Chapter 204: Breaking the Formation Journey

When He Lingchuan saw this, he felt the already bizarre spider web become even more grotesque.

What was the relationship between these things and Mrs. Zhu? Why did they all have to sit in rows, transformed into this state, deep in this cave?

Finally, He Lingchuan saw the eighth one at the end of the row. It was similar in size to Mrs. Zhu, and also stood motionless against the mountain wall. But He Lingchuan felt something was off. He stepped back two paces to compare it with the seventh giant spider and realized that this eighth one had no fluorescent spores on it. This meant it hadn't been dead for long? Just as he was gazing and pondering, the giant spider suddenly raised a foreleg and rubbed its eye!

Holy moly, it was alive!

This shock was immense, making He Lingchuan's scalp tingle. He leaped back, turned, and ran without a word. The outside was a maze; running out might offer a slim chance of survival.

The chaos in Weicheng continued. The Baling city guards and the infiltrating Dafeng army were locked in a tug-of-war at the city gate. The latter had stronger individual fighters, but the former were more numerous, and the Baling army within the city had already reacted and begun a counter-attack.

Everyone could feel the ground trembling slightly, and the sound of hooves echoed not far away. Considering the signal arrow the spy had shot into the sky earlier, this was likely another Dafeng army unit ambushed in the wild, now coming to seize the city upon receiving the signal. Outside Weicheng was a flat wilderness, where one could see for a hundred miles during the day. However, the tall grass of the wilderness and the darkness of the night concealed the Dafeng army's movements. It turned out that the five thousand Dafeng troops who had attacked earlier were just a decoy; the real decisive force had remained hidden. It was a classic move of luring the tiger out of the mountains, again.

The Baling defenders' expressions changed upon hearing the sound, and the struggle for the city gate instantly became white-hot. Both sides knew that if the city gate was not closed by the time the Dafeng army arrived, it would be impossible to close it that night, and Weicheng would certainly fall. However, Weicheng's gate passage was small and narrow. While this was for defensive considerations during construction, it now favored Xiao Maoliang and others who had entered the city. Fewer enemies could squeeze in, and most Baling defenders were blocked behind their comrades. Their group of about twenty could barely hold on, but they were in dire straits. They were like a tiny island in a storm, perhaps to be swallowed by the next big wave.

The fake quartermaster standing by the bronze talisman at the city gate looked at the small flask in his hand. The Three Corpses Worms released from the flask had already spread throughout the city, attempting to infest Baling soldiers, but they were repelled before they could enter the seven orifices. The situation was abnormal; the Three Corpses Worms had always been invincible on the battlefield. Their original plan was to destroy the bronze talisman formation behind the gate, then release the worms, causing the Baling army to go mad and defect. This would allow them to open the city gate and let the outside army clear the area. The plan was perfect, but the second step went wrong. These Three Corpses Worms couldn't complete their mission. This meant that the Pure Wind Spell or some other divine power was still at work, protecting the Baling people's minds from interference. However, such aura-type large-scale battle formations were extremely complex to create, not small in size, and cumbersome to move. He scanned the area below the city but found no trace of the formation. Where could it be hidden?

At this moment, the voice from the inner street reappeared, specifically targeting him: "Take down the Red General on the city gate, dead or alive! The first to succeed will be granted a marquis title and five thousand gold!"

The Red General? This spy, quietly hiding in the shadow of the city wall, was actually the Red General himself? The enemy commander dared to put himself in danger; if the city gate closed, wouldn't he be trapped like a dragon in a jar? Like water poured into boiling oil, the Baling army erupted with a roar.

The Red General's figure flickered, dodging seven or eight arrows shot from all directions. Under the promise of heavy reward, the Baling army's attention completely shifted. The Red General's next move was to jump down from the city tower. It was difficult to maneuver there, and staying would only make him a target. However, below were dense ranks of Baling soldiers. Yet, while still in mid-air, he snapped his fingers: "Wind come!"

A sudden gale, at least a momentary strong wind of force 11 or 12, rose from the ground, carrying the omnipresent sand, dirt, and grass roots of the wilderness, making it impossible to open one's eyes. The wind came too abruptly, causing Baling soldiers to instinctively turn their heads and cover their eyes, or else tears would stream and their eyes would ache from the wind. Xiao Maoliang and others seized the opportunity, pushing the city gate inward by another few feet. One to two hundred torches were extinguished, plunging the area beneath the city gate into darkness. Baling soldiers, bracing against the wind, tried to grab the Red General but found they couldn't locate him! From the very beginning, he had hidden in the darkness, no one seeing his true face. Now that he had jumped down the city ladder... he was already wearing a Baling army uniform; standing among this army, who knew which one was the Red General!

Meanwhile, the cold voice of the Red General echoed in the minds of Hu Min and others: "Shoot out those few torches!"

