Chapter 721: The second guardian deity of the Great Han—Tong Yuan!

After the generals and soldiers of the major clans in the city marched out,

they poured all the fear and stifled frustration they had harbored for so many days onto the Huang Jin army.

In an instant, the Great Han army seemed to have cast aside all regard for their lives, beating the Huang Jin forces into a state of total collapse.

When Zhang Jiao stepped back from the battlefield after putting away the *Taiping Essential Arts*, a rare trace of anger surfaced in his eyes as he surveyed the situation.

"Who exactly are you?"

"Why must you help the Great Han?!"

Zhang Jiao asked Tong Yuan in a cold voice.

He had no intention of continuing to waste time here.

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

Right now, Zhang Jiao only wanted to know who this powerhouse who had suddenly emerged really was.

Hearing Zhang Jiao's inquiry, Tong Yuan let out a hearty laugh, then stood his long spear upright behind his back.

"Why meddle in the affairs of the Great Han??!!??"

"I am the guardian deity of the Great Han personally appointed by the Great Han Gao Zu himself; why can I not protect the Great Han?!"

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

Tong Yuan said loudly to Zhang Jiao.

Hearing Tong Yuan's words, whether it was Zhang Jiao or the generals of the major clans within Jiaoying City, all of them widened their eyes in shock.

"Guardian deity??? Isn't the only guardian deity of our Great Han General Wang Yue?!"

"When did another one appear?!"

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

Countless questions poured forth from the people's mouths.

After a moment, Lu Zhi, who had been silent and deep in thought, suddenly spoke up.

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

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

Hearing Lu Zhi's words, the members of the major clans around him were stunned, and their breathing even became slightly rapid.

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

"I was still young then, but I could faintly discern the reverence our ancestors held for Gao Zu."

"I remember my ancestors saying that Gao Zu was worried the Great Han might encounter a great disaster in the future, or that poor descendants might appear to inherit this great enterprise."

"So he separated the two guardian deities. Through some special selection, Gao Zu had one guardian deity protect the Great Han in the open, deterring those with malicious intent toward the Great Han."

"The other remained in the shadows to protect the Great Han, 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 is just that Gao Zu did not announce this news to the world at the time; he only told a few close associates."

"The long disappearance of the other Great Han guardian deity caused us to gradually forget his existence, which achieved Gao Zu's purpose at the time!"

"Looking at it now, the guardian deity in the open is General Wang Yue, and the Great Han's hidden guardian deity is perhaps this powerhouse holding the long spear and confronting Zhang Jiao!"

At this point, an irrepressible excitement already shone in Wang Yue's eyes.

Hearing Wang Yue's words, the eyes of the leaders of the major clans who had come to Jiaoying City also showed traces of shock.

Because in their own minds, they seemed to have heard similar stories 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 Yuan's appearance back to their respective clans.

They had to inform the leaders of their clans that the Great Han had two guardian deities, otherwise, a major problem would surely arise.

On Zhang Jiao's side, after hearing what Tong Yuan said, he could not help but frown tightly.

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

Tong Yuan's appearance meant many of Zhang Jiao's prepared plans could no longer be implemented.

After the *Taiping Essential Arts* cast rays of cool radiance down upon Zhang Jiao's head, his mind quickly returned to a state of great clarity.

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

Then, Zhang Jiao looked at Tong 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 finger at Tong Yuan and continued:

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

"We shall meet again on the battlefield!"

After speaking, Zhang Jiao transformed into a streak of light and vanished before Tong Yuan.

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

In the exchange just now, Tong Yuan had indeed felt Zhang Jiao's strength; if it were truly a duel between martial artists, Tong 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 cheer wildly.

"We have won!!!"

"Won!"

Countless roars echoed across the entire battlefield.

Amidst the roars, Tong Yuan entered the great city together with Zhao Yun, who was clad in white armor stained with blood.

After a period of fermentation.

The news that the Great Han possessed two guardian deities, as well as the appearance of the Great Han's hidden guardian deity Tong Yuan, quickly spread to all parts of the Nine Provinces.

After this news emerged, it served as a great encouragement to the soldiers in the various major strongholds.

Both the morale and fighting spirit of the soldiers burned fiercely.

But for certain clans of the Great Han, the news of Tong Yuan's appearance was like a heavy blow to their heads.

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

"If I, your father, ever get the chance, I will surely hack that old scoundrel He Jin to pieces!!!"

Looking at the secret letter in his hand, Dong Zhuo in Xiliang directly threw off his robes.

Now, beads of cold sweat were streaming down Dong Zhuo's head uncontrollably.

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

and if he had done something untoward to Emperor Liu Hong of the Great Han, how could his small arms and legs withstand the wrath of a powerhouse like Tong Yuan, who was at the Peak Perfected Realm of the Heavenly Man Realm?

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

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

"Stop playing games for the Great Han, damn it; haven't you heard that the Great Han suddenly popped out a guardian deity??!!" ===== CHAPTER 722 =====