Chapter 161 2) War
Like seriously, General Fang's iron resolve cut through the doubts clouding his soldiers' minds.
They could see it, feel it in the way he stood there unyieldingly, a force of nature who refused to let a mere defense array deter his ambition.
He had his mind set like a stone, an unmovable object.
But even so his confidence was met with mounting fear in the eyes of his men, anyone with logical mind wouldn't wanna attack the freaking barrier.
Even the most battle-hardened among them felt the dread clawing at their courage, the sickening feeling of facing an invisible enemy.
Like what are they even supposed to do?
Die?
"Bring forth the siege beasts," Fang barked, casting aside any hesitation as he gestured to his officers.
"If magic cannot bring down this array, then brute force will."
His gaze swept over the battalions as enormous, steel-clad beasts with those x-man like sharp claws were ushered to the forefront.
These wild creatures twisted amalgamations of iron and sinew were bred for destruction who are capable of tearing through the most fortified walls during the battle or war.
"These creatures care not for mere magic," he sneered with his meaningless confidence reigniting.
"They will tear through that flimsy defense, hmph! I will make sure everyone for this sect receive the most horrifying death,"
But as the beasts approached, the array responded with a faint shimmer.
The defensive formation adapted, its shape warping subtly, as if alive and anticipating Fang's every move.
It has self-consciousness enchantment and anti beast enchanment too.
Just as the first beast lunged forward, its heavy claw poised to strike, a blinding light erupted from the array.
It enveloped the creature momentarily halting it in its tracks.
Swoosh!
"Raaaaaaaaaawwwwwwrrr- "
Then, with a deafening crack, the energy pulsed back, sending the beast sprawling backward in agony.
"Is this...!?" Fang's eyes widened.
He couldn't believe it; the array's enchantment seemed endless, retaliating against even the siege beasts.
The physical power was proven to be useless.
The soldiers' confidence and bravery once bolstered by Fang's charisma once again began to waver again, and Fang felt it.
Physical beast? More like show for demotivation.
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No joke, it might be better to fight General Fang than to destroy this strange array.
They are just some weak soldiers, some of them even have wives and kids.
General Fang could sense the despair seeping into their ranks.
They were growing hesitant, their previous bravado faltering with such a display of weakness.
The only thing left to do was hold dick and run.
But his pride couldn't let him retreat.
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He would not be outdone by mere trickery.
If it meant draining every last resource, he would see the Flower Blooms Sect brought to its fucking knees.
"Charge forward!" Fang roared, gripping his sword tightly, his aura blazing with relentless fury.
This man doesn't want to back down. Not even a single bit.
"If we have to exhaust the heavens themselves to shatter that barrier, then so be it!"
Yet, from his vantage point on the mountain, Xian Tian only smirked, watching the unfolding chaos below.
"So… you wish to continue? Then be my guest," he murmured, an amused glint in his eyes as he prepared the next phase of his plan.
What plan? Who knows.
Anyway, this battle would be remembered, not as a conquest but as a lesson, one that General Fang would not soon forget.
Forget about him, his entire bloodline will never forget it.
---
Still,
At the moment,
The imperial army surged forward emboldened by their general's unyielding commands despite their no will.
They threw themselves at the shimmering bell formation, arrows and siege weapons hammering against it, only to watch in horror as their attacks rebounded in brutal retaliation.
The ground was littered with bodies, and the air thickened with the scent of blood and sweat.
Despite the mounting casualties, General Fang's pride would not allow him to retreat.
His ego was taller than mount Everest and deeper than ocean.
His eyes burned with a fiery determination as he stood at the front lines, blade drawn, screaming orders to his captains.
( his lower rank captain )
"Do not relent! This so-called formation is only delaying the inevitable! Break through, and the Flower Blooms Sect will be ours!" His voice was unwavering, but a flicker of doubt gnawed at the back of his mind.
How could a mere bronze-level sect withstand such a relentless assault?
