Chapter 67: Chapter 47: Breaking Through_1
Translator: 549690339
To say they were Immortal Gods was no exaggeration.
Whether it was the four monks’ Buddhist Law or Xu Yang’s Unity of Heaven and
Man, both had surpassed the stage of “Condensing Spirit.”
Above Condensing Spirit, there is Co-Dao, possessing the ability to “Break the Void. ”
In this world, they could well be considered Martial Path True Immortals.
Such a display of power was within reason.
But what was reasonable was not something the public could accept.
What did they see?
An ancient Buddha?
A True Dragon?
What a battle of gods!
The crowd came to their senses, profoundly shocked.
“What has happened?”
“Can someone tell me what just happened?”
“Is this the strength of the four great holy monks?”
“Xu Qingyang, no, Heavenly King Wu, truly a divine being!”
“Holy
The crowd was alarmed, and Li Shimin’s heart leaped, instinctively wanting to retreat, but the horse beneath him was so taken by the dragon’s might that no matter how he tugged at the reins, it wouldn’t budge.
“Second brother!”
Only Li Xiuning quickly came to her senses and shouted to Li Shimin in a deep voice, “Quick, release the arrows!”
“Release arrows?”
Li Shimin was startled, then came to his senses, but hesitated, “This…”
“Quick! ”
Seeing his hesitation, Li Xiuning urgently said, “He has exhausted his energy and cannot continue!”
“This…”
Li Shimin’s eyes sharpened, and he finally realized what was happening, immediately drawing his treasured sword and commanded loudly, “Archers obey, release thousands of arrows at once!”
“Yes!”
Although they were equally horrified by the recent spectacle, the well-trained soldiers, accustomed to strict discipline, swiftly took action, bending their bows and releasing arrows.
“Whoosh whoosh whoosh!”
The arrows flew like locusts, forming a dense curtain of rain, covering Xu Yang by the Qu River.
Was this foolish, to think mere arrows could harm a Grandmaster?
Yes, they could!
Although Grandmasters were formidable, they were still flesh and blood and did not possess the Indestructible Vajra body.
Theoretically, with three thousand archers, an arrow barrage could exhaust a Grandmaster’s Gang Yuan.
Once the Gang Yuan was depleted, even a Grandmaster would be no more than a fish on the chopping board.
But that was just theory, and practically impossible to achieve, as no Grandmaster would be foolish enough to stand still and let three thousand archers deplete their energy.
With the power of a Grandmaster, free from hindrances and burdens, one could move freely on the battlefield, coming and going as they pleased — let alone three thousand, even thirty thousand archers would struggle to kill a
Grandmaster.
Unless… the Grandmaster was already severely injured and exhausted.
Was Xu Yang injured?
He was injured, and severely at that, both physically and mentally.
After all, the skill trait of Unity of Heaven and Man only took care of the “unity” and did not bear the consumption of “unity;” thus, when Xu Yang performed a double Unity of Heaven and Man, he had to endure double the mental exhaustion.
Now, Xu Yang was not only physically injured but also severely mentally worn out. Had it been any other Grandmaster, they might indeed have no power to resist and could be killed by this barrage of arrows.But again, others are others, and Xu Yang is Xu Yang.
Thanks to the subtleties of the Martial Arts Scripture and various skill traits, his physical strength, Gang Yuan quality, and mental will were all a big cut above those of martial artists of the same level.
So, although injured, he was not yet exhausted, and could even perform one more extreme move in addition to Ascendant Dragon Returns to the Sea, the ultimate move of Unity of Heaven and Man.
At this moment, facing thousands of archers and a dense rain of arrows, he did not flee but simply waved his arm.
“Gurgle gurgle!”
Once again in the waters of Qu River, an upheaval occurred as the flow surged up, forming a screen of water that covered the battlefield.
The battlefield?
Indeed, the battlefield!
On the battlefield, aside from Xu Yang, there were the quivering Dudu and the black and white masters who were heavily injured and unconscious.
These were his spoils of war, hard-earned captives, how could he let them be killed at the final hurdle?
Thus, a screen of water was drawn from the Qu River, covering the battlefield, shielding everyone.
