Chapter 1940: Black Turban Attack

Zhou Ping had never met anyone like Lu Ye. Despite appearing to be only in his early twenties, his profound insights and wisdom were unparalleled in Zhou Ping’s experience. It could be said that without Lu Ye’s guidance, Ding’an would not have been able to stabilize so quickly after the city lord’s death.

At the same time, there was something else he was very curious about. After hesitating for a long time, Zhou Ping finally couldn’t suppress the doubt in his heart: “May I ask about your cultivation level, Sir?”

“Eight Apertures!” Lu Ye looked up at him. There was nothing secret about it.

During the journey escorting Yao Nuan and the others, all the low-grade spirit stones gathered from Dàfēng Mountain had been consumed. He had also eaten a lot along the way. Thus, in just a few days, Lu Ye had already opened eight apertures and was now progressing towards the ninth.

“Eight Apertures…” Zhou Ping’s heart trembled. He had expected Lu Ye’s cultivation to be much higher, but he never imagined it was the same as the deceased city lord’s. Yet, with the same cultivation level, how could the former city lord have been like a mere chick before Lu Ye? He had no power to retaliate whatsoever.

“No need to be puzzled,” Lu Ye said, seeing through his thoughts. “Sometimes, the level of cultivation doesn’t represent everything.”

“Then…” Zhou Ping was about to ask what truly determined strength when a soldier rushed over, knelt on one knee, and held up a confidential letter with both hands: “City Lord, a message from the scout team!”

Zhou Ping quickly turned his head, took the letter, tore it open to read, and his expression immediately turned solemn.

“The Black Turbans are here?” Lu Ye asked.

Zhou Ping nodded: “Yes, they were fifty li away half an hour ago. They’re approaching menacingly and in large numbers, but it seems to be just the vanguard.”

Lu Ye waved his hand: “Go. I’ll take action when the time comes.” Another batch of Asura Marks delivered right to his doorstep.

With Lu Ye’s assurance, Zhou Ping felt much more at ease. He cupped his fist in a bow and quickly departed, clearly to make arrangements. Although Lu Ye had previously demonstrated formidable personal strength, this was not a minor skirmish but an army bearing down on them. Naturally, he couldn’t entrust the entire city’s safety to Lu Ye alone. After all, human strength has its limits. If Lu Ye couldn’t hold them off, defending the city would still require the full strength of the entire populace.

After Zhou Ping left, Lu Ye continued to refine the low-grade spirit stones in his hand while checking his cultivation progress. These low-grade spirit stones had been found in Ding’an City’s treasury. A city of its size naturally had some spirit stone reserves. Although he had the Talent Tree, allowing for rapid refining, the spiritual energy stored in these stones was truly sparse. Therefore, accumulating enough to open the ninth aperture would still require time.

It seemed there was no more time. Outside, the sound of gongs and drums could be heard, along with soldiers shouting warnings that the Black Turbans were attacking and urging citizens to seek shelter. Instantly, Ding’an was filled with an air of alarm and apprehension.

A short while later, many figures stood upon the thirty-meter-high city walls. The city gates on this side had long since been closed. Those participating in the defense were not only the original soldiers but also some cultivators who had come voluntarily to assist. However, most of them did not have high cultivation levels. Both soldiers and cultivators alike wore expressions of tension and fear. This was a normal reaction for most people, as the Black Turbans were infamous.

A cloud of dust billowed from afar, approaching menacingly. In a short while, it swept to within three li of the city. As the dust settled, the scene that met everyone’s eyes made their hearts tighten. A military formation of at least a thousand men slowly emerged, each wearing a black turban. The leader, a burly figure in exquisite armor, sat atop a tall horse, holding a long spear. The horse reared up, neighing, while the man on its back gazed coldly at the people on the city wall. Behind him, a standard-bearer held high a large black flag, on which a giant, blood-red character "Fang" seemed to be written in fresh blood.

“The Black Turbans are here! The Black Turbans are here!”

“Oh my god!”

“It’s Fang Kuang, the Cannibal!”

The city wall immediately erupted in commotion. Although Ding’an had mentally prepared for the Black Turbans’ attack, the sight of the thousand-man army below still filled many timid individuals with terror and unease when the moment truly arrived. What made it worse was that this was one of the most notorious Black Turban factions, led by the infamous General Fang Kuang. He was known for cannibalism, especially for consuming the hearts of children. With such a corrupt leader, many in this vanguard army shared Fang Kuang’s depraved habits. In the past, wherever the Black Turbans passed, many people were killed and then devoured by this contingent. It was hard to imagine the fate of the city’s populace if Ding’an couldn’t hold out.

Zhou Ping’s expression also grew grim. He hadn’t expected Fang Kuang to be the first of the Black Turbans to arrive. Clearly, Lu Ye’s previous actions in slaying the Black Turban scouts had enraged them.

The horse paced back and forth, and Fang Kuang, on horseback, roared: “Where is the City Lord of Ding’an?” Over three li, an ordinary person’s voice would be hard to hear, but Fang Kuang’s voice carried without any attenuation, directly entering everyone’s ears, deafening them. This instantly made many people’s faces turn pale, clearly realizing Fang Kuang’s formidable strength.

“Zhou Ping is here!” Zhou Ping responded from the top of the city gate.

