Chapter 176

Li Guanyi set the Young Lady down at a safe spot within Yicheng, then mounted the strange beast and charged toward the outer city gate; any ordinary talent would have broken free with that surge.

But he faced none other than Chen's foremost siege general—sure enough, he encountered wave after wave of ambushes; Lu Youxian's tactics extended far beyond the elite squad sent to seize Xue's people.

"Kill!!!"

Roars of fury rang out continuously.

The civilians had long been driven back into their homes, doors and windows barred, listening as warhorses galloped back and forth outside, hooves striking the blue stone paving like rolling muffled thunder; swift light cavalry darted past, shouting:

"By General Lu Youxian's order!"

"Anyone who spots Li Guanyi—regardless of who he holds captive—draw swords, nock crossbows, and do not let him escape! Do not let him escape!!!"

"No quarter! Remember, give no quarter!"

After Li Guanyi and Xue Shuangtao escaped the Xue household, as the boy had predicted, the general known as Old Tortoise issued a ruthlessly shrewd order the moment he received word—he was a siege commander, even General Yue Qianfeng had failed to breach his defenses.

Even when Xue Daoyong fought alongside Yue Qianfeng outside the walls, he had refused to send reinforcements, prioritizing the city's safety; now, with merely a princess at stake, he would not risk the city for her life.

In the city governor's mansion, officials linked to the Xue household arrived to berate this general.

"You bold fool, Lu Youxian!"

"That is the Xue family's Young Lady, the nation's princess—now being dragged out by force—and you do not send aid, but order your soldiers to draw swords and nock crossbows? What is your meaning? Do you not fear harming the princess?!"

Lu Youxian replied:

"Li Guanyi, the Great Sacrifice, fled with the Xue family's strange-beast carriage, crashing into Yicheng at night."

"Something must have changed."

The official erupted: "You dare issue such an order over that? Lu Youxian, I warn you—if you persist, I will impeach you and take your official cap!"

Lu Youxian said: "To defend the city. To protect the nation."

The official went out to incite other officials indebted to the Xue family to protest; Lu Youxian remained silent for a long while, then suddenly drew his sword—its blade cold and sharp—and beheaded the leader of the protest, his massive head falling to the ground, blood and iron stench filling the air.

The officials, who had been shouting moments before, fell utterly silent.

Lu Youxian raised his sword: "To defend the city—anyone who speaks of halting the assault or releasing him—"

"Will meet this fate."

He added, with cool mockery: "If not for me holding this city, how could any of you have taken Xue's gold and spoken so freely here?"

The faces of the noble houses and officials darkened; this general, who had always seemed without temper, now revealed the resolve and tenacity that had held his lone city against Ying's cavalry for three months without surrender.

"Close all four city gates!"

Someone cried out: "No!"

Lu Youxian's gaze swept over them:

"Trapping a turtle in a jar—how could it not be done?!"

The man fell silent, stammering.

Lu Youxian snorted coldly, gripped his sword, and strode out; the entire city locked down, ten thousand soldiers of Yicheng donned armor, drew blades, and swept in waves to hunt and kill the rebel he knew had caused a cataclysm in Jiangzhou.

Heroes of the realm rode the battlefield of the Great Sacrifice; even now, far from the center, a Chen siege general—unyielding and undefeated—had instantly pierced the swirling storm, and instantly, Yicheng became a battlefield of alleyway warfare.

The veteran general's gaze was icy as he deployed troops to surround and kill a mere boy.

Before Lu Youxian lay the full topographical map of Yicheng.

Clad in armor, his expression calm, his left hand pressed upon the seal of Yicheng's commanding general—the seal glowed with flowing light, linking through the dragon vein's qi to directly contact Jiangzhou, reporting Li Guanyi's discovery and asking how to proceed.

Simultaneously, his right hand lifted a cavalry token and pushed it forward across the alleyway zones.

A sharp, ringing cry.

A long spear slashed downward.

Li Guanyi raised Han Shuang Ji, using its side prongs to block the spearhead; his mount was a strange beast, but within the city's terrain, he lacked Zhao Da Bing's beast-taming arts—even the beast could not unleash its full speed, and from the side, a squad of iron cavalry charged in, wielding twelve-foot spears, held level at the elbow, thrusting forward like a storm.

Li Guanyi gritted his teeth, summoned his might, and knocked two Captains off their mounts in one blow.

