Chapter 173 - 172: Victory in Sight
Chapter 173: Chapter 172: Victory in Sight
Zuo Yuan fell to the ground, covered in black mud.
Gu Qing strode over.
She stepped on Zuo Yuan’s still-flailing arm, then held her palm out over Zuo Yuan and sprayed a massive amount of silk downward.
This silk, which had just been a thin layer capable of covering fifty people, now became a torrent of red silk as it was all sprayed at Zuo Yuan alone.
Soon, Zuo Yuan was a blood-red cocoon, stuck fast to the ground.
Her entire body was immobilized, with only her head exposed.
No matter how desperately she struggled, her limbs would just snap back, eventually becoming completely stuck together.
She couldn’t break free with her own power.
Zuo Yuan was scared witless.
"Stop! Stop spraying! Let me go!"
Gu Qing stopped spraying.
"Don’t worry. I just said I can’t let you die too quickly. I’m going to rip your mouth open and see what kind of filth is inside that makes you spout so much bullshit."
Gu Qing actually reached out and started to tear at her mouth.
An agonizing pain shot through the corners of Zuo Yuan’s mouth, as if they were being ripped apart.
She was so scared she started to cry.
"Don’t! Please, I beg you! I was wrong! I apologize, I’m sorry..."
Gu Qing let go.
And slapped her hard across the face.
When Gu Qing’s hands were relaxed, they were exceptionally soft and delicate, a fact Zhao Chi was deeply aware of.
But when she used her strength, they were also incredibly powerful.
With that one slap, a bloody handprint appeared on Zuo Yuan’s cheek.
The inside of her mouth was cut by her own teeth, drawing blood.
Tears streamed down her face, making for a pitiful sight.
If it were a man seeing Zuo Yuan like this, he would surely feel pity or soften his heart.
But Gu Qing was a woman.
And she wasn’t falling for that act.
"Playing pitiful now? Have you forgotten what you said?"
"I... I..."
Before Zuo Yuan could finish, Gu Qing slapped her twice more.
SLAP! SLAP!
The force was just as great, nearly knocking Zuo Yuan unconscious.
Gu Qing didn’t continue. She had already wasted several seconds and couldn’t afford to waste any more time.
She used her Silk Threads to seal Zuo Yuan’s mouth shut tightly.
"I don’t have time right now. We’ll play properly in a little while."
Zuo Yuan stared at her in terror.
’She didn’t know how Gu Qing intended to ’play’ with her.’
’But she knew that when a woman gets ruthless, she can be truly terrifying.’
Gu Qing had already turned and left.
The women she had brought with her were still hacking away, and not many living Blood Race Warriors were left.
"Stop the pursuit! Let’s go support Tang Ruan!"
"Understood!"
Those women were covered in blood.
Some of it was their own, but most of it belonged to the enemy.
Gu Qing raised her arm, and streaks of yellow light descended from the sky.
The Life of all the Female Soldiers was fully restored.
"Let’s go! Full speed to support Tang Ruan!"
Gu Qing instantly shot forward.
In the distance, she could see a large pack of Blood Race members chasing after Tang Ruan, baring their fangs and claws.
Flashes of flame kept erupting around her.
Meanwhile, the situation in the center of the battlefield was just as grim; those Female Soldiers were struggling to hold on.
Most were now fighting one against two, or even one against three.
Although the women were incredibly brave, fighting to the death without retreating...
...the enemy had the numerical advantage, and the two sides were of similar strength.
When individuals on both sides are of similar strength, a two-on-one fight isn’t as simple as one plus one equals two.
It’s practically an improvement of one plus one equals three, or even four.
The side with fewer numbers is at a massive disadvantage.
To say nothing of fighting one against three.
It was a miracle that any of the Female Soldiers had held on this long; they were running on pure physical endurance and will.
But Gu Qing also saw some Female Soldiers lying in pools of their own blood.
’They would probably... have to wait 24 days to be resurrected.’
’But at least they *could* be resurrected.’
There were also corpses of Blood Race Soldiers, and not just a few. It was truly remarkable that the Female Soldiers had managed to kill so many while at a disadvantage.
Gu Qing sighed, her hands beginning to glow.
