The Bad Guys: Everyone, let’s revive the Tang Dynasty together!

Chapter 466 Let's see who the hero is today (Part 7)
East of the Xiaoluan River, the Liu River and the Yixun River, carrying the warmth of early spring, meander through the relatively open plains of the two rivers.

The Jin army camp was established using the terrain between the two rivers, with arrow towers erected and watchtowers heavily fortified. On the banks of the Liu River to the east, the driven nomadic herders from the northern deserts were building a new pontoon bridge. On the Yixun River on the west bank, three pontoon bridges were already stable, and a small camp guarded the bridgehead, echoing the main camp on the east bank and forming a strategic defensive position.

Under the main camp of the King of Jin, scouts came and went incessantly. Reports came from the west that three thousand Yinshan auxiliary troops had arrived at the Luanhe camp under Gao Xingzhou's command, forming a rear defense line together with the Tanshan garrison.

Scouts reported that Shi Jiantang had built a simple defensive line upstream, Zhao Siwen's main force suddenly broke through the enemy lines and moved south, and Yuan Xingqin's troops showed signs of moving southwest, with unclear motives. Although Yelü Lage's offensive at the royal court made some progress for a time, upon hearing that Zhao Siwen's main force had returned to reinforce, he was attacked from both sides and his morale was low.

In addition, the latest news came from Li Siyuan's direction. He claimed that he had been ambushed by the main force of Liang Army and Wangting Army. After a fierce battle, he led his remaining troops north to escape the encirclement. The losses were not yet known. According to the second wave of messengers from Xuehou Li Cunli, his troops were trying their best to join Yelü Lage's troops and were preparing to retreat westward to join the main force of the Prince of Jin and retreat back to the south of the Gobi Desert.

One piece of bad news after another came, and for a moment it was hard to tell whether it was true or false.

Although he knew that the northern desert was Xiao Yan's territory, the illusion that the Liang army was everywhere still forced Li Cunxu to temporarily stop his eastward advance and instead build a defensive line using the two rivers, stationing his troops there.

The chaotic military intelligence and the conflicting messages made it seem as if the entire battlefield of the royal court was in complete disarray, no matter which direction it was in.

All these changes were clearly due to the sudden loss of control by Yuan Xingqin and Zhao Siwen, who were originally being obstructed, causing the entire battle situation to begin to unfold in an unpredictable direction.

As for why that battlefield got out of control, it is obviously impossible to know at the moment.

Li Cunxu, holding a charcoal pencil, pondered deeply on the map while listening to the report from Xia Luqi's scouts. They said that Xia Luqi had led 5,000 cavalry out of Bei'an Prefecture, but along the way they had encountered several elite Liang army squads, their sizes unknown, but extremely difficult to deal with. These squads specifically targeted the flanks and scouts, striking and retreating quickly, never engaging in a deadly battle. Their fighting strength was formidable, their coordination impeccable, clearly not those of ordinary scouts.
However, the other side did not react strongly to Xia Luqi's intention to seize North Anzhou.

Therefore, with suspicion in mind, Xia Luqi stopped heading south and only sent scouts to investigate. They found that all the infrastructure in Bei'an Prefecture that could be used for establishing a foothold had been burned down. Even the few sections of city walls that had been left over and slightly repaired in recent years had been destroyed. The land was scorched earth. If the army wanted to establish a foothold and build a defensive line, it would have to cut down trees several miles away, which would be a loss.

Therefore, Xia Luqi had no choice but to consult Li Cunxu on whether to continue stationing himself in Beian Prefecture to keep a close watch on the Great Wall line, or to change course and make other plans, such as rushing eastward to support Li Siyuan's troops, or to engage with the Liang army that was harassing Xia Luqi, to find out the number of their main force and their final movements.

Military intelligence is at its peak, and the battle situation is constantly changing. If anyone else were to command tens of thousands of troops, trapped in such a quagmire where they are surrounded on all sides and where truth and falsehood are hard to discern, they would likely be thrown into complete chaos.

Li Cunxu's gaze lingered for a moment on the location of Beian Prefecture on the map, and he unconsciously tapped the map with his charcoal pencil.

The camp was burned, the foothold destroyed... Elite cavalry harassed supply scouts, not seeking a decisive battle, but only to delay... The tactics were precise and ruthless, and the actions were decisive.

“It’s Wang Tieqiang.” Li Cunxu looked around at his generals and officers and said with certainty, “Only Wang Yanzhang would dare to take such a risky move with a lone army. Burning the camp to cut off the retreat and using guerrilla warfare to obstruct our army. What a brilliant ‘divide and conquer’ strategy. He wants to use a detachment as bait to lure out our main force. Wang Yanzhang is interfering to buy time for the Liang army in the east so that he can swallow up the six thousand men under the command of the Grand Commandant and Marquis Xue in one gulp. Then he can concentrate his main force to fight me in the final battle.”

