Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 933 Siege War

"kill!"

After approaching the city wall, the wolf-headed Xuanjia guard leaped up, attempting to scale it.

However, what awaited them was a hail of arrows and thunderous roars.

The whooshing sounds of air being torn apart and the booming sounds of explosions instantly overwhelmed the wolf-headed Xuanjia guards who were leaping forward.

In the blink of an eye, the once menacing wolf-headed armored guards were reduced to a sorry state.

The Wolf-Headed Xuanjia Guards, clad in black armor and wielding shields, were largely impervious to arrows and thunderbolts. Unless struck directly in the face, they would not cause them significant harm.

However, when arrows and thunderbolts rained down, the Wolf-Headed Black Armor Guards' charge was thwarted, and their formation became chaotic.

With crossbows for long-range attacks and bows and arrows and thunderbolts for close-range combat, the Youyumen army had not even reached the top of Wuxiang City when it was already under continuous attack. In an instant, the once-mighty army was like a deflated balloon, and its morale plummeted.

On the flying ship castle, both Sheng Youhuang and Li Xuanxiao looked extremely grim.

At this moment, anyone who wasn't a fool could see that the Youyumen's offensive had slowed down. The Wolf-Headed Xuanjia Guards at the front had suffered setbacks, and the main force behind them was being attacked by crossbow bolts, and they were even showing signs of collapsing.

"Damn it, they actually used such underhanded tactics against us!"

Li Xuanxiao said with some resentment.

Are crossbow bolts, bows and arrows, and thunderbolts considered insidious tactics?

Of course not!

But in the eyes of the Netherworld Sect, these are not normal or conventional things either.

These were clearly not very powerful weapons, yet they hindered the advance of their tens of thousands of troops. How could they not be furious?
Sheng Youhuang's eyes flashed as she looked down at the battlefield below.

Seeing that many disciples were injured, he shook his head slightly, "Let them retreat first!"

Continuing the attack at this point is pointless and will only increase casualties.

……

As her orders were relayed, the army of the Netherworld Gate withdrew like a receding tide.

On the city gate tower, Yang Zhengshan withdrew his gaze and slowly walked into the hall inside.

This place has been turned into a temporary command post. Yang Mingzhi, Yang Minghao, Yang Mingwu, Yang Chengze and others are all here. They have all observed the battle that just took place.

"How is it?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

Yang Mingzhi said, "Their strength is not weak, but their military discipline is very poor. Just being attacked by crossbow bolts has thrown their formation into chaos!"

Yang Zhengshan nodded slightly. "Apart from the Wolf Head Xuanjia Guards in front, the others can't be considered an army at all. They are just a group of martial artists gathered together. They look fierce, but they don't have the discipline that an army should have."

"Now that we understand the enemy's situation, it's time to formulate a battle plan!"

The strategy for this battle is to defend Wuxiang City and keep Youyu Gate outside of it. However, tactically, they do not need to defend Wuxiang City indefinitely. They should take the initiative to attack when necessary.

"Yes!" Yang Mingzhi and the others responded, and then began to discuss the new battle plan.

At this time, a large number of Secret Martial Guards were roaming between the Netherworld Gate and the City of No Form. They were gathering intelligence and searching for the Netherworld Gate's follow-up forces, essentially acting as scouts for the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty.

According to intelligence provided by the Secret Guard, the marching routes of the Youyumen follow-up troops can be roughly divided into two: one is to pass through Xianling City in the east, and the other is to come from the southeast along the Yi River.

Xianling City is also a large city, considered the western border city of Youyu Gate. Just as Wuxiang City is the gateway to the Lingxiu Sea, Xianling City is also the western gateway of Youyu Gate.

The Yi River is a major river that originates from the Yunxiao Mountains and is formed by the confluence of dozens of small rivers and streams. Lingxiu Sea is also one of the sources of the Yi River.

The Yi River flows southeast, directly into the southern region of the Youyu Gate's sphere of influence. Therefore, some of the Youyu Gate's reinforcements will travel upstream along the Yi River.

Yang Mingzhi and his team quickly formulated a battle plan. In fact, they had a contingency plan in place, and now they were just making minor adjustments to the plan based on the actual situation.

Their battle plan was simple: to cut off the Netherworld Gate's reinforcements in order to prevent the Netherworld Gate from amassing more and more troops outside Wuxiang City.

Once the battle plan was finalized and approved by Yang Zhengshan, it was immediately converted into a military order and issued.

Eighty miles southwest of Wuxiang City, in the camp of the Huanyue Sect.

Yang Mingzhen arrived carrying a military order, and Yueming and Liuyue came out of the camp to greet him.

"Brother Yang, how is things going in Wuxiang City?" Yueming asked anxiously as soon as he saw Yang Mingzhen.

"Don't worry, Senior Yueming, Wuxiang City is not in danger for the time being!" Yang Mingzhen said.

"That's good, that's good!"

