Chapter 992: Heavenly Dao Suppression

The Northern Mang siege army, advancing along the central route, was further divided into three columns. Two gaps, each over sixty paces wide, were left between these columns to allow cavalry to ride through for communication or reinforcement, and to facilitate the passage of siege equipment from the Ordnance Bureau.

Each of the three columns consisted of over ten thousand infantrymen organized into a square formation, with a Northern Mang commander's flag, four *ren* (an ancient unit of measurement) high, serving as its focal point. According to regulations, if the Northern Mang Emperor were personally leading the campaign, his imperial banner would be six *ren* high. On this battlefield, the Northern Mang Crown Prince, acting as regent, served as the supreme commander, and his grand banner also stood at six *ren*. For other powerful commanders and regional governors like Murong Baoding, Helian Wuwei, and Zhong Shentong, who were first-rank border officials of the plains, their army flags could be five *ren* high. Following them, *Wanfuzhang* (commanders of ten thousand) with real power and the main generals of major "A-grade" garrisons used four-*ren*-high flags. Whether the flags were embroidered with the general's surname or the troop's camp designation was never restricted by the two capitals of Beiting or the Southern Court.

Although the three forward-most ten-thousand-man infantry formations were intercepted by several Central Plains grandmasters, they largely maintained their formation and continued to advance. Each infantry formation had elite soldiers, carrying large shields and wearing heavy armor, acting as vanguards; this group did not carry weapons. The cavalry of the plains were adept at archery from horseback, their mounted archery unrivaled in the world.

This skill had been widely known throughout the Central Plains since the Great Feng Dynasty. If they were formidable on horseback, then dismounting within the formation to use powerful bows for foot archery was even more formidable. However, there were not many archers in the three large infantry formations, only about a thousand in each. The main force consisted of over five thousand siege infantrymen, wearing lightweight leather armor, carrying light round shields, and armed with a *mangdao* (broad saber) at their waists, quickly advancing with siege ladders.

After all, in the established Northern Mang strategy, behind the thirty thousand troops, along a large arc spanning the battlefield, there were fully 2,400 trebuchets launching projectiles. Additionally, cavalry on both flanks continuously suppressed the top of Jubei City's walls with mounted archery, and behind the three main formations, there were six thousand strong-crossbow infantrymen. These soldiers were responsible for operating *Chuangzi Nu* (bed crossbows), *Dahuang Nu* (great yellow crossbows), and *Yuanbi Nu* (ape-arm crossbows), all types of crossbows that had once shone brightly on Central Plains battlefields. During the momentous Hongjia Northern Migration, families whose descendants had served as chief officials in the Directorate for Works in the Eastern Yue and Southern Tang kingdoms, due to their contribution of crossbow manufacturing techniques to Northern Mang, were directly elevated by the delighted Northern Mang Empress to become "Grade B" noble families of the Southern Court, quickly distinguishing themselves among the many families descended from the Spring and Autumn Period.

Furthermore, each of the three square formations was equipped with over a dozen siege towers. Each tower could hold over three hundred archers and infantrymen, resembling a mobile, towering anthill. Covered with enormous, specially treated oxhide, they were difficult to penetrate with fire oil, and even the formidable *Chuangzi Nu* on Beiliang City's walls, far more powerful than those of the Southern Court, could not easily destroy them directly. Once close to the city walls, archers inside the towers could directly engage the defending soldiers, while horizontal ladders could be deployed, acting like suspended bridges. This allowed for densely packed, ant-like assaults by soldiers below the walls, and elite daredevils could climb up using arrows from bed crossbows embedded in the wall. With one primary and two surprise tactics, combined with trebuchets, large crossbow formations, and the mounted archery of the two flanks, the defenses were virtually impossible to guard against.

However, due to the sudden appearance of those eighteen individuals, the battlefield did not actually unfold at the northern wall of that mighty fortress on the northwestern frontier.