The generals under his command, including Shi Kuangyi, Li Jianji, Zhu Shouyin, Li Zhou, and Li Cunyong who had been summoned to the army, as well as his personal junior officer Liu Zhiyuan, were all terrified upon hearing this. Wang Yanzhang's name carried immense weight in the hearts of the Jin army, especially among the generals who had experienced the Battle of Gaoliang River.

After Li Cunxu finished speaking, he said nothing more, sketching on the map with a charcoal pencil, seemingly pondering when Wang Yanzhang would cross the Great Wall, how many men the Liang army could deploy beyond the Great Wall, and so on. The generals looked at each other, not daring to speak, and simply waited quietly.

"Xiao Yan really has a grand gesture."

After a long pause, Li Cunxu finally spoke, but with a sneer, he threw down his charcoal pencil and said to his attendants, "Using Wangting Shuliduo as bait, he lured Yelü Lage into a dangerous situation, forcing me to send eight thousand guest troops across the border to support him. I also deployed Ghost King Zhu Youwen and Wang Yanzhang early on, one force to cut off the guest troops' retreat, forcing them to head east, and the other to cooperate with Zhu Youwen, Yuan Xingqin, Zhao Siwen, and Shuliduo to annihilate my eight thousand guest troops, along with the remaining troops of my Jin state, and Yelü Lage's tens of thousands of grassland rebels, all on this battlefield at Wangting. Nearly one hundred thousand troops—he actually intends to swallow them all in one battle, gaining control of southern Gobi and northern Yinshan. How ambitious is that?"

Upon hearing this, all the generals gasped in shock, and some even tried to speak out in panic.

After his laughter subsided, Li Cunxu narrowed his eyes, pressed his hand on the sword at his waist, and said coldly, "But Xiao Yan has misjudged one thing. Now that I, Li Cunxu, have come to this northern desert, it is still uncertain who will ultimately prevail!"

"Pass on the order!" Li Cunxu gave his generals no time to hesitate, his voice suddenly turning stern and rising sharply.

The generals were invigorated, bowed in unison, clasped their fists, and faced the enemy with dignified solemnity.

"Immediately order Li Cunren, Li Cunli, and Yelü Lage: the royal court is indefensible. Immediately abandon the siege, gather all troops, and at all costs, advance westward to join me. Those who delay or disobey orders will be punished according to military law, and their lives will be at their own risk."

"promise!"

"Order Xia Luqi, now that Beian Prefecture is destroyed, there is no need to fight for it anymore. Have his troops reorganized into a vanguard patrol force, and have them keep a close watch on Wang Yanzhang. Although his force is no more than five thousand strong, it should not be underestimated. Li Jianji, I order you to lead two thousand cavalry to cooperate with Xia Luqi in scouting the enemy. The goal is not to annihilate them, but to prevent them from launching a full-scale attack on our central army, nor to allow them to escape easily. If their main force appears, report it immediately."

"The last general takes command!"

"Immediately summon Shi Jiantang and order his troops to break camp immediately, make a great show of force, and show that they will spare no effort to rescue the Grand Commandant. Send the entire army to the battlefield of the royal court and let Yuan Xingqin come south to be handed over to me. The greater the momentum of his troops, the better, so as to attract the attention of Wang Yanzhang and the Liang army that is besieging and annihilating the Grand Commandant."

"promise!"

“The main force of the central army,” Li Cunxu pointed heavily on the battlefield between Shi Jiantang’s troops and Wang Ting on the map, “The main camp’s defenses remain unchanged, commanded by Zhu Shouyin and Li Zhou. Five thousand elite cavalry from the Crow Army will be dispatched to spread out scouts and maintain surveillance. They will advance swiftly eastward with light equipment, following my lead and lowering the banners. If Wang Tieqiang wants to prevent me from rescuing the Grand Commandant, he will inevitably intercept Shi Jiantang. When his troops are entangled by Xia Luqi, Li Jianji, and Shi Jiantang, that will be the time for me, the fourth force, to break this iron spear!”

The orders came down like a whirlwind, clear and logical, each step linked to the next. A feint to one side while secretly attacking another—killing two birds with one stone. The generals were all veterans of the Jin state, having fought alongside Li Cunxu in countless battles. They knew their King of Jin intended to use the same tactics against him, eliminating Wang Yanzhang, Xiao Yanbu's highest-ranking general in Youzhou. Naturally, they were filled with excitement.

Li Yazi's battlefield acumen and command ability were on full display at this moment, without any flaws. All the generals responded to his command with a resounding acknowledgment, their eyes blazing with fighting spirit, and they quickly made their own deployments.

With Li Cunxu committing nearly 20,000 soldiers to fight Wang Yanzhang alone, the battle situation became clear in an instant.

