Chapter 120: Battle Iron Cavalry

"Home?" Yan Sanniang stood under the archway of Buzhan Manor, a light, almost mocking chuckle escaping her lips. "This was my home. But now that it's destroyed, where do I have a home?"

Pei Poxiao was a typical military man and naturally couldn't grasp Yan Sanniang's veiled words of sorrow. He cupped his hands and said, "Miss, the Marquis has ordered us to bring you back. Please do not make things difficult for us."

Yan Sanniang said plainly, "He didn't come?"

"Who?" Pei Poxiao asked, confused.

"Bai Chaoxian."

"The Marquis is busy with official duties and couldn't come personally," Pei Poxiao said. "However, please rest assured, Miss, we will ensure your safety."

"So, I was overthinking things again," Yan Sanniang said. "I thought by this point, he would at least see me, say some kind words, and try to persuade me. If he had, I might have felt better. But does he really despise me so much? He's selling me off, yet he won't even see me? Am I so worthless in his eyes? What makes him think I'll simply do as he wishes? Am I that cheap?"

Pei Poxiao remained expressionless. Pointing to the carriage behind them, he said, "Third Miss, our identities are special; it's not suitable for us to linger in this city for too long. Let's go!"

Yan Sanniang said calmly, "Even in your eyes, am I truly that lowly?"

"We hold Miss in great respect," Pei Poxiao replied.

Yan Sanniang scoffed, "Bai Chaoxian never treated me as his daughter. Now, to save himself and secure his wealth and status, he's selling me off to an old man as a concubine. Even then, he refuses to see me, because in his heart, I am vile. He believes his word is law, and I must obey; I cannot resist. He thinks someone as lowly as me isn't fit to defy his will. And you, you all think the same way. You believe I am contemptible, unworthy of opposing your wishes. You tell me to go, and I must follow you. But why shouldn't I resist?"

As she spoke, Yan Sanniang unfastened the curved saber from her waist.

Pei Poxiao remained impassive. "Miss, we are all veterans of countless battles. If you wish to engage us, your current martial arts skill is still lacking."

Yan Sanniang let out a faint chuckle. "If you can speak with Bai Chaoxian, please convey a message for me when you return: Yan Sanniang is not as base as he imagines!"

The moment she finished speaking, Yan Sanniang swung the saber to slit her own throat.

Pei Poxiao's expression remained calm. He simply raised a hand and struck out with a palm. With a thud, a surge of energy hit Yan Sanniang's wrist pressure point. The force was perfectly controlled, neither injuring her nor failing to knock the curved saber from her grasp.

With a clang, the curved saber fell to the ground.

Pei Poxiao said, "Miss, don't do anything foolish."

Yan Sanniang chuckled softly. "Ah, I truly want to ask the heavens, why was I born into this world...?"

As she spoke, blood slowly seeped from the corner of Yan Sanniang's mouth.

At that moment, Pei Poxiao finally panicked. He rushed forward, grabbed Yan Sanniang's shoulder, and probed her with a surge of internal energy, asking frantically, "Miss, you... you took poison... What kind of poison did you take?"

Yan Sanniang chuckled faintly and remained silent.

Just then, in the silent night, Yan Sanniang suddenly heard a familiar call: "Sister Yan!"

She turned her head and saw Gu Chutong soaring through the night from a rooftop.

Her gaze fell upon Pei Poxiao, who was holding Yan Sanniang by the shoulder, while blood trickled from Yan Sanniang's mouth.

"Let go of Sister Yan!" Gu Chutong roared in a fit of rage. Her body like a swallow in flight, she launched a palm strike at Pei Poxiao from mid-air. The palm wind was fierce, faintly whistling through the air.

Seeing this, Pei Poxiao's heart tensed. He quickly raised his hand to meet the attack.

The moment their palms met, a clap of thunder seemed to erupt in the air.

