Chapter 428 A Sword from the East
Shangguan Qingcheng gritted her teeth and her expression was unreadable.
Indeed, if the demon clan were to deal with the Taoist soldiers, then the cultivator team of the Immortal Court led by He Jingcheng would have no opponents. In the previous battles, the main reason why they were able to hold on to the Qing Prefecture was because Yurong was able to restrain He Jingcheng.
Under the Immortal Court’s suppression of the cultivators of the Demon Race, Yurong could barely win, and would only prolong the battle.
The battle had not been going on for too long. Moreover, the Qing Prefecture’s strategy had always been clear. It was a complete defense. They were just bidding their time until Li Ye and the main force of the Pinglu Army, came back to provide aid.
This strategy had been well implemented.
Although there were not many troops under the command of Shangguan Qingcheng, she was, after all, a general of Militarism. The Qing Prefecture was also a solid city, and most of the soldiers were willing to fight to the death. Besides, Cui Keli guaranteed efficient logistics support. So, even if the Pinglu Army had a lot of casualties and the city was full of wounded people, Shangguan Qingcheng estimated that it would not be a big problem for them to hold on for a few more days.
However, no one had expected that the Immortal Court would send their Taoist soldiers here.
The Immortal Court’s and the extent of Li Yan’s concern for the Qing Prefecture surprised the people of Pinglu, who had been despised by the Immortal Court before.
But now that things had come to this point, Shangguan Qingcheng had no choice. As the leading general, she had to take countermeasures. The following order that she received was to protect the Qing Prefecture. Unless she died on the battlefield, the Qing Prefecture could not afford to lose.
No, even if she died in battle in the city, she would not allow the Xuanwu Army to step into the city.
Shangguan Qingcheng pulled down the blood-soaked armor, which covered her face, and revealed only a pair of resolute eyes. She said, “The cultivators of the demon clan are still pinning down He Jincheng. I’ll handle this group of Taoist soldiers!”
After that, she issued the command to the orderly, “Gather all the Wolf-tooth Troop!”
Hearing her military order, not only did Cui Keli’s expression change greatly, but Yurong was also very surprised. The latter said in a low voice, “A thousand Taoist soldiers are not as simple as 1,000 Spiritual Master Realm cultivators. Although the Wolf-tooth Troop is an elite group, their realms are too low, and not all of them are cultivators. I’m afraid there is no possibility of victory in this battle!”
Cui Keli hurriedly tried to dissuade her “General, as the commander-in-chief of the three armies, you’re in charge of the whole battle. You can’t take such risks so readily. Otherwise, the city will be destroyed!”
He was certain that among the Pinglu generals, Shangguan Qingcheng was one of the two people with the highest realm in the Militarism. Her status was extraordinary, and Li Ye favored her. If anything terrible happened to her while she was with him, Li Ye would blame him for not trying to dissuade her.
Shangguan Qingcheng had no intention of listening to his advice. She looked around at them and said in a loud voice, “Although the soldiers in the Wolf-tooth Troop are not as good as those in the Spiritual Master Realm, I’m the General of Militarism! How many Generals of Militarism are there in the world? I may not lose this battle!”
After that, she turned around and walked toward the corridor. Cui Keli wanted to dissuade her again, but Shangguan Qingcheng’s cold voice sounded. “This is a military order. You have to accept it!”
When tens of thousands of soldiers of the Xuanwu Army clustered around a group of 1,000 soldiers of the Qing Prefecture and were ready to attack the city, unexpectedly, the city gate opened slowly, and the Wolf-tooth Troop, was gradually revealed inside the iron walls beyond the gate.
The 3,000 soldiers were dressed in black armor and black robes. They were all ready to go, and each of them exuded a strong murderous aura. The leading general was dressed in silver armor and a white robe. He carried the Cloud Splitter Spear in his hand, which was particularly eye-catching.
At the moment when the city gate was fully opened, this elite cavalry suddenly rushed out like a torrent. Together with the sound of pounding horse hooves, it was like a sharp arrow leaving the bow and aiming straight for the 1,000 Taoist soldiers!
