Chapter 176: Two Great Brave Generals
The two middle-aged men felt their scalps go numb and sweated cold sweat out of fear as they slowly turned around.
When they gazed upon the violet-clothed youth before them, their faces were filled with disbelief....
This youth, when did he get behind them?
They actually didn't notice it in the slightest.
They both looked at each other and could see the shock within each other's eyes.
While the two middle-aged men turned around, Duan Ling Tian was sizing them up as well, and a cold smile appeared on the corners of his mouth.
"Who sent you two?" Duan Ling Tian asked in a calm voice as he stared fixedly at the two men. His dignified voice contained a sense of grimness.
Whoosh!
Instantly, a terrifying bloody intent swept out from Duan Ling Tian's body and enveloped the two men without any restraint....
The faces of the two men immediately went pale.
It was difficult for them to imagine how a youth that seemed to be around the age of 18 would actually have such a terrifying killing intent.
Instantly, an aura of slaughter arose from them as well, and it moved to counter Duan Ling Tian's killing intent.
Their two auras of slaughter gathered together, and only then did it barely stop Duan Ling Tian's bloody killing intent.
"Hmm?" Duan Ling Tian's brows knit as he felt the aura of the two men, and his ice-cold face eased up.
Only then did the two men heave sighs of relief and showed faces full of lingering fear.
Never in their dreams had they imagined that a little fellow at the ninth level of the Core Formation Stage was actually able to bring such terrifying pressure to them.
If it wasn't indeed a youth that stood before them, they would even think that this was a formidable man that had walked out from a terrifying battlefield....
"Go back and tell the Marquis that I appreciate his good intentions." Duan Ling Tian walked past the two middle-aged men after he finished speaking and directly left.
"You...You know who we are?" The two middle-aged men were slightly surprised.
"Humph! Such a strong aura of slaughter forms on the battlefield. Besides army officers who are veterans in battle, how many other people could possess it?" Under the focused gazes of the two middle-aged men, Duan Ling Tian's figure slowly disappeared into the distance, but the words that Duan Ling Tian left behind, however, made both their faces flush.
Veterans in battle?
Before that youth, they really felt ashamed to proclaim themselves as officers who were veterans in battle.
"Looks like the General has still underestimated this nephew of his." The thin, middle-aged man shook his head with a bitter smile on his face.
"Since it's come to this, then let's return... Moreover, not mentioning anything else, with just this ability of his, there's only a handful of people in the Su Clan who can do anything to him." The other middle-aged man had bitterness within the corners of his mouth as he slowly spoke.
Divine Might Marquis Estate.
Looking at his two favorite generals who stood before him with faces full of dejection and in low spirits, Divine Might Marquis Nie Yuan's face was full of astonishment. "Didn't I ask you two to protect that nephew of mine in secret? Why have you two returned?"
"General, don't joke with us. It's better if you get that nephew of yours to protect us." The thin middle-aged man shook his head. He felt a lingering fear in his heart when he recalled the scene from before....
Until now, he still couldn't wrap their heads around how exactly that violet-clothed youth with a cultivation at the ninth level of the Core Formation Stage could arrive behind them without them noticing in the slightest.
He could imagine how if the violet-clothed youth was substituted with an enemy that matched his strength, he would undoubtedly die!
Even though the other middle-aged man didn't speak, he nodded in deep agreement.
"What do you mean by this?" Nie Yuan frowned with a puzzled expression.
The two people before him were both his trusted generals that had swept through all opposition on the battlefield, and they could only be compared to a few people.
But now, these two men seemed depressed and listless.
It was difficult for him to imagine what exactly happened that would cause his two favorite generals to become like this.
Eventually, under the narration of the two men, Nie Yuan found out the ins and outs of the matter...
"He noticed the tracks of you two at the first possible moment?"
"Dodged past your tracking, and when you both were unaware in the slightest, he slipped behind you two?" Nie Yuan had a face full of disbelief. Although he knew that this nephew of his was mysterious, never had he imagined it would be to such an extent....
"Ru Feng, what sort of little freak did you give life to?" The corners of Nie Yuan's mouth twitched, and his eyes flashed with a traces of a jealous and envious brilliance.
The youth being able to cultivate to the ninth level of the Core Formation Stage at the age of 18 and even becoming a Grade Nine Alchemist had already caused him to be surprised. But never had he imagined that besides all this, the youth still had such a terrifying ability.
Ordinary people might think nothing of the youth's ability in tracking and counter tracking, but as a figure akin to a god of war in the Crimson Sky Kingdom, a man who'd walked out of the battlefield, he was able to deeply perceive how terrifying such an ability was.
If he had such an ability, it would also mean that sneaking into the enemy's camp would be like walking into a deserted place!
Even if it was assassinating the enemy camp's grand general, it wouldn't be a difficult task!
The appointed day arrived three days later as scheduled.
Duan Ling Tian once again arrived at the Divine Might Marquis Estate.
Within the audience hall, the Divine Might Marquis Nie Yuan passed over the stack of information in his hand to Duan Ling Tian. "Little Tian, these are the things you wanted."
"Thank you, Uncle Nie. If there's nothing else, then I'll...." After getting the things he needed, Duan Ling Tian was prepared to leave.
However, would Nie Yuan let him leave?
