Chapter 1057: Fierce Battle

He had seven to eight hundred men behind him, while the defending Yuheng forces opposite numbered only two to three hundred. With the help of civilians controlled by insect demons, they held a numerical advantage. But with General Hong in the mix, what were his chances of victory?

The Great Wind Army was a renowned elite unit, known for its skill in fighting outnumbered. Most crucially, they always operated under General Hong's command.

He had studied General Hong's tactics and knew she favored ambushes.

Had she hidden her army somewhere, just waiting for him to fall into her trap?

Fushan Lie had previously scolded his subordinates, claiming General Hong's appearance was too coincidental and must be a ruse.

But, and it was a big 'but', what if it was real?

If he had known General Hong was in the city earlier, he would most likely have called off this operation. Unfortunately, now they had met in a narrow pass. If he retreated without fighting, how could he ever face anyone in Beijia again?

"The Boundless Immortal's personal artifact, renowned far and wide," he muttered, a surge of regret washing over him. His vast army was crammed into the narrow barbican. If the opponent unleashed the Seven Fortunes Wheel, it would be a perfect slaughter, and his own side would have nowhere to hide!

It would be an effortless slaughter, like mowing down crops.

If so many water demons in the river couldn't withstand a single blow from it, what chance did these Xiji rebels have?

Just then, another two hundred infantry arrived behind General Hong.

As the saying goes, "even a clever housewife can't cook without rice." Chao Qian had tried his utmost, but could only muster this many soldiers from other locations.

To avoid the power of the Seven Fortunes Wheel, Fushan Lie and the Xiji rebels would have to charge into the open ground in front of the barbican, where General Hong was standing, which would make a major battle unavoidable.

General Hong had truly cornered him, leaving him with no good options.

Either advance and fight for survival, or retreat through the city gate.

These were the only two paths before Fushan Lie, and despite his wisdom and courage, he found it difficult to choose in that moment.

The standoff seemed to be dragging on, and his confidant whispered to him, "General, the Jintao army from the rear is approaching." They were all crammed outside the city, unable to enter.

General Hong's playful manipulation of the Seven Fortunes Wheel suddenly ceased, and she then swayed it towards the opposite side.

Behind her, several Great Wind cavalrymen advanced steadily, spears pointed forward, their horses' hooves clattering, the sound particularly loud beneath the quiet South City Gate.

The Yuheng infantry followed closely behind, swords and shields in hand, their eyes glowing crimson and their breathing ragged, spurred by the spirit mist falling from the sky.

The Xiji rebels involuntarily began to retreat.

Fushan Lie was furious. He turned, intending to reprimand them, but as a gust of wind blew from the opposite side, he suddenly sensed something was wrong.

There was a faint scent of blood.

Though very subtle.

He sniffed lightly into the wind twice, then fixed his gaze on General Hong's right hand, a faint red glow appearing in his eyes.

"Your hand, is it injured?"

A moment ago, a stray arrow had flown. General Hong had caught it barehanded, snapped it, and thrown it aside. Neither side had paid it much mind.

But she was actually injured; she had simply concealed it well.

Ha, how could the real General Hong fail to catch an arrow?

The scent of Imperial Nectar around them was too strong; it masked this faint trace of blood, and even he had been fooled.

"You're not General Hong! General Hong isn't even in the city!" Fushan Lie roared, his eyes turning crimson, his voice echoing far and wide. "Kill them all! Leave no one standing!"

So it was a fake, merely buying time.

Once Fushan Lie exposed her true identity, he wasn't about to waste such a strategic opportunity.

Upon hearing that General Hong was absent, the Xiji rebels instantly surged with renewed vigor, shouting and swinging their swords as they charged forward.

The two armies, facing each other, collided like a surging tide.

This battle, in the end, was unavoidable.

The next second, General Hong put away the Seven Fortunes Wheel, took the bow and arrows from her back, and shot several arrows that whistled through the air.

Her archery was indeed exquisite; each arrow took down an enemy.

But why wasn't she using the Seven Fortunes Wheel? Fushan Lie's heart settled, and he let out a long laugh. "Drag that impostor off her horse! I want to see what the fake 'General Hong' looks like!"

He moved like a phantom, evading the interception of several Great Wind soldiers, and lunged directly at "General Hong" from the ground. The latter's spear tip struck, aimed straight for his face.

With this single test, he immediately sensed something was off.

"General Hong's" spear technique was sharp, and her reactions were quick, but it lacked the dominating power and ferocity of a commander capable of decapitating a general amidst thousands of troops!

She was indeed a high-ranking general, but not qualified to be called a "demigod"!

Fushan Lie was amused at first, then grew furious.

He had been fooled by this impostor for so long!

Only by draining her blood could he quell the rage in his heart!

His movements were erratic and unpredictable. Willow, impersonating "General Hong," fought with spear in left hand and saber in right, engaging him on her piebald beast for several exchanges, feeling secretly alarmed.

This *ba's* movements were simply too fast and too ruthless. Even using her elemental energy, she found it increasingly difficult to cope.

The Great Wind Army's elemental energy was no joke; it significantly increased their strength, speed, and armor-piercing ability beyond normal levels, and exerted a suppressive force on enemies.

Not to mention that Imperial Nectar had descended frequently in the past two years, and she felt her cultivation had advanced rapidly, making her incomparable to when she had gone to the mines years ago to hunt down abusers.

But even so, it still couldn't close the gap between her and Fushan Lie.

The pressure was too intense. Was this the true power of a Beijia general?

With a soft "clang," Fushan Lie struck off the armor on her left arm, leaving three gashing claw marks that bled profusely.

"Your armor doesn't seem very sturdy?" Fushan Lie sneered, twisting mid-air and pouncing towards the back of her neck.

