All Heavens: From Joy of Life to The Great Feng Night Watchman

Page 372

A chanting of Sanskrit rang out, and streams of Tantric energy rose from the tops of these people's heads!

Yuan Zuozong was shocked. "It's a Tantric formation!"

"The White-Robed Guanyin has defected to Li Chang'an; these are the corrugated monk soldiers!"

More and more monks disguised as infantrymen gathered, and a faint golden light gradually appeared on the bodies of the Mo Dao soldiers!

These soldiers wielding golden broadswords rapidly increased their physical strength several times over!

Li Chang'an watched as the silver Great Wall gradually became enveloped in golden light, and he slew the Ironclad Warriors who were charging at him with all their might.

"The esoteric Buddhist energy I plundered from the White-Robed Guanyin has finally come in handy."

The white-robed Guanyin, whose vital energy has been plundered, is unlikely to break through to the Great Vajra realm of Buddhism in the short term.

However, for Li Chang'an, using these esoteric Buddhist energies to fight against the Northern Liang soldiers was the right way.

With fewer than a thousand Iron Pagoda soldiers left, Yuan Zuozong felt as if his heart was being torn apart.

Meanwhile, Xu Fengnian, commander of the enemy's central army, was freezing cold. The Great Snow Dragon Cavalry was at a disadvantage, and the Iron Pagoda was on the verge of being wiped out.

Xu Xiao led these two powerful armies, suppressing countless heroes throughout his life. But now, in his hands, they are both destined to be destroyed.

What's even more frightening is that Li Chang'an's Mo Dao soldiers did not suffer significant losses.

"What exactly is going on!"

Li Chungang, who had been bored out of his mind, stared at the battlefield in disbelief.

Before coming here, he thought the war was a one-sided massacre.

He retreated to Tingchao Pavilion to recuperate back then because of Xu Xiao's strength.

At the time, Xu Xiao's military strength was so great that he should have been invincible.

However, the events that occurred on the battlefield far exceeded Li Jianshen's expectations.

“Xu kid, this has nothing to do with you. Even if your father came, he wouldn’t be able to win.”

Although these words were meant to be comforting, they plunged Xu Fengnian's spirits into despair.

"Senior Sword God, could you please lend a hand?"

Li Chungang grinned and said with an embarrassed smile, "Are you kidding me?"

"The Xuanjia Army over there, the White Horse Cavalry over here, and the Mo Dao soldiers in the middle are all third or fourth-rank martial artists."

"Even if I personally went out and killed hundreds of people with one sword, I would still be killed by the army."

"I'm only responsible for protecting you; I can't and won't interfere with anything else."

Standing on the other side, Qi Lianhua was also disheartened. "Feng Nian, prepare to withdraw the troops. Defeat is already evident."

Xu Fengnian felt utterly chilled, both inside and out. This moment felt like a replay of a scene that had happened before, under the walls of Yongzhou City.

That time, he not only suffered a defeat, but none of his men escaped; only Lao Huang went back to report the news.

He glanced at Old Huang, who was squatting in the corner wiping his sweat, and Old Huang was looking at him pitifully.

Clearly, both of them felt the same fear they had felt more than three years ago.

Xu Fengnian glanced at Qi Lianhua and Li Chungang. These two combined must have the cultivation level of an Earth Immortal. Surely they wouldn't be unable to escape this time.

Thinking of this, Xu Fengnian shook his head violently. He still couldn't believe that the Great Snow Dragon Riders and the Ironclad Cavalry would lose!

From the age of understanding, these two armies have existed like gods in Xu Fengnian's heart, and they are the guarantee for his recklessness and wantonness!

"No! There's still a chance! The Great Snow Dragon Riders haven't lost yet!"

The battle between the Xuanjia Army and the Great Snow Dragon Riders was much more brutal. One Xuanjia Army soldier could kill three or four Great Snow Dragon Riders, but this Xuanjia Army soldier was also almost exhausted and killed.

Although the Guiyi Army is of the eighth rank, they can only fight two opponents at most. Half of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry are also warriors of the eighth or ninth rank.

The battle was truly fierce. Although the Guiyi Army and the Xuanjia Army had the advantage, Li Cunxiao and Yuan Zuozong were struggling to fight back.

However, at this time, Yuan Zuozong was not looking at one corner, but at the whole situation.

The Iron Pagoda suffered a crushing defeat, and its entire army was destined to be wiped out.

In that case, Huo Qubing's White Horse Cavalry, Huyan Cavalry, and Tang elite cavalry would charge into the Northern Liang infantry formation.

By then, the tide will likely be turned, and there will be a risk of total annihilation.

If the Ironclad Cavalry and the Great Snow Dragon Riders were all lost in Shazhou, how could he explain this to Xu Xiao?

Xu Fengnian hardly held back during this expedition; it was mainly Yuan Zuozong and Qi Dangguo who were in command.

Moreover, the two men, though rough around the edges, were shrewd and didn't give Li Chang'an any opportunity to launch a sneak attack.

This battle was conducted honorably and without any flaws. Any of the eight states during the Spring and Autumn Period would have won this battle.

But now, not only are they not winning, but they also risk the complete annihilation of their 110,000-strong army. How easy would it be for Northern Liang to rebuild the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry and the Iron Pagoda?

