Outside Kunyang City.
The imperial court's 1,000,000-strong army.
At the central command position.
"Immortal Master Shan!"
A lieutenant general came to report. "They've fallen right into your chain stratagems. Their morale has collapsed, suspicion is spreading among them, and they've already begun a large-scale retreat!"
"Good. Then help them move a little faster."
Shan Liangcheng issued the order unhurriedly. "Pass down my command. Keep the breach at the north city gate open. Deploy 50,000 troops from the vanguard to attack the city!"
Within just a single hour, the Zhengtong Emperor and all civil and military officials had completely withdrawn. Inside Kunyang City, another 20,000 defenders had already left, and the number continued to shrink.
Cui Zichen of the Seeking Immortals Tower flew on his sword to the city wall and spoke respectfully, "Senior Huang, how many cultivators do you think should withdraw? Should we dismantle the formation as well?"
"Daoist Cui."
Huang Laojiu revealed his missing front tooth. "This old man doesn't understand warfare at all. How would I dare spout nonsense?"
"All right."
Cui Zichen nodded slightly. "Then, Senior, would you like to leave together with us?"
"Run?"
Huang Laojiu sucked in a breath and looked into the distance. "Shouldn't we wait for Daoist Chen?"
"Senior."
Cui Zichen said solemnly, "Everyone decided to withdraw precisely because they suspect that Chen Sanshi has ties with the Yun Ding Palace."
"Boom boom boom boom!"
As the two spoke.
Urgent war drums suddenly thundered as the enemy launched another assault.
"They're coming again, coming again!"
Huang Laojiu hurriedly stood up, forming seals with both hands to control the formation disk. "Daoist Cui, you go first. This old man will hold them off a bit longer, then I'll run with you all."
"Thank you for your trouble, Senior."
Cui Zichen clasped his fists and departed.
The enemy's sudden renewed assault indeed required someone to stay behind as a rearguard. Otherwise, if the court's forces captured Kunyang City too quickly, their own army might not even have time to cross the Fei River.
In the night sky, Shan Liangcheng's resounding voice echoed as he activated the grand formation.
"By the Fifth Decree, Dui Marsh summons heroic troops—drive away evil and suppress fiends without pause!"
"By the Sixth Decree, Xun Wind sweeps mountains and peaks—flying sand and moving stones pursue the wicked host!"
As the incantations rang out.
Formation flags danced wildly.
The Heavenly Gates formed by the celestial pillars ahead shifted once more!
From several of the Heavenly Gates, surging rivers poured forth. Dense ranks of black-armored soldiers stepped directly onto the water's surface, charging toward the city wall amid the raging torrents.
From other Heavenly Gates, fierce gales erupted. Heavy-armored soldiers, while sprinting forward, gradually lifted off the ground as if sprouting wings, drifting toward the walls through rolling yellow sands.
Wei Xuan, Song Guizhi, and the others had long been waiting atop the walls, leading the Northern Liang soldiers into yet another brutal slaughter.
But the Zhengtong Emperor's troops showed almost no will to resist. Especially after learning that many of their own comrades had already fled, their minds grew even more unsettled. Some even threw down their weapons outright and tried to run.
The strategy of leaving an opening when encircling an army, combined with sowing discord, produced a terrifying compounded effect.
"Boom—!"
Until, in the night sky, a divine beast Vermilion Bird carrying heaven-scorching flames descended from above, spreading a sea of blazing fire across the surging rivers.
Under the searing heat, countless imperial soldiers were instantly reduced to ashes.
Clad in black armor, Chen Sanshi descended from the heavens with a blazing spear in hand, landing directly in the heart of the enemy vanguard and charging straight toward the Minister of War, Zhu Ming.
"Ah?!"
Zhu Ming was utterly horrified. "Stop him! Hurry and stop him!"
"Brother Zhu, retreat!"
A cultivator at the Perfection stage raised his hand and unleashed his natal treasure—a massive war drum. Each strike caused the drumhead to bloom with netherly qi, condensing into ghost soldiers wielding blades, spears, swords, and halberds. Their numbers grew without end, blotting out the sky.
Yet no matter how many vengeful spirits and fierce ghosts emerged, all were swallowed whole by the crimson flame dragon. Even the "Netherworld War Drum" burned away like paper.
The cultivators hiding in the rear didn't even have time to use escape techniques before they felt scorching heat bloom in their chests. There was no pain—only the sensation of something passing straight through their bodies, followed by darkness.
