"Whoosh!"
Zhao Chuanzong released the bowstring, and the arrow flew straight toward the throat of a barbarian commander riding at full speed.
"Plop—"
The barbarian commander clutched his throat as blood gushed through his fingers. His body slumped off his blue-maned warhorse, crashing onto the ground.
"Whoo—"
A sudden heat surged through Zhao Chuanzong's body, his blood energy boiling. The fatigue he had felt moments ago vanished entirely.
"Late-stage Essence Gathering." Zhao Chuanzong was pleasantly surprised.
He scanned the surroundings and, seeing no more enemies in sight, brought the eagle-head whistle at his neck to his lips and blew.
The sharp whistle echoed through the sky, and soon, cavalrymen gathered from all directions.
"Centurion," Vice Commander Liu Er appeared beside Zhao Chuanzong. "What's the situation?" Zhao Chuanzong asked.
"All the scouts sent north from Xichang City have been wiped out. None escaped." Liu Er grinned. "I think this fourth wave of eighty men was likely their last batch of scouts. They won't be sending more—they'll just hunker down and defend the city."
"Hmm." Zhao Chuanzong nodded. "That means Xichang City's military strength isn't much, likely just a few thousand men, which matches our previous intelligence."
The number of scouts sent out was often a good indicator of an army's overall size. Zhao Chuanzong had captured prisoners earlier and extracted information. Then, by leading his cavalry to ambush enemy soldiers outside Xichang City, he was able to roughly confirm the situation inside.
"Inform Mechanist Zhang Wu to send the intelligence back to the main army," he ordered.
"Yes!" Liu Er responded swiftly.
On the nineteenth day of the first month in the sixteenth year of Yuan Ding, Zhao Xing, Xia Jing, Long Xiao, and Chen Shijie issued the River Crossing Battle Plan to the various military forces.
After capturing Xichang City, the Ten Sun Army Corps divided into three columns, crossing the Tianshui River and advancing southeast. They would pass through Lanwan, Hu Crossing, and Jiangsheng before crossing the Canglan River to rendezvous with Li Hao's Wuyao Army Corps.
All baggage and supplies, except essential food provisions and small vehicles, horses, and boats, were to be discarded. The thirty-thousand-strong force stationed around Fengwu City had to set out that very day.
Upon receiving their orders, the generals immediately organized their forces. By the nineteenth, they had begun retreating from Fengwu City, Yangbei, and Tujiao, moving toward Xichang City and the Tianshui River.
On January 23rd, the Azure Dragon Army was the first to arrive outside Xichang City.
On January 24th, during the Mao Hour (5-7 AM), Long Xiao led five thousand troops from the Azure Dragon Army, crushing the resistance of Xichang City's defenders and successfully capturing the city.
At the Seventh Mark of the Noon Hour (approximately 12:45 PM)—
"Clatter, clatter, clatter—"
Zhao Xing rode his horse into the city alongside Xia Jing, while Long Xiao busied himself with searching for supplies. The moment Zhao Xing stepped into the city, he saw Long Xiao kicking a sack while cursing.
Zhao Xing and the others dismounted and approached. "What did you find? I heard casualties were minimal. Why are you so upset?" he asked.
"Damn it, not a single piece of useful equipment—just food! This is so damn pathetic!" Long Xiao gestured at the pile of sacks. "I thought after taking the city, we could restock some arrows. But after searching everywhere, I couldn't even find a proper armory."
"The best we found in the granary were a hundred or so spare ox-horn bows and curved sabers—cheap, rough junk."
Xia Jing chuckled. "The commander of Xichang City's defense was just a minor tribal chief under the Golden Feather Court, commanding only around fifteen hundred soldiers, with just fifteen cultivators among them."
"A city this small—you expect them to have a stockpile of military supplies? You should be happy they had food at all. You clearly haven't grasped Brother Zhao's strategy yet. Isn't having food better?" he teased.
Long Xiao glanced at Zhao Xing, who was flipping through the post-battle report.
"Not bad," Zhao Xing concluded as he closed the report. "Xichang City was essentially just a granary. Strictly speaking, it wasn't even a real city. Even if we count all the soldiers and civilians, there were only around five thousand people. Having this much food is already a great gain."