The young Prince, leading the charge alone, pierced through the enemy formation and delved deep into the heart of the Northern Mang army. Behind him, Luoyang, dressed in white, followed closely. Although she did not kill anyone, her presence allowed the new Prince of Liang to fight without reservations, ultimately leading to Xu Fengnian's astounding feat of breaking through two thousand armored soldiers. He utilized a combination of "Two Sleeves Green Snakes" and a "Rolling Dragon Jade" sword energy technique, his *gangqi* (internal energy) like a roaming dragon, directly charging through the front lines of the Northern Mang army with the spirit of one who could seize a general's head amidst a myriad of troops.

Compared to Xu Fengnian's earth-shattering and ghost-wailing powerful strikes, the Peach Blossom Sword God Deng Tai'a, who advanced slowly, appeared much quieter. After the Tai'a sword was drawn, it moved erratically, suddenly appearing brilliantly and then vanishing in an instant, like a *jiao* (mythical dragon) occasionally revealing its ferocious form and glaring amidst thunderous clouds.

Before the Peach Blossom Sword God, Xu Fengnian and Luoyang had already charged deep into the formations one after another, followed by Huishan's purple-clad figure and the crimson-robed Xu Ying, causing the Northern Mang infantry formations in front of Deng Tai'a to be utterly disorganized. Furthermore, almost no one dared to openly provoke this Central Plains grandmaster of martial arts, who had long ago fought to a draw with Tuoba Pusa. When Li Chungang was alive, he once lent his sword to Deng Tai'a from a thousand miles away. Although that battle did not definitively determine a winner, in the eyes of the Northern Mang martial arts grandmasters, and purely in terms of destructive power, Deng Tai'a was undeniably the foremost master in the human realm. At that time, rumors circulated that perhaps there were still people whose cultivation was higher than Deng Tai'a's, but in a life-or-death battle, no one in the world could possibly defeat him; at most, it would result in both parties perishing. Now that Deng Tai'a had returned from visiting immortals in the East Sea, the Peach Blossom Sword God, who had never before carried a sword while wandering the martial world, was now unexpectedly wearing his longsword. Given this, who would dare to act presumptuously before this swordsman?

Deng Tai'a did not intentionally slay Northern Mang infantrymen. His pace was unhurried, steadily moving forward. He ignored the infantry far to his sides who were heading south. He was primarily using the Tai'a sword to search for traces of Tuoba Pusa. The situation was somewhat similar to his pursuit of Xie Guanying over thousands of miles from north to south, except that unlike Xie Guanying, who had almost no power to retaliate, the Northern Mang God of War, whose cultivation, physique, and combat strength were at the pinnacle of the human realm, was clearly not helpless; he was merely avoiding battle due to a greater scheme.

Deng Tai'a was calm and unhurried. Occasionally, he would glance around, and wherever his intent reached, a streak of sword energy would burst forth like a rainbow.

In the Northern Mang infantry formation where Deng Tai'a was located, two figures, one crimson and one purple, moved as if in an uninhabited land, killing freely.

The crimson-robed Xu Ying was agile, fond of darting over the heads of Northern Mang soldiers, completely unfazed by becoming a target for arrows.

Whenever faced with volley after volley of arrows from hundreds of archers in the large formation, one could faintly discern a crimson robe weaving freely through the arrow rain, spinning gracefully and beautifully. Each time, she would use her rolling sleeves to capture six or seven arrows, and as her body spun, she would immediately return them. The arrows would shoot back, and she never cared about accuracy, treating it like a butterfly playing among flowers. Arrows flew back and forth, yet not even the hem of her robe was grazed. Instead, no fewer than seventy Northern Mang archers were struck through the head or chest by her arrows, and over two hundred infantrymen were caught in the crossfire. Although Xu Ying's internal energy was not known for its sheer abundance, it was remarkably enduring. Whenever she landed, she either ascended, stepping on multiple arrows in succession, moving with ease as if on flat ground, or she would descend slightly, lightly touching down on the heads of Northern Mang infantrymen like a dragonfly skimming water. That single step would crush the head of a Northern Mang barbarian with ease, as if a mischievous child angrily stomping on a rotten orange.

An infantryman in the formation, seeing the crimson figure darting towards him, could only close his eyes and wildly hack with his saber, not daring to hope he could hit the ghostly woman. The next moment, he suddenly realized that no matter how hard he tried, his uplifted saber would not descend.