The following day, Xia Luqi launched his main force, which, together with Li Jian and his troops, went south and north respectively to track the movements of Wang Yanzhang's main force, thus severely restricting the latter's area of ​​operation.

As Li Cunxu said, Wang Yanzhang's purpose was to delay the Jin army's reinforcements to Li Siyuan and Yelü Lage in the west. Therefore, he did not engage in battle with his main force, but instead relied on his mobility to engage Xia Luqi's two tribes in a tug-of-war.

However, as Shi Jiantang's troops recklessly advanced eastward the next day, in order to prevent the overall situation on the battlefield of Wangting from changing, Wang Yanzhang could not hold back and personally led more than 3,000 main forces to fight Shi Jiantang. The battle was fierce, and although Wang Yanzhang repelled Shi Jiantang's offensive, he was soon entangled by Xia Luqi and Li Jianji, who had just surrounded him.

Thus, one side fought and retreated, while the other side desperately tried to surround him. The two sides fought until evening. Wang Yanzhang's mere three thousand elite cavalry from Youzhou moved freely. Wang Yanzhang himself charged at the forefront, and he was exceptionally brave. Among the Jin generals, even the dignified Shi Jiantang could only barely hold his own, while the others died as soon as they went up. Only Xia Luqi was able to fight Wang Yanzhang back and forth.

However, as Li Cunxu led his central army to join the encirclement and suppression campaign, even a strong general like Wang Yanzhang could only gradually become trapped in a tight encirclement no matter how hard he tried. His troops suffered increasing losses, and no matter how he tried to break out from north to south or from west to east, he could only fail to achieve anything.

After all, not just anyone could force Li Cunxu to use four armies to encircle and suppress them. Moreover, Li Cunxu was patient with the battle situation on Wang Ting's side, determined to capture and kill Wang Yanzhang in one battle before making other plans.

"Wang Tieqiang's power was ultimately waning."

At the end of an unnamed tributary of the Luan River, the chilly wind of early spring swept across the relatively open plain, swirling up withered grass clippings. Shouts of battle, the clashing of weapons, the neighing of warhorses, and the dying cries of dying men blended into a deafening symphony of chaos, engulfing the land.

Li Cunxu reined in his horse and stopped on a slightly elevated hill. Several thousand cavalrymen were stationed around the hill, and five hundred Crow Army soldiers on each side advanced forward to protect the hilltop, subtly creating a commanding view of the battlefield below.

Upon hearing Li Cunxu's words, the generals on the hill who were watching the battle with him were either extremely shocked, excited, or solemn, but they all held their breath and focused their eyes on the bloody millstone below.

As far as the eye could see, at the very heart of the battlefield, a white whirlwind was surging left and right among the thousands of cavalry, and despite being deeply surrounded, his troops remained incredibly fierce.

Led by Wang Yanzhang's iconic iron spear, this elite cavalry of Youzhou still displayed a chilling resilience. At times, they would gather like a cone, fiercely attacking a seemingly weak point; at other times, they would suddenly disperse, transforming into several streams, weaving and darting through the gaps in the Jin army's encirclement, striking back at extremely tricky angles, attempting to tear the encirclement apart.

Wang Yanzhang himself was at the center of this storm. His spear seemed to lose its weight in his hands, transforming into a black lightning bolt. Wherever the spear's wind passed, the air emitted a piercing shriek. Any elite Jin soldiers who dared to approach, whether generals or soldiers, would often only see a flash of black light before being pierced through and sent flying, armor and all.

He was covered in blood, both from his enemies and his own, and his warhorse was also stained with blood. He charged wildly across the battlefield, and for a time no one could stop him. Wherever he went, men and horses fell, and he actually carved bloody paths through the thick formation of the Jin army.

However, no matter how brave Wang Yanzhang was, and no matter how difficult it was to control the remaining Youzhou cavalry, they could never truly break through that seemingly precarious but actually incredibly resilient net among the tens of thousands of cavalry.

To the east, Shi Jiantang's large banner bearing the character "Shi" was faintly visible amidst the smoke and dust. His troops immediately bore the brunt of Wang Yanzhang's fiercest attack, but although their formation was torn and deformed, they did not collapse.

The advancing infantry, like a moving steel thicket of thorns, layered upon layered with spears, tenaciously withstood the repeated attacks of the Youzhou cavalry. Archers, concealed behind them, unleashed volleys of arrows precisely at the Youzhou cavalry's horses or gaps in their armor. The cavalry on the flanks, relying on the infantry formation, avoided direct confrontation with Wang Yanzhang, instead constantly roaming the perimeter, harassing, and cutting off enemy forces. Whenever the Youzhou army attempted to concentrate their forces for a breakout to the east, these scouts would pounce from the flanks or rear like a persistent leech, forcing Wang Yanzhang to divide his forces and halting his advance.

