69novels Page 67
Page 67
"Then let's take a boat, it's faster! We've already been delayed for several days, taking a boat will get us to Kaifeng the fastest."
Standing at two meters tall, Li Cheng chose the first option. He wielded a 1.3-meter-long, nine-section steel whip, forged entirely from fine iron, incredibly heavy. Even more terrifying was that the nine sections of the whip were forged in the shape of a nine-story pagoda! This pagoda was hollow, with openwork windows in the center. The interior of the pagoda was filled with hellfire.
When Li Cheng wielded this steel whip, it was as if he were wielding a blazing iron pagoda, drawing terrifying waves of hellfire in the air, hence his nickname "Heavenly King".
"That's fine, taking a boat is indeed faster."
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The two prefectural commanders nodded and prepared to leave, while on the other side, Wu Yong was using his prophetic magic and his superior wisdom to continuously deduce the whereabouts of the group.
"Time is limited. Wen Da and his group have lingered too long on the north bank of the Yellow River. They won't take a detour; they'll only choose the shortest route. So the only remaining question is whether to travel by water or by land."
Wu Yong waved his white goose feather fan and gestured on the topographical map of Liangshan Marsh.
"They will definitely choose to take the land route! But I can't predict the exact time. Wen Da is also one of the thirty-six generals of the Thunder Department, which will interfere with my prediction. We need to deploy more sentries and scout the enemy along the way to ensure we get first-hand intelligence. Once it's confirmed, our brothers and sisters scattered in other places should come at the first moment, preferably in these places, to intercept the birthday gifts."
Wu Yong pointed to several sections of the road. These places were very close to Liangshan Marsh, and the Ruan sisters' naval forces could be put to use here.
"Alright, let's deploy the troops according to the professor's method!"
Liu Hong deployed his army on various land routes, hid his navy in the reed bays, and took charge of the central command himself. He dispatched four generals, Lin Chong, Yang Zhi, Suo Chao, and Li Cunxiao, to conduct reconnaissance on horseback or by flapping their wings.
Chao Gai directly assigned Wu Yong and Gongsun Sheng to command the central army, while he himself, as the only general on this side who could fight on horseback, along with Bai Sheng, the White-Day Rat who could transform into a giant rat and burrow freely underground, participated in reconnaissance activities.
Chao Gai revealed an elegant yet powerfully strong, snow-white arm, from which he drew a 1.3-meter-long, thirteen-section steel whip. Its design was somewhat similar to the Nine-Section Hellfire Steel Whip of Heavenly King Li Cheng, except this whip had a full thirteen sections, also forged into the shape of a thirteen-story pagoda. The interior was hollow, with openwork windows, but instead of hellfire, it contained four demons suppressed within. Black, malevolent energy roared out of the pagoda's windows, soaring into the sky! Every time the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King wielded the thirteen-section pagoda steel whip, it emitted a chilling, monstrous shriek!
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After Liangshan decided to ambush along the land route and deployed their defenses accordingly, Wen Da and Li Cheng suddenly changed their minds.
"No! I've thought about it carefully, and we can't go by water."
Wen Da shook his head, rejecting their proposal.
"While water transport is certainly faster, our cavalry will be utterly helpless if we encounter bandits! Cavalry are only effective in battle when charging; confined to small boats, they can't even muster half their strength! Moreover, these cavalrymen haven't received naval warfare training, so their abilities will likely drop to less than one-tenth! If we encounter river pirates, we'll repeat the same mistake and lose the birthday tribute!!!"
"Then let's take the land route. We'll leave the flooded area soon, and the road will be easier. Commander! Inform the entire army! Pass through this section as quickly as possible!!!"
Heavenly King Li Cheng brandished his Nine-Section Hellfire Steel Whip and made his final decision.
Chapter 155: The Vanguard Takes the Head
The five hundred cavalrymen had no choice but to accept the order and began to gallop wildly, charging through the muddy ground!
The torrential rains of the past few days have not only flooded Anding County, but also soaked the entire Yuncheng for three days and three nights. The area of Liangshanbo has expanded a little, swallowing up some of the land along the river. In ancient times, there were no asphalt roads, only dirt roads. After three days of continuous rain, the ground was covered in mud. After traveling for less than an hour, people and horses were covered in mud, making it impossible to move fast.