’She wondered if the outcome would have been better if they had stayed with the Tang Ruan Team.’
’If they had, she would have been able to heal everyone in a more timely manner.’
’But then Zuo Yuan’s team would have been free to act.’
’With her Spiritual Arrows, she could hit five people at range in one go, which would have been tricky to deal with.’
’After all, the power of those Spiritual Arrows was nothing to scoff at; a single arrow could punch a hole through an Iron Shield.’
’If one hit a Female Soldier, her Leather Armor certainly wouldn’t stop it.’
’The Spiritual Arrow would drill right into a woman’s flesh, making it very hard to block.’
’Moreover, Zuo Yuan could even retrieve her Spiritual Arrows to supplement her Spiritual Power, giving her strong staying power.’
’Maybe they could have had Tang Ruan use Taunt on Zuo Yuan?’
’No, that probably wouldn’t have worked either.’
’If that happened, Li Yan would have definitely removed the Taunt’s Effect immediately.’
’Li Yan had only let the Taunt take Effect because Tang Ruan was the only opponent.’
’It made everyone angrier, which would help them kill Tang Ruan faster.’
’He just hadn’t expected Tang Ruan to be so durable.’
’If Gu Qing had been there to provide support...’
’...Li Yan would never have let his people be affected by Tang Ruan’s Taunt; he would have definitely used a Spiritual Technique to remove it.’
’Tang Ruan’s Taunt would have been much less effective.’
’And the two high Combat Power units, Li Yan and Zhao Ji, would have been able to contribute more, making them even more of a problem.’
’Did that mean their current strategy was the right one after all?’
Gu Qing couldn’t figure it out.
But the current outcome was, indeed, acceptable.
As she was thinking, Gu Qing entered the maximum range for her Skills.
She pushed forward with both hands.
Streams of light shot out.
Dozens of Female Soldiers received Treatment.
Gu Qing swallowed another Spiritual Power Pill and continued to heal them.
Soon, all the Female Soldiers were fully healed.
They scrambled to their feet, rallied, and once again gritted their teeth and fought for their lives.
The hundred-plus Blood Race Warriors fighting them all hesitated.
But the Blood Race still had superior numbers, which calmed their nerves slightly.
Gu Qing was conflicted.
Tang Ruan was kiting dozens of enemies by herself.
And the Female Soldiers of the Tang Ruan Team were holding off twice their number of foes.
The Gu Qing Team now had only sixty people. They could only help one group.
’Who should they help first?’
’Tang Ruan is closer. Let’s help her first.’
Gu Qing made her decision.
Red silk appeared in her palms.
Although they weren’t in range yet, Gu Qing herself was running at high speed.
Soon, a massive amount of red silk flew toward Tang Ruan.
Tang Ruan deftly spun around.
The red silk entangled the Blood Race members.
"Hee hee hee, Sister Gu, I’m all healed! I can still hold on, haha! You should go help our sisters first, hehe."
Gu Qing stared at Tang Ruan.
Her Leather Armor was in tatters.
Although it still covered parts of her body, it was practically destroyed.
Through the holes in the Leather Armor, she could see that the white Shirt underneath had also been burned away.
The remaining fragments of the Shirt were soaked in blood.
Through the tattered Armor and Shirt, her smooth back was directly visible.
Still smooth and tender.
Not a single scar remained.
But she had just been stabbed again.
Without the Defense of her Leather Armor and Shirt, the Damage from this sword strike was not insignificant.
A large amount of blood gushed from the small of Tang Ruan’s back, flowing down into her shattered Leg Armor.
It then trickled out from the bottom of her Leather Boots, leaving a trail of small, bloody footprints on the ground.
But soon, the sword wound on her lower back began to shrink.
Fresh pink flesh mended, and it would soon be completely healed.
Gu Qing still raised her hand to heal, helping her recover instantly.
"Tang Ruan, are you really okay? Your Armor is gone."
Tang Ruan swallowed a Spiritual Power Pill.
"Hee hee, don’t worry, Sister Gu. It’s been like this for a while. I can still hold on for another three minutes."
Gu Qing sighed. "Alright. Hold on a little longer. We’ll be right there."