Willow was on the back of her piebald beast, making it difficult to turn.

Fushan Lie could drain a living person in mere seven breaths.

He was tempted to try and break his fastest record today.

Willow remained agile. She lunged forward and landed, tapping her spear tip on the ground and leveraging its momentum to thrust backward, directly at Fushan Lie's face.

Fushan Lie, mid-air, maintained his direction, reaching out to strike the spear shaft and using the force to spring back one or two *zhang*.

"Now this is getting interesting."

Facing an opponent of this caliber, Willow was fully focused, but then she heard a buzzing sound from behind, like a swarm of bees diving down.

Black armored insects?

Without hesitation, she rolled sideways, evading the black armored insects' first dive.

But Fushan Lie attacked simultaneously.

She had barely regained her footing when the *ba* closed in, its sharp claws thrusting directly at her neck.

In a blink, the two exchanged several more blows.

The black armored insects' flanking harassment left Willow struggling to cope.

As Fushan Lie leaped back, she finally couldn't resist flinging an explosive arrow into the swarm of black armored insects.

She had a great talent for ranged weapons; this self-made throwing arrow contained special oil which, once ignited, would trigger a chain of explosions.

The black armored insect swarm exploded into a large ball of red flame mid-air, with full sound and light effects.

But in that very instant, Fushan Lie burrowed into the ground, as if a person had submerged into water.

The next second, he emerged from the ground behind Willow, his left claw violently piercing "General Hong's" shoulder, using the leverage to bite at the back of her neck.

The armor, as expected, could not withstand his attack; his sharp claws instantly pierced through the plates. Willow couldn't turn fast enough; her right hand flashed a dagger, stabbing backward at his chest and abdomen.

This demon had skin and bones like bronze and iron, impenetrable by swords and blades, but with elemental energy, she might be able to wound a vital spot.

To her surprise, Fushan Lie seized her arm with the momentum and twisted it forcefully.

With a "crack," Willow's forearm was brutally snapped.

She cried out in pain.

The falcon in the sky let out a sharp cry and dived down like an arrow, aiming for his eyes.

One second later, Willow would have no way out.

Fushan Lie struck out with a claw, and the falcon flapped its wings and retreated.

Then he tilted his head and moved to bite Willow's neck!

If he bit her, Willow's strength and blood would drain away.

Just then, someone from behind grabbed Fushan Lie's shoulder and yanked him away.

The force was powerful and brutal, no less than Fushan Lie's own.

In fact, a breath earlier, a grey figure had rapidly approached, moving too fast for the human eye to discern. Two Xiji rebel soldiers blocking his path: one was kicked three *zhang* away, and the other clutched his throat, eyes wide, but unable to make a sound.

By the time blood spurted from his neck between his fingers, the grey figure's second saber swing was already unleashed, aiming straight for the back of Fushan Lie's neck!

Having just claimed a life, the Fusheng Saber grew even more bloodthirsty, eager to drink the blood of a Beijia demon general.

Fushan Lie was about to bite Willow's neck, and this person aimed to strike Fushan Lie's neck.

He arrived too fast. Fushan Lie sensed the killing intent but had no time to turn, so he simply burrowed into the ground.

This left Willow exposed to He Lingchuan's saber!

He Lingchuan, of course, would not make such a basic mistake. The saber tip tilted and flipped sideways, like a swallow skimming water and returning, tracing a semi-circle before returning to its master's side.

It retracted smoothly, with no backlash of inner energy.

He Lingchuan also spoke up promptly: "It's me!"

Hearing that familiar voice, Willow couldn't help but sigh in relief.

She had finally held out until the commander returned; it had been incredibly difficult!

"Hold on!" He Lingchuan grabbed her waist and flung her backward, shouting loudly, "Ah Luo, tend to her wounds!"

With Fushan Lie present, it was not advisable for Willow to remain there.

He applied his strength skillfully; although Willow's arm was injured, the pain was minimal when she landed.

Ah Luo came rushing over on his piebald beast from behind. Without waiting for his mount to stop, he jumped off, gripping his medicine box, and knelt beside the injured person.

"Coming, coming!"

Having run dozens of miles with He Lingchuan, he was gasping for breath while examining the injury.

Willow, with one hand, removed "General Hong's" mask and helmet, revealing her pale face.

She was still breathing with some difficulty.

Ah Luo immediately sealed several of her pressure points to stop the bleeding, and told the guards, "Support her carefully; there's poison in the wound!"

The *ba's* sharp claws were venomous, so the wound had to be treated quickly.

Two *zhang* away, Fushan Lie emerged from the ground and stared coldly at He Lingchuan.

How could this sworn enemy be here? Had he slipped back from Longchuan?

He had just left Longchuan, and this fellow had followed right behind him?

So, how many men did he bring back, or did he already have an ambush prepared in Yuheng City?

As these thoughts raced through his mind, He Lingchuan twirled his saber. "The Jintao troops have been repelled by us. You're out of luck. Surrender now, and I'll grant you a way out."

If He Lingchuan hadn't said anything, it might have been better, but with such words, Fushan Lie laughed. "Am I supposed to thank you for your generosity?"

He was almost bluffed by the other party again!

If the Jintao troops were truly repelled, why would this kid tell him directly? Wouldn't it be better to quietly move troops to ambush his seven or eight hundred men?

So, this dignified commander, though he had rushed back to Yuheng City, panting, was practically a bare-bones general with not many men under his command!

His heart was now completely at ease, and in a flash, he engaged He Lingchuan in battle.

With the leaders on both sides entering combat, their subordinates naturally wouldn't stand idly by.

The battle between the Xiji rebels and the Yuheng army instantly escalated into a fierce confrontation.