Chapter 687

Since he had done his utmost to block this rain of arrows, his disciples should now be able to ascend the city wall unimpeded.

The commander of the Great Tang was nothing more than a peerless-level one.

Looking around, there was not a single Earthly Immortal Realm opponent atop the city wall.

Yet among his three hundred disciples, there were at least seven or eight at the Earthly Immortal Realm.

With them leading the way, even though the defenders atop the wall were more numerous, the quality of their experts was inferior.

Therefore, his disciples would surely be able to hold their ground.

As long as his disciples held their ground atop the city wall, the rain of arrows would slacken considerably.

Once he was no longer fettered by the rain of arrows and the siege crossbows, he could free his hands to charge up the wall.

At that point, taking the wall and opening the city gate would be as easy as turning over his hand, and his mission would be complete.

If Borhu wasn't a fool, he should choose the moment to attack, and Yanmen Pass would be his for the taking.

While his mind was busy with such pleasant thoughts, as if Yanmen Pass were already in his grasp and Borhu were kneeling before him begging forgiveness.

The Great Khan Tie Muzhen would furthermore announce publicly that he had become a Guardian of the Realm, entitled to draw upon the great Earth Yuan Qi for his cultivation.

Borrowing it to break through to the Heavenly Being Realm, and reach the supreme Mythical Realm.

Suddenly, a series of agonized screams pulled Bi Xuan back from his wandering thoughts.

Following the screams, he saw that his three hundred disciples were being slaughtered!

Yes!

It was an almost one-sided slaughter!

Among Bi Xuan Sect's three hundred disciples, quite a few had indeed surged up onto the city wall.

But they were scattered rather widely, and once on the wall, they were surrounded by squads of seven or eight Great Tang defenders each, arrayed in formation and encircled at the center.

These squads of Great Tang defenders coordinated with flawless harmony, their auras linked into one, their true qi and internal force merged into a single whole.

Even though Bi Xuan's disciples were somewhat stronger, they were still cut apart and encircled by these Great Tang defender squads.

After a brief standoff, every last one was cut down on the spot.

Although some of Bi Xuan's disciples, relying on their Earthly Immortal Realm cultivation, did break through the encirclements of these Great Tang defender squads.

Yet the moment they prepared to press the advantage and cut loose, from the darkness countless crossbow bolts suddenly came shooting out.

These crossbow bolts differed from the siege crossbows; each crossbow was hand-held by a single man, quite compact.

Yet their power was by no means small.

A single Earthly Immortal would be targeted by over a dozen crossbows at once.

In the span of a few breaths, several dozen bolts were loosed.

The Earthly Immortal disciples still tried to block them, yet for some reason these bolts could pierce straight through the interception of their protective true essence.

After punching straight through their protective true essence, they riddled their bodies like hedgehogs.

If even Earthly Immortal disciples were slaughtered so mercilessly, there was no need to mention disciples of lower cultivation.

In a flash, of the three hundred disciples who had neared the city wall, more than half were lost in the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

Though they were desperadoes, they had never seen anything like an army operating as a killing machine.

Once casualties exceeded half, the surviving disciples could bear it no longer, screaming one after another as they retreated along the path they had come.

"You fools—how can you retreat?"

Bi Xuan, while simultaneously fending off the siege crossbows and the rain of arrows, cursed furiously in his rage.

He had publicly humiliated Borhu, then resolutely led three hundred disciples here, boldly vowing to take the gate of Yanmen Pass.

Yet now, before even reaching the gate, his disciples had been beaten back.

As for himself, constrained by the siege crossbows, he could not advance a single step further.

Indeed, the Great Tang's frontier Zhongzhen was not so easily taken.

Watching his own disciples suffer heavy casualties, the survivors already fled back into the darkness.

Bi Xuan let out a long sigh and withdrew as well.

"Oh yeah! We did it!"

This battle was merely an appetizer before the great war.

One could say that, had Bi Xuan not been careless and launched a raid without bringing the main army.

Tonight's battle would not have been so simple.

After all, Bi Xuan alone could hold off the great siege crossbows.

Though the defenders had other killing weapons, most were inferior to the siege crossbows.

If Borhu had led the main army in a sweeping assault, relying on terrain they might have held, but the price would not have been so light.

Yet a victory was a victory.

Captain Chen was also quite pleased, saying,

"Excellent! Long live Great Tang!"

"Long live Great Tang!"

The Great Tang defenders cheered, and the cheering carried far into the distance.

Bi Xuan, who was fleeing north in panic with his disciples, heard these words and was so furious he nearly spat blood.

Damnable!

These Tang Ren—once he regrouped with the main army and marched south again, it would be their day of death.

After cursing viciously in his heart, Bi Xuan, his face dark, led his panicked disciples northward.

They had gone less than ten li when, ahead, firelight blazed bright and a troop of elite cavalry came rushing toward them.

"Oh? Isn't this Wu Zun, my lord? Why are you here?"

General Wulisu, who had rushed over with ten thousand elite cavalry, recognized Bi Xuan leading the charge at a glance.

He saw that not only had the number of Bi Xuan's disciples dropped by more than half, but every one of them wore an ugly expression.

His heart tightened, and Empress Yinyue vaguely sensed that Bi Xuan's sortie this time had not gone well.

Bi Xuan's face was nearly black as the bottom of a pot. Thinking Wulisu was mocking him, he let out a single "hmph" through his nose.

Then, taking his group of disciples, he ignored Wulisu's men and continued toward the main camp.

"General, shall we continue south to attack Yanmen Pass?"

Watching Bi Xuan and the others leave, Wulisu once again stood rooted on the spot. A young officer under his command rode up and asked.

When he had left the main camp with ten thousand troops heading south, Wulisu too had believed this battle was sure to be won.

After all, Wang Xiaojie of Yanmen Pass had already taken the lead and fled.

If it were the Dayuan army, morale at this point would surely have plunged to rock bottom.

This was precisely the best moment to press the attack in one go and take Yanmen Pass directly.

Therefore, although Wulisu had been ordered to come as reinforcements, in truth he told his officers that tonight they would breach Yanmen Pass.

And that they would drink fine wine together at Yanmen Pass — words to that effect.

Now that Bi Xuan had suffered a defeat in his first battle, and Wulisu had given no order, the large army under him was left dumbfounded as well.

Hearing his young officer's words, Wulisu finally came back to himself. He gazed into the night.

Yanmen Pass lay in the distance like a giant beast crouching, and he could not understand how this Chengguan, having lost its commander, had still managed to repel Bi Xuan's attack.

But clearly, now was not the best time to continue the assault.

"Retreat! Return to the main camp!"

Wulisu sighed and could only order the withdrawal.

The moment his order was given, the ten thousand troops retraced their steps.

Bi Xuan, covered in dust, returned to the Dayuan main camp. Seeing the great tent ablaze with lights and faintly hearing laughter and cheerful voices drift over.

Yet he felt all of it was mocking him.

He turned his head and glared fiercely at the disciples behind him, picked one out, and sent him to the great tent to report the news.

As for himself, fuming, he went straight back to his own tent.

That disciple who had been singled out had narrowly escaped death tonight and had not yet steadied his shaken nerves.

As for having to go to the great tent now to seek bad luck, he wanted absolutely no part of it.

But having been named by Bi Xuan, he could only brace himself and make his way near the great tent.

"Oh? Isn't this Wu Zun's seventh disciple? Have you already taken Yanmen Pass and come to report the victory?"