"Don’t worry, Sister Gu, hee hee."
Seeing Tang Ruan like this, Gu Qing’s heart truly ached for her.
She was laughing, but it was laughter induced by pain.
But right now, she had to choose one of two options.
If she chose to help Tang Ruan, Gu Qing would have to use her sixty people to fight the eighty on the opposing side.
They would still be at a disadvantage.
Furthermore, the enemy ranks included Li Yan and Zhao Ji, putting them at an even greater disadvantage.
Although they were deeply affected by the Taunt State, it didn’t mean they were complete fools.
If others attacked them, they would still prioritize counter-attacking.
If she chose to help the Female Soldiers...
...that would be 130 people against 180 enemy soldiers.
Although they would still be at a disadvantage, those 180 were all Soldiers.
They had no help from any Heroes.
And they were Soldiers whose Morale had already been crushed.
This would actually be an easier fight.
Her mind made up, Gu Qing shouted her command: "Everyone, with me! Focus all your power on killing the enemy Blood Race Soldiers!"
"Understood!"
The sixty women behind her followed close.
They sped past Tang Ruan, following Gu Qing as they charged toward the center of the battlefield.
Gu Qing once again shot a rain of red silk from her hands.
It flew toward the 180 enemies.
Suddenly, figures flickered ahead.
Gu Qing’s heart leaped with joy.
It was Zhao Chi, piloting Qi Yue, also rushing toward them at high speed.
With this, it would be 180 people against 180.
’And our side has three Heroes.’
Zhao Chi shouted from the distance, "Quick! Full speed ahead! Kill them all!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Morale of Zhao Chi’s Female Soldiers was the highest, and their will to fight was the strongest.
Their reply was exceptionally loud.
Gu Qing smiled. "Same for us! Surround the enemy, attack from three sides! Kill!"
"Kill!"
The women behind Gu Qing shouted in unison.
In the middle of the line, the Female Soldiers all breathed a sigh of relief as their Morale quickly recovered.
They wouldn’t run, and they wouldn’t rout.
But their Morale could still fall.
Now, however, with reinforcements and hope, their Morale was on the rise.
"Fantastic! Reinforcements are here! Now it’s our turn! Kill!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Counter-attack! Get revenge!"
"Damn you, Blood Race! We’ll slaughter every last one of you!"
The Female Soldiers’ Morale reversed its decline and soared.
But on the other side, the Blood Race Warriors’ resolve wavered.
"Holy shit, you’ve got to be kidding me!"
"They... they defeated both Lord Zhou Qian and Lady Zuo Yuan?"
"Are the enemies really that strong?"
"No way, right?"
"What do we do? These madwomen are so strong, and now more than a hundred more have shown up on both sides."
"We’re about to be surrounded! We’re doomed to lose!"
"And how come two more of their Heroes showed up? Aren’t they supposed to be fighting Lord Zhao Ji and Lord Li Yan?"
"Fuck, the Humans are bullies, picking on the weak and fearing the strong. They came for us first."
"Let’s fall back to Lord Zhao Ji."
"Yeah, let’s go find Lord Zhao Ji. Stop fighting these madwomen."
These Blood Race members were already fighting with low Morale.
Now, with Gu Qing and Zhao Chi closing in for a pincer attack, even though the battle hadn’t truly begun, the Blood Race knew what was coming.
Wasn’t it obvious?
Just now, over 200 Blood Race Warriors had fought against those 100 women.
Not only did they fail to win, but the Blood Race suffered considerable casualties.
And even now, those women were still fighting desperately, covered in blood.
If you added in the reinforcements from both sides, how could they possibly win?
It would be an absolute slaughter.
The Blood Race members all understood this.
Their Morale shattered instantly.
They all began to fall back while fighting, which turned into retreating while running, and then they ran faster and faster.
In the end, it was a total rout.
Some of them did indeed rush toward Zhao Ji’s position.
But most just ran chaotically in every direction.
They all dove into the dark forest and quickly vanished from sight.
It was impossible to know where they had hidden.
The hundred-plus Blood Race Soldiers vanished without a trace in an instant, and the Female Soldiers did not give chase.
Because they all knew: the final battle was here.