Chen Sanshi seized one cultivator by the crown of his skull and, before the eyes of all, tore his head free. Before blood could spray, the entire head was wrapped in flames, flesh and blood burning to nothing. Only the flaming skull remained, which he hurled outward, striking the back of the galloping, fleeing crimson-robed official with perfect accuracy.
Zhu Ming howled, spewing a mouthful of blood as his heart was cooked through. His body flew forward several yards from the impact before crashing heavily to the ground, never moving again.
Seizing the enemy general's head from amidst 10,000 troops.
For Chen Sanshi, it was already a commonplace act.
The imperial soldiers who witnessed this scene were all stricken pale with terror. For a moment, no one dared advance further.
As a result, the attacking vanguard was split cleanly into two halves—divided by Chen Sanshi himself!
One man severed the enemy formation!
On the walls of Kunyang City.
The blood-soaked Northern Liang soldiers were greatly inspired.
Xu Wencai flicked his feather fan. "General Wang, General Ye, General Rong—you three lead 20,000 elite troops out of the city and smash the enemy!"
"This subordinate obeys!"
The south gate of Kunyang City burst open.
Under siege, the Northern Liang army took the initiative to charge out, catching the imperial forces completely off guard!
Chen Sanshi summoned Qianxun and rode his white horse, charging through 10,000 troops as though no one stood in his way!
Seeing this.
Shan Liangcheng had no choice but to personally lead several cultivators from the rear.
He wielded the Mysterious Jade Golden Radiance Bamboo, his voice ringing out as he once more adjusted the grand formation.
"By the Seventh Decree, Gen Mountain displays divine might—seal Earth Tigers, block ghost paths, pierce ghost hearts, shatter ghost bellies, and lock the vicious fiends within the Eight Trigrams Palace!"
The Six Ding Six Jia Golden Radiance Formation—ever-changing beyond measure!
From attacking cities and seizing territory to trapping immortals and slaying demons, it contained everything.
But no matter how formidable or exquisite a Heaven Book formation might be, it still required someone capable of actually deploying it.
And this was something not every commander could accomplish.
Shan Liangcheng had commanded troops before.
But the 1,000,000-strong army before him now was not his own. The trust and tacit coordination between its parts were far from sufficient.
The sudden turn of events triggered massive turmoil within the vanguard army. In the chaos, a considerable number of soldiers had already gone completely blank-minded. Hundred Commanders forgot how to give orders, Banner Officers forgot how to wave their flags, formation grunts no longer knew where to go—whether to advance or retreat.
Fortunately, Shan Liangcheng's experience ultimately prevailed. He directed several fellow disciples to stabilize the formation at different positions, then jointly cast spells toward the White Robe on the ground. Only then did they barely steady the situation and successfully get the formation running.
The moment the formation array spread out, it echoed from afar with the towering celestial pillars on the wasteland battlefield.
"By the Seventh Decree, Gen Mountain displays divine might!"
The thick earth split apart unceasingly. Chunks of land, carrying brilliant spiritual light, rose into midair and then smashed downward like a torrential storm.
"Boom boom boom!"
Only with the terrifying power of the military formation combined with the spells of several Qi Refining Perfection cultivators did they finally suppress the previously unstoppable momentum of the White Robe.
And this was only the latter half!
Before the city gates.
30,000 Northern Liang troops had already charged out of the city.
Streams of profound qi surged forth from Chen Sanshi's body and merged with the army as one. Within the city, the resounding and majestic Soul-Suppressing Grand Formation roared to life!
Northern Liang King's Formation-Breaking March!
In an instant, heaven and earth changed color. The Northern Liang army seemed to merge with the soldiers of an ancient battlefield, smashing the already-chaotic vanguard into scattered fragments before continuing to charge forward.
Ahead of them—
Was the 1,000,000-strong army!
In war,
More soldiers did not mean absolute security.
Quite the opposite.
People were not mechanical components, but living beings with independent thoughts.
1,000,000 soldiers meant 1,000,000 different minds.
A deployed battle formation could indeed look overwhelmingly powerful, but once chaos set in, it could become an unprecedented catastrophe.
Anyone capable of saying "the more, the better" was certainly no ordinary person.
At this moment,
With Chen Sanshi alone cutting through the center of the battlefield and the Northern Liang army deploying Heaven Book formations, the entire vanguard descended into utter disorder.
Meanwhile, the Northern Liang army showed signs of unstoppable momentum, threatening to slaughter straight through the vanguard and plunge deep into the enemy's core!
If this succeeded, and if they failed to kill the White Robe in time,
It could very well trigger—
A total rout!
"What a fine ploy of luring the tiger away from the mountain!"
Shan Liangcheng sneered.