Long Xiao nodded. If Zhao Xing said it was good, then it was good.
"What's going on over there? Move aside! I want to see the general!"
Suddenly, a commotion erupted on the street among a group of armored soldiers.
Zhao Xing turned to see a barbarian with gill-like wrinkles on his face being pushed back by Azure Dragon Army soldiers.
"What's the situation?" Zhao Xing asked.
Long Xiao glanced over. "Some warrior claiming he wants to join us. He even speaks some Great Zhou. But I didn't accept him—this is the third time he's come looking for me. Persistent bastard."
"Why didn't you accept him?" Zhao Xing asked curiously.
"He's not one of us; his heart must be different," Long Xiao said matter-of-factly. "We may not slaughter common barbarians, but my Azure Dragon Army doesn't recruit them either. Even if he's sincere, he's unreliable. Communication alone is a hassle—he'll never match our well-trained soldiers. Keeping him would just slow us down."
"Your Azure Dragon Army is elite, so you can refuse. But he could be useful in another unit," Zhao Xing reasoned.
"You don't need to worry about them harboring any resentment. These tribes hate the Golden Feather Court more than Great Zhou," he added.
"What? Why?" Long Xiao was puzzled.
"The natives of Xichang City belong to the Kash Tribe, but the forces you just fought off were from the Niu Tribe of the Golden Feather Court," Zhao Xing explained. "If you want to talk about 'outsiders with different hearts,' this logic works better between them than with us."
"I checked the records—five years ago, Xichang City had over thirty thousand residents. Now, there are barely five thousand left. What do you think happened?"
Long Xiao fell into thought.
Meanwhile, Zhao Xing waved his hand, signaling the soldiers to bring the barbarian over.
"General! General!"
The barbarian spoke fluent Great Zhou, though Zhao Xing immediately recognized that the name he gave—Wang Gang—was hastily chosen. It was a common, nondescript name in Great Zhou.
Despite his wrinkled skin, the barbarian was actually in his prime. His unique appearance was simply a result of his race—his skin folds functioned like gills.
"Why do you want to join us?" Long Xiao asked curiously.
"General." Wang Gang cupped his hands in salute. "I saw that after you entered the city, you did not kill unarmored people, nor did you slaughter those without weapons. A general like you is worth following."
Long Xiao found this baffling. Were the armies of the Southern Barbarian Court even more terrifying to their own people? Just because he didn't kill civilians, that was enough to earn such admiration? How strange.
"The troops you fought before were the Main Court's regular army, and those soldiers at least followed some military discipline," Zhao Xing explained. "But Xichang City was ruled by an irregular barbarian force. These kinds of troops have no real concept of a nation, only of their tribe. They fight for the Main Court simply to fulfill missions, and as for the fate of other tribal barbarians? They couldn't care less."
"Exactly." Wang Gang nodded vigorously. "Our Kash Tribe has been conscripted eight times in five years. Once our strong warriors were all taken, we were left without any ability to protect ourselves. Last year, when the Niu Tribe came here, they didn't even see us as their own."
"Five years ago, our Kash Tribe had over thirty thousand people, but now we don't even have five thousand left. We've only fought in two wars, losing about three thousand in battle. As for the rest? They all died at the hands of so-called allies."
"They invoked the name of the Moon God and said we were making sacrifices for the Main Court. But what has the Moon God and the Main Court ever done for us?"
"General, I am willing to join Great Zhou and serve as your guide!"
Zhao Xing nodded. "Very well, Wang Gang. Since you speak the language of Great Zhou and have chosen a Great Zhou name, then you are now a person of Great Zhou."
"However, I won't assign you an official position right away. But in this city, you are free to apply for food and weapons at any time. If you can recruit five people, you'll be a squad leader. Recruit ten, and you'll be a platoon leader. If you can gather a hundred people under your command, then you'll be a centurion."
"Thank you, General!" Wang Gang said excitedly. "If I can recruit a thousand men, can I be a vice commander?"
"You think too highly of yourself." Zhao Xing chuckled. "Where do you plan to find so many people?"
