manynovel Chapter 165 Destroying the City, Military Formation
Chapter 165 Destroying the City, Military Formation
Chapter 165 Destroying the City, Military Formation
Arrows rained down, obscuring most of Tianyong City.
Whether they were wandering martial artists or disciples of the five sects, they were all greatly shocked by this silvery rain of light.
The quantity is too much.
"With such a show of force, does the imperial court intend to send another 100,000-strong army to conquer Hidden Sword Peak?"
Bai Zhanfeng's face was grim as he recalled a bad memory.
Many years ago, when the imperial court launched a campaign against Cangjian Peak, it was also a very large-scale operation.
If it weren't for the intervention of the Supreme Elder Wan Jinghan, Hidden Sword Peak would probably be gone by now.
This time, it will probably be the same as last time. However, this time there is no Wan Jinghan, only a grandmaster from the Zixia Sect in charge.
Even among grandmasters, there are differences. Wan Jinghan is among the strongest, while the strength of that grandmaster from the Zixia Sect is unknown because he hasn't made a move in many years.
"All disciples of Hidden Sword Peak at the Qi Condensation Realm, join me in this attack."
Bai Zhanfeng summoned his divine weapon, made a sword incantation with his hands, and split countless sword energies to block the falling arrows as much as possible.
The elders and disciples of Hidden Sword Peak followed closely behind. Those with cultivation levels above the Condensation Realm all summoned spiritual artifacts and divine weapons to protect the surrounding area.
The sword light illuminated the sky, its aura chilling.
Some martial arts practitioners with slightly weaker cultivation levels only glanced at the sky before their eyes were stung by the continuous sword energy.
"As expected of the leader of the five sects, as expected of the sword cultivator who is known as the one who can break through all laws with a single sword."
Upon seeing the sky filled with sword energy, Lu Dayong exclaimed in admiration, then decisively unleashed his pure Purple Cloud True Essence.
He removed the cap from the porcelain bottle in his hand, and a thick plume of blue-purple smoke shot into the sky, spreading into a blue-purple canopy in the air.
Beside him, the members of the Zixia Sect all made their moves, their energy converging to expand the cloud canopy in the sky.
The Zixia Sect excels at manipulating the changes in smoke and clouds; only the Xiangshi Sect can compare to them.
The other sects also took action one after another, either unleashing large areas of fire in the air or simply releasing their true energy to protect a specific area.
Those areas not protected by them could only be filled by wandering martial artists, or left to ravage by arrows.
Li Mang wielded his ghost-head broadsword, unleashing a sword strike that stretched for several meters, sweeping away a large number of arrows.
Black Crow Master unleashed a barrage of raven-feather-like hidden weapons to fill his gaps and precisely strike down the incoming arrows.
But for the rain of arrows falling on their area, this was still a drop in the ocean.
There were simply too many arrows, and neither of them were skilled at large-scale attacks, so many arrows still fell to the ground.
"Li Mang, watch out!"
Black Crow Hermit's pupils dilated instinctively, reflecting a sharp arrow flying towards Li Mang.
The opponent had just unleashed a strike, and was in a state where the old strength had dissipated and the new strength had not yet been generated, so he had no way to resist the flying arrow.
He was powerless to do so, as it was too late to launch his hidden weapons.
At the critical moment, the Blood Shadow appeared silently, slashing out blood-red arcs at a speed they couldn't even see. Moments later, the arcs exploded with blood flames, engulfing all the falling arrows.
The crisis was averted in an instant. Black Crow Hermit and Li Mang were still in shock when they saw the bloody figure blur and transform into a woman with white hair, defined features, and a face that was clearly different from that of the Daqian people.
"Thank you for saving me, Your Excellency." Li Mang clasped his hands in gratitude to the woman. As soon as he looked up, he saw several more bloody figures leaping out from all around him.
Elusive, blood-red shadows roamed the streets and alleys, past ruins, their movements swift and agile as they wielded their blood-red blades, precisely intercepting the incoming arrows.
Surrounded by so many blood-red figures, the relief of surviving the ordeal vanished, replaced by terror.
"What exactly are these things?"
Black Crow Hermit witnessed a blood-red shadow writhing on its surface, transforming into a man draped in black robes. This bizarre scene was playing out repeatedly around them.
If it were just one person like this, it could be explained by extraordinary martial arts skills.
But if a group of people do this, it becomes quite alarming.
None of the blood-red shadows surrounding them spoke; they simply changed their appearances and dispersed to intercept the arrows.
More and more people noticed these people who seemed to appear out of nowhere. Although they were curious, they had no interest in investigating them.
In this situation, every additional person who helps is a good thing.
Before long, the rain of arrows cleared, and they were given a brief respite.
"It's finally stopped," Su Youli recalled her divine weapon, turned to look at Mo Di, and asked with a hint of worry in her voice, "Are you alright?"
