Shentu Nian

[1]

stood next to a collapsed Stone Catapult Cart, quietly watching this Yunqin city under the fine rain.

The Purgatory Mountain divine robes he wore didn’t allow any of the fine rain to pass through, to the extent where there were even wisps of heat that were released, the rainwater around his body turning into white steam.

The current East Scenery City before his eyes looked extremely peaceful. Behind the openings in the city walls, one could vaguely make out green eaves and black tiles, as well as some mottled white walls. Under the fine rain, they possessed a unique type of aesthetic.

However, as one of Great Mang’s seven army generals, the chief commander of all of the Great Mang soldiers gathered outside East Scenery City, he understood extremely clearly that there would be countless traps inside the city, as well as many cultivators one might not normally be able to find even in Central Continent City.

Just who was it that served as the main commander of this city’s defense?

While looking at this city’s current stance, Shentu Nian’s brows furrowed tightly together. He knew that this was definitely the most terrifying opponent he had ever encountered up until now.

A Great Mang general dressed in Sky Devil Heavy Armor

[2]

walked up to Shentu Nian.

The fine raindrops slid along his long metal cape, drawing out scale-like shapes along the metal cloak’s fine metal lines.

Shentu Nian turned around to give him a look, reaching out his hands and cupping his fists.

“We are beginning now?” This Great Mang commander subconsciously said this in reply.

Shentu Nian didn’t show any annoyed expression, only nodding his head. “I understand some of the opponent’s intentions. The longer we wait, the more disadvantageous it will be for us.”

The Great Mang general dressed in Sky Devil Heavy Armor no longer said any useless words, turning around to make a hand gesture and releasing a low shout.

A black and red colored military banner covered in all types of weapon punctured holes was raised on a Great Mang mobile platform.

Ocean wave-like shouts and roars sounded within the densely packed Great Mang army.

East Scenery City’s walls suddenly shook. A lot of dust that didn’t fall even under the Stone Catapult Carts’ bombardment scattered down.

The entire Great Mang army moved.

…

On the Divine Wooden Flying Crane, under the rumbling noise of what felt like an ocean wave sweeping through the entire world, Bian Linghan’s expression suddenly became extremely serious.

She took a deep breath, taking in the damp and cold air in the sky, allowing herself to become more calm and clear-headed.

It was because from this moment on, she would serve as Lin Xi’s eyes, the hand that passed on some of Lin Xi’s orders.

…

Dong!

On corner towers of all sides, the Yunqin drummers who had already waited for a long time began to strike the drums at the same time.

The forceful and oppressive sounds penetrated the rain, entering the city.

Within a street that was filled with short and low shops, Jiang Xiaoyi who stood within a group of black-armored Yunqin soldiers suddenly stopped. He turned around to look in the distant city wall’s direction.

Within the resounding drum sounds, he heard a 

gulu

 noise. It was the sound of a Yunqin soldier swallowing his saliva.

He turned around, his eyes landing on a short and robust Yunqin soldier with an ordinary face. He exhaled, easing the nervous expression that built up within him, and then asked this short and strong Yunqin soldier in a casual tone, “Where are you from?”

This short and strong Yunqin soldier swallowed again, tightly gripping the bandages on the long blade in his hands

[3]

, mumbling, “Yunqin.”

The surrounding Yunqin army soldiers immediately erupted into laughter.

At this time, these Yunqin soldiers seemed to feel like there wasn’t much to be scared of anymore either. A Yunqin soldier, under the roaring laughter, said in mockery, “Yu Tiezhu, who doesn’t know that you are from Yunqin? Sir Jiang was asking where in Yunqin you are from, yet you said you are from Yunqin, are you trying to make us die from laughter?”

This short and robust Yunqin soldier instead became a bit annoyed, saying crudely, “Either way, we are all from Yunqin, so it’s not wrong. We are all Yunqin people.”

When these words sounded, this street suddenly became quiet.

Jiang Xiaoyi smiled and said, “You are correct, we are all Yunqin people.”

“Right, who cares where we are from? We are all Yunqin people!” Quite a few people began to shout.

…

Tang Chuqing was currently standing next to a City Defending Crossbow on the city walls.