The Northern Mang barbarians around this soldier scattered rapidly like they had seen a ferocious beast or a flood, leaving only this momentarily bewildered wretch.

When he opened his eyes, he was horrified to find the crimson-robed figure standing on the tip of his saber. The woman's embroidered shoe was precisely on the blade's tip, perfectly still, looking down at him.

With a light tap, the saber's hilt instantly pierced its owner's chest and emerged from his back. She then used the momentum to lean back, narrowly dodging several arrows aimed at her face.

The crimson-robed Xu Ying, originally falling headfirst, swung her sleeves before hitting the ground, her feet gracefully touching down without raising a speck of dust. She then surged forward, raised a hand from her sleeve, revealing a pale arm like lotus root, and pressed her palm against the forehead of a Northern Mang armored soldier. The soldier flew backward over ten paces like a broken kite, and three infantrymen behind him were struck by the immense force, their chests crushed, also dying on the spot.

This time, Xu Ying did not dodge a swiftly incoming arrow. A smile appeared on her joyful face. She extended a finger and lightly pressed against the arrowhead. The arrow's speed did not diminish at all, yet it failed to pierce the woman's neck as intended. Xu Ying's body moved backward as fast as thunder, continuing until the arrow's momentum was fully spent. Only then did she stop, turn her wrist, and gently grasp the arrow that should have fallen to the ground.

She smiled broadly and looked up at the archer who had fired the arrow. Although the Northern Mang soldier's attire was no different from an ordinary archer's, he had clearly achieved considerable mastery in martial arts.

The peculiar archer, currently meeting the gaze of the crimson-robed Xu Ying, had a cold expression. He had initially reached behind his shoulder to draw an arrow from his quiver, but likely realizing that powerful foot archery was too ineffective against a grandmaster, he retracted his hand and drew the saber from his waist.

As he made this move, a dozen or so archers around him also abandoned their bows and drew their sabers.

Xu Ying, smiling, slowly extended a finger and beckoned to the soldier.

This man belonged to the Southern Court's border army, a veteran sharp-shooter skilled in cavalry combat, archery, and infantry fighting. He was one of the valiant warriors whom Northern Mang regarded as worth a thousand pieces of gold. Even if such a fierce soldier were to enlist in the Beiting army on the plains and align with powerful *Dasiti* (high-ranking officials), any *Qianfuzhang* (commander of a thousand) would undoubtedly cherish him. They usually operated in teams of ten, lurking among the siege infantry, waiting for opportunities. Not only were they proficient in one-on-one combat, but they also excelled at forming small battle formations. These secretive Southern Court border soldiers, typically dispersed among various armies and only falling under the supreme commander's direct authority during wartime, were far fewer in number than the twenty thousand "stride-and-trudge" soldiers deployed against major Central Plains fortresses, numbering less than four thousand. Thus, they had always been boastfully praised by the grandees of Xijing's imperial court as the Southern Court's *Kheshig* (elite guard) army for its border passes.

These fierce Southern Court soldiers, whose combat prowess was said to rival Beiliang's White Horse Roving Crossbowmen, had over a hundred men hidden within each ten-thousand-man infantry formation at this moment. Consequently, there was only one *Baifuzhang* (commander of a hundred), and unluckily for him, the one provoked by the crimson-robed Xu Ying happened to be that very *Baifuzhang*.

The *Baifuzhang* stared intently at the crimson robe. After a brief hesitation, he made up his mind, raised his left arm, clenched his fist, and then struck his right palm several times with his fist. After he made this gesture, besides the dozen or so accompanying soldiers, the other nine teams of Southern Court elite soldiers hidden throughout the infantry formation quickly received urgent intelligence and rapidly converged on the location, attempting to encircle and eliminate Xu Ying.

Noticing the unusual signs, Xu Ying grew eager, patiently waiting.

If the crimson-robed Xu Ying's actions were more akin to a child's playful antics, devoid of any ulterior motives, then Xuanyuan Qingfeng's murderous intent and the scale of her slaughter were truly immense!

Throughout the vast battlefield outside Jubei City, probably only the young Prince who had broken through two thousand armored soldiers could surpass her.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng of Daxiueping was rampaging, behaving utterly wantonly.

