Chapter 1014: Chapter 1008: Deston Prefecture Is In Peril
With the Wu tribe attacking Highsun City, the earth shook, and the mountains swayed on the battlefield of the Shadowfell Prefecture.
The sky was filled with dazzling Spiritual power.
The forests that the Wu tribesmen had transformed using their Wu Spiritual power over the years were currently being swallowed by a raging prairie fire.
Dust and smoke blotted out the sky; only the flames and the Spiritual power of the cultivators provided any illumination.
Such a massive battle had already lasted for several days.
Ba Siyu was already standing on the Carefree Cloud, his eyes glaring wide like a giant lion as he gazed into the distance.
In reality, he was already engaged in a Spiritual duel with the Wu tribe’s Sage Elder!
“Old thief Rising Sun, you’re still too green to think you can use your Spiritual power to kill my soldiers! Hahaha!”
Ba Siyu let out a loud laugh.
However, not long after, his smile gradually froze.
In the distance, Zhou Chengli had just returned from the battlefield, holding a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone, having suffered no small amount of injuries.
As Zhou Chengli sat cross-legged under Ba Siyu’s protection, he delivered the bad news:
“Three hundred thousand Wu tribesmen have launched a sneak attack on our Highsun City from the rear. Bi Shihu has cut off the retreat of our cultivators.”
Before Ba Siyu had time to react, an aged voice rang out from within the forest that had become a sea of fire.
It was the Rising Sun Sage Elder!
“Ba Siyu, oh Ba Siyu, do you know why it is I who am dealing with you?
Decades ago, when you took command of Highsun City, I was already plotting how to handle you.
To use a saying from your human race, pre-planning averts peril. Venerable Elder Yuanliang is my confidant; he prepared for decades just to catch you off guard.”
“You…”
Ba Siyu’s expression changed drastically. “Were Yun Hongcai and Bi Shihu also acting on your orders?”
There was a long silence from within the raging fire before the voice replied, “It seems there are quite a few people who want to deal with you.”
He had been in Deston Prefecture for decades, and everything had gone smoothly over these decades.
But starting with the Yun Clan, Ba Siyu suddenly realized that snare after snare had fallen completely upon him, turning his rugged face pitch black.
It wasn’t that he was entirely unprepared; in this battle, charging against the Divine Bird Totem army, he had used a myriad of unexpected tactics, beating the Rising Sun Sage Elder back step after step.
It would be one thing if a single person was scheming against him from the shadows, but a whole group of people doing so made Ba Siyu want to curse their mothers.
“My Lord, if Highsun City falls…” Zhou Chengli’s face was pale.
Incident after incident had occurred suddenly, completely disrupting Ba Siyu’s preparations.
If the logistical supplies hadn’t been stolen, and if Bi Shihu hadn’t rebelled, how could Highsun City have ended up in such a critical situation?
“Are you asking me to turn back and reinforce them?”
Ba Siyu gritted his teeth.
“What about that fellow, Spear Saint Gu Fenghua? There is no turning back; we have no way back! We can only fight our way into Shadowfell Prefecture.
You, take two thousand elite troops and a Void Refinement cultivator back to Highsun City right now. Take the strong ones, and be quick about it!”
“Two thousand… if Highsun City has already fallen…” Zhou Chengli calculated for a moment.
If there were many experts among these two thousand cultivators, it might not be impossible to hold out for a few more days.
“Fallen.” Ba Siyu let out a ferocious laugh.
“Leave your Life Tablet with me. If it falls, you can just go die and wait for me in the Netherworld ahead of time!
If that old thief Rising Sun wants to screw me over, I’ll drag him down from his high seat with me!”
“Don’t let me find out who all is scheming against me from the shadows; I’ll hunt you down one by one and fight you to the death!”
Ba Siyu tilted his head back and let out a furious roar at the sky.
Amidst the raging fire in the Endless Forest, an old man leaning on a divine staff, shining like the sun, could be seen with a trace of fear flashing through his eyes.
This old man was the Rising Sun Sage Elder, one of the Sage Elders who had come to guard the Shadowfell Prefecture.
Sensing Ba Siyu’s fury, he muttered, “So it turns out I’m not the only one scheming against Ba Siyu. He truly is exasperated and furious; I must be on guard in case he actually fights desperately for his life.”
Although Zhou Chengli was injured, he moved swiftly.
Before long, he had taken a Void Refinement cultivator and two thousand elite troops riding the spiritual beast “Pegasus” soaring into the sky, heading toward Highsun City.
