Chapter 382 Fighting to the Death
People moved up and down the four walls of Taiyuan city like ants. It was hard to find a gap.
Some areas had already been occupied by the Imperial Army. The soldiers from both sides were locked in close distance combat, and they were killing each other in tight spots; in some areas, they were still attacking and defending the city wall. Rolling stones, wood and molten iron dropped off the walls like rain and the Imperial soldiers fell off the ladders in pain and dropped like dumplings.
In other areas, the city was being attacked by chariots. They leaned the chariot against the city wall and Imperial soldiers kept climbing up the wall from the chariot.
Cultivators from both sides flew up and led the elite forces to provide backup for their side. They ripped the opponent’s formation and defense line. Blood flowed everywhere and broken limbs were flying in the air.
Owing to the fact that the battlefield was quite small and not all the hundreds of thousands of soldiers could battle at the same time. But the elite forces from both sides were battling fiercely.
As the battle wore on, there appeared more imperial soldiers. Even if Hedong warriors like Fu Cunshen and Kang Junli fought against some imperial soldiers with their elite forces, they could not overturn the situation.
There were only three of them, and they had only reached the Militant warrior realm. They could not cover all the corners. The Pinglu army on the other hand, was more battle tested, and they were led by Shangguan Qingcheng. That was why the Pinglu army could continually break through Hedong’s line of defense.
Li Keyong had been watching on top of the tower with his hands clasped behind his back. He was wearing a perpetual frown.
His eyes had fallen on the eastern wall most of the time, which was the direction the Pinglu army focused their attack.
On the eastern side, the Pinglu elite guards were locked in a fierce battle led by cultivators. They kept killing the Hedong soldiers and stepping over the fallen corpses from the Hedong Army Military Formation. They steadily charged forward.
Behind them were more Pinglu soldiers climbing up the wall and joining the fray. Some of them headed for another direction to rip open a new battlefield.
The Hedong Army found it difficult to defend and hold their position. After losing almost half their numbers, they were forced to retreat. Though there was the odd warrior who could push back the Pinglu army, there were just too few such warriors.
Although they knew the gap between their strengths and that the Pinglu army was more battle tested, seeing the Hedong soldiers getting killed was still painful to Li Keyong.
The Pinglu elites were well trained and battle tested—though the Hedong Army was not lacking in those two facets, they lacked the Pinglu army’s armament and the ratio of cultivators.
After Li Ye had recruited the demon clan force brought by the Son of God to the Pinglu army, their ratio of cultivators had greatly increased. It was something that the Hedong Army could not compete with.
Though the Hedong Army had the support of Buddhism, they were still humans. And Li Ye had killed many of their elites during the Huang Chao Uprising. The demon clan on the other hand was transcendent and rivaled the strength of the Immortal Court.
As for the Land Buddhism monks, they were Great Cultivators of the Spiritual Master Realm, thus they would not join the military.
Seeing the Pinglu army about to take over 30 to 40 percent of the eastern side, Li Keyong knew he couldn’t delay any longer. Though he was unwilling, he had to take a deep breath and command, “Thirteen Grand Guardians!”
Out of the soldiers waiting at the bottom of the tower, Li Cunxiao answered with a salute to Li Keyong, “At your command!”
As his eyes landed on Li Cunxiao, Li Keyong took three breaths before adding. “I’m letting you deal with the Pinglu soldiers. I hope you don’t let me down!”
Li Cunxiao raised his head and answered excitedly, “Don’t worry my lord, if I don’t push the Pinglu army back, I’ll cut my own head off!”
As he finished those words, Li Cunxiao turned and walked away.
Seeing Li Cunxiao rush towards the city wall with determination, Li Keyong lowered his eyes.
He was the commissioner of Hedong, the lord of Hedong. He was supposed to be the strongest force in Hedong. Yet he couldn’t compete with Li Cunxiao on the battlefield. Not only that, he would never need to battle to the death normally, but this battle was different.
During Hedong’s crucial moments, it wasn’t he, Hedong’s lord, who could save Hedong, but Li Cunxiao—and after he had been defeated.
If Li Cunxiao won the battle, his reputation and status would be higher than Li Keyong in the eyes of the people.
His strength would be more superior to the lord.
Even if Li Cunxiao never intended to be independent and start an uprising, how could Li Keyong be at peace?
But if Li Cunxiao lost and the Pinglu army took Taiyuan, Li Keyong must then escape to the north. Such being the case, when he returned to the Shatuo territory, Li Ye would order the Pinglu army to hunt him down.
In any case, even if he didn’t die, the entire Hedong would be in Li Ye’s hands.
Without Hedong, without his career, even if he kept his life, what was the point? The extra decades that he had gained would just be monotonous and painful.
Undoubtedly, Li Keyong hoped that Li Cunxiao would win.
Aside from winning, he also selfishly wanted Li Cunxiao to die on the battlefield, after securing victory against the Pinglu army of course.
That would be the perfect scenario as far as Li Keyong was concerned.
Quietly, Li Keyong clenched his fists.
Back at the eastern wall, Shangguan Qingcheng was commanding the Pinglu troops to attack from all four sides. During the half day’s fierce battle, she had adjusted the best arrangement of troops according to the defense and attacked with efficiency. Thus she was able to take all the different areas.
As the waves of Pinglu soldiers climbed the wall, the Hedong soldiers disappeared like buried sand. As the waves of soldiers charged up the wall, the Hedong soldiers were either killed or forced backwards.
