Chapter 19: Incense Spirit Tablets—Those Are for Our Ancestors

Four or five soldiers, pressed against the edge of the bridge, rushed out, following closely behind Zhang Yuan.

Shields, spears, sabers, crossbows.

Shields protected the front, spears thrust upward, long sabers were held horizontally at the sides, and crossbows provided rear support.

The Azure Wolf Battle Formation.

As Zhang Yuan moved forward, the incoming crossbow bolts were deflected by the round shields wielded by the soldiers beside him.

The vital energy and blood within his body surged, his footsteps synchronizing with the soldiers behind him.

In an instant, an aura seemed to circulate around the group, a thick surge of power bestowing itself upon them.

The power of the battle formation.

It was said that military formations were created by harmonizing baleful aura with vital energy and blood to aggregate combat intent.

The strongest formations could unify the strength of all soldiers within them, multiplying the combat power and defense of every man in the array several times over.

In the past, the Great Qin rose to power through military formations. With powerful experts leading the troops and soldiers following in formation, the battle formation would be activated, condensing the baleful aura into martial souls to slaughter immortals and destroy demons, sweeping through the world invincible.

Whether such magnificent formations still existed was unknown.

The only one Zhang Yuan currently knew was the Azure Wolf Battle Formation.

As the formation assembled, he felt his strength suddenly increase by ten percent.

One should not underestimate this ten percent; for those at the Houtian Realm, it was an unimaginable boost.

"Kill!"

Whispering under his breath, Zhang Yuan swung his long saber.

The saber left his hand, flying directly out of the formation. Its blade let out a shrill whistle as it struck a heavy shield ahead.

*Bang—*

The five-inch-thick shield was pierced in a single blow. The saber embedded itself into the shield and drove straight through the chest of the Yan soldier holding it.

The shield-bearer, along with two nearby soldiers who were bracing the shield with their shoulders, spat blood simultaneously and slumped onto the bluestone bridge.

This single strike blasted a hole directly through the shield wall on the bridge.

Simple and brutal.

With overwhelming strength, Zhang Yuan had shattered the enemy's defense in one hit.

"Retreat—!"

The Yan commanding soldier, clad in officer's armor, let out a low roar, thrusting his long spear toward Zhang Yuan's head.

From the rear, two soldiers fired crossbow bolts toward Zhang Yuan.

Other shield-bearers dragged their shields backward.

Orderly in advance and retreat—these were elite troops.

Had it not been for Zhang Yuan's intervention, this position would have certainly fallen.

*Clang—*

*Clang—*

Zhang Yuan deflected two crossbow bolts with a punch from his left hand.

Without breaking his stride, his right hand rose to his chest, and he threw a side punch against the incoming spearhead.

Mountain Fist Technique: Mountain Breaker, Peak Sealer.

*Crack—*

The spearhead snapped. The officer holding the spear felt his hand tremble as the webbing between his thumb and index finger split open.

Though they were both at the late stage of the Houtian Realm, Zhang Yuan had the buff of the battle formation and the power of the Mountain Fist Technique; the force contained in this punch exceeded two thousand catties.

Being at the same realm did not mean having equal combat power. Even without circulating his Xiantian True Essence, Zhang Yuan could suppress a late-stage Houtian expert.

Zhang Yuan pressed forward, taking two steps onto the stone bridge, and reached out to grab the hilt of his thrown saber.

The blade had pierced through a wooden shield and a soldier's body; as he pulled it out, the friction of the blade against bone and wood produced a piercing screech.

As Zhang Yuan moved forward, he slowly withdrew the long saber. The blood on the blade was wiped clean by the wooden shield, leaving it bright and cold.

"Retreat! Retreat!"

The Yan officer cried out in panic, pulling the nearby soldiers into a frantic flight.

He had already recognized who his enemy was; staying would be suicide.

*Wooo—*

A horn sounded in the distance. A squad of Yan soldiers rushed forward, only to be intercepted by the retreating troops.

A moment later, the Yan forces before the Flat Stone Bridge fled in defeat.

Several soldiers who had charged with Zhang Yuan gathered the scattered crossbow bolts, shields, and weapons.

A few heavily wounded soldiers were helped as they retreated.

