Chapter 122.2: One Year of Seclusion; Dao Shi'er Reappeared! (II)

The next moment, he rose and pushed the door open. Lu Changsheng strolled along the streets of Beiling City. The city was livelier than ever, yet something felt off, as there was an air of gloom to the city.

Lu Changsheng soon made his way to the Martial Pavilion. A massive stone stele stood outside. It was the famed Divine Strength Rankings. There were still one hundred names engraved on it; they were the names of a hundred Divine Strength Realm martial artists.

With a single glance, Lu Changsheng saw that most of the names on the rankings belonged to the northern barbarians. They occupied at least seventy percent, and only around thirty percent were martial artists of the Da Yu Dynasty.

Lu Changsheng roughly understood why the air in Beiling City had been rather gloomy these days. The rankings alone told the story. The northern barbarians had completely suppressed the Da Yu Dynasty.

Even Song Wuqing had failed to stabilize the battlefield.

"If this continues, the northern barbarian army will march south," someone nearby said, sighing. "When that happens, all of us will suffer and become their slaves."

"What can we do? Song Wuqing and Sheng Yuanyi have been fighting for so long, trading victories and defeats. Other than Song Wuqing, who else can gain the upper hand against the northern barbarians? We can't possibly stop them!"

"If only the Barbarian Slaying Squad were still around. Or rather, if Dao Shi'er were still here."

"Dao Shi'er? Who is that?"

Some still remembered Dao Shi'er and the Barbarian Slaying Squad. However, the martial artists who had just arrived at the Northern Region Battlefield were unfamiliar with both Dao Shi'er and the squad.

After all, a full year had passed without Dao Shi'er taking action. His name had gradually been replaced by many newcomers, so only a few people still remembered him.

Lu Changsheng glanced once at the rankings. Then, he lost interest and turned around to leave. A few people recognized him and caught sight of his departing figure.

"Look, is that Dao Shi'er?"

"It has been a year. Dao Shi'er has finally appeared!"

"The Barbarian Slaying Squad is gone. Even if Dao Shi'er appears, what can he do?"

"Exactly. Back then, Tian Xin wanted to kill Dao Shi'er. The other members of the squad risked their lives to buy him time. If Dao Shi'er goes to the battlefield now, Tian Xin will not spare him again."

"After all, he is not that strong. He can't do much."

Gaze after gaze settled on him. Lu Changsheng paid none of them any attention. Step by step, he walked toward the outskirts of Beiling City and toward the battlefield. Along the way, many martial artists looked at him in surprise.

"It

really

is Dao Shi'er. Is he actually going to the battlefield?"

News spread quickly throughout Beiling City. After a full year, Dao Shi'er had reappeared and was heading toward the battlefield.

Was Dao Shi'er no longer afraid of Tian Xin?

Back then, rumors claimed that Tian Xin had shattered Dao Shi'er's confidence and even his spirit. They believed that was the reason Dao Shi'er had remained hidden for an entire year. Some even believed he had developed psychological trauma and withdrawn from the battlefield and left Beiling City altogether.

Today, Dao Shi'er reappeared, shattering the rumors. Soon, he made his way to the city gates and gazed toward the vast grasslands beyond. He had returned to the Northern Region Battlefield.

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded from behind. "Dao Shi'er, are you going to the battlefield to die?"

Lu Changsheng did not need to turn around to know who it was, for the voice belonged to Song Wuqing.

Song Wuqing walked toward him step by step.

"To die?" Lu Changsheng shook his head and looked at the battlefield. Then, he calmly said, "I'm going to finish what the Barbarian Slaying Squad could not finish. You Shifei, Yang Zhen, Tong Xuan, and Tie Yuan are dead, but the squad still exists.

"They said that as long as I live, the Barbarian Slaying Squad will live on. And they were right. If I am here, then the Barbarian Slaying Squad is here. I'm only fulfilling the will they had left behind."

Song Wuqing frowned. "Will?"

"Yes. They did not say it outright, but I know what they want..." He paused for a heartbeat. "To kill Tian Xin."

With those words, Lu Changsheng stepped forward without the slightest hesitation and stepped into the battlefield.

Song Wuqing's eyes widened as disbelief flashed across his face.

