Chapter 834

Kill!

The two armies faced off, the cries of battle echoing through the clouds; the fierce, murderous spirit of the border veterans was enough to frighten ten Jia Baoyus to death.

The opposing sides stared each other down, each fielding over a thousand troops, a black mass stretching as far as the eye could see, appearing astonishingly formidable.

No longer were these mere skirmishes.

But the true main forces had not yet arrived; for now, only the vanguard units had engaged in a few preliminary clashes.

The war drums sounded, the shouts shook the heavens.

Yet neither side's troops immediately clashed in melee; at the very front of the main forces stood the vanguard generals.

Each side would send out one man to engage in basic combat.

That's right—pre-battle duels!

In this world, before full-scale war erupts, there must be a pre-battle duel; this is standard procedure.

Unless it's a surprise attack, there will be no martial masters dueling before the ranks—a display meant to bolster morale.

This kind of troop deployment, head-on collision, and pre-battle general duel—while not necessarily deciding the outcome, still exerts significant influence.

When the forces on both sides are roughly equal, winning the duel does not guarantee victory in the ensuing main battle, but it at least secures an initial thirty percent advantage.

On the side of Great Yin, a chestnut-red tall horse charged forward from the ranks.

Yet the one seated upon it was a short-statured man, holding a black, dragon-carved thick staff: "Head of the Military Intelligence Cavalry, Wang Ying, is here! Who dares step forward to fight?"

He was, in fact, the Earth-Weak Star, ranked fifty-eighth among the 108 Stars, the Short-Legged Tiger Wang Ying.

On the side of Great Qian, a black-armored commander also rode forward on horseback.

This commander appeared rather strange; even in black armor, he did not look particularly tall, and his face was covered by a weeping ghostly mask, concealing his features.

He also wore a cloak that, on the battlefield, could only be considered superfluous baggage.

After riding out, he remained silent, raised the large hammer in his right hand, and pointed it at Wang Ying—his challenge unmistakable.

Wang Ying narrowed his eyes, his pupils darting, then suddenly laughed: "Under my command, I do not kill nameless nobodies—state your name."

"Vanguard of the Nine Phoenix Army, Lin Daiyu of the Jia clan." The black-armored junior officer pondered, then announced his lineage.

Though his voice was icy, it was clear and melodious, impossible not to make one's eyes brighten.

Wang Ying hehehed: "Sure enough, it's a female—still married?"

He guessed the Jia family, also surnamed Lin, must have married her off.

Wang Ying licked his lips: "To send a female onto the battlefield—looks like Great Qian has no one left. Better come with my brother; besides enduring my brother's dragon, you'll suffer no other hardship, nor need to fight on the battlefield."

As he spoke, he stepped onto the stirrup and rose, straightening his waist.

"Hahahaha!"

From behind came the loud laughter of a host of soldiers.

Wang Ying would not go so far as to openly express lust toward the masked black-armored junior officer in public—it was merely pre-battle psychological warfare.

Of course, if he saw Lin Daiyu's true face, these words would come straight from the heart.

Hearing the exaggerated laughter, Lin Daiyu remained silent, raised the large hammer in her hand, and hurled it directly at Wang Ying.

The hammer whistled through the air; Wang Ying, seated on his horse, could not dodge in time—even if he could, the horse could not.

Except for those who train year-round in marches and battles, like the martial masters of Ding State, most martial artists are fundamentally stronger in foot combat than mounted combat.

Fighting on foot actually benefits Wang Ying.

But to have his horse smashed to death in the first clash—this momentum was greatly diminished.

In pre-battle duels, it's not just about personal victory; one must also be able to rally the spirit of the troops behind.

Though somewhat startled that Lin Daiyu did not follow convention—who throws away their weapon outright? Even with a pair of hammers, throwing one leaves one still.

But Wang Ying was no true incompetent; he raised his staff with both hands to block.

True Qi protected his body, deflecting the hammer.

He was a fourth-rank martial master.

Yet this single strike, the hammer's immense force, shattered the tiger's mouth of both his hands, blood seeping out; his tall warhorse beneath him even let out a tragic cry and collapsed to its knees.

Wang Ying's expression turned horrified—where had this master come from?