He already handed all of his arrangements to Lin Xi. From now on, he only needed to serve like an ordinary soldier, an ordinary cultivator, obey the orders Lin Xi gave him to fight this battle.

That was why right now, since he already completely unloaded his own burden, he now felt extremely carefree, he even had enough time to come here to give Great Mang’s army a look. While looking at the ancient, blood-soaked and extremely heavy banner, that tattered black war banner that only had some bloodstains left a look, the corners of his lips revealed a hint of mockery. He said to the dozen or so Yunqin soldiers next to him in charge of operating these City Defending Crossbows, “What decade are they living in? Nanmo Country has already been wiped out for so many years… yet they actually brought out the banner Nanmo Country used to attack Meteor City, using this ancient grudge to boost morale? This really is a bit too senseless.”

The Yunqin soldiers beside him didn’t know his identity too clearly, but when they heard him say this, several soldiers also released cold snorts. “Exactly, these Great Mang barbarians really have no tricks left, even bringing out this type of shameful thing.”

Tang Chuqing looked at this group of crude Yunqin soldiers, releasing a chuckle. Then, he said seriously, “When the orders to withdraw from the city walls are given, you all must run a bit faster.”

These Yunqin soldiers didn’t respond, unknown if it was because they didn’t take it to heart or if it was because they were too preoccupied to listen to his words.

It was because at this time, Great Mang’s army already advanced towards East Scenery City from all sides at the same time, pushing forward in formation.

“That’s more like it.”

While looking at the densely packed Great Mang army that seemed to fill the entire overcast world, Tang Chuqing’s eyes narrowed slightly, instead saying this to himself.

Right now, in Great Mang’s army, the ones moving at the front weren’t the heavy armored troops or heavy cavalry that was often used, but rather ordinary blade and shield wielding infantry.

These infantry soldiers moved in rows of three, a set distance in front of and behind each individual. Moreover, their speed of advance wasn’t that fast either.

“You all want to occupy the city walls before the sky darkens?”

Tang Chuqing thought for a bit, said this to himself, and then he opened an umbrella, moving along the city walls towards a corner tower.

The Divine Wooden Flying Crane moved quickly around East Scenery City’s walls.

East Scenery City was extremely big. Even if the Divine Wooden Flying Crane had speed several times that of horses, it was still difficult for it to immediately circle the entire city.

Chi!

A dark red arrow flew out from Natural Course Temple, nailing itself into a crude wooden watchtower that was more than four hundred steps agway.

A black-armored Yunqin officer used the fastest speed to remove the arrow nailed to the wooden pile next to him, undoing the small scroll bound to the arrow. He immediately began to wave flags to send signals.

The flag signals were quickly transmitted to several highest points in the city.

A high ranking officer who always had a Brass Hawkeye raised loudly shouted orders through the roaring wind and rain, transmitting Lin Xi’s orders to Bian Linghan. “Sir Lin has ordered you to evacuate the city walls defenders based on your own judgment of the speed at which Great Mang’s army is advancing!”

“Just like that?”

Bian Linghan forcefully blinked her eyes, squeezing out a drop of rain in her eyes, inwardly saying this. Right now, her expression was calm and extremely cold… only thinking that according to their previous arrangements, only if a cultivator at the peak of State Master level or higher appeared, or if the other party’s main leader appeared, would she use Big Black… This way, the best result would be if the enemy’s main leader entered her line of sight, then she could use Big Black with all her strength, fire an arrow at him.

…

Great Mang’s army got closer and closer to the city wall.

More and more figures looked larger, their bodies becoming more and more clear. The Yunqin soldiers on the city walls could even vaguely make out the tense, impatient, feverish and many other expressions on their faces.

The military drums already sounded in a rhythmic manner.

The war drums on the city walls all played the same rhythm. Whenever a beat sounded, it shook heaven and earth, making one’s mind tremble.

The Yunqin giant Stone Catapult Carts behind the city walls already began to rumble with noise, throwing out half house sized boulders. They smashed through the rain, bringing roars of death as they smashed into Great Mang’s formation. Whenever a large boulder fell, they would send bits of flesh and limbs flying.

The Great Mang infantry troops who swarmed over while maintaining a set distance between each row exceeded thirty thousand.