Yuan Zuozong could see the speed of Huo Qubing's light cavalry; if they didn't retreat soon, they might really be doomed.

However, if an order to retreat is given now, and Li Chang'an's infantry and cavalry pursue them together, it is likely that only a portion of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry can be saved.

"Great Snow Dragon Riders, retreat!"

Yuan Zuozong's military orders were absolute. Although the Daxue Dragon Cavalry were unwilling, they had no choice but to fight. Continuing to fight like this would surely lead to certain death.

Li Cunxiao shouted unwillingly, "You think you can leave so easily? Not so easy!"

"Black Armor Army, Guiyi Army, hold off the Snow Dragon Riders!"

Upon hearing the enemy's order to withdraw, the Xuanjia Army and the Guiyi Army were filled with righteous fervor!

"The Great Snow Dragon Cavalry is defeated! The Xuanjia Army is the best in the world!"

Yuan Zuozong commanded the elite cavalry of Beiliang to block the Xuanjia Army and the Guiyi Army, and then wanted the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry to retreat.

However, the battlefield was already in chaos, with cavalry charging repeatedly. Ordinary Northern Liang cavalry were no match for the Xuanjia Army and the Guiyi Army.

The burly Xuanjia soldiers could often cut down four or five Beiliang cavalrymen with a single lance; they were simply unstoppable.

The planned orderly retreat turned into a fighting retreat by the Snow Dragon Riders.

The Nine Thousand Great Snow Dragon Cavalry have lost more than Four Thousand and are now firmly held back by the Xuanjia Army and the Guiyi Army.

In the central army of Beiliang, Xu Fengnian heard the bugle call of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry retreating.

At this moment, the Crown Prince of Northern Liang felt a pang of sorrow. He couldn't understand how such a powerful army could be defeated.

The thought that he had come here carrying the hope of turning his life around filled him with a thousand thoughts and mixed feelings.

Am I, Xu Fengnian, truly an incompetent person?

After returning from a defeat, he couldn't even imagine how Chen Zhibao would view him.

Having lost the elite of Beiliang, how much would those veteran Beiliang soldiers despise him?

But soon, the sudden collapse on the battlefield brought him back to his senses.

As the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry retreated, the Ironclad Cavalry had been almost completely annihilated.

Huo Qubing, with 30,000 light cavalry, had already wiped out the entire right-wing Northern Liang cavalry.

Now, this torrent of 30,000 men, moving like the wind, has stormed into the Northern Liang infantry formation.

The silver spears of the White Horse Cavalry pierced the chests of Beiliang infantrymen one after another, while the lances of the Tang cavalry began to relentlessly harvest the heads of Beiliang soldiers.

Thirty thousand light cavalrymen swept through the Northern Liang formation as if it were empty, trampling infantrymen into mincemeat, just as molten lava flowed into the jungle, burning trees to ashes.

The fiercely motivated Northern Liang infantry formation began to crumble, and the bloodthirsty Tang infantry charged forward.

The battlefield, which was evenly matched just a quarter of an hour ago, immediately turned into a one-sided massacre due to the retreat of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry and the charge of Huo Qubing's light cavalry.

The battlefield was filled with retreating and fleeing Beiliang soldiers, and the constant screams and roars made Xu Fengnian finally see the reality of the situation.

Apart from the Great Snow Dragon Riders, who were able to fight and retreat, all other armies were collapsing and being slaughtered!

He lost, and lost again!

Li Chungang sighed, "Li Chang'an's luck is soaring. It's not shameful for you to lose. Let's go."

Xu Fengnian was accompanied by more than a dozen first-rank masters, as well as two contemporary experts, Qi Lianhua and Li Chungang.

Under the protection of many experts, Xu Fengnian finally mounted his horse and retreated towards Jiayuguan with the others.

However, after riding for several miles, the group was stopped by more than a thousand Imperial Guards who were on high alert.

Li Chungang didn't take these Imperial Guards seriously, but the experts in front of them surprised him.

The Northern Liang group reined in their horses and stopped, with Li Chungang giving a cold snort first.

"The Martial Emperor City, the White-Robed Guanyin, the Wu Family Sword Tomb... all belong to the Anxi Grand Protectorate."

"I haven't been out of the martial world for many years, and you've all joined Li Chang'an's ranks. No wonder Li Chang'an's luck is soaring."

Wang Xianzhi's second disciple, Gong Banque, quickly waved his hand and said, "I came to ask King Tang for the secret method of cultivating the three realms simultaneously. My senior brother came to see me, and it has nothing to do with Wudi City."

Yu Xinlang, standing beside him, cursed his junior brother as an idiot. "The eldest and second disciples have both come. They're no different from Li Chang'an of Wudi City."

Wu Liuding stated frankly, "King Tang has both ruthless methods and a compassionate heart. The people of the six prefectures of Shazhou live in peace and prosperity, and the foreign tribes have submitted and dare not cause trouble. My Wu family's Sword Tomb is willing to submit!"

The white-robed Guanyin clasped her hands together and said, "Greetings, Old Sword God. The Tang Emperor has the world in his heart, and my Red Sect of Esoteric Buddhism voluntarily submits!"

Li Chungang glanced at Xu Fengnian beside him, then said leisurely, "Whom you pledge allegiance to is none of my business."