Chapter 248: The Swift Sound of Arrow Rain

After a blast of the horn, the Chang'an garrison and the volunteer army officially began their counterattack. Above the city walls, a large quantity of feathered arrows from the Chang'an government storehouses were carried by laborers to the arrow parapets. The powerful bows possessed the ability to gather true qi, and the arrowheads were engraved with talismans for armor-piercing and soul-snatching.

The military cultivators in the army possessed sharp true qi and were skilled in slaughter. When gathered upon such powerful bows and sharp arrows, they could even pierce the skulls of the war elephants raised by the Southern Barbarians, which stood ten zhang tall.

For ordinary rogue cultivators, encountering such battlefield artifacts specifically crafted for the war between gods and demons, being shot through their protective artifacts and pinned to the ground along with their primordial spirits was no laughing matter.

A single such arrow was worth thirty spirit talismans in the King Wuling market.

Now, carried onto the battlefield, the arrows from the Great Tang armory were worth enough to buy half of the King Wuling marketplace. The artifacts crafted by the power of an entire nation, consuming resources for the sake of war, were something sects and rogue cultivators could hardly imagine.

The soldiers of the Northern Prefecture's Six Armies guarding Chang'an had cultivation bases of at least the Martial Path Innate stage and were well-versed in military tactics. They drew their bows and nocked their arrows, using the army's standard-issue war bows, which even had calibration marks left by specialists after test-firing. Following a loud shout from General Geshu Han: "Fire!"

A dense, locust-like swarm of feathered arrows was launched high into the air. Aided by true qi, they crossed dozens of miles, and as they descended from the sky, they perfectly blanketed the formation of the demon army's vanguard.

At this moment, the demon army had already raised the round shields in their hands. The demon army was also composed of Great Tang border troops, and there was no difference in equipment compared to the elite city defenders. There were also great generals skilled in military formations who used the square-circle formation to condense the entire army's blood energy and true qi into one, further borrowing the power of the earth's qi to make the demon army's feet take root. The shield formation was like it had grown roots into the ground; they raised their shields to protect their fronts and tops, and the entire army's blood energy condensed into one. Most of the arrows that precisely covered their formation were simply unable to tear through that defense, which was as steady as a mountain.

Occasionally, one or two people were hit and fell, having no impact on the formation.

One round of arrow rain like this, if changed to the fortified manors of those Jin State aristocratic families, would be enough for such artifact arrows to kill seven or eight out of ten living beings within the manor in one round. Only a few people could survive because their luck was too good or their cultivation was truly profound.

The sect-protecting magic array of the Golden Sand Sect that Brother Qian Chen had broken in the past covered dozens of miles and could be considered an extremely stable and difficult-to-break sect-protecting array among small and medium-sized sects. But according to Brother Qian Chen's estimation, one round of volley fire from the Tang army would be able to kill five or six out of ten Golden Sand Sect disciples hiding behind the array.

This was the might of a military formation!

The way of the military, inherited from the war between gods and demons in ancient times, where the sky collapsed and the earth cracked, the continent overturned, and living beings were wiped out—such cruel, large-scale wars were numerous. Through the wars of the successive Heavenly Xia, Heavenly Zhou, Immortal Qin, and Immortal Han dynasties, all had large-scale participation of cultivators; it could be said that its foundation was not inferior to the arrays of the Profound Sect.

Thousands, tens of thousands of military cultivators, their cultivation and supernatural powers acting as one, also had no fear of the Profound Sect arrays that borrowed the power of heaven and earth, feng shui, and spiritual veins.

General Geshu Han said solemnly: "The foundation of the demon army is still the border troops of the three Hebei towns; their elite status is not inferior to the Northern Prefecture. Hebei has to guard against the Weishi, Khitan, and Xi people, and there are small-scale skirmishes every year, so their battle-hardened nature goes without saying. In the past, in terms of cultivation, they might have been slightly worse than the Northern Six Armies, which gathered the elites of the Great Tang, but after opening the Yu Yu Jiuyou rift, they are even slightly superior."

The results of the Tang army's probing attack were not optimistic.

Not to mention those volunteer troops recruited from the marketplace; many monks had a piece of cloth wrapped around their heads, and wandering knights went onto the battlefield with the hunting bows they usually used. Asking them to shoot and kill monsters and birds on a daily basis, they could shoot in from the left eyeball and out the right eyeball, but asking them to volley fire, throw over dozens of miles, and cover a military formation was asking too much of these people.

