Chapter 120 One arrow pierces the city, the true dragon's might shakes the southern border!
Ye Xiaoying fell silent.
He knew the lieutenant was telling the truth. Those Southern Demons' medicine men and corpse demons were terrifying. Even with their arms severed or half their heads chopped off, they would still frantically pounce and bite. Many Northern soldiers didn't die by the enemy's swords, but were bitten to death alive by these monsters.
Moreover, what made him feel most desperate was that the reinforcements from Tianqi City had not yet arrived.
Just a few days ago, he received a secret report that a mysterious reinforcement was on its way. But he waited for three whole days and didn't see a single shadow of them!
"Could it be... that His Majesty truly intends to abandon Sunset Pass?"
A sense of desolation rose in Ye Xiaoying's heart. If Sunset Pass fell, the Southern Jue army could advance unimpeded, heading straight for Tianqi! At that time, the entire Northern Li would be plunged into utter ruin!
"Ugh—!!!"
A mournful bugle call rang out from the Southern Army.
Followed by.
The dark, imposing army formation resembled the gaping maw of a giant beast, creating a wide passage.
Amidst the fervent cheers of countless Nanjue soldiers.
A colossal, terrifying siege beast, as large as a moving mountain, slowly emerged from the depths of the army formation!
It was a colossal creature pieced together from countless pieces of refined steel and the bones of an unknown beast! It was nearly twenty feet tall, shaped like a giant steel spider, and its eight barbed mechanical legs would leave a deep crater in the ground with each stomp.
On the spider's back was a terrifyingly large black cannon!
"That's... Nan Jue's city-destroying cannon—'Thor's Wrath'?!"
Upon seeing the colossal beast, Ye Xiaoying's pupils contracted sharply, and a profound sense of powerlessness welled up within him.
This legendary, devastating weapon only appeared once, during the war that destroyed nations a century ago! It is said that it doesn't fire ordinary cannonballs, but rather fireballs imbued with the essence of earth fire! A single shot would be enough to raze half of Sunset Pass to the ground!
Finished!
It's completely over!
Faced with this level of siege weapon, let alone the current remnants of the army, even the Sunset Pass in its prime would absolutely not be able to withstand a single cannon shot!
"Hahahaha! Ye Xiaoying! Your death is near!"
At the forefront of the Nanjue army, a Nanjue general clad in magnificent armor laughed wildly.
"Fire! Bomb Sunset Pass to the ground!"
With his command.
The muzzle of the "Wrath of Thor" cannon began to flash a blinding red light, and the surrounding air distorted due to the rapid increase in temperature. A suffocating aura of destruction instantly enveloped the entire Sunset Pass!
The Northern soldiers on the city wall closed their eyes, waiting in despair for death to come.
Ye Xiaoying gripped the spear tightly in his hand, two lines of bloody tears streaming down his face.
"Our beautiful land has been destroyed by my own hands! I am not reconciled! I am not reconciled!!!"
Just as the red light was about to reach its peak and the devastating blow was about to be launched!
"Eh-!!!"
A clear, high-pitched phoenix cry, seemingly capable of piercing the heavens, suddenly resounded above Sunset Pass!
The sound came so suddenly, so powerfully. Even the rumbling of war drums and the booming of cannons charging up were completely drowned out by this phoenix cry!
Everyone, whether they were from the Southern Jue army or the Northern Li garrison, subconsciously raised their heads and looked at the gloomy and oppressive sky.
All I could see was a thick layer of gray clouds.
Suddenly, a blinding red light appeared.
The red light was only the size of a grain of rice at first, but it expanded rapidly at an incredible speed!
In just a few breaths.
That point of red light transformed into a gigantic divine bird with a wingspan exceeding tens of feet and its entire body engulfed in raging flames!
Suzaku!
One of the legendary Four Divine Beasts, the Vermilion Bird of the Ming Dynasty!
With its long, fiery tail feathers trailing behind it, as if it had been born from the sun, it swooped down from the heavens with a terrifying heat that could burn away all evil in the world!
And on the back of that enormous Vermilion Bird.