Left with no other option, Wen Da divided his 500 cavalrymen into five divisions, each with 50 heavy cavalry and 50 light cavalry. He personally led the cavalry of the central division as the general reserve force, responsible for escorting the birthday tribute.
The remaining four cavalry units were assigned to protect the front, rear, left, and right flanks respectively. No matter where the enemy charged out, the main reserve force escorting the birthday gifts would have time to react.
Li Cheng led the vanguard, Lu Junyi brought up the rear, and Wen Da selected two deputy generals to support the left and right flanks. Only then did the Wudu cavalry begin their journey.
Just as the cavalrymen were struggling through the mud, the cavalrymen ahead suddenly spotted a black dot in the distance: a female general wearing a green robe and silver scale armor, holding a steel spear, with half of her face covered in dragon scales and a terrifying single horn on her forehead, was charging towards them!
"Shoot the arrow!!!"
Li Cheng, the Heavenly King who was leading the vanguard, did not want to get entangled in the conflict. He ordered fifty archer cavalry to fire arrows, hoping that a barrage of arrows would deter the guy who had inexplicably charged at him.
In an instant, the bowstrings twanged like thunder, arrows flew like feathers, and fifty archers fired two volleys, a hundred arrows whistling through the air in the blink of an eye! But the female general remained calm and composed, wielding her iron-tipped spear with such force that the wind couldn't penetrate it, and water couldn't get through. As she deflected the arrows one by one, she spurred her blue-maned horse forward with a thunderous roar! The horse's hooves splashed mud and water all over the ground like turbid waves, spraying it in all directions!
"All Liangshan troops are here! Charge!!"
Yang Zhi let out a thunderous dragon roar, startling the five hundred cavalrymen who thought they had entered an encirclement. They stopped in their tracks, scouted their surroundings, and went on high alert.
Seeing that the other party was hostile, Li Cheng, who was leading the vanguard, also spurred his warhorse and brandished a steel spear to bravely charge into battle against Yang Zhi! The two steeds were as fast as lightning and as powerful as thunder, crashing into each other. Their iron hooves, as big as bowls, trampled two deep craters in the mud.
"Where did this petty thief come from! Take this!"
Li Cheng's steel-tipped spear was the first to extend its venomous tongue. When the three-edged armor-piercing tip of the spear was only half a palm's width away from Yang Zhi's throat, the blue-faced beast's steel-tipped spear suddenly slashed upwards from below. The two finely refined steel shafts clashed together, producing a tooth-grinding metallic scraping sound. Sparks, like gold dust bursting from a blacksmith's bellows, scattered like fireworks in the midday sun.
Li Cheng's arms bulged with veins, using the horse's momentum to press the spear shaft into a full-moon arc. Suddenly, Yang Zhi's blue-maned horse reared up with its hind legs, transforming the crushing force of Mount Tai into a clever, slanted motion, the steel spear sliding down the groove and shaft to the bottom, slamming into Li Cheng's chest, forcing him to pull back and block.
As two steel spears, two warhorses, and two generals passed each other, the shoulder armor of the two suits of bright armor collided heavily, and the two bronze beast heads were smashed into pieces the size of fingernails.
Yang Zhi roared and swung his spear backhand, creating a whooshing sound. Li Cheng ducked close to the saddle to dodge the sweeping attack, the spear tip grazing the lion-head ring on Yang Zhi's back armor and neck guard, severing three strands of the sweat-soaked crimson mane.
Not to be outdone, Li Cheng turned and twisted his body, thrusting his spear fiercely behind him. The three-edged spear tip barely pierced Yang Zhi's left leg armor, and several pieces of iron flew out with the tearing leather, scattering a seven-star metallic trajectory on the yellow earth!
