Chapter 198: The Siege (2)

“They actually found our location. It seems Qingyue Yang really is a talent.” Dharma King Daoyu sneered after hearing the news. She had never fought Zuo Zhicheng before, only tangled with the Underworld King Snake, so she held a grudge over the loss and disagreed with Dharma King of Destruction’s choice to retreat.

“The more critical the situation, the more we must stay calm.” Seeing Duan Suling’s anxious expression, Dharma King of Destruction remained serene and said slowly, “The Shadow Corps only has three Human Phase Masters. Zuo Zhicheng was severely injured and couldn’t recover so quickly.

So, they must have left one Human Phase Master back in Haijing to guard it. Besides Qingyue Yang, the one who came must be either Qingyue Ying or He Zizai. With me and Dharma King Daoyu here, plus you immediately gathering the disciples, guards, servants, and the Unavoidable Battalion’s forces, we might just have a chance to kill Qingyue Yang.

Once Qingyue Yang is dead, their group will fall apart. Even if we don’t succeed, with our skills, we can still break out in the chaos of battle.”

Both Dharma King Daoyu and Dharma King of Destruction had survived countless life-and-death situations. No matter how dangerous things got, they never gave up hope. They would always fight to the end and never surrender.

The sound of clanging gongs echoed through the farmstead. All sorts of guards, militiamen, and local slaves—about six to seven hundred people—gathered in the square. In front of them stood over fifty death warriors from the Unavoidable Battalion, left behind by the Dìyù Gate, along with more than thirty followers brought by Dharma King Zhuan Lun. They handed out weapons to the militiamen and guards.

A massive group of over eight hundred people, armed and led by Duan Suling, marched toward the farmstead’s walls.

On the other side, Qingyue Yang and Zuo Zhicheng sat on their horses, carefully observing the distant farmstead. From all four directions, dark masses of Tiger Wolf Army soldiers—one thousand strong—closed in, encircling the farmstead.

Zuo Zhicheng watched the crowded wall and showed a hint of surprise. “Oh? They actually dare to resist the imperial soldiers?”

“Hmph, just a disorderly mob.” Qingyue Yang waved his hand, and a loud horn sounded. A junior officer yelled, “Haijing Tiger Wolf Army! Wipe out the imperial traitors! Those who resist will be executed along with their families!”

“Wipe out the traitors!”

“Execute their families!”

Though only one thousand strong, as they surrounded the farmstead, their roars sounded like an army of ten thousand. A fierce aura swept over, making even Zuo Zhicheng frown deeply.

‘Is this the army of the cold weapon era? If I were surrounded by such troops, I’d have to use the Ice Soul Frost Demon Field to clear a path, take the commander’s head, then break out. Fighting head-on would be too risky.’

This was Zuo Zhicheng’s first time witnessing a cold-weapon battlefield. It gave him a chance to gauge the combat power of a Human Phase Master like himself compared to that of an army.

The Power of Mind and Spirit was not endless. Although Human Phase Masters didn’t fear large numbers, facing a fierce army like this, the best a Human Phase Master could do was kill the commander amid thousands of troops. Fighting such an army head-on was absolutely impossible.

After all, human strength had its limits. With Zuo Zhicheng’s current Power of Mind and Spirit, he estimated he could kill three to four hundred people at most. Beyond that, his spirit would be exhausted, and he’d suffer unbearable headaches.

‘But with the Underworld King Snake here, that beast, relying on its invulnerable and immensely strong body, could confront the army directly—unless it encountered cannons or Human Phase Masters.’

While Zuo Zhicheng was thinking this, the chaotic crowd of militiamen, guards, and slaves on the wall panicked. Hearing the shouts of the surrounding army, they dropped their weapons like startled sheep and fled in all directions.

“It’s the imperial army!”

“Run! Run!”

This was the power of righteousness and authority. These peasants and slaves, trained and roused by Duan Suling, might fight two or three times their number of bandits, but against the imperial army, they had no courage to resist. It meant opposing the entire Great Qi Dynasty and risking execution of their entire families.

Watching the trained militiamen and slaves scatter, Duan Suling cursed, “Useless trash!” He gripped his large blade, cut down a fleeing slave in front of him, and shouted, “No one runs! Anyone who flees will be executed!”

But no one listened. Only the death warriors of the Dìyù Gate’s Impermanence Battalion and Unavoidable Battalion—fewer than a hundred—remained by his side, glaring fiercely at the Tiger Wolf Army soldiers.

Just as Duan Suling furiously killed the slave, he suddenly felt the ground tremble, as if something enormous was approaching.

It was the golden, 2.2-meter-tall Dharma King of Destruction. With a casual slap, he crushed a local slave passing by into pulp.

“I really underestimated the Shadow Corps and Qingyue Yang.”

“Forget it, ignore them. Daoyu, Duan Suling, lead the Impermanence Battalion and Unavoidable Battalion troops and follow me in a charge to break through this army!”

At that moment, whooshing and explosive sounds filled the sky. A dark cloud descended—it was a volley of arrows from the Tiger Wolf Army, aimed at Dharma King of Destruction and the others on the wall.

“Get down!”

“Take cover!”

After a series of screams, over ten from the Impermanence and Unavoidable Battalions fell to the ground. The fleeing peasants and slaves were struck down in large numbers, lying in pools of blood.

Ting-ting sounds rang out as arrows struck Dharma King of Destruction. He didn’t even bother to dodge, simply closing his eyes and letting the arrows hit him.

Looking at the corpses on the ground, a cold smile crossed his face. “Follow me! Kill that cursed official!”

On the other side, after the volley, the Tiger Wolf Army charged toward the farmstead. They saw a golden figure leap down from the wall and rush straight at the army.

Countless arrows hitting Dharma King of Destruction sounded like they were striking steel plates, all bouncing off and falling to the ground. Relying on his massive build, once he started running, his momentum was like a train—unstoppable. Though not very fast, no one could hinder him in the slightest.

The golden giant charged forward, and with a crash, sent a cavalryman and his horse flying. With a push of his hand, he mowed down a row of axe-wielding soldiers.

He charged straight toward Qingyue Yang’s position, and no one could hold him back even for a moment. Following behind him, Dharma King Daoyu and Duan Suling led the death warriors, tearing a gap in the Tiger Wolf Army’s formation. In a flash, they closed to within fifty meters of Qingyue Yang.