There were a few arrows among the volunteer army that actually relied purely on archery, flying across dozens of miles, livingly piercing through the round shields raised by the demon army, and even shooting through three or five people behind, only then did their momentum barely stop.

But Brother Qian Chen and General Geshu Han did not take such archery into account. This looked like archery supernatural powers shot out by relying on their own tyrannical cultivation, and it had no universal significance. Could the demon army, relying on the military formation, not block those one or two arrow lights?

But whether they blocked them or not, what significance did it have for the overall situation?

Military formations, from the moment of their birth, were to let those who formed the formation die and kill the enemy more efficiently. It was to avoid the situation in the ancient war between gods and demons, where gods and demons raised their divine weapons and used innate great supernatural powers to smash down, causing all living beings on a battlefield to die out.

Therefore, they gathered the strength of the masses to resist gods and demons.

What they pursued was that even if gods and demons smashed half of them with a wave of their hands, the remaining people could still launch threatening attacks against the gods and demons, at least to entangle part of the energy of the gods and ancient demons.

Most of the volunteer army's arrows could not even shoot that far.

Brother Qian Chen plucked the strings, playing a few silent divine thunders, which drummed within the demon army's formation, blowing up dozens of demon heads. Only then did he level the zither sound and accumulate the thunder momentum, saying: "General General Geshu, the military formation uses secret techniques to make the soldiers' blood energy communicate, true qi coordinate, and momentum condense as one, gathering the strength of the masses. And music can stir up and influence the soldiers' blood energy and true qi operation on a large scale."

General Geshu Han nodded and said: "Breaking a formation with drums is the right principle. Since ancient times, breaking a military formation should use big drums and long horns. Therefore, in ancient times, rites and music were mentioned together. Our Great Tang also has the 'Qin Wang Breaks the Formation' music, inherited from the 'Prince of Lanling Breaks the Formation' song, which specifically breaks military formations and military momentum, and even condenses the momentum of the subordinates to restrain the changes of the formation."

"Just now, your song could break the demons in the hearts of a million people. Even if you take out one-tenth of the ability you just had, it is not difficult to temporarily break the momentum of the demon army!" After General Geshu Han finished speaking, he waited for Brother Qian Chen's answer.

"It is not difficult to break this formation! But once I make a move and break the momentum of this demon army, the demons on the opposite side who have cultivated immortal bodies and natal gods and demons will also make a move, breaking your arrow formation." Brother Qian Chen said in a low voice: "Therefore, there must be a wave of coordination between us!"

General Geshu Han glanced at the Tang army and volunteer army behind him and replied: "There is absolutely no problem with the coordination of my subordinates. But although the volunteer army is numerous and powerful, and their cultivation is not bad, they are ultimately a rabble. Although their morale is commendable... but fighting a war has never relied solely on morale!"

"No matter, for a general, it is nothing more than playing to one's strengths and avoiding weaknesses!" Brother Qian Chen replied: "Junior Sister Si..."

Si Si Qingguo rubbed her sore hands and said: "What instructions does Yan Yan Shixiong have!"

"The whole army should switch to new demon-breaking talisman arrows!"

"I can win you three rounds of volley fire!"

The zither sound under Brother Qian Chen's hands changed, becoming intense again. The clanging zither sound carried the solemn and high-spirited atmosphere before a great battle... Far away on the Chengtian Gate, Li Guinian bared his left lapel, baring one arm, and was vigorously beating the Chengtian Drum. At this time, hearing the zither sound on the distant city wall, which had crossed most of Chang'an, change, he immediately gave a loud shout, livingly changing the rhythm of beating the Chengtian Drum.

Each drum song was like a cultivation technique. This was equivalent to forcibly changing the cultivation technique halfway through its operation. The pressure was so great that the Liyuan disciples standing by and guarding were terrified.

At this time, Lei Lei Haiqing had already heard the new change in the drum song and hurriedly shouted: "Pass it on, change—to 'Qin Wang Breaks the Formation'!"

"Change the song to 'Qin Wang Breaks the Formation'!"

From the Zhu Que Gate downwards, the drum towers of all the wards in Chang'an began to slowly change the song. Soon, the whole city was filled with the sound of drums, carrying a solemn atmosphere, as if beating on the hearts of the people of Chang'an. This drum sound, like a heartbeat, once again woke up the Profound Emperor who had returned to the Great Ming Palace.

He raised his head and asked: "Gao Lishi, how is the battle situation outside?"