Meanwhile, high above in the mountains, Xian Tian continued to observe.
His calm, almost amused demeanor was a stark contrast to the chaos below.
He leaned against the ancient tree, arms crossed, watching General Fang's futile efforts.
"Fools...Tch! Tch! Tch! Truly a shame," he muttered under his breath.
One need to understand that if Xian Tian among all people calls you dumb, then you definitely are.
"They think brute force will carry them through."
A sly smile spread across his face as he whispered a command to his jade amulet, relaying orders to the sect's hidden forces.
"It's time for the shadows to dance,"
Xian Tian thinks himself as puppeteer that is controlling the puppet under his hand but he is not.
Anyway,
Hearing his command... As if on cue, shadows began to stir along the mountain paths, moving with eerie silence.
A select group of disciples, skilled in stealth and illusion, emerged from the dense foliage, their figures barely visible against the rocks and trees.
These were shadow disciple.
Master at assassination.
Each one of them was prepared to strike from the cover of the bell formation, which not only defended the sect but also masked their presence from the prying eyes of the imperial army.
But they had only trained for few weeks so their skills wasn't top.
Back at the frontline, General Fang's patience was wearing thin.
His fists clenched as he surveyed the array, its glow unwavering despite his best efforts, like it felt like it was only growing stronger and stronger.
He had never encountered a defense so resilient, so unwilling to yield to his might.
The emperor seems to have send him to fight something undetectable.
Suddenly, a flash of movement caught his eye.
"Ughhhhhh...aaaaa!"
He barely had time to register it before one of his captains let out a strangled gasp, clutching his throat as he fell to the ground, lifeless.
Fang turned, eyes wide, just in time to see another of his men collapse, a shadow slipping back into the trees.
"Ambush!" he shouted, his voice laced with rage and disbelief.
"They're hiding like cowards, attacking from the shadows! Spread out, find them!"
His words were barely out of his mouth before another soldier dropped, and then another, the sect's assassins moving with ghostly precision, each strike as silent as it was deadly.
Hard to believe that these were newbie.
The soldiers hesitated after all, fear was spreading through their heart as they realized they were not only up against the array but also an unseen enemy lurking in the shadows.
What kind of spiritual art was this?
Someone must have shadow domain.
But where was domain?
Wait... Everything... The ground, it's all dark.
Panic seeped into the army, and murmurs of doubt rippled through the men.
They had expected a straightforward battle, not this nightmare of invisible foes and an indestructible defense.
General Fang's jaw clenched, fury boiling over as he watched his men fall one by one.
His anger was over the chart.
Let's be real, he is a fart.
He could feel his carefully crafted image as the empire's unstoppable general beginning to unravel in the eyes of his soldiers.
He won't be able to show his face anymore.
He turned to his mages, who were now visibly shaken, and barked, "Summon the fire spirits! Burn these shadows out of hiding!"
Desperation colored his voice as he resorted to one of his last tactics, channeling flames to flush out the sect's hidden forces.
The mages, though weary from their failed attempts to break the array, raised their hands and began to chant.
A flickering flame emerged, growing and intensifying until a blazing inferno swept through the mountainside, illuminating the rocks and trees.
Fang's lips curled in a grim satisfaction as he watched the fire spread, forcing the sect's disciples to abandon their cover.
"Now," he growled, "crush them while they're exposed!"
But Xian Tian anticipated this move.
The moment the flames erupted, he activated a secondary enchantment within the bell formation, which absorbed the flames and redirected them back toward the imperial army.
A roaring wall of fire surged forward, catching Fang's soldiers by surprise.
Screams filled the air as they scrambled to escape the flames that now threatened to consume them.
The once-organized army became a chaotic frenzy as soldiers trampled over each other in desperate attempts to flee.
In the midst of this chaos, General Fang was forced to watch his grand plans collapse around him.
The flames he had summoned now turned against him, mirroring the failure of his own ruthless ambition.
Needless to say, all kind of magic and spiritual powers would be returned to sender.