Section 47: The Rescue (Part II)

Indira, teetering on the edge of despair, raised her longsword to meet the threat. Exhausted and drained of strength, she was already at a severe disadvantage fighting Broka on the ground. Having been wounded by Broka’s devastating strike moments before, she was ill-prepared to withstand his next assault. To make matters worse, hundreds of Hous cavalrymen were charging toward them from behind.

Suddenly, a sharp command rang out from above. Broka, in the midst of his attack, was struck by an acute sense of danger. As one of the seven orc generals, rivaled only by Wolf of the Quibel tribe, Broka was by no means weak—though among the orcs, many secretly regarded him as the least formidable of the seven generals. With a fierce thrust, he swung his spear at the airborne attacker.

However, this time Broka miscalculated. Although the assailant came from the sky, the attack was not a direct strike but rather a celestial black-gold slash formed from the attacker’s Geng Metal sword aura.

Broka found himself at a disadvantage. Just as he had used a sprinting charge followed by a horizontal stab to intercept Indira, the enemy now unleashed a matchless qi slash from high above, a crushing blow like the weight of Mount Tai descending upon him. If he persisted in attacking Indira and Xisili, this overhead qi slash alone could cleave him in two. Such a fierce and brutal qi attack was something Broka had only witnessed before from Prince Caesar, the Roaring Tiger of the Taigo tribe and one of the seven generals. That strike could split a man from head to toe, leaving two severed halves.

A second thunderous clash echoed across the desert bordering the vast grasslands, as the celestial black-gold slash collided with Broka’s spear. The qi of the black-gold slash immediately dissipated, scattering in all directions like sharp arrows that pierced several Hous warriors charging from behind, forcing their comrades to hastily slow their advance.

Broka landed awkwardly, dodging the scattered qi arrows, and when he looked toward Indira again, he found another figure standing between him and the two women.

Broka’s face twisted with shock and fury. “Who are you? Why do you want to save them?”

The man pointed at Xisili and said, “I’m here to save her. My name is Wei Wuji.”

It was Wei Wuji who had come to rescue Xisili and the female Smai. He had set out with a simple map given by Grant, attempting along the way to gather information from scattered orc tribes about the whereabouts of the two women. Yet, as a human venturing deeper into orc territory, he found the orcs growing ever more wary of him. Only tribes like the Iron Fist Fortress and the Pier and Monk clans, which maintained frequent contact with humans, or regions like the female Smai who had already established a joint state with humans, were less hostile.

Thus, Wei Wuji had found no trace of Xisili. Resigned, he pressed on, simultaneously employing his Heaven’s Sight and Earth’s Hearing techniques to scour the vast grasslands and deserts for any sign. Though these techniques could detect over great distances here, their reach was but a drop in the ocean compared to the boundless expanse.

By sheer fortune, Wei Wuji finally sensed something unusual today—an act of violence. Driven by curiosity, he hurried toward the source. At ten kilometers out, his keen hearing pinpointed the exact location. At five kilometers, he saw Xisili atop a rock and Indira locked in combat with the Hous tribe. Elated, he also noticed a squad rapidly approaching. Though unaware of the situation, since a fight was underway and reinforcements were coming, he resolved to expend his Golden Core energy to fly swiftly to their aid.

Broka’s first strike had come too swiftly for Wei Wuji to intervene. This initial sprinting assault was Broka’s signature move, the “Sonic Thrust,” a technique that had earned him his place among the seven generals. It combined high-speed dashes with piercing strikes so powerful that even a massive boulder would be pierced through.

However, Wei Wuji managed to act on the second attack. Although Broka targeted the female Smai first, Wei Wuji saw that she was focused solely on protecting Xisili and could not stand idly by while she faced mortal danger. With Broka’s relentless assault, if Indira faltered, Xisili would soon be caught in the crossfire.

“Want to save them? Then you’ll all die together!” Broka snarled, swinging his massive spear with overwhelming force.

Among the seven orc generals, Broka was neither the most personally skilled nor the most brilliant commander. His status came from two things: his renowned battle record, born of his leadership over the Hous cavalry—pride of the orcs and considered the strongest force aside from the ancient Wild Beast Legion’s wild rhino and dragon riders—and his own ability to command them. No one else could wield them as effectively. Secondly, his martial skill was average among the generals. He lacked the strength of Heracles of the Orlfen tribe, the agility and ruthlessness of Wolf of the Quibel, and was no match for the crocodile clan chief Achilles or Prince Caesar of the Taigo. Yet his endurance was among the best, as was his high-speed thrust.

The Sonic Thrust unleashed a burst of fighting spirit that propelled Broka at incredible speed, smashing through anything in his path with fearless courage. Though devastating on the battlefield, this technique was less effective in single combat. Against weaker opponents, it secured swift victories, but against equals, the costly expenditure of fighting spirit was a liability. The Hous’s stamina was formidable physically but not necessarily matched spiritually by Broka.

In the current battle, Wei Wuji seemed stuck to Broka’s spear as if glued. No matter how Broka tried to shake him off, Wei Wuji clung tighter, wrapping himself along the shaft.

Startled, Broka realized the danger of allowing Wei Wuji to stay so close, as the reach advantage of his spear would be neutralized, leaving him vulnerable. He quickly retreated.

Indira, barely holding her breath, took the opportunity to support Xisili backward. In a one-on-one, Broka’s charge might not have harmed her, but his timing was impeccable. As she had just risen, not yet at full speed, she was caught mid-air and struck by a faster opponent—an unavoidable blow that left her severely injured. Xisili’s combat ability was effectively shattered; yet, to survive, she suppressed her pain and prepared to flee.

Wei Wuji had initially intended to close in front of Broka, using his formidable cultivation and Daoist arts to severely wound or capture him. Though Broka was agile, Wei Wuji’s grip on his spear was not lost, and though Broka sensed his plan and retreated in time, the counterattack forced him back.

Without looking back, Wei Wuji seemed to possess eyes in the back of his head, fully aware of Indira’s precarious condition. He could hear from her breathing just how dire Xisili’s state was.

Reciting a few incantations, Wei Wuji sent two streams of pure energy flowing into Indira. One was cool and refreshing like water, soothing her wounds enough to restore some mobility and fighting strength, though not healing completely. The other was like a breeze enveloping her body, making her feel as if she had grown lighter, ready to carry on.