Shi Jiantang himself, holding a long spear, galloped through the ranks, his face ashen, his eyes fixed on the flying iron spear. Every time Wang Yanzhang tried to break through his defenses, he had to personally lead his elite troops to meet the attack and bear the terrifying pressure.

As for the south, Xia Luqi's five thousand elite cavalry stirred up clouds of dust, but instead of rushing into the core melee, they relied on their superb horsemanship and precise coordination to maneuver at high speed on the periphery.

Whenever Wang Yanzhang's troops attempted to turn or regroup, Xia Luqi's cavalry pressed forward relentlessly, unleashing a dense rain of arrows like locusts before engaging in close combat. Xia Luqi himself was unstoppable, wielding a longsword as thick as a door, charging directly at Wang Yanzhang several times. Swords and spears clashed, sparks flying, and although he couldn't shake the master of the iron spear, he forced Wang Yanzhang to divert his attention to deal with this fierce general's entanglement, preventing him from fully commanding the charge; otherwise, his life would have been in real danger.

To the north, Li Jianji's two thousand elite cavalry were specifically tasked with annihilating the small groups of troops that Wang Yanzhang was trying to disperse and find weak points. They first cut off the Youzhou army's scattered forces, and then quickly surrounded and annihilated them with superior forces.

Meanwhile, Li Jianji continued to attempt large-scale flanking maneuvers, working with Shi Jiantang and Xia Luqi to gradually tighten the encirclement around Wang Yanzhang, compressing his last room to maneuver.

Four powerful forces from the east, west, south, and north, one still and one moving, one clamping and one twisting, worked together with Shi Jiantang's "net" in the east to lock Wang Yanzhang, this trapped beast, tightly in the increasingly narrow and desperate place of the river bend.

The encirclement battle lasted from dawn to afternoon. The entire grassland was filled with rapidly moving cavalry formations, forming a large circle with three inner and three outer rings. Smoke and dust filled the sky, and the ground was covered with blood.

Wang Yanzhang's elite cavalry numbered less than a thousand at this moment. Several hundred remnants were firmly trapped in a huge pocket formed by Shi Jiantang, Xia Luqi, Li Jian, and three other forces. The bottom of the pocket and the only gap in it faced the fortress personally overseen by Li Cunxu and guarded by the Ya'er Army.

The encirclement was completely sealed, like an iron barrel. Even the most elite Youzhou army, with its overwhelming numerical disadvantage, extremely compressed space, and the coordinated encirclement by multiple equally elite forces, could only fight like trapped beasts, their battles still ferocious despite their formidable momentum. Every attempt to break out was thwarted by a tighter formation and more precise strikes, only increasing casualties.

"Wang Tieqiang lives up to his name; he is truly a match for ten thousand men."

On the hilltop, Li Cunxu watched as Wang Yanzhang charged forward, killing more than ten Jin generals. He was impressed, but when Wang Yanzhang's deputy, Shan Keji, killed several generals in an attempt to help Wang Yanzhang break through the encirclement, he was instead killed on the spot by Xia Luqi. Li Cunxu remained calm and composed, his words revealing neither admiration nor regret.

"However, the way of battle is not something that can be reversed by the bravery of one person. Their morale has been lost, their space has been completely lost, and their defeat is inevitable."

He slightly raised his hand, and the flag bearer beside him immediately waved the command flag. The two elite cavalry units of the Raven Army that had advanced like wedges in front of the hill slowly adjusted their posture, their warhorses began to paw the ground restlessly, and several generals around them entered the battle one after another, preparing to end this battle and leave Xiao Yan's most famous generals in this northern grassland.

A chilling atmosphere permeated the river bend, and the scales of victory had irreversibly tipped in favor of the King of Jin.

Just as the situation was about to be settled, Wang Yanzhang died on the battlefield.

A sharp, piercing shriek suddenly rang out from the western horizon, its mournful sound drowning out the clamor of galloping horses and clashing metal on the battlefield. Startled, countless people turned to face west.

But then a figure shrouded in thick, viscous black mist, like a meteor tearing through the sky, hurtled eastward at a terrifying speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye, heading toward the hill where Li Cunxu was.

The black mist was no ordinary smoke or dust. As it surged and rolled, countless twisted and howling ghost faces could be vaguely seen floating and disappearing within it. Wherever it passed, the air seemed to be scorched and swirled, making it impossible for anyone to look at it for long.

"Li Cunxu, Zhu Youwen is here to take your dog's life!"

A burst of wild laughter rolled over from several miles away, causing the entire battlefield to freeze in shock. The sound was like the roar of a demon god breaking free from its restraints in the deepest hell. Many Jin scouts patrolling the western side were struck as if by a heavy blow, blood seeping from their ears and noses, and instantly collapsing in shock.