His right hand swept the weapon horizontally, his left arm extended.

In a single motion, he trapped both incoming spears beneath his arm.

He roared, and snapped both spears clean in half.

Another sweep.

The spear shafts, with their steel blades still attached, flew backward.

One of the Captains was pierced directly through the face by the blade, cried out, and tumbled from his horse; the other lurched aside, ducking beneath his mount's belly to evade the strike—just then, a row of crossbowmen appeared atop the opposite rooftops.

A single hum—and bolts fell like a swarm of flying locusts.

Li Guanyi squeezed his thighs.

The strange beast roared with Lei Ting, bursting clear of the volley.

Li Guanyi swept Han Shuang Ji in a wide arc, shattering or deflecting the bolts that missed him; since leaving the Young Lady, he had fought multiple battles, his battle robe layered with fresh blood over old.

Even his physique was beginning to gasp—combat differed from martial duels; every move was instinctively executed with maximum force, death lurked everywhere, he had already felled over a hundred men, yet this was Yicheng—enemy reinforcements came endlessly.

And the elite forces arrayed against him were commanded by a legendary siege general with a glorious combat record.

Rank seventy-one on the List of Divine Generals: Lu Youxian.

Even though the Great Sacrifice had drawn most of the world's top warriors, even after traveling this far, a general still stood calm in his path—endless, unyielding—this was the depth of a great nation.

Even if the Emperor had rotted away, this vast land, these countless elite soldiers and fierce generals, still stood like a giant—possessing power enough to shock the Western Regions and the Tujue, possessing potential enough to force Ying to treat him with solemn caution.

The world held too many heroes; he was but a young tiger.

"Boy, stop!!!"

A roar rang out—a general rode in on a warhorse bearing strange-beast blood, his inner qi forming armor, swirling around his body; without doubt, a third-floor cultivator. Li Guanyi raised Han Shuang Ji to block.

From the left, another general surged forth, sweeping a chain-like weapon that coiled around Li Guanyi's left arm and yanked hard, pinning the boy's arm—also a third-floor cultivator, a general commanding a thousand troops.

Such deputy generals numbered over a dozen in Yicheng.

"Die!!!"

A nine-foot-tall giant, wielding a hammer as large as a wine jar, slammed down from above with terrifying force; Li Guanyi roared, his blood and qi surging—but just as his physique and blood reached their peak, the poison of the Fei erupted again.

Unparalleled agony plunged his vision into darkness.

Li Guanyi let out a long howl; the roar of Bai Hu echoed as his left hand suddenly wrapped around the general and yanked backward, then flicked his wrist, sending wave-like force along the chain.

What terrifying strength.

It forcibly yanked a One Third-Layer general clean off his mount.

Li Guanyi's heart surged; he swept his arm violently, hurling the One Third-Layer general straight into the descending wine-jar hammer. The two One Third-Layer generals collided, their blood and qi churning as both crashed to the ground. Li Guanyi's left hand bled profusely—he punched sideways, sending a cavalryman tumbling from his horse.

The man's weapon flew upward; Li Guanyi seized it mid-gallop.

He reversed his blade, slicing horizontally—shattering the arrows.

The sound of hooves thundered.

Li Guanyi held the battle halberd in his right hand and the long sword in his left, leaning low over his steed, his heart pounding wildly. From high above, the entire Yicheng Fortress seemed a battlefield—clouds of dust rose like iron cavalry, all encircling, chasing, blocking, and cornering the young boy.

But the foremost beast, wreathed in Lei Ting, nearly broke free from the ten thousand troops—as if it would survive!

Blood trickled from Li Guanyi's lips; he stared fixedly ahead.

The city gate—right ahead!

Break through, and true freedom awaits—boundless seas for fish to leap, endless skies for birds to fly.

But as the boy charged into the weng city, the gate ahead slammed shut with a thunderous boom—next instant, Li Guanyi's scalp prickled; he flung himself sideways. A streak of light—almost a pillar of radiance—descended.

It crashed down from above, snapping the beast's spine.

The famed general Lu Youxian stood atop the height, gripping a bow, his gaze icy.

"Li Guanyi, the court has issued its decree."

"You killed Chancellor Dan Tai. All troops—kill him!"