Pei Poxiao felt a powerful palm force, like a surging tide, rush towards him. Even though he wore heavy armor, which was normally impervious to swords and spears, it now rang with the sound of clashing metal.

He lost his footing and stumbled back several steps, his feet leaving deep imprints in the hard stone slabs beneath him.

Pei Poxiao composed himself and looked up at Gu Chutong, his eyes filled with astonishment. The seemingly delicate young girl before him possessed such profound palm power.

Immediately, Pei Poxiao prepared to gather his energy and attack again.

At that instant, he suddenly felt a tightening in his chest as an immense, inexplicable oppressive force, like a towering wave, surged towards him.

Pei Poxiao's mind reeled. He quickly looked over and saw a calm-faced young man standing behind the girl, hands clasped behind his back. The young man's expression was serene, yet an invisible aura seemed to emanate from him, making Pei Poxiao's heart pound.

Having spent years on the battlefield, Pei Poxiao's sense for killing intent was incredibly precise. At that moment, a powerful intuition suddenly arose within him: it was as if the young man could take his life in an instant if he made the slightest move.

The oppressive feeling wasn't due to fierce martial arts techniques, but rather a deterrence stemming from the depths of his soul, making his blood feel as if it would solidify and his limbs become somewhat unresponsive.

He had only experienced this sensation when facing Marquis Guangyang, Bai Chaoxian. Immediately, he realized Gu Mo's identity and said in a deep voice, "Are you Gu Mo, the Great Hero of Yunzhou?"

Gu Mo ignored Pei Poxiao. Instead, he gently tapped Yan Sanniang's back twice, then turned his wrist and lightly patted her, sending a powerful surge of internal energy flowing into her body.

The next moment, Yan Sanniang felt a tightness in her chest, and a mouthful of black blood spurted from her mouth.

The poison she had taken was thus expelled by Gu Mo.

Yan Sanniang said, utterly speechless, "Great Hero Gu, I just wanted to die!"

Gu Chutong supported Yan Sanniang and quickly said, "Sister Yan, why would you do this to yourself? You're still so young!"

Yan Sanniang sighed and slowly said, "Since you've already left, why come back and wade into this mess? Gu Mo, little sister Chutong, these are the Thirty-Six Ironclad Cavalry. You should understand what that means. You truly shouldn't have come back. Now, go!"

Gu Mo remained expressionless. "Can you stop being so melodramatic? You're deliberately trying to send us away to avoid implicating us. Are you perhaps overwhelmed by your own self-sacrifice?"

Yan Sanniang was speechless. "Whether I'm moved by myself, I don't know, but any sentiment you just brought was completely ruined by your sarcastic tone."

Gu Mo smiled and said, "Alright, enough with the dramatics. Today, I'm protecting you!"

"Hey..." Yan Sanniang was about to say something, but Gu Mo had already stepped forward and said to Pei Poxiao, "The Marquis Guangyang's Thirty-Six Ironclad Cavalry, your reputation precedes you. All of you... come at me!"

Pei Poxiao cupped his hands, immediately mounted his horse, retrieved a long spear from its back, and said in a deep voice, "Great Hero Gu, this is the Marquis's family affair; it's none of your business."

"Family affair?" Gu Mo tilted his head and asked, "Miss Yan, is this a family affair?"

"My surname is Yan, his is Bai. What 'family affair' are you talking about!" Yan Sanniang retorted.

"Did you hear that?" Gu Mo said.

Pei Poxiao's expression grew solemn. "Great Hero Gu, are you certain you wish to meddle?"

"Yan Sanniang is my friend. If a friend of Gu Mo's is being bullied, I naturally have to intervene," Gu Mo stated.

"Exactly!" Gu Chutong cheered from behind. She took the Thousand-Mechanism Box from her back, placed it in front of her, and said, "Brother, I've heard that the Thirty-Six Ironclad Cavalry wear ancient profound iron armor, making them invulnerable to swords and spears and difficult to deal with. You try first; if you can't break through, I'll use the Thousand-Mechanism Box. I'm eager to see which is superior: the profound iron armor or the world's fifth-ranked hidden weapon, the Thousand-Mechanism Box!"

