Chapter 592: Unimaginable New‑Style Warfare

Huh? How did the ground crack open? Wait, I'm not doing the splits!

Damn, who's grabbing my foot… huh? Where did this vine come from? Ouch!

No, I'm pinned under a cannon, please, anyone, come give me a hand!

Amid the sky‑filled dust and incessant cries rising from the collapsing city wall, Lord Xiguang made an agile leap and landed on a tower in the city.

Looking back, that was a scene he would never forget.

It was like the legendary hell, countless twisted, menacing branches, vines, and roots slowly rising from the earth, like hands of demons reaching out from the abyss.

A thousand‑mile levee can still be destroyed by an ant hole, let alone countless exotic plants straining with all their might to bore through—no wall can withstand such digging.

Thus the Western Border Pass, in which Lord Xiguang had placed high hopes, was overturned just like that, and the soldiers stationed on it were swallowed up together in the green.

But if that were all, it would merely mean he hadn't expected the Deep Forest folk to have such a trick, and he'd accidentally fallen into someone else's scheme.

Victory and defeat are common in war; it's not disgraceful. Since we haven't lost everything yet, we can just win it back.

Meanwhile, the Deep Forest commander, by sacrificing troops to unleash a large‑scale magic, forcibly tore down the Radiant Light Pass's city wall—a method that is somewhat cruel.

But considering the losses a siege would cause, such a vicious scheme might not be without decisiveness.

Thus, up to this point, it could still be considered a "Yang‑Month Magic War" that Lord Xiguang could comprehend, not exceeding his experience.

But when he dodged a few vines that suddenly shot out in a sneak attack, intending to single‑handedly block the Deep Forest's second wave of charge to hold the line,

It was as if an imperceptible gust swept over, and the green forest outside the city suddenly seemed to have entered autumn, all turning a withered yellow.

What?

The Xiguang Duke was very surprised, but if he had studied plants he would know that broad‑leaf forests turn withered in autumn partly because they transfer the nutrients from their leaves elsewhere.

Thus, in the next instant, the branches shattered—clearly the tens of thousands of knights that had just been blasted to death, along with their horses, every one of them, burst out from the tree trunks!

Not only that!

At the same time, on the corpses of the Radiant Light soldiers who died from the collapsing wall and plant attacks, countless verdant, chilling saplings burst out of their bodies.

Sprouting, growing, maturing, withering!

In just a moment, several thousand black‑clad messenger cavalry that looked less than human were refreshed onto the battlefield.

The most terrifying part is that their aura is exactly the same as when they were alive, but the weapons in their hands have been retargeted.

Wait, big brother, I'm Charlie! You… ah!

Without hesitation, the Radiant Light soldiers who had just crawled out of the ruins—and even those still trapped inside—were slaughtered by their former comrades.

And just like in a biohazard crisis, every living person cut down by a knight or plant is rapidly transformed into a new messenger cavalryman.

Even an elemental mage who had reached level 50, after being beheaded by a knight captain, quickly became a member of the knights.

However, as a former mage, his weapon is a staff embedded with a red gem, more like a war hammer in shape.

In the disaster, only one kind of person can be an exception—the players.

——Haha, you're kidding, right? Grandpa has no corpses for you to transmute, bye!

But while the players could play happily, Lord Xiguang was really sweating profusely, and when he opened his mouth it was just a string of birdcalls and floral scents.

This isn't magic at all—this is clearly the heretical sorcery that only cultists of an evil god can wield! Damn it, what exactly are you people!

But unfortunately, like a stone thrown into a deep pool, his angry shout drew no response.

Instead, it attracted two knight captains riding black‑armored heavenly horses with wings on their backs, who took off and charged at him with lances.

Impudent!

Lord Xiguang's beard and hair bristled, yet he did not dodge or evade, channeling his righteous qi throughout his body and unleashing a punch at the two before him.

Logically, since they are all level 70 and are elite units, the messenger cavalry's combat power should far exceed the average.

Now two of them are coming straight at him; Lord Xiguang, who has no chance of winning, should temporarily retreat and look for another opportunity.

But in special times, special measures apply—many rules can be temporarily set aside in this tumultuous moment—for example, animal protection!