Unlike Xu Ying, who aimlessly "wandered around," merely needing to generally keep moving forward, the leader of Daxiueping's martial alliance had a very clear target from the start: the massive siege towers!

It was clear that whoever was most an eyesore in her sight, she would dismantle them.

In the vast and sprawling Liyang Dynasty, she was truly the most unreasonable woman, living up to her reputation.

The first siege tower was struck and broken in half by the purple-clad figure, as if severed at the waist.

After passing through that siege tower, Xuanyuan Qingfeng changed direction and charged directly at the second. When she tore open the oxhide and entered, bodies continuously flew out in all directions. Finally, when she appeared on the top observation deck, which offered a wide view, none of the three hundred soldiers inside the tower had survived.

She casually glanced at the battle situation in the heart of the Northern Mang army's formation, then stomped down heavily. As she darted out of the siege tower, the sturdy tower, crafted by the Southern Court's Ordnance Bureau, collapsed with a crash beneath her feet.

The third siege tower had better luck. Xuanyuan Qingfeng struck its enormous oxhide with a palm, and the immense internal energy caused the entire tower to sway precariously. The purple-clad figure re-entered the observation deck, and six or seven Northern Mang soldiers had no time to react before they were violently slammed against the railings by the sudden burst of Xuanyuan Qingfeng's powerful *qiji* (internal energy), bleeding from all seven orifices and dying in mid-air before hitting the ground. Xuanyuan Qingfeng glanced back at Jubei City's drum tower, seeing a flash of white, and became momentarily lost in thought. The siege tower beneath her feet continued to totter from the residual energy of her previous attack. Just then, several arrows from a nearby siege tower's observation post interrupted the Huishan woman's thoughts. Frowning deeply, she didn't even turn her head; with a casual flick of her sleeve, the arrows flew back along their original trajectory. Four feather arrows, moving too fast for the eye to follow, instantly pierced the chests of four archers.

After the killings, Xuanyuan Qingfeng evidently remained unsatisfied. With a slight twist of her ankle hidden beneath her skirt, the entire siege tower tilted and crashed onto the one to its right. Xuanyuan Qingfeng no longer paid attention to the two tragically colliding towers because she noticed that the Northern Mang forces had finally lost their patience. In addition to two formidable and well-armored elite cavalry units riding to reinforce the left and right flanks, each heading to engage the four Central Plains grandmasters—Xinlang Louhuang, Wei Miao, and Chai Qingshan—there was also significant movement in the center of the main army's formation, and among the targets for interception was Xuanyuan Qingfeng herself. Besides cavalry units, each numbering around a thousand men, who, after leaving their original camp, charged south along the two corridor-like gaps between the infantry formations, there were also groups of black-clad figures, unarmored but carrying sabers and crossbows, stirring clandestinely. They moved stealthily, not appearing in the wide "corridors" but rather advancing quickly, bent low, through the narrow gaps within the infantry formations. Furthermore, individuals from what was originally the rear of the Northern Mang army, wielding a diverse array of weapons and dressed in widely varying attire, and carrying no standard Northern Mang border army equipment, were also active. They were likely martial arts experts from the Northern Mang *Jianghu* (martial world) who had been mobilized en masse and incorporated into the Southern Expeditionary Army by the Northern Mang court.

The grandmasters who had wielded great influence in the Northern Mang *Jianghu* in recent years had met rather bleak ends, especially after the large-scale incursion that targeted and killed the main generals of the Beiliang border army, incurring heavy losses. The Daoist Sect, the Chess Sword Music Academy, Mount Tibing, and Princess's Tomb—all four major sects were severely debilitated. Princess's Tomb and Mount Tibing, in particular, would have been removed from the *Jianghu* long ago had it not been for continued Northern Mang support. In the Liyang *Jianghu*, where relations with the court were more distant, losing their pillars and core strength would have led to them being jointly carved up by other *Jianghu* forces who smelled blood, or being unexpectedly targeted by vengeful enemies. The Chess Sword Music Academy also suffered greatly: Hong Jingyan, known by the *cipai* (lyric pattern title) Genglouzi, died in battle, and Huang Baozhuang, known as Shan Jianqing, or rather, Luoyang in white, left the academy. The Academy's master also perished in a foreign land along with the group of Northern Mang grandmasters who secretly entered Beiliang Pass. Apart from Taiping Ling and the Crown Princess, whose *cipai* was Hangu, barely holding things together, the deeply rooted Chess Sword Music Academy might just be like the siege tower under Xuanyuan Qingfeng's feet: with a mere stomp, its two hundred years of painstakingly accumulated foundation could instantly crumble.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng saw that the three groups of people, each with different backgrounds, were strangely only focused on heading south, choosing to ignore the young Prince and Luoyang in white, who were deeply embedded in the enemy lines. This inexplicably displeased the purple-clad woman of Huishan, making her aura even colder.