"General, as the saying goes, one's homeland is hard to leave. After Xichang City was taken, some of the defending troops and barbarian civilians fled, but most are still hiding in underground caverns. Among them, there are still eight hundred able-bodied warriors. Originally, we were just waiting for the enemy to leave before coming out." Wang Gang cupped his hands. "But after seeing your benevolence, I risked my life to come find you."
"Wang Gang, I just said, if you can bring those men out, then you'll earn a position. However, if you truly want to secure a future for your people, that will depend on your actions."
"Yes, General. I will bring them here right away." Wang Gang understood what Zhao Xing meant—if he wanted fair treatment, he needed to prove his worth. But no matter what, this was still better than remaining under the rule of the Main Court's barbarian generals.
The Kash Tribe had spent five years seeing the true face of the Main Court. By now, they were at the point where any ruler was preferable, as long as it wasn't the Main Court.
Zhao Xing waved his hand, sending a unit to follow Wang Gang, pushing carts loaded with food.
As soon as Wang Gang left, Long Xiao turned to scold the two officers in charge of the city search. "What the hell were you two doing? There were eight hundred barbarian soldiers hiding right under our noses, and you didn't even know?"
The two officers looked aggrieved. "General, they weren't inside the city. They were hiding in underground caves outside the city. How could we have found them so quickly?"
"Don't be too harsh on them," Zhao Xing interjected. "If these people were determined to hide in the caves, and they know the terrain better than us, it wouldn't have been easy to find them."
"Brother Xia, have the scouts sent to explore Tianshui City returned?" Zhao Xing asked.
"Not yet," Xia Jing shook his head.
"Order the Shenwei Army and the Xuanjia Army to enter the city and rest. Light the fires, cook food, and recover their strength quickly," Zhao Xing commanded. "In at most two days, we will march on Tianshui City."
"Understood."
January 25th, early morning.
The Shenwei Army and the Xuanjia Army led by the command unit received bad news in Xichang City.
Liao Rulong and Wang Ji, leading the Hujiao Army and the Lieyang Army, had encountered an ambush at Huangling and Zhangshan. Their attackers were forces led by Zang He, a commander of the Nine Nether Army.
At the same time, Chen Shijie, Zhao Zheng, Tu Li, and Han Bing, leading the Zhenhai Chariots, were intercepted at Erdaowan by Hou Sen, another commander of the Nine Nether Army.
Aside from Zhao Xing and Xia Jing's forces, who had advanced smoothly, the other two divisions ran into trouble the moment the river-crossing operation began.
Originally, the plan was for all units to regroup at Xichang City and the Dashui River area by January 25th, early morning. However, by nightfall on the 25th, the other two forces had still not arrived.
The commanders Zang He and Hou Sen belonged to the Nine Nether Army, tasked with eliminating Xia Jing's force. On January 20th, when Youyun, the Grand Commander of the Nine Nether Army, discovered the Great Zhou army retreating from Fengwu City, he immediately dispatched Zang He and Hou Sen, each leading an advance force of eight hundred men, to intercept the Ten Sun Army Corps as they crossed the river.
Both Chen Shijie's and Liao Rulong's forces numbered ten thousand troops each.
Meanwhile, Zang He and Hou Sen had eight hundred cultivators, ninety percent of whom were in the Essence Gathering Realm, with the majority being martial artists and only a few spellcasters.
It was unrealistic to expect eight hundred men to annihilate two ten-thousand-man armies. Their goal was merely to slow down the advance of the Great Zhou escapees.
Seeing that Chen Shijie and Liao Rulong's forces marched in tight formation, their movements disciplined, and their troops elite, Zang He and Hou Sen did not dare to engage in direct combat.
Instead, they resorted to attacking from airborne vessels, dropping firecrackers and spells from above.
Once they ran out of explosives, and their vital energy was nearly depleted, they retreated, as their airborne vessels required refueling, and their men needed supplies.
Zang He and Hou Sen had originally rushed to Fengwu City using airborne vessels, so they were not carrying many large-scale destructive weapons. As a result, their pursuit only delayed the march of Chen Shijie's and Liao Rulong's armies but did not cause major damage—hardly any casualties were sustained on either side.
It wasn't until the afternoon of January 26th that Zhao Xing received word that the two armies had fended off their pursuers. Zang He and Hou Sen, having exhausted their resources, retreated to Fengwu City to resupply, repair their airborne vessels, and tend to their wounded, waiting for the arrival of reinforcements.
