57: Chapter 57: Offense and defense shift again and again. Thank you, Young Master Fusu, for your sharp blade!

Time passed slowly.

He Zhi looked at the sky and estimated that the fourth watch had arrived.

He drew his steel saber from its scabbard.

One by one, the Shadow Guards drew their steel sabers from their scabbards.

Under the moonlight, these steel sabers shimmered with a snow-white light.

"Move!"

Led by He Zhi, the Shadow Guards approached the ruined temple step by step.

Zhang Liang tightened his grip on the Lingxu in his hand.

Over a hundred Yanzhao Righteous Warriors also gripped their bronze swords tightly.

Their ears twitched as the rustling sound of footsteps outside grew closer and closer.

*Creak!*

The door was pushed open.

"Kill!"

Zhang Liang suddenly shouted.

The prepared Yanzhao Righteous Warriors, like fierce beasts released from their cages, bared their teeth and charged toward He Zhi and the Shadow Guards.

"Qin dogs, die for me!"

A man from Yan with a panther-like head and round eyes roared and charged at He Zhi like a wolf or tiger.

He Zhi had not expected that they had already been discovered by the anti-Qin forces in the ruined temple.

While they were trying to hunt the enemy, the enemy was also hunting them.

"Hehehe..."

"Hehehe..."

A sharp, piercing laugh rang out.

A small, thin figure moved around at extreme speed, spinning a disk in his hand.

This was his weapon, which relied on the rapid spinning of the disk to generate powerful cutting force.

"Are you surprised?"

"Is it unexpected?"

Dao Zhi looked at He Zhi's grim expression and laughed with great smugness.

There was a secret passage in the ruined temple connecting to the outside; Zhang Liang had had him hide outside as a lookout.

If an enemy disregarded martial ethics and tried to launch a sneak attack, Dao Zhi could silently enter the ruined temple from the outside via a secret passage connected to the temple's clay statues.

Dao Zhi was also relieved that Zhang Liang had placed such a lookout, otherwise they would have been ambushed by the Shadow Guards.

Now, the tide of battle had turned; they outnumbered the enemy two to one and had caught the Shadow Guards off guard. The advantage was theirs.

These Shadow Guards would surely die at their hands!

A playful smile appeared on Dao Zhi's face.

The Yanzhao Righteous Warriors all wore cold sneers.

They looked at the startled Shadow Guards and snorted inwardly.

In their eyes, these Shadow Guards were already dead men.

Their numbers were double the enemy's, and their martial arts were no weaker than those of the Shadow Guards.

They had also caught the Shadow Guards by surprise; how could the Shadow Guards possibly fight back?

"Kill!"

As the leader of the Shadow Guards, He Zhi's mental fortitude was far stronger than that of ordinary people. Although caught off guard by Zhang Liang, he quickly regained his composure.

His roar also caused the other Shadow Guards to snap out of it.

"Kill!"

The Shadow Guards roared, boosting their morale.

*Clang!*

He Zhi and the panther-headed man from Yan clashed, their weapons striking each other with a thunderous sound.

*Clang, clang, clang...*

The broken tip of the bronze sword hit the bluestone floor, making a crisp sound.

The panther-headed man from Yan widened his eyes.

No way—his peerless sword had been snapped just like that by the opponent's steel saber.

He Zhi gave him no time to react; he swung his steel saber in a horizontal sweep, aiming to take off the panther-headed man's head.

The panther-headed man from Yan reacted quickly and crouched down instantly.

He Zhi's steel saber shaved past his scalp, slicing off his hair crown.

"Holy shit!"

The panther-headed man from Yan was shocked.

Seeing He Zhi attack again, he used the broken bronze sword to block.

*Clang!*

With a crisp snap, the bronze sword in the panther-headed man's hand was cut through once again.

"Damn it!"

The panther-headed man from Yan was speechless.

Motherfucker, only the hilt was left; how was he supposed to fight?

Fight with the hilt? If even the hilt got sliced off by the enemy's weapon, what would he do then?

Can't win, can't win!

This is too brutal!

The panther-headed man from Yan turned and fled.

"Don't run!"

He Zhi chased after him.

While He Zhi was fighting the panther-headed man, the Shadow Guards and the other Yanzhao Righteous Warriors also clashed.

*Clang!*

Amidst the crisp clanging, the steel sabers in the Shadow Guards' hands sliced through the bronze swords of their opponents in a single stroke.

"Damn!"

The Yanzhao Righteous Warriors were dumbfounded, their faces full of confusion.

"Damn!"

Their swords broke so easily!

Weren't they holding precious swords forged by the Mohists? How were they so easily snapped by the enemy's blades?

Most terrifying of all, the shimmering silver sabers in the enemy's hands didn't seem to have a single nick!

How could they fight like this?

Before they could even display their swordsmanship, their swords were broken by the enemy.

"Hahaha..."

While they were frustrated, the Shadow Guards were laughing wildly.

The tide of battle had turned once again!

They couldn't help but exclaim, "The steel sabers made by Young Master Fusu are truly useful!"

"Die!"

The Shadow Guards' faces were full of ferocity.

Battles between experts are decided in an instant; the Shadow Guards wouldn't let the Yanzhao Righteous Warriors off while they were distracted.

They gripped their steel sabers and lopped off the heads of the Yanzhao Righteous Warriors, blood splattering all over the Shadow Guards' bodies.

But the Shadow Guards were not moved in the slightest.

They had long ago been trained by the First Emperor into emotionless killing machines.

*Thud, thud, thud...*

In just a brief encounter, ten Yanzhao men were cut down by the Shadow Guards, their heads and bodies separated.

Zhang Liang's expression changed drastically.

Why were the enemy's steel sabers so sharp?

Although the Lingxu in his hand was the tenth-ranked famous sword in the world, he feared it couldn't match the opponent's blades.

What was going on?

Where did the State of Qin get so many peerless divine weapons?

"Retreat!"

Zhang Liang shouted, "Everyone, disperse and break through!"

The Yanzhao Righteous Warriors had already been broken.

At Zhang Liang's shout, they immediately fled in all directions.

The panther-headed man from Yan ran incredibly fast, disappearing into the undergrowth.

He Zhi didn't give chase, choosing instead to slay the Yanzhao Righteous Warriors who were slow to flee.

"Kill!"

The other Shadow Guards did the same.

The slow-fleeing Yanzhao Righteous Warriors could not escape death once caught.

Zhang Liang's expression was extremely grim.

Just as he was about to cover the retreat, Dao Zhi pulled him back and shook his head, saying, "You can't stop them. Escape, quickly."

The disk in Dao Zhi's hand had already been sliced in half by a steel saber during a clash with a Shadow Guard.

Dao Zhi was also speechless; the enemy's weapons were too hard and too sharp.

How could they fight this?

Zhang Liang was also frustrated.

His men could be outmatched by the Shadow Guards, but damn it, it wasn't that their martial arts were inferior, but that their weapons were inferior—far inferior—being snapped in a single blow.

An excellent situation had been overturned by the enemy in an instant.

Zhang Liang had clearly heard the Shadow Guards say that their steel sabers were made by Zhao Fusu.

"Young Master Fusu!"

"Young Master Fusu again!"

Zhang Liang's face was twisted with rage because of Zhao Fusu.

Once again, he had fallen at the hands of Zhao Fusu!