This man had somehow learned that the Prince of Qin and others were gathered in Baxian, using that to draw Ling Kui away before striking back to create an opening.
He would never allow Chen Sanshi to succeed so easily.
With that thought, Shan Liangcheng hardened his heart and waved the formation flag of the Mysterious Jade Golden Radiance Bamboo.
"Rumble—!"
In the depths of night, spiritual light burst forth.
The foremost stone pillars activated once more, forming a barrier that stretched between heaven and earth with no end in sight. The Thick Earth Barrier was likewise one-directional—passing through it in reverse required holding the core formation flag.
Previously,
This "Thick Earth Barrier" had been used as a cage to enact "leaving an opening when encircling the enemy" around Kunyang City, only closing it once the siege began.
Now that it was opened again,
It meant—
The retreat route of the attacking vanguard was sealed off.
Amid the collapse, they had nowhere to go. All they could do was trample each other in panic as they were slaughtered to the last by the Northern Liang army!
But precisely because of this,
The Northern Liang army was blocked outside the barrier, unable to continue pushing forward.
Sever the tail to save the body!
Shan Liangcheng could only sacrifice part of the vanguard to preserve the overall situation.
He waved his natal artifact again, releasing streak after streak of azure light that blasted down toward the ground.
At the same time.
In the star-filled sky, a dark figure was racing toward them at extreme speed on wings of flowing light!
Ling Kui!
"Senior Ling has returned!"
Shan Liangcheng shouted loudly. "Hold him! As long as he's trapped inside the formation, he's as good as dead!"
However.
They still could not stop him.
They could only watch helplessly as Chen Sanshi broke free of the formation at the final moment before Ling Kui arrived, soaring into the sky.
Another clash of offense and defense ended with the signal to withdraw.
But this time.
Kunyang's defenders returned in overwhelming victory!
Under a surprise offensive, with losses of less than 2,000, they had slain over 40,000 enemy soldiers!
On the city wall, Huang Laojiu, who had witnessed the entire battle, clicked his tongue in amazement. He walked over to the strategist with feather fan and scholar's cap and asked guilelessly, "Strategist sir, is this also a Heaven Book formation passed down in Dongsheng Divine Continent?"
"Indeed."
Xu Wencai explained. "Heaven Book formations were precisely brought to prominence by our Northern Liang army."
"Then the rumors about summoning heavenly lightning and overturning rivers and seas are also true?"
Huang Laojiu could not hide the astonishment in his voice as he muttered softly, "If that's the case, with sufficient spiritual qi, wouldn't even mortal armies have a chance to kill cultivators?"
Xu Wencai didn't hear clearly. "What did Immortal Master Huang say?"
"Nothing, nothing."
Huang Laojiu waved his hand, then asked clumsily, "That said, although this old man is dull-witted, I am still a spellcaster. I know that setting up formations requires borrowing the spiritual qi of heaven and earth to unleash their full might."
"Shan Liangcheng's Six Ding Six Jia Golden Radiance Formation works that way, and this old man's Black Armor Xun Wind Formation works the same.
"But just now, when this old man watched Daoist Friend Chen, I didn't see him use any formation flags, nor did I sense any spiritual qi—yet the formation's burst of power was in no way inferior.
"Strategist sir, do you know how Daoist Friend Chen achieved this? Could it be that he's carrying some supreme treasure on him?"
Xu Wencai cast a sideways glance at the immortal master whose honest face resembled that of an old farmer. Gently swaying his feather fan, he replied, "What supreme treasure could there be?
"My lord acts in accordance with Heaven's mandate. He is one favored by heaven and earth, supported by great fortune. With a single call to arms, he can naturally command Heaven Book formations as easily as moving his own arm."
"Oh."
Huang Laojiu did not pursue the matter further. Instead, he squeezed the wrinkles on his face into a smile and nodded repeatedly. "So that's how it is, so that's how it is!"
As they were speaking,
Chen Sanshi climbed up onto the city wall.
They had just secured a great victory, and morale should have been soaring.
But the moment he returned, he sensed that something was off within the city.
"My lord!"
Zhao Kang reported, "It was His Majesty and Ming Qingfeng who ordered the withdrawal. In total, more than 40,000 troops have already pulled out of the city, and the number is still increasing!"
"My lord, should we stop them?"
"Yes, my lord. If this continues, there won't even be 100,000 troops left in the city."
"No need to force them to stay."
Chen Sanshi replied calmly, "If they want to leave, let them go."
"Let this old man try to persuade them?"
