Chapter 292: Qiao Wan's Revenge
The swift and fierce gust of wind brushed past their ears, and snowflakes landed on their faces. There was silence on the flying boat.
Everyone was exhausted, their eyes red, leaning against the boat. It felt like the same question was repeatedly echoing in their minds.
Why did Fu Xuan betray them? Why did it happen so suddenly and unexpectedly?
But this was the harsh reality.
Someone's eyes turned red, muttered a curse under their breath, and angrily hit the ship's wall.
Inside the Chongde Ancient Garden, the students from the Mathematics Department were particularly distraught, gritting their teeth and supporting each other.
"Senior Fu, why did you betray us?" cried a younger martial sister from the Mathematics Department, her voice trembling.
The gentle face of Fu Xuan, always by Qi Feidao's side, appeared before their eyes, radiating a warm smile.
The cold wind blew, and at that moment Qiao Wan finally calmed down. Her voice was still hoarse, but her gaze was icy.
"There's no reason. People die for wealth, and birds die for food. He thinks it's wise to join the demon realm now, but..."
But?
Everyone's eyes fell on the girl at the bow of the ship.
Qi Feidao, who had wasted away these past few years and already had poor health, was now stabbed in the waist. He was still unconscious, but now the entire flying boat seemed to have a consensus, led by Qiao Wan.
"But," Qiao Wan said calmly, her voice firm. "I will make him realize that he is wrong."
"Now...," said the younger martial sister from the Mathematics Department with teary eyes, choking on her words, "where can we go?"
"Let's go to Dragon Stone Path," Qiao Wan said, looking around the flying boat, "and find Hall Master Ma."
"For the next little while, I need everyone to stay calm and follow my orders."
Unfortunately, not everyone was willing to obey her words.
"I'm not going!" exclaimed a sword cultivator from Kunshan, gritting his teeth and angrily stomping the ground, "Damn it! Whoever wants to go, go ahead!"
"You want me to listen to your commands?!" The other person raised their neck, spat, and angrily cursed, "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be in this mess today!"
The last half of that sentence got stuck in their throat.
Qiao Wan took a step forward, and in a lightning-fast move, she stood in front of the person. At the same time, she reached out and took the nearest younger martial sister's sword from her waist.
The sword was now placed in front of the person's neck!
Gasps filled the air, "Taoist Friend Qiao!"
"Younger martial sister!"
Hurry up and try to stop her.
But the girl ignored everyone's attempts to stop her, lowered her head, and persistently asked, "Can you say it again?"
Kunshan, the sword cultivator, was startled by Qiao Wan's sudden aggression, and then angrily exclaimed, "I already said I'm not going!"
"Whoever wants to go, can go!"
Qiu Ergou, Deng Saner, and the others' sacrifice caused Qiao Wan, an ordinary college student from another world, to suddenly grow rapidly.
The girl did not get angry at all; she calmly lowered her eyes and said, "I said, during this time, I need you all to stay calm and listen to my orders."
This Kunshan, the sword cultivator, was stubborn and sneered, "Listen to you? Why should we?"
Qiao Wan's eyelashes trembled slightly.
At this moment of uncertainty, people always need an outlet for their restless emotions after a defeat. And she, who had created these firearms, which turned against their creators, undoubtedly became the best target for venting.
As soon as Kunshan, the sword cultivator, spoke, the surrounding area quickly started buzzing with commotion.
The person on the other side seemed annoyed too, and coldly sneered, "Follow you? Watch you let Qiu Ergou and those silly people sacrifice themselves? Only those silly people like Qiu Ergou would be willing to —"
Qiao Wan looked at him expressionlessly and suddenly swung her knife down, amidst the gasps.
"Taoist Friend Qiao!!"
"Qiao Wan!!"
The expression on the sword cultivator's face in Kunshan remained contemptuous for a moment, but in the next second, he spewed blood, clutching his pierced waist and abdomen, and fell down.
He couldn't have dreamt that Qiao Wan would attack so swiftly and ruthlessly. Finally, a hint of visible fear appeared in his eyes.
Some blood splattered on Qiao Wan's eyelids, and a cold gleam shot from her eyes as she looked at the shocked group of cultivators in front of her.
"Anyone who disturbs the morale will face the same fate."
"Next time, anyone who disobeys will be beheaded."
After doing all this, she coldly threw the blood-stained long knife back into the arms of the crying younger martial sister from the Mathematics Department, turned around, and stepped into the cabin.
The younger martial sister from the Mathematics Department was completely stunned, tears hanging in her eyes, looking somewhat comical.
Inside the cabin, Qiao Wan sat silently against the ship's wall, not saying a word. She looked at the unmodified Buddha statue in the storage bag, and tears immediately welled up and fell.
Outside, there was a dead silence.
That one strike had indeed established her reputation. No one dared to make a sound anymore. No one had expected that the girl who had been sincere and a little timid before could be so... cold and cruel.
In the evening, the younger martial sister from the Mathematics Department, who had previously had her knife taken away by Qiao Wan, hesitantly entered the cabin.
"Qiao... Taoist Friend Qiao..."
Qiao Wan opened her eyes.
The young girl's gaze, compared to before, was clearly less affectionate and more filled with awe.
The younger martial sister from the Mathematics Department hesitated for a moment, then quickly ran over and sat next to Qiao Wan. Gathering her courage, she spoke in one breath, "Taoist Friend Qiao, we know you're feeling sad."
"In truth, before everyone was just worried, worried if you would be able to lead us well."
