Chapter 423

Countless feelings of fear emanated from within the city.

Yet, just as the people were immersed in their terror, a heaven-shaking and earth-shattering spear radiance suddenly erupted from the place submerged by the thunder-Dao Fire Qilin.

This spear radiance not only possessed an aura of destruction, but at its core, a trace of the aura of life was actually burgeoning.

Wherever the spear radiance passed, everything—including the air, space, lightning, and clouds—was torn open by a massive rift.

Furthermore, this spear radiance charged straight toward Zhang Jiao.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Jiao felt a sense of shock in his heart, but having campaigned on the battlefield for many years, he had long since forged a will of steel.

After being shocked for only a moment, Zhang Jiao took down the Taiping Essential Arts floating above his head and expanded it to wrap around his entire body.

Following a heaven-shaking explosion, Zhang Jiao, encased in the Taiping Essential Arts, was blasted more than a hundred miles away by this spear radiance.

Meanwhile, Tong Master Yuan, who had been swallowed by the thunder, gradually revealed his figure.

After this strike from Zhang Jiao, Tong Master Yuan did not suffer any major injuries; it was only because of the electric current that the clothes on his body were somewhat scorched black.

The reason Tong Master Yuan’s combat power was higher than Wang Yao Yue’s was not only because Emperor Gaozu of Han had made the more profoundly cultivated Tong Master Yuan a secret agent of the Great Han, but also because he had more time to dedicate to cultivation than the publicly known guardian deity, Wang Yao Yue.

Therefore, Tong Master Yuan’s cultivation base was a cut above Wang Yao Yue’s.

If Wang Yao Yue had taken that strike from Zhang Jiao just now, let alone being able to counterattack like Tong Master Yuan, he would likely have suffered internal injuries just from enduring the attack of Zhang Jiao’s thunder-Dao Fire Qilin.

The people inside the city watched as Tong Master Yuan remained unharmed, and then saw the white-robed Zhao Yun on the battlefield, moving across all directions like a god descended from the heavens.

The fighting spirit and hope for survival of the soldiers in the city were also ignited by this master and disciple pair, Zhao Yun and Tong Master Yuan.

Subsequently, a large number of Great Han troops rushed out from the city and, following Zhao Yun, slaughtered the Huang Jin army surrounding the city.

In an instant, the Huang Jin army was beaten back step by step by the Great Han troops!

After the generals and soldiers of the various great clans in the city rushed out of the city.

They vented all the fear and frustration they had held in their hearts for so many days onto the Huang Jin army.

For a time, the Great Han army seemed as if they were disregarding their own lives, beating the Huang Jin army’s troops into a rout.

After Zhang Jiao withdrew the Taiping Essential Arts and returned to the battlefield, he looked at the situation before him, and a rare trace of anger appeared in his eyes.

"Who exactly are you?"

"Why help the Great Han?!"

Zhang Jiao asked Tong Master Yuan in a cold voice.

He did not intend to continue wasting time here.

Zhang Jiao knew that even if he led the Huang Jin army to continue fighting here, it would be of no benefit to them.

Now, Zhang Jiao only wanted to know who this powerhouse who had suddenly appeared really was.

Hearing Zhang Jiao’s inquiry, Tong Master Yuan laughed heartily, and then he stood his long spear behind his back.

"Why meddle in the Great Han's affairs??!!??"

"I am the guardian deity of the Great Han personally appointed by Emperor Gaozu of Han back then; why can I not protect the Great Han?!"

"And why is protecting the Great Han considered meddling in affairs?!"

Tong Master Yuan said loudly to Zhang Jiao.

Hearing Tong Master Yuan’s words, whether it was Zhang Jiao or the generals of the various great clans within Jiaying Prefecture, they all widened their eyes in shock.

"Guardian deity??!! Doesn't our Great Han only have one guardian deity, General Wang Yao Yue?!"

"When did another one appear?!"

"Why have I never heard a single word about this news?!"

Countless questions poured out from the mouths of the people.

After a moment, Lu Zhi, who had been silent and thinking quietly, suddenly spoke up.

"When I was young, I seem to remember hearing the elders of our ancestors speak of it."

"In our Great Han, in the earliest days, there indeed existed two guardian deities!"

Hearing Lu Zhi’s words, the people of the various great clans surrounding Lu Zhi were all stunned, and their breathing even became a little hurried.

Lu Zhi frowned as if thinking about something, then continued:

"I was still young at the time, but I could vaguely discern the reverence our ancestors held for Emperor Gaozu."