Three figures, seemingly tiny yet exuding an imposing aura, stood in the shadows!
The leader.
Wearing a long blue robe, facing the fierce wind, he stretched his arms out into a full moon shape.
In his hand, he held a peerless longbow, its entire body a deep purple-gold color, crackling with lightning!
Although he did not nock an arrow.
But on that bowstring, there was a giant golden arrow formed from pure imperial dragon energy and spiritual energy of heaven and earth, radiating a destructive aura a hundred times more terrifying than that "Wrath of the Thunder God"!
"That is..."
Looking at the figure in the sky that seemed like a god descending to earth, Ye Xiaoying felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and his whole body trembled violently.
"Chu He?! It's His Highness Chu He?!"
"Reinforcements...we've arrived!"
midair.
Standing on the back of the divine bird transformed from the Vermilion Bird Flying Sword, Xiao Se looked down coldly at the Southern Jue army below, which resembled ants. His gaze finally locked onto the siege behemoth that was gathering its strength.
"Thor's Wrath? He dares to call himself Thor?"
Xiao Se's lips curled into a cold smile full of imperial dominance.
"Today, I'll show you what true divine punishment is!"
"Thunderclap—"
Xiao Se suddenly released his grip on the bowstring!
"Break the formation!!!"
"Thunderclap—Break the Formation!"
This was accompanied by a deafening roar, as if it were an imperial edict from the heavens.
"Buzz—!!!"
In this moment, it seemed as if all sounds in the world were swallowed up by a more magnificent and pure force.
The golden arrow of light, formed by compressing the imperial dragon energy and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to the extreme, did not emit a piercing sound as it detached from the purple-gold thunder bamboo bow. Instead, it drew a black trajectory of absolute vacuum in the air!
speed?
At this distance, an attack of this level cannot be measured by speed alone. It seems to have traversed the distance of space; one moment it was on Xiao Se's fingertips, and the next it was directly in front of the muzzle of the "Wrath of Thor" cannon!
"BOOM—!!!"
The golden arrow of light collided violently with the dark red earth fire essence that was gathering power at the muzzle of the giant cannon!
There was no stalemate between evenly matched forces, only pure one-sided crushing!
The divine longbow that Su Changqing forged with the main sinew of the demon whale and the purple-gold thunder bamboo, combined with Xiao Se's half-step Divine Realm Imperial Dragon Qi, made the power of this arrow far exceed the comprehension of the human world!
At the moment of contact.
That dark red fireball, powerful enough to level half of Sunset Pass, was like a fragile bubble, easily pierced by the golden arrow of light!
Followed by.
The light arrow continued its undiminished momentum, piercing into the massive steel spider's body with unstoppable force!
"No!!!"
The Southern General, who was directing from behind the giant cannon, only had time to let out a desperate scream.
next second.
An indescribable, terrifying energy erupted from the inside of that steel behemoth!
A golden sun, a million times brighter than the sun itself, slowly rose over the plains beyond Sunset Pass!
A terrifying shockwave, mixed with temperatures that could melt anything, swept wildly outwards like a tsunami! The "Wrath of Thor," forged from countless pieces of refined steel, along with all the Southern Jue soldiers, warhorses, and even those ignorant drug users and corpse demons within a hundred feet radius, instantly vaporized into the most basic particles upon contact with this golden light! Not even a drop of blood or a piece of iron remained!
"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"
"Defensive formation! Shields up!"
The Southern Army was thrown into chaos instantly. Even the battle-hardened Ironclad Cavalry were terrified by the apocalyptic scene. Horses neighed, trampled each other, and countless people died or were wounded.
And on the city tower of Luori Pass.
Ye Xiaoying and the Northern Li garrison stared blankly at the huge mushroom cloud slowly rising outside the city, feeling the scorching wind rushing towards them, and they all turned into stone statues.
"One...one arrow..."
Ye Xiaoying swallowed hard, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "One arrow destroyed Thunder God's Wrath... and even wiped out tens of thousands of Southern Martial Arts elites?"
"This...this is divine intervention!"
"Your Highness Chuhe... is he a human or a god?!"
In the sky.