After shaking off the pursuit, both divisions arrived at their designated encampment by nightfall.
January 27th.
The Shenwei Army, Xuanjia Army, Lieyang Army, and Hujiao Army, totaling eighteen thousand troops, launched a three-pronged assault on Tianshui City, an Eighth-Rank Barbarian Stronghold.
Meanwhile, Chen Shijie's Zhenhai Army, along with some reserve forces, remained stationed at Shallow Beach and Xichang City to guard against further attacks from Zang He and Hou Sen's vanguard.
The Shenwei Army struck from the east. Their first wave consisted of war chariots.
Unlike traditional chariots, these were beast-drawn or powered by formation cores and energy crystals, capable of flying in the air or charging on land.
As the battle raged on, the wind howled across the battlefield, pushing the siege war chariots toward the eastern city walls of Tianshui City. The Shen Wei Army's siege vehicles, meticulously crafted by Wang Ji, were designed to withstand such combat conditions. Each chariot resembled a carriage, but instead of horses leading the front, a massive, three-meter-long spiral-shaped ram protruded forward. Atop each chariot was a sail, catching the fierce winds to propel them forward.
A total of one hundred twenty siege chariots surged toward the walls, their external defenses reinforced by three protective layers: a first layer of beast-hide leather soaked in special oils, a second of iron plating, and a third of solid hardwood. These layers shielded the delicate core of the formation arrays within.
In the Forbidden Zone of Severing Heaven and Earth's Connection, mechanists found their creations fragile, easily failing due to the lack of suitable materials. Worse still, the further a construct moved away from its creator, the higher the chance of it ceasing to function entirely. To counteract this, these protective measures were necessary.
Suddenly, a violent gust of wind swept across the battlefield, striking the sails of the siege chariots and driving them forward. Their wheels, designed with a track system, allowed them to traverse trenches and uneven terrain with ease.
Due to the limited number of cultivators in the Shen Wei Army, one individual had to use wind-based techniques to propel at least three siege chariots simultaneously.
Zhao Xing, wielding the power of an eighth-rank Spirit Bridge Realm expert at full perfection, unleashed his wind techniques, controlling thirty siege chariots as they surged toward the enemy city walls.
The sails swelled as the chariots advanced steadily toward the base of the fortress.
"Blow! Blow them back! Quickly!"
"Don't let those cursed machines get any closer!"
On the eastern walls of Tianshui City, a red-skinned barbarian general brandished his longsword, roaring furiously. The shamans stationed along the battlements immediately channeled their spells, summoning fierce winds to push the enemy chariots away.
They had no choice—if they failed to repel the Boundary-Breaking Chariots, the moment those battering rams touched the fortress walls, the defensive formation would begin to collapse.
"Hwooosh—hwoooosh!"
Two opposing gusts clashed in the space between the chariots and the walls, creating an intense whirlwind that roared like a raging storm.
The sails of the siege chariots swayed erratically, first billowing eastward, then suddenly snapping westward. The battle between the two opposing forces reached a deadlock.
As the distance between the chariots and the walls dwindled to just over a hundred meters, most of them slowed to a crawl, struggling to push forward as though they were giant turtles.
But in mere moments, twenty of them suddenly broke free from the stalemate.
Zhao Xing had concentrated his Gang Wind, blasting his energy into twenty of the Boundary-Breaking Chariots, sending them surging forward.
The shamans opposing him paled instantly.
"Commander! There's a powerful expert on the other side—I can't hold them back!"
Three shamans immediately reported their distress.
"Idiots! How strong could they possibly be? Hold the damn line!"
"Y-yes… b-but…"
Yet reality was not dictated by sheer will alone.
Even among eighth-rank Spirit Bridge Realm cultivators, Zhao Xing's wind techniques were significantly more potent.
Moreover, thanks to Moyun Vine, Zhao Xing had access to Pure Essence Soil, something that typically only fifth-rank cultivators could use. This allowed him to continuously absorb spiritual energy without restraint.
For most cultivators—whether shamans or wind-based practitioners—a high-intensity battle like this would drain them in three to five minutes. After that, they'd be forced to stop and recover their energy.
