Chapter 1774: Trapped in Encirclement

Chu Chuyan followed the Grey Wolf mercenary group, secretly delighted that she could reunite with Azu in the secret realm. It seemed fate was kind to her.

She no longer cared how strong the mercenaries ahead were; as long as she was with Azu, no enemy was too formidable.

Suddenly, her heart tensed. She swiftly drew her longsword, her gaze warily fixed on the rear.

A lighthearted whistle pierced the air. "Well, well, little lady, quite alert, aren't we?"

Soon, a group of people surrounded her from the back and sides. They were the same mercenary group from earlier, but they weren't on horseback this time.

Chu Chuyan’s heart tightened. When had these people circled around behind her?

Because she didn't dare follow too closely, she hadn't noticed the changes in the group ahead.

"What do you want?" she asked coldly.

"What do *we* want? We should be asking *you* that," the mercenary leader retorted, returning from the front with his men and completely encircling her. "Why were you sneaking around behind us?"

Chu Chuyan's heart sank, but she replied, "This road is wide open. It's not like your group owns it. How does me walking on it become 'following' you?"

The Scarface Leader chuckled. "The little lady has a sharp tongue, but we're all smart people here. Do you really think we'll believe your nonsense?"

"What do you want?" Chu Chuyan had already channeled her inner energy, secretly surveying her surroundings for any possible escape route.

However, these individuals appeared battle-hardened. Though they stood casually around her, they had effectively sealed off every escape route. No matter which way she tried to flee, she would inevitably face a pincer attack from three people, with the others quickly closing in.

The Scarface Leader grinned maliciously. "We were just going to let you go, but you insisted on delivering yourself to us. So don't blame..."

At that moment, Chu Chuyan moved. Knowing that this encounter would not end peacefully, she didn't wait for him to finish, choosing instead to strike first.

She flashed instantly before the weakest mercenary. Snowflakes swirled around her, and her sword gleamed. Before the man could react, he was run through the neck and clearly would not survive.

The two mercenaries nearby roared in anger, drawing their weapons and attacking her. Evidently, they were seasoned warriors, their reactions far surpassing those of ordinary people.

However, a mist of snow suddenly appeared before them. Their attacks struck it, but their target had vanished.

"Watch out!" the Scarface Leader roared, already lunging in another direction.

Chu Chuyan had used her previous strike, which killed a mercenary, to draw the attention of those around her. She then transformed into a snow mist and moved in the opposite direction, striking at another seemingly weaker mercenary.

The mercenary frantically swung his weapon to block, but Chu Chuyan's cultivation had vastly improved after her long retreat. With one thrust, her sword bypassed his defending weapon in the next second, appearing directly at his throat.

Just as it seemed she would kill another, a translucent layer of scales shimmered into existence on his body.

Although the semi-transparent scales couldn't withstand Chu Chuyan's sword and shattered almost instantly, the mercenary gained a moment's reprieve and quickly retreated.

At the same time, countless attacks assailed her from all directions, forcing Chu Chuyan to dodge, preventing her from continuing her pursuit.

"Miss Chu is truly beautiful; even her evasion looks like dancing," Prince Lieyang couldn't help but exclaim from the distant shadows.

"Prince, should we intervene now?" asked the guardian surnamed Sun.

Prince Lieyang shook his head. "Not yet."

"Grey Wolf mercenary group, with your big reputation, don't you dare disappoint me."

On the battlefield, Chu Chuyan's gaze fell upon a tall, slender man in the distance. He held a yellow talisman in his hand and was muttering incantations. It was clear that the illusory scales she had just encountered were conjured by his talismanic art.

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly. This mercenary group had both close-combat experts and a talisman master hidden in the back, casting spells. If she couldn't deal with him, their formation would be virtually invincible.

At that moment, the Scarface Leader warned, "Be careful, this girl is stronger than we thought."

They didn't need his warning. These mercenaries were bloodthirsty veterans, and after witnessing her earlier moves, they had already shed any trace of complacency. Their faces were no longer casually smiling, only revealing a bloodthirsty cruelty.

Without needing any commands, everyone launched their attacks.

An illusory giant wolf engulfed in flames, countless brutal saber auras, an arrow as fast as lightning, fists unleashing tumultuous waves, glowing orbs crackling with lightning, and the ground surging as a pair of large hands reached out to grab her...

Clearly, none of them held back just because she was a stunning beauty. Each unleashed their ultimate techniques, aiming to subdue her in an instant.

Chu Chuyan's expression changed. Under her feet, ice and snow coalesced into delicate snow lotuses. She stepped on them, using an incredibly profound movement technique to dodge.

