Whale Falls and Becomes a God

Chapter 173 Heroes in Troubled Times
"Keng..."

Xiao Ying flicked his halberd, parrying Du Fuwei's furious slash, easily catching it amidst sparks.

"kill!"

The two armies, which had not yet completely ceased fighting, quickly clashed again, becoming entangled in battle.

The difference lies in the fact that the Sui army had nearly three thousand more strange "star gods".

With only three thousand men, and not even a formal organization, they were clearly inferior to the Jingwu Guard or the Black Cloud Cavalry.

Compared to the vast Jianghuai army, it may seem small and not very strong, but it dealt a heavy blow to the morale and fighting spirit of the Jianghuai army, causing them to hesitate, be timid, and wary, and thus show leniency or slow down their actions, which had a significant impact!

"Hey..."

The moment they clashed, before Xiao Ying could counterattack or Du Fuwei could launch another attack, Fu Gongyou, standing beside him, slashed at Du Fuwei with his sword. The sound of the sword cutting through the air was ear-piercing, and the sword light was dazzling.

His aura, momentum, and strength were slightly weaker than the original master, Fu Gongyou, but only by a limited margin, probably about one-tenth.

It's worth noting that at this moment, the Star God Fu Gongyou is wearing a dragon robe and holding a sword. This is unlike his usual battlefield attire of armor and a large sword, which to some extent demonstrates Fu Gongyou's resolve and will!
"..."

Du Fuwei was shocked and raised his knife to block, easily catching Fu Gongyou's sudden sword strike. His arm trembled as he was about to counterattack and kill Fu Gongyou, but he stopped abruptly!

Fu Gongyou and Du Fuwei were sworn brothers, like childhood friends who grew up together. They stole chickens and dogs together, mingled in the bandit world together, and even raised an army to rebel against the Sui Dynasty. Their bond was very deep, no less than that of blood brothers!
Previously, Du Fuwei had been warned by Xiao Ying and had laid a trap. Later, Fu Gongyou's unusual behavior made Du Fuwei somewhat wary and suspicious. However, he never thought of dealing with Fu Gongyou personally. He was still hesitant about whether to weaken the Chu King's lineage. He had never thought of and dared not think of a life-or-death situation with Fu Gongyou!

now……

The two were still facing each other to the death, and they fought each other personally, and that dragon robe was very eye-catching!
"Bang! Bang! Bang..."

While Du Fuwei was conflicted and somewhat hesitant, Xing Shen Fu Gongyou acted ruthlessly without hesitation.

The sword was not a true metal sword, but it was still quite sturdy and solid, and it did not break or crumble when it faced Du Fuwei's Thousand-Refined Longsword.

Hesitantly parrying, Du Fuwei looked at the fiercely attacking Fu Gongyou with complex emotions, especially his eyes, which were somewhat dull and lifeless, but intelligent, not a mechanical puppet devoid of humanity and emotion. Du Fuwei even saw a trace of hesitation and contradiction in Fu Gongyou's eyes, but his attacks did not diminish at all, and seemed to have become even fiercer and stronger?!
"Alas... Is this pain? Resentment? Or bitterness? Because I am still alive, but he is dead..."

Du Fuwei sighed deeply, involuntarily thinking of Fu Gongyou's state of mind at this moment, and his thoughts became even heavier.

Is it shame? Is it self-blame? Is it pity? Is it innocence or helplessness?!

Du Fuwei himself didn't know what was wrong with him, but several times he could have countered and killed Fu Gongyou, who was much weaker than him, but he stopped himself and couldn't bring himself to kill Fu Gongyou with his own hands.

Who knows if the strange summoning of Prince Jingwu will reappear after he is killed?
What if they disappear completely, or even never be reborn?

Du Fuwei dared not gamble, could not bear to gamble, and did not want to gamble. Even the other Jianghuai Army, including Kan Leng and the Black Cloud Cavalry, had the same idea.

Observing the battlefield, thanks to the assistance of the three thousand Star Gods, the Jingwu Guard and Jingwu Army faced significantly reduced pressure, and their morale and fighting spirit were even stronger. On the other hand, the Jianghuai Army, including the Black Cloud Cavalry, suffered from a drop in morale, a complete lack of fighting spirit, and were hesitant and sluggish when they attacked.

It can be said that if it weren't for the Black Cloud Cavalry and other elite Jianghuai troops present, they would have suffered heavy casualties and begun to collapse long ago.