"I remember my ancestors saying something about how Emperor Gaozu worried that the Great Han would encounter a great disaster in the future, or that some unworthy descendant would inherit this great enterprise."

"So, he had the two guardian deities separate. Through some special selection, Emperor Gaozu had one guardian deity protect the Great Han in the open, deterring those petty villains who harbored ill intentions toward the Great Han."

"And the other was to protect the Great Han from the shadows, and if the Great Han reached a moment of crisis, they could appear to protect the Great Han together with the guardian deity in the open."

"It’s just that at the time, Emperor Gaozu did not inform the world of this news; he only told a few close associates."

"The long disappearance of the other Great Han guardian deity caused us to gradually forget their existence, which achieved Emperor Gaozu’s purpose at the time!"

"Now it seems that the guardian deity in the open is General Wang Yao Yue, and the Great Han’s guardian deity in the shadows is perhaps this powerhouse holding the long spear and confronting Zhang Jiao!"

When he said this, Wang Yao Yue’s eyes already revealed an irrepressible excitement.

Hearing what Wang Yao Yue said, the eyes of the leaders of the various great clans who had come to Jiaying Prefecture also showed traces of shock.

Because in their minds, they seemed to have heard similar things from the elders of their families during their childhood.

After the shock, they did not go down the city walls immediately, but instead had their respective confidants send the news of Tong Master Yuan’s appearance back to their respective clans.

They had to inform the leaders of each great clan that the Great Han had two guardian deities, otherwise, a major problem would certainly arise.

On Zhang Jiao’s side, after hearing what Tong Master Yuan said, he couldn't help but furrow his brows tightly.

Zhang Jiao had never imagined that the dilapidated Great Han would actually possess such terrifying hidden power.

Tong Master Yuan’s appearance meant that many of the plans Zhang Jiao had prepared could no longer be implemented.

After the Taiping Essential Arts cast down rays of cool radiance onto Zhang Jiao’s head, his mind quickly returned to a very clear state.

After relaxing slightly for a moment, Zhang Jiao issued the order for the Huang Jin army to retreat.

Subsequently, Zhang Jiao looked at Tong Master Yuan, who was holding the long spear.

"The Great Han has indeed caught me off guard this time."

"If this were not a war, but a duel between you and me, you would certainly not be my match."

Zhang Jiao pointed his hand at Tong Master Yuan and continued:

"I will absolutely not give up on the plan to overthrow the Great Han."

"We shall meet again on the battlefield in the future!"

After speaking, Zhang Jiao transformed into a stream of light and disappeared before Tong Master Yuan.

Hearing Zhang Jiao’s words, Tong Master Yuan was not angry.

In the exchange just now, Tong Master Yuan had indeed felt Zhang Jiao’s strength; if it were truly a duel between martial artists, Tong Master Yuan was willing to admit that he was indeed not Zhang Jiao’s match.

Seeing the Huang Jin army slowly withdraw from the battlefield, the soldiers guarding the city finally relaxed their taut nerves and began to scream wildly.

"We won!!!"

"Won!"

Countless roaring sounds echoed across the entire battlefield.

Amidst the roars, Tong Master Yuan brought Zhao Yun, who was clad in white armor stained with blood, into the giant city together.

After a period of fermentation.

The news that the Great Han possessed two guardian deities and the appearance of the Great Han’s shadow guardian deity, Tong Master Yuan, quickly spread to all parts of the Nine Provinces.

After this news appeared, it served as a great encouragement to the soldiers in the various key towns.

Both the soldiers’ morale and fighting spirit burned fiercely.

But for individual clans of the Great Han, the news of Tong Master Yuan’s appearance was equivalent to a heavy blow to their heads.

"Damn it!!! Damn it!!!"

"If I, your father, have the chance, I will definitely hack that old scoundrel He Jin to pieces!!!"

Looking at the secret letter in his hand, Dong Zhuo in Xiliang directly tore off the clothes on his body.

Now, cold sweat was streaming down Dong Zhuo’s head, strand after strand.

Dong Zhuo kept thinking in his mind, if he had listened to He Jin back then and led his Xiliang army all the way toward Luoyang.

Then if he had done something untoward to Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, how could his small arms and legs withstand the wrath of a powerhouse like Tong Master Yuan, who was at the peak of the Earth Immortal*Heavenly Human realm?

Thinking that he might have been poked to death by Tong Master Yuan because of He Jin, Dong Zhuo couldn't help but want to kill He Jin.

"Pass down the order, guard this Xiliang territory well for me!!!"

"Don't you dare play games with the Great Han, haven't you heard that the Great Han suddenly popped out a guardian deity??!!"