The beast collapsed. Instantly struck by Lu Youxian's full power, even a beast could not withstand it. Li Guanyi rolled on the ground, his Dharma Form erupting with force; he seized Han Shuang Ji—the halberd's light flickered.

【Juan Tao】!!

With full power unleashed, Juan Tao—Li Guanyi finally understood the true purpose of this sweeping qi: amidst chaos, Xue Shen's Juan Tao revealed a capability beyond mere martial duels.

Dozens around him were thrown off-balance by Juan Tao's force.

Li Guanyi spun, leapt upward in the confusion, seized the reins, kicked both feet out—shattering the teeth of two charging Captains, sending them tumbling from their mounts. He landed on the beast's steed, struck its rump with his weapon—the horse bolted. Though the gate was sealed and a Divine General blocked the way, he broke free of the encirclement and vanished swiftly.

Lu Youxian had planned to shoot him dead with one arrow.

But the city terrain that had earlier hindered Li Guanyi now concealed him; Lu Youxian lowered his bow and said: "Narrow the encirclement—he's wounded. Kill him!"

"Yes!"

Lu Youxian lifted his weapon, staring at the straight road Li Guanyi had charged through—even he felt a faint tremor in his eyes. What terrifying power! A boy barely over ten, nearly shattered ten thousand troops' blockade!

Though within Yicheng, he could not deploy the vast armies of an open battlefield—but precisely because it was Yicheng, Li Guanyi faced an army commanded by Lu Youxian, who knew every alley, every stone of this city.

Yet he still smashed through over a hundred men, slain two generals, rode twenty mounts, sent countless others tumbling, shattered the cobblestones beneath his hooves, snapped and twisted weapons littering the ground.

And still, he had strength left to fight.

Had Lu Youxian not judged correctly, Li Guanyi might truly have carved a path out of this city, breaking through ten thousand troops. Lu Youxian suddenly recalled ancient records: eight hundred years ago, mere handfuls of men had slain city lords and seized entire cities.

He spoke almost instinctively: "Not a overlord."

"But…"

Lu Youxian's gaze swept the scene, his voice deep:

"Yet still—a feat of heroic courage."

"If you escape today, someday you will become a famed general of the realm, a threat to our nation. The best defense is to slay the enemy at the outset. Li Guanyi—die here today."

Li Guanyi's breakout through his blockade proved that, as a teammate, Lu Youxian seemed ordinary—but as an opponent, he was an exceptionally tenacious defensive general.

Finally, even the stolen steed collapsed; Li Guanyi fought on foot, retreating step by step.

The military formations and strategies taught by Xue Shen kept surfacing in this life-or-death battle—he grasped them through actual combat, gradually mastering them, allowing Li Guanyi to glimpse paths to survival.

That was why he hadn't been wiped out in one blow by Lu Youxian.

【Fei Poison】 erupted—waves of agony plunged his vision into darkness.

Just before the poison surged, he shook off his pursuers, found a brief respite, swallowed the pill prepared by Xue Lao, suppressed the toxin with Yuan Qi, then activated 【Wan Gu Cang Yue Bu Mie Ti】—concentrating his Jin Dan to suppress the Fei Poison.

His battle robe was tattered, his armor dented and collapsed in places.

Dozens of arrows and crossbow bolts still stuck from his back—he looked like a living porcupine.

Yet the Jinwu Guard armor's defense was truly solid—this barrage hadn't killed him. But even this armor had reached its limit; Li Guanyi finally understood why generals died from stray arrows—you think one arrow, no—it's a whole storm.

Dense, dark, swarming through the air—arrows flew everywhere.

Avoid one side, and another strikes.

Li Guanyi exhaled, using a branch to sketch the formation he'd observed on the ground. Xue Shen wasn't here—but he could almost still hear the voice of the once-greatest Divine General guiding him: What should you do in this situation?

'So—what will you do?'

Li Guanyi's ear seemed to catch the Divine General's smiling voice.

He looked up—saw no smiling general. His heart tightened; he clenched his fists, breathing rapidly. This was no longer a test with Xue Shen—it was his life on the line. Break out—and the world awaits!

Fail—and the dead boy genius is just another corpse.

What should he do?

Li Guanyi's awareness rose, detaching from the battlefield, viewing from above—as a commander, as a strategist—what was Lu Youxian's strategic goal?

Li Guanyi's eyes gradually grew calm.

