The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 330 Greed
Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes slightly, raised his hand, and two fingers appeared in front of him like snowflakes in the mud or antelope horns hanging from a tree, devoid of any worldly dust or grime.

The cold light appeared in an instant; it was not a sword or knife, but a steel spike.

This thorn is three feet long, longer than the common Emei thorn or Fenshui thorn.

The sashimi is pale white, while the skewer tips are blood red. It has a name: "Red Dot Beyond the Great Wall." It is a rare and powerful weapon from the grasslands, not from the Central Plains.

Zhao Ti placed two fingers three inches from the tip of the thorn, and the thorn immediately froze in mid-air, unable to penetrate even an inch.

The dark figure was immediately alarmed. She let out a sharp cry, unleashing her inner strength. She suddenly exerted force on her fair wrist, but the stab remained motionless.

Zhao Ti said calmly, "You must have a death wish to assassinate me!"

"You..." the shadowy figure began, a woman who sounded young and spoke with great urgency.

"Hmph," Zhao Ti sneered, a faint light flashing between his fingers as he twisted the illusory Yin energy to the side.

A crisp "crack" rang out, and the three-inch tip of the steel spike was broken off. The black figure's body shuddered violently and he tilted to the side, but suddenly his other hand shot out something, which shot straight at Zhao Ti.

The object gleamed with the same cold light as the steel spikes, and it was upon them in the blink of an eye. Zhao Ti flicked his sleeve and knocked it away, only to find that it was a short spike with a blood-red tip—a pair of twin spikes.

Seeing that he had failed again, the shadowy figure suddenly raised his hand and flicked out a puff of white smoke, which instantly filled the area around the tent wall, and then he disappeared without a trace.

Zhao Ti remained expressionless. With a flick of his finger, the three-inch sharp tip of the weapon shot out and plunged into the white smoke.

A scream was heard, followed by what sounded like something falling from mid-air to the ground with a "bang".

The soldiers wanted to go forward to investigate, but Zhao Ti said, "Don't go over there while the smoke hasn't dissipated."

The soldiers hurriedly agreed, opened the tent flaps to release white smoke, and at this moment the shouts of battle outside grew louder, chaos erupted throughout the camp, arrows pierced the air, and the sounds of clashing weapons were incessant.

Zhao Ti frowned. The war had taken a wrong turn. The ambush on the Liao army was indeed successful, but the sheer number of Liao soldiers was beyond his expectations.

Due to the darkness, there wasn't enough time to set up extensive fortifications around the camp; only some barricades were placed and shallow ditches no more than half a foot deep were dug.

As a result, with so many Liao troops, they not only entered through the village gate, but also surrounded the area from all four sides.

Generally speaking, raiding a camp doesn't involve sending out a large force. Instead, it's usually a scout to probe the enemy's defenses, with a smaller contingent of troops covering the rear. Once the raid is successful, the rest of the army follows.

This allows for measured advances and retreats, enabling reinforcements and support, and demonstrates flexibility. However, the Liao army does not currently exhibit this approach.

The Liao army simply charged straight in, stormed through the main gate, and surrounded them on all sides, relentlessly attacking them.

If they were ambushed, they would suffer heavy losses. However, if the attacking force was too large, the defending troops inside the camp would also face increased pressure.

After all, the first wave of ambushes annihilated the enemy, and what followed was a full-scale attack. The enemy had too many troops and were not afraid of death, so they got into a tug-of-war.

"The Liao army... are they really that fierce?" Zhao Ti raised his eyebrows, finding it hard to believe that the enemy would remain fearless indefinitely.

Even the battle-hardened Western Army of the Song Dynasty dared not claim to be fearless and invincible, let alone the Khitan, who had not fought for many years.

Zhao Ti looked out of the tent. There was chaos everywhere, with firelight everywhere, and the men and horses stretched as far as the eye could see.

