From the Carp that Brings Children to the Celestial Officials

Chapter 437 A Tough Nut to Crack

Yuanling County looked particularly majestic in the morning sunlight, with its five-zhang-high city walls standing tall, almost comparable to the city walls of the prefectural city.

With its stronghold at Yuanling Mountain, this city can easily control the vital north-south route, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

But at this moment, all the garrison troops in Yuanling County looked solemn.

Standing atop the city wall and looking into the distance, there was almost no gap to be seen; the hilltop in front of me was covered by a dense mass of chaotic soldiers.

Peng Kuo's chaotic army numbered nearly ten thousand, their ranks spreading out like a tidal wave, even swallowing up the distant horizon.

Although the soldiers' clothes were tattered, the sheer size of their formation still made everyone in Yuanling County hold their breath.

These days, the name they hear most often is "Peng Kuo," who has conquered several cities in succession and whose power is unparalleled. They never expected the enemy to arrive so quickly.

Although Yuanling County had requested assistance from the prefectural city, the local military strength was very limited because the imperial court had always implemented a policy of strengthening the central government and weakening local forces.

Not only is the prefectural governor not qualified to mobilize troops, but even the state government cannot mobilize troops. Only the governor's office can lead troops into battle if it receives a document from the Ministry of War.

It is precisely because of this that we can sit idly by and watch Peng Kuo grow stronger day by day.

"As expected of Yuanling County, it is indeed extremely prosperous."

Peng Kuo stood at the front of the line, looking up at the tall city wall in front of him.

A hint of excitement flashed in his eyes. Yuanling County was indeed as wealthy as the legends said. A county town of this size, and the soldiers on the city walls were even wearing leather and cotton armor. Their equipment was far superior to that of some of the previous county towns.

"Siege!"

Peng Kuo suddenly waved his hand, his voice booming like thunder.

His figure was like a fierce tiger. As his blood and energy surged, his figure brought up gusts of wind, and he was as unstoppable as a tiger.

The more he killed, the thicker his bloodlust became, and the stronger he grew.

He no longer resembles a human being; rather, he is like a wild beast from the mountains transformed into a demon, intent on devouring people in the human world.

Peng Kuo's blood energy suddenly surged, and with the force of the impact, he took several steps on the city wall and jumped nearly three zhang high.

If it were an ordinary city wall, he would have already leaped over it.

Unfortunately, he was still one step short when facing the city walls of Yuanling County.

However, Peng Kuo suddenly used his right foot to brace himself against a broken section of the city wall, and his blood energy exploded, causing his body to rise more than ten feet higher. Then he stretched out a hand and reached for the battlements on the city wall.

The soldiers on the city wall thought they had seen a god descend to earth. This city wall was nearly five zhang high, and they rushed up in just two steps.
Just as the people on the city wall were in a state of panic, suddenly, a cold light flashed like lightning.

A sharp sword suddenly appeared, slashing straight at Peng Kuo's hand that was about to grab the battlements.

Peng Kuo felt the hairs on his fingers stand on end. He quickly withdrew his hand, but his upward momentum was almost completely exhausted. With nowhere to pull himself up, his body began to fall downwards.

"Pong."

His body slammed heavily to the ground like a falling rock, and his eyes suddenly turned sharp as he stared intently at the figure on the city wall.

It was a tall figure completely shrouded in a layer of black vine armor, even his face was covered by the armor, and he held a strange longsword that looked like a narrow leaf in his hand.

Although he couldn't see the other person's face clearly, Peng Kuo seemed to be able to see the cold look in their eyes through that layer of armor.

At that moment, Peng Kuo felt a strange sense of shame and annoyance.

He possesses superhuman strength through his own blood and qi, so how come there are such people in Yuanling County?

This divine destiny shouldn't only be available to those like me who bear the mandate of heaven, right? If others have it too, wouldn't it become as common as cabbage?
"Charge!" Peng Kuo felt his blood boiling. The wound on his face slowly reopened, and the centipede-like wound became even redder.

Although he was furious, he became increasingly calm.

A group of soldiers quickly rushed over carrying ladders, and after setting them up, a large number of soldiers began to climb them.

Leading the charge were Peng Kuo's loyal followers, his fellow villagers who had received the power of his bloodline.

Although they did not possess the immense strength of Peng Kuo, they were still far more powerful than ordinary people.

"Swish swish."

Arrows rained down from the city walls, while logs rolled down and hot oil was splashed everywhere.

Yuanling County was, after all, a prosperous place, and especially since it had been prepared for many more days than other counties, they remained calm and composed despite the dense and chaotic army attack.

"Boom."

The logs roared and crashed down, instantly sending rows of soldiers flying.

The hot oil was so scalding that a spoonful poured into it would scald the skin and flesh until it was mushy. Even the soldiers with Peng Kuo's blood and energy could not withstand it.

Even if they are physically strong, they are still made of flesh and blood.

Because of the limited number of siege ladders and the ample preparations made by Yuanling County, the first wave of attacks by the chaotic army did not achieve any results, and instead suffered heavy losses.

Peng Kuo's eyes twitched slightly; Yuanling County was indeed a tough nut to crack.

They were not on the same level as the officers and soldiers he had faced before.

Even after the first wave of setbacks, the morale of his men began to waver, and some even became afraid to advance and dared not charge forward again.

"What a waste!"

He cursed under his breath, but he also knew that his team was a temporary cobbled-together unit. They could manage to win when things were going well, but they would inevitably collapse when things went against them.

"Thorn."

Seeing a few soldiers daring to retreat ahead, Peng Kuo rushed forward and killed them with a few slashes.

People tend to follow the crowd blindly; once someone starts running, it will inevitably trigger a chain reaction.

A ruthless glint flashed in Peng Kuo's eyes; it seemed he would have to be the first to charge ahead.

I must break through the defenses of Yuanling County in order for this battle to continue.

Peng Kuo flicked his foot, holding a wooden shield in front of him, then took a step forward and quickly jumped onto the cloud ladder. His legs burst with blood energy, and he soared upwards at an extremely fast speed.

"Boom, boom, boom."

Logs rained down on him, which he desperately held back with his wooden shield, but the ladder seemed to be unable to withstand the weight and began to sway.

Then the soldiers on the city wall poured all the remaining hot oil from a copper pot down on him. The wooden shield's defensive range was ultimately limited. Peng Kuo only had time to cover his face; his elbows and thighs were not protected enough. The high temperature instantly burned his skin and flesh, which seemed to stick to his clothes.

The intense pain made Peng Kuo feel that his eyes were bloodshot.

But this seemed to only fuel his ferocity; he let out a low growl and charged upwards with all his might.

(End of this chapter)