“Whoosh whoosh whoosh!”
A thousand arrows were released, raining down, but they were blocked by the screen of water.
The water screen seemed merely thin, but being flowing water, it had its own force; the arrows shot into it were directly washed away, causing no harm at all.
“Do not stop the arrows!”
“I want to see how much Yuan Qi he still has!”
Li Xiuning urged everyone on, intensifying the attack.
Li Shimin himself took up the bow, releasing an arrow.
As everyone knows, King Qin was skilled with bow and horse, with peerless archery, regarded as Great Tang’s foremost general.
Although there was no Tai Chi Palace now, this did not affect Li Shimin’s archery; one arrow split the air, piercing the water screen, shooting straight towards Xu Yang.
Xu Yang did not move, and as the arrow neared him, it hit a Body Protective Qi Shield, instantly shattering, showing the force behind the powerful shot.
Such an outcome made Li Shimin clench his teeth, wordless, as he drew another arrow, aiming with a full draw.
He did not believe that after sweeping aside high-level masters of the black
and white paths, battling the Evil King Shi Zhixuan, and then facing off against the pinnacle of the four holy monks in utter conflict, this man could still stand unyielding under his thousands of arrows.
If he truly had such prowess, then Li Shimin would admit defeat with full conviction.
What, retreat?
Impossible.
By now, the conflict between them had become irreconcilable.
They couldn’t tolerate each other, and he couldn’t tolerate them.
So, there was no room for retreat, only to fight with all they had — either you die, or I perish.
Li Shimin saw it clearly, so did Li Xiuning, who brandished her sword, directing and inspiring the soldiers, “This man is at the end of his tether, do not be afraid. Alternate in shifts, keep the arrows coming non-stop, absolutely do not let him have a chance to escape…”
“Boom boom boom!”
Before she could finish speaking, the earth trembled, and the noise was like thunder.
“Hmm?”
“This is…”
“The sound of horse hooves?”
Both men were startled, doubtful, as they turned to look back.
Behind them lay Chang’an.
But soon they realized that these thunderous hoofbeats did not come from Chang’an City at their rear.
If not from Chang’an, then from where?
In this region of Guanzhong, besides Chang’an, where else could there be cavalry…
Suddenly terrified, pupils shrinking, Li Shimin raised his head to see dust swirling in the distance, roiling like a dragon.
“Boom boom boom!”
The ground shook, the sound of thunder rang out, kicking up a sky full of dust, within which could vaguely be seen a troop of iron-clad elite cavalry, galloping towards them.
Cavalry?
Where did these horsemen come from?
In the lands of Guanzhong, besides his Great Tang army, where else could such a troop of cavalry be found?
This was…
“Drive!”
The iron-clad elite cavalry, charging fast, though their numbers were not great, only a thousand riders, but they possessed an earth-shattering momentum.
“Bow! ! ! ”
At one command, the troops moved in unison, reaching back for their iron-rimmed great bows, stringing them on horseback like a full moon.
Another command, the charging horses like dragons, releasing a steel curtain of rain, overwhelming the Tang soldiers by the Qu River with their barrage.
“No good!!!”
“Your Highness, be careful!”
The generals exclaimed in alarm, several trusted aides, ready to lay down their lives, immediately rushed to Li Shimin and Li Xiuning’s side, raising their shields in defense.
“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!”
In the next instant, a rain of arrows fell, fire sparks flew, and the once heavily armored Great Tang army instantly fell in swathes, all pierced by powerful arrows and steel bolts through their shields.
“Bang!”
A great general fell to the ground, his big hand desperately pressing on his chest, grasping an arrow that had penetrated his refined Mysterious Armor, he cried out hoarsely, “Refining the tip…to break…the armor arrow!!!”
“Bang!!!”
No sooner had he spoken, than another arrow struck, bursting sparks of fire, and exited through the helmet, penetrating the brain. “Refining the tip to break the armor arrow!” “Martial Guardian Army of Xuzhou!”
“Xu Qingyang! ! ! ”
Protected by a host of dedicated trusted aides, Li Shimin also came to his senses, seeing the Tang army falling en masse amidst the arrow rain, he could no longer care about other matters, and shouted loudly, “Change the rear guard to the vanguard, retreat quickly!”