Therefore, before coming to the Western Border, Lord Xiguang also made a trip to the Royal Hunting Ground, grinding up to level 85 before descending the mountain, so his strength is now incomparable to before.

Thus, under this punch, the two knight captains' momentum weakened by three‑tenths; not only did they fail to break his protective qi shield, their lances were snapped clean off.

Moreover, people have two arms; they managed to block this punch, but Lord Xiguang still has another hand hidden behind his back!

His fierce gaze swept over the two, scouting that the one on the left was likely the weaker.

Excellent, a soft persimmon!

The lord's speed was already fast, and now, bolstered by righteous qi, it is as swift as lightning.

Striking first after moving later, he almost teleported behind that knight captain and unleashed a second punch at his defenseless back.

I don't like your look—I'll kill you first!

Until that knight captain's body was blasted to pieces, scattering like broken blocks, the old man's excited shout finally reached the ears of those around.

When a soldier is brave, so is his commander; when a commander is brave, so are his soldiers.

Lord is mighty!

Quick, hold the line!

We can't lose!

Seeing the duke defy the version and, upon first engagement, behead an enemy commander, the morale of the Radiant Light, on the verge of collapse, was instantly revived.

Moreover, this pass, besides its physical wall, also has a magical domain shield that actually managed to withstand the relentless barrage of countless exotic plants.

Relying on this second line of defense, the Radiant Light troops holding back within it struggled to regain their footing, earning a chance to continue the second round.

But a retreat is a retreat—the initiative on the battlefield has already been handed to the enemy; no matter how brave they are, they can only watch the enemy prepare their moves.

What move? Naturally, it's the yin trick they already enjoyed earlier!

Along with the newly transformed messenger cavalry, after a brief regrouping, a larger number of cavalry launched a second wave of charge.

Cast with all your might, hold firm!

The inner layer's shield has a design similar to a charging interface—anyone who possesses magical power internally can feed it into the shield.

Therefore, under the order of the Xiguang Duke, including himself, the entire defending force risked their lives, and a massive amount of magical energy was pumped into the shield.

But the messenger cavalry were truly countless; their hooves struck like thunder, their charge roared like a hurricane, and the sight was genuinely intimidating.

So, seeing the soldiers' faces still turning pale and fearing a morale collapse, the Duke gritted his teeth and, seizing the moment, leapt forward into the battle.

"Come, watch this Duke cut down another enemy for you!"

Who could he possibly be cutting? He, of course, in just a few blows, smashed the knight commander who hadn't been killed earlier.

Having that head in his hand proved useful for anything, and amid a frenzy of praising shouts, the Radiant Light Army's morale surged on the spot.

Thus, no matter how those cavalry charged— even though the pitch‑black enemy silhouettes covered almost half the dome— they could not budge the shield in the slightest.

"Hold on!"

Moreover, sometimes war hinges on that last breath, so the Xiguang Duke would from time to time lead a suicide squad, mostly composed of Pioneers, to counter‑attack.

Even if even with ranged fire support they couldn't break through, it at least gave the troops a sliver of hope, a chance to vent their oppression.

This arduous tug‑of‑war lasted from the afternoon until dusk, truly the longest afternoon anyone had ever endured.

Finally, at some point, the metallic scraping sounds surrounding the shield began to fade away.

The crowd looked up and saw that the messenger cavalry that had been constantly surging were all gone, replaced by a vast expanse of quiet forest.

"This..."

Among the crowd, a clever person boldly offered a conjecture.

"Lord Duke, could it be that these messenger cavalry can only act during the day and must turn back into plants at night?"

"Hm!?"

The Xiguang Duke pondered carefully and realized... hey, it actually might be possible!

Moreover, recalling carefully, the scouts' reports indeed seemed to lack any account of messenger cavalry operating at night.

These strange fellows all set out in the morning, rushed into the wilds, and then... then vanished at an unknown time.

Could it be!

Knowing that this must be verified in person, the Xiguang Duke, gathering great courage, stepped out of the shield to test it himself.

He found that these plants, transformed from cavalry, were only slightly harder in texture and a bit more vivid in color, otherwise they were hardly different from ordinary trees.