Torches? Hu Min focused his gaze, and indeed, the entire city was dark, including the inner city, where even household oil lamps had been put out. Only a few torches to the right front of the city gate remained lit, their stubborn flames continuing to emit light and heat despite the strong wind and even hail. Earlier, torches were everywhere, and these few were inconspicuous among them; now that all other torches were extinguished, only these remained lit, making them immediately stand out. That direction, was it the post station? As it was the Red General's order, Hu Min and others raised their bows and shot without hesitation. As an archer, he had found a dark spot to hide after the battle began, which allowed him to act calmly now. Strangely, just as they raised their bows, the strong wind stopped; otherwise, shooting a bow in such a strong wind would be impossible. Hu Min was not the only sharpshooter the Red General brought; within two or three blinks of an eye, two of the six torches were shot out.

In the midst of the chaos, the Baling army felt at a loss when they suddenly heard someone shout: "The Red General has gone to the post station!" Upon hearing this, everyone rushed towards it. From the inner street came another loud shout: "Everyone stop! Disobey and be executed!" A large group of soldiers immediately poured out, and the person surrounded in the center wore light armor and a large cloak. Behind him stood two personal guards, both holding boxes filled with fluorescent spores. Lighting equipment was now available. The leader pointed at the people below the city and said: "Stand down! No one is allowed to advance!" Clearly, this person commanded great authority, as most soldiers stopped in their tracks. However, there were also guards under Hua Mutuo here, who couldn't obey orders instantly and ran a few more steps towards the post station. For the convenience of envoys and travelers, this post station was originally built next to the city gate, only three or four *zhang* (approx. 9-12 meters) from the city wall. These soldiers running a few more steps would bring them almost to the post station.

Hu Min and others continued their successive shots, leaving only the last two points of light from the torches around the post station. In the darkness, two figures suddenly lunged towards the post station. Someone next to the Baling leader immediately drew their bow, firing two arrows that struck them. But no one noticed another figure, shrinking behind the two unfortunate individuals, slipping into the post station like a phantom. His movements were as swift as a wisp of smoke, and in the pitch-black environment, no one could see clearly. This person was the Red General.

As soon as he entered the post station, he looked around. Just then, his own archers shot out the last torch, plunging the entire post station into darkness. The Red General moved swiftly through the post station, covering the front shop, main hall, and stable in just two breaths. Finally, when passing through the stable, he noticed a faint, pale green light emanating from the ground, but it was covered by yellow grass, making it unclear. Indeed, it was here. The Red General stepped forward, using his long saber to clear away the weeds, revealing another bronze talisman underneath! No wonder the Three Corpses Worms couldn't infest people; the "Pure Heart Spell" on this bronze plate was still effective. His opponent was meticulous. To protect and conceal this formation, they had actually set up another formation using torches around the post station, essentially a formation within a formation. Unfortunately, this was counterproductive. Under the strong wind, the unextinguished torches became particularly conspicuous. Now, Hu Min and others had shot out the six torches, breaking the formation and clearing the last obstacle for the Red General. Scratching this bronze talisman and releasing the Three Corpses Worms would tip the scales of victory towards the Dafeng army.

However, just as the Red General raised his saber, the pile of fodder in the corner exploded, and a huge figure burst out from within! They were only about four feet apart, and the stable was narrow, leaving the Red General no room to dodge. Moreover, he hadn't detected any living presence in the hay pile.

At that moment, the battle for the city gate had reached its final stage, with warriors from both sides fighting a bloody struggle. Three more men from Xiao Maoliang's team fell. If the main gate were closed, the chances of survival for this small squad would likely be cut off. Yet, even though they could escape the city gate by retreating a few steps, no one was willing to do so. They gritted their teeth, preferring to block with their chests and bear it with their lives. Persevere, reinforcements would arrive soon; persevere, victory would belong to the Red General! In twelve campaigns over three years, the Red General had never lost. No matter how difficult the situation, he always managed to turn defeat into victory in the end. The Dafeng army soldiers who followed him had an almost blind faith in him.

Just then, the thatched roof of the post station was struck through, creating a large hole, and the Red General was sent flying out. Like a ball hit by a bat, he flew three *zhang* (approx. 9 meters) before landing, barely regaining his balance. Immediately, a massive figure crashed through the brick wall of the post station and stood in front of the Baling army leader, glaring menacingly at the Red General. This was a huge stone golem, composed entirely of rocks of various sizes, its core unknown.

Without command, the Baling army rushed forward, encircling the Red General. The situation immediately reversed.

"The legendary Red General, who moved troops like a god, is nothing special!" the Baling army leader burst into laughter. "Is this still the 'Mistress of Heaven' of old?" Having trapped the Red General with a single brilliant maneuver, he couldn't help but feel smug.

The Red General tilted his head: "Who are you?"

"The one who defeated you is Shao Yingyang, son of Baling State Preceptor Shao Yan. Remember that..."

Before he could finish, the Red General interrupted him: "Which deity do you serve?"

Shao Yingyang's smile vanished. "Return what doesn't belong to you, and you will naturally know." With that, he raised his hand and commanded, "Kill them all, leave no one alive!" The Red General wanted to buy time, but he wouldn't fall for it. Closing the city gate was paramount; the rest could be handled slowly.

Hah, what god of war, what Dafeng army, to him, they were just a bunch of brutes!