Gao Gao Lishi held the eunuch's report, not knowing how to say it. Should he say that Li Bai had killed the army supervisor on the city wall to sacrifice the flag, and General Geshu Han had opened the city gate to let the million people of Guanzhong outside the city enter? Gao Gao Lishi knew the weight of things, so he did not send those ignorant and fearless dead eunuchs in the palace, but sent a timid and fearful yellow-gate official over, just to report the battle situation.

Gao Gao Lishi pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice: "General Geshu Han has already repelled one attack by the demon army and is preparing to counterattack now?"

"Counterattack!" The Profound Emperor nodded slowly: "'Qin Wang Breaks the Formation'... it really is a counterattack." He was silent for a long time before slowly opening his mouth and saying: "But I have disgraced the heroism of the Great Emperor, the Qin Wang! In the past, the Great Emperor could lead the army to break the formation, but now I can only hide in this Great Ming Palace!"

"At this time, outside the Xuanwu Gate, I wonder if there is any restlessness in the Six Armies!"

At this time, Gao Gao Lishi fell to his knees with a thud and said: "Your Majesty, at this time the whole city is of one heart, the children of Chang'an have high morale, and it is a time when everyone is of one heart to go to the national disaster together. How could anyone have two hearts? As long as Your Majesty is encouraged, the Great Tang will not perish!"

The Profound Emperor was silent...

On the city wall, the corpse of the army supervisor eunuch was still leaning against the pillar, his neck tilted to the side, standing like a flag. The sound of war drums shook the world and surged toward the demon army outside the city. Following the Great Sage Dasheng Dasheng Leiyin Zither on Brother Qian Chen's knees, it once again gathered countless drum sounds, transforming this slightly chaotic drum sound into a surging tide of thunder sound.

The transparent sound waves surged from the city wall toward the distance again. Wherever they went, the neat military formations were instantly turned upside down. Everyone's true qi and demonic qi could not help but jump. The chaotic true qi caused the military formation, which was like one body, to return to a pile of loose sand.

The demon army vanguard, holding round shields, felt a mountain-toppling vibration coming from the shields in their hands. The first three rows of human walls were lifted up as a whole, and the neat formation was instantly torn to shreds. Even the demon army captain who commanded the formation was shattered into a blood mist by the silent divine thunder.

But at this time, Li Li Linfu also made a move! It was still the phantom of a stone tablet, standing in front like a small mountain. That rolling sound wave, after passing through this stone tablet, was suppressed by seven-tenths of its power in an instant. The remaining three-tenths could only make the demon army's vanguard formation slightly chaotic. It looked like it would only take three moments for the demon army to reorganize its formation.

At this time, General Geshu Han gave a loud shout: "Listen to my order, calibrate to eighteen segments, fire!"

The black arrow rain was thrown high again. The sound of the arrows even suppressed the voices of the refugees under the city. In the whistling wind, such noise got closer and closer, and soon reached the top of the demon army's heads...

Li Li Linfu glanced at the group of old demons behind him, and only then did a foreign monk from the Black Witch Sect give a cold laugh and threw out the eighteen skull-tied Buddhist beads on his neck. He saw the skull Buddhist beads spitting out wild winds, and the eighteen skulls blew wild winds from all directions, gradually forming a huge tornado in mid-air, blocking in front of the arrow rain.

Although there were wind-fixing runes on the arrows, this wind was not an ordinary wild wind, but the Samadhi Divine Wind that the demon path had gathered from the Nine Nethers... As the tornado took shape, this overwhelming arrow rain was about to be completely swallowed... The old demon of the Black Witch could even take advantage of the situation to roll the Samadhi Divine Wind toward Chang'an, letting the defenders taste the taste of the law-breaking arrows within it.

But Li Li Linfu did not notice that this time, the arrows shot out all had a talisman paper wrapped around the tail of the arrowhead.

Si Si Qingguo hovered on the city wall. She took the risk to lean out of the city wall for a few zhang to get a better field of vision. Behind her, the volunteer army and the Tang army were already preparing for the second round of volley fire!

"Calibrate to twenty segments, fire!" Following General Geshu Han's angry roar again, arrows like a black curtain rose from behind Si Si Qingguo, covering the sky and the earth. This curtain even covered Si Si Qingguo herself.

Countless sharp arrows shot from behind. Si Si Qingguo, hovering in mid-air, was covered in sweat, her hands pinching a magic formula, her fingertips seeming unable to bear the hidden resistance, trembling slightly.

"Controlling talismans with qi, controlling talismans with spirit... this is the Primordial Great Dao, the true transmission of Zhengyi. Talisman arrows are also talismans... talisman arrows are also talismans!"

