Chapter 263: Chapter 260: Siege_1
In the span of just a few minutes, the massive army of the Black Serpent Clan arrived before Peace City, at the cost of thirty thousand clan members. They relentlessly struck the city’s Formation, and their immense force caused the Formation to ripple ceaselessly.
"Die!" Zhou Cang roared in fury, his long blade held high, unleashing a wave of Blade Qi that sliced several hundred Black Serpent Clan soldiers at the forefront in half at the waist. Fresh blood dyed the dark night sky crimson.
"Kill him! He is the City Lord of Peace City!" The surrounding Black Serpent Clan soldiers, upon recognizing Zhou Cang, roared in anger. Their scarlet eyes, filled with boundless murderous intent, swarmed forward.
In the blink of an eye, the area around Zhou Cang, spanning a hundred zhang, was enveloped by a dense mass of Black Serpent Clan soldiers, resembling a ball of flesh.
BOOM!
A dazzling blade light erupted. The Black Serpent Clan soldiers surrounding Zhou Cang were all reduced to chunks of flesh and fell to the ground, as if a rain of blood had fallen.
"Let this King test your strength!" Seeing his kinsmen brutally slain, the Black Serpent King could no longer sit still. His body soared into the sky, expanding to several hundred zhang in size. His snake mouth gaped open, spewing a pillar of black light.
In previous engagements, the Black Serpent Clan had suffered heavy losses. These six hundred thousand soldiers were already the elite fighting force of their tribe. Sacrifice too many, and the Black Serpent Clan would face a generational fracture!
"Well met!" Zhou Cang was also a battle-hungry individual. Seeing the Black Serpent King attack, he revealed an intense battle intent. His long blade swept horizontally, flashing with crimson light as he slashed down heavily.
A hundred-zhang-long crimson Blade Qi collided with the black beam of light.
BOOM! RUMBLE!
Violent aftershocks ripped through the sky. The pressure they contained injured many Black Serpent soldiers, causing them to vomit blood and collapse.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Zhou Cang roared repeatedly, his battle blade moving with wide, powerful strokes. The sharpness of its light was unstoppable, forcing the Black Serpent King into a constant retreat.
Both were First-Transformation Saint Kings, but Zhou Cang’s strength far surpassed the Black Serpent King’s. After all, the Black Serpent King had only recently ascended to the Saint King Realm, relying on the Black Serpent Clan’s foundational resources to forcefully break through.
POW!
After a powerful strike, the Black Serpent King was sent flying, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes as he realized he was no match for Zhou Cang. To continue this fight would undoubtedly lead to defeat!
"Keep fighting!" Zhou Cang, radiating an astonishing Evil Qi, pursued with his battle blade, his murderous intent surging like a rainbow. His armor was spattered with blood, making him resemble a god of slaughter freshly emerged from hell.
"Elder Su, please intervene quickly!" The Black Serpent King, gripped by fear and not daring to resist head-on, shouted desperately.
"Useless trash!" From the depths of darkness, a scholar who had been following all along cursed, revealing his figure. He was wreathed in a scholarly aura, which formed a vast sea of scholarly energy above his head.
He strode towards the battlefield! Wherever he passed, the murderous aura receded, leaving only an overwhelming righteous aura to permeate the sky!
"Who are you?" Zhou Cang halted his pursuit, raising his great blade defensively. He watched the approaching scholar, a hint of graveness in his eyes.
"The one who will kill you!" The scholar smiled faintly, not revealing his origins. He drew the Soft Sword from his waist and stabbed forward abruptly.
Instantly, the Soft Sword in his hand transformed into a colossal dragon. Wielding the power of a Second-Transformation Saint King, it bared its fangs and brandished its claws, intent on tearing Zhou Cang apart.
"Myriad Blade Slash!" Realizing the enemy’s strength, Zhou Cang did not retreat. A continuous stream of energy surged into his long blade, which pulsed with a crimson glow as he slashed, aiming to annihilate the Void.
BOOM!