"What could possibly happen to me?" Mo Di shook his head and summoned back the Yuan Tu A Bi twin swords as well.
The massacre at Zeshan Village last time contributed a lot of Styx Death Qi to him, and now his mana bar still has a long way to go, enough even to fight against a Grandmaster.
Su Youli frowned and said, "The army outside the city has stopped firing arrows. Is Huangfu Chong in a large force?"
"Perhaps... he has already arrived."
Modi looked up again, towards the direction from which the rain of arrows had come, his eyes fixed on a beam of brilliant light piercing through the clouds and mist.
A powerful aura emanated from the celestial light, causing the clouds to change color. In an instant, the sky darkened, and all the light converged on that celestial light, making it the sole source of light.
The five elders' expressions all changed.
"A strange phenomenon in the heavens and earth; this is the power of a grandmaster."
An invisible pressure loomed over him, and Bai Zhanfeng's face instantly turned deathly pale. He turned to the leader of the Zixia Sect and asked, "Where is that person from the Zixia Sect? Aren't they going to make a move?"
The sect leader of the Zixia Sect, a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar, stroked his beard and said with a wry smile:
"I don't quite understand what my martial uncle means either, and I don't even know where he is now."
"You, you..." Bai Zhanfeng's temples throbbed with veins, and he didn't know what to say for a moment.
Grandmasters can wield the power of heaven and earth, are unrestrained, and their whereabouts are unpredictable. Those who stay in the Jian family all day, like their Supreme Elder Wan Jinghan, are the odd ones out.
"That light is coming down!"
A gasp erupted from the crowd. Bai Zhanfeng looked up again and saw the beam of light begin to fall, its speed increasing and its power becoming more and more terrifying.
Despair hovered over everyone, and as the light of day was about to fall to the ground, a faint sigh arose from nowhere.
"At your age, why are you still thinking about fighting and killing all the time?"
Five colorful clouds flew out from the five corners of Tianyong City, gathered together, and wove a net that gently covered the falling sunlight, completely enveloping it.
The colors of the clouds and smoke changed drastically, with all sorts of colors, some familiar and some not, appearing one by one before quickly disappearing.
Finally, its shape was completely fixed, becoming a tattered sack covered in patches, with the inside of the sack occasionally bulging, as if something was struggling inside.
After a while, the bag stopped making any noise and was firmly grasped by a withered hand.
The world returned to normal, and the sun shone on the earth again, shining equally on everyone.
A gaunt old man, Feng Xuyu, rode the wind, one hand gripping a cloth bag, the other hanging naturally at his sides. His cloudy eyes peered over the city wall, looking into the thick fog beyond.
He wore tattered clothes, the same style as the cloth bag, covered with patches. He was hunched over, his face deeply lined, and he looked no different from an ordinary old man.
Upon seeing the old man, the sect leader of Zixia Sect breathed a sigh of relief, finally putting his mind at ease.
He laughed and said, "My martial uncle has already made his move, everyone, there's no need to..."
A deafening roar interrupted him from what he was about to say.
Everyone turned their gaze toward the source of the sound, but all they could see was billowing smoke and dust.
The city wall was blasted open, and the collapsed bricks covered a large number of houses in the surrounding area, raising a lot of dust.
The sound of synchronized footsteps came from behind the dust, followed closely by the clanging of weapons and armor.
Everyone's heart pounded as they stared intently at the gradually dissipating dust.
Once the dust had completely settled, an army clad entirely in black armor stood silently at the breach in the city wall, like an iron sculpture, motionless.
Directly in front of the army, an old general with graying temples rode a tall horse, carrying a longbow on his back, holding a spear in his hand, and with a quiver of arrows hanging at his waist. He stared blankly ahead, gazing at the old man in the cloth bag who was walking on air.
The moment their eyes met, the old man's robes were billowed by the wind, and the warhorse beneath the old general became restless.
"Huangfu Chong," the old man with the cloth bag spoke first, "After all these years, is this how you greet an old friend?"
Huangfu Chong slowly shook his head, his expression unchanged. "It is the emperor's decree, and I have no choice but to obey."
The old man with the cloth bag chuckled, slung the bag over his back, and said, "I heard that your emperor has become addicted to pills?"
How come you still have the mind to cause trouble for us?
"You must not speak ill of His Majesty." Huangfu Chong's expression changed for the first time, his eyes filled with anger mixed with a hint of helplessness. "Heh, are you still deceiving yourself? I've heard that more and more people are going missing in the capital recently. Where have all those missing people gone? You should know the answer to that perfectly well."
With a cold laugh, the old man with the cloth bag glanced at the army behind him and continued, "Looks like you haven't learned your lesson from last time. What's the point of bringing so many soldiers?"