Low-ranked cultivators, if they pushed themselves to cast spells at full power, would quickly burn out.
But Zhao Xing?
He could keep summoning wind indefinitely—until the end of time.
"Creak, creak, creak!"
The twenty siege chariots soon reached the second major obstacle—the moat.
"Splash!"
The water of the moat churned violently, forming towering waves that blocked the chariots' path forward.
Seeing this, Zhao Xing had no choice but to activate his trump card.
"Cloud Summoning!"
The Devouring Cloud Technique was unleashed.
Dense clouds manifested above the moat, rapidly absorbing its water.
"What?!"
Watching the water level drop at an alarming rate, the barbarian general on the eastern wall nearly had his eyes pop out of their sockets.
"Could there be a fifth-rank Military Shennong among them? How is his cloud technique so strong?!"
"No wonder the Nine Nether Army's Grand Commander wants to wipe out this force… Can we really hold the Tianshui River against them?"
A sliver of doubt crept into the barbarian general's mind.
His gaze flickered toward the twenty airships docked in the inner city.
Within the Forbidden Zone of Severing Heaven and Earth's Connection, due to material and environmental constraints, only medium-sized airships could be deployed—no warships.
A barbarian general of his rank could only command small airships, each capable of carrying five to twenty men at most. Their altitude was also severely restricted, unable to exceed a thousand meters.
Furthermore, every airship required its mechanist to be on board—otherwise, it wouldn't be able to fly far.
If the enemy forces were truly determined to use this city as a crossing point, then with attacks coming from three different directions, the number of enemy factions involved was unknown.
Could their mere six thousand troops possibly hold the city?
A shadow of hesitation flickered across the barbarian deputy general's mind.
But his deep-rooted fear and faith in the Nine Nether God forced him to suppress his panic.
"Archers! Prepare fire arrows!"
"Release!"
The barbarian general watched as his shamans cast wind spells to propel the flaming arrows forward, their primary targets being the sails of the Boundary-Breaking Chariots.
But it was futile.
Wang Ji had crafted those sails from materials with exceptionally high ignition points—ordinary fire couldn't set them ablaze.
Magical flames might have worked, but Zhao Xing's wind techniques were too overwhelming—any fire shot toward them would be immediately blown backward, burning the defenders instead.
Meanwhile, the city was under siege from three sides, and the available cultivators were stretched far too thin.
Only those who had received "Heaven and Earth Protection" from the city's divine blessings could cast spells effectively within the walls. The rest were practically useless.
"Boom!"
A thunderous impact against the walls jolted the barbarian general to attention.
Looking over the battlements, he saw that one of the chariots' battering rams had made contact with the fortress walls.
It began to glow faintly.
What he didn't know was that, on the other side of the battlefield, Zhao Xing was already reconsidering the attack strategy.
The reports from the other two battlefronts weren't promising.
If their casualties were too high, or if the battle dragged on too long, then the three Nine Nether Army forces pursuing them from behind would soon catch up.
That would spell disaster.
At that point, they would be forced into a last stand—and that would completely contradict Zhao Xing's guerrilla warfare strategy.
"Messenger, send word to Xia Jing on the western front—ask him how long until they breach the walls."
Zhao Xing's gaze darkened.
Time was running out.
"Yes!" The messenger was a mechanist from the Wuliang Juziliu school. He closed his eyes for a moment and quickly responded to Zhao Xing. "My lord, General Xia said that the western front will take at least four hours before there's any hope of breaking through."
"What about General Liao's northern front?"
"Two hours."
Zhao Xing made a quick estimate and realized he was in the best position—he was commanding the eastern front, where the enemy's defenses were the weakest.
At present, twenty Boundary-Breaking Chariots had begun dismantling the defensive formations on the city walls. The enemy's reinforcement speed was noticeably slower than the rate at which their defenses were being breached.
In about forty-five minutes, the eastern wall would be fully exposed. Once the defensive formation was disabled, the difficulty of storming the city would decrease significantly.
Under Shenwei Army's command, there was an artillery mechanist battalion—a true weapon of mass destruction in the Absolute Forbidden Zone.
A long time ago, Zhao Xing had suggested to Ji Che that when the Six Divisions held meetings, they should discuss suppressing their cultivation realm limitations. Since then, researching devastating weapons specifically for use in the Absolute Forbidden Zone had been put on the agenda.