"Kill Tian Xin?" he muttered.

Who would dare say such a thing? Among those in the Divine Strength Rankings, who would dare to speak of killing Tian Xin? Even Sheng Yuanyi and Song Wuqing admitted that they were far inferior to him.

However, Dao Shi'er, an unranked martial artist, actually dared to utter such words?

Despite that, a quiet sense of anticipation stirred within Song Wuqing. He did not believe that Dao Shi'er had gone mad. Dao Shi'er's gaze was calm, but within that calmness lay an unshakable resolve. Perhaps after a year of recuperation, Dao Shi'er could truly carry out a miracle!

Lu Changsheng stepped onto the battlefield once more and drew in a slow breath. For an instant, it felt as though he had returned to a year ago, when he had first entered this place. Back then, he brimmed with confidence, and he killed those in his way as he made his name resound across the battlefield.

Everything went smoothly until that one encounter with Tian Xin.

Now, he had returned. Lu Changsheng did not rush to seek Tian Xin out. There was no need. He wanted Tian Xin to come looking for him.

"Northern barbarians... I'll start by collecting some interest."

A cold glint flashed through Lu Changsheng's eyes. He was no longer who he had once been, and there was no one left for him to fear.

A light breeze swept past. Lu Changsheng rapidly activated his Wind Sense Intent. He detected a northern barbarian squad roughly eight li to the north. A curve appeared at the corner of Lu Changsheng's mouth. "They will do!"

The next moment, his figure flickered and vanished into the sea of grass.

The distant northern barbarian squad was known as the Qingxuan Squad, a name with considerable weight on the Northern Region Battlefield. Within the squad were five Divine Strength martial artists, and they were all ranked experts.

Their ranks were only in the eighties or nineties, but such a lineup could not be underestimated. Given the current state of the Da Yu Dynasty's forces, encountering the Qingxuan Squad was effectively a death sentence.

"Stay alert," one of them warned. "If we run into Song Wuqing, retreat."

Despite their reputation, the Qingxuan Squad remained exceptionally cautious. At present, there was only one person they truly needed to be wary of.

Over the past year, Song Wuqing had been exceptionally relentless, single-handedly supporting the Da Yu Dynasty's presence on the Northern Region Battlefield by hunting down the northern barbarians without restraint.

He even wiped out ten squads in a single day.

When Sheng Yuanyi intervened and clashed with him head-on several times, Song Wuqing's momentum finally came to a halt. Even then, it had taken Sheng Yuanyi a long time to do so.

Unless it was against Tian Xin, Song Wuqing stood at the absolute peak. If the Qingxuan Squad stumbled upon him, their only option would be a quick retreat.

Aside from Song Wuqing, however, they feared no one.

"

Hm?

" Just then, a member of the Qingxuan Squad with the keenest senses frowned. He sensed that someone was approaching them from afar. "Be on guard. Someone is closing in. They're fast, but they're alone."

"Could they be Song Wuqing?"

"No, they're not Song Wuqing..."

Just then, the surroundings distorted, and the vast grasslands transformed into a dark and empty starry sky.

"This is... an Intent!"

"

Hehe

, he's got some nerve. He's not Song Wuqing, yet he dares face us alone. Does he really think we're that easy to deal with?"

"Well...as long as it is not Song Wuqing. All right, let's move!"

They all understood that the opponent had unfolded an Intent, but aside from Song Wuqing, who was worth fearing? Moreover, they were just one man.

The figure walked toward them step by step, and a waterfall solidified above his head. The waterfall stretched a full three thousand chi. Moments later, it plunged straight down, piercing the starry sky.

Upon seeing the waterfall and the dark figure, one of the Divine Strength martial artists recognized the figure.

"Dao Shi'er! It's Dao Shi'er! He had the Northern Barbarian Kingdom's highest bounty a year ago!"

Upon seeing Dao Shi'er, the Qingxuan Squad martial artists felt no fear or dread. Instead, they felt excited. They felt that Lady Luck was on their side, as they actually stumbled upon Dao Shi'er. The bounty on his head was still active. Upon killing Dao Shi'er, the Qingxuan Squad would claim the kingdom's highest bounty.