Suddenly, she felt her body grow heavy, and the surrounding space seemed to be momentarily constricted.

Her heart startled, she saw the talisman master in the distance and immediately understood that it was his spell.

With that brief delay, the dazzling array of attacks reached her.

Her expression became serious. Dense snowflakes suddenly began to fall around her, each flake imbued with the sword energy of the Snowpetal Divine Sword.

As the attacks entered her vicinity, the snowflakes exploded.

The first arrow to arrive was deflected by her sword. The tumultuous waves of the fist attack turned into an ice sculpture under the assault of countless snowflakes. The brutal saber aura continuously collided with and melted the snowflakes, and the giant wolf's flames flickered, as if on the verge of extinguishing...

However, these attacks were simply too numerous and too overwhelming; her Snowpetal Divine Sword couldn't block them all.

Still, some attacks struck her body. Chu Chuyan gasped, spitting out a mouthful of blood. These mercenaries were very strong, and there were too many of them. She alone was no match.

"She's already showing signs of a domain! She's so young. Give her a few more years to grow, and none of us will be her match!" The Scarface Leader was horrified, his eyes revealing a clear murderous intent. Having offended such a genius with limitless potential, the best course of action was to utterly eliminate her before she fully developed.

He could no longer stand by and directly charged towards her.

Chu Chuyan's vital energy churned within her. Disregarding the need to recuperate, she quickly dodged the strongest mercenary leader and, relying on her exquisitely agile movement technique, moved to engage the others. She no longer allowed them to surround and attack her all at once as before.

Soon, two more were wounded by her sword. Chu Chuyan secretly sighed in regret; she had no chance to kill them, as the attacks from other mercenaries had already arrived.

The mercenaries were also wary that she might take one of them down with her if she fought desperately, so they tried their best to protect themselves. After all, with so many of them, they could simply wear her down.

Chu Chuyan tried to break through several times but was blocked. Seeing that the situation was now under control, the Scarface Leader couldn't help but laugh heartily. "Little lady, I never expected someone so beautiful to be so formidable! We, the Grey Wolf mercenary group, respect strength above all else. Why don't you surrender to us and become my 'Lady of the Fortress'? We'll forget about today's events. What do you say?"

Before Chu Chuyan could reply, the other mercenaries began to clamor, "Boss, that's not fair! We agreed this beauty was for everyone. How can you hog her for yourself?"

The Scarface Leader laughed boisterously. "I never said she'd be *my* 'Lady of the Fortress' alone! Of course, she'll be *everyone's* 'Lady of the Fortress'!"

He secretly felt regret. This woman was truly too beautiful, and he genuinely wanted her all to himself. Unfortunately, there were several other mercenaries in the group whose strength was comparable to his, and if he provoked their collective anger, he might lose his position as leader.

At that moment, Chu Chuyan suddenly flickered, transforming into a swirling flurry of wind and snow, and directly thrust her sword in the opposite direction.

Facing this strike, those few men paused in confusion. Had this woman gone mad? How could she strike anything from such a distance?

Nevertheless, they weren't careless. They all raised their weapons in defense, knowing that if they could just hold her off for a moment, their comrades' attacks could severely wound her first.

Just then, a vibrant red ribbon suddenly shot out from her sleeve, bypassing them almost instantly and coiling around the man wielding the yellow talisman, who was hiding behind them.

The man's face paled, and he frantically tried to use his talismanic art to resist. But the red ribbon tightened abruptly, and a sound of bones cracking echoed.

With a shriek, he was instantly strangled to death!

Talisman masters were often poor at close combat and physically frail. How could he withstand the full constriction of the Cosmic Silk Ribbon?

The Scarface Leader's eyes immediately reddened. Only then did he realize that all of the woman's previous attempts to break through were a feint; her true target had been the talisman master!

A talisman master's importance to a mercenary group was immense. They could provide defensive buffs, healing, and various crowd-control abilities, easily ranking among the top three most crucial members. Now, with the talisman master dead, even if it didn't halve the group's strength, it would certainly reduce their combat power by nearly a third!

Chu Chuyan then tugged the Cosmic Silk Ribbon, using the recoil to evade the attacks from behind her. She then directly leaped over the mercenaries who were entirely focused on defending themselves in front, astonishingly breaking out of the mercenary group's encirclement!

Just then, a heavy hammer suddenly whistled toward her from straight ahead. Chu Chuyan was forced to dodge to the side, and in that brief moment, the other mercenaries surrounded her again.

"Boss, I can't believe you almost let this little lady slip away. Good thing I arrived just in time," a slender, effeminate man slowly emerged onto the path from ahead.