Before Wang Ying could react further, a surging wave of killing intent condensed above his head and descended.

After throwing the hammer, Lin Daiyu abandoned her horse and leapt upward, her cloak billowing behind her, arriving at Wang Ying's upper left, and struck down with a palm.

True Qi erupted outward, the killing intent surging, faintly forming the shape of falling blossoms.

Burial Flower Divine Palm—Heavenly Descent of the Flower Cluster!

All Wang Ying could do was muster all his True Qi to shield his body; his armor even bulged slightly as he bore the blow head-on.

Struck by the Burial Flower Divine Palm, Wang Ying was flung from his horse, heavily impacting the ground, blood pouring from his mouth and nose.

His eyes were filled only with shock and horror.

In that single instant, he had already been gravely wounded to the brink of death.

Before Wang Ying could shout and launch a desperate counterattack for a sliver of survival, Lin Daiyu's other hammer in hand was also thrown.

The hammer descended with a sharp whistling, blood spraying.

It struck the ground, creating a small, shallow crater of blood.

Wang Ying's body continually twitched; his expression before death was especially ferocious and painful.

That hammer did not strike his head, but his lower half!

If time could flow backward, Wang Ying would surely not have spoken those words—then at least he would have died less painfully and humiliatingly.

One hammer strike killed Wang Ying; Lin Daiyu paused not at all, flicked her black cloak, and actually took the initiative to charge into the enemy formation.

Kill!

The Great Qian troops behind reacted fairly quickly; accompanied by a roar, they actively surged toward the enemy ranks.

A great battle thus began.

As for Wang Ying's corpse, it was trampled into a pulp in no time; in the heat of battle, who could spare a thought for a corpse?

Even if the Da Yin side had the will, they lacked the strength.

On the battlefield, Lin Daiyu wore black armor, a black cloak, and that eerie weeping mask—like a death god descending.

With the cloak sweeping, her position shifted with extreme speed; nearby soldiers could not lock onto her form.

One only felt the howling palm wind like weeping, continuously bringing death.

Bury Flower Divine Palm·Piercing Flowers, Skimming Leaves.

Lin Daiyu's cloak was no mere decoration; it was a tool coordinated with her martial art.

The Bury Flower Divine Palm was actually conceived from the ideas of the Sweeping Cloud Palm provided by Ao Yu Lie, and Sun Wukong combined it with Lin Daiyu's hidden inner nature to create it.

The technique was elusive and hard to grasp, yet its power was extraordinary; the palm wind howled like weeping.

It was far more suited to Lin Daiyu than the pure original version of the Mighty Monkey King Fist.

The other Taibao were similar, taking the Monkey King Fist as their foundation; many had branched out into paths more suitable for themselves.

As for Xue Baochai, she was an exception—she was originally dignified and majestic, even to the point of being "strict and orderly" in demeanor; in a sense, this actually matched the Monkey King Fist's immovable-as-a-mountain, overwhelming dominance.

Now on the battlefield, Lin Daiyu moved swiftly, like a butterfly weaving through flowers.

Xue Baochai and her maidservants formed a small formation, moving slowly yet creating the momentum of Mount Tai pressing down—like a mountain shifting sideways, utterly unstoppable.

Xue Baochai likewise wore a full set of black armor, wearing a mask, though it was a smiling mask.

The halberd in her hand swept horizontally and came down with casual ease.

Not a spear technique, the moves were simple, yet the momentum was extraordinarily terrifying—no one could withstand a single exchange.

As she advanced slowly, she reached Lin Daiyu's side: "Little sister Lin, the general said, on the battlefield one cannot leap about as before."

"Understood, I was just trying it out a moment ago," Lin Daiyu said.

To leap on the battlefield is to become a living target.

All kinds of crossbow bolts, weapons, and hidden projectiles would come flying at one.

Even if a martial artist became a master, without special means, they could not move freely in midair—only endure the blow.

Therefore, leaping is absolutely out of the question.

Once airborne, the target becomes larger than a military banner.

Unless one reaches the level of their great king, or the Duke of Xuan Guo, one might then be able to roam freely on the battlefield.

Soon, the outcome of this great battle was decided.

The Da Yin side lost a major general at the outset, and later had their vanguard banner cut down.