Huang Laojiu suddenly stepped forward. "Though this old man isn't anyone important, I do at least have an old face. I can go speak with my fellow sect members who are still in the city. Perhaps they'll be willing to leave behind more manpower to help."
"Oh?"
Chen Sanshi looked over at him. "If Senior Huang is willing to help, that would be most welcome."
"Heh heh, you're too polite, too polite!"
With that, Huang Laojiu climbed onto his donkey cart and chased after them.
About half an hour later, the retreat was finally brought under control.
But only the remaining city garrison was kept.
Not a single cultivator from the Guiyuan Sect stayed behind…
At the early stage of the Battle of the Fei River,
Kunyang City had a total of 200,000 defending troops. After a period of attrition, combined with the withdrawn forces, only 120,000 remained.
Half were Northern Liang troops, and half were under the orthodox court's command.
After receiving orders to remain behind, the orthodox troops grew even more uneasy and dispirited. Once the precedent of retreat had been set, the impact was enormous.
"Why do we have to be the ones left behind?"
"Yeah!"
"All court officials of Third Rank and above have already withdrawn."
"T-this is making us stay here to die, isn't it?"
"Exactly! Otherwise, why would they run?!"
"Enough!"
"Not long ago, our army slaughtered tens of thousands of enemies outside the city!"
"The court's departure was merely a troop-splitting strategy, not a retreat!"
"Victory is at hand. Anyone who dares to shake morale again will be executed without mercy!"
Only after Cheng Wei, Ye Fengxiu, Wang Zhi, and the others moved around to pacify the troops did the situation finally stabilize.
And over the next two days,
Everything grew quiet.
After suffering a setback, the army outside the city behaved completely out of character. They stopped attacking altogether, lowered their banners, and focused on resting and recuperating.
"Strange!"
Xu Wencai felt uneasy. "Our defending forces have been sharply reduced, cultivators are insufficient, and morale has been shaken. They should be pressing the attack in one decisive push. Why have they suddenly stopped?"
But under the current circumstances,
They had no initiative whatsoever.
No matter what Shan Liangcheng and the others were plotting, all they could do was respond with patience and caution.
Inside the watchtower.
Trusted aides stood guard at the door.
Chen Sanshi sat cross-legged inside the room. After controlling the dispersion of spiritual qi from the spirit pearl to a certain range, he began circulating the Swallowing Fire Art, absorbing its spiritual qi.
With the aid of a mid-grade Fire Spiritual Root, the spiritual qi poured into his body at an extremely rapid pace, circulated through the great cycle, and finally flowed into the dantian. When a sixth wisp of mist formed, all the mist completely dispersed and merged, transforming into a sea of mist.
The long-absent panel appeared.
Cultivation Method: Swallowing Fire Art · Qi Refining Level 6
Progress: 0 / 1200
What improved along with it
Was the spell that came with the Swallowing Fire Art—Flame Manipulation Art.
Spell: Flame Manipulation Art (Mastery)
Progress: Scales with realm
Effect: Fire Techniques
This spell cannot be improved independently and only advances alongside the realm.
After Flame Manipulation Art reached Mastery and gained the Fire Techniques effect, it required only a small amount of mana to turn mundane flames into extensions of mana.
Compared to directly casting fire-type spells, this eliminated the need for hand seals and greatly reduced mana consumption.
On the battlefield, it would naturally be extremely useful.
It was just a pity that his cultivation was still insufficient to control immortal treasures or strange flames. Otherwise, facing Ling Kui's Nether River True Force, it wouldn't have been so exhausting.
Qi Refining Level 6 was the final step of the middle stage. Breaking through this realm would officially place him in the late stage of Qi Refining.
At that point, his spiritual root grade would rise again, and his cultivation speed would increase accordingly.
He estimated that it wouldn't take too many more years before he could begin preparing for Foundation Establishment.
Of course.
Those were matters for later.
Right now, he still faced a life-and-death crisis.
He usually only used the Swallowing Fire Art in place of sleep after exhausting himself completely through martial training. Even so, reaching the final opening of the scene-god aperture would still take some time.
At this pace.
It could be called godlike speed!
From the time Chen Sanshi began practicing martial arts until now, it had been no more than five or six years in total.
At such a pace, even within the cultivation world it would mark him as a peerless martial genius. Yet for him, it felt as though a starving beast were chasing at his heels—no matter how fast he ran, it was never fast enough.
Fortunately…
A breakthrough was imminent!
According to his projected decisive day, he would definitely complete the breakthrough by then.
The only thing he needed to worry about
Was Emperor Longqing.