"Wan Jinghan might pity their lives and only wound them without killing them, but I won't. In our battle, numbers won't determine the outcome."
"How will you know if you don't try?"
Huangfu Chong ignored his provocation, took a longbow from his back, and took an arrow from his quiver.
He nocked the arrow and drew the bow to its fullest extent.
He narrowed his eyes, locked onto his target, and the veins on his hands bulged.
The old man with the cloth bag suddenly felt a pang of fear. Without saying a word, he took off the cloth bag and opened it.
Although he had never fought Huangfu Chong, he knew that this veteran was not weak. Even with the stain of being defeated by Wan Jinghan with a single sword strike, this veteran was still a renowned master.
A moment later, the old general released the bowstring, and the arrow shot out like a streak of light, destroying buildings, streets, and people along its path.
Where the light passed, only a relatively flat ruin remained, large enough for many people to walk side by side.
The old man with the cloth bag's face darkened. He activated his divine weapon, the Five Qi Smoke Bag, and five colorful clouds of smoke billowed from its mouth to meet the streaks of light from the arrows.
An unexpected scene unfolded: just as the streak of light was about to collide with the smoke and clouds, it abruptly veered off course, bypassing the smoke and clouds, and continued to destroy all the buildings along its path, leaving behind a wide and straight road.
"Huangfu Chong, what exactly do you want to do?! There are still many civilians in the city!" he roared, and immediately manipulated the smoke and clouds to give chase.
"Damn it, it's too late. My smoke cloud can't keep up with his arrow."
Even though the old man with the cloth bag had not been angry for many years, he was now truly enraged.
Huangfu Chong remained expressionless. "This is... a necessary sacrifice."
Then, he sheathed his longbow, ignoring the lingering light, and raised his spear high, pointing it forward. "Soldiers, follow me!"
There was no response, no shouts of battle; all that could be heard was the synchronized movement of the black-armored soldiers behind him.
Squeezing their flanks and pulling on the reins, their energy merged into one, inseparable.
Following the path cleared by the streaks of arrows, they charged forward, trailing behind Huangfu Chong.
A powerful, overwhelming force swept over them, even the old man with the cloth bag was momentarily stunned.
This is because Huangfu Chong's current aura has surpassed that of most Grandmasters, including himself.
The entire army had become a unified whole. The combined strength of each soldier was transmitted to Huangfu Chong, the commander-in-chief, making him no longer just an individual, but integrated with the entire army.
Every movement is equivalent to the entire army exerting their strength together.
This was the first time the old man with the cloth bag had ever seen such a method, and he immediately realized the seriousness of the matter.
If this method were to be widely adopted, the first to suffer would be the Five Emperors, while the greatest beneficiary would be the imperial court.
"So that arrow just now was to allow the army to move freely through the city?" He glanced at the vast ruins and finally saw through Huangfu Chong's purpose, both shocked and furious.
However, the die was cast, and he could only deal with Huangfu Chong's next attack.
If he were to take Huangfu Chong's attack head-on, he would be severely injured, even if he didn't die.
To defeat Huangfu Chong, his army must be dismantled.
With this in mind, the old man with the cloth bag tossed the Five Qi Smoke Bag high into the air, spewing out more colorful smoke clouds that scattered and attacked the flanks of the army.
The colorful smoke clouds took on unpredictable shapes, resembling snakes and dragons, baring their fangs and claws, howling as they charged towards the soldiers on the flanks.
"All soldiers, listen to my command!"
Seeing dozens of plumes of smoke and clouds surging towards him, Huangfu Chong remained calm and simply let out a loud shout.
Without needing further explanation, the soldiers, whose spirits were intertwined, naturally understood his meaning. They quickly switched to longbows, nocked arrows, and fired at the descending cloud of serpents and dragons.
Sharp arrows easily pierced through the smoke and clouds, completely shattering the serpentine dragon within.
"Not only the commander-in-chief, but even the soldiers can share in the commander-in-chief's power?!" The old man with the cloth bag's eyes widened, and more smoke billowed from the bag, swirling around him.
At the same time, Huangfu Chong grinned maliciously, raised his spear high, and locked his aura onto the old man with the cloth bag, about to throw the spear.
Splash.
The sound of the waves grew louder as they approached, reaching everyone's ears.
"Waves? Where is there a river in Tianyong City?"
Huangfu Chong's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes turned serious.
In the distance, a black and red line suddenly appeared, revealing a river of unknown origin.
The dark red river swallowed the arrow he had just fired, and then surged and roared along the ruins from which the arrow had been fired.
"You're all faking it! I don't care if it's a real river or not, you're all dead!"
His surprise turned into murderous intent. He threw his spear, intending to crush the old man in the cloth bag and the strange river together.
During foggy times, the world is shrouded in darkness.