Zhou Chengli’s heart was filled with nothing but gloom; he knew the current defensive state of Highsun City clearer than anyone.
“Only Feng Tu’s ten thousand immortal soldiers are somewhat adequate, but even these ten thousand immortal soldiers haven’t fought a battle of this scale before,” Zhou Chengli muttered to himself.
“As for the remaining cultivators, how are they any different from scattered stragglers? Where is there a way to break this stalemate?”
“Our Deston Prefecture is in peril!”
…….
Highsun City.
The Wu tribe cultivators formed a dense, swarming mass outside the city.
The Giant Spirit Divine Flame Array of Highsun City blazed fiercely, but as the Wu tribe cultivators continuously bombarded it with Wu Spiritual power, the defensive power of the Divine Flame Array steadily declined.
“Heaven is helping me! Hahaha, heaven is helping me!”
Holding his twin swords, Venerable Elder Yuanliang joyfully stared at the terrified human race within Highsun City.
He only needed to wait for the Divine Flame Array to break; then he could charge into the city, slaughter these human ants, and pave his Dao path.
“Fortunately, fortunately we had Yun Hongcai. If he hadn’t stolen Highsun City’s logistical supplies, Highsun City’s Divine Flame Array wouldn’t be this fragile!”
From within the Divine Flame Array, the Spiritual power of human cultivators blasted out, but how many people did the human race actually have?
Those left in Highsun City were mostly weaklings; their Spiritual power was easily neutralized by the Wu tribe.
What truly required vigilance were the attacks conjured by the flames within the Divine Flame Array.
As for the Spiritual power of the Divinity Transformation and Void Refinement realm experts in Highsun City, it was also fended off one by one by the Wu tribe experts.
“Reporting to the Venerable Elder, Bi Shihu’s side has merely blocked the human race’s path. They haven’t expended a large amount of Spiritual power to attack.”
A Wu tribe subordinate reported, causing Venerable Elder Yuanliang to frown continuously.
Looking at Bi Shihu from afar, Bi Shihu seemed to have sensed his gaze and smiled, nodding at him.
In another direction, Bi Shihu’s ten thousand elite soldiers were formidable, but they were attacking their own people, after all, causing the morale of Bi Shihu’s three armies to sink to rock bottom.
Let alone the immortal soldiers, even the numerous experts under Bi Shihu were silent one by one.
Watching Highsun City on the verge of falling, knowing they were about to help the Wu tribe stain their hands with human blood, their expressions were incredibly complex.
“Senior Brother.”
The woman beside Bi Shihu still retained her charming allure. Her name was Wei Yu, and she belonged to the same sect as Bi Shihu.
For many years, Wei Yu had cultivated as a rogue cultivator, with her daily resources supported by Bi Shihu.
Even though the martial siblings hadn’t seen each other for a millennium, they frequently kept in touch.
Now that Bi Shihu had urgent matters, no matter what it was, Wei Yu came without hesitation.
Wei Yu didn’t care whether her Senior Brother was going to slaughter their own kind or not.
She merely saw that her Senior Brother’s subordinates had lowered their eyes, and said solemnly,
“Senior Brother, the Wu tribesmen cannot be trusted. After this battle, your subordinates might harbor rebellious thoughts.
The dynasty can no longer tolerate you, and to you, they are nothing more than dead weight.
After this battle, follow me back to the sect in the Eastern Sea. With Master’s protection, we won’t fear anyone.”
Hearing this, Bi Shihu frowned slightly.
“There are five of us in our sect. Master always says I’m worthless. Now that I’ve become a deserter, I can no longer catch Master’s eye.
I still carry the honor of my father’s generation; I cannot ruin the reputation of my ancestors.
I swore an oath: if I do not achieve heaven-shaking merits and make my name known throughout the world in this life, I will never marry or have children.”
Wei Yu fell silent.
Bi Shihu took a deep breath. How could he not see the low morale of his subordinates?
He merely cast a glance at Highsun City and said to his subordinates, “Prepare yourselves. The Wu tribe is about to charge into Highsun City.”
“Marshal!”
Being forced to risk their lives for the Wu tribe like this, Ge Li could no longer hold back.
He gritted his teeth and said, “Whatever you ask us to do, we will do it.
You told us to run; fine. We didn’t dare fight the battle at the Shadowfell Prefecture, so I ran with you.
You wanted to deal with the Azure Cloud Li Clan; I wasn’t afraid. If one day you want to fight it out with Ba Siyu, I would dare to stand with you and battle a Body Integration expert.”