For example, Wang Ji, a subordinate of Shenwei Army, had developed a mechanized weapon called the Shenwei Cannon. It was made of ordinary materials and had nothing to do with magic, yet its power was astonishing.
The Nine Nether God had dispatched three forces of cultivator troops—Youyun, Canghe, and Housen—altogether numbering in the tens of thousands (excluding minor local forces) to encircle and annihilate the Ten Suns Legion. This was no coincidence—this army had proven to be far more efficient at dealing damage to the Southern Barbarian Army in the Absolute Forbidden Zone compared to other battlefronts.
This was because, from the beginning, Zhao Xing had used the Ten Suns Legion as an experimental force—the first unit to train against the Absolute Forbidden Zone as an imagined enemy.
"Tell Xia Jing and Liao Rulong—if they can't take Great Water City within two hours, withdraw immediately. We'll change direction and cross the river elsewhere." Zhao Xing shouted at the messenger.
"Yes, sir!"
Time passed. Nine Boundary-Breaking Chariots had already been destroyed, but the glow of the defensive formation on the city walls was also fading. Finally, after forty-five minutes, the city wall had lost all luster—every brick turned dusty gray, and the formation disappeared!
"It finally broke!" Zhao Xing exhaled deeply. If this were anywhere else, a Seventh-Rank Witch City like this would have had only mid-tier formations, which could be broken easily.
But here, breaking through took an agonizing amount of time.
"Artillery Battalion One, open fire!"
BOOM—!
Explosions erupted across the city walls and within the city itself. Flames burst into the air, and the deafening noise instantly boosted morale.
"Fire Bow Battalion One, Battalion Two—fire!"
"What about the Void-Breaking Airships? Zhao Chuanzong, get the God-Piercing Crossbows onto the airships and take to the sky—focus on killing the Seventh-Rank targets!"
"First Assault Battalion, prepare to follow me—"
Just as Zhao Xing was issuing commands, Zhao Chuanzong suddenly tugged at him.
Zhao Chuanzong was a Hundred-Man Commander of the Cavalry Scouts—not very useful in siege warfare—so he was acting as Zhao Xing's assistant.
"What are you pulling me for?" Zhao Xing snapped.
Zhao Chuanzong hesitated and said, "Big Brother, the Flowing Cloud Airship is for you—it's not meant for battle. General Xia said it's only for your retreat..."
In the Absolute Forbidden Zone, airships' energy cores relied on Yuan Crystals, but that also made them fragile. If they charged into the city, they could easily be shot down.
The Ten Suns Legion had only about fifty small airships in total. Medium-sized airships were even rarer—there were only four, all of which were Void-Breaking Airships.
Small airships could only fly at low altitudes for short distances, but Void-Breaking Airships were capable of long-range flight.
"Idiot! Call me Grand Shennong!" Zhao Xing shoved Zhao Chuanzong aside. "Who's higher-ranking, the Grand Shennong or General Xia Jing? Follow my orders—take off. I never planned to escape alone!"
Zhao Xing's voice was loud and firm. Everyone saw and heard his determination.
In reality, Old Zhao knew that an airship like this was just psychological comfort. When the Nine Nether God launched a mass purge, there was no escape—not unless he had already fled back to Great Zhou.
If he didn't reach peak Fifth Rank in the Absolute Forbidden Zone, he wouldn't even consider running.
Once he reached Fifth Rank, everything would change. At that level, he would no longer be afraid.
At Fifth Rank, he would have many more techniques at his disposal. People didn't realize that Liu Tianning was already known as unmatched among his peers when he reached Fifth Rank—he could challenge higher ranks as easily as eating and drinking.
At Fifth Rank, Zhao Xing would be able to summon powerful Straw Puppet Avatars. But before that, he had to survive this mass purge.
Great Water City had fallen. He couldn't let all this "experience" go to waste. Simply killing some ordinary barbarian soldiers was meaningless.
"Yes, sir!" Zhao Chuanzong gritted his teeth. "General's orders—load the God-Piercing Crossbows onto the airships, including the Void-Breaking Airships!"
"Kill them!"
"Charge!"