The two generals simultaneously reined in their horses and turned to charge at each other once more. Li Cheng's spear technique suddenly shifted to the Sixteen Formations Breaking Spear, a secret technique passed down by the Youyan border army. Seven points of cold light shone from the spearhead, covering the opponent's face. Yang Zhi's pupils shrank to pinpoints as he used the Yang family's ancestral technique on his steel spear, creating a flurry of afterimages! The two spears clashed, intertwined, and collided in the air, unleashing a dazzling array of killing moves.
The two fought five rounds in one go. Seeing that he couldn't defeat her with his long weapon, Li Cheng suddenly drew his Hellfire Steel Whip when the two horses crossed paths again. Dragging a terrifying wave of hellfire, he slammed it hard at Yang Zhi's breastplate. However, the Blue-Faced Beast drew his Golden Flower Inlaid Dragon Treasure Blade and accurately blocked it. The two fierce weapons collided fiercely, and the shock wave that erupted exploded into a sky full of water waves in the underground mud!
The mud waves behind Yang Zhi exploded into a blue dragon totem in the air. But the mud waves behind Li Cheng exploded into shadowy demons in the air.
At this moment, the vanguard of the Imperial Guards completed their formation and, seeing that their defense was nearly complete, ten heavy cavalrymen rode up to assist Li Dujian in fighting Yang Zhi. Yang Zhi, realizing the situation was dire, turned his horse and fled, while continuing to shout, "The Liangshan troops have surrounded you!"
Heavenly King Li Cheng dared not pursue, fearing he would fall into a trap, and could only fire arrows from a distance. However, Yang Zhi twisted his waist and wielded a steel spear with both hands in a way that was impenetrable, managing to deflect all the incoming arrows and retreat calmly.
The Song army's imperial cavalry looked at each other, not daring to pursue in the muddy ground. The entire army waited in place, first sending out scouts to investigate. It took a long time before they discovered that Yang Zhi was lying; there was no one nearby. This kid deliberately shouted that to make us stay put and waste time!
Wen Da instantly realized what was happening and considered an even more troublesome possibility: Why was Yang Zhi making us waste our time? Could it be that the Liangshan army was really marching towards us?
"Go! Don't delay! Leave this place immediately!!!"
Wen Da panicked and brandished his broadsword, leading his entire army away, but it was too late. It was indeed a coincidence that Yang Zhi encountered this group of people, but she immediately sent her cavalry followers back to report the news and assemble her troops. At the same time, she single-handedly held off five hundred men for a long time, preventing them from moving.
At this moment, Suo Chao, who was also in charge of reconnaissance, arrived at the scene with his cavalry entourage. Along the way, they continuously met up with reinforcements, and by the time they arrived at the battlefield, they had formed a force of twenty riders.
However, the left-hand lieutenant didn't take it seriously and ordered that they simply shoot him with arrows or drive him away.
Unexpectedly, Suo Chao roared and charged to the front line without dodging or flinching, relying on his brass chainmail and the half-body armor on his warhorse, taking the hits head-on!
"Dang! Dang! Dang!"
Arrows rained down, but were deflected by the armor. Even those that pierced through the gaps in the armor only caused superficial wounds, not fatal ones. The cavalry on the left watched helplessly as Suo Chao rode up to her, his scarlet cloak billowing in the wind, like a long, crimson river stretching to the horizon, or a monstrous, savage red dragon that blotted out the sky!
"Suo Chao! It's Suo Chao!"
"The vanguard is charging in!!!"
"My God! Look at that blood dragon, she's unleashed Blood Rage!!!"
The imperial guards of Daming Prefecture did not recognize Yang Zhi, but they knew Suo Chao very well. Almost everyone present had witnessed Suo Chao's frenzied slaughter and knew the infamous reputation of the guillotine in Daming Prefecture.
Seeing Suo Chao charging towards them with Blood Rage activated, the hundred Imperial Guards panicked. If all one hundred of us went at her together, we might be able to stop Suo Chao, but the few who made contact with her would definitely be killed by her axe in one hit!
What else is there to say? Run!
In an instant, the hundred cavalrymen on the left scattered in a panic, screaming, howling, and fleeing in all directions in fear of Suo Chao! Suo Chao, alone on horseback, actually disrupted the hundred imperial guards of Daming Prefecture, moving through them as if they were nothing! Some of the soldiers who had a grudge against the deputy general even deliberately twisted their horses' legs, making it impossible for the deputy general to escape or organize his soldiers to counterattack.