Before the sound had even faded, the dark figure had already pounced like a ghost into the outer perimeter of the Jin army's cavalry.

"boom--"

There was no clash of weapons, no skillful dodging. It was pure crushing power and speed; wherever the shadow passed, it was like an invisible giant hammer crashing down.

The elite Jin cavalry, attempting to stop them, along with their horses, seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall of bronze and iron. The sounds of bones shattering echoed, and men and horses fell backward. The riders screamed as they were sent flying like leaves in a storm, crashing heavily onto their comrades behind them, causing chaos.

Warhorses neighed and cried out in despair, and severed limbs and remains, along with a strong stench of blood, were swept into the air by the violent air currents.

The dark figure showed no sign of slowing down. He didn't follow the usual path, but instead skimmed low above the dense army formation. Wherever his feet trod, soldiers' shoulder armor, helmets, and even the tips of thrusting spears became stepping stones for him. Each step was accompanied by a muffled thud, the screams of soldiers as their bones snapped, and the crisp crack of shattering weapons.

He was like a black lightning bolt tearing the earth apart, plunging straight towards the hill. His target was the Jin Dynasty banner fluttering in the wind atop the hill, and the Jin Dynasty King standing beneath it, reining in his horse.

"Escort!!!"

Jingxin, who was standing beside Li Cunxu, had eyes that were about to burst out of their sockets and hurriedly roared fiercely.

The five thousand elite cavalrymen guarding the hill were the core and most valiant force under Li Cunxu's command. They were all Shatuo people, well-trained, loyal and fearless. Faced with this inhuman and terrifying attack, they remained calm despite their shock.

Without needing further orders, the hundreds of elite Raven Army soldiers on the western side instantly spurred their warhorses and launched a thunderous counter-charge against the black meteor that was tearing everything apart. In an instant, a rain of arrows was poured out.

The spears, like a forest, pierced the pervasive black mist with their chilling light. Hundreds of iron streams converged into a torrent of steel, crashing fiercely into the lone figure shrouded in endless killing intent.

"Insects, get out of my way!" Zhu Youwen roared in fury. Facing the elite Raven Army's charge, which was enough to break through ordinary military formations, he neither dodged nor avoided, but instead instantly unleashed the thick, ink-like ghostly energy around him to its maximum.

A deep, rumbling sound, as if from the depths of hell, resounded. Centered on Zhu Youwen, a terrifying shockwave, visible to the naked eye and carrying thick black mist, exploded outwards.

The first few dozen elite Raven Army soldiers, men and horses alike, crashed into a wall of colossal boulders. Their horses neighed and collapsed, their bones shattering. The riders, before they could even scream, were struck by the overwhelming force, bleeding from all seven orifices and their internal organs broken. Their bodies were flung like tattered sacks into the charging ranks, causing chaos and disarray among the riders and their horses.

As the shockwave passed, soldiers who were close by felt a chilling, violent, and chaotic force forcefully invade their bodies. Instantly, their blood and qi reversed, their vision went black, they coughed up blood, and collapsed limply. The warhorses, terrified, neighed wildly and reared up uncontrollably, colliding and trampling each other.

But the few hundred riders were just an appetizer. Around the hill, even more cavalry formations turned their horses and charged westward, their hooves thundering, and countless arrows flew relentlessly towards Zhu Youwen.

Zhu Youwen's figure crashed into the interception formation of over a thousand elite cavalrymen of the Crow Army amidst the chaos of flying flesh and blood and overturned horses. But when a person falls into a torrent of steel, even someone as powerful as the Ghost King will have his churning black aura slightly slowed down.

Countless spears thrust forward, blades flashed like a forest, and skilled warriors from the army, disregarding their own lives, fearlessly charged into the black mist, brandishing their weapons, hoping to exchange their lives for wounds and continuously deplete Zhu Youwen's unfathomable inner strength. Each clash between weapons and ghostly energy erupted with ear-piercing friction and muffled thuds, carrying away a wisp of surging black mist and leaving shallow marks on Zhu Youwen's black armor. He was like a raging dragon trapped in quagmire, still ferocious and capable of sweeping away several men and killing warhorses with each strike, but his advance was ultimately slowed by the relentless, blood-and-blood sacrifice of the Raven Army's death squad.

Even in the face of such a situation, Ghost King Zhu Youwen simply rode alone, treating the vast army as nothing, and went straight for the central army.

Seeing such a demon god on the battlefield, Li Cunxu was horrified. Mirror Heart Demon was even more pale, clutching an object in his hand, hesitant and undecided, as if weighing something.

