xymnovel Chapter 75 The Past of Immortality, Heroes of the Great Xia Dynasty
Chapter 75 The Past of Immortality, Heroes of the Great Xia Dynasty
Hulü Changsheng, who was lying paralyzed on the ground, took in the whole scene.
In his remaining pupils, the last spark of hope, like a flickering candle in the wind, was mercilessly extinguished by this cruel reality.
The bone-chilling cold and despair were a thousand times colder than the most intense chill of the Silver Moon Snowscale Spear, instantly permeating his limbs and freezing his soul.
"Hah...hah..." He gasped for breath like a broken bellows, his whole body trembling uncontrollably, not from his injuries, but from the fear and collapse deep within his soul.
His lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single complete syllable.
The Eastern Barbarian War God, who had dominated half his life and regarded thousands of troops as nothing, now resembled a wild dog with its spine broken, curled up in a pool of blood and dust, with only endless despair and...regret in his eyes?
Such was the fierce battle, the ultimate showdown, all trump cards were revealed, and the rescue was annihilated in an instant.
He, Hulü Changsheng, was defeated. Defeated so thoroughly, so tragically.
Not only did they fail to achieve the feat of beheading the enemy chieftain and turning the tide, but even dying standing like a warrior became a luxury.
The rescue effort launched by his most loyal and valiant generals, risking their lives, seemed utterly laughable and futile in the face of such an overwhelming disparity in strength.
Xuanyuan Tianshang slowly reined in his steed, Baoyue Wuzhui. His dark figure stood like a silent black monument on the blood-soaked and dust-filled battlefield.
He looked down from his high vantage point, his gaze calm and unwavering as he surveyed the once mighty figure that now lay in a sorry state.
The tip of the Golden Phoenix World-Burning Halberd still pointed steadily at Hulü Changsheng's violently heaving, blood-stained chest, the flames on the halberd dancing silently, reflecting the luster of death.
"Your path to survival," Xuan Yuan Tian Shang spoke, his voice low but carrying a cold certainty as if severing all ties.
"The moment you betrayed your bloodline and turned your blade against your own people, you severed it with your own hands. Today, your death is not ordained by heaven, but brought upon yourself. Your time has come."
Death was imminent, with no turning back. Hulü Changsheng's chest heaved violently like a broken bellows, each breath carrying the stench of blood and the pain of shattered organs.
Consciousness began to blur and dissipate amidst the excruciating pain and blood loss.
Fragments of light and shadow from the past decades swirled and flashed uncontrollably and wildly in his mind, which was about to fall silent...
His original name was Yang Ning, a prodigy from the direct line of the Yang family of Youzhou.
Deepest in my memory is the sun-drenched training ground of the old house in Youzhou, where the wind whistled through the air, and a young man in white, as white as snow, wielded the Yang family iron spear with agility and brilliance, his sharpness just beginning to show.
Father Yang Su stroked his beard and smiled, his eyes full of pride. Mother held a silk handkerchief and watched gently from the side, occasionally whispering, "Ning'er, be careful."
He was the undisputed leader of the younger generation in Youzhou, renowned throughout the border regions, and wherever he went, he was greeted with awe and heartfelt praise.
"The Yang family's prodigy will surely become a pillar of the nation one day!" On those days, the sun was warm, the wind was gentle, and the future was clear and bright.
But at that time, there was a star in the sky of Great Xia that shone too brightly—Huangfu Tianyang.
"All the spear techniques in the world are of equal quality, but Tianyang alone possesses eight-tenths of them."
These words were like a thorn, stuck in the heart of young Yang Ning, who was most proud of his life.
How could he accept this? How could he be convinced?
Ignoring the advice of the elders in his clan that "a tree that stands out in the forest will surely be felled by the wind," and disregarding his parents' worried pleas to stay, he carried the Yang family's spear manual and his fervent defiance, rode a thousand miles straight to the capital, and went to challenge them.
That battle... my memory is a bit hazy. I only remember that I did my best, and my proud Yang family spear technique was easily suppressed and dismantled by the opponent's seemingly simple and unadorned spear, like a child playing.
Ten rounds? Perhaps less. He was defeated in a sorry state, his hand split open and the iron spear slipped from his grasp.
Huangfu Tianyang showed no arrogance of a victor; instead, he reached out and pulled him up, his gaze calm and serene.
"His marksmanship is excellent, and he is very talented. It's a pity that he is restless and has a hidden aggression."
If one can calm their mind and temper their rough edges, given time, they may well be able to glimpse the highest level of martial arts.
His voice was gentle, and his words were sincere.
But the humiliation of defeat was like a poisonous fire, burning away all the boy's reason.
"Hypocritical!" he roared inwardly, taking those words as the victor's most vicious insult to the loser.
Pride was crushed to pieces, replaced by twisted resentment and prejudice.
He swore an oath on the spot, his voice hoarse with determination:
"Huangfu Tianyang! Today's humiliation will be repaid a hundredfold in the future! I, Yang Ning, will surpass you and let the world know who the true master of the spear is!"
