wall of air and staggered back, cursing loudly, "Damn it, who’s hitting me?"

Han Lifang frowned, waved his hand, and commanded sternly, "Everyone, stay where you are. No one moves an inch without my permission!"

Hou Tao, as if facing a great enemy, hurriedly said, "Senior Brother Han, why is there a Spiritual Energy Restriction here?"

"What do you think?"

Han Lifang glared at Hou Tao angrily, "How could you ask such a stupid question? This is the battlefield, of course they set it up."

"Senior Brother Han, what should we do now?"

"What else can we do? Move aside, I’ll break it."

As soon as Han Lifang finished speaking, Hou Tao and Hu Yixiang instantly retreated dozens of meters.

Han Lifang turned around and said disdainfully, "Look at you, such cowards."

He summoned his flying sword and shouted, "Sword, go!"

"Clang!"

After a crisp sound, Han Lifang’s flying sword was deflected to the ground by the invisible wall of air in front of him.

"What’s going on?" Hou Tao asked.

Han Lifang was shocked.

"What are you all standing there for? Come and help me break this restriction!"

Han Lifang’s imposing manner made Hou Tao shiver. He rushed forward first, with Hu Yixiang and the other three instructors following closely behind.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The five of them attacked the invisible wall with all their might, but the wall didn’t show a single crack.

"It’s over, we’re done," said Hu Yixiang, filled with disappointment and helplessness.

"Done? Find another way around it," Han Lifang said angrily.

Maybe Han Lifang was too angry to think clearly. How could Yan Rufeng leave them an escape route? The restriction set by Ye Lingtian perfectly trapped everyone from the three bases inside.

In the command camp, Hu Yixiang’s superior put down his binoculars and angrily said, "What on earth is Hu Yixiang doing? Why does he keep circling around? Lu Mingliang’s team is almost at the stronghold."

A staff officer comforted him, saying, "General Zhao, don’t worry. We still have two Immortals from the Shushan Sword Palace!"

"Immortals my foot. Can’t you see they’re leading our men in circles? The people from the Shushan Sword Palace might as well be working with Lu Mingliang," said General Zhao angrily.

"General Zhao, that’s impossible. After the Southern Border incident, Instructor Yan and the people from the Shushan Sword Palace had a falling-out. They hate Yan Rufeng and would never join forces with General Lu," said another staff officer.

"I don’t care what grudges they have. If Hu Yixiang causes us to lose this contest, I will strip him of his rank!" yelled Zhao Wuji.

...

Han Lifang led his men in a large circle but couldn’t find a way out. Suddenly, the sound of a charge horn echoed as Ji Yun led his team towards the stronghold.

"Now, it’s really over," Hu Yixiang said, slumping to the ground as he heard the charge horn.

"What a cunning Yan Rufeng, daring to use tricks on me, Han Lifang. In the next round, I’ll make you pay..."

"Hmph..."

Sitting cross-legged on a flying sword, Ye Lingtian, who had been monitoring Han Lifang’s movements, snorted coldly, "You think you can embarrass Instructor Yan? Arrogant fools."

"Mysterious Thunder Shaking Mountains!"

With Ye Lingtian’s roar, nearly a thousand bolts of lightning struck within the restriction in an instant.

"Clear skies and thunder? Am I hearing things?"

Someone in Hu Yixiang’s special team shouted.

"Damn, there’s lightning too. And it’s way too close," another person said.

Seeing this, Han Lifang hurriedly shouted, "Everyone, ditch your weapons!" He then immediately threw his longsword to the ground.

However, before anyone could respond, they were struck by the lightning, including Han Lifang. In an instant, everyone inside the restriction had their hair standing on end and their faces charred black. A noncommissioned officer, baring his white teeth, shouted loudly, "Damn it, what kind of karma am I paying off to get struck by lightning?"

The crowd wailed.

"This is screwed up. Trapped here was bad enough, but now we’re getting struck by lightning too. Lucky for me, I’m tough, or I’d be dead here today!"

...

Ordinary noncommissioned officers had no idea what was going on, but Han Lifang understood. They were deliberately trapped and given a painful blow.

From Han Lifang’s twisted face, it was clear he had turned all his pent-up anger into hatred towards Yan Rufeng.

Not only Han Lifang but also Hu Yixiang and Hou Tao began cursing Yan Rufeng.

"Yan Rufeng, you insidious demon. Using demonic arts, what kind of cultivator are you? Just wait; I’ll kill you tomorrow!"

"Looking for death, daring to insult Instructor Yan."

"Mysterious Thunder Kill, now!"

Before they could react, with a loud "boom," two streaks of lightning as thick as fingers shot toward them.

"Ah..."

"Ah..."

Their helpless cries echoed, deep and resonant, leaving a lingering sense of sorrow.

Seeing their flag rise over the stronghold, Ye Lingtian smiled faintly and said, "That’s it for today. See you in the next round."

Ye Lingtian lifted the restriction and flew sword-first towards the stronghold.

In the command tent, Lu Mingliang put down his binoculars and smiled at the staff officers around him, saying, "Did you see that? Yan Rufeng didn’t even need to lift a finger. Ye Lingtian single-handedly immobilized them. We don’t even need to watch the second match; we’ve got this in the bag..."

At that moment, Yan Rufeng also withdrew his Divine Sense. When Ye Lingtian landed beside him, he smiled and said, "Lingtian, weren’t your actions a bit heavy-handed today? After all, they’re our allies."

Ye Lingtian gently replied, "Instructor Yan, that was already mild. If you hadn’t given specific instructions, that Hu Yixiang and those from the Shushan Sword Palace, Hou Tao and Han Lifang, would have been obliterated by me long ago. They wouldn’t have had the chance to spout nonsense."

"Lingtian, you were right not to kill them. They were just boasting. Since they didn’t act upon it, killing them would be hard to justify," Yan Rufeng said seriously.

Ye Lingtian bowed respectfully, "Instructor Yan, I understand."

The first group ability contest, overseen by Yan Rufeng, was completed. The second individual ability contest was scheduled for that afternoon.