The fiery divine bird transformed from the Vermilion Bird of the Ming Dynasty slowly descended and hovered in mid-air, still dozens of feet above the city wall of Sunset Pass.
Standing atop the bird's back, Xiao Se's Thunder Bow still crackled with purple-gold lightning. His blue robes fluttered in the fierce wind, his left eye was as deep as an abyss, and his right eye shone with dazzling golden light. Bathed in that radiant golden light, he seemed clad in an inviolable armor of holiness, resembling a true, unparalleled monarch!
Beside him, Lei Wujie and Wushuang stood on either side.
Although Lei Wujie was wearing that bulky cotton-padded coat, the shock of the arrow he had just received still made his blood boil. He drew the Killing Fear Sword from his waist, and the "Red Lotus Calamity" sword pendant hanging from the hilt shimmered with an eerie red light.
"Xiao Se, that was so cool! But we can't let you steal all the limelight!"
Lei Wujie grinned, revealing two rows of pearly white teeth. "Now it's my turn to perform!"
With that, he leaped off the back of the Great Ming Vermilion Bird, like a red meteorite, crashing straight down into the chaotic Southern Jue army below!
"Unbounded Fist - Fire Dance Whirlwind!"
While in mid-air, Lei Wujie did not activate the fire-burning technique. Instead, he relied entirely on the inertia of the hundred-pound cotton-padded coat and the pure strength of his physical body, and his fists rained down!
"Bang bang bang bang bang!"
A series of dull, loud noises.
Lei Wujie was like a human pile driver. Wherever he landed, whether it was fully armed heavy infantry or those incredibly strong drug addicts, they were all smashed into mincemeat by his fists, which were comparable to battering rams!
Gone is the dazzling brilliance of flames, replaced only by brutality and bloodshed, with each punch landing squarely!
"That felt great! That felt so good!"
Lei Wujie charged through the enemy ranks, discovering that when he no longer relied on the fire-burning technique, his control over his physical strength reached an unprecedented level! With each punch, he could clearly feel his muscles bulging and his bones vibrating! This was true combat!
"This silly boy has actually grasped some of the 'using stillness to control movement' principle that the teacher taught him."
Xiao Se looked down at Lei Wujie, who was moving through the enemy ranks as if they were nothing, and a slight smile appeared on his lips. He did not fire a second arrow. Although the previous arrow was extremely powerful, it had also drained nearly 30% of the Imperial Dragon Qi in his body. If he were to use it again, it would probably damage his newly recovered hidden meridians.
Moreover, why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?
The remaining remnants of the army can be left to Lei Wujie and Wushuang, those two warmongers.
"Wushuang, you should go too."
Xiao Se turned to look at the boy beside him.
"Okay!"
Wushuang could no longer contain his fighting spirit. He formed an extremely profound sword incantation with both hands, and the Wushuang Sword Box on his back opened completely in an instant!
"Cloud Shuttle, Light Frost, Gentle Touch, Jade Ruyi, Phoenix Flute, Red Leaves, Butterfly, Shadowless Blade, Breaking Calamity, Killing, Vastness!"
"Twelve swords fly together—go!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Twelve streams of light, each a different color and radiating a different sword intent, shot out from the sword case like twelve agile dragons!
After undergoing Su Changqing's hellish training of "slicing radishes" and "carving tofu", Wushuang's control over flying swords has reached an unparalleled level!
The twelve flying swords no longer charged aimlessly like before, but instead wove together in mid-air into a massive and intricate net of death swords! As if they possessed their own consciousness, they specifically sought out the gaps in the armor of the Southern Clan soldiers and the weak points in the joints of the medicine-wielding men!
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"
Blood fell like rain.
Standing atop the Vermilion Bird of the Ming Dynasty, Wushuang resembled a high-ranking symphony conductor. With a mere tremor of his fingers, the twelve flying swords could effortlessly take the heads of enemies amidst a vast army, as easily as taking candy from a bag!
"That's terrifying..."
The Northern Li defenders atop Sunset Pass, watching the battlefield below that resembled a one-sided massacre, forgot to breathe.
