135: Chapter 135 Preemptive Strike

On the training ground beside the barracks, Liu Ruyan stood in front of the five members of the Light and Shadow Legion.

She had now changed out of her night-traveling clothes and was wearing the standard-issue Savage Beast silk combat uniform of the Bright Tribe.

The dark purple Savage Beast silk clung to her slender body even better than the night-traveling clothes, outlining every perfectly proportioned curve with greater definition.

The tailoring of the combat uniform was as exquisite as the illusions of a Phantom Assassin, with shoulder guards shaped like sharp crescent moons in the shadows.

The dark purple Savage Beast silk flared slightly at the shoulders, accentuating her slender yet upright shoulder line.

Between the two crescent-shaped shoulder guards lay the curve of her collarbone, her fair skin glowing with an ivory luster against the dark purple backdrop.

The breastplate highlighted her full and upright silhouette even more proudly, stretching upward along the curve of her peaks before tightening inward.

At their fullest points, the Savage Beast silk was stretched to its limit, and every breath caused the dark purple silk to rise and fall slightly upon the peaks.

The full curves beneath the combat uniform seemed as if they would burst through the dark purple Savage Beast silk at any moment.

The waist armor cinched her waist, which could be spanned by a single grasp, making it appear even slimmer, drawn inward to the extreme.

The extreme contrast between her slender waist and her fullness was even more striking beneath the combat uniform, with the slightly concave curve of her waist dimple appearing faintly beneath the dark purple Savage Beast silk.

The hem of the combat uniform flowed over her long legs, spreading downward from her waist, with the round, firm curves of her hips appearing faintly beneath the Savage Beast silk.

The curves were full and pert, tightening and relaxing slightly against the fullest part of her hips as she moved.

Her long legs were partially visible beneath the clothing, and the curves of her knees and the lines of her calves were mesmerizing.

A faint scar appeared beneath the crescent-shaped shoulder guard on her right shoulder, making the expanse of fair skin even more striking.

She stood in the center of the barracks, flipping a Phantom Dagger between her fingers, with a faint glimmer in the dark purple spiritual energy.

With the boost from her Stealth Affinity, her Rank 4 Barbarian Warrior spiritual energy became purer and sharper.

The Phantom Assassin was no longer a shadow that needed to hide, but a shadow capable of fighting side-by-side with the light.

Her smoky, mist-like eyes shone with a resolute light.

She was no longer a quiet blade hidden in the shadows, but a sharp crescent moon in the light.

The first batch of members of the Light and Shadow Legion consisted of only five people, all of whom were clansmen selected from the tribe possessing Stealth-type talents.

Ye Zixuan stood at the very front, her Shadow Hunter purple eyes flickering with a mysterious light.

Her black hair appeared faintly against the Savage Beast silk combat uniform, and her purple spiritual energy flowed quietly, boosted by her Stealth-type talent.

The remaining four stood behind Ye Zixuan, their dark purple Savage Beast silk combat uniforms appearing faint under the influence of their spiritual energy.

"From today on, you are the first Light and Shadow Legion of the Bright Tribe."

Liu Ruyan's voice was soft yet firm, colder than smoke and sharper than a crescent moon, like a quiet blade flashing and disappearing in the moonlight.

She gripped the Phantom Dagger tightly, and a silver light lit up at the tip of the dagger, resembling a deadly crescent moon.

"The Light and Shadow Legion has only one rule."

Her smoky, mist-like eyes swept across the faces of the five people, the most resolute gaze in the shadows.

"The light fights in the open, and the shadow guards in the dark. Where the sword of light cannot reach, our daggers will make up for it. We are the sharpest shadow blades of the Bright Tribe."

The five members of the Light and Shadow Legion replied in unison, their voices trembling but firm: "Understood!"

The corners of Liu Ruyan's mouth curled up in a satisfied smile.

Her fingers tightened slightly within the silver light of the Phantom Dagger, and her shadow spiritual energy circulated slowly within her body, boosted by her Stealth Affinity.

From being the most inconspicuous invisible person in the class, to becoming Wang Sheng's eyes for reconnaissance, and then to becoming the commander of the Bright Tribe's Light and Shadow Legion, her identity had undergone an astonishing transformation at this moment.

The night-traveling clothes had been replaced by the Savage Beast silk combat uniform, and the Phantom Dagger had transformed from a tool of assassination into a weapon of protection.

As she turned, the dark purple Savage Beast silk combat uniform flowed over her body in the most fluid of curves.

Her slender waist rotated slightly beneath the waist armor, and her full curves rose and fell slightly beneath the combat uniform with the movement of her turn.

The round, firm curves of her hips traced a charming arc in the shadows beneath the Savage Beast silk.

Her long legs took quiet steps, partially hidden beneath the Savage Beast silk.

The five members of the Light and Shadow Legion looked at Liu Ruyan's back with stars in their eyes; this was a gaze of worship.

Wang Sheng stood by the window of the council hall, watching the figure of Liu Ruyan training the members of the Light and Shadow Legion in the barracks.

The dark purple Savage Beast silk combat uniform shimmered in the morning light, and Liu Ruyan stood in the center of the training ground.