After suffering losses exceeding one-third, they nearly collapsed.

Fortunately, there were still capable commanders organizing the remnants, fighting while retreating, and finally escaping at the cost of over half their casualties.

At least they were not completely annihilated.

It could be called a great defeat.

Naturally, the Da Yin side achieved a complete victory.

The killing shook the heavens, and the war drums thundered through the clouds.

The "Weeping Death God" Lin Daiyu, wearing a weeping mask, spread her fame.

In the following days, Da Yin and Da Qian had several more engagements, all smaller in scale than the first.

Everyone also understood that for now, it was merely mutual probing, a warm-up phase.

The true great battle still lay ahead.

The victor of this national war would not be decided by minor figures like the Nine Phoenix Marquis; the true controllers of the battlefield were already approaching with their great army.

On the Da Yin side, the true commander-in-chief was Tian Gang Star, the Jade Qilin Lu Junyi!

Among the 108 Stars, his rank is only below the current Da Yin Emperor, Song Jiang.

Furthermore, the fourth-ranked Tian Xian Star, Enter Cloud Dragon Gong Sun Sheng, joined the army.

The deputy commanders also included the eighteenth seat Tian You Star, Golden Spear General Xu Ning; below him, the Tian Kong Star, Vanguard Suo Chao; the twenty-first Tian Yi Star, Red-Haired Ghost Liu Tang; and the one who secured the twenty-second seat of the 108 Stars, Tian Sha Star, Black Whirlwind Li Kui!

It is evident that Da Yin is determined to win this war at all costs.

On the Da Qian side, the commander-in-chief was the currently most prominent figure, hailed as the foremost under the Da Qian Grand Master—Guo Gong Jia Rong.

The deputy commanders were all highly skilled in warfare, veteran generals who had led armies for years, assisting from the sidelines.

However, compared to the opposing commander Lu Junyi, they seemed somewhat "shabby."

To match Lu Junyi's stature, the Da Qian side should have dispatched the Guo Guo Li Lin Dao.

Lu Junyi is a Grand Master and also a renowned commander with years of battlefield experience; he and Li Lin Dao had been long-time rivals and sworn enemies, clashing swords.

Now, however, the newly appointed Guo Guo Jia Rong took the field, seemingly looking down on the opposition.

Naturally, people had their speculations—nothing more than imperial machinations.

On the Da Qian side, if Guo Guo Li Lin Dao won a great victory, how would he be rewarded?

One must know, Li Lin Dao already held the title of Guo Guo; there was nothing higher to bestow, except becoming a prince.

Since the founding of Da Qian, there had never been a non-royal prince.

Those imperial princes were all raised like pigs.

Although Jia Rong also held the title of Guo Guo, he was after all a junior, young, and thus easier to handle than the Guo Guo.

Moreover, this was his first time leading troops in battle; he might merely be able to withstand Da Yin's offensive—neither victory nor defeat, no need for rewards, which would be quite good.

On the Da Yin side, they wanted to kill and strike at the heart, claiming that after Song Jiang's rise, they would eliminate dissidents, using this battle to both win and remove threats to him like Lu Junyi.

Various theories abounded, conflicting and numerous.

The truth on the Da Yin side remains unknown—it may be a mixture of various circumstances.

The Great Qian side is actually quite simple: Tang Luo went to the palace and expressed his desire to go out and play.

What could the Kaiyuan Emperor do?

Naturally, he said, "The Mysterious Venerable having this intention is a blessing for our Great Qian! Heaven blesses our Great Qian! He treats our Gu family with great kindness!"

He blessed it eighteen times in a day.

Even when Tang Luo takes a sip of water, it is Heaven blessing the Great Qian, treating the Gu family with great kindness.

They frantically tied Tang Luo, the Great Qian, and the imperial family together.

Li Lin Dao beside him could only tactfully express that war is not merely a contest of martial prowess, and still urged the Mysterious Venerable to pay more attention.

Fortunately, Tang Luo was not stubborn and self-willed; he agreed to let the old, steady, experienced generals accompany him, despite their refusal.

He even directly handed over supreme command to them, himself only acting as a hands-off shopkeeper.

This moved the Kaiyuan Emperor and others deeply.