"Wait." Nie Yuan looked at Duan Ling Tian and his eyes narrowed before he lightly smiled. "Little Tian, I think we should chat...."
"Chat about what?" Duan Ling Tian had a face full of vigilance, because he noticed that Nie Yuan had a fox-like smile on his face.
"Two days ago, didn't you manage to slip behind my two favorite generals without them noticing it in the slightest?" Nie Yuan looked at Duan Ling Tian with a burning gaze.
"Uncle Nie, you want to chat about this?" Duan Ling Tian came to an understanding. He thought it would be something important.
"I've thought about it, and if this ability of yours is able to be widely utilized within the army, I would surely be able to construct an extremely successful team... I would be able to go deep into the enemy army as if it was a deserted place and take the head of the enemy's commander as if it taking it out of my pocket!" When Nie Yuan spoke about armies going to war, his body unconsciously emitted an iron-blooded aura of slaughter.
Duan Ling Tian couldn't help but be surprised. As expected of the Crimson Sky Kingdom's God of War, just this aura of slaughter far surpassed that of the two men he encountered two days ago.
"Uncle Nie, you want me to pass on this ability to you?" Duan Ling Tian guessed Nie Yuan's intentions.
"Exactly." Nia Yuan's eyes shone as he nodded. "If you're willing, Uncle Nie can agree to any of your requests."
Duan Ling Tian rolled his eyes at Nie Yuan. "Uncle Nie, I removed the poison from grandfather Nie, so you seem to still owe me a great favor, right?"
Nie Yuan laughed embarrassedly and rubbed his fists together. He was truly interested in that ability of Duan Ling Tian's.
"Uncle Nie." Duan Ling Tian looked at Nie Yuan with a serious expression. "That ability of mine, if you want to learn it, it can't be said to be difficult nor not difficult, neither can it be said to be easy or not easy... But it isn't something that can be learned in a short amount of time."
"I naturally understand this. Just like how when armies go to battle, it requires experiences accumulated over a long period in order to become an army that's won a thousand battles." Nie Yuan nodded, as he didn't feel this to be strange at all.
"Since it's like this... Then send two people to me, Uncle Nie. I think the two men you sent to protect me the other time aren't bad. Ask them to follow me for a period of time and I'll surely be able to let them completely grasp this ability of mine." The corners of Duan Ling Tian's mouth curled at an angle as he slowly spoke.
"Your appetite is really big, kid. Do you know that they're both top generals under my command!?" Nie Yuan derided. "However, they probably wouldn't refuse if I asked them to follow you and learn."
Just as Nie Yuan said that, the gazes of the two men that Nie Yuan had sent to protect Duan Ling Tian in secret shone brightly. The moment they heard that Duan Ling Tian was going to teach them that mysterious ability of tracking and counter tracking, even their breathing became hurried.
They had experienced Duan Ling Tian's ability and were able to estimate how much they would benefit once they mastered that ability.
Nie Yuan's gaze focused as he glanced at Duan Ling Tian and asked, "Little Tian, how long would they need to learn for?"
"What? Uncle Nie's unwilling to part with them? Don't worry, I'll need a year's time at most... After a year, even if they're unable to reach the level I'm at, they will surely be able to master the key points. At that point, they will only need more practice before catching up to me sooner of later." Duan Ling Tian smiled as he said this with a face full of confidence.
"One year? That isn't too long." Nie Yuan's brows knitted as he nodded.
"However...." Duan Ling Tian looked at Nie Yuan and hesitated to speak.
"What? What other request do you have?" Nie Yuan asked.
"Uncle Nie, during this year, I hope that they can completely become my people and only listen to my orders... Anyone else, including you, has no right to order them! I require complete control over them." Duan Ling Tian proclaimed his request. "If you're unable to do this, then everything we've spoken about earlier can be considered to be canceled."
Nie Yuan lightly frowned, but he eased up before long and shook his head. "Never mind, it's up to you... I presume you probably have a sense of limit when you do things."
The current Nie Yuan, however, didn't know that this decision of his would become the decision he regretted the most in his entire lifetime... In the days that were to come, he would realize that there was no concept of limits within this nephew of his.
Duan Ling Tian laughed. "Deal!"
Duan Ling Tian looked at the two middle-aged men as he asked, "What're your names?"
The thin and tall middle-aged man didn't dare hesitate. "Young Master Ling Tian, I'm Zhang Qian."
The other man of middle stature respectfully said, "Young Master Ling Tian, I'm Zhao Gang."
"In the future, you two can directly call me Young Master," Duan Ling Tian said indifferently.
"Yes, Young Master." Zhang Qian and Zhao Gang hurriedly replied with extreme respect.
Although the cultivation of the youth before them was nothing in their eyes, the youth's abilities in other areas caused them to have heartfelt admiration.
"Uncle Nie, I'll be taking them and leaving." Although it was only for a year, obtaining two Brave Generals at the seventh level of the Nascent Soul Stage for nothing still caused Duan Ling Tian to be extremely delighted.
This time, Nie Yuan didn't escort Duan Ling Tian out.
He was really worried he would regret it!
He had a feeling that this nephew of his was no ordinary person.
"I hope he doesn't cause any trouble...." A bitter smile appeared on Nie Yuan's face.