Fang Kuang’s gaze swept over, a hint of surprise in his eyes: “Has your Ding’an City changed its lord?” He remembered the City Lord of Ding’an being a fat man. But it wasn’t his concern. He raised the long spear in his hand, pointing it at Zhou Ping from a distance: “You truly have audacious guts, daring to kill my Black Turban soldiers! I give Ding’an one hour to open your gates, or else, after my army breaks through, I will surely slaughter your entire city, leaving no one alive in Ding’an!”

Zhou Ping’s palms were sweating. He naturally knew Fang Kuang wasn’t joking, but he also understood that in a confrontation between two armies, morale must not falter, especially since he was the city lord. At this moment, countless people looked to him as their backbone. He immediately scoffed: “The Black Turbans have quite the nerve! Since that’s the case, I, the City Lord, will also give you an hour: go back to where you came from, and do not invite a needless disaster upon yourselves.”

“Needles disaster!” Fang Kuang’s eyes widened, then he burst into loud laughter: “It’s been a long time since I heard such a hilarious joke! I’d like to see what kind of needless disaster it is. And as a reward for amusing me… let’s change that hour to the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. After one incense stick, my army will attack the city. Don’t doom yourselves!”

Zhou Ping’s expression changed.

“Open the gates!”

“Open the gates!”

“Open the gates!”

Just then, the vanguard army behind Fang Kuang shouted in unison, their cries augmented by the clashing of swords and shields, creating a magnificent momentum that seemed to make the very winds and clouds shift.

“Creak…” A heavy sound echoed.

On the city wall, Zhou Ping’s face changed: “Who opened the gate?” The sound just now was clearly that of someone opening the city gate, which astonished him. He had explicitly ordered that under no circumstances should the gates be opened. Ding’an City’s overall strength was not great; only by defending with all their might could they possibly withstand the Black Turbans’ assault. Opening the gates was tantamount to seeking death!

“City Lord, no need to panic, the Young Master opened the gate,” a breathless voice announced. Zhou Ping turned his head and saw Yao Nuan, who had rushed over, evidently having been specifically sent by Lu Ye to inform Zhou Ping.

Zhou Ping’s heart stirred upon hearing this. He quickly went to the edge of the city wall and looked down.

Clip-clop, clip-clop… The sound reached him, and sure enough, he saw Lu Ye riding the black horse, carrying a thick, long spear, emerging from the city gate. Behind him, the recently opened city gate quickly closed again.

“Sir, this is…” Zhou Ping’s expression was grim. Undeniably, Lu Ye’s personal strength was immense, far beyond anything he had ever imagined. But he was, after all, only at the Eight Aperture cultivation level. How could a single man, alone with a spear, possibly fare well against a Black Turban vanguard army? Furthermore, Zhou Ping faintly heard Lu Ye muttering something at that moment, but Lu Ye’s voice was too soft for him to make out.

Lu Ye rode out, his eyes gleaming, yet his expression held a hint of melancholy. So many Asura Marks… how could he possibly consume them all? A force of over a thousand men—if he could wipe them all out, it would truly be a feast, making him instantly rich. Calculating at two thousand Asura Marks per bandit, that would be over two million. Moreover, not every bandit was worth only two thousand Asura Marks; Fang Kuang, the leader, was worth nearly ten thousand. If he could truly kill them all, he dared not say more, but two and a half million Asura Marks would certainly be attainable. However, being alone, it was clearly impossible to kill so many bandits; those he couldn’t defeat could simply flee.

The black horse beneath him moved forward restlessly, clearly sensing the aura of danger.

Fang Kuang narrowed his eyes, his expression slightly surprised. In these times, it was rare to see someone dare to face the Black Turbans alone. The last one had been shot dead by a volley of arrows. Today, another appeared. However, Fang Kuang vaguely felt that this person today was different from the last; his expression was too calm.

“Who goes there?” Fang Kuang roared.

Lu Ye remained silent, still carrying his long spear as he advanced. However, under the propulsion of spiritual power, the black horse’s speed gradually increased, changing from a walk to a trot, and within a few breaths, it was galloping forward.

“Archers!” Fang Kuang sneered, raising his hand and shouting. Within the military formation, the archer squad immediately stepped forward three paces, drawing their bows with arrows notched, strings pulled to a full moon.

“Fire!” Fang Kuang’s large hand dropped.

“Whizz, whizz, whizz…” Whistling sounds cut through the air. All the arrows formed an arc, converging into a cloud mid-air, resembling a swarm of hornets from a distance. The arrows descended, covering the area where Lu Ye was. These Black Turban archers were all skilled. An arrow rain of such coverage would be virtually impossible for an ordinary person to evade.

But just then, the black horse beneath Lu Ye suddenly accelerated, surging forward a dozen meters, instantly evading the densest area of the arrow rain. The few arrows that weren’t avoided were swept away by Lu Ye’s spear. This volley of arrows failed to harm him in the slightest.

“Oh?” Fang Kuang’s eyes lit up. Although he knew Lu Ye possessed cultivation, being able to achieve such a feat was truly unexpected.

“Zhao Yuwen,” Fang Kuang called out.

“At your command!” A rider stepped forward, cupping his fist from horseback.

“Go test him!”

“Yes!” Zhao Yuwen took the order, tightened his reins, and turned his horse to charge towards Lu Ye, quickly closing the distance between them. Zhao Yuwen drew two large axes from his back, shouting loudly: “Boy, prepare to die!”

The two horses crossed paths, neither rider stopping. Fang Kuang’s face suddenly turned grim. Behind Lu Ye, Zhao Yuwen fell from his horse, a pool of crimson blood staining the ground.