I Can Strengthen Infinitely

Chapter 554: Chapter 319: Jiangnan Melee_2

"Leave this to me, you just watch." Lu Yuan spoke out, and with a squeeze of his legs, the armored wild boar beneath him immediately understood. Snorting, it charged ahead like a war chariot.

The boar wasn’t particularly fast; even ordinary horses could easily outrun it. But its size was simply too enormous, and the two long tusks by its mouth were like battering rams. As it ran, dust billowed and yellow smoke rolled, instantly bringing great intimidation to the defending soldiers atop the city wall.

"Quick, fire the arrows! Prepare fire oil and boulders!" The general standing on the city wall immediately gave the order.

As Lu Yuan rode the wild boar within twenty zhang of Yangzhou Prefecture, the soldiers on the wall all nocked arrows, poised to shoot at any moment.

When the boar closed to ten zhang, with a general’s command, everyone let loose their arrows at once, then, without hesitation, drew a second from their quivers and fired again.

Arrows rained like a storm, so dense they turned the sky gray and dim. Lu Yuan remained calm, his expression unchanged. He simply reached behind to touch the wooden box on his back.

Swish!

A black sphere shot from the box, flying into the sky.

After several zhang, the black ball exploded open, transforming into a giant web that spread overhead like an inverted net.

Every arrow that touched the net stuck to it, tips glued tightly.

Over ten thousand arrows, yet not a single one could pierce the web and fall to the ground—they were all firmly caught by the net.

"What?" Seeing this, everyone atop the city wall couldn’t help but gasp in shock.

"That man riding the boar—he actually has such means," Sanhuang exclaimed in surprise.

With no further threat from arrows, the wild boar galloped unimpeded, drawing closer to the city gate until it finally crashed into the door of Yangzhou Prefecture with its great weight.

Boom!

A deep, thunderous sound rang out, and the half-zhang-thick city gate instantly bent.

This gate was forged entirely of iron. Even if thirty externally trained martial artists came with battering rams, they could not leave a mark on its surface.

But this wild boar, with just a direct collision, had managed to accomplish it. If it struck a few more times, the gate would surely fall sooner or later.

Lu Yuan tapped the wooden box on his back again, and a spiked copper mace sprang out, which he caught in his hand.

Without hesitation, he hurled the copper mace with one hand. The small hammer seemed incapable of damaging the towering city gate, but something utterly unexpected occurred.

The instant the spiked copper mace struck the gate, the iron began to melt from the point of impact outward.

Molten iron flowed like juice, and a dent slowly appeared in Lu Yuan’s sight.

The spiked copper hammer, named "Iron-Melting," was forged by Lu Yuan using rare Red Fire Copper; it possessed the power to dissolve iron at a touch.

If Lu Yuan wielded this against martial artists, unless their weapon was a Divine Soldier, he’d melt it right away—truly formidable.

Once the gate began to melt, the soldiers behind it immediately relayed the news and tried to raise their shields to bar Lu Yuan’s entry.

But that was easier said than done—the great boar beneath Lu Yuan was taller than a man and fearsome just to behold, let alone engage up close.

Lu Yuan looked at the soldiers with disdain, squeezed his legs, and signaled the boar to charge. With overwhelming force, it sent all foes blocking the road flying.

The boar wore full battle armor—even its legs were wrapped thickly. Ordinary weapons slashing at it were useless.

In no time the soldiers fell back again and again, powerless to resist the boar’s rampage.

With such a threat inside the city, this was top priority—soon more soldiers gathered, clearing a space near the gate to entangle the wild boar.

Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was abundant; martial artists cultivated Inner Strength from it, Daoists True Qi, and all living things had their own path.

Some beasts that absorbed too much Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi would undergo mutations, becoming so-called monsters.

Once they gained intelligence, they became yao (demons); those still driven by animal instinct remained monsters.

The exotic beasts ridden by Lu Yuan’s group belonged to the latter, each possessing unique talents.

Sanhuang’s soldiers had completely surrounded the cleared space before the gate, clearly intent on preventing Lu Yuan from entering the city.

The wild boar shook its head, its two spear-like tusks particularly terrifying. Before the soldiers could react, it suddenly opened its maw and blasted raging fire from its mouth like a flaming dragon, scorching the surrounding soldiers.

The vanguard soldiers all carried shields, but those were for blocking blades and arrows—not fire.

Who could have imagined the wild boar had such an ability? Immediately, men were set ablaze, their hair and beards singed. The stench of roasted flesh filled the air in an instant.

"Ahh! I’m on fire!"

"I’m burning!"

Engulfed by flames—such pain was beyond what ordinary men could endure. Soon the formation collapsed into chaos, soldiers rolling madly on the ground, desperately trying to put out the flames eating their bodies.

...

At an inn in Yangzhou Prefecture.

Huang Ting sat at the table drinking tea, with five old Daoists at his side, each cradling a sword, eyes closed in meditation.

As for the relationship between Sanhuang and Qin Yuesheng, Qin Yuesheng had spoken of it to Huang Ting. Before leaving the Central Plains, Qin Yuesheng had also visited Huang Ting at West Qi Mountain Temple, asking for assistance if Sanhuang ever ran into trouble.

Days ago, upon hearing that Great Tang’s army was advancing from Jiangnan and had surrounded Yangzhou Prefecture, Huang Ting immediately led five sword-holding Daoists from the mountain temple to Yangzhou Prefecture, intending to help Sanhuang should he be unable to hold out.

But unexpectedly, in recent days Sanhuang and Yuan Huangzhong’s forces had declared a truce, leaving Huang Ting puzzled. With neither side fighting, it was quite strange indeed.

Today, when Yuan Army gathered outside the city again, Huang Ting was aware, but did not worry—so long as the enemy did not break into Yangzhou Prefecture, the situation remained safe and they had no need to act.

"Hm?" One sword-holding Daoist suddenly opened his eyes and said, "Abbot, there’s movement. Someone is working magic out there."

Huang Ting put down his teacup. The sword-wielding Daoists cultivated Sword Heart and were extremely sensitive to fluctuations in the world. Since this one had spoken, there was no mistake.

"Come, let’s look." Huang Ting immediately rose and leapt out the window, the five sword-carrying Daoists following close behind.

Tracking the magical fluctuation, they quickly reached the vicinity of the city gate, standing atop a rooftop. Huang Ting instantly caught sight of the fire-breathing wild boar.

The fire from its mouth was fierce; no man dared approach it, lest he be roasted like a meat skewer.

Lu Yuan on the boar’s back was also the first to be spotted by Huang Ting. That man must be an expert of the Yuan Army—if he could be eliminated, the situation would surely turn.

"Elders, you may take action," Huang Ting said coolly.

The five sword-holding Daoists immediately leapt forward, clutching their swords as they rushed toward the fray.

These swords were their focus in cultivation. At West Qi Mountain Temple, sword-wielding Daoists and spell-casting Daoists each had a different practice. The approaches differed greatly.

The former’s path was harder than the latter’s, but once accomplished, their power was unrivaled and their attacks possessed astonishing might.

As the five sword-holding Daoists approached, Lu Yuan became instantly alert. From their bodies he sensed the presence of True Qi—clearly peers in cultivation.

"Never expected the rebel army to have experts of this caliber." Lu Yuan did not dare to be careless. He slapped the wooden box behind him, and three iron swords shot into the air, whirling above his head under his command.

"Go!" With a gesture, Lu Yuan sent the three swords hurtling forth, swift as lightning.