However, Li Cunxu himself seemed oblivious to what was behind him. His expression remained calm as he first glanced to his left and right, then his sharp gaze turned to the east, where Wang Yanzhang's iron spear was still struggling like a trapped beast, stirring up a storm. His gaze finally settled on Liu Zhiyuan beside him, who, though young, already possessed a commanding presence and was approaching the Middle Heaven Realm.

"Wang Yanzhang's days are numbered. End this quickly. Order Shi Jiantang, Xia Luqi, and Li Jianji that I must see Wang Tieqiang's head within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. I don't care about anyone else, but Wang Yanzhang must be left alive. We must not allow Zhu Youwen, a mere brute, to disturb the morale of the army."

Seeing their Prince Jin remain as steady as Mount Tai despite Zhu Youwen's overwhelming killing intent, even ignoring the imminent threat and focusing solely on eliminating Wang Yanzhang, their greatest threat, the generals were all filled with dread. Knowing the Prince Jin's ruthless, dangerous, and decisive military tactics, they could offer no advice. They could only grit their teeth and obey, suppressing their own fear, as they continued to instruct their left and right wings to march eastward.

But perhaps Heaven still felt the scene wasn't lively enough, because at this moment, another booming sound rang out from the north.

Several miles to the north, a torrent of cavalry rushed in, and then the earth seemed to tremble. But this tremor did not come from the galloping of thousands of horses, but from a roar caused by pure force stomping on the ground.

A magnificent and dazzling purple beam of light shot into the sky without warning. Within the beam, a figure streaked across the sky like a bolt of lightning, instantly breaking away from the cavalry behind him. With a terrifying speed beyond human vision, he swept across the grassland from north to south, heading straight for the hill. His speed was in no way inferior to that of Zhu Youwen earlier.

However, his aura was completely different from Zhu Youwen's sinister and violent nature. His body was surrounded by purple light, which contained indifference to look down on all living beings and confidence to control everything, with an absolute deterrent power to crush all obstacles.

He didn't shout or make any announcements; he simply charged forward with such domineering and unparalleled power.

Wherever he went, the Jin army troops blocking his way to the north fell in disarray. Wherever the purple aura reached, the weapons in the soldiers' hands trembled and groaned inexplicably, some even breaking on their own. Anyone who approached felt an overwhelming pressure, as heavy as a mountain, pressing down on them, causing their blood to surge, blood to spill from their mouths and noses, making it difficult even to stand, let alone raise a sword to fight back.

"The King of Wei is mighty!"

Behind this purple light, dust billowed and hooves thundered.

Yuan Xingqin led two thousand Dingbadu iron cavalry, like wolves smelling blood, following closely behind the earth-shattering purple trail, and charged in with a thunderous roar. This fresh force was like the sharpest dagger, piercing the flank of the Jin army, which was already in chaos and under the pressure of Li Maozhen's sudden advance.

Yuan Xingqin roared repeatedly, wielding his long spear like the wind, leading his elite cavalry in a frenzied attack, cutting through and dividing the enemy lines, their target being Wang Yanzhang's encirclement. Their arrival instantly posed a great threat to Shi Jiantang's troops, who had already nearly killed Wang Yanzhang, throwing their formation into chaos.

"King Wei...King Wei?!"

"It's Li Maozhen! Prince Qi, Li Maozhen!"

"What is this fellow doing here?! This man isn't..."

"Stop him! Stop him quickly!"

The cries of alarm and fear from the Jin soldiers instantly filled the air. The dazzling purple light and unstoppable momentum were even more shocking than the ferocious Zhu Youwen.

Li Maozhen charged ahead alone, his path cleared by purple mist, as if the world were nothing to him.

Yuan Xingqin's iron cavalry followed from behind, launching a fierce attack that tore apart the Jin army's defenses.

Before Qiu Qian, Zhu Youwen, who had been delayed, sensed this powerful aura of the same level. Instead of being annoyed at having his limelight stolen, he let out a hearty and violent laugh. The black aura around him surged again, and he was about to form a pincer attack with Li Maozhen from the north and south.

On the hilltop, Li Cunxu finally turned around abruptly. He looked at the purple streak of light that was hurtling through the air to the north, and then glanced at the increasingly violent black aura to the west. The calm on his face was finally broken, and his brows furrowed deeply for the first time.

"Li Maozhen... what a fine Prince Wei."

The generals around Li Cunxu's faces changed drastically, a chill ran down their spines, and they repeatedly advised Li Cunxu to avoid battle, saying that Wang Yanzhang's troops had been almost completely annihilated, and that the situation at Wangting was still salvageable, and that he should not risk a reckless battle here.

Li Cunxu, however, just stared intently in Li Maozhen's direction, gripping his riding whip in silence for a long time.

Li Maozhen's arrival was like throwing a piece of ice into a boiling pot of oil, instantly changing the local situation on the battlefield. The breakthrough point he chose was quite ruthless, precisely the relatively weak flank of the Jin army after being tied down by Zhu Youwen and Wang Yanzhang.