The soldiers of the Xuanwu Army were shocked. They did not expect that Shangguan Qingcheng would dare to launch an attack at this time.
In the previous battle, the Wolf-tooth Troop sometimes took the initiative to attack and broke up the Xuanwu Army’s military formation, echoing the defending troops on the top of the city wall, and then repelled the Xuanwu Army.
This Military Formation, led by the silver-armored general, had already left a strong psychological shadow on the Xuanwu Army soldiers. They had killed several military warriors of Militarism and countless generals and soldiers.
As soon as the Xuanwu Army saw this elite cavalry bathed in the misty light and strengthened by the power of the Military Formation of the Militarism General, they instinctively felt fear.
Zhu Wen was on the watchtower behind the Xuanwu Army Formation. When he saw the Wolf-tooth Troop confronting the Taoist soldiers bravely, he frowned slightly and was incredibly moved.
He was not the kind of person who smiled outwardly, but fumed inside. In most cases, he would just speak directly, whatever was on his mind.
So, he sighed and said, “After fighting for so many days, the Pinglu Army suffered heavy casualties. Now, there is only about 60 percent of people left, who are still able to fight. If it was a regular army, under such a situation, I’m afraid all the soldiers will be in danger and have no morale left. However, the Pinglu Army did not retreat. Instead, they became braver. Why?”
The advisor next to him said disdainfully, “They are just a group of idiots who don’t know what the current situation is like. If they want to die, who can stop them?”
The advisor’s words meant that what Zhu Wen said might have an impact on their morale. So, he had done it with good intention.
However, Zhu Wen did not appreciate it. He sneered and said, “If my soldiers can also be brave enough and are not afraid to die on the battlefield, will I still be defeated?”
The advisor opened his mouth, but could not say a word.
Now, a young man said, “Prince An has ruled Pinglu for several years. With the help of Confucianism, his officials are well-governed, his administration is logical, and his people are harmonious and rich. In this case, they have a strong cohesion. In the face of the invaders, not only the three armies, but even the civilians in the city, will swear to fight to the death, to protect their homes and maintain their rich lives.”
“The Xuanwu Army dispatches troops without just cause. Although the generals want to make achievements and the soldiers want to plunder after the city is conquered, with these things, once the war is prolonged, their morale will naturally decrease. After the desperate fighting, there will not be many people willing to risk their lives to fight.”
Zhu Wen looked back. He recognized the speaker. The speaker was a new Confucian scholar who seemed to be called Zhang Zhongsheng. It was said that he was one of the 72 youths of Confucianism.
In fact, Zhang Zhongsheng had not come to Xuanwu Army to seek refuge with Zhu Wen. He just wanted to see if the Xuanwu Army had the opportunity to conquer the Qing Prefecture. The Confucian scholars needed to be knowledgeable about how to govern a country and the world.
Zhang Zhongsheng continued, “It is said that Confucianism scholars only know how to govern civil affairs. It’s useful in peaceful times, but that is no place to be at during troubled times. It’s ridiculous. If it weren’t for Cui Keli and Cui’s scholars, Pinglu would not be in such a prosperous and rich situation today. Even if the military weapons and grain can’t be provided, and the morale of the army is not so high, the soldiers are still willing to fight to the death, and the people are also willing to help. Otherwise, the Qing Prefecture would have been taken by the Xuanwu Army long ago. The army and the people work with one heart and one mind to defeat enemies. That’s the ability to rule the whole world!”
When he heard this, Zhu Wen’s face lit up, and he was enlightened. He could not help nodding and said, “It’s a brilliant idea, sir.”
He Jingcheng was unhappy that a Confucian scholar was talking so much.
He sneered and said, “Don’t flatter Confucianism. In the face of the absolute power of the Immortal Court in the Taoist sect, all obstacles are doomed to be eliminated! Don’t you see that our Immortal Court’s Taoist soldiers are about to defeat the Wolf-tooth Troop?”
He Jingcheng was right.
When everyone was talking, the Wolf-tooth Troop rushed out of the city, and they encountered 1,000 Taoist soldiers. However, they did not regain their previous glorious battle results. Instead, they were beaten by the Taoist soldiers. The light shield of the Military Formation was about to fall, and it would break at any time.