Yueming looked at Yang Mingzhen, nodded slightly, and then asked, "Brother Yang, what brings you here?"

Yang Mingzhen unfolded the military order in his hand and said, "Guest Minister's military order: Illusion Moon Sect is ordered to lead a detachment south, bypass Xiayun Ridge, and then advance east to the banks of the Yi River to intercept the reinforcements from the Netherworld Prison Sect!"

"I am Yang Mingzhen, and I will join the two elders to intercept the reinforcements from the Netherworld Sect!"

After saying that, he handed the military order in his hand to Yueming.

Yueming took the military order and examined it carefully.

"Why go to the banks of the Yi River? Shouldn't we be supporting Wuxiang City? Wuxiang City is only defended by your Yang family, can you really hold it?"

He was somewhat puzzled. The Netherworld Sect was coming with great force. Logically, shouldn't the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty be focusing all its efforts on resisting the Netherworld Sect's attack in Wuxiang City?

But now they're actually making their Illusion Moon Sect take a long detour to the banks of the Yi River to intercept the Netherworld Prison Sect's reinforcements, which he finds utterly incomprehensible.

Yang Mingzhen smiled and said, "Please do as I say, Elder Yueming! If Elder Yueming has any questions, I can answer them for you on the way!"

The reason for having him act alongside the Illusion Moon Sect was to prevent the sect from misunderstanding their battle plan, thus avoiding unnecessary misunderstandings and errors.

After hearing his words, Yueming pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, let's set off first!"

Soon after, the Illusion Moon Sect's camp became lively, with thousands of martial artists noisily preparing to set off.

Meanwhile, Yang Chengche also arrived at the Xuanqing Sect's camp with military orders.

On the Xuanqing Sect's side, Yunxiao and Chulingxiao were in charge of leading the army. The Xuanqing Sect was stronger than the Huanyue Sect, so their target was Xianling City.

The two detachments set off, heading towards Xianling City and the banks of the Yijiang River respectively, according to the established plan.

Outside the City of No Form.

The shouts of killing shook the sky.

Less than half a day after the Youyu Gate retreated, they launched another attack on Wuxiang City.

Compared to the first probing attack, this time the Netherworld Gate became even more ferocious. Thousands of warriors roared as they charged towards Wuxiang City, and their offensive did not diminish even when faced with crossbow bolts.

This time, the Wolf-Headed Black Armor Guards became even more ferocious, and even the overwhelming thunderbolts could not stop their offensive.

Soon they clashed with the Yujing Guards on the city wall.

"kill!"

A dozen or so Xuanjia Guards, shields in hand, leaped onto the city wall, braving arrows and thunderbolts.

"Swordsmen and shieldmen, prepare for battle!"

A hoarse roar rang out, and the archers immediately retreated several steps. The swordsmen and shieldmen who were ready stepped forward to meet the Xuanjia Guards who jumped up.

Although both are sword and shield bearers, there are significant differences between them. The Xuanjia Guards' shields are larger and heavier, capable of covering most of their bodies.

The shields of the swordsmen and shieldmen of the Jade Capital Guard were much smaller, only able to cover their upper bodies.

The Xuanjia Guards wielded heavy, long-handled swords, while the Yujing Guards used slender, ring-pommel swords.

Compared to each other, the Xuanjia Guards are more like heavily armed sword and shield soldiers, while the Yujing Guards are equipped with lighter equipment, which makes them more agile.

It is quite difficult to inflict effective damage on such Xuanjia Guards.

Whether it's a thunderbolt or an arrow, as long as it doesn't hit them directly in the face, it won't cause them fatal injuries.

Similarly, it was very difficult for the swordsmen and shieldmen of the Jade Capital Guard to kill them.

Therefore, the Yujing Guard's tactic was not to kill them, but to repel them.

The Xuanjia Guards leaped into the air, and as they cleared the top of the wall, the Yujing Guards' swordsmen and shield bearers also jumped up, raising their shields and charging directly at the Xuanjia Guards.

With a bang, the Xuanjia Guard was sent flying, while the Yujing Guard's swordsmen and shieldmen fell back onto the city wall due to the rebound force.

Thus, a very bizarre scene unfolded on the city wall.

The soldiers on both sides clashed repeatedly in mid-air, as if they were playing around.

The swordsmen and shieldmen of the Jade Capital Guard even sheathed their longswords, raising only their shields and watching the Xuanjia Guards leaping up one by one. Whenever they saw someone leaping up, they would ram them down.

What seemed like a playful act was actually very effective; no matter how the Xuanjia Guards attacked, they would be knocked down.

When subsequent enemies rush up, they will inevitably be knocked down as well.

Although a few escaped during this period, it did not affect the overall defensive position of the city wall.

The battle lasted for more than an hour, and the Netherworld Gate once again returned empty-handed, sounding the retreat.

Night falls.

On the airship, in the castle hall.

Sheng Youhuang sat in the chair with a furrowed brow.

Today's battle was unusual; she had never encountered a battle like this before.