Just as everything was going well, Shangguan Qingcheng suddenly sensed something. She lifted her head and looked towards the tower in the center. When she saw what was over there, she was startled.
In front of the tower stood hundreds of armored guards. Every one of them was tall and broad, holding blades like warriors.
Behind those armored guards stood a dark armored warrior leaning on his blade. He surveyed all four directions as though he were patrolling his territory. The overwhelming warrior was Li Cunxiao.
“Arrange the formation into defense mode!” Shangguan Qingcheng commanded without a moment’s hesitation.
Though there were just several hundred men in Li Cunxiao’s Military Formation, their power was on par with a formation of thousands.
Shangguan Qingcheng trusted her senses; the opponents’ formation emanated such power, which was dense like a mountain range. Once that power came charging, it would be like ripping open the flood gates and wipe out all soldiers that blocked the way.
Li Cunxiao glanced at Shangguan Qingcheng. Based on his senior general of Militarism cultivation, he naturally could sense Shangguan Qingcheng’s position. Once one’s cultivation reached his level, every little thing on the battlefield seemed as clear as the stars in the sky.
He didn’t take notice of Shangguan Qingcheng.
By now most of the Hedong soldiers on the sides of the tower had looked over at him. He had already released his military warrior of Militarism territory. All the soldiers with the territory range could sense his presence and echoed his commands.
At the same time he elite troops he brought with him began to climb the wall and head towards the sides of the tower.
But they did not join the fray immediately as the soldiers at front were still retreating.
However, since the Pinglu army had begun switching to defense mode, before long, they met up with their own troops and steadied their position.
Being within Li Cunxiao’s territory range, they turned around again and rearranged their formation.
When the troops on the sides had all steadied their steps and recovered the order of their formation, there was already a force of several thousand.
The Military Formation formed by several thousand soldiers glistened, and it was as though every soldier had flames erupting from their bodies.
Li Cunxiao pulled out his blade, took a step forward and yelled, “Kill!”
Several thousand Hedong soldiers all let out a deafening roar, “Kill!”
A respectful expression appeared on Shangguan Qingcheng’s face as she walked towards the Pinglu formation, she ordered in a low voice, “Mountains!”
“Mountains” was the power of the territory owned by general of Militarism, which could greatly enhance the defensive power of the Military Formation.
When Shangguan Qingcheng activated the power of “Mountains”, an array of green light lit up from among the formation. Its shape resembled that of a mountain and engulfed the soldiers within the formation.
Li Cunxiao then led the soldiers towards the Pinglu army and suddenly yelled, “Continuous Tides! Kill!”
“Continuous Tides” was also the power of the territory owned by military warrior of Militarism. Shangguan Qingcheng had also used it before, which could enhance the formation’s attack.
The wall’s thickness was limited, thus not many soldiers could all fit within. But the battle was not just concentrated on one spot. As the main state of Hedong, Taiyuan city had many passages towards the city, whether it was a round city or square.
As the Military Formations met, there was an apparent gap between them. Following an eruption, the light from the Pinglu formation cracked like a spider web.
Relying on the power of the formation, the Hedong Army charged forward like raging bulls entering a sheep pin. The Pinglu soldiers were smashed out of the way. The formation light from these areas cracked like a broken mirror.
The senior general used “Continuous Tides” against general’s “Mountains”, the victor emerged quickly.
After twenty steps or so, the Hedong Army’s charge finally slowed down. Hundreds of Pinglu soldiers were either wounded or dead. And that was not including the damage to the formation light, the inner wounds inflicted on the cultivators and the pressure felt by the soldiers.
The current scene, with Li Cunxiao personally leading the charge, killing anyone, whether they were gods or buddhas, blocking his way, there was nothing that could stop him. Even the few Qi-refining cultivators in the Pinglu army could not endure a single blade attack from Li Cunxiao.
“Get out of the way; I’ll take him!” Shangguan Qingcheng lifted her blade and charged towards Li Cunxiao.
After her power of the formation, “Mountains”, was broken, she was hurt the most being the commander of the formation. Still she charged out to face Li Cunxiao.
No one within the formation was a match for Li Cunxiao. Even knowing the fact that she was no match for him either, she just could not bear to see her soldiers being chopped up like vegetables before him.
“Shangguan Qingcheng, you will die if you don’t retreat!” Roared Li Cunxiao as he led his formation towards her. He wielded his blade, which contained the power of the formation. Not even a battle elephant could stand such a blow.
Shangguan Qingcheng also wielded her blade and added, “Don’t be cocky!”
As their blades met, Shangguan Qingcheng’s blood and Qi rushed upwards and the light from the formation behind her flickered, showing signs of instability. But she was determined not to retreat.
A light flashed before Li Cunxiao’s eyes and he praised, “You can actually endure an attack from me! Based on your potential, you could have been great, pity!”
He had the excitement of meeting a worthy rival, if it were normal times, he’d be glad to start a friendship with her. However, on the battlefield, there was only life and death. He did feel sorry.
Shangguan Qingcheng did not dodge; she was engaged in a fierce battle with him. Within moments, an array of bodies feel beside them and the victor had emerged.
Shangguan Qingcheng was a level below him pertaining to cultivation. So after she was hurt, her hands and feet could not keep up.
Seeing his long blade slice down towards her head, Shangguan Qingcheng was determined with her head lifted high, not showing a hint of fear.
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