Blade and sword clashed. Countless strands of Literary Dao aura emerged from the sword energy. Initially, they carried an imposing, righteous air, but then they transformed into a chilling wind that howled through the world.
"What is this?" Zhou Cang was slightly startled. As this chilling wind swept over him, he felt an icy coldness throughout his body. The Spiritual Energy shield protecting him was continuously corroded, emitting a sizzling sound.
WHOOSH.
The fierce gale blew, and gusts carrying corrosive power enveloped Zhou Cang. In a short while, his external Spiritual Energy shield was completely eroded.
"Formation Breaking Blade!" Zhou Cang roared. The battle blade erupted with dazzling brilliance, carrying an endless sharpness that dispersed the fierce wind before him.
The scholar sighed lightly, his tone laced with regret. What a pity!
Under normal circumstances, my previous attack could have easily annihilated a Martial Artist of a lower cultivation level. Unfortunately, because my literary Qi is impure, its power was severely reduced. It had the form but lacked the true intent!
Then, he thrust his sword again. An incomparably brilliant sword energy streaked across the sky, moving so incredibly fast it was impossible to track with the naked eye.
Zhou Cang, slightly alarmed, hastily sidestepped to evade the fatal attack. Nevertheless, the sword energy grazed his arm, and blood began to flow freely.
"Thousand Sword Art!" The scholar’s lips parted slightly. Countless streams of sword energy materialized around him, forming a veritable river of swords that emanated a terrifyingly sharp light.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Zhou Cang continuously wielded his battle blade, deflecting most of the sword energy. However, a small portion still struck his body, creating bloody holes from which blood spurted.
After that volley of sword energy, Zhou Cang was covered in wounds. The most dangerous was a sword gash on his chest, where his beating heart was faintly visible.
"General!" The defenders of Peace City, seeing Zhou Cang injured, had faces full of worry.
"JIE JIE JIE! You’re all finished!" The Black Serpent King coiled high in the sky, his body wreathed in roiling black mist as he flicked his forked tongue. With a lash of his tail, he flew towards Peace City’s Formation. The colossal impact tore a hole in it.
An icy aura seeped into the city through the breach in the Formation, causing many soldiers to shiver.
"Kill them!" The Black Serpent King commanded. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers from the Black Serpent Clan’s army resumed their charge, relentlessly widening the breach in the Formation.
"Quickly! Have the Array Masters repair the Formation!" The Deputy General commanded anxiously. He stood at the breach with his war blade, a one-man army holding the pass, slaying one Black Serpent Clan soldier after another.
Several Array Masters flew onto the city wall and began repairing the Formation! But the Black Serpent Clan soldiers were too numerous; the speed of repair simply couldn’t keep up with the rate of damage!
"General, it’s no use!" an Array Master shouted, his voice filled with panic.
"Useless or not, you must make it work! Peace City absolutely cannot fall! All of you, hold your ground! After we repel these outsiders, I will request commendations for you!" The Deputy General roared back without turning his head, his voice filled with grim determination.
"Yes, sir!" The Array Masters gritted their teeth and yelled out, steeling themselves as they poured all their effort into repairing the formation marks.
For honor! For the Great Qin! They absolutely could not retreat, much less allow this city to fall into the hands of these outsiders!
"Fools!" The Black Serpent King watched the Array Masters futilely attempting to save the Formation. He lashed out powerfully with his tail, striking the Formation and causing the already damaged structure to collapse completely.
Countless Black Serpent Clan soldiers swarmed over the city walls, engaging in a chaotic melee with the defending soldiers. Blood stained the bricks crimson!
The few Array Masters at the very front bore the brunt of the assault and were devoured by the Black Serpent soldiers.
"Hold them back!" The Deputy General roared. Seeing the city now surrounded by the Black Serpent Clan, his face turned deathly pale. According to his calculations, if no reinforcements arrived, Peace City would fall within an hour.
The Qin Dynasty’s Divine Court would lose control of the Black Serpent’s territory!