Shangguan Qingcheng herself could not break into the formation of the Taoist soldiers and tear down the line of defense of the other side.
“The overall situation is settled. Shangguan Qingcheng will not be able to withstand for more than half an hour.” He Jingcheng chuckled and glanced provocatively at Zhang Zhongsheng. “In front of our Taoist sect, all the forces are floating clouds. Once they are touched, they will dissipate!”
Zhang Zhongsheng did not say anything.
Although the other party’s speech was extreme and he was not in agreement, this was the situation of the battle. He could not ignore the facts.
Although most Confucian scholars were hard-spoken, and they quoted words like “benevolent, righteous, and moral” when it came to battles, Zhang Zhongsheng’s character was not like that.
When Zhu Wen and others thought that the Wolf-tooth Troop was going to be defeated and the Qing Prefecture would be conquered, suddenly, everyone’s hearts trembled in fear.
It was as if a thunderclap had struck right next to them.
All the people, including He Jingcheng, could not help looking toward the sky. They could sense the direction of the heart-palpitating power.
Then, they were all shocked.
Under the burning clouds in the sky, a sword suddenly came down from the east.
The Sword Qi was as bright as a rainbow. It was so eye-catching that one did not even need to recognize it. It arrived in a flash.
He Jingcheng’s shoulders could not stop shaking. He could feel the unparalleled power of the Great Tao and the inviolable will of the emperor, issuing from this sword.
Had he not been in the mortal world, he would have thought that it was a sword strike from an Immortal Emperor!
The bluish-white Sword Qi was magnified greatly in the eyes of everyone. When it arrived in front of the Qing Prefecture, it was already up to 3,000 feet long.
Like a meteor falling into the mortal world, the Sword Qi went straight toward the 1,000 Taoist soldiers who were fighting against the Wolf-tooth Troop!
For those who saw this sword, it was as if the mountains and rivers had lost their colors, the world fell silent, and there was only one sword between heaven and earth.
The sword intent shocked everyone, and they were unable to pay attention to anything else.
No one could describe the majesty of this sword strike. They were truly shocked and this picture was engraved permanently in their minds.
The source of the Sword Qi was a three-foot-long sword that was alight with a dragon-shaped flame.
Both He Jingcheng and Zhu Wen were familiar with the sword wielder.
“Li Ye?” He Jingcheng widened his eyes. “How could it be Li Ye? He is the Yang Spiritual Master. How could he have such a powerful sword move... Has he reached the Immortal Realm? How could the Immortal Court grant him the qualification to become an immortal?!”
He did not have time to pursue the answer. He only knew that he would not be taking on this sword strike. He hurriedly shouted at the Taoist soldiers’ military formation, “Defend!”
As soon as he finished speaking, with a boom, a layer of light cover appeared over the military formation of the Taoist soldiers.
As the light curtain rose, the rampant Spiritual Qi rolled out like waves, causing smoke and dust to rise from the ground. All the nearby Xuanwu soldiers were sent flying like willow catkins and cotton.
After the initial shock, He Jingcheng calmed down. He indeed could not take on the sword, but it did not mean that the formation of Taoist soldiers were not able to, especially with 1,000 Taoist soldiers in full defense!
He was too clear about the fighting capacity of the Taoist soldiers. It was not the power of the mortal world. Even if the man of the Real Immortal Realm came, it would not be easy to break the joint defense of the 1,000 Taoist soldiers!
“Li Ye! You can’t win! Even if you come here in person, you can’t break the Military Formation of Taoist soldiers from the Immortal Court! If you go against the Immortal Court, you will definitely die!” He Jingcheng shouted wildly as if this was the only way to regain his self-confidence.
He did not forget to call the ordinary cultivators of the Immortal Court. “Surround them and prepare to kill Li Ye, the little rebel against the will of heaven!”
He Jingcheng thought that Li Ye would be weak after he wielded his sword, which was exactly the opportunity for the cultivators of the Immortal Court to take advantage of.
However, he was wrong.
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