"Is this going to be a decisive battle? At least 100,000 troops have raided the camp. Can it still be called a raid?" He shook his head: "With just ferocity and bravery, I'm afraid it won't last long."

At this moment, the white smoke inside the tent dissipated, and a man in black was seen curled up in a corner by the wall, trembling incessantly, his large eyes glaring angrily at Zhao Ti.

The steel spike pierced her acupoints, and blood dripped down with a "pitter-patter." She not only couldn't muster any energy, but even moving was difficult.

Zhao Ti glanced at her and saw that it was a woman. He walked forward slowly and suddenly saw a slight movement under her face mask, followed by a flash of light that went straight for his throat.

"You're still up to no good!" Zhao Ti raised his arm and knocked away the flying object, which turned out to be a silver needle, seemingly shot out from the other party's mouth through his face mask.

He walked up to her and ripped off her black mask, revealing a beautiful woman in her early twenties with a furious and resentful expression.

"Tie them up," Zhao Ti said calmly.

Two soldiers immediately pulled out a cowhide rope, intending to tie the woman up. Although she could hardly move, she could still speak, shouting, "Song dog, you will not escape tonight! My Khitan army will crush your camp and kill all of you Song people!"

Zhao Ti frowned, his tone turning icy: "Crush her tongue."

"Yes, sir." A soldier, holding a waist knife, glared angrily, ready to attack.

"How dare you, you dog king!" Just then, a "sizzle" sound came from the top of the tent, and a flash of light shot in from above, heading straight for Zhao Ti.

Without even raising his head, Zhao Ti struck out with his palm, and a white, icy aura spread out. The assassin above was immediately knocked aside by the icy palm wind and fell to the ground, his body covered with a thin layer of ice.

"Junior Sister, are you alright?" The man who landed didn't think of running away, but instead looked at the woman below the wall anxiously.

"Senior brother, it's all my fault. I found the dog king's residence without looking back for you, and acted on my own." The woman said through gritted teeth, "But it's nothing, these Song dogs will soon..."

Before she could finish speaking, the soldier viciously plunged his steel knife into her mouth, twisted it forcefully, knocked out her teeth, and shattered her tongue.

"Ah..." The woman screamed in agony and immediately fainted from the pain.

"Foolish!" Zhao Ti said calmly, glancing at the man in black on the other side.

The man was originally masked, but the icy palm wind blew it off, revealing his face. He appeared to be around thirty years old. Seeing the woman's miserable state, his eyes widened in fury: "Dog King, you dare to hurt my junior sister! I will never let you live under the same sky!"

"Does the Liao Kingdom only send small fry to assassinate people?" Zhao Ti said slowly, "Shut up this assassin's mouth as well!"

The soldiers stepped forward and thrust their steel knives at the man again. The man screamed, and bits of flesh and teeth flew onto the ground. However, he did not faint; he was just trembling with pain, his face contorted in agony.

"Tie them up together and keep a close watch on them," Zhao Ti ordered, then walked out of the tent with his hands behind his back.

At this moment, the moonlight was cold and clear, flames soared everywhere, and shouts of battle were constant. Zhao Ti looked around and his gaze fell far outside the camp. He saw that the Liao army was a dark mass, and he could not see the end of it.

The Liao army's armor and clothing were very different from those of the Song Dynasty, making them easy to identify. Their winter uniforms, in particular, were very thick. The leather hats worn by army commanders and the like had pom-poms and fur tails sewn on both sides, hanging down to their shoulders. These served to prevent snow from seeping in and melting into the ice, and also to signify their status.

At this moment, Liao soldiers occasionally stormed into the camp, but they were shot dead in a short time. The Liao soldiers behind them swarmed in again, and the corpses on the ground were already piled up in a thick layer.

The camp of 80,000 to 90,000 men was enormous, but fighting was taking place almost everywhere, with no place to rest. Zhao Ti walked to a slightly higher place and saw Zhe Keshi giving orders in all directions. Upon seeing him, Zhe Keshi hurriedly bowed.