Three hundred thousand soldiers of the Southern Jue Army!
They were utterly routed by three young men (actually only two were actually fighting, Xiao Se was just showing off), and didn't even have a chance to mount an effective counterattack!
Where did these three young people come from?!
"General...should we...should we go down and help?" A lieutenant asked blankly, swallowing hard.
"Help my ass!"
Ye Xiaoying's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Although he was brave, he also knew that in this level of battle, ordinary soldiers like them would just be cannon fodder!
"Pass down the order! Everyone on the city walls, keep a close watch! Look at our Northern Prince, look at our Central Plains' young heroes, how they slaughter these Southern Barbarians like dogs!"
Ye Xiaoying trembled with excitement. He knew that today's battle would be recorded in history! And the once deposed Prince Yong'an would once again reign supreme in an invincible manner!
……
The battle, or rather, the one-sided slaughter, lasted for less than half an hour.
After Lei Wujie smashed the last remaining corpse demon into a bloody pulp with a single punch, the Southern Jue army, which had been crowding outside Sunset Pass, completely collapsed.
The commander was killed in action, the siege weapons were destroyed, and more than half of the soldiers were killed or wounded!
The remaining Southern Jue soldiers were finally overwhelmed by fear and their mental defenses crumbled. They abandoned their armor and fled south in disarray, wishing they had two more legs.
Lei Wujie did not give chase. He stood amidst the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, panting heavily. His heavy cotton-padded coat was stained dark red with blood, and he exuded a nauseating stench of blood.
But his eyes were brighter than ever before.
"The Realm of Freedom... I see."
Lei Wujie muttered to himself. In that all-out battle just now, he seemed to have grasped some mysterious opportunity. The bottleneck in his body loosened again, and an even more vast power was brewing in his limbs and bones.
In the sky, the Great Ming Vermilion Bird slowly descended.
Xiao Se and Wushuang jumped off the bird's back. With a wave of Wushuang's hand, the twelve blood-stained flying swords flew back to their scabbards like weary birds returning to their nests.
"Well done."
Xiao Se patted Lei Wujie on the shoulder. Although his tone remained calm, there was a hint of admiration in his eyes.
"Heh heh, that's right. Don't you even know who taught me!"
Lei Wujie grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth. "But Xiao Se, that arrow you just shot was too powerful! I think you should just stop calling yourself Prince Yong'an and start calling yourself 'Xiao the Arrow'!"
Stop being so cheeky.
Xiao Se rolled his eyes and turned to look at the towering city wall of Luori Pass.
The city gates were now wide open.
The butcher Ye Xiaoying, leading a large group of Northern Li generals, came out to greet them in a grand procession.
"Your subject, Ye Xiaoying, General Who Conquers the South from the North, pays respects to Your Highness Prince Yong'an!"
Ye Xiaoying walked up to Xiao Se, knelt down on one knee as if he were pushing a mountain of gold and a jade pillar overturning, and his voice was as loud as a bell, making the surrounding air buzz.
"Greetings, Your Highness Prince Yong'an!!!"
Behind him, tens of thousands of Northern soldiers who had just survived a life-or-death ordeal knelt down on one knee in unison, their roars soaring into the sky!
This kneeling was an expression of gratitude for Xiao Se's life-saving grace, and also an absolute submission to the returning king!
Xiao Se looked at his uncle kneeling before him, and at the soldiers whose faces were filled with fervor and awe, and took a deep breath.
He did not immediately make them stand up.
Instead, he slowly raised his head and looked towards the distant north, in the direction of Tianqi City.
"Uncle, esteemed soldiers."
Xiao Se's voice wasn't loud, but with the support of his profound internal energy from his semi-divine state, it clearly resonated throughout the entire Sunset Pass.
"Four years ago, I left Tianqi City like a stray dog."
"Today, I return with victory, with blood on my body and pride."
"This army of 300,000 from the Southern Sect is just the beginning. Those demons and monsters stirring up trouble in Tianqi City, those who owe me debts..."
Xiao Se's left eye was as deep as an abyss, while his right eye shone with golden light.
"I will personally go and get it back from them, one by one!"