After one hour of battle, the eastern front of Great Water City had fallen. The western and southern fronts also broke within two hours.
Once Zhao Xing, Xia Jing, and Long Xiao led their elites onto the city walls, they quickly secured the area and blasted open the gates.
After the walls fell, the battle turned into street fighting. From that point on, the battle was entirely in the hands of low-rank cultivators.
Since Great Water City was a Seventh-Rank Witch City, once inside, the Ten Suns Legion soldiers would be able to restore their cultivation levels—up to Seventh Rank.
The hardest part of the siege was breaking the city walls—many had died during the process.
On the night of January 28, Great Water City was completely conquered.
"How many of our men have recovered their strength?" Zhao Xing asked.
"Originally, we had three hundred and fifty soldiers. After taking Great Water City, that number increased to eight hundred and eighty," Xia Jing reported.
"The city's cultivators outnumbered us slightly, but fortunately, none of them were top experts. They were far weaker than Fengwu City, and even weaker than the pursuers behind us," Chen Shijie added.
"What about casualties?" Zhao Xing asked.
"We lost over one thousand soldiers," Xia Jing answered. "Luckily, we captured the city—otherwise, that number would have been at least three times higher."
Witch Cities were crucial because as long as soldiers weren't killed instantly, once inside, they could heal rapidly. Their resistance would also increase as their cultivation recovered—severe wounds became minor injuries, and minor wounds healed completely.
"Start repairs immediately, treat the wounded, and get the ships ready to cross the river. We can't stay here for more than two days," Zhao Xing ordered.
It had taken them three days to march from Fengwu City to Westfield City. Moving an army of tens of thousands was slow, but this was already considered fast.
Now, with tens of thousands of pursuers behind them, they had very little time to rest and cross the Tianshui River.
On February 1, the army gradually crossed the Tianshui River.
On the night of February 2, Zhao Xing split the Ten Suns Legion once again. This time, instead of three groups, he divided them into six. Xia Jing, Liao Rulong, Zhao Zheng, Long Xiao, and Chen Shijie each led a division, while the ships used to cross the river were hidden in Three Trees Bay.
Xia Jing and the others were puzzled by this decision.
"These ships won't be of any use when we head north to cross Canglan River, so why not just destroy them?" Xia Jing asked.
Zhao Xing glanced at the soldiers hiding the ships, pondered for a moment, and said, "Let's leave them for now—just in case."
On February 5, the Nine Nether Chariots led by Youyun, along with the forces of Canghe and Housen, arrived at Tianshui City.
"Commander, the King of Valor, Xia Jing, and his forces have already crossed the river," Canghe reported. "Their marching speed is incredibly fast, as if they know we're trying to encircle them."
"So what if they know?" Housen said coldly. "After crossing the river, no matter which direction they go, there are ambushes waiting for them. Running with such light equipment—how long can they last?"
"As the encirclement tightens, our reinforcements will arrive faster. If they fall behind even once, their chances of resupplying in a city will be slim," Housen added.
"You're right." Youyun studied the map and nodded. "As long as we keep hounding them, we'll eventually force them into a dead end. By then, they'll have nowhere to run."
In the wilderness, cultivators couldn't replenish their supplies. The higher their cultivation, the more food and resources they needed to maintain their strength. If the main army was wiped out, solo cultivators wouldn't even have the strength to reach another city.
They would be picked off one by one—either captured, killed, or starved in the wild.
And if they tried to escape through the air, it would be even easier to shoot them down.
Just then, a personal guard rushed in, his face filled with excitement.
"Commander! A major discovery!"
Youyun's face, partially covered with eerie purple markings, turned to the guard. "Speak."
"We just received intelligence—among the Great Zhou forces that crossed the river, the highest-ranking official isn't just Xia Jing, the King of Valor. The long-lost Grand Shennong, Zhao Xing, is with them!"
"What?!"
Youyun shot up from his seat, staring hard at the messenger.
"Are you certain?"
"Absolutely, Commander. Our informants devoured the soul of a Great Zhou scout and saw Zhao Xing and Xia Jing both entering Xichang City. They also spotted Zhao Xing in Tianhe City."
"Hahaha!"
Youyun burst into laughter.