Back then, when Chen Sanshi insisted on a swift, decisive battle, more than two years had already passed. Even so, it was still somewhat late. Cao Kai's seclusion would, with 90% certainty, end before the final battle—or perhaps…
It had already ended!
Forget it.
Since it could not be avoided, then there was no need to avoid it.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
As his thoughts drifted,
Heart-shaking war drums thundered outside.
Chen Sanshi immediately gathered his thoughts and ascended the city wall.
Only then did he see that after two full days,
The court's army outside the city had finally begun attacking again.
"By the Eighth Decree, Kan Water gathers a thousand blessings, baleful filth dissolves without a trace; Taiji and the Two Forms suppress the center, the 64 Hexagrams arrayed to slay demons and banish evil!"
The Six Ding Six Jia formation changed once more.
Within the Heavenly Gate,
Five-colored auspicious radiance blossomed!
Countless siege engines and black-armored soldiers surged toward the lone city like a black tsunami.
"Light the fires!"
"Release flaming arrows!"
Chen Sanshi shouted sharply.
With a single command,
Every stone launched by the catapults within the city was bound with large bundles of dry, flammable grass. Volley after volley crashed down, carpeting the battlefield outside the city in tinder.
Immediately after, all archers drew their bows and loosed arrows. Flaming shafts filled the sky like a grand rain of fire, drifting down in overwhelming numbers.
Dry fuel met raging flame.
In the blink of an eye,
Fires erupted across the wasteland. From above, the clusters of flame looked like interconnected pools of fire.
Yet under the enhancement of the Six Ding Six Jia formation, every soldier passing through the Heavenly Gate was covered in five-colored auspicious radiance and feared no mundane flames.
Until, above Kunyang City,
A solitary figure descended from the heavens.
Then the previously scattered flames began to converge in midair. Strands of fire surged into the night sky like soaring serpents, gathering endlessly until they formed a sea of fire that blotted out the heavens, illuminating the entire wasteland in a bewitching crimson!
Beneath the sea of fire,
Chen Sanshi stood tall in midair, pupils ablaze, holding his silver dragon spear like a god of fire. He slowly raised the spearhead, then suddenly dove toward the ground—and the sea of fire poured downward with him.
As if…
The sky itself were collapsing!
"Rumble—!"
This time,
Even the five-colored auspicious radiance could not withstand it. The soldiers on the ground felt as though they had been thrown into a furnace. Their armor became iron cauldrons roasting flesh, until their vision was completely swallowed by flames and the world plunged into darkness.
Flame Manipulation Art!
Fire Techniques!
One spear shatters armor, 2,600 slain!
"Chen Sanshi, your death has come!"
Just as terror seized the court's soldiers,
The Ling family's old ancestor, Ling Kui, arrived in response. Before his words had even finished, the edge of his sword was already before the white-robed figure's face—so fast that no one even saw when he struck.
"Clang!"
The shrill clash of metal nearly tore through the eardrums of tens of thousands.
Forced back half a step by the opponent's surging True Force, Chen Sanshi's Dragon Gall Bright Silver Spear was, as expected, tainted with a sticky mass of Nether River True Force.
Before he could make his next move,
The Netherworld greatsword came down again.
As Chen Sanshi retreated explosively, he spun the Dragon Gall Bright Silver Spear in a flourish. Flames across the battlefield answered the call, forming a fiery vortex around him. On one flank, thick earth walls wrapped in golden light rose up, while behind him, strands of purple sword qi condensed and revealed themselves.
With all methods unleashed, he charged straight at his opponent, the ultimate spear techniques of Eastern Divine Continent clashing violently with Heavenly Water Isle sword arts.
After roughly three to five exchanges, Chen Sanshi began to rely on his advantage as a spell cultivator, slipping into the night sky. While using the Flame Manipulation Art to hinder his opponent, he rapidly circulated Fire-element True Force to purge the bone-deep Nether River power lingering within him. At the same time, he looked for a chance to shake Ling Kui off and bombard the enemy's high-ranking martial generals.
"Even stronger."
Ling Kui narrowed his eyes at the white-robed figure ahead and ground his teeth. "Chen Sanshi, what terrifying talent you have!
"Breaking through from early to middle True Force would take even the top martial geniuses of Heavenly Water Isle five full years.
"But from Guandu to now, you've spent just over two years!
"With such talent, given time, you might even revive the martial path itself. Unfortunately… everything ends here."
As he spoke,
Another streak of escaping light shot up from within the million-strong army, reaching the sky in the blink of an eye and arriving before the two of them.
Chen Sanshi focused his gaze.
He saw a familiar figure.
Emperor Longqing!