Pei Poxiao glanced deeply at the Thousand-Mechanism Box in Gu Chutong's hand, his eyes filled with apprehension. Nevertheless, he slowly pulled down the visor of his helmet and commanded in a deep voice, "Charge!"

In an instant, the Thirty-Six Ironclad Cavalry charged forward like arrows released from a bow. Each heavily armored rider and their steed were covered in thick profound iron armor, its surface gleaming with a chilling light that struck fear into hearts.

Their thundering hooves sounded like rolling thunder, shaking the very earth beneath them. Every step seemed to crush the soil. Their charging momentum was like a surging tide, pressing forward relentlessly, or like towering mountains, bearing down upon their foes.

Unlike the chaotic skirmishes of the martial arts world, these thirty-six riders moved with perfect uniformity, their coordination seamless, as if they were a single entity.

Despite their small number, their aura was several times more powerful than what Gu Mo had faced against thousands of martial artists at Fengming Ferry. The air was thick with a murderous intent, as if it could crush everything.

Sensing the Ironclad Cavalry approaching, Gu Mo no longer hesitated. He instantly gathered his energy and unleashed "Six Dragons Soaring," one of the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms. His palms flew, and a powerful palm force, accompanied by surging waves of energy, surged forth, like six roaring dragons lunging towards the heavily armored cavalry.

However, this astonishingly powerful palm technique, when striking the front ranks of the armored cavalry, only managed to push a few riders back slightly.

Only then did Gu Mo notice that while the armored cavalry appeared to be charging haphazardly, they actually maintained fixed positions relative to each other, forming a battle formation where defense and offense were perfectly integrated.

Furthermore, the palm strike he had just delivered to the profound iron armor seemed to draw off a significant portion of his internal energy, as if it had been specially designed by a master craftsman with unknown special materials and structures within.

The warhorses were all specially selected, tall and robust, their hooves planted firmly on the ground, their legs as straight as iron pillars, unbending.

And the profound iron armor truly lived up to its reputation as the feared reliance of the Ironclad Cavalry; under Gu Mo's palm, it remained completely unharmed.

In an instant, the cavalry from behind charged out, surrounding Gu Mo completely.

Gu Mo found himself tightly encircled by the heavily armored cavalry. The surrounding riders, like a black torrent of steel, completely cut off his retreat. In the night sky, dark clouds seemed to be intimidated by the murderous aura, piling up and pressing lower, making the atmosphere on the battlefield even more oppressive.

Gu Mo took a deep breath, and the internal energy within him surged like a mighty river as he unleashed the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms. He swung both palms, and the palm winds, imbued with endless power, resembled two fierce dragons pouncing on the enemy.

One heavily armored cavalryman was struck by the palm force; though he didn't fall from his horse, the long spear in his hand was bent and deformed, and his tiger's mouth split open, blood gushing down the shaft of the spear.

Gu Mo moved like lightning, striking out with another palm. The force was unparalleled, hitting a cavalryman directly in the chest. Though the cavalryman wore thick iron armor, he was still jolted back several steps by the immense power. His warhorse neighed, its front hooves rearing high, leaving two deep hoof prints on the ground. A typical top-tier martial artist would have been severely injured by such a blow, yet this cavalryman seemed largely unaffected.

The heavily armored cavalrymen roared in unison, their shouts shaking the surroundings like rolling thunder. The long spears in their hands gleamed with cold light, thrusting at Gu Mo like a dense forest. Each swing brought forth a whistling sound, the spear tips cutting through the air with sharp shrieks. Their coordination was seamless: one attacked, several others covered, forming an impenetrable offensive formation. Although Gu Mo defended with his peerless palm techniques, he gradually felt the pressure mount like a mountain.