Purple energy surged like a dragon, sword energy crisscrossed, just like Zhu Youwen's, and no one could withstand its power. Although Li Maozhen did not directly attack Wang Qi, this earth-shattering entry not only greatly relieved the pressure on Wang Yanzhang, but also instantly amplified the chaos created by Zhu Youwen, plunging the entire Jin army's central flank into an unprecedented crisis.

Most importantly, those killed by the two were the most elite crow soldiers of Jin. Every moment of hesitation resulted in greater losses. Of course, if Li Cunxu were willing to sacrifice them, and if Zhu Youwen or Li Maozhen were stubborn, one of them would surely perish here today. But that's not what Li Cunxu sought!

Is destiny truly not in my hands, Li Cunxu?

Li Cunxu was momentarily lost in thought, looking up at the sky in silence.

As for the three divisions responsible for besieging Wang Yanzhang, Shi Jiantang's division went to intercept Yuan Xingqin on its own initiative. Xia Luqi and Li Jianji were extremely anxious when they saw the situation in the central army and desperately called for reinforcements. Xia Luqi even killed several people along the way and went straight for Zhu Youwen.

"Protect the king!"

With a roar, Xia Luqi wielded his broadsword with unstoppable force, meeting Zhu Youwen's fiercest attack head-on. The sword flashed like the wind, and the gale howled, temporarily entangled the demonic Zhu Youwen. Although Xia Luqi was shaken, his blood surging and his tiger's mouth splitting open, he fought to the death, refusing to retreat an inch.

Shi Jiantang was unable to attend to everything, while Li Jianji, Liu Zhiyuan, and the rest of the generals led the central army and the majority of the troops in a desperate attempt to besiege Li Maozhen, who was shrouded in purple aura and whose sword energy was overwhelming. Wang Yanzhang thus escaped, but his remaining troops, after days of fierce fighting, were now exhausted and could only retreat eastward under the cover of Yuan Xingqin.

As for the hill where Li Cunxu's central army was located, the surrounding area had been completely transformed into a meat grinder, with fierce energy overflowing everywhere. Ordinary soldiers who approached it would either die or be injured.

Zhu Youwen and Li Maozhen, one in black and one in purple, were like two peerless and deadly blades, causing chaos in the Jin army's formation. Although they knew that it was almost impossible to take Li Cunxu directly, they still relied on their profound inner strength to keep approaching Li Cunxu's royal banner.

The two men actually intended to kill Li Cunxu in battle and take his head, rather than simply to relieve Wang Yanzhang's siege!
Xia Luqi was covered in blood, and his swordsmanship was already erratic; Li Jian's shoulder armor was shattered, and he staggered backward; Liu Zhiyuan's young face was covered in blood, but he was still gritting his teeth and fighting to the death. Li Cunxu's personal guards, the "Yi'er Army," were also inevitably drawn into the battlefield, with nearly 10,000 men going out to fight, just to delay, wear down, and capture and kill a mere two people.

As Li Cunxu looked at this hellish scene, and watched his most elite forces being mercilessly slaughtered by the enemy with inhuman strength, an unprecedented sense of loss and resentment welled up in his heart. He had no choice but to order his troops to retreat south to avoid the enemy's advance. As he turned his horse around, his fingers trembled, and he felt a sense of melancholy at the end of his heroic journey.

At this point, whether Li Cunxu fought or retreated, the two kings were clearly determined to fight to the death. Despite their rapidly depleting internal energy, and despite not exchanging any words and being unable to even see each other in the chaos of battle, they simultaneously and tacitly took to the air once more.

For a moment, the two were less than a hundred paces from the top of the hill. But Xia Luqi was teetering on the brink of collapse, Liu Zhiyuan was struggling to hold on, and the other generals were either being suppressed or severely injured. It seemed that no one could withstand the final, fatal blow from the two kings.

Jingxin Demon, who had been clutching the cold object in his hand and whose face was as pale as paper, suddenly had a resolute look in his eyes. Without any further hesitation, he let out a sharp roar that was not human, as if he had used up all his strength, and clenched his five fingers tightly.

A figure suddenly rose from the ground among the actors of the opera house. Or rather, no one remembered whether he was actually in the opera house or not, but he just appeared from among the actors like that. The mud beneath his feet suddenly exploded, and soil and gravel shot into the sky like a fountain.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, a tall and imposing figure took only one step before his body flashed across the scene as if by teleportation, blocking Li Cunxu's path. Then, he instantly teleported to the two kings.

Zhu Youwen was the first to be hit; before the dust had even settled, that burly figure was already right in front of him.

