Chapter 264: Chapter 261: Returning Home_1
"KILL! KILL! KILL!"
"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"
"GREAT WIND! GREAT WIND! GREAT WIND..."
This night, Peace City was anything but peaceful. Twenty thousand Qin Dynasty soldiers continued their tireless battle on the city walls, ready to live or die with the city they defended—as long as they stood, the city would stand!
The pure moonlight shone on the bloodstains on the city wall, reflecting a bewitchingly demonic red light. It cast the entire city, in the black of night, to resemble a colossal beast crouching on the plains, its cavernous mouth agape.
One by one, the men fell, only to be replaced by more rushing forward! The 20,000 Qin Dynasty soldiers were like another wall—an unbreakable iron rampart that would never yield, never admit defeat!
"A bunch of useless trash!"
The Black Serpent King coiled within the dark clouds, looking down at Peace City, which it had yet to breach. Its crimson, triangular eyes gleamed with impatience and a dense Evil Qi.
"HISS..."
It flicked its forked tongue, exhaling a putrid stench, then swooped down, biting into the city wall and instantly causing it to crumble. A cascade of rubble buried hundreds of soldiers.
After the initial strike, it didn’t hold back but continued its frenzied attack. With its overwhelming power, it quickly destroyed a large section of the city wall, killing thousands.
"Damn it!"
The colossal rumbling as the city was destroyed alerted Zhou Cang. Seeing scores of his soldiers dying, he was infuriated to the extreme. He slashed out with his saber, cleaving through the incoming Sword Qi, and lunged toward the Black Serpent King.
"You’re not going anywhere!"
The scholar flicked his sleeves, his body moving at high speed to intercept Zhou Cang.
He might find the Black Serpent King’s actions against common soldiers contemptible, but what did it matter to him? After all, he wasn’t the one doing it!
"Get out of my way!" Zhou Cang roared, his eyes turning crimson and his body emitting a red glow. His hair stood on end, and he radiated a violent aura that seemed bent on annihilating all creation.
"Bloodthirsty Demon Blade!"
He fiercely struck his chest with his left hand, spitting out a mouthful of essence blood onto his battle saber. It emitted a black glow as he unleashed his attack.
A torrent of bloody-black saber energy tore through the Void, its power far exceeding the limits of a First-Turn Saint King.
Using essence blood as a power source? Interesting! I’d like to see how many such attacks you can muster!
The scholar sneered. The Righteous Aura around him suddenly turned cold and sinister. With a wave of his left hand, a chilling wind, like a spectral gale from the Netherworld, swept forth, forming countless wind blades that battered the saber energy.
Soon, the Bloodthirsty Demon Blade’s energy was dispersed by the wind blades, which continued their assault on Zhou Cang, who was covered in wounds and soaked in blood.
"Slash!"
Zhou Cang lifted his battle saber again, spewing another mouthful of essence blood onto it. His face turned deathly pale, but his eyes were full of resolve, showing not a hint of fear.
In his heart, he had only one thought—to defeat the invading enemy, to protect Peace City, to save his comrades!
Why bother? the scholar mused, a frown creasing his brow as he sensed Zhou Cang’s determination to fight to the death.
He couldn’t understand Zhou Cang’s perseverance. This is a fight he can’t win, so why does he continue to battle instead of trying to save his own life? Is this tiny city truly so important?
Though he couldn’t understand, his onslaught did not cease. Another blast of sinister wind tore through the Void, so powerful it seemed to rip the sky apart and drain the color from the world!
Where the two forces collided, the saber energy shattered, and Zhou Cang was blown away by the wind. He was flung an immense distance, carving a trench several hundred zhang long into the lush grassland.
"PTOO!"
Lying in the dirt, Zhou Cang spat out a mouthful of blood. His armor shattered piece by piece, revealing countless gruesome wounds underneath.
He gripped his battle saber, trembling as he staggered to his feet.