She continued to demolish siege towers one after another. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a thousand-man cavalry unit approaching from the south, and the purple-clad figure swept towards them.

The leading cavalry general was struck on his helmet by Xuanyuan Qingfeng's palm. His body exploded and shattered as he was sent flying sideways.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng, having invisibly usurped the horse's back, stood proudly on the warhorse that was still galloping wildly. She looked down at the cavalrymen, meeting their gaze.

This cavalry unit was the elite force meticulously forged by the *Chijieling* (official with imperial credentials) of Orange State, the renowned Winter Thunder Iron Cavalry, and also the primary cause of Beiliang's Left Cavalry Army outside the pass being dragged into the mire.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng didn't know who Lu Dayuan, the first deputy commander of the Left Cavalry Army, was, nor did she care about the famous Winter Thunder Elite Cavalry of the Southern Court. She merely glanced down at the slightly bewildered Winter Thunder cavalrymen, then raised her gaze towards a small cavalry unit of only seventy or eighty individuals. Among them were a handsome white-clad swordsman, a colorful-robed woman with sleeves fluttering on horseback, and an elderly man resting with closed eyes, his body gently rising and falling with the horse's movements. Without exception, all were *Jianghu* practitioners with accomplished *qigong* cultivation.

The Winter Thunder Iron Cavalry, temporarily leaderless, did not fall into disarray. The cavalry general closest to Xuanyuan Qingfeng ferociously raised his iron spear and thrust it towards the purple-clad figure's abdomen.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng did not entangle herself further with this thousand-man cavalry unit. With a light tap of her foot, her body rose slightly, just enough to dodge the iron spear, then she landed on the spear shaft and slid down. Before the cavalry general could react, she suddenly looked up and kicked him in the face with the top of her foot. The general's entire head burst off, a truly horrifying and gruesome sight. However, Xuanyuan Qingfeng stopped there, allowing the humiliated Winter Thunder Cavalry to continue south. Her form floated high into the air, gracefully descending into the open space between the Winter Thunder Cavalry and the small group of *Jianghu* masters. Xuanyuan Qingfeng then strolled forward, her movements and steps possessing an indescribable, unrestrained elegance, like an ink wash landscape scroll painted by a master artist.

After Xuanyuan Qingfeng's widespread slaughter, Xu Yanbing, who had remained largely inactive, suddenly spoke to Deng Tai'a's back, "Preventing Tuoba Pusa from taking advantage of the chaos will likely fall to you, Sir."

Deng Tai'a did not turn around, smiling nonchalantly, "I, Deng, will certainly not disappoint Brother Xu."

Xu Yanbing, holding the fine iron spear "Gexian," a treasure from Listening Tide Pavilion for many years, at an angle, offered no words of gratitude for the Peach Blossom Sword God's valuable promise. He simply clasped his hands in salute and departed.

Xu Yanbing turned and strode towards the Sword-Eating Ancestor, who had remained still, saying in a deep voice, "To assist the Prince in returning to the city, I trouble you, Elder Sui."

Sui Xingu looked askance at this junior apprentice brother of Wang Xiu, the former Spear Immortal. The old man neither confirmed nor denied Xu Yanbing's request.