Zhao Ti said, "There are martial arts experts who have infiltrated the camp. Be careful."

Zhe Keshi's face showed surprise: "Your Highness, what about Your Highness's tent..."

Zhao Ti said, "It's alright. We captured two people. I didn't leave anyone there tonight; I sent them all out. Just now, a man and a woman sneaked in. They are both Khitans, but we don't know their identities."

Upon hearing this, Zhe Keshi wiped the sweat from his forehead. He knew that Zhao Ti had personal guards, but he didn't know that he had sent them all away. If something happened, no one could bear the responsibility.

"Your Highness, I will have someone escort you to a safe place."

Zhao Ti waved his hand, then suddenly his eyes lit up, and he swayed a few times before disappearing into the distance.

That was the camp of the Dragon Elephant Army. The Dragon Elephant Army had no military equipment, such as cannons and crossbows, and only used bows and arrows, so its defenses were weak, and the Liao army rushed in the most.

However, once the Liao army entered, the two sides clashed with swords, spears, fists, and feet, and the Liao army could wipe out the other side in a very short time. Therefore, the Khitan corpses piled up in this village were the most numerous.

Huo Linglong stood at the very front, leading her soldiers to guard the already damaged camp fence. Her body was covered in blood, turning it a dark brown color, and she exuded an astonishing aura.

Just as she had killed several Liao soldiers who had broken in with two punches and was catching her breath, she suddenly saw a dark figure coming from the side. It was incredibly fast, passing through several Dragon Elephant soldiers and arriving directly beside her. The cold light was like lightning, and some unknown weapon was thrusting towards her ribs.

Huo Linglong was already on guard, but she had no weapon in her hand, so she quickly took a step back and threw a punch.

The shadowy figure deflected the attack with a palm strike, then closed in, wielding a slender, long sword. The sword danced like the wind as it thrust repeatedly at Huo Linglong.

Huo Linglong roared repeatedly, her voice deafening. Although she didn't have any weapons, she was able to withstand the opponent's attack with just her Dragon Elephant Palm.

Soldiers rushed to their side, but the two were moving so fast that they were constantly exchanging blows with their fists and swords, their bodies intertwined, that they couldn't get a hand in to help. They didn't even dare to use their bows and arrows, for fear of hurting Huo Linglong.

Huo Linglong frowned and said, "Don't worry about me. Keep an eye on the stockade ahead and don't let the Khitans take the opportunity to enter."

After a few swift sword strikes, the shadow suddenly raised its hand and struck out an object—a handkerchief embroidered with gold and silver threads.

The handkerchief actually grew larger in the wind, and the silk threads on it transformed into a dense net, with the horizontal threads being gold and the vertical threads being silver, each thread being extremely sharp.

If this thing were posted online, it would be immediately cut into several pieces, its flesh and bones severed, a cruel punishment akin to being slowly sliced ​​to death.

Huo Linglong's expression changed upon seeing this. It was the first time she had ever seen something that could change shape. The net-shaped object was bound to be useless, and the force of her punches would be of little use. Even swords and knives would probably be unable to block it.

At this critical moment, she suddenly tilted her head back and exhaled a cloud of earthy yellow mist from her mouth, within which a dragon was faintly visible.

This earth dragon has a single, round, and long horn, a thick body, no claws or feet, and its body is covered with brightly colored patterns. It is actually Mahoraga's original form before he became a god.

The Eight Heavenly Dragons, humans and non-humans, Mahoraga's original form was a giant serpent, which cultivated from a serpent's head and body to a human body and serpent's head, and finally to a complete human form.

Among them, the one with a python head and a human body has cultivated for the longest time, amounting to tens of thousands of years. Therefore, the original form of Mahoraga depicted in many scriptures is mostly of this type, and Mahoraga was originally in the shape of a giant python.

