Chapter 73: The Return of the Great Wind Army to the City

Zeng Feixiong murmured, "Young Master, did that deity just shout 'Freeze'?"

No one responded beside him. Zeng Feixiong turned his head to look. Where was everyone?

He Lingchuan was gone.

Zeng Feixiong's scalp tingled. His side, led by the Young Master, was opposing a god, and the Black Dragon was clearly weakening. Would the god turn his wrath on them? Absolutely. He had never heard of a good-tempered deity.

Had the Young Master fled the battlefield?

Fortunately, Maotao said in time, "The Young Master jumped down to the city base. He asked me to tell Sir Zeng that if the Black Dragon is about to be frozen, you should fire cannons at it!"

"Fire cannons?" Zeng Feixiong shivered as a sudden realization dawned on him.

Yes, the god possessing Nian Songyu wanted to freeze the Black Dragon to avoid repeated battles. So, if they fired cannons at the Black Dragon to help it revive, wouldn't that solve the problem?

Without delay, he turned and yelled, "Brothers, set up the cannons and ballistae! Load the biggest shells and fire at them!"

The Blackwater City soldiers asked, "At whom?"

"The dragon and the person, both!" Zeng Feixiong slapped a subordinate on the head. "Hurry up if you don't want to die!"

Everyone quickly complied.

A pile of cannonballs and several explosive crossbow bolts suddenly appeared on the city gate. Just by looking at the amount of gunpowder on the arrowheads, one could tell they were not merely for show.

Clearly, the Great Square Flask also approved of their actions.

Now, the Black Dragon was barely moving, and Nian Songyu was continuously chanting. They were the easiest targets.

Just as two spike-shells and a ballista were loaded, two soldiers suddenly screamed, clutched their chests, and fell from the city wall. Zeng Feixiong was startled and leaned over, only to see Sun Fuping slowly lowering his staff.

Despite his disheveled appearance, his gaze remained sinister.

Right, how could they forget the Imperial Advisor? How dared they forget him?

Zeng Feixiong had no intention of confronting him head-on. He ducked his head and urged, "Fire! Quickly!"

After several loud blasts, the half-frozen Black Dragon shattered into pieces. The explosive crossbow bolts did a great job; they exploded after piercing the ice, causing more damage than cannonballs.

Nian Songyu was also hit. However, the spike-shells couldn't penetrate his barrier, only pushing him back several yards.

The look he gave them made the Blackwater City soldiers even more terrified; it clearly conveyed: "Just you wait."

The reason he didn't act immediately was that hooves suddenly echoed from outside the city gate, rushing towards them like a violent storm.

Everyone rushed to the other side of the parapet and peered over, utterly astonished:

A vast, surging army, radiating chilling killing intent and maintaining a disciplined formation. Banners emblazoned with a massive "Zhong" character fluttered in the wind, signaling the Great Wind Army's return to the city.

This was their home ground; the Great Wind Army's speed was more than twice as fast as in the outside world. Almost as soon as the hooves began to pound, the army poured into the city like a flood.

There was no challenge, no response. As the leading generals swung their spear tips, hundreds of cavalrymen spurred their horses forward, accelerating and charging directly at Nian Songyu.

Perhaps the rules within the illusion were far more lenient than in the outside world, for these hundreds of cavalrymen spontaneously split into groups and began to overlap with each other.

Those on the city wall thought they were seeing double and rubbed their eyes. When they looked again, the hundreds of cavalrymen had merged into five riders.

Each of these riders was clad in heavy armor, their eyes glowing red, appearing almost inhuman. The riders and their warhorses had more than doubled in size, so riding them was like riding a giant elephant, and the tips of their spears and halberds gleamed with a dark light.

Their attack method was also straightforward: relying on their immense strength and powerful horses, they simply raised their weapons and brutally struck Nian Songyu.

Every thrust generated powerful gusts of wind, making everyone on the wall feel a chill down their spines.

Could they evade such attacks themselves?

Nian Songyu did not dodge; he met them head-on with his blade.

At that moment, an unusually familiar voice suddenly echoed from outside the city: "Chuan'er!"

"Chuan'er" was not on the city wall, but Zeng Feixiong heard it. He turned around in surprise and exclaimed, "It's the Prefect!"

Everyone leaned against the parapet and looked down, only to see He Chunhua standing beneath the South Second Gate!

The current Panlong City had three layers of gates. Nian Songyu and the Black Dragon were fighting inside the city, while Prefect He appeared within the outer second gate, separated from the battlefield by another barbican gate, making it relatively safe.

He was accompanied by more than ten personal guards, all waving to their comrades on the city wall.

Everyone was overjoyed. They grabbed rope ladders and threw them down for them to climb.

As soon as He Chunhua came up, Zeng Feixiong rushed over and saluted, "Sir, are you alright? We heard about Imperial Advisor Sun's schemes!"

"Not dead," He Chunhua replied, looking around anxiously. "Where's Chuan'er?"

"The Young Master jumped down from the city; he said he had something to do," Zeng Feixiong said, pointing south.

He Chunhua breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good." His son wasn't dead, and seemed alright; that was good.

"How did you escape? And why are there only a few of you left?" Zeng Feixiong still didn't understand. "And what about this Great Wind Army?"

"It's a long story. After entering the Pool Well, dozens of others are still unaccounted for and haven't joined us yet." He Chunhua observed the battle, frowning. "Nian Songyu is actually that powerful?"

Facing the reinforced Great Wind Army, Nian Songyu's displayed strength was incredibly formidable, greatly exceeding his expectations. With such talent, why hadn't the Royal Court sent him to Woling Pass to fight the rebels?

"That's not Nian Songyu anymore!" Zeng Feixiong quickly explained. "Imperial Advisor Sun invited a deity to descend and possess Commander Nian, which is why his power surged. So now it's a god fighting the Black Dragon; we can't interfere."

Maotao squeezed closer to add, "That god initially tried to possess the Young Master, but failed, and only then chose Nian Songyu!"

He Chunhua's expression drastically changed. "What? Such a thing happened! Where's Sun Fuping?"

"Right there—" Zeng Feixiong pointed to the ruins below, then let out a surprised "Huh." "He was just there."

The ruins were empty; Imperial Advisor Sun was gone.

Now, blades clashed below the city, a fierce and evenly matched battle, though Nian Songyu seemed to have a slight advantage. If anyone on the city wall were to jump down directly, they would likely be shredded to pieces.

He Chunhua's expression shifted, first hesitation, then a grim set to his jaw, followed by firm determination. "Come, let's go down from the side!"

Half an incense stick earlier.

The empowered Nian Songyu soon discovered that these silent cavalrymen were not easy to deal with.

No matter how formidable the god was, the vessel used for the avatar was inadequate, directly limiting the display of power. After taking three direct hits, Nian Songyu felt exhausted. The web between his right thumb and forefinger split, and his hand trembled too much to lift.

This was not good. Before the battle had even lasted long, he was already feeling a long-lost weariness.

The worst part was that the Black Dragon had revived once again. After being damaged by the explosive crossbow bolts, its revival speed should have been slightly slower than usual. However, tens of thousands of Great Wind Army soldiers rushed towards it, suddenly transforming into red light and pouring into its wounds.

Nian Songyu's expression finally changed.

Taking advantage of a Ground-Split Slash to force back his numerous enemies, he leapt to Sun Fuping's side. "Why are you here, yet the sacrificial formation is activated outside?"