They can't speak, can't bite, can't even stand up and walk— they are nothing but living targets.

"Phew, that's a relief, you scared me..."

In fact, earlier, the Xiguang Duke had inadvertently noticed that the knight commander he had smashed with a single punch seemed to have revived.

He was riding his horse like a carefree person, probing the area outside the shield with a long spear.

He only feared damaging morale, so he swallowed the fear and kept silent.

After all, a creature that can proliferate at will and resurrect at will is too terrifying to fight!

Thus, now that the enemy's weakness has finally been uncovered, both he and his strategists were delighted, offering suggestions.

"Lord, why don't we set fire to this forest outright and see if they can still revive!"

The Xiguang Duke was about to nod in agreement when he suddenly felt...

Huh? These damned monster soldiers can resurrect even after being smashed into mush by a single punch— will burning them to ash truly kill them?

But don't be clever to the point of backfiring; arrogance could cost the whole battle!

Therefore, at this critical moment, the Xiguang Duke chose a conservative approach.

Anyway, the exhausted ones on the ground are all magic‑users; the barracks still have robust men who have been resting all afternoon, and they should get moving.

Thus, a comical scene unfolded: the battlefield that had been locked in daytime slaughter instantly turned into a forest where countless Guang Tou Qiang fought fiercely.

Using sheer brute force, the soldiers uprooted the trees by the roots, shouldered them, and hurled them beyond the ruined city walls.

One must admit there were indeed many trees; by the time they cleared all the vegetation inside the pass, dawn was already breaking.

"Run, run, run, let's get back quickly, damn it, I keep feeling they're moving!"

Meanwhile, at the Radiant Light Army's headquarters, upon hearing of the front‑line oddities, reinforcements from the supply corps and the Pioneers arrived in time.

They delivered personnel, troops, and supplies— especially crucial mage specialists and magical potions— giving the shaken troops a much‑needed boost.

"Sigh, hope we can hold out today."

The Radiant Light Army readied itself again, with only the Xiguang Duke standing alone atop the tower whose spire had been shattered, gazing into the distance.

As he expected, when the first ray of sunlight fell to the ground, the trees that the warriors had uprooted and tossed outside began to exhibit strange movements.

Like misshapen eggs, the eerie and terrifying messenger cavalry tore through the bark, struggling to crawl out.

As for the control group, which the Xiguang Duke had isolated, a single fire reduced them to pure ash, crushing even the charcoal grain by grain.

The same, only they take a bit longer, needing to go through the whole cycle of rooting, sprouting, and maturing again.

"Damn, what the heck is this!"

Unwilling to let these monsters run amok any longer, the Xiguang Duke fired a signal flare into the sky and then leapt toward the ground.

When the True Qi Body‑Nourishing Technique is cultivated to the Fifth Transformation realm, one can externalize one's inner self as a tangible form.

Thus, after a flash of golden light, a crimson leopard larger than an elephant appeared beside the Xiguang Duke.

"Kill!"

One man and one leopard slammed into the ground, shaking the earth and instantly flinging a group of cavalry who hadn't yet formed ranks.

In the chaos, no one could stop the Xiguang Duke's all‑out assault; contact meant death, a brush meant grievous injury—the brutal reality.

This is the fantasy world: a powerful transcendent can truly sway the battle with a single will.

"Hmph, trying to escape?"

He swiftly seized those two knight commanders, tearing them apart on the spot into a plate of mouth‑watering chicken, scattering them like a celestial maiden scattering blossoms.

It seemed the old man was venting his anger, but actually...

Besides venting, this was also his second experiment, aiming to discover exactly how these monsters' resurrection mechanism works.

In fact, aside from the required nightly hibernation, the resurrection mechanism of these demon soldiers isn't that perfect.

For example, he spent a full half hour in the battle array again performing peerless grass‑slicing, yet didn't see those two things come out and hop around again.

Probably the hero fragments of Knight A and Knight B are still crawling toward each other in the darkness, and it will take some time before they merge.

So.

Could it be that simply placing their corpse fragments farther apart can extend their resurrection time as much as possible?