Xu Yanbing did not press the matter. He went to support the young Sword Crown and Sword Servant of the Wu Family Sword Mound. Grand Daoist Master Yu Xingrui of Wudang had already departed to reinforce Mao Shulang and Ji Liuan, two Southern Border grandmasters. Wu Liuding and his Sword Servant Cuihua were still the only two facing an entire ten-thousand-man infantry formation. Although not yet in a death trap, they were heavily encircled by armored soldiers. What was particularly puzzling was why the female Sword Servant, despite her extraordinary swordsmanship, and even watching the current Sword Crown of the Sword Mound repeatedly run out of breath and face peril, never once drew her Plain King Sword to kill enemies, seemingly unwilling to actively help Wu Liuding alleviate pressure. Furthermore, the young Sword Crown truly was like a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger, only focused on charging and piercing the formation, relentlessly pushing forward, appearing as if he wished to directly reach the Northern Mang Crown Prince's grand banner.

In contrast, Mao Shulang, one of the world's few grandmasters of saber techniques, and Ji Liuan, the Dragon Palace's guest minister, were far more composed, even managing to significantly impede the advance of the entire siege formation. It was logical for Yu Xingrui, the master of the contemporary Wudang Sect Master Li Yufu, to choose to support Mao Shulang and Ji Liuan. Firstly, it would further obstruct the Northern Mang's siege progress. Secondly, the young Sword Crown was too reckless and aggressive; Yu Xingrui could not stop him even if he wanted to, nor was it appropriate to try. After all, Yu Xingrui had long heard of the Wu Family Sword Mound's "Dry Swordsmen" and their unyielding rules. Even as a benevolent elder and martial arts senior, despite feeling sympathy, it would be extremely difficult for him to intervene, fearing that instead of relieving the siege, he might inadvertently make matters worse.

Within the large formation, the young Sword Crown of the Wu Family Sword Mound had his vision blurred by sweat. Wielding two sabers he had seized at random, he had just repelled a dense formation of over a hundred Northern Mang armored soldiers. For a swordsman of Wu Liuding's level, the type of weapon he held was no longer important. He seized the opportunity to gasp for air, shook his head, and haphazardly wiped away sweat with his sleeve. Looking forward, the young man grinned.

The so-called contest between grandmasters being a contest of *qiji* (internal energy) is, of course, a fundamental principle of martial arts, but that applies to situations where both sides are evenly matched, allowing no margin for error and requiring meticulous calculation. However, in battlefield combat, such considerations are less significant. For instance, no matter how seamlessly the Northern Mang infantry and archers launched their alternating assaults, they ultimately could not prevent the young Sword Crown from having opportunities to catch his breath. Yet, this also doesn't mean that Wu Liuding naturally became the legendary "foe of ten thousand" on the battlefield. Because a martial arts grandmaster's *qiji*, regardless of its depth or quantity, is ultimately finite. Leaving aside "Land Immortals," even Heavenly Phenomenon realm masters who can resonate with heaven and earth do not possess truly inexhaustible *qiji*. Each breath is merely an opportunity to regroup and accumulate strength, but the rate of internal *qiji* depletion will certainly far exceed the rate of replenishment. Especially when compared to pure martial artists like Wang Xianzhi, Tuoba Pusa, or the former Huishan Patriarch Xuanyuan Dapan, swordsmen, regardless of whether they focus on sword intent or sword techniques, and whether or not they have reached the First Grade realm, inevitably have less robust physiques than the former. Therefore, looking back over five hundred years of the *Jianghu*, the fastest to advance have often been those prodigiously talented and rarely seen swordsmen, such as the Spring and Autumn Sword Immortal Li Chungang in the past, and now Chen Tianyuan, the banished immortal of the Taibai Sword Sect. In contrast, while Wang Xianzhi, Xuanyuan Dapan, and others ultimately achieved great heights and possessed terrifying combat power, their speed in ascending the martial path was noticeably slower.

From ancient times, it has been said that there is no "foe of ten thousand" on the battlefield. Why then is Beiliang's Xu Longxiang uniquely poised to break this precedent?

Of course, it's not because of Xu Longxiang's high cultivation realm, but solely due to his innate Vajra Realm. On the battlefield, a martial arts grandmaster facing a multitude of troops can catch their breath repeatedly, but as the internal *qiji* diminishes, as long as the army's strength is sufficient, they can naturally exhaust and wear down the grandmaster whose *qiji* has depleted.

