Chapter 471: Doubting Life

Zhang Fang ultimately came from a rough background; much experience and lessons haven't had time to be corrected, and he basically relies on talent and unorthodox methods in commanding the army.

Mu Yi had already combined theory and practice; at this most critical moment, he chose the most unexpected tactic, directly plunging Zhang Fang into the abyss in an instant.

Even if Zhang Fang were a regular army corps commander, it would be impossible for him to reassemble the scattered army in such a short moment.

Mu Yi had calculated that Zhang Fang would reveal a flaw due to his surprise attack, which is why he returned again despite the heavy losses.

If Zhang Fang could integrate the army in such a short time, Mu Yi would admit it, after all only a war god or a heaven god could have that ability.

Then he certainly isn't a match; just give up and admit defeat.

However, Zhang Fang is not; with the army scattered, even coordinating is a major hassle for him.

To be precise, most of the headquarters' personal guards are still clustered in groups, gathering the rear troops scattered by Mu Yi's charge.

But in the end they are scattered, creating the most favorable conditions for Mu Yi's counterattack.

"Block them, we can definitely block them!"

Zhang Fang's forehead was drenched in cold sweat; he clearly knew he had to block this deadly wave.

Moreover, he must clash head-on with Mu Yi; if he retreats or yields, morale will collapse instantly, and he will surely die.

But even if he manages to hold out, this time he will likely suffer a total defeat—let alone attacking Luoyang; whether he can retreat at dawn is still uncertain.

Zhang Fang doesn't believe the troops inside Luoyang will just watch him gather the routed soldiers.

"Block him for me!" Zhang Fang's angry roar spread in all directions, and Mu Yi's face finally showed a hint of delight.

Actually, up until just now, Zhang Fang's mistakes weren't fatal; his chance of rushing over to slay Zhang Fang was low, after all the other side was under the protection of the personal guards, with someone blocking blades for Zhang Fang, making it impossible to kill him.

But Zhang Fang became anxious; under a series of blows, his eyes were clouded by the immediate emergency.

This is also why Mu Yi said he was a roughhand, having received no systematic theory and no guidance from a renowned master.

Zhang Fang's command system is poor in momentum, full of flaws, but he mobilizes quickly, so basically it's not noticeable; it feels similar to a block-like formation.

But under the current situation, the advantages of the block-like formation are fully revealed.

If forced to describe it, Mu Yi feels that Zhang Fang's army is like a centipede baring its fangs and waving its claws—though the claws are loose, there is indeed a certain coherence, with rapid mutual response coordination, yet overall the reaction is chaotic!

And under this sudden situation, the overall becomes even more disordered; Mu Yi immediately ordered the following troops to split into three routes and disperse.

In a moment, Zhang Fang's soldiers, following his erroneous orders, spontaneously went to besiege those three units, causing the army's overall coordination to fall into chaos.

Mu Yi immediately took the remaining troops to tear apart the weak line that appeared due to inconsistent spontaneous response coordination.

Zhang Fang found himself in a predicament; almost every offensive line had some defense he couldn't manage, leaving him completely flustered.

Yet he couldn't just ignore it, because each route could inflict considerable damage on him.

Zhang Fang harbored a retreat in his heart, but the problem was he felt Mu Yi firmly locking onto him; once defeated like a collapsing mountain, the opponent would surely target this absolute core, making withdrawal difficult for him.

Speaking of which, Zhang Fang is unlucky; if he hadn't sent the black-armored stalwarts to their deaths, he could now use them to steady the line, then gradually gather on the flank to rebuild the army's formation.

Finally, although losses are unavoidable, for Zhang Fang this outcome is acceptable.

Unfortunately, the black-armored stalwarts, as the vanguard, are already dead.

And now Mu Yi won't give Zhang Fang the slightest chance.

"Damn it, just give me a little more time!"

Zhang Fang watched as Mu Yi, having completely torn the defensive line, launched a charge at him, and his heart sank.

"Block them, block them, don't let them rush past!"

At this moment Zhang Fang has completely lost control over his subordinates; the various corps' spontaneous resistance, crowded together, indeed forms the thickest line, but at the same time loses the ability to adapt quickly.

These lower-level officers lack overall situational awareness, only able to observe the advantages and disadvantages artificially created within their range.

The rank-and-file cannot see the overall situation; where to strike and how to strike depends entirely on mid-level officers with some situational awareness.

The soldiers won't think of retreating just because of a local disadvantage; likewise, there are enough mid-level officers who, after a disadvantage appears in a sector, will naturally dispatch troops from elsewhere to maintain the stability of the entire front.

Now it's like this; the moment everyone started moving, Zhang Fang regretted it, but it was already too late to stop.

