The sound of the head hitting the ground was deafening.
The entire Yang Family Fort fell silent at this moment.
Whether it was the Hu people slashing with their knives, or the young and strong men about to be slaughtered, they all stared in disbelief at the helmeted head on the ground.
This face, after all, had just single-handedly broken through the gate, slaying more than a dozen, charging into the forest of spears like a tiger into a flock of sheep, a superhuman force that no one could withstand.
But now...
"Puchi—"
Another dull sound, and another Hu rider was split in two.
The Hu people's actions came to a halt, but the raised broadsword did not stop.
After slaying the most ferocious-looking Armored Hu General, the broad sword didn't stop, and with the rise and fall of the blade, three Hu riders were cleaved in two in an instant.
The dying screams broke the previous silence.
However, this time it was not the young men of Yang Family Fort who were screaming.
At some point, one of the young men had picked up a wooden spear from a fallen comrade and thrust it into the chest of the fierce Hu rider in front of him.
Soon the second person, the third person did the same.
The fourth, the fifth...
The Hu people were indeed fierce, they indeed couldn't fight the Hu people, they even collapsed at the mere sight of them—but now they knew, the Hu people weren't invincible; even the fiercest Armored Hu General, that evil-qi infused non-human monster, could be killed, could be decapitated.
Since they could be killed, why not kill them?
They were dead either way, might as well take down an enemy to make it worthwhile!
"Kill!!"
It was unclear who shouted it first.
But soon, more and more people followed suit.
"Kill!!!"
The young men of Yang Family Fort were killing, and the Hu people swinging curved knives and maces were also killing. At this moment, everyone's eyes were red with bloodlust, seeking only to kill every enemy in sight.
Among them, Du Chengfeng was the fastest killer.
Personally killing the Armored Hu General did indeed unwittingly boost the morale of the young men of Yang Family Fort, but at this moment, he could not maintain consciousness—before swinging that blade, he had already slain several Hu riders, and when the blade passed through the body, as blood splattered on the blade, he had never felt so exhilarated.
Upon slaying the Armored Hu General with that stroke, an even purer evil qi surged into his mind.
It was no longer about using rationality to prevent the evil qi from invading his mind; it was a matter of whether the evil qi would make him explode from within. The icy evil qi had already flowed through his limbs and bones, and even spread onto that enormous sword.
Some kind of invisible, formless thing entwined between the blade's edges, twisted among the fresh or dried bloodstains, making the already heavy sword even more terrifying.
And more lethal.
At this moment, Du Chengfeng could not discern whether he was wielding the sword or the sword was wielding him, for the great sword in his hand and his entire being had already become one, indistinguishable. The method of using this sword, a pig-slaughtering technique practiced countless times in his mind, was now fully imprinted on his body.
Only this time, he was not killing pigs, but people.
Compared to slaughtering pigs, killing people was much easier.
When a pig sees a knife, it runs, scurries around, requiring rope to be tied tightly to ensure it doesn't escape before slashing it down and killing the pig.
But the Hu people in front lacked such wisdom.
They glared with bloodshot eyes, raised their curved knives and maces and charged forward. Du Chengfeng understood they wanted to kill him. But the overly close distance allowed them to enter the reach of the sword.
He didn't even need to chase proactively; just waiting there, the Hu people would rush to him.
And he only needed to swing the sword.
"Buzz—"
A meticulously refined slash pierced through the necks of the Hu people in front of him; the heavy sword now appeared light and agile, slicing not through flesh but gliding between bones.
As the blade passed, it left only a faint line of blood across the necks of the crowd.
Not even the sword's original owner, the legendary Yang Huchi "Yang Fatty," could achieve such finesse.
Only one who had merged into the great sword, bearing memories of countless slaughters like Du Chengfeng, could master such exquisite fluidity.
With another swing, Du Chengfeng felt like he was walking on clouds, and an eerie vibrancy began to emanate from the dried bloodstains on the sword.
Could a sword breathe?
Perhaps it could.
Only because Du Chengfeng had felt it, his breathing frequency had completely synchronized with the great sword in his hand.
They were inseparable.
"More, I need more..."
Murmuring to himself, Du Chengfeng continued to swing the sword.
Not enough, nowhere near enough; just this was far from enough. He and his sword needed to kill more people, needed to see more blood. This number was even less than during his first kill, back at the Inspectorate, where there were more people than facing him now.
Too few, far too few.
And as he swung the sword again and again, fewer and fewer people remained to stand in front of him.
This only made Du Chengfeng grow even hungrier.
He was hungry, or rather, the sword was hungry. This quantity couldn't satisfy their appetite. They needed more, more to continue growing and needed more blood, more lives to continue forward.
In a daze, Du Chengfeng took a step forward.
This time, there seemed to be no difference between people and pigs. Like pigs not tied up, the people in his sight were fleeing in panic, trying to distance themselves from him with the great sword—though this didn't matter to Du Chengfeng, he knew how to reach those fleeing people the fastest, knowing that they couldn't possibly be as fast as four-legged pigs.
But at this moment, Du Chengfeng suddenly saw someone fearless, standing in his way.
"You are... Carpenter Li?"
Seeing the figure in front of him, Du Chengfeng couldn't help but pause.
"You're not dead?"
"Brother Du! Wake up!"
Though shaking with fear, even soiled in his pants, Carpenter Li, leaning on his wooden spear, gritted his teeth and looked into Du Chengfeng's eyes.
"Brother Du, with your injuries... you can't keep fighting!"
"Injuries? What injuries? I haven't even been touched..."
He hadn't even finished speaking when a sudden dizziness overtook Du Chengfeng.
Then his massive form toppled backward, falling into the corpse pile below.