Chapter 1018: The Slaughter Begins
If King Slayer excelled at assassination and ambushes, and Wildland Suppression excelled at long-distance travels and raids, then Barbarian Slayer were best at frontal assaults and breaking formations.
As a result, all soldiers of Barbarian Slayer wore heavy armor. They carried a halberd on their back and a Chu saber on their waist. They were tall, muscular, and brutish like a beast. They were very much unlike your standard citizens of Chu, who were renowned for their elegant and refined appearance.
This was due to Barbarian Slayer’s tradition and their standard martial art. The large majority of Barbarian Slayers were Strangerkins, and they all practiced a martial art called the “Profound Shell Monster Making Art”. Those who cultivated this art could activate their Stranger bloodline and rapidly grow their strength.
Of course, the “Profound Shell Monster Making Art” came with huge flaws. It gave swift returns in the sense that it activated one’s Stranger bloodline and rapidly grew their strength, but it came at the cost of the practitioner’s health. Moreover, the longer one practiced the “Profound Shell Monster Making Art”, the more their Stranger bloodline would be activated, and the easier it was for them to lose control. It was common for a soldier of Barbarian Slayer to suffer a bloodline backlash and ultimately transform into a Stranger.
This was why everyone in Barbarian Slayer was unusually tall, muscular, and violent. This was also why Barbarian Slayer was notorious for their bloodthirstiness and formidability. Aggressive and fearless, their infamy was known throughout Nanjiang. If one were to judge the four armies based on their ferocity and resilience alone, then Barbarian Slayer was absolutely the top of the group.
However, their greatest strength was also their greatest weakness. Those affected by their Stranger bloodline were excessively irritable, warlike, and bloodthirsty. They were easily the most undisciplined and rule-disregarding troops out of the entire Nanjiang Pacification Army.
This was why the soldiers of Barbarian Slayer were scattered haphazardly throughout the forest and marching at differing paces. If not for the equipment they were wearing, one could be forgiven into thinking that they were a band of mountain bandits instead of soldiers. They painted a stark contrast compared to King Slayer and Wildland Suppression.
Ding dong…
It was at this moment a qin began playing from the forest, crisp and melodious.