Flipping the Phantom Dagger between her fingers, her stance in training displayed the full strength of a Rank 4 Barbarian Warrior Phantom Assassin.

She split into three using Phantom Doppelganger, the three figures of Ruyan overlapping and separating within the shadows, the silver light of the dagger flashed three times in the darkness, and the training Savage Beast hide targets were simultaneously cut through their spiritual markings by the three silver rays.

The five members of the Light and Shadow Legion stood quietly at the edge of the field, carefully studying Liu Ruyan's movements.

In their arduous training, they learned the first secret of the Light and Shadow Legion: fast, accurate, silent.

Shadows do not leave the light, but shadows can also become the sharp protectors of the light.

In the council hall, Zhao Linger's report caused the air to suddenly grow heavy.

"Zhao Mang's Blood Wolf Tribe is moving from the south toward the northern part of the Central Wasteland Region, with more than five hundred people."

Her large, round eyes were filled with gravity, and her tone revealed her pressure.

"Among them are at least thirty warriors above Rank 3 Barbarian Warrior."

"But the most critical thing is not the troop strength; Zhao Mang has signed a contract with the Shadow Clan, exchanging the lives of all the women in the Bright Tribe for the support of the Shadow Clan. It is clearly written on the Shadow Clan token from the ruins."

She looked at Wang Sheng, took a deep breath, and her large, round eyes held the deepest gravity:

"The latest deciphered information is that Ying Wuyue... will make a move when Zhao Mang launches the attack."

"Ying Wuyue." Heavenly Strategist Shangguan Xuan pushed up the bridge of her nose, which had no glasses, and the eyes of the Heavenly Strategist flashed with gravity in the face of danger.

"An agent of the Shadow Clan; her status within the Shadow Clan is at least equivalent to the Barbarian King level."

"Barbarian King." Wang Sheng's fists slowly tightened.

A Tier 2 Barbarian General versus a Barbarian King was a gap of two whole major ranks, far exceeding the distance between a Barbarian Warrior and a Barbarian General.

A Barbarian King-level existence could suppress a whole region; as a Tier 2 Barbarian General, he might not even be able to beat the Barbarian Generals of the northern Central Wasteland Region, let alone someone of the Barbarian King-level like Ying Wuyue.

But he had no room to retreat. Zhao Mang's goal was the lives of all the women in the Bright Tribe, and behind him stood his six wives, five hundred and twenty-six clansmen, and the entire Bright Tribe.

Frost Mage Lin Shiyun spoke coldly from the window, the Frost Mage's voice three degrees colder than ice:

"If he wants to trade with our lives, then let him first ask if my frost agrees."

A biting coldness filled her ice-blue pupils, and with a light flick of her fingertip against her arm, a thin layer of frost condensed on the windowsill.

Murong Xue gripped her silver spear tightly, her brown eyes as a Holy Light Knight filled with unyielding determination:

"Whether it is Zhao Mang or the Shadow Clan, whoever dares to step inside the walls of the Bright Tribe, my silver spear will be the first to pierce them."

"Ying Wuyue will not make a move easily." Heavenly Strategist Shangguan Xuan stood up and walked to the Savage Beast hide map, her eyes flashing with keen light.

"The Shadow Clan acts in the most cunning way; they will wait for the most lethal moment."

"Zhao Mang's attack is only a prelude; Ying Wuyue's move will be the true killing blow. Therefore, we have two choices."

Her fingers drew two lines on the Savage Beast hide map, one extending from the Bright Tribe southwest to the location of the Blood Wolf Tribe, and the other extending from the Bright Tribe east to the location of the Black Stone Tribe.

"The first is to wait for Zhao Mang to make the first move, and we will wait for them at ease within the walls of the Bright Tribe. But this gives them time to set up, and Ying Wuyue might strike at the most lethal moment; a Barbarian King-level enemy is an unpredictable variable on the battlefield."

"The second is a preemptive strike, disrupting Zhao Mang's plan before he completes his deployment, giving Ying Wuyue no chance to strike."

"A preemptive strike." Wang Sheng looked at the location of Zhao Mang's Blood Wolf Tribe on the Savage Beast hide map, the golden spiritual energy of a Tier 2 Barbarian General slowly circulating in his fist.

"Zhao Mang is waiting for the Shadow Clan's reinforcements. If we take out his vanguard before the reinforcements arrive..."

"Correct." The keen light in Heavenly Strategist Shangguan Xuan's eyes grew even brighter, like a sharp hawk staring at a delicious target.

"Zhao Mang's vanguard is Chief Shi Ba."

"Although the Black Stone Tribe was severely damaged by you, Chief Shi Ba is still there. The Holy Light Domain pierced through his Rock Body, and his core skill as a Brute Force Warrior has collapsed, but the Shadow Clan may use Shadow Crystal Core fragments to restore his combat power."

"If Chief Shi Ba coordinates with Zhao Mang to apply pressure from the east, and Zhao Mang attacks from the south, we will face a pincer attack again. Furthermore, once the Shadow Clan restores Chief Shi Ba's combat power, he might be even stronger than before; the brute force injected by the Shadow Crystal Core fragments has no reason and no fear."