The lieutenant was cursing, roaring, and screaming at his soldiers, but none of them obeyed. He heard the thunder of hooves beside him and turned around to see Suo Chao had broken through the hundred-horse formation and was right in front of him! He hurriedly raised his spear to block, but saw the golden axe draw a destructive arc in the air and cut off the lieutenant's spear shaft, arms, and neck in one blow!
Chapter 156: The Jade Kirin is Unparalleled
Not satisfied with his swift and skillful killing of the enemy generals, Suo Chao grabbed the head of the deputy general of Daming Prefecture who had been sent flying with his left hand and casually hung it on the meat hook of his saddle. He then continued to charge forward. Although he only killed one person along the way, he was still a lone rider and managed to break through the hundred-man cavalry formation on the left and reach the center of the army, forcing the great swordsman Wen Da to come and defend himself.
"Suo Chao! I heard your entire army was wiped out. I thought you died at Liangshan, but I never expected you to surrender and become a Liangshan bandit?! I even held a memorial service for you!!!"
Wen Da's roar was like a thunderstorm, and the black horse beneath him trod on golden lightning with its hooves pounding the ground and its eyes spewing bright yellow lightning, as if it were a natural disaster or a calamity!
Suo Chao remained calm and composed, spurring his horse forward to accelerate, and raising his battle axe to meet Wen Da's attack.
In the instant the two warhorses and their generals crossed paths, the sharp blades of the Thunder Blade and the Golden-Dipped Axe whistled as they tore through the air. They clashed three times in a flash! The first time they crossed, the blade and axe cleaved three crimson meteors from three meters high; the second time, the clash exploded at waist level two meters away, producing a resounding boom like a bronze chime; the third time, the deadly battle descended to a mere meter, the axe's barb hook catching the curved blade of the greatsword, the sparks leaving serpentine scorch marks on the general's iron face.
"Come down!!!"
Seeing the blade and axe hooked together, Suo Chao exerted force with both hands, trying to pull Wen Da off the horse, and Wen Da had the same idea! The four armored arms bulged with spider web-like veins, and the creaking sound of forging iron came from the point where the blade and axe were biting.
"Crack!!!"
Two armored warhorses charging at fifty kilometers per hour simultaneously emitted muffled thuds as if their bones were dislocating! The horses' hooves, as big as bowls, plowed eight huge furrows in the muddy ground. Both horses were forced to raise their front hooves high by the monstrous strength of the opposing general, their backs perpendicular to an eighty-degree angle. Then they turned around, landed, and went from back to back to head to head, their charge abruptly halted by brute force!
"Jing Lang, the Demon-Slaying General of the Thunder Palace! Hear my command!"
Seeing Suo Chao's bravery, Da Dao Wen Da unleashed his ultimate move! Thirty-six golden lightning snakes exploded from the back of the heavy armor! Thousands of lightning bolts wove together in the torrential rain to form the thunderous image of the Thunder God General, which was more than ten meters tall! The thunder giant was surrounded by jade-shaped thunder patterns and calamities, and his beard and hair, which were formed by a hundred thousand clusters of electric arcs, fluttered in the wind. Thirty-six bronze thunder drums appeared on his back.
When the thunder giant opened its eyes, which were formed from ball lightning, all the raindrops within a hundred paces vaporized into golden mist!
Seeing that Wen Da, the greatsword master, had so quickly unleashed demonic power similar to that of Lü Fang and Guo Sheng, summoning a ten-meter-tall Thunder God General, Suo Chao's expression turned horrified. He stared at the lightning-infused giant's massive blade, its arms wielded in terrifying plasma. The moment the blade struck, the scorching ozone from the ionized air rushed towards Suo Chao's face. Even before the blade reached him, the mane of his dragon-spine lion-like steed was already ablaze with blue smoke!
“Well done!!!”
