Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 62 [Evening Drum], Holding the fort in the cabin!
Three hundred sword energies poured down like a galaxy, and the white sword light instantly swallowed up the dozen or so shrimp demon soldiers charging at the forefront.

"laugh--!"

Where the three-foot-long sword passed, the shrimp demon soldiers' hard shells were torn apart as easily as paper.

Demonic blood splattered like ink, exploding into a crimson mist on the cabin ceiling. Severed limbs and broken claws mixed with shattered armor flew everywhere, and sticky fluid dripped down the doors and windows.

however,
"Woo!"

A deafening roar came from the deck behind.

"Click! Click! Click!"

Seventy or eighty red-armored shrimp demon soldiers stepped over the corpses of their companions and climbed up the ship's walls, surging towards the third floor of the ship from all directions.

Their scarlet eyes gleamed with cruelty and composure.

These seasoned veterans knew all too well that once they rushed into the narrow cabin, it would be perfect for close-quarters combat and would instantly shatter the students' formation.

These young scholars could draw a six-pound bow, but lacked close combat experience and the courage for hand-to-hand combat.

If even one demonic shrimp soldier were to charge into the crowd of children and wield its sharp blade to slaughter them, they would instantly be plunged into immense panic and chaos.

"Maintain formation, do not break it!"

Jiang Xingzhou let out a soft shout, his sword flashing with a sharp light, "We absolutely cannot let them break through the defenses!"

The five-zhang-long (approximately 10 meters) warship rocked violently above the river waves, its bow deck soaked in blood.

Instructor Zheng's robes were stained with blood, but the drumstick in his hand remained as steady as a mountain.

Taking advantage of the shrimp demons' main force besieging the third floor, he finally broke through the encirclement and reached the bow of the ship. His eyes flashed with a sharp light, and his literary energy condensed into a tangible blue light on the drumsticks.

"[Evening Drum]—!"

A loud shout echoed across the river.

Suddenly, a three-zhang-tall evening drum appeared in the void. The drumhead was covered with bronze rust, and the ancient mantra "Sleep" was engraved on both sides.

[Evening Drum] is a literary technique for calming the soul, which can cause the enemy to fall into a brief state of confusion and sleep, and is specifically designed to break the violent and ferocious nature of the demon race!
"Boom--!"

The first hammer blow sent a thunderous roar through the air.

Visible ripples swept across the entire ship, causing the shrimp-like soldiers on the deck to freeze in place.

The entire ship was enveloped in the sonic barrier of "Evening Drum and Morning Bell".
The dozen or so shrimp demons closest to them suddenly lost focus, their compound eyes glazed over, and they abruptly stiffened, their claws drooping limply. They fell into a brief state of unconsciousness, as if being dragged into an endless slumber.

Even the demon soldiers who were climbing the ship's walls lost their grip and fell into the river like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

The fish demon soldiers and shrimp soldiers who were climbing the ship suddenly felt a ringing and trembling in their ears. A dizzying sensation struck them, and they almost fainted.

The giant fish demon soldier, stunned by the [Evening Drum], was being dragged down towards the center of the river by heavy black iron chains.

Blood mist filled the air inside the third-floor cabin.

The aftershocks of the first evening drumbeat pierced the deck, and the previously frightened students suddenly looked up.

Jiang Xingzhou's blood-stained sword trembled, and with a horizontal slash, he cleaved a dazed shrimp demon soldier in two, shouting, "It was Instructor Zheng who sounded the evening drum on the warship! Kill—!"

"kill!"

The students were greatly encouraged, and the literary spirit that had been dimmed on the sword blades shone brightly once more.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lu Ming pierced the compound eye of a shrimp demon soldier in front of him with his sword, while Cao An took the opportunity to lead more than ten students to block the gap in the broken window.

"hiss--!"

Suddenly, Xia Shijiu let out a sharp shriek, and his ten-foot-long blade, sparking as it sliced ​​through the deck, hurtled toward the bow drum platform with terrifying speed, stopping Instructor Zheng Shuqian from continuing to beat the war drum.

The long blade tore through the air and stabbed fiercely toward Instructor Zheng's back!

Having experienced the naval battle between the East Sea Demon Court and the Great Zhou Holy Dynasty, it knew all too well the terrifying power of the giant bronze drum on the ship; continuing to beat it would completely reverse the course of the battle.

A giant fish-demon soldier, ten feet long, was suspended in mid-air on the ship, briefly stunned and dizzy. It suddenly shook its head, biting its tongue with its sharp teeth, and broke free from the dizziness as demonic blood splattered.