This simple principle was, of course, understood by the young man from the Wu Family Sword Mound, whose talent and innate constitution were unparalleled.

Yet, he remained resolute in his decision to break through the formation alone.

Wu Liuding bent down, his back to the female Sword Servant with whom he roamed the martial world. He heavily exhaled a turbid breath, his expression a little melancholic, and softly said, "Cuihua, I suppose I'll never be able to compare to that fellow surnamed Xu in this lifetime. He's probably already fought his way all the way to the Northern Mang's grand banner, and where am I? Ten thousand *li* away."

Cuihua, the Sword Servant, simply hummed in response, offering no words of comfort.

Wu Liuding sighed, "It's really frustrating. I remember that time in the reed marsh outside Xiangfan City, I could take down seventy or eighty of the Beiliang Princelings with just one hand, right?"

Cuihua, the Sword Servant,'s lips curled up, and her eyes softened. "I suppose so."

Wu Liuding remained silent, tightening his grip on his two sabers.

Suddenly, the young Sword Crown felt a hand gently pressing on his head.

A man's head and a woman's waist are not to be touched, are they?

However, Wu Liuding didn't mind.

The female Sword Servant, who always gave the impression of being quiet, peaceful, and unassuming, rubbed Wu Liuding's head. Opening her eyes, she looked into the distance and said softly, "Although I've always wondered why you insist on competing with that young Prince, regardless, since you're willing to admit defeat..."

Wu Liuding's gaze was firm, and he vigorously shook his head. "I won't admit defeat!"

Cuihua, the Sword Servant, withdrew her hand, raised her arm, and grasped the hilt of the Plain King Sword she carried on her back. "Actually, there's something I've been hiding from you."

Wu Liuding suddenly turned his head, his face filled with sorrow. "Cuihua, don't say it, don't say it! What if you tell me you secretly like that fellow surnamed Xu? Where would I go to cry?!"

The female Sword Servant glared at him fiercely, then slowly drew the Plain King Sword. As she brushed past him, she softly added, "I am probably already a Land Sword Immortal."

Wu Liuding was left dumbfounded.

Outside the formation, Xu Yanbing was not in a hurry to break through. Facing the dense infantry formation that was steadily advancing, Xu Yanbing made an unexpected move. As the junior apprentice brother of the Spear Immortal Wang Xiu, this martial arts grandmaster, who had rarely been mentioned in the Liyang *Jianghu*, suddenly plunged his iron spear into the earth.

Xu Yanbing took a step forward, and the iron spear was planted to his right, behind him.

It seemed as if this man wanted to declare to that ten-thousand-man infantry formation:

"I, Xu Yanbing of Beiliang, am here. No one from Northern Mang shall pass my spear."

At the very rear of the eighteen grandmasters who had left the city was Xue Songguan, the blind female zither player from Western Shu.

Yet, it was precisely this young woman, seemingly furthest from the battlefield, who bore the heaviest pressure.

Wave after wave of Northern Mang's arrow rain showered upon Jubei City, but they were all intercepted by her and Cheng Baishuang, who had reached the Grand Heavenly Phenomenon realm, working together. Even the massive siege stones from over two thousand trebuchets, especially the largest ones, were almost without exception shattered mid-air by this female zither player, who was only in the ZhiXuan Realm.

The enormous boulders hurled by those large trebuchets, operated by hundreds of pullers, sounded like thunder. They were indestructible, capable of embedding themselves seven feet deep into the ground!

Yet, such momentum was silently extinguished, like spring rain dissolving snow, by this seemingly slender and delicate woman.

Xue Songguan had now sat down cross-legged, her ancient zither resting on her lap.

Four of her zither strings had broken.

The first string was snapped by her plucking, and the subsequent three were broken by striking, vibrating, and sweeping techniques, respectively.

The blind zither player lowered her head, her ten fingers trembling slightly.

Drops of crimson blood dripped onto the zither's body.