The overwhelming, deathly pressure and the strong warning instinctively transmitted from the Nine Nether Profound Heaven Divine Art made Zhu Youwen's hair stand on end. An unprecedented sense of crisis and fighting spirit surged within him, causing him to laugh wildly. The murderous aura surging around him instantly condensed and compressed, transforming into a huge, ferocious ghost claw, which then slashed down fiercely with a shrill whistling sound that tore through the air.

Almost simultaneously, a sharp light flashed in Li Maozhen's heterochromatic eyes. The oppressive feeling brought by this sudden appearance even surpassed that of Xiao Yan, who had fought him in Fengxiang.

This person's threat was too great, causing Li Maozhen to instantly abandon Li Cunxu. He unleashed the purest Illusionary Sound Technique's internal energy without reservation, and a purple sword aura, condensed to its extreme, soared into the sky. Before the sword aura even arrived, the incomparably sharp longsword had already locked onto the person's back.

Despite the combined attack of two of the world's top experts, the burly figure remained silent. His wide black robe billowed suddenly, and then both arms shot out, his left hand with its five fingers slightly spread, pushing out flat to meet the ghostly claw.

Then a terrifying, powerful, and extremely yang aura suddenly erupted. This aura should have been blazing and bright, but at this moment it had a strange, deathly gray hue. The palm print solidified, like a blazing sun falling from the sky, and slammed straight towards the ghostly claw of the underworld.

As for the long sword that came hurtling down from behind, the burly figure remained motionless. Just as the sword energy was about to strike, his left arm moved out with seemingly slow but actually swift movements, parrying horizontally. There were no fancy moves or styles, only the most primal and savage energy, smashing headlong into the earth-shattering purple sword energy without any attempt to retreat.

boom--! ! ! !

Three destructive energies, representing the pinnacle of martial arts in this era and completely different in terms of Yin and Yang and even internal strength, collided violently in mid-air without any fancy moves.

No sound.

Or rather, at the moment of impact, the sound was swallowed up by an even more terrifying force, and time seemed to freeze for a moment.

Immediately afterwards, an indescribable stream of light, a mixture of intense malevolent energy, dazzling purple light, and deathly gray-blue, appeared out of thin air, forming a sphere of light that expanded wildly.

Then came the belated, terrifying explosion—enough to tear eardrums and make the earth tremble violently like a sieve. It was like a million thunderbolts exploding in your ears at once.

The blinding light engulfed everything at the center of the battle, and the unimaginably violent shockwave formed a perfect ring, spreading wildly in all directions at a terrifying speed beyond imagination.

Within a radius of several dozen feet, everything—people, horses, weapons, earth, stones—was violently flung away by this extremely domineering force, like fallen leaves in a raging wind.

Smoke and chaotic, violent bursts of energy completely engulfed Zhu Youwen, Li Maozhen, and the unknown figure!
The battlefield fell into deathly silence.

The wind seemed to have stopped, and even the sound of the Luan River flowing had disappeared.

Whether it was the soldiers engaged in battle, or all the generals present, Li Cunxu who temporarily avoided the limelight, Wang Yanzhang who led his remaining troops in retreat, Yuan Xingqin who was entangled with Shi Jiantang, Xia Luqi, Li Jianji, Liu Zhiyuan who were covered in blood, or even Zhong Xiaokui who arrived late with dozens of riders further to the west...

Everyone froze, their gazes fixed blankly on the center of the light, on the still churning smoke and energy emanating an aura of destruction.

Fear. Shock. Bewilderment.

What kind of power is that? Who exactly is that burly figure?

Are Zhu Youwen and Li Maozhen still alive?
However, the mystery was soon revealed.

Both figures were sent flying backward simultaneously. After landing, Zhu Youwen stumbled back more than ten steps, each step leaving deep cracks in the ground, before he could barely regain his footing. His blood and qi were churning, and he felt so uncomfortable that he almost vomited blood. He stared intently at the silhouette in the dust, his eyes revealing disbelief and horror for the first time.

The longsword in Li Maozhen's hand was broken, and he stood on the ground with the broken sword as a prop, his heterochromatic eyes flickering uncertainly.

Amidst the smoke and dust, the imposing figure stood alone, hands behind his back, his black robe fluttering in the wind. Beneath the bronze mask, a pair of gray-white pupils gazed indifferently, as if he were invincible.

"The Strange Altar of the God of War, Refining the Body to Become a Soldier..."

Li Maozhen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and said in a deep voice, "Indeed, very domineering."

Li Cunxu sat upright on his horse and suddenly turned around to look. A rare look of panic appeared on his face, but he quickly calmed down. He glanced at the pale-faced Mirror Heart Demon, and his face remained expressionless. Only his eyes were fixed on the chaotic core.

Deep within his eyes surged a turbulent wave of astonishment and a strange, unseen tremor emanating from the depths of his bloodline.

(End of this chapter)