Its eyes locked onto the third-floor cabin door.

He wielded a long, dark iron chain hammer, drawing a deadly arc in the moonlight.

With a swift swing, the black iron chain hammer flew up like a black dragon's tail. "Boom!"

They smashed the hatch and frame into dust and rushed into the third-floor cabin.

"Crack——!"

Amidst the flying wood chips, its barbed tail swept across, instantly shattering the three rosewood desks blocking the doorway into a shower of splinters.

The two students were hit and sent flying backward, their sternums shattered!
The other two giant fish demons rushed into the cabin through the hole, bringing with them the fishy smell of the river. They were covered in heavy bronze scales and wielded standard chain hammers.

Numerous shrimp demon soldiers followed and surged in, attacking the students.

Meanwhile, the remnants of the Mosquito Demon Guard seized the opportunity to break in through the window, their Bloodthirsty Spears targeting the throats of the young students to extract their life essence.

The three hundred students, swords in hand, had lost their formation and were overrun by the demon soldiers.

"Put yourself in a desperate situation and you will survive!"
Brothers, kill them—!

Han Yugui's broken sword pierced the gills of a fish demon soldier. The usually aloof young master Han was now covered in demon blood, and his hair-binding jade crown had long since been thrown away.

"If I die in battle today, I will be buried with my brothers in Jiangzhou!"
He's a fine man indeed!

Lu Ming roared with eyes wide open, his sword transforming into a fiery raven that lunged at the demon soldiers opposite him.

"Five years of classmates, see you in the next life!"

Cao An gave a bitter smile and suddenly ripped open his robe. His scholar's robe, stained with blood and riddled with wounds, was already torn to shreds. He suddenly burst into laughter.

"I'm not dead yet, what's the rush?"

Li Yunxiao's soft sword wrapped around the neck of a shrimp demon, but he himself was pierced through the shoulder blade by the mosquito demon's spear.

He grinned, and his inner gilded armor suddenly gripped the gun barrel, pulling the monster in front of him to act as a shield.

"kill!"

Gu Zhimian wielded his sword, his killing frenzy reaching its peak. His swordsmanship completely abandoned any rules, mechanically slashing and slashing at the demon soldiers.

"The Complete Guide to Military Classics... No, it doesn't say that either!"

Zhang Youyi's trembling fingers frantically flipped through the blood-stained pages of the book, his literary sword thrusting towards the demon soldiers in his panic. "The demon soldiers are surging forward, what literary technique should I use to defend against them?!"

The fish soldier who first rushed into the cabin hadn't even swung his chain hammer before he was entangled by Li Yunxiao's soft sword.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the three students launched a combined attack, their swords piercing the belly of the demon fish, the splashing green blood turning into an ink painting on the cabin ceiling.

The three hundred students, their eyes bloodshot, engaged in a chaotic battle with the fish demon soldiers, shrimp soldiers, and mosquito demon guards who rushed into the third floor.

The students suffered repeated defeats, with many falling to the ground injured.

I'm going to die!
My ambitions remain unfulfilled, and I have yet to revitalize the Gu family of Dongchianli. Mother, I'm so sorry!

Gu Zhimian was stabbed hard in the abdomen by a shrimp demon soldier. He staggered back, his face pale and blood spurting from his mouth.

Without making a sound.

Jiang Xingzhou's cloth boots rolled over the broken porcelain and wood chips scattered on the floor, and he quietly retreated to the center of the cabin.

His eyes remained frighteningly calm.

The fierce battle was reflected in his pupils.

Han Yugui's literary sword was broken; he was now using the bamboo slips of the Spring and Autumn Annals as a shield of literary strategy, desperately guarding the eastern window. Cao An's left arm hung limply, yet he gritted his teeth and held it upright.

Gu Zhimian was seriously injured and cornered by the demon soldiers.
The demon soldiers stormed into the ship's cabin, suffering heavy casualties, though more than half were killed or wounded, they were at their last gasp. However, the three hundred students were also on the verge of collapse, nearly half wounded, their literary energy depleted and almost completely exhausted.

"The Three Character Classic and the Four Character Mantra are not powerful enough!"

We must employ poetic literary techniques!

Even a short poem of twenty characters might not be enough to defeat this group of ferocious demon soldiers.

We need to double the number of long poems and essays!
However, it takes time to build up power to unleash the long poem technique, and it cannot be interrupted by the demon soldiers.

Jiang Xingzhou took a deep breath.

(End of this chapter)