Chapter 1775: How Different from Imagination

The scarred leader's eyelid twitched. The man standing before him was the mercenary group's second-in-command, whose cultivation and prestige were in no way inferior to his own. The leader had deliberately transferred him away due to his apprehension, and now, to his surprise, the man had returned at this precise moment.

"Thanks to the timely arrival of our second-in-command, this wretch killed many of our brothers! Today, we must capture her and make her pay!" The mercenaries who were usually close to the second-in-command began to clamor.

Although the scarred leader was annoyed by the second-in-command's subtle jab about his inefficiency, this was not the time to react. He spoke in a deep voice, "Second-in-command, you arrived just in time. This woman is extremely cunning and highly cultivated. Let's all attack together; we must not give her any chance."

"Alright, let's see which of us can capture her first." The effeminate man observed Chu Chuyan, tutting. "What a truly captivating beauty. I almost can't bear to lay a hand on her."

Though he spoke these words, his actions showed no mercy; he immediately struck at her vital points.

The scarred leader snorted and pounced, unwilling to be outdone. He had just suffered a great loss of face and certainly couldn't let the second-in-command subdue their opponent first.

Chu Chuyan immediately found herself in a perilous situation. The cultivation levels of these two men were even higher than hers, and the other mercenaries, completely disregarding all martial codes, joined the siege. Various attacking techniques came at her relentlessly, and she was struck several times in quick succession.

Had it not been for her exquisite mastery of the Snowflake Divine Sword and her quick adaptability, she would likely have perished on the spot long ago.

Even so, she had already coughed up blood multiple times, her entire being like a small boat tossed in a raging sea, liable to capsize at any moment.

A flicker of despair crossed her eyes. She had never imagined she would fall in this peculiar secret realm, and feared she would never have the chance to see A'Zu again in this lifetime.

Just then, an angry shout rang out: "This is preposterous! So many grown men, in broad daylight, ganging up on a single weak woman—have you no shame!"

A handsome young man in white, holding a fan, flew gracefully down from mid-air, exuding an air of elegance and nonchalance.

Chu Chuyan was startled upon seeing the newcomer: "Prince Lieyang?"

"Oh, it's Miss Chu. These people dare to bully you? How preposterous!" That flamboyant young man in white was, of course, Prince Lieyang.

He had been waiting for the opportune moment he had envisioned. Moments earlier, when he saw Chu Chuyan almost escape the encirclement on her own, his heart had leapt into his throat.

Fortunately, the second-in-command had emerged shortly after to block her retreat.

He saw that Chu Chuyan was already in a desperate situation, but he still couldn't find the perfect opportunity he had imagined—where she would be knocked flying, and he would soar into the air to catch her and twirl around. However, Protector Sun was anxiously urging him from the side, warning that if they waited any longer, Miss Chu would lose all her combat ability, making the situation even more uncontrollable.

Left with no choice, he had to appear to "rescue" her. To make this rescue seem more legendary and fated, he deliberately pretended not to recognize Chu Chuyan, acting as if he were merely passing by and performing a heroic act. Only after Chu Chuyan called out his identity did he "awaken from a dream" and acknowledge her.

At this moment, the Gray Wolf mercenary group had tightly encircled Chu Chuyan, temporarily ceasing their attacks to stare at the uninvited guest.

"Where did this flashy fellow in white robes and white trousers suddenly appear from?"

"By their tone, it sounds like they know each other. Is he some prince?"

"Hmph, it's not as if we haven't kidnapped princes before; we've even killed kings."

"This lad's attire looks rather costly; he's probably worth a ransom."

Prince Lieyang's eyelid twitched as he listened, and he couldn't help but declare furiously, "Bastards! Ganging up on fewer people—what kind of heroes does that make you? If you have the guts, send two people to fight me and Miss Chu in a fair duel!"

He couldn't help but feel brilliant about this plan. In such a desperate situation, with them combining their swords, standing shoulder to shoulder and back to back against powerful enemies, their feelings were sure to rapidly intensify.

To his surprise, the mercenaries burst into laughter. "Are you out of your mind?" they scoffed. "In this world, winning is the only truth. Why would we give up the advantage of numbers to fight you one-on-one?"

Hearing the surrounding taunts, Prince Lieyang's face turned ashen. "Very well," he declared. "I originally intended to fight you as an ordinary man, but you insist on forcing my hand. Is having more people truly so impressive?"

With that, he clapped his hands and announced, "Come out, everyone!"

No sooner had he spoken than a group of people emerged from all directions, subtly counter-encircling the Gray Wolf mercenary group.

Seeing the mercenaries' expressions shift slightly, Prince Lieyang felt a surge of satisfaction. "You were just relying on your numbers, weren't you?" he scoffed. "Now it's our turn to have the numerical advantage."

At this, the effeminate second-in-command sneered, "If the quality isn't there, no matter the quantity, they're nothing more than a flock of sheep."