She knew her efforts were worthwhile. Although she came from an assassin background and was unfamiliar with military warfare, every additional wave of arrows launched by Northern Mang, originally intended to suppress the city walls for their infantry, meant fewer casualties for Beiliang's border army in Jubei City before the siege infantry reached the walls.

Xue Songguan slowly raised her head, "looking" with some confusion at the elderly scholar who had appeared beside her at some point. She knew his name was Cheng Baishuang, a scholar from the former Southern Tang and a martial arts grandmaster from the Southern Border.

The old man said kindly, "Miss Xue, you are still young; there's no need to exert yourself so strenuously. Your previous actions were truly too fast, and I was concerned about disrupting your *qiji*, so I couldn't intervene to stop you. How about I take over now and you rest while looking for any gaps or weaknesses?"

The blind zither player gently shook her head, exceptionally firm.

The old man was not surprised by this. While swinging his sleeve to shatter the enormous boulders overhead with his *Haoran Qi* (vast righteous qi), he continued to gently persuade her, "Miss Xue, I am two generations older than you, so allow me to speak from experience and share some grand principles. I don't know why you are here, nor for whom, but since I, an old man, am fighting alongside a young lady like you, there's no logic in a woman dying first. That's neither reasonable nor proper, is it?"

The woman smiled demurely, as if recalling the old scholar beside Susu, who also enjoyed lecturing.

Some scholars, it seemed, whether old or young, were somewhat innocent and endearing.

She still remembered an early dispute between Susu and Old Master Zhao. In a fit of anger, Susu spoke without restraint, questioning why the old man had not died for the country back then. To her surprise, Old Master Zhao confidently retorted to Susu that scholars were meant to strategize for the monarch in the imperial court; that level of devoted service was only natural. Fighting on the battlefield, however, had always been the duty of martial artists, and they died honorably in their place. "If I, Zhao Dingxiu, a mere scholar, feared death on the battlefield, what fault is there in that?" Susu was left speechless, gritting her teeth, while Old Master Zhao leisurely walked away with his hands behind his back, though his retreating figure seemed somewhat desolate.

Cheng Baishuang chuckled playfully, "Miss Xue, how can a rare woman of such inner refinement as yourself not marry? Wouldn't that deprive some man in this world of immense fortune! As for me, I'm just old now. If I were thirty or forty years younger, I would surely compose fine poems and renowned prose to present to you. After all, a gentle and graceful lady is a gentleman's fair pursuit."

Xue Songguan's face flushed with shyness.

Cheng Baishuang's expression turned serious. "Next, let this old man, who can only be considered half a scholar, exert more effort, Miss Xue. How about it?"

Xue Songguan did not know how to respond.

The elderly scholar Cheng Baishuang took a deep breath.

The Confucian sages once said, "Though a myriad of people stand before me, I shall go."

This perfectly matched the scene!

Suddenly, a phenomenon occurred between heaven and earth!

A pillar of light, as thick as a mountain peak, descended from the sky, completely enveloping the area of one *li* (a unit of Chinese distance) in circumference before the Northern Mang's grand banner.

It was like a snow-white waterfall cascading down from the ninth heaven onto the human realm!

At that moment, Tuoba Pusa finally appeared, standing merely a few *zhang* (an ancient unit of length) away from Deng Tai'a's flying sword. The Northern Mang God of War looked coldly at the Peach Blossom Sword God. "My presence here is merely a decoy. In truth, I don't even need to intervene to kill Xu Fengnian; the Dao of Heaven itself will suppress him."

Deng Tai'a's expression became solemn and grave. He gazed into the distance at the pillar of light continuously striking the earth from the heavens, which contained a supreme majesty utterly absent from the human realm. Deng Tai'a fell into deep thought.

Tuoba Pusa sneered, "Deng Tai'a, why don't you and I use this opportunity to decide victory or death?"

Deng Tai'a slowly withdrew his gaze, finally looking directly at Tuoba Pusa. He shook his head, however, and scoffed, "It's not my turn."

Tuoba Pusa immediately turned his head to look.

Before the dust-shrouded Northern Mang's grand banner, faintly, from a distance, it seemed as if a black line had appeared between the pillar of light and the ground.

Under the suppression of the Dao of Heaven,

Someone stood up straight!