Gu Mo then drew his renowned Autumn Water Sword. However, the sword, which could cut through iron like mud, only managed to leave nicks and marks on the armor, unable to directly pierce it.

For a moment, the sounds of hooves, clashing weapons, and battle cries intertwined, deafening.

Gu Mo secretly marveled. These heavily armored cavalrymen were indeed battle-hardened elites. Compared to the masters of the martial arts world, their fighting style was more concise, efficient, and immensely powerful. Every attack carried a resolve to die and tremendous strength, truly something no ordinary person could withstand.

At that moment, he understood the difference between a battlefield and the martial arts world.

Here, there were only thirty-six riders!

On a battlefield with thousands of troops, a master's saber might curl, their sword might break, their body might be injured, and their internal energy might deplete. However, soldiers, having received their orders, would continuously advance until the so-called master was trampled into meat paste.

When a martial arts master stepped onto a battlefield, their lightness skill would be of little use; they could only endure. Could they kill ten, a hundred... or even a thousand? Could they block a thousand arrows, ten thousand arrows, or a hundred thousand? Even Dugu Nine Swords' Arrow-Breaking Stance couldn't possibly break through a volley of ten thousand arrows.

Having experienced the battlefield's charging tactics, Gu Mo no longer wished to entangle himself with the Thirty-Six Ironclad Cavalry. A battlefield was a nightmare for martial arts masters. Although this wasn't an open plain battlefield with thousands of troops, and there were only thirty-six riders, each of these thirty-six was a top-tier martial artist themselves, some even master-level like Pei Poxiao. Coupled with their profound iron armor and intricate coordination, they were essentially a microcosm of a true battlefield.

But the thirty-six cavalry could not trap Gu Mo.

Gu Mo channeled his power into both palms and unleashed a devastating push, striking a cavalryman directly in the chest. The cavalryman and his warhorse were sent flying backward. Seizing the opportunity, Gu Mo lightly tapped his toes, soaring into the sky like an eagle seizing a rabbit.

Mid-air, Gu Mo concentrated his energy and spirit, extending his right index finger. A sharp sword qi whistled from his fingertip—it was the Six Meridians Divine Sword.

Hissing sounds filled the air as sword qi crisscrossed, striking the armored cavalry like lightning. The sturdy iron armor, under this indestructible sword qi, was torn open.

Immediately after, all six meridians unleashed their power, forming an infinitely changing sword formation that continuously slashed through the heavy armor of the thirty-six cavalry.

In an instant, screams rang out one after another, and several of the thirty-six cavalry fell.

But the remaining armored cavalry showed no fear, nor the slightest intention of retreating. Their eyes revealed a resolve to die, and they quickly reformed their formation, their horses pawing the ground with dull thuds.

Pei Poxiao, holding his long spear, made a gesture. In an instant, the armored cavalry began to form a new battle array.

Yan Sanniang quickly shouted, "Gu Mo, they're going to use the Heaven and Earth Net Formation! It's specifically designed to counter martial arts grandmasters. Their weapons have special iron chains that can form a dense net. Ten years ago, a grandmaster in the State of Chu died in that formation!"

Gu Mo's expression grew serious. He had heard of the Heaven and Earth Net Formation; it was a quintessential formation used by the imperial army to counter grandmasters. When Bai Chaoxian massacred the martial arts sects back then, many famous masters fell to that Heaven and Earth Net Formation.

"Brother, the Thousand-Mechanism Box!" At that very moment, Gu Chutong immediately threw the Thousand-Mechanism Box to Gu Mo.

Gu Mo extended his hand, and the Thousand-Mechanism Box flew into his grasp.

Just then, a sword suddenly descended from the sky, embedding itself in the stone slab before the thirty-six cavalry. With immense internal energy, it sent countless stone fragments scattering. A figure quickly descended, revealing himself to be Meng Qingkong, the Hermit of the Forest, one of the Ten Great Grandmasters.

"Your mission is complete. Retreat now. I will take it from here!"