However, the three thousand Star Souls showed little mercy in their attacks, resulting in heavy casualties for the Black Cloud Cavalry and other Jianghuai troops, who were already showing signs of retreat. "This battle is..."

Du Fuwei was both shocked and angry, helpless and unwilling. He sighed inwardly and gave the order in a deep voice:
"Withdraw! Withdraw temporarily, regroup the main force, and stabilize the situation!"

Looking at the overall battle situation, the Jianghuai army was clearly stronger, and its numbers far exceeded those of the Sui army by more than ten times; after all, this was the Jianghuai camp. However, Du Fuwei knew that he could not continue, otherwise the casualties would be too great. The Black Cloud Cavalry and other elite troops were not ordinary armies; they could not afford to lose them. At the very least, he needed to change troops to meet the enemy!
The Jianghuai army, including the Black Cloud Cavalry, which already had little will to fight, quickly withdrew and retreated as if granted a pardon.

Xinghun and the Sui army would not stop there. They continued to relentlessly pursue and kill, showing no mercy, which forced the Black Cloud Cavalry and others to fight and retreat at the same time!

Fortunately, the Jianghuai Army kept pouring in from all around. The newcomers were not as moved as the Black Cloud Cavalry and others who had witnessed it firsthand. They didn't recognize most of the Star Gods, and at most they wondered why these "one of their own" had betrayed them. In this chaotic world, betrayal was not a rare thing.

The newcomers replaced the Black Cloud Cavalry in the battle, which was much better!
"..."

Many Star Gods died in battle during this period, and Xiao Ying tried to continue summoning them, maintaining a number of 2,920.

Summoning is possible, and the number can be maintained. However, summoning a Star God requires not only the consumption of Star Soul Force but also more than ten times the amount of Qi and Blood Essence corresponding to the Star God's cultivation level, making it clearly unsuitable as a regular method.

After all, it is a void creation of the power of the gods, and the essence of blood and qi is the main ingredient, so it is normal that more needs to be consumed.

Fortunately, once a Star God is summoned, it can be retrieved. Its essence will be returned proportionally based on consumption and damage; it's not completely consumed upon summoning. The Star God's essence will also be automatically recovered upon death, but the percentage is much lower and significantly reduced compared to summoning it while it's still alive, as there will be losses and the effects of death!
To put it simply, it's similar to a daily situation where one summons a Dharma body to fight desperately, but it takes killing ten people to summon one person of the same realm!
……

Iron-blooded and ruthless, time flies.

Xiao Ying, leading the Star God and the Jingwu Guards and Jingwu Army, quickly reached the central part of the Jianghuai camp, but could no longer advance. The Jianghuai army surged in ever-growing numbers, like an endless tide, causing increasing casualties among the Sui army, and the situation gradually began to reverse.

"Withdraw! Roughly clean up the battlefield, take our corpses with us, and retreat!"

Seeing that time was running out and the battle situation was becoming unfavorable, Xiao Ying decisively ordered a retreat, taking the remaining two thousand or so Star Gods to cover the rear.

Zhao Pojun and his army, who had come to join them, retreated first along with the Jingwu Army, taking with them many corpses, especially weapons and armor, particularly those of the Jingwu Guards and the Black Cloud Cavalry, whose weapons and armor were quite extraordinary.

Xie Yingdeng, who arrived later, led the Dongfang Wujun army in the center, providing support with sharp arrows and powerful crossbows.

Finally, there were the Jingwu Guard and Xiao Ying, among others. Meanwhile, the Chinese military forces led by Dugu Feng had already withdrawn under orders, a much smoother operation than the central route.

Retreating all the way to the camp gate, Xiao Ying led the remaining 1,700-plus Star Gods to block the gate and desperately block the counterattack of the Jianghuai Army!
"Brother Du! Thank you for your warm hospitality. I look forward to our next gathering. No need to see me off!"

Holding his halberd, Xiao Ying rode upright until most of the Sui army returned to Chitai Mountain. He did not see Du Fuwei, but he shouted loudly, his voice carrying for miles.

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and about 1,700 Star Gods suddenly disappeared. In the next few breaths, several more "died in battle" and disappeared!

The Jianghuai army, like a surging tide, stopped at the fence of the main camp. Those who had chased after him returned to their own camp, watching in silence as he rode alone back up the mountain.

In the dim night...

That figure, half-covered in blood, walking alone into the distance, possessed the aura of a demon god, appearing exceptionally majestic, mysterious, powerful, and towering...

(End of this chapter)