Having said that, he snatched up an iron shield and headed for Chang’an with Li Xiuning.
He could not understand, no matter how hard he tried, why the Martial Guard Army from Xuzhou would appear outside Chang’an City.
How did they get in?
After all, Chang’an is in Guanzhong territory, and not only is Luoyang between there and Xuzhou, it is also separated by the Sishui, Hangu, and Dongtong barriers, each of which is heavily guarded, with strict inspections. Even if a person could sneak through, surely the restricted items like soldier’s armor, bows, arrows, and warhorses couldn’t also be snuck in, could they?
Then where did these well-equipped Martial Guardians in Mysterious Armor come from, wielding swords and bows?
Could it be that they could fly, descending from the heavens like divine warriors?
Or had some noble house betrayed the Li Tang, covering for them, transporting materials…
Li Shimin was in turmoil, unable to make sense of it all, and with no time to consider these matters further, he led the remnants of his forces in a retreat towards Chang’an.
“Drive!”
The Martial Guard cavalry pursued relentlessly, galloping without pause, chasing towards Chang’an, with only a hundred riders branching off to join Xu Yang at the battlefield to begin clearing.
Meanwhile…
“How could this happen?”
In the forests and bamboo groves, watching the surprise attack by the Martial Guard cavalry and the disarray of the retreating Great Tang army, along with the severely wounded four Holy Monks, Fan Qinghui’s face turned pale as she almost couldn’t maintain her lightweight skill and risked falling from the top of the bamboo. “Master…”
“Run!”
Shi Feixuan wanted to utter words of consolation but saw her suddenly wake up fully, and without another word, she leaped away.
At the same time…
“How could this be, how could this be!”
Within Chang’an City, all gates were tightly closed, and the populace was in panic.
Li Shimin and Li Xiuning charged on their horses, rushing through Black Tortoise Palace Gate, heading straight into the Tai Chi Hall.
“Father!”
In the Tai Chi Hall, Li Yuan sat on the dragon throne, similarly filled with shock and indignation.
As soon as the rush-returned Li Shimin reached him, without waiting for him to speak, Li Yuan rushed down from his throne: “How is the battle? Is Xu Qingyang dead?”
“This…”
Li Shimin’s face changed, sensing something was amiss, but still, he rapidly responded, “This man unexpectedly had reinforcements at the ready, a troop of Martial Guardians attacked and saved him at a critical moment.”
“How could this be!”
Li Yuan’s face paled, staggering back a few steps, nearly collapsing to the ground.
Li Shimin quickly asked, “Father, what’s wrong?”
A civil minister by the side hurriedly informed him, “Urgent news from the border, Xuzhou dispatched troops, Luoyang surrendered without a fight, the Martial Guard Army marched straight in, quickly breached Sishui, stormed Hangu, and threatened Dongtong—if we don’t send reinforcements soon…”
“What?”
“Impossible!”
Hearing this news, Li Shimin couldn’t care for anything else anymore and grabbed the civil servant, demanding, “How could Luoyang surrender without a fight? What happened to Wang Shichong, what about the Dugu sect, are they all dead? And about the three passes, holding such natural defenses, well-garrisoned, how could they fall so quickly? Who is spreading false military intelligence?”
“To—to report, Prince of Qin!”
The civil servant trembled with fear as he replied, “The surrender of Luoyang without a fight is indeed true. As for the exact reason, we do not know.
Regarding the fall of the passes, the urgent military report states that the Martial Guard Army consists entirely of highly skilled martial artists, all capable of being the first to scale walls, armored in Mysterious Armor, with strong bows and lethal arrows; our forces simply couldn’t hold them off…”
Before the servant could finish, Li Shimin, in a state of shock, released him.
Li Xiuning standing next to him was also pale, biting her teeth hard: “This man’s orchestration is indeed aimed at the foundation of our Li Tang!”
“Not good!”
Having said this, she suddenly awoke to the urgency, hurriedly speaking to Li Yuan, “Father, he has been injured but not killed, he’ll certainly attack the city next, aiming to breach Chang’an. We must make a quick decision!”