Chapter 153: Chapter 152: Attack_1
"Tidal Wave Unleashed!" The Lan Hai Sect Elder gestured with both hands, emitting a special aura. The energy of heaven and earth within a hundred-mile radius converged, flocking and surging toward him. Under his manipulation, this energy of heaven and earth transformed into a vast ocean in mid-air. The waves crashed, one after another, and every impact shattered the Void. Manipulating the energy of heaven and earth—such power belonged to a sorcerer!
"Go!" the Lan Hai Sect Elder commanded lightly. The vast ocean roared toward the Eighteen Riders of Yan Yun, its waves connecting to the sky, surging hundreds of feet high, seemingly capable of engulfing the world. This was the energy of heaven and earth, and yet, it was also man-made!
"Desert Crescent Blade!" The Eighteen Riders of Yan Yun roared aggressively, their killing intent resonating in the Void. Behind them, a vision of a desert appeared: a raging wind blew, and yellow sand obscured everything around. A crescent moon of blade Qi shot out from the desert. A horrifying, blood-colored Evil Qi rushed into the sky, its terrifying aura causing the Void to tremble.
"Hmm?" The Lan Hai Sect Elder felt a sudden chill, as if targeted by some terrifying creature. However, upon carefully looking around, he found nothing but his own towering waves.
It must be an illusion! the Lan Hai Sect Elder reassured himself. Within the same realm, no one could possibly break through the vast ocean, let alone the Eighteen Riders of Yan Yun, who hadn’t even reached the Saint Realm. But the more he thought this way, the more uneasy he became. His pores contracted all over his body, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
BOOM! A massive sound erupted. The crescent blade Qi sliced through the ocean, splitting it in two.
"This..." The Lan Hai Sect Elder’s figure was revealed. Gazing at the approaching blade Qi, he turned pale with fright, feeling a shadow of death looming over him. He desperately circulated his spiritual energy, attempting to flee, but it was too late! Before his eyes, there was nothing but the pure white blade Qi! His consciousness began to blur. Just before it faded completely, he saw a flash of bright red, along with the lower half of his own body.
A severed head and a mutilated corpse fell outside the city.
"Elder!"
"The Elder has fallen!"
The Lan Hai Sect Disciples, seeing the corpse, were terrified. Without hesitation, they turned and fled. If even a Saint Realm Elder had fallen, staying meant courting death.
"Chase them!" The Qin Empire’s iron cavalry brandished their weapons, swiftly pursuing the escapees. Their speed was like lightning; they caught up in no time.
"No..." Under the horrified and despairing gaze of a Lan Hai Sect Disciple, a blood-stained battle blade descended, slicing him in two. Bright red blood soaked the ground.
This war lasted four hours. Of the 35,000 Lan Hai Sect Disciples, more than 20,000 perished; only about 10,000 managed to escape with their lives.
"Retreat!" Zhang Gan, right hand on his sword hilt, glanced into the distance and commanded in a deep voice.
The Eighteen Riders of Yan Yun saluted with cupped fists. Their figures faded and vanished into thin air, their coming and going as elusive as phantoms from the Underworld.
The Qin Empire’s iron cavalry rode their warhorses, traversing the land. They swiftly left the battlefield, returning to their camp across the Cold Water.
An hour after they left, reinforcements from the Qunxian Sect finally arrived, rather belatedly. Seeing the corpses scattered everywhere, they were mildly surprised.
"Very well! Qin Empire, you have successfully provoked my wrath!" Mo Shi’s fists clenched, his voice chillingly cold. His long blue hair stirred without wind. The killing intent he emitted made the surrounding Disciples shiver and retreat several steps.
"Great Elder, what should we do with these corpses?" a Disciple asked in a trembling voice, pointing at the corpses scattered all over the ground.
"What else can be done? Let the Lan Hai Sect people return to clean up!" Mo Shi snapped irritably. Consumed by rage, he turned to leave, having decided to muster heavy troops to attack the enemy forces across the Cold Water. Of course, he was aware that the Qin Empire had deployed troops. The only reason he hadn’t attacked was his hope to bide his time and catch a bigger fish. However, before he could even cast his line, the fish had struck back.
To him, this was an absolute disgrace! He didn’t care about the survival of the Lan Hai Sect; what mattered to him was his own prestige. And the best way to regain his prestige was to raze the Qin Empire, chop off the enemy’s heads, and throw them into the sea to feed the fish.
Upon returning to the Qunxian Sect’s encampment, Mo Shi received more battle reports of attacks on other sects, further fueling his rage. He immediately gathered the experts from the various sects to discuss retaliation.
「The next day, sunlight illuminated the Cold Water. The surface was clear and sparkling, reflecting the green mountains on the opposite bank.」
Sect Disciples from the various factions within the Wan Dao Domain, dressed in diverse attire, gathered by the Cold Water, a terrifying killing intent swirling around them. Mo Shi stood at the forefront, gazing across the water at the Qin army, a cold sneer playing on his lips. While he observed the Qin army, Zhang Gan was also watching the allied forces of the Wan Dao Domain, his expression solemn but devoid of fear.
"Great General, it seems our actions last night truly angered them!" said an elderly general with white hair. He held a long saber, its blade stained crimson—likely from the blood of countless victims—and exuded a sharp, menacing aura.
"Whether we acted last night or not, they were bound to come sooner or later. Tell the soldiers to prepare for battle!" Zhang Gan commanded calmly.
Indeed, from the moment the Wan Dao Domain invaded, this great war was inevitable. Last night’s battle was merely the fuse.
DUM DUM DUM...
The war drums thundered, echoing through the heavens and earth, startling countless birds from the surrounding mountains. Millions of Qin soldiers gripped their weapons, poised and vigilant. Although they knew the enemies in this battle were terrifying, they showed no fear. From the moment they enlisted, they had committed to defending their homeland, ready to sacrifice for their empire at any moment.
"Attack!" Mo Shi slowly unsheathed his blue Soft Sword, pointed it across the river, and commanded in a resonant voice.
"Kill!" The Disciples from the various sects soared into the sky, transforming into streaks of light as they crossed the Cold Water.
"Archers, fire!"
"Ballistae, fire!"
"Catapults, fire!"
Zhang Gan issued commands methodically. Countless arrows, ballista bolts, and massive stones whistled through the air, dense as a dark cloud.
Seeing this, the Wan Dao Domain Sect Disciples channeled their spiritual energy to form protective shields, pushing forward against the rain of arrows and massive stones, not one of them retreating. With their formidable defenses, ordinary arrows couldn’t harm them in the slightest. Only the ballista bolts and massive stones could inflict devastating damage.
"AH!"
"Help me!"
Many experts hit by ballista bolts and boulders fell like broken-winged birds into the Cold Water below, their fresh blood staining its surface red. The scent of blood attracted fish and shrimp, which frenziedly devoured the corpses. The corpses of these Martial Artists, tempered by nature’s spiritual energy, were a tremendous boon to these creatures.
"The enemy possesses many powerful siege weapons. I must trouble you all to act!" Seeing many Disciples wounded or dead, Mo Shi spoke, his tone still polite, to the dozen or so Martial Artists behind him. These individuals were all powerful Saints! While the rules of heaven and earth forbade Saints from wantonly slaughtering living beings, destroying city walls or killing enemy commanders was still permissible.
"Understood!" The dozen or so Saints responded. They soared into the sky, and their terrifying aura froze the Void itself, halting the countless incoming arrows in mid-air.
"Saints!" Zhang Gan exclaimed, his calm demeanor completely shattering.