No sooner had he spoken than he moved like a phantom, his figure rapidly darting through their ranks. Almost instantly, Prince Lieyang's subordinates shrieked in agony, and in the blink of an eye, over a dozen lay in pools of blood, each with a gaping hole torn in their chest, their hearts having been directly ripped out.

The second-in-command's hands had transformed into long, sharp claws, dripping with bloody hearts.

He then opened his mouth wide and swallowed the hearts in his hands in one gulp, followed by a gruesome crunching sound.

With a gulping sound, the second-in-command revealed a look of utter satisfaction. "Ah, how delicious fresh hearts are," he sighed.

Prince Lieyang's entourage involuntarily recoiled a step. "Is this man a monster?" they wondered, utterly terrified.

The Gray Wolf mercenaries grinned ferociously. They were all battle-hardened veterans who needed no prompting; their mutual understanding allowed them to seize the instant their opponents' morale shattered and pounce.

Soon, they were all wielding their weapons, harvesting lives in waves.

Prince Lieyang's expression changed drastically. "How is this possible?" he thought. "How did these people suddenly become so powerful?"

Just moments ago, Chu Chuyan alone had them running in circles, and his own cultivation was not significantly different from hers. Furthermore, there were several strong individuals within his team. So why, the moment the fight began, had it become a one-sided slaughter?

At that moment, the scarred leader crushed two guards' heads with his bare hands. As if reading his thoughts, he cruelly chuckled, "It seems you truly are a pampered prince, believing that similar cultivation levels mean similar combat power. This girl, with the same cultivation, is far superior to any of you."

"Furthermore," he added, "just moments ago, we simply found this girl too beautiful to unleash our most lethal techniques. As for you, a bunch of unsightly men, we have no interest in your gender. Why would we show you any mercy?"

He wasn't deliberately showing off; rather, he seized every opportunity to crush his opponents' morale. After all, there were still some formidable cultivators among this group, and with their significant numbers, a prolonged battle would undoubtedly lead to considerable losses for his own side.

As expected, Prince Lieyang's forces, already on the brink of terror, suffered a complete collapse in morale upon hearing these words. They could, at best, exhibit half of their usual strength, and everyone was now consumed with thoughts of self-preservation and finding an opportunity to escape.

Although a few, such as Protector Sun, fought valiantly, and Chu Chuyan also offered support, it was not enough to stem the tide of the others' plummeting morale.

Soon, the battlefield devolved into a one-sided slaughter. Everywhere, there were the arrogant and cruel laughs of the Gray Wolf mercenaries, mingled with the terrified screams of Prince Lieyang's forces.

Watching the unfolding scenes before him, Prince Lieyang stood dumbfounded. "How is this so different from the picture I had imagined?" he thought.

Shouldn't these mercenary groups, upon realizing they were outnumbered, have felt a desire to retreat, then been routed and fled in disarray, allowing him to heroically rescue the beauty and win her heart?

He gazed at the battlefield. The only thing that offered him solace was that Protector Sun was fighting with incredible bravery, having already killed several mercenaries.

Just then, a colossal spectral gray wolf materialized behind Protector Sun, who was still bravely confronting the enemy. It suddenly opened its blood-red maw and, in a single bite, tore off Protector Sun's head.

Protector Sun's headless body instinctively continued to wield his weapon, attempting to strike down the surrounding enemies. But with his head gone, he stumbled a few steps before collapsing to the ground with a thud.

The spectral gray wolf then transformed into the scarred leader. He gazed at the headless corpse on the ground and spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm. "Hmph, that bastard killed several of our brothers; he was a formidable opponent," he snarled. "Good thing he's finally dealt with."

Prince Lieyang stared in utter shock. He had never imagined their strongest expert would fall so abruptly.

He felt a pang of regret. He should have fought alongside Protector Sun moments earlier; that way, he could have guarded his back and prevented such an easy ambush.

"Prince, be careful!" In that brief moment of distraction, a cry of alarm came from his attendant, Xiao Sha, who immediately positioned himself in front of Prince Lieyang.

Then, with a sickening thud, Xiao Sha's body was cleaved in two.

A gruesome spray of brain matter, intestines, and other viscera splattered onto Prince Lieyang.

Witnessing this scene, he finally broke down completely. He screamed, then frantically turned and fled, shouting, "Miss Chu, just hold on a little longer! I'll go find someone to rescue you!"

His flight caused his remaining subordinates to completely collapse. They no longer cared about anything else, desperately fleeing for their lives, with Xiao Zhu leading the charge.

Chu Chuyan's face was etched with frost. In truth, when this group had initially joined the battle, she had an opportunity to escape amidst the chaos.

But these people had come to save her; how could she possibly abandon them?

Who would have thought that Prince Lieyang would prove to be so utterly useless? Both sides clearly possessed the strength for a fight, yet his spinelessness led to the situation becoming completely one-sided.

Now, even if she wanted to leave, she no longer could.