Chapter 66: The Trap Within the Ceasefire

"Change again!"

As soon as Zhang Sheng finished speaking, the flag suddenly exploded, the magic array dissipated immediately, and the Five Elements Flags on the ground collapsed along with it.

He was startled for a moment and hurriedly threw away the damaged command flag in his hand.

He did not know much about this array; he had only set it up because it could trap enemies and possessed great lethality.

Fortunately, that Onmyoji was already exhausted, and the Kappa Mitaro, catching him off guard, immediately rushed forward, severed his head with a sword, and collected his soul into the Soul-Capturing Banner.

Seeing his group dying one after another, Abe Hiroaki dared not stay any longer; he immediately called for Yuko, recalled his shikigami, and slipped away directly.

Upon seeing that the mages on his side were finished, the squadron leader immediately requested reinforcements from the headquarters, but the commander could only order him to hold the defensive line to the death.

"Killed nine members of the Nine Chrysanthemums Society, gained nine thousand merit points."

"Killed two Onmyoji, gained four thousand merit points."

Ximen Lang immediately stepped forward, handed the Soul-Capturing Banner to Zhang Sheng, and exclaimed, "Daoist Zhang, your array is truly formidable!"

"Forget about those Onmyoji; even for a single member of the Nine Chrysanthemums Society, I would have to exhaust all my strength just to win."

Wang Hai also said, "Junior Brother, you are truly gifted."

Wu Cai laughed, "If Master knew about this, he would certainly be very happy."

Zhang Sheng knew he had benefited from his magic treasure, so he said, "You all flatter me. The great battle is still ongoing, and we cannot slack off. It just so happens that we can go and break their flank defense now, then strike in one go to reach the headquarters!"

Ximen Lang hurriedly said, "Daoist Zhang, it is very dangerous for us to attack the headquarters directly. It would be better to notify the forward command post and let them assemble troops to break through from here."

Zhang Sheng did not insist on taking the lead; in any case, the Japanese invaders' mages were all at the front, and the two surviving Onmyoji on the flank had already fled, so there would be no problem if the army launched a fierce attack.

He nodded and said, "Fine, then report it to the command post. Mitaro, later you will attack the headquarters building together with the army."

Mitaro immediately saluted and said, "Rest assured, my lord, I will certainly achieve a first-class merit!"

Upon learning that Zhang Sheng had made progress, the frontline headquarters was overjoyed, and the general hurriedly said, "Let the reserve troops go to support Daoist Zhang immediately!"

Soon, reinforcements arrived for Zhang Sheng, and thousands of soldiers launched a fierce attack on the Japanese invaders' defensive line, which consisted of only a few hundred men.

In just a moment, the defensive line was breached, and the flank of the Marine headquarters was broken through.

The headquarters building was in jeopardy, and the Japanese invaders' forward troops and mage squads retreated their defensive lines one after another.

Both sides engaged in a fierce battle outside the building.

The great battle between those Perfected Ones, the Head of Onmyoji, and the Prime Minister of the Nine Chrysanthemums family was not something Zhang Sheng could participate in.

One could not approach within several hundred meters of where those few were fighting with magic. Anyone who accidentally got close would be torn to shreds directly.

The aftermath of the magic battle's explosions could easily destroy walls cast from concrete.

Vaguely, Zhang Sheng could even see the figures of great demons like Shuten-doji.

Zhang Sheng, meanwhile, followed the others to deal with the Onmyoji and the members of the Nine Chrysanthemums Society; after a fierce battle, Zhang Sheng had killed five more Onmyoji and fifteen members of the Nine Chrysanthemums Society.

In the end, the Marine commander could only order a retreat.

The fall of the Marine headquarters led to most of the Hongkou area being captured by the government troops, while some areas could still resist under the cover of warships.

It was not until eight o'clock in the evening that news of a ceasefire agreement came from above.

In reality, both sides knew this was a delaying tactic, but both sides needed time to mobilize troops, so they tacitly agreed to it.

At the same time, the Japanese invaders demanded that neither side send out cultivators; because of the agreement, Zhang Sheng and his companions could not participate in the war for the time being.

The reason the Japanese invaders made such a decision was that, after analysis, they discovered the strength and number of their own cultivators were far inferior to the Tang people, so they could only rely on the army to win this battle.

After Zhang Sheng attended the victory banquet,

he returned to his own villa.

On a warship, Fukada Miko took out a document and handed it to Takanashi Anko, saying, "The one who defeated Abe Hiroaki and Abe Yuko tonight is this Zhang Sheng."

"He has many methods and can be said to be the strongest of the younger generation. You must be careful and cautious when you go to assassinate him this time."

Looking at Zhang Sheng's battle record, Takanashi Anko's eyes lit up as she said, "What a formidable man. Hehehe, it will surely be very interesting to kill him."

She put down the document and said, "Then, I will go and make contact with him now."

Fukada Miko took out another document bag and handed it to her, nodding, "Be careful in everything. The Nancheng Agency has already forged an identity for you; starting tomorrow, you will be Fang Jingxian, a Tang woman who has returned from studying in America."

Takanashi Anko took the document bag, immediately left the warship, and disappeared into the night.

Early the next morning, a beautiful woman wearing a long white dress stepped off the passenger ship, feeling somewhat homesick.

Beneath her moth-eyebrows were a pair of beautiful peach-blossom eyes, and her petite, exquisite nose looked almost transparent under the sunlight; her cherry lips were smiling, revealing white teeth.

Anyone around who took a single glance would lose their composure.

As she walked by, a man was so dazzled that he accidentally bumped into someone; after coming to his senses, he hurriedly said "Sorry," but when he looked back, the woman had already disappeared.

Feeling deeply regretful, he could only heave a long sigh and secretly think it a pity.

The woman left the port, hailed a rickshaw by the roadside, and subsequently arrived at the American Concession in the North District.

Even though Hongkou was under heavy gunfire, other places remained unaffected.

In the afternoon, Zhang Sheng drove back to his villa and saw workers moving things into the villa across the street.

His gatekeeper, Saj, immediately stepped forward to open the gate; Zhang Sheng drove in slowly and asked, "Saj, do you know what kind of neighbor has moved in across the street?"

Saj said excitedly, "Sir, I can guarantee that this is the most beautiful young lady I have ever seen."

Zhang Sheng laughed, "Hahaha, Saj, then you will have a feast for your eyes in the future."

Saj said happily, "That's right, being able to see that beautiful young lady every day is indeed a happy thing."

Zhang Sheng teased with a wicked smile, "Ah, Saj, then I must consider reducing your salary; anyway, you have to stay here to watch that beautiful young lady."

Upon hearing this, Saj actually started to think seriously, and finally, with a conflicted expression, said, "Sir, even if you want to cut my salary, I hope it won't exceed twenty percent."

Zhang Sheng laughed loudly upon hearing this and waved his hand, "Alright, Saj, I was just joking with you."

After saying that, he drove into the parking space, then got out of the car and went home.

"Excuse me, sir!"

Hearing a very gentle female voice, Zhang Sheng turned his head to look.

Saj immediately winked and gestured, saying, "Sir, this is that neighbor."

Zhang Sheng did not smell any strange odors, only the girl's fresh fragrance, so he wore a smile on his face, stepped forward, and said, "Hello, Miss, my name is Zhang Sheng."

The girl smiled, with dimples on both sides of her face, and she said, "Hello, Mr. Zhang, my name is Fang Jingxian."