"To kill me."

"Yes—he doesn't know I possess a top-tier physique. To him, a Named Second-Layer warrior, trapped behind sealed gates, is impossible to escape. He wants me dead within this city."

"He underestimates me—he cannot help but underestimate me. That… is my only chance."

"Place oneself in death's grip to find life."

His troops will be concentrated on surrounding and killing me, while the city gates—once a death trap—are now my only chance for survival. Either I die here in this endless alley warfare, or I surge forward and break out of this prison-like city.

What else do I have left to lose?

Li Guanyi grew calm. He set down his battle halberd and became composed.

Only now, looking around, did he realize belatedly that this place was the Mountain God Temple of Yicheng. He had come here following the map given by Po Jun, hiding the location of the Tie Futu armor—never expecting that fool would hide it here.

But then again, what place could be more suitable for storing such a thing than the ruined remains of the Mountain God Temple, already more dilapidated after being destroyed by General Yue Qianfeng?

But if it's the Mountain God Temple…

Li Guanyi suddenly remembered something. A spark of interest stirred. He rose and walked to the withered well within the temple ruins, muttered for a while, then pulled up a cloth sack. Opening it, he found a single Jin Zhu inside.

It was the trophy from his first encounter with General Yue Qianfeng.

Now, penniless, the boy slipped the Jin Zhu into his chest. This was a place of utter death—and yet, a surge of boldness and exhilaration rose from deep within him. His connection to Chen State, his story with Da Ji, had begun here—and must end here too!

The boy threaded the Young Lady's jade pendant with a rope and hung it around his neck.

He lifted his battle halberd, followed Po Jun's map, and dripped blood onto a spot before the ruined statue of the Mountain God. Slowly, faint starlight spread outward, and a colossal form appeared before him—towering, solemn, radiating a chilling aura of slaughter.

This was the most crucial part of his plan.

Li Guanyi slowly reached out and pulled off the woolen oilcloth covering it.

With a rustle, the oilcloth fell.

There, before him, stood a dark, menacing armor, exuding a cold aura of slaughter. Li Guanyi's perception already sensed the surrounding armies closing in. His right hand gripped Han Shuang Ji; dark, malevolent energy slowly spread.

The boy whispered: "Fire Qilin."

The Fire Qilin, which had been lying hidden beneath his battle robe, lifted its head.

"Though it's a stretch…."

In his left hand, the boy produced a dark-golden faceplate.

"Can you accompany me in one last reckless act?"

"Let's break out together!"

"To the world."

The boy's eyes burned like fire.

This was the only chance for survival—he must struggle, must fight with all his strength.

Grasp it!

………………

Before the ruins of the Mountain God Temple, Chen State's soldiers had surrounded and advanced. They gripped their weapons, formed ranks. Crossbows were ready. Lu Youxian held the rear, guarding. He was no warrior skilled in close combat or siege warfare—but still far stronger than ordinary generals.

"He's already expended so much strength."

"Yes, how young is he? Two generals were nearly killed by him… and so many brothers."

"Enough. Charge in!"

"Follow General Lu's orders—fire three volleys into the temple!"

Arrows rained down in waves, then fire was set. But the temple was poor—built of earth and stone—and burned poorly. So several elite soldiers charged in with spears.

The next instant, those elite soldiers—who had previously held their ground against Li Guanyi—froze.

A dark battle halberd thrust forth flames, then swept upward. Dozens of elite soldiers were flung into the air by the halberd. A low roar like a tiger echoed, then flames scattered. Lu Youxian's ever-calm gaze finally lost its composure.

As if from legend, the faded image—existing only in ancient histories and memory—crossed the falling rain and stepped into the present. Raindrops, fallen unnoticed, struck the dark armor, rippling like a shimmering veil draped over him.

Lu Youxian's heart pounded wildly. As commander, he lost his composure for an instant, staring fixedly ahead as the dark halberd swept horizontally—its force like a tiger's roar—sending over a dozen elite soldiers flying—

The Fire Qilin roared, and a warrior clad in dark armor rode atop it.

Holding a halberd, face masked in dark gold, he appeared upon the battlefield!

The halberd swept down, striking the ground.

Flames erupted.

The legend—reborn!

Lu Youxian's hardened resolve slowly crumbled, his pupils contracting violently:

"Tai Ping Gong?!!!"