Volume 4: Hidden Battles – Chapter 172: The Desolate Plateau

The tip of Chu Tianyu’s sword pointed precisely at the spot where the shadow had just stood. Even from such a distance, the shadow could feel the intense coldness of the sword’s edge and retreated several steps. Only after reacting did it seem to awaken—realizing who this person was and how formidable his power was, to the point of being terrifying.

It was clear the opponent had detected him long ago. The successive shocks and coldness had already thrown the shadow into chaos, stripping it of any courage to stay. Ignoring its subordinates, it turned and fled at full speed, knowing the opponent didn’t intend to kill it immediately but was merely showing off. Yet even this display was enough to fill it with fear and dread.

After sending the shadow fleeing with a single sword strike, Chu Tianyu didn’t make any further moves. He remained in his stance, coldly scanning the seven holy knights present, each holding a broken sword.

In fact, Chu Tianyu had let Gler go partly because of a strange sensation—he sensed that despite the shadow’s high level of holy power, making it the second strongest person in Europe after Fernand, he couldn’t detect the slightest trace of life force in it, as if it were merely a corpse with a shell.

Thus, Chu Tianyu didn’t act rashly this time. Instead, he deliberately displayed an arrogant demeanor, showing off his supreme skills while appearing proud and conceited.

At that moment, not only were the holy knights holding broken sword handles shocked by Chu Tianyu’s powerful strike—so sudden they couldn’t react—but even the priests behind them were deeply stunned by the collapse of their defensive barriers and the scene before them, a shock beyond description.

“Drop your weapons, or die!” Chu Tianyu said coldly in English, regardless of whether they could understand. After all, those who hold life and death in their hands need not care about those about to die!

The holy knights glanced at the broken sword handles in their hands. If this were even considered a weapon, they certainly wouldn’t drop it. But holding it now was awkward—not only would it be a burden but also a source of humiliation. Chu Tianyu’s words left them in an awkward situation, unsure whether to throw it away or keep it.

Seeing that they showed no reaction at all, Chu Tianyu smiled faintly again and said, “Good. You have backbone. But I wonder if you’ll still have such determination later.” With that, he thrust his long sword forward in a swift strike. A piercing sound filled the air. Though it seemed like a simple forward thrust, its power was such that the seven leading holy knights didn’t dare neglect it for even a moment. They quickly reformed their formation. The two at the front roared like fierce beasts, their clothes tearing open to reveal their muscular bodies. Their four fists, glowing with holy energy, were thrown forward simultaneously, creating a wall of light. The five behind them were also ready, brimming with fighting spirit.

At that moment, atop the wall of light formed by the two front holy knights, the priests added another layer of defense, followed by a red light shield that instantly raised their strength by a level. The wall of light expanded several times over, and it collided violently with Chu Tianyu’s charging sword with a loud “boom!”

Chu Tianyu’s sword seemed unaffected at all, continuing its unstoppable advance. Even before its blade reached them, the spiral-shaped energy it generated already began to constrict the bodies of the two holy knights. The intense force not only pierced through their muscled chests but also continued surging backward…

However, just as Chu Tianyu’s sword was unstoppable, the five holy knights hiding behind them, as if by some unspoken agreement, darted to the sides, creating an opening. They infused their broken sword handles with holy energy and threw them at Chu Tianyu, then attacked him from the flanks, taking advantage of what they thought was his exhausted attack pattern.

It seemed they had planned to sacrifice two of their comrades to gain such an attack opportunity. Clearly, they had no hope of defeating Chu Tianyu or withstanding his strike, so they resorted to this despicable tactic, risking their comrades’ lives to create an opening for themselves.

And clearly, it worked—those two comrades had indeed created an excellent opportunity for an attack…

But it also disappointed them. If they had been alive, they would have realized their deaths were utterly pointless! For although their comrades had found an opportunity to attack, they had no chance of succeeding.