If they stopped, Mu Yi would likely slip through the gap and infiltrate.

A volley of arrows sliced the air, pressing toward Mu Yi's side, but the effect was poor; Mu Yi's self-detonated Reincarnation Barrier-forged armor blocked all ranged attacks from outside.

On the contrary, the arrows aimed at Mu Yi kept hitting him, making him look like a scarecrow with several arrows stuck in his body.

Mu Yi pulled out those arrows that barely pierced his skin, then threw them back, directly impaling several soldiers who had rushed forward hoping to scavenge.

He casually consumed an elixir, his wounds instantly healed; Mu Yi grasped a spear in his left hand and a Tiger Soul Blade in his right, immediately launching a massive slaughter.

Dozens of soldiers collapsed without any resistance under Mu Yi's blade, further striking Zhang Fang's side's morale.

Seeing this disheartening scene, Zhang Fang completely gave up on continuing to fight Mu Yi to the death and planned to flee.

But Mu Yi gave Zhang Fang no chance to cut his losses and survive.

Having taken a few arrows and slain over a hundred bandits, with his mount's first day stained red with blood, Mu Yi entered a state of fury.

His originally angry eyes now widened further, filled with intense killing intent, as Mu Yi leaned forward to aim at him.

One hundred steps, fifty steps.

Mu Yi could already see every tiny change in Zhang Fang's expression.

Yet at this point, it was like a heavenly moat.

After reaching this distance, Mu Yi continually failed to close the gap with Zhang Fang.

Zhang Fang, after all a general, in this perilous situation finally made the correct choice, standing firm in place, awaiting reinforcements from his troops.

"I won't waste time here with you!"

The time spent at this distance made Mu Yi somewhat weary, and moreover the Zhang Fang soldiers around him kept increasing.

Furthermore, the several additional arrows stuck in Mu Yi's body made Zhang Fang's troops even more frenzied.

"It's time for you to understand who truly rules the battlefield!"

Mu Yi's eyes slightly narrowed, then suddenly opened wide.

The power of reincarnation began to accumulate; the scattered forces around were drawn by Mu Yi into the Tiger Soul Blade, and a faint red glow let the blade display the radiance unique to divine weapons.

The activated tiger spirit extended from the blade, biting the back of the Tiger Soul Blade like a living creature; the originally frenzied Mu Yi gathered all his strength, at this moment almost like an ordinary mortal.

Blood-red light extended from the blade onto Mu Yi's body, enveloping him entirely,

Afterwards, Mu Yi took a deep breath; the Chu Yi beneath him also sensed Mu Yi's will, and its claws naturally tapped the ground.

"Slash!"

Accompanying Mu Yi's angry shout, the Chu Yi beneath him moved as it wished, turning into a red light that forcibly carved a blood path about forty-five steps long through the army, rushing to Zhang Fang's face.

When Mu Yi's Tiger Soul Blade severed the first enemy's head, the heads he had cut off during his charge had not yet fallen; in just a breath, Mu Yi, who had been unable to approach, had already slain his way to Zhang Fang's face.

At this moment Mu Yi could be said to have penetrated deep alone, but facing the blood-soaked, near-demonic savage image, combined with that slash that cut down dozens of elite frenzied warriors like harvesting scallions, none of the surrounding soldiers dared to come close.

In the final five steps, Zhang Fang remained motionless, merely gripping his Ghost-Headed Great Blade tightly.

He was waiting for the moment Mu Yi's strength waned; that was his best opportunity to stand by the tree waiting for prey.

And when the surrounding guards suppressed their inner fear and charged at Mu Yi, the soldiers behind Mu Yi also swiftly advanced through the gap created by his charge, fighting desperately.

Mu Yi's whirling Tiger Soul Blade frenetically created one achievement after another; the soldiers behind him were all fearless fighters.

Appearing like a lone army penetrating deep, Mu Yi directly exchanged blows, tenaciously gripping Zhang Fang's main force.

Zhang Fang had completely lost any chance to retreat; the distance was so close that they were practically face to face, turning to run would be suicide.

Having considered this, Zhang Fang's inner qi finally burst forth, and he then actively launched a charge at Mu Yi.

"However, it should be me who takes the initiative to approach!"

At the instant Zhang Fang approached, a clear smile appeared on Mu Yi's face.

Victory.

Zhang Fang was waiting by the tree for prey; Mu Yi was fishing with a straight hook.

And Zhang Fang took the bait.

All of Zhang Fang's mistakes pale in comparison to the final fatal one: facing Mu Yi's blade.

Replace him with any other top-tier combatant, and Mu Yi could surely not kill him in a few blows; but Zhang Fang is different—his savage nature causes the karmic sin he bears to grow ever more and deeper.