Huo Linglong received the inheritance of Mahoraga and began to cultivate after refining the imprint seed. She has already mastered one of the techniques, which is the original form that is now breathing out clouds and mist, called "Greed".

Mahoraga likes to dwell in worldly temples, and he eats all the wine and meat that people eat. He breaks the precepts, is wicked and flattering, is angry and gives little, and is greedy for wine and meat. He is lax in his precepts and falls into the hands of ghosts and spirits. Many angry insects enter his body and eat him.

In other words, this original body was fond of food and alcohol, but also consumed everything else. Overeating led to laziness and depravity, and various negative spirits and demons entered, causing self-harm like poisonous insects, and giving rise to anger and irritability.

At this moment, Huo Linglong spat out the Mahoraga from the clouds, which looked violent. Looking at the golden and silver net opposite her, it revealed a ferocious appearance. Suddenly, it opened its mouth wide, which was so big that it could swallow an elephant, and swallowed the net.

The net instantly covered everything, swallowing the entire thing whole. The python then writhed in the mist, showing no sign of satisfaction, but instead becoming even more agitated.

Upon seeing this, the shadow's eyes narrowed, and it uttered a soft, aged voice: "Spell?"

After he finished speaking, he didn't even bother to take back the net, and simply walked away without a care.

Huo Linglong hurriedly withdrew the spell, but fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, clearly indicating that the "Greedy Devouring" technique had just been very exhausting.

The shadowy figure swayed and took several steps, but the Dragon Elephant soldiers rushed to intercept him. He let out a long roar and brandished his narrow sword, enveloping himself in a ball of white light. Instead of fleeing outwards, he headed towards the main camp.

Just as he was taking advantage of the chaos of the Liao army's attack outside and had already advanced several dozen feet in, suddenly his vision blurred and he was blocked by someone.

The one blocking his way was Zhao Ti. Zhao Ti had just seen shadowy figures flashing in this direction from Zhe Keshi's place, and their clothing was vaguely similar to that of the male and female assassins, so he hurriedly came over to investigate.

The shadowy figure tried to dodge when someone suddenly appeared and blocked the way, but upon seeing Zhao Ti's attire, his voice trembled with surprise: "King Song?"

Zhao Ti looked at the man and said, "You audacious assassin, how dare you infiltrate!"

The shadowy figure laughed loudly: "It's like finding a needle in a haystack, only to have it come to me effortlessly. I've been looking for you for ages, and you just happened to deliver yourself to my doorstep."

Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes and said, "A man and a woman just sneaked into my tent and have already been captured and executed. It seems you were together?"

The figure in black was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then angrily said, "You killed them?"

Zhao Ti said calmly, "Not only did they kill them, they chopped them into mincemeat."

"You..." the shadowy figure roared, "Give me your life!"

He said he made a feint with his narrow sword, and with his other hand he pulled out an object, cylindrical in shape, with a mottled, multicolored surface, and shone it on Zhao Ti.

What is that? Zhao Ti frowned. He saw that the cylindrical light shone with a dazzling array of colors, like a colorful and strange world that dazzled the eyes and made people unable to extricate themselves.

Kaleidoscope? It's not even an illusion! Zhao Ti snorted coldly, circulating his Illusionary Yin True Qi, piercing through layers of colorful illusions, and flew forward, pointing a finger.

The shadowy figure was immediately alarmed and hurriedly raised his sword to block. Zhao Ti pointed a finger at the spine of the sword, and the blade quickly cracked and shattered. Then he moved forward and directly pressed the Tanzhong acupoint on the figure's chest.

The Tanzhong acupoint is the source of all meridians and the head of all acupoints. This attack immediately destroyed the man's martial arts skills, and he fell backward.

At this moment, Huo Linglong ran over with her soldiers: "Your Highness..."

Zhao Ti waved to her, picked up the person on the ground, and turned to go back to the camp.

(End of this chapter)