After delivering that fatal attack, Chu Tianyu paid no attention to the broken sword handles or the attacks from both sides. With a mere flicker of his figure, he seemed to vanish right before everyone’s eyes, causing all attacks to miss completely. As the holy knights were puzzled, screams of agony came from behind them—five screams almost at the same time, demonstrating just how fast and precise Chu Tianyu’s attacks were, beyond imagination. Even the remaining holy knights could not escape their accomplices’ fate. By the time Chu Tianyu turned around and reappeared before them, his giant sword had already become their death sentence. The broad and sharp blade moved swiftly up and down under his control; such a large sword seemed like a toy in his hands, handled with ease and at lightning speed. Its size did not slow him down at all. On the contrary, the rapid flashes of the sword and its astonishing angles made the few remaining enemies feel a chill down their spines before they died without even a chance to scream. When Chu Tianyu’s massive sword sliced through their throats, its speed was so fast that they had no time to react. By the time the blade returned to his hand, it wasn’t even stained with blood, as if it hadn’t moved at all, still emitting its distinctive white glow. Olin the Knight fell to the ground again, this time without anyone to support him. He had witnessed the entire process firsthand. The horror of Chu Tianyu had already numbed him; he had known this clearly from their first encounter. Chu Tianyu glanced at the battlefield—the one-sided fight was nearing its end. The few remaining enemies were only holding on a little longer thanks to their superior skills. So, he slowly walked over to the priest lying on the ground. By then, Fernandi had also arrived beside him. “Brother, see if you can get any more information. My language skills are limited; I can only speak simply. So I’ll leave the rest to you. Fernandi and Bogulei should head back to the castle now. The timing isn’t good at all!” Chu Tianyu said to Fernandi. “Hehe, no problem. Working with you is great, but being your enemy is not fun at all—really not fun at all,” Fernandi said with a smile. “That’s why you chose us as friends, right?” Chu Tianyu replied with a slight smile as well.

“Wrong! It’s not a choice—it’s an eternal choice!” Fernandi said seriously.
Chu Tianyu smiled after hearing this and returned a knowing look.
The priest on the ground seemed to understand Chinese. As Archbishop Thorne’s top advisor, based on the current situation and those few words, he could clearly deduce their ultimate goal. But obviously, it was already too late—because as Chu Tianyu turned to leave, Fernandi, with a sinister grin, began scanning him from head to toe with a malicious gaze…
By the time Chu Tianyu arrived at the castle with elite fighters like Bogulei, the battle was indeed nearing its end. Only a few families still held onto their meager forces, struggling to hold on.
With a prearranged signal, the Duke of Orsini’s men suddenly appeared from various places around the castle, coordinating with Bogulei’s forces to launch a fierce counterattack against the vampires and the Englishmen from Gleyr.
The situation changed drastically, and the balance of power reversed instantly. Especially with Bogulei leading these men, along with the support of the Fallen Sky Mercenaries, they acted like a fresh force. Working in pairs or small groups of three or four, they maximized their offensive power through seamless coordination. If Bogulei’s elite were battle experts, then the Fallen Sky Mercenaries were killing experts—no unnecessary moves, no wasted words, only ruthless efficiency and bloodshed.
So when the vampires thought they were facing the same type of enemies they had just fought, it took several rounds before they realized they had misjudged their opponents’ strength! But making mistakes in battle meant paying with death, so those who fell could never learn from their errors again!
Under such circumstances, Chu Tianyu saw no need to join the fight, especially since he still had to deal with those remaining families. For him, the best option now was to find a small tavern, have a few drinks, celebrate in advance, call Ouyang Ziyi and Li Rou, and then wait for Orsini to finish his show and get everything ready before heading straight for Rome to fulfill Fernandi’s greatest desire—a desire for conquest!
After thinking this through, Chu Tianyu suddenly felt a profound emptiness, sensing that everything had come too easily, without any challenge or difficulty at all.

Could it be that the “Desert of Solitude” mentioned by his masters before has arrived? What is the Desert of Solitude? It is a metaphorical term in the realm of cultivation, referring to the stagnation that occurs when one’s cultivation reaches a certain level. At this point, it can no longer be overcome through mere diligence and effort; instead, it usually requires sudden enlightenment or a certain opportunity to advance to a higher level, which naturally brings about a significant improvement in one’s skills and mental energy.

However, those who can break through this Desert of Solitude are extremely rare. His third master, Kuang Ru, reached this stage, to the point where he abandoned the Xuanji Sect altogether and, like his other masters, Bu Zhan and Xian Yun, traveled the world in search of new breakthroughs in martial arts cultivation. But given Kuang Ru’s skills, his period of the Desert of Solitude was incomparably shorter compared to others.