Si Si Qingguo kept muttering in her mouth, but as the arrow rain had already approached the Samadhi Divine Wind and was shrouded by that huge swallowing power, the sweat on her forehead instantly covered her, and she even said tremblingly: "Yan Yan Shixiong Brother Qian, are you kidding me! A talisman is a piece of paper, how heavy is paper, how heavy is an arrow? Yan Yan Shixiong Yan controlling a sword is at least a sword pill that is in harmony with his heart. You ask me to control these millions of arrow rains. If I had this ability, why wouldn't I ascend in broad daylight?"

"Ten thousand arrows obey the law, give me... split!" Si Si Qingguo gave a loud shout, her two fingers pressed together, trembling and splitting left and right. Behind her, countless arrows shooting out actually bypassed her side. That entire arrow curtain turned into nine streams of arrows, like long dragons.

Countless arrows gathered into nine long arrow dragons, their speed even swifter, even turning into heavy light shadows, flying and shuttling away.

The arrow rain that reached before the Samadhi Divine Wind, bearing the huge swallowing power, was like countless flying swords manipulated by someone, splitting into two long dragons, bypassing the tornado from left and right, carrying the aura of death, and pouncing on the demon army's vanguard.

Dull sounds of metal inserting into human bodies came out from the demon army formation, and there was also the sound of wind brought by the arrows passing through human bodies. This whistling sound mixed with the sound of armor and bodies falling to the ground, spreading from front to back, from the center to the two wings like flying!

The lingering sounds were endless.

Brother Qian Chen saw this and nodded in admiration: "Ten thousand arrows return to the sect, it is indeed feasible, and it's cool!"

Just the first round of arrow rain made a military formation of the demon army's vanguard a dead land evenly inserted with arrows. The demon-descending power contained in the arrows further stirred the silent divine thunder permeating the surroundings. Where the arrows hit, a force of yin thunder exploded silently. Even the tyrannical bodies that had been transformed by demonic qi and possessed by demon heads could not withstand such poisonous arrows.

The next round of arrows spread from the other formations of the demon army's vanguard. Those countless arrows were like one-time flying swords, shuttling through the crowd, and they could even turn...

This was a flying sword even more terrifying than Yan Shu's ten thousand sword light differentiation. In the blink of an eye, nearly ten thousand demon troops were wiped out. The foreign monk of the Black Witch Sect was ashamed and angry. He didn't care about the life or death of these demon troops, but losing such a big face also made him completely ashamed and angry.

The tornado transformed by the Samadhi Divine Wind, under the push of the eighteen skulls, slowly rolled toward the countless people entering the city under the Chang'an city wall.

Your Chang'an city has a great array to protect it, but the refugees outside the city don't!

Don't you want to save people? I'll let you save ghosts...

Si Si Qingguo tried her best to control three rounds of arrow rain, controlling hundreds of thousands of arrows like talismans, creating a huge battle result she had never even imagined, but she also exhausted her magic power and barely flew back to the city wall. Was this a miracle created by her will?

No, it wasn't.

This was a miracle created by hundreds of thousands of talismans tied to the arrows and printed by her own hands. This was the power of money.

Ning Ning Qingchen floated up to support the somewhat exhausted Si Si Qingguo. That huge tornado, carrying countless Yellow Spring poisonous sands, slowly rolled toward Chang'an. The huge wind eye, tens of zhang thick, was like a natural disaster, sweeping past, and even the yellow soil on the ground was scraped away by a zhang.

The refugees outside the city began to riot. They cried and squeezed into the city. The order that the Tang army had painstakingly maintained was about to collapse. Even though a team of cavalry at the city gate had cut down a few young and strong men who relied on their youth and strength to trample on the old and young, they still could not withstand the deterrent power of this natural disaster.

At this time, a thunderclap exploded in the ears of everyone under the city. The violent sound wave impact caused everyone to lose their balance instantly, their minds went blank, and the hundreds of thousands of crowded refugees instantly became quiet.

Beside Brother Qian Chen, the Golden and Silver Boys raised the Profound Yellow Yellow Ruyi. The black and yellow intertwined light carried the mystery of the opening of heaven and earth. As the boy lifted it vigorously, the Yellow Ruyi, flashing with profound light, was thrown toward the Samadhi Divine Wind in the distance.

The boy's strength was not small, throwing it dozens of zhang away. The Yellow Ruyi turned into a streak of profound light, hitting toward the wind eye... ===== CHAPTER 249 =====