"What incredible luck! I never thought I'd be the one to claim this merit!"
Regarding Zhao Xing, Ji Che had personally set a huge reward—whoever provided verified information about Zhao Xing's whereabouts would be promoted two ranks and granted a marquis title.
And whoever captured Zhao Xing alive would be promoted five ranks and granted the title of Duke!
Even on the Southern Barbarian side, Zhao Xing was highly valued. If Youyun confirmed the intelligence, his cultivation would be immediately enhanced, and if he captured or killed Zhao Xing, he would have a chance to be personally tutored by the Moon God!
"I want Zhao Xing dead!"
That was Youyun's first instinct.
But after a brief moment, he dismissed the idea.
Although he had recovered to Sixth Rank, Zhao Xing was likely already at Seventh Rank. In the vast wilderness, tracking one person was next to impossible.
Not to mention, he might be walking into a trap—Zhao Xing was notorious for challenging stronger opponents and winning. Even a Fifth-Rank powerhouse from the Nine Nether Gods would struggle to find him alone.
No, this needed a full military operation.
"Send an urgent report to the Nine Nether Gods!" Youyun ordered. "These three forces alone aren't enough. We need a massive encirclement—the more men, the better!"
Youyun immediately realized that this was too big for him to claim alone. It was better to seize what benefits he could first.
At the same time, through layers of intelligence channels, news that Zhao Xing was still alive was secretly relayed back to the royal capital.
"Your Majesty! We've received word of the Grand Shennong!"
Ji Che sat on his throne, his expression trembling with emotion.
"Are you certain?"
His voice carried a mix of hope and apprehension.
"Don't tell me this is another false report, only to leave me disappointed again."
"This time, it's absolutely confirmed."
The intelligence officer continued, "The Grand Shennong has sent a letter himself, and it has been verified through military encryption codes."
"But there's bad news from the front lines."
"The Nine Nether Gods have mobilized over forty forces, launching a mass purge in Cangyue Prefecture and Hefu Prefecture, right in the heart of the Southern Barbarians."
"And… the Grand Shennong is currently northeast of Hefu Prefecture, inside the encirclement of the Nine Nether Gods."
Ji Che fell silent.
The news was both a blessing and a curse.
After all these years, he finally had word of his elder brother, only to find out that he was in mortal danger.
Ji Che clenched his fists.
"Send an immediate order to Lord Luohou!"
"At any cost, he must retrieve Zhao Xing alive. I repeat—at ANY cost! Even if it takes decades to fight back! Even if all ten elite imperial guards are lost—it doesn't matter!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Ji Ji nodded and immediately left to carry out the command.
As Ji Che gazed into the distant sky, he murmured:
"Big Brother… hang in there."
On February 7, three days after crossing Tianshui River, the Ten Suns Legion executed their plan to attack the three major cities of Mincheng, Heshui City, and Yuyou City in Hefu Prefecture.
If they could break through these cities, they would only need to overcome two more defensive lines to reach the Shensu Army, led by Dong Ze.
These two defense lines were thinly guarded, since the Nine Nether Gods had mobilized massive forces elsewhere, leaving many areas undermanned.
But despite three days of battle, they had failed to take a single city.
And the enemy reinforcements were closing in.
"Brother Zhao, the situation isn't looking good," Xia Jing said grimly.
"If we don't take at least one city within three days, we'll be completely surrounded."
Right now, they had just over a thousand cultivators, including around ten Seventh-Rank experts.
But in the vast ocean of enemy troops, their strength would not last long.
As the encirclement tightened, their window for attack was shrinking fast.
Zhao Xing studied the map for a while before shaking his head.
"We're done here."
He made a swift decision. "Tell Old Chen and Old Liao to start retreating."
"Retreat where?" Xia Jing asked.
"We're crossing the Great Water River again. Heading to Huifeng City."
"What?!" Xia Jing was confused.
"How are we supposed to get back? The enemy has sealed off every direction—why would we retreat north back into Hefu Prefecture?"
"The most dangerous place is the safest."
"We just crossed the river—the enemy would never expect us to loop back into the encirclement."
Zhao Xing smirked.
"That's why we strike their weakest river outpost before their troops fully close in—then we return to the north of Hefu Prefecture, and we move fast."