Suo Chao's golden-dipped axe slashed upwards, the Khorne mark on the axe surface melting into a terrifyingly hot, reddish-brown color in the high-temperature lightning. The moment the brass axe blade cut into the core of the lightning, nine hundred arcs of electricity flowed along the axe handle into his arms, instantly heating the arm armor to an incandescent state, and drops of molten copper gushed out from the gaps in the armor.
Not only that, the giant thunder blade continued to press down on the golden axe, causing it to plummet! The axe handle, made of fine steel, emitted a dying scream amidst millions of volts of electricity, like a vicious dragon bound by heavenly tribulation lightning, howling in divine punishment! It twisted and turned! The armored warhorse's four hooves were all pressed into the mud!
But the next second, Suo Chao's scarlet cloak suddenly billowed up, and his eyes also burst out with terrifying blood light. Suo Chao, who had entered a state of blood rage, gradually raised his battle axe, surpassing the power of one of the thirty-six generals of the Thunder Department.
"Slay! Without mercy!!!"
Seeing that Suo Chao had actually withstood his attack and even gained the upper hand in terms of strength, Wen Da was also shocked. Taking advantage of his speed, he suddenly changed his move, turning the downward slash into a horizontal sweep. The lightning blade, which was tens of meters long, drew a terrifying arc in the air and blasted Suo Chao away!
Suo Chao shook his arms, which were numb and burned by the lightning. He himself was not seriously injured, but the other soldiers surrounded him again. After seeing that Wen Da had the upper hand, the morale of the Imperial Guards gradually recovered.
They didn't dare to go head-to-head with Suo Chao, but they were quite bold enough to surround Wen Da and offer him assistance.
Seeing this situation, Suo Chao stopped fighting, turned his horse around, and fled. The dozens of Liangshan cavalrymen who had charged with Suo Chao only managed to kill about twenty men in the chaotic left flank before retreating with him. Wen Da, seeing the left flank in such a state, dared not pursue, fearing an ambush. He had no choice but to halt again, reorganize the left flank, and appoint a captain to regain control and manage it.
This delay lasted another quarter of an hour. At this moment, not only Yang Zhi and Suo Chao were watching from the side, but also Chao Gai, Lin Chong, Li Cunxiao, and Bai Sheng, the four extremely fast reconnaissance teams, all arrived at the scene. The fifty cavalry and infantrymen that Liangshan and Chao Gai had barely managed to muster also arrived.
"Sisters, you all rest for now. I'll go charge into the third wave and buy some time!"
Seeing the exhausted Yang Zhi and the wounded Suo Chao, Lin Chong, full of confidence, transformed into the demon prince in the form of a tiger and leopard, and descended onto the battlefield with heroic bearing to charge the third wave and buy more time. Since Wen Da and Li Cheng had taken this route, the ambush location had already been decided. Now, the task of these reconnaissance teams was to set up an ambush for Liu Hong, Wu Yong, and others to buy more time!
At this moment, Li Cheng and Wen Da were also somewhat exhausted from being beaten by Yang Zhi and Suo Chao. Wen Da even summoned all thirty-six generals of the Thunder Department once. Although he seemed to have the upper hand, he was extremely exhausted.
There was no other way. When the two generals saw a half-human, half-tiger-leopard monster coming from the ground, its momentum even more terrifying than Yang Zhi and Suo Chao, they had no choice but to go to the rear army to invite Buddha Lu Lai—Master Lu, it's your turn to go!
"boom!!!"
Lin Chong's tiger-like claws had barely emerged from the three-inch-deep mud when, a hundred paces ahead, the ground suddenly bulged with fiery, lava-like cracks! The muddy ground seemed to have been ripped open by an invisible giant claw, creating twelve fiery abysses, and from the gushing pillars of sulfurous fire, the sounds of ancient weapons clashing echoed. A valiant female general in golden armor, bathed in the glow of the blazing sulfur, rode a gilded unicorn, wielding a ten-foot-long steel spear, and charged into battle! She was like a golden meteor descending upon the battlefield!
Lin Chong's demonic eyes instantly revealed the man's true nature.
Lu Junyi (Devil Prince)
Level: 12 (Level 12 Hero)
Life: 240, Psionic Energy: 60
Strength 40, Agility 40, Constitution 40
Intelligence 15, Perception 16, Charisma 40
[Luxury Belt]: All attributes +6.