Moreover, Kuang Ru’s experience with this Desert of Solitude was even longer and more difficult than others’, largely due to the powerful presence of the Xuanji Sect behind him, which made his martial arts cultivation even more challenging.

Although Chu Tianyu has not yet reached any bottleneck or plateau in terms of cultivation skills, his state of mind gives him this feeling. Especially lately, whether dealing with fake divine souls domestically, Tianxing Group, or even during the most difficult times when possessed by the Black Dragon, he has never felt any sense of challenge. He simply carried out what needed to be done according to his plan and completed it smoothly, without any difficulty!

Many tasks that would seem insurmountable to ordinary people are as easy as child’s play for him. Apart from his extraordinary cultivation skills, the powerful Xuanji Sect is also extremely strong, not to mention the support from the Chu family, Shaolin, Qin Nianran, Ouyang Ziyi, Bai Lei, and others. With such overwhelming strength, even if Chu Tianyu had no personal power at all, he would still have the ability to command the elements.

Especially during his time in Europe, he was completely unrestrained—fighting, killing, plundering—all freely. He could do whatever he wanted without any constraints, allowing him to truly “relax and unwind.”

At first, this feeling might bring excitement and enthusiasm, but over time, as it neared its end, it left him confused and uncertain about the direction he should pursue. Could it be that, like his masters, he should put everything aside and chase those elusive ultimate goals in martial arts?

It’s obviously impossible. Not to mention Chu Tianyu is still under twenty years old now, he’s reluctant to part with Ouyang Ziyi and Li Rou, let alone his family, masters, and Xue Feifei with whom he shares a harmonious relationship through his flute and sword…
So, in the battle that could be seen as a “harvest” for them, Chu Tianyu never showed up again. Instead, when Bogule led his men forward, he quietly retreated, gathered his energy, and in just a few moments, flew away to a secluded part of the forest. There, sitting alone on a platform, he wondered if he too had fallen into a state of loneliness, at least mentally…
On the other side, as Chu Tianyu had predicted, Duke Orsini used his exceptional eloquence to explain the sudden withdrawal of his castle’s forces. He also described Bogule, who had just been labeled as an unforgivable traitor and ungrateful wretch, now appearing as a heroic figure proudly commanding his men to clean up the battlefield. The hidden truth behind this was needless to say.
Duke Orsini explained how he had devised a strategy of deception, getting Bogule to rebel with fake insignias and launch a surprise attack on Thorne’s loyal forces. Relying on all the castle’s elite troops, they successfully resisted and prevented a devastating final attack on the castle.
He emphasized that although their surprise attack was successful, the disparity in strength was still enormous, and he paid a heavy price for it. Only after personally leading reinforcements did they manage to wipe them out, then turning back with the remaining troops to hold the castle together.
With his explanation, the remaining members of the family finally understood. But as for some details, such as why they weren’t informed in advance, Duke Orsini explained it away by citing the need for secrecy and ensuring the success of the surprise attack. Just then, a priest fromOlympus was brought in—mercenaries who had been tortured by Fernand into unrecognizable shapes but still clinging to life. His arrival was more convincing than any explanation, dispelling the last doubts in the families’ minds. For the priest’s presence meant that Thorne’s own loyal forces had arrived.

So, calculated in this way, the Duke Orsini’s approach was truly the best choice—allowing him to not only retain the castle but also achieve ultimate victory. His strategic precision is undeniable, and as for the huge losses they suffered, they had no choice but to accept them; they couldn’t blame the Duke Orsini for leaving them to fight alone, after all, the enemies they faced were even stronger, and the losses were undoubtedly catastrophic.
With this explanation, the next steps became simple. Of course, it was the Duke Orsini who took the lead, once again tormenting the poor Priest Olin, then condemning Thorne’s atrocities, before gathering everyone back in the meeting room to discuss countermeasures against Rome.
“Chu, what are you thinking about?” Fernando found the lost-in-thought Chu Tianyu using a special method.
Chu Tianyu had noticed him as soon as he entered the dense forest, so he wasn’t surprised at all by his appearance. “Nothing, bro. How’s things on your end? Did you find anything out?”