Chapter 70: The Great Wind Army Returns to the City

Zeng Feixiong murmured, “Master, did this god just shout ‘Freeze’?”

No one responded next to him. Zeng Feixiong turned his head to look. Where was everyone? He Lingchuan was gone.

Zeng Feixiong’s scalp tingled. His side, led by the young master, was opposing a god. With the Black Flood Dragon seemingly at its end, wouldn't the god turn his wrath upon them? He surely would. He absolutely would. Zeng Feixiong had never heard of a good-tempered deity.

Was the young master deserting the battle? Fortunately, Mao Tao quickly said, “The young master jumped down to the city base. He wants me to tell Sir Zeng, if the Black Flood Dragon is about to be frozen, blast it with cannons!”

Cannons? Zeng Feixiong shuddered, feeling completely enlightened. That's right! The god possessing Nian Songyu wanted to freeze the Black Flood Dragon to avoid repeated battles. So, all they had to do was blast the flood dragon with cannons again to help it revive, right?

Without delay, he spun around and yelled, “Brothers, ready the cannons and crossbows! Load the biggest shells and let’s get them!”

The Blackwater City soldiers asked, “Which ‘them’?” “Both the dragon and the people,” Zeng Feixiong smacked his subordinate on the head. “Move it if you don’t want to die!”

Everyone quickly complied. A pile of cannon shells and several explosive crossbow bolts appeared out of nowhere on the city gate. Just by looking at the amount of gunpowder in the arrowheads, it was clear these were no mere showpieces. Evidently, the Grand Alchemist also approved of their method.

The Black Flood Dragon was barely moving, and Nian Songyu was continuously chanting, making them both exceptionally easy targets. Just as two spike shells and a ballista were loaded, two soldiers suddenly screamed, clutched their chests, and fell from the city wall. Zeng Feixiong was startled and peered down, only to see Sun Fuping slowly lowering his staff. Despite his disheveled state, his gaze remained sinister. Right, how could they have forgotten the Grand Tutor, and how dared they forget him?

Zeng Feixiong had no intention of confronting him head-on. He pulled his head back and said, “Fire quickly, quickly!”

After several thunderous blasts, the half-frozen Black Flood Dragon shattered into pieces. The explosive crossbow bolts proved highly effective, bursting inside the ice and causing more damage than the cannon shells. Nian Songyu was also hit. However, the spike shells couldn't penetrate his barrier, only pushing him back several yards. The look he gave them from below sent shivers down the spines of the Blackwater City soldiers; it clearly said: Just you wait.

The reason he didn't immediately retaliate was that hoofbeats suddenly echoed from outside the city gate, galloping towards them like a violent storm. Everyone rushed to the other side of the battlements and peered over, greatly astonished: A vast, dense army, radiating fierce killing intent and perfectly arrayed, with banners emblazoned with a large “Zhong” character fluttering in the wind. It was the Great Wind Army returning to the city.

This was their home ground, and the Great Wind Army's speed was more than twice as fast as it would be outside. Almost as soon as the hoofbeats began, the army poured into the city like a flowing stream.

There were no challenges, no responses. A few leading generals merely waved their spear tips, and hundreds of cavalrymen immediately spurred their horses, accelerating into a charge against Nian Songyu.

Perhaps the laws within the illusion were far more liberal than outside, as these hundreds of cavalrymen autonomously split into groups and even began to overlap. Those on the city wall thought they were seeing double and rubbed their eyes, but when they looked again, the hundreds of cavalrymen had merged into five riders. Each of these riders was clad in heavy armor, their eyes glowing red, looking less like humans. The riders and their warhorses were especially enlarged by more than double, riding like they were mounted on giant elephants, their spear tips glinting with dark light. Their attack method was also straightforward: relying on their strength and their powerful mounts, they simply charged Nian Songyu head-on with their weapons. Each thrust carried immense force, sending shivers down the spines of everyone on the wall. Could they possibly evade such an attack themselves?

Nian Songyu did not dodge; he met them head-on with his blade.

At this very moment, an unusually familiar voice suddenly rang out from outside the city: “Chuan'er!” “Chuan'er” was not on the city wall, but Zeng Feixiong heard it. He spun around in surprise and exclaimed, “It’s the Prefect!”

Everyone leaned against the battlement to look down. He Chunhua was actually standing below the Southern Second Gate! Panlong City now had three layers of city gates. Nian Songyu and the Black Flood Dragon were fighting inside the city, while Prefect He appeared inside the outer Second Gate, separated from the battlefield by an additional barbican gate, making it relatively safe. He had more than ten personal guards with him, all waving to their colleagues on the city wall.

Everyone was overjoyed, grabbed rope ladders, and threw them down for them to climb.

As soon as He Chunhua came up, Zeng Feixiong rushed over to bow. “Are you unharmed, Sire? We’ve heard about Grand Tutor Sun’s schemes!”

“Not dead,” He Chunhua said, looking around anxiously. “Where’s Chuan'er?” “The young master jumped down the city wall, saying he had something to do,” Zeng Feixiong pointed south of the city. He Chunhua sighed in relief. “That’s good.” His son wasn’t dead, and seemed alright, so that was good.

“How did you escape? Why are there only a few of you left?” Zeng Feixiong still didn't understand. “And what about these Great Wind soldiers?” “It’s a long story. After entering the Pool Well, dozens more people are unaccounted for and haven't joined us yet.” He Chunhua surveyed the battle, frowning momentarily. “Nian Songyu is actually that powerful?” Facing the enhanced Great Wind Army, Nian Songyu’s displayed strength was too formidable, greatly exceeding his expectations. If such a talent existed, why didn't the Royal Court send him to Woling Pass to fight the rebels?

“That’s not Nian Songyu anymore!” Zeng Feixiong quickly explained. “Grand Tutor Sun invited a god to descend and possess Commander Nian, which is why his power surged. So now it’s a god fighting the Black Flood Dragon; we can't intervene.” Mao Tao squeezed closer to add, “That god initially tried to possess the young master, but failed, and only then chose Nian Songyu!”

He Chunhua’s expression changed drastically. “What? Such a thing happened! Where’s Sun Fuping?” “Right there—” Zeng Feixiong pointed to the ruins below, then let out an “eh?” sound. “He was just there.” The ruins were empty; Grand Tutor Sun was also gone.

Below the city, blade energy crisscrossed, and the battle was evenly matched, though Nian Songyu seemed to have a slight advantage. If anyone from the city wall were to jump down directly, they would likely be shredded into mincemeat.

He Chunhua’s expression shifted, first hesitation, then a gritting of teeth, followed by a firm resolve: “Come on, we’ll go down from the side!”

***

A quarter of an hour ago.

Nian Songyu, empowered by the god, soon discovered that these silent cavalrymen were not easy to deal with. No matter how powerful the god was, the vessel for his avatar wasn't entirely suitable, directly limiting the full display of his power. After enduring three attacks, Nian Songyu felt his strength draining. The web of his right hand split open, trembling so much he couldn't lift it. This was not good. He hadn't even fought for long, yet he already felt a long-forgotten fatigue. The worst part was that the Black Flood Dragon had revived once more.

After being damaged by the explosive crossbow bolts, the Black Flood Dragon's revival speed should have been slightly slower than before. However, tens of thousands of Great Wind soldiers rushed towards it, suddenly turning into red light and pouring into its wounds. Nian Songyu's expression finally changed. Taking advantage of a Ground-Splitting Slash to force back the attacking enemies, he leaped to Sun Fuping's side. “Why are you here, but the sacrificial formation is activated outside?”