[Dragon Blood Talent - Blazing Jade Kirin]: Strength +12, Agility +12, Constitution +12, Charisma +12. Physical Defense +12, Magic Resistance +12, All Damage Reduction +12, All Saving Throws +12, Damage Reflection +12, Regenerates 12 HP per turn (equivalent to 12 character levels). Full of energy, never tires. All attacks inflict [Fine Fire], dealing an additional 12 points of Fine Fire damage to the enemy's HP and MP. Immune to fire, vulnerable to water and ice.
[Ascension Ritual]: Strength +5, Agility +5, Constitution +5, Charisma +5.
【Demon Prince - Yellow Wind Qilin】: Summons a level 12 Yellow Wind Qilin to fight for you. (Equivalent to a character level of 12)
Lin Chong gasped. I thought that the dragon blood ability of Yue Fei, the new disciple my master had taken in a few years ago, was already outrageous enough, but that was at least an unfinished version.
The Lu Junyi before me possesses abilities somewhat similar to the Golden-Winged Roc—one is absolute defense, the other absolute attack. However, unlike Yue Fei in his infancy, he is a fully-fledged being! Furthermore, beyond his dragon blood, he is a demon prince who has already ascended to demonhood! His three attributes have reached a terrifying level of 40! Even I only surpass Lu Junyi in agility!
Where the hell did this monster come from?!
Chapter 157: Sisters' Battle on the Battlefield (Bonus Chapter for 2550 Monthly Tickets!)
"The opponent is actually a demon prince! A formidable foe!"
The moment the Yellow Wind Qilin saw Lin Chong, it let out a human-like battle roar.
Lin Chong frowned as he scrutinized the newcomer, his large white animal ears drooping down, looking tense like airplane ears.
On the gilded dragon head of the Qilin, a terrifying rhinoceros horn grew. The refined ancient sand of Loulan rose into the sky along the spiral of the rhinoceros horn, transforming into a majestic sand tower in the style of the Western Regions.
A strong wind blew, and the golden lion's mane on its neck moved without wind, like a soft, liquid golden sea, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws against the azure sky.
The elk's body, covered in golden dragon scales, traced a majestic curve in the air, combining strength and elegance. Each golden scale was forged from the essence of the desert sun, its edges shimmering with a brilliant, liquid-metal-like luster. When its four hooves landed, a deafening roar, like muffled thunder or war drums, erupted! Its python-like tail whipped out, the hair at the tip blazing like a dazzling golden flame in the air.
The female general, whose back was clad in golden armor and surrounded by crimson flames, wore a phoenix-winged helmet and a gilded scale armor. The armor shimmered and shimmered, as if the sunset had been glazed. Three jade pendants hung from her lion-mane belt at her waist, and she held an eighteen-foot steel spear that seemed to be piercing the blazing sun. Crimson flames surrounded her body, making her look like a golden crow descending to earth in flames. Wherever her beautiful phoenix eyes swept, armies retreated and grass and trees bowed down. She was truly a celestial being descended to earth!
The two generals were less than eighty meters apart. Lu Junyi's phoenix eyes suddenly narrowed, and with his left hand he formed the Nine Luminaries Fire Separation Technique, conjuring a golden, blazing sun in front of the Qilin's mouth. The Qilin's forehead burst with light, and a thunderous roar from its throat shook the battle flags eighty meters away! As the divine beast opened its massive mouth, it spewed out the doomsday sandstorms of the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions! Instantly, it merged with the True Dragon Essence Fire summoned by Lu Junyi.
In an instant, the yellow sandstorm changed the color of the sky and earth, and the sun and moon lost their light! The Chaos Essence Fire also transformed into a vortex of doomsday flames. The wind fueled the fire, and the fire borrowed the power of the wind. The two Qilin instantly created a vortex of fire cloud two hundred meters long, like molten gold tearing through the sky, or like a heavenly punishment meteor falling from the sky. Wherever it passed, the wet mud was baked into dry, cracked earth. The wind and fire raged, completely engulfing Lin Chong!
"Impressive skill!!!"