Originally these karmic sins were useless, at most adding a sentence during judgment in the Underworld.

However, at this moment Mu Yi drew out reincarnation, manifesting Zhang Fang's karmic sin; countless lost souls instantly appeared between Mu Yi and Zhang Fang.

These lost souls were all living beings harmed by Zhang Fang who had gone to reincarnation; Mu Yi retained all their resentment.

Originally this would have affected Mu Yi, and releasing them would easily bring disaster to the human realm; it should have been a thorny situation, but facing Zhang Fang, the arch culprit, makes it different.

"No release, no release!"

Numerous lost souls roared as they surged toward Zhang Fang.

"All you wandering ghosts and wild spirits, come in!"

Zhang Fang roared, lifting his Ghost-Headed Great Blade, which began to attract surrounding lost souls like a vortex, thereby breaking the siege.

"You... did you forget something?"

Mu Yi's voice echoed in Zhang Fang's ear; Zhang Fang shouted in terror and rage, but it was already too late—Mu Yi's blade came down heavily.

The Ghost-Headed Great Blade barely blocked Mu Yi's strike, but another fierce killing intent appeared in Mu Yi's other hand.

Twin-blade style.

The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow precisely sliced across Zhang Fang's neck; the headless corpse crashed heavily to the ground, and the lost souls bound by the Ghost-Headed Great Blade swarmed forward, beginning to dismember Zhang Fang.

He who eats men is himself eaten.

Afterwards, Mu Yi held up Zhang Fang's head and loudly roared to those around.

"Zhang Fang is already dead; why haven't you all surrendered yet!"

Defeat collapses like a mountain.

The chaotic scene of a great rout began.

Beholding the heavy losses, the Human Dao Army suffered no fewer than four thousand casualties.

Mu Yi, covered head to toe in blood, was filled with a solemn dignity.

In this battle Mu Yi alone killed over a thousand, while the Human Dao Army killed more than ten thousand.

Ten thousand defeating over a hundred thousand—though not an unparalleled feat, it was still exhilarating.

Unlike an ordinary battlefield, where no matter how many people there are, if they cannot engage, it's pointless.

But in this world, the support and suppression brought by the cloud energy of the numerically superior side is truly substantial.

Great losses are unavoidable, but fortunately the ultimate goal was achieved.

"Pursue, capture as many prisoners as you can!"

Mu Yi took a deep breath and loudly commanded the soldiers behind him.

"Lay down your weapons; those who surrender shamefully will not be killed!"

A sound like mountains collapsing and seas surging echoed across the battlefield; batches of prisoners were escorted in dispersion toward Luoyang.

"Grand Commander, Grand Commander! Zhang Fang's army is coming!"

A panicked confidant ran to inform Sima Yi.

"What, General Mu?" Sima Yi startled, quickly inquiring about Mu Yi's whereabouts.

"I don't even know where he went anymore! Grand Commander, quickly organize personnel to prepare for defense!"

"Issue my order: send the Imperial Guard to the four gates of Luoyang, and command all nobles and aristocrats to call out their retainers and household troops!"

"Anyone who dares not to obey will be killed without pardon!" Sima Yi took a deep breath, calming himself; fortunately, before Mu Yi appeared, he had already made preparations.

Although Zhang Fang's speed of arrival was unexpected, he was not so panicked as to lose composure.

"High Immortal, where exactly did you go!"

Sima Yi's face grew grave; at this moment he also wondered, how could this High Immortal just leave without a word?

Clearly just yesterday he solemnly promised to hand Zhang Fang over to him, yet now he has vanished.

Sima Yi is after all not a good-for-nothing; to be valued by Sima Yi, he must have some ability.

Knowing there are enemies outside, he still voluntarily went up onto the city wall to boost the defenders' morale.

"How is the situation now?"

"Grand Commander, the situation is a bit off; these people don't seem like enemies, but rather captives who were driven here!"

"Captives?" Sima Yi stared for a moment, and a shocking idea suddenly sprang to mind.

"Gentlemen, these are General Mu's troops!" Sima Yi ordered someone to shout loudly toward the human Daoist soldiers.

"Exactly, these are the followers of the rebel general Zhang Fang; Zhang Fang is dead, the enemy troops have scattered and fled, we have captured many prisoners, and there are still more behind; the general ordered me to supervise them here!"

"Please, Grand Commander, send people to detain all these captives!"

"What?"

The people on the city wall all felt as if they hadn't woken up, having heard some shocking joke, but seeing more and more captives, they finally couldn't help but start doubting life.

Their feared Zhang Fang army just disappeared like that?