"Now everyone doesn't think like that anymore, Taoist Friend Qiao," said the serious younger martial sister from the Mathematics Department. "You are fully qualified to command us, to lead us, to lead us out of the Northern Territory."
The younger martial sister from the Mathematics Department stuck out her tongue and smiled. "Taoist Friend Qiao, we are counting on you. Please end this war as soon as possible."
Looking into the young girl's clear eyes, Qiao Wan felt a pang in her heart. Her voice slightly hoarse, she replied with just one word, "Okay."
She was no longer the useless college girl she once was.
Qiao Wan closed her eyes.
Now, whether she regained her memories or not, she had developed a strong connection with this world.
So, in the following days, Qiao Wan taught the basic knowledge she had learned to the disciples of the Mathematics Department. She also led them in strengthening the attack and defense abilities of the flying boat and loading it with "spirit cannons."
At the same time, she improved the discipline of the troops and prepared winter clothes for the remaining cultivators, showing both kindness and power.
Soon, no one had any objections to her leading the troops.
When Qi Feidao woke up, he felt confused for a while and then sighed with a bitter smile, saying, "Qiao Wan, I am not as capable as you."
Qiao Wan paused and said, "Take good care of your injuries."
Fortunately, Qi Feidao did not feel uncomfortable with being "stripped of power." Instead, he focused on developing this holographic training system.
While the flying boat rushed through the wind and snow towards Dragon Stone Path, Ma Huaizhen was also under pressure because he had received information about the secretly stationed troops. Su Rui, leading the vanguard, had begun to make a move.
Just like Fu Xuan, who is actually a spy from the demon realm, the cultivation alliance and the demon realm have always been playing a game of undercover agents against each other.
News came from the front lines, so Ma Huaizhen and Cen Zicheng from the Cen family immediately led their troops to depart from Dragon Stone Path, leaving Gongsun Bingzi to guard it.
On the thirteenth day, the demon realm vanguard arrived at Langyun Village.
On the fourteenth day, Ma Huaizhen arrived near Langyun Village in the village of Woyun.
Su Rui stationed his troops at Liuyan Mountain, while the traitorous cultivator Xiao Huan stationed his troops at the Xuan Yin Snowfield. The demon realm was preparing for a full-scale attack.
As the storm approached, on the twenty-first day, Ma Huaizhen hurriedly prepared his spiritual power weapons and quickly assembled his troops at the Budu River frontline. He was determined to confront Su Rui's demonic cavalry.
On the twenty-fourth day, the demon realm attacked Langyun Village.
At the same time, news came from the eastern front.
Inside the camp, Ma Huaizhen's face was as grim as ink.
Cen Zicheng, feeling tired, closed his eyes: "The elder of Taixuan Temple, who was responsible for defending Qingzhou, has also betrayed us. He joined forces with Xiao Boyu from Chiyu Prefecture and led the demonic soldiers led by Xue Yunchao to cross the Budu River from Shishi Cliff. Meng Canglang led the troops to support, but unfortunately, they were captured."
Ma Huaizhen said calmly, "If Xue Yunchao crosses the Budu River from the eastern side of Shishi Cliff and then attacks Wangjiang City, joining forces with Xiao Boyu, they will then proceed through Wangxiang City and directly threaten Dragon Stone Path, which is currently vulnerable."
Dragon Stone Path is the last line of defense in the northern battlefield. If this line of defense is breached, the cultivation world will be completely destroyed.
Cen Zicheng tightly closed his mouth.
Ma Huaizhen tightened the armrest of his wheelchair, "Yuan Liu will lead the troops to advance eastward along the Budu River, going to Shishi Cliff to stop Xue Yunchao."
...
Langyun Village.
"We..." The cultivator in front had bloodshot eyes, hoarse voice, and blood flowing from his mouth. Tears mixed with blood streamed down his eyes. "We... we will definitely win..."
Before he could finish speaking, a splatter of blood sprayed, staining the pure white tent.
The sight was horrifying.
A long spear pierced through the cultivator's mouth and came out from the back, skewering the cultivator in front of him.
"Are there large numbers of troops being sent from the cultivation realm?" Su Rui, the "Commander-in-chief" of the demon realm's northern battlefield, put away his spear. He kicked the lifeless cultivator in front of him far away and said calmly.
The man resembled Pei Chunzheng about fifty or sixty percent. Compared to Pei Chunzheng, his eyebrows were more weathered, his eyes were deeper and more steady. He was tall with slender limbs and a thin waist, but his figure was very weak, with a sickly pale complexion.
This was a lingering consequence of being exiled in the "City of No Worries" for many years.
However, just sitting there.exuded a strong aura of determination and battle-readiness.
"That's when they launched their attack from the midfield. Su Rui decisively said, 'Zhou Yan and Meng Canglang are at Hidden Moon Mountain, Li Pan is closest at Emerald Rainbow Mountain. If Hidden Moon Mountain is surrounded, the reinforcements will be sent by Li Pan the fastest. There's an old feud between Buping College and Zhou Yan, so Li Pan will definitely not send troops to help.'"
Witnessing the brutal scene of a man gripping the dark stakes of the cultivation world, a vivid image of death by gunshot, none of the demonic generals dared to make a sound or question why Su Rui was so certain that Li Pan wouldn't come to their aid.
As the storm approached, the Wind Tower stood tall.
Little did Su Rui, Ma Huaizhen, or anyone else on the northern battlefield know that Qiao Wan, the wild card of this war, was about to embark on her fierce revenge mission and disrupt the entire situation barehanded.