He looked up. The Black Serpent King was rampaging through Peace City. His soldiers continued to fight, sacrificing themselves one after another. The voice of the Deputy General had vanished from the Void...
"Fight!" Zhou Cang roared, heedless of his injuries, ready to attack once again. His frenzied demeanor, that spirit that stared death in the face without flinching, actually startled the scholar he fought.
"Die!"
The scholar was also enraged. He decided to kill this unkillable pest and end the battle as soon as possible.
He sheathed his Soft Sword, his hands forming a series of gestures. An ancient tome materialized above his head. Its cover, inscribed with the four large characters ’Langya Ancient Scripture,’ radiated a faint golden light.
This technique was from a secret manual of the Langya Sect, passed down only to its own disciples!
With this, the scholar’s identity became strikingly clear!
"Are you from the Langya Sect?" Zhou Cang questioned. He had long suspected the scholar’s identity; in the dozen or so Dao Domains nearby, besides the Langya Sect, there were no other Art Master sects. He just hadn’t been able to confirm it.
The murderous glint in the scholar’s eyes intensified. He was Su Anshou, the father of Su Wen Yi from the Langya Sect.
His instigation of the Xuan Snake Tribe’s rebellion was his own personal endeavor, unrelated to the Langya Sect. His true intention was to avenge Su Wen Yi.
He stubbornly believed that if Qin Wudao hadn’t interfered during the East Border Grand Ceremony, Su Wen Yi would have absolutely ranked in the top one thousand and received the blessing of the East Border’s Fortune.
"Langya God Mountain!"
BOOM!
A colossal phantom of a God Mountain, over six hundred zhang tall, erupted from the ancient tome. It glowed with a yellow light and carried boundless power, utterly crushing the Void.
Zhou Cang’s attack faltered and stopped the instant it touched the God Mountain.
BOOM!
The saber light shattered.
The enormous impact once again knocked Zhou Cang to the ground.
This time, he was utterly spent. His lips turned a deathly black, his battle saber clattered to the ground beside him, and he couldn’t move a muscle.
Your Majesty, I have failed your profound expectations!
Filled with self-reproach, Zhou Cang unwillingly closed his eyes, awaiting the fall of the God Mountain.
WHOOSH!
At the critical moment, a spear shot forth from an unknown direction. Its blood-red glow illuminated half the sky, spreading a destructive spear intent that was grand and boundless.
Within this spear intent, one could perceive a young general, trampling foreign tribes, expanding territories, brimming with the heroic ambition to achieve legendary feats.
He was young! He was invincible, supreme among the armies! He was brimming with valor, achieving battle honors that countless martial generals pursued their entire lives!
BOOM!
It was a spear imbued with such an intent that effortlessly pierced through the God Mountain, impaling itself into the grasslands outside Peace City and unleashing a furious shockwave.
Over one hundred thousand soldiers of the Xuan Snake Tribe vanished into thin air, leaving nothing behind!
The Void fell silent; all creation lost its color!
"Who?" Su Anshou cried out in alarm.
Zhou Cang, who had closed his eyes awaiting death, opened them in bewilderment, a flicker of excitement in his gaze.
"Huo Qubing of the Qin Dynasty!"
Accompanied by a cold voice, ripples appeared in the Void, and more than a dozen figures emerged. Each of them exuded a terrifying aura, powerful enough to shake the Nine Heavens.
Qin Wudao stood in their midst, his expression frosty. After leaving the Middle Region, they had journeyed day and night, finally reaching the Qin Dynasty’s border that evening. Just as they were preparing to return to the Imperial Capital, Huo Qubing, with his formidable power, sensed the battle raging in Peace City and rushed over without pause.
"Qin... Emperor Qin!"
Su Anshou’s face turned deathly white. Without a second word, he spun around to flee.
But before he could fly more than a few zhang, a massive palm print descended from the sky, slamming him into the ground. The meridians in his body ruptured, and he couldn’t circulate his Spiritual Energy.
His eyes widened, filled with shock, terror, and utter disbelief...