Zhang Yuan stood on the stone bridge. Only after the blood essence bead condensed in his mind, the cultivation imagery transformed into a river of shadows, and an insight bead formed, did he turn, gripping his saber, to look at the two soldiers lying on the ground.

They had been struck in vital spots by crossbow bolts and were already dead.

In the heat of battle, they had not feared death.

It was precisely because the Great Qin possessed countless such martial soldiers that the last hope of the human race could be defended.

To live standing up.

Zhang Yuan patted the shoulders of several soldiers and strode away.

"Respectfully seeing off the Commander!"

The soldiers' faces showed excitement as they bowed and clasped their hands.

***

Three days in a row.

During the most perilous moments, Zhang Yuan had activated his Xiantian True Essence to fight alongside Zhao Changming on the city walls, battling five Xiantian Realm soldiers of the Yan army.

In that battle, Zhang Yuan consumed five Xiantian True Essence beads, killed two late-stage Houtian Yan officers, and wounded one Xiantian expert before finally repelling the Yan forces attempting to scale the walls.

In that same battle, Zhao Changming had been struck in the waist and abdomen by a spear, greatly diminishing his combat effectiveness.

The originally planned breakout had to be delayed due to the frantic siege by the Yan army.

Over these three days, Zhang Yuan had learned many combat techniques from Zhao Changming.

How to deal with group combat, how to judge enemy tactics, how to spot traps, how to leverage the strength of one's own battle formation...

After Zhao Changming was injured, Zhang Yuan stood alone on the city walls, fending off two separate sieges by pairs of Xiantian experts.

He had truly gained mastery over his own cultivation and combat power.

His saber techniques grew increasingly proficient.

It wasn't through using insight beads to improve, but through tempering himself in actual combat.

This kind of tempering was etched into his very bones.

Even Zhao Changming remarked that Yu Lin's Mountain Saber Technique seemed naturally suited to Zhang Yuan.

"The martial world, the imperial court, the lands of the Five Kingdoms and Three Domains—with your talent, you will surely have a place in the future."

"Zhang Yuan, our Great Qin is the last sanctuary for the human race. We cultivate precisely to protect our Great Qin."

Sitting on the city wall, Zhao Changming spoke softly.

Of the soldiers in the city, fewer than two hundred could still fight, and there were two hundred wounded.

Outside the city, there were nearly ten thousand Yan soldiers.

They could not hold.

With the rare occurrence of the enemy not yet deploying troops to surround the city, Zhang Yuan and Zhao Changming sat at the highest point of the wall, their blades and spears resting across their knees.

"Yan, Zhao, Wei, Qi, the Azure Heaven Domain, Liangyuan Domain, Pingchong Domain—plus our Great Qin, these comprise the ancient lands of Yongtian Continent."

"Back then, Great Qin ruled the Nine Provinces with such prosperity. If it weren't for the invasion of immortals and demons..."

"If the martial soldiers of Great Qin could see the Northern Great Wall just once in this lifetime, they would die without regrets."

"Actually, whether it is the Immortal Race or the Demon Race, including those wicked spirits, as long as we Qin people agree to offer incense and worship their ancestral tablets, they will lend strength to our Great Qin."

"But, can our Great Qin do that?"

Zhao Changming looked into the distance, his eyes filled with determination.

"Incense and ancestral tablets are for our own ancestors."

"Even if we descendants were to die out completely, we cannot recognize others as our ancestors, can we?"

"As long as we Qin people still hold a blade in our hands and breath in our lungs, we will not fall."

Zhang Yuan nodded and slowly looked up toward the location of the Yan army camp.

Warhorses thundered out from the camp.

Waves of Xiantian Realm auras rose into the air.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

"Heh, they really think highly of us. To think nine Xiantian experts would come for a mere county town like Fengtian."

Zhao Changming stood up, gripped his long spear, and looked at Zhang Yuan, lowering his voice: "Zhang Yuan, if you get the chance, just leave on your own."

Zhang Yuan's combat power was sufficient; as long as Zhao Changming and the others held the Yan army back, he could truly escape.

"The brothers have already earned their keep," Zhao Changming took a deep breath and tightened his grip on his spear. "There is no need for you to die here with us."

Zhang Yuan deserved a bright future.

*Wooo—*

Ahead, the horn sounded.

A large banner fluttered.

The Azure Eagle Black Flag, the Yan Kingdom's Western Pacification Army.