She had led the Xuanjia Guard to conquer cities and territories many times before, but every time the Xuanjia Guard launched an attack, the enemy either collapsed or fought desperately.

Even in a desperate resistance, the two sides fought a real battle with swords and spears.

And what about now?

Wuxiang City actually used all sorts of strange methods to block the attack of the Xuanjia Guards.

Crossbows, bows and arrows, and thunderclaps—these things can actually be used by martial artists on the battlefield.

There's even a fight where shields collide, sending people flying – what kind of combat is that!

Only then did Sheng Youhuang realize that the Wuxiang City before her was even more difficult to deal with than she had anticipated.

Do you have any ideas on how to breach Wuxiang City?

She looked up at the people in the hall.

There were more than ten people in the hall at this time, including Jiang Taishu, the sect leader of Youyu Sect, Ming Shuzi, the foundation-building elder of Youyu Sect, and many Golden Body Realm martial artists, and of course Li Xuanxiao.

Everyone fell silent, feeling that today's battle had been somewhat unpleasant.

Yes, it's just uncomfortable, a feeling of having strength but nowhere to use it.

“Your Majesty, this dragging on is very disadvantageous for us. Why not just use the Thousand Mountains Covering the Sky Formation?” Jiang Taishu said.

Ming Shuzi's expression was solemn. "Once we use the Thousand Mountains Covering the Sky Formation, it means we will have to fight a decisive battle with them!"

Jiang Taishu nodded slightly, "There's nothing we can do about it. They were prepared. As long as they don't leave the city, it will be difficult for us to gain the upper hand!"

"If we want to achieve victory as soon as possible, then we have no choice but to start the final battle ahead of schedule!"

The decisive battle meant that these high-ranking officials would have to fight to the death. From the two Supreme Elders, Sheng Youhuang and Li Xuanxiao, to the many elders and guest ministers who came with the army, they would all have to participate in a massive melee.

If they are not careful, they could die in this chaotic battle.

Therefore, if possible, they would prefer to first break through Wuxiang City, forcing the sects and families of Lingxiu Sea to hesitate before taking action.

"Your Majesty, Baiyun Immortal City has only given us half a year!" Uncle Jiang looked at Sheng Youhuang.

The Netherworld Sect's desire to annex the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty naturally involves the White Cloud Immortal City, and of course, the White Cloud Immortal City will not support the Netherworld Sect.

Baiyun Zhenjun wouldn't concern himself with such matters, but Youyumen could contact higher-ups within the Baiyun lineage. They only began their actions after obtaining the consent of one of Baiyun Zhenjun's disciples.

The disciple gave them a six-month deadline.

Sheng Youhuang stroked a cool jade pendant in her hand and said, "The sect leader is right. Since we can't gain any advantage in the siege, there's no need to drag it out. Tomorrow, we'll use the Thousand Mountains Covering the Sky Formation to directly destroy the defenses of Wuxiang City!"

……

Inside the City of No Form, inside the Four Directions Hall.

Yang Zhengshan and the others were also discussing the upcoming battle.

"The Netherworld Sect's offensive has been thwarted today, but they will definitely intensify their attack tomorrow, and may even engage in a decisive battle with us!"

Qu Changkong first looked at Yang Zhengshan, then turned to look at Jian Changhe.

Jian Changhe sat in the main seat, his left hand resting on the armrest of the chair, slowly stroking his short three-inch beard.

Yang Zhengshan also looked at Jian Changhe. It was his task to block the army of Youyumen, but it was Jian Changhe's job to contend with the Divine Soul Realm experts of Youyumen.

Jian Changhe slowly raised his head. "Uncle-Master, what do you think?"

Jian Guyun laughed and said, "What else can we say? Since they want to fight, let them fight! My Hidden Sword Mountain has been silent for more than three hundred years. It's time to show our swords. Otherwise, they'll think that all the swords in my Hidden Sword Mountain have rusted!"

Upon hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in Jian Changhe's eyes.

"Then fight!"

"I'll deal with Sheng Youhuang. Martial Uncle, you all deal with Li Xuanxiao. As for the others!"

He looked at Yang Zhengshan and said, "You guys make the arrangements!"

Yang Zhengshan smiled and nodded, then looked at Yunxiao and said, "How about entrusting Ming Shuzi to Senior Yunxiao?"

Yunxiao shrugged. "Actually, this old man is very eager to witness the Mountain Lord's swordsmanship!"

"Haha, you'll see him tomorrow!" Jian Changhe laughed.

Yang Zhengshan stood up. "Then I'll take care of Uncle Jiang! I still have some reservations about the Sect Master of the Netherworld Sect!"

Jiang Taishu is the sect leader of the Netherworld Prison Sect and also a cultivator in the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Although this person's reputation is not as good as that of Ming Shuzi, his strength should not be underestimated.

Without using the Golden Crow Eight Trigrams Furnace, Yang Zhengshan really wasn't confident he could defeat it.

(End of this chapter)