Right now, the overwhelming majority of these thirty thousand infantry army long entered the range of the City Defending Crossbows, as well as most of the fixed crossbow machines and blade carts. However, there was still an expanse of deathly stillness on the city walls, not a single crossbow arrow descended.

In the massive and endless Great Mang army, there was a Great Mang soldier who suddenly couldn’t handle this city before him, the giant pressure that came from this silent city wall. His complexion suddenly became deathly pale, throwing away the weapon in his hands, turning around to run.

However, before he turned around, a Great Mang Military Governor with two green flags on his back instantly continuously took five steps. The long blade in his hands flashed, directly cutting off this Great Mang soldier’s head.

An expression of fear still remained frozen on this Great Mang soldier’s face. As his head tumbled through the air, the blood gushing out from his neck rushed even higher.

“Cowardly warrior, die!”

The Military Governor who hacked off this Great Mang soldier’s head raised the large blade in his hands that was still dripping with blood with an expressionless face, coldly saying this, his appearance right now indescribably mighty.

All types of things were taking place on the battlefield.

This was only one small scene on this battlefield.

However, it just happened to enter the eyes of a black-armored Yunqin officer on the city walls.

“Old Cheng, do you have confidence in shooting down that Great Mang Military Governor?”

This black-armored Yunqin officer said this coldly, asking a grizzled haired, slightly stopped old soldier next to him.

“I should be able to… should I?” This grizzled haired old soldier chuckled, replying with his thick northern Yunqin accent. His forehead was covered in wrinkles.

“Have him die, moreover quickly!” The black-armored Yunqin officer sneered. “He seems domineering right now, we are going to be more domineering than him.”

The grizzled haired old soldier didn’t hesitate at all. Through the front sight of the crossbow machine, he immediately began to quickly make some adjustments. This crossbow that was originally aimed at one of the openings on the city wall, under a wave of smooth metal grinding sounds, moved and took aim.

Right now, all of the Yunqin soldiers on the city walls, including the surveying guards and drum masters, only numbered two thousand five hundred.

However, when facing the densely packed Great Mang infantry army of thirty thousand, all of these Yunqin soldiers next to these crossbow machines instead seemed abnormally calm, abnormally arrogant, as if they were unequalled in this world.

“Die!”

The grizzled haired old soldier forcefully brandished his hand, using his thick northern Yunqin accent to shout this out.

Ka!

A robust black-armored Yunqin soldier who had long been ready brought down the metal hammer in his hands, smashing the capstan’s fastener free.

This crossbow machine that still looked calm just now released a miserable sound, as if it was venting out all of the fighting spirit and anger plugged up in these Yunqin soldiers’ chests.

Under rapid metal hinge sounds and sounds of crossbow arrows piercing through the air, a crossbow arrow that was the thickness of a child’s arm fired out along the preset trajectory.

That Great Mang Military Governor had just lowered the bloody broadsword in his hands, about to continue forward. Before he could make any evasive movements, this giant crossbow arrow already tore through the sky, piercing through his body, and then sent his entire body flying another five or six meters. Then following a giant blast of blood, he was fiercely nailed to the ground!

“Not bad! Adjusting this quickly, firing this precisely, this is definitely the work of a skilled veteran.” On the city walls, many Yunqin soldiers saw this scene. A black-armored Yunqin officer among them said with a sigh of admiration. He then looked towards that city wall opening, nodding and saying, “It’s about time. We are starting!”

Ka!

When his voice had just dropped, hand just raised, several crossbow machines beside him released rumbling sounds at the same time. Crossbow arrows carried the roars of the reaper, fiercely falling into the Great Mang formations in front of the city wall openings, producing blasts of bloody mist.

These crossbow arrows served as the prologue’s unveiling.

Loud metal noises continuously sounded on the previously silent city walls. Countless crossbow arrows shattered the curtain of rain, appearing in the skies, and then descended.

1. One of Great Mang’s seven great generals 

B11C48

2. Only elite disciples of Purgatory mountain with power exceeding peak stage Soul Master have a chance of obtaining this armor 

B7C11

3. Yunqin border army soldiers wrap cloth strips on their blades. Tang Ke showed a certain fighting method, a life and death gambling opportunity to Lin Xi in 

B2C25

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