“But asking me to follow the Wu tribe to attack Highsun City… I can’t do it!
Highsun City is not Shadowfell Prefecture.
If Highsun City falls, Deston Prefecture is in peril, and the dynasty is in peril.
You are asking for my, Ge Li’s, name to be forever carved onto the dynasty’s pillar of shame, with my hands stained with the blood of my compatriots!”
Seeing this, Divine Archer Guan Mingxuan scolded angrily,
“Surnamed Ge, following the Marshal brings us wealth and glory. Are you playing the noble saint now? Where were you during the battle at the Shadowfell Prefecture?”
“How is that the same?” Ge Li was so furious that his hair stood on end, his face looking like an evil ghost.
“If Li Tianyue died, she died. Three hundred and twenty thousand people sacrificed their lives for the country.
We preserved our strength because the Marshal said he wanted us to save our useful bodies for the future.
Wealth and glory? With my Void Refinement realm cultivation, where in the dynasty can I not find wealth and glory?”
“Why are you starting infighting at a time like this?” Cai Yongzhen snorted coldly, glaring angrily at Guan Mingxuan.
“Enough!”
Bi Shihu’s voice was low, yet it silenced his subordinates.
Ge Li and Cai Yongzhen turned their heads away indignantly.
They then heard Bi Shihu say, “The fall of Highsun City is a foregone conclusion. I said I would bring you honor. How many years have you followed me? When have I ever deceived you?”
“Marshal?” Ge Li was stunned.
Bi Shihu’s brows furrowed and his gaze turned cold.
“A brutal fight will soon take place in the city. The infamy we bear, as well as the days of fleeing all these years, are about to end.
Did you really think I, Bi Shihu, had lost my mind and actually trusted the Wu tribesmen?
Those who are not of our kin will surely have different hearts; this is an immutable truth since ancient times.”
Looking at the other side of Highsun City, the Wu tribesmen had already broken through the array formation.
Bi Shihu took a deep breath.
“I have interacted with Feng Tu for decades. I understand his character; this man is not stupid.
With the Wu tribe attacking, he will inevitably rally the cultivators in the city to fight to the death. He only has ten thousand elite soldiers; the rest are scattered stragglers.
But do not forget, under the threat of death, they will not simply give up; they will fight desperately for their lives!”
“I want to win a victorious battle. With Highsun City and the Wu tribe locked in a death struggle, we become the key.”
A booming sound echoed.
Highsun City’s Divine Flame Array extinguished.
The light formed by the collision of Spiritual power was as dazzling as the rising sun.
Three hundred thousand Wu tribesmen broke through the grand array and smashed the city walls to pieces.
Countless Wu tribesmen flooded into Highsun City like a tide, and the human cultivators engaged in a brutal fight with them.
Sharp light radiated from Bi Shihu’s eyes, also invigorating the three armies following him.
“During my years in Highsun City, I have understood one truth: the world doesn’t look at the process, but the result.
What the world measures is value. Enough glory can cover up the filth behind us.”
“In this battle, the ones we are fighting are not our compatriots, but the Wu tribe.
Once this battle is won, the world will only know that it was I, Bi Shihu, who led you, fearless soldiers, to save Highsun City and save Deston Prefecture.
We will no longer bear the infamy of deserters. The dynasty will give us ample rewards, and Ba Siyu will also have to be deeply grateful to us because of this.”
His subordinates looked at Bi Shihu in disbelief.
This Marshal they had followed for decades, centuries, or even ten thousand years… his bearing was as grand as ever!
“Marshal, you…”
Ge Li noticed that Bi Shihu’s peak Void Refinement Spiritual power, which had been bottlenecked for years, was rising.
“You… are not far from Half-step Body Integration.”
“This is my Dao. The Dao of an army of a hundred battles, an undefeated Dao. My Dao is undefeated!” The corners of Bi Shihu’s mouth curled up slightly.
“This battle is my Dao path. It is enough for me to break through to Half-step Body Integration.
With the dynasty’s rewards, I will then march to the Shadowfell Prefecture to campaign.
Within a century, I will be a Body Integration expert. This world will have a place for me!”
The light from the collision of Spiritual power in Highsun City fell upon Bi Shihu and the soldiers of his three armies.
It was as if the taint of being a band of deserters was being dispelled by the radiant glory of the brutal fight in the city, soon to be met with the revered gazes of the world.
—
Donate on Ko-fi ➡️ [] ⬅️
Get Early Access to 90 Chapters: Search for “Dark Tea” on Ko-fi (Explore tab) and join my membership to read ahead!