In order to become stronger and to make up for the shortcomings of his spear technique, which was more agile than heavy, he turned his attention to the Yunzhou Luo Family Spear, which was known for its deep and domineering style.
The Luo family's spear technique is a closely guarded secret.
No matter how humbled he was, how much he pleaded, or even offered to exchange the Yang family's spear technique for it, the Luo family remained tight-lipped and coldly indifferent.
"The ancestral precepts are as firm as a mountain; they must not be lightly passed down to anyone who is not of the Luo family bloodline."
Despair drove him to madness.
"If you won't give it to me, I'll take it myself!" A crazy idea began to grow in his mind.
On a dark and windy night, he infiltrated the Luo family home masked, his target the secret room where the gun manual was kept.
Their whereabouts were exposed, leading to a conflict with the Luo family's lineage holder.
In the darkness, blinded by rage, he unleashed the most ruthless killing move of the Yang family spear technique into the chest of Luo En, the eldest son of the Luo family who had been fiercely protecting the family's secrets and had denounced his loss of martial virtue—also his former friend.
Warm blood splattered on his face, and with trembling hands, he snatched the blood-soaked sheepskin gun manual.
From then on, there was no longer Yang Ning, the prodigy of the Yang family of Youzhou; only the murderer of his comrades, the thief of his unique skills, and the wanted criminal by the imperial court.
When the news reached Youzhou, the Yang family ancestral hall was shaken. Upon hearing the tragic news, Yang Su, the father, vomited blood on the spot and his hair turned white overnight.
The mother fainted several times from crying, and when she woke up, she could only murmur:
"My Ning'er... how could this be..."
The Yang family's century-old reputation was ruined in an instant. At the clan elders' meeting, filled with grief and indignation, Yang Ning's name was ultimately erased from the family genealogy by the father's trembling yet resolute handwriting, and announced to the world:
"Yang Ning, the rebellious son, murdered his friend and stole martial arts skills, betraying the virtues of martial arts and severing himself from the Yang family. Every descendant of the Yang family who sees him shall be executed to uphold the family's honor!"
At that time, he hid in a cold and damp cave, studying two blood-stained gun manuals with great eagerness by the dim light of a fire.
The outside world's condemnation, the family rift, the parents' grief... all seemed to be shut out by the exquisite words of martial arts. He had only one thought in his mind:
"Merge! Become stronger! Defeat Huangfu Tianyang!"
By combining the agility of the Yang family with the domineering power of the Luo family, his spear skills indeed improved by leaps and bounds, undergoing a complete transformation.
His confidence swelled again; he believed he had reached a state of perfection and was ready to avenge himself.
The second challenge came with an incomparably fierce killing intent, each shot fatal, showing no trace of camaraderie.
However, Huangfu Tianyang's strength remained as deep and unyielding as a mountain.
That battle was so fierce that the sky darkened.
He finally forced Huangfu Tianyang to reveal his true strength, but also witnessed the despairing gap between them.
After a fierce battle, he suffered another crushing defeat, mortally wounded. Lying on the ground, he saw a flicker of pain and deep disappointment in Huangfu Tianyang's eyes:
"Martial arts skills can be improved, but if one's mind is corrupted, it will ultimately lead astray. What a waste of such talent..."
Perhaps out of consideration for his past reputation as a genius, or perhaps out of reluctance to let such a martial arts prodigy perish, Huangfu Tianyang ultimately did not deliver the final blow. Instead, he ordered Huangfu Tianyang to be detained and handed over to the imperial court, hoping that Huangfu Tianyang might still have a chance to survive under the law.
But taking advantage of the guards' negligence, he dragged his crippled body eastward like a stray dog, escaping into the vast grasslands of the Eastern Yi.
Desperate situations can sometimes unleash the demons hidden deep within people's hearts.
In Dongyi, still recovering from serious injuries and suffering from hunger and cold, in order to survive and prove his worth, he used his spear skills, which combined the strengths of two different schools, to defeat the masters of eighteen Dongyi tribes. In the end, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he defeated the number one warrior of Dongyi at that time.
His wild and fierce marksmanship, with each strike potentially fatal, shocked the entire Eastern Yi royal court.
General Huli Hua of the Eastern Barbarians personally received him. Inside the golden tent, there was fine wine and delicacies, and singing and dancing filled the air.
Huli Hua's eyes were piercing, and her voice was seductive: "Yang Ning? No, that name is dead."
Here, you can be reborn. Divine weapons, fine horses, power, status, and even... the power to take revenge on Huangfu Tianyang! The Eastern Barbarians need a strongman like you.
Become my adopted son, inherit the glorious surname of Huli, and you will have everything, washing away all shame!
With nowhere to turn and completely consumed by hatred and desire, he gazed at the vast grassland outside the tent and the golden knife in Hulü Hua's hand, which represented power, and slowly knelt down.
"Your son, Hulü Changsheng, pays respects to his godfather."
From then on, Yang Ning of Youzhou died completely, and the fierce general of Dongyi, Huli Changsheng, was born.