Chapter 1578: Inevitable Doom

Fantasy & Magic

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Upon seeing the equipment of the knights in the valley, the rebels' eyes gleamed with avarice. As insurgents, they were already financially strained, and everything they possessed was acquired through plunder. Consequently, their army wore a motley assortment of clothes and armor, much of it tattered and patched, having been stripped from fallen government soldiers or acquired through numerous transactions in the black market. In contrast, the hundred-strong squad before them rode magnificent steeds, their armor gleaming and vibrant, and their weapons appeared exquisitely sharp.

If this cavalry unit had a thousand men, or even just five hundred, the rebels would undoubtedly turn and flee, as engaging government troops with such superior equipment would lead to heavy losses. However, with only a hundred men, this force was perceived by the rebels as nothing more than a hundred fat sheep ripe for the taking. Plundering these government troops would allow them to significantly upgrade their own gear. Crucially, possessing such impressive armor would make it immeasurably easier to deceive their way into cities in the future.

The rebel custom dictated that whatever one seized, they kept, a rule designed to maximize combat effectiveness. Thus, a roaring mob charged towards the hundred-man unit of Imperial Guards. Observing the rebels' avaricious gazes, which seemed intent on stripping them of everything, many of the Imperial Guards felt a shiver down their spines.

Fortunately, the Imperial Guards were the Emperor's elite personal army. Although typically stationed in the capital, they were well-trained. Wang Bolin and Zhang Zijiang, both capable commanders, quickly organized their subordinates. After the initial disarray, they formed a defensive line with their backs against the mountain wall, ready to confront the enemy.

Originally, the greatest advantage of a cavalry unit lay in its mobility and flanking maneuvers. However, now heavily outnumbered and surrounded, with unfavorable terrain in the valley, the cavalry would be annihilated before they could even launch a charge. Therefore, their optimal strategy was to hold their ground. All armies utilized combined combat formations, ranging from small ones requiring just three to five individuals, to medium ones needing a hundred or so, and large-scale formations involving thousands. As one of the Emperor's five Imperial Guard corps, the Imperial Guards primarily drilled in defensive formations, which perfectly suited their current predicament.

Thus, even as the rebels attacked from all directions, Wang Bolin and Zhang Zijiang struggled to maintain their formation, weathering the storm of relentless assaults. Xie Daoyun, too, held nothing back. She used the precious vital energy she had just managed to recover to deploy various auxiliary formations, aiding the Imperial Guards. However, having previously encountered this rebel force, Xie Daoyun was well aware of their strength. The numbers were far too disparate; while they could hold out for a while, they would inevitably fail to sustain the defense in the long run.

"Generals," Xie Daoyun urged, "are there any allied forces nearby? Send signals to summon them." Having lived in the capital for many years, she knew that the Imperial Guards were rarely deployed, and certainly not in such a small contingent if they were.

Wang Bolin and Zhang Zijiang remained silent, their faces showing some embarrassment. After all, Zu'an had just warned them about the unclear enemy situation and advised caution against ambushes. They had scoffed at his warning, acting arrogantly and looking down on him. Now, to turn to him for help was something they were too proud to do. Each thought they could hold on a little longer, hoping the rebels would simply retreat when faced with difficulty.

They were indeed capable, forming an impenetrable defense. With Xie Daoyun's assistance, they repelled several waves of rebel attacks. Each attack left only a trail of corpses, and the rebels indeed began to grow restless, their morale visibly plummeting. Wang Bolin and Zhang Zijiang rejoiced; it seemed they had indeed endured to see better times.

Xie Daoyun, however, immediately warned them, "Be careful, Generals. The rebels have two formidable leaders: one with a scarred face and the other a wine-and-meat monk. Both are masters."

"A scarred face and a monk?" Zhang Zijiang's expression suddenly changed. "Could they be Scarface Yang Shen and Monk Luzhi from Twin Dragon Mountain?"

Across the land, the most powerful of all rebel forces was undoubtedly Lu Sanyuan, rumored to have ties to a demonic cult. Apart from him, there were several other influential rebel forces, among them Twin Dragon Mountain. Its two leaders, Scarface Yang Shen and Monk Luzhi, were considered first-rate ruthless figures in the martial world, possessing high levels of cultivation. Local authorities had repeatedly failed to suppress them. However, Twin Dragon Mountain was not in this region; why would they appear a thousand li away?

Before they could discuss it, a world-shaking roar echoed, and a monk with a rugged, fleshy face slowly emerged from the rebel ranks. With each ponderous step, the ground seemed to tremble. He appeared like a giant, more than double the average height, with bulging muscles. A large necklace of skulls hung around his neck. At that moment, he was holding a stone resembling a small hill, which explained his ponderous steps.

The monk roared like a tiger, then hurled the massive stone towards the Imperial Guards.

"Defend!" Wang Bolin and Zhang Zijiang cried out in alarm, hastily issuing commands. A blue light array pattern shimmered into existence around them. They knew, however, that if this hill-sized boulder crashed down, the Imperial Guards' formation would likely be utterly disrupted. In unison, the two men leaped forward, each wielding a blade, unleashing a fierce surge of blade energy towards the colossal stone.

Though their cultivation was not weak, they were quite apprehensive facing the howling boulder, uncertain if their attacks could halt its descent. To their surprise, just as their blade energy neared the boulder, it exploded into fragments, as if made of crumbling tofu. The two paused, startled, neither having anticipated such destructive power from their blade energy. But in the next second, they saw the shattered fragments whistling down towards the military formation below. Each piece struck like a cannonball, sending tremors through the defensive array.

The two finally understood: the monk had concealed a hidden force within the boulder, detonating it prematurely as it neared the Imperial Guards' position. This caused it to fragment into countless pieces, delivering a concentrated barrage against the defensive formation. Even Xie Daoyun, proficient in formations, felt a pang of admiration. As the Emperor's personal guard, the Imperial Guard's formations were naturally top-tier, designed to withstand extremely powerful attacks from highly cultivated individuals who might threaten the Emperor's safety. However, there were advantages and disadvantages. While the formation was capable of withstanding significant single-strike force, each defense consumed a considerable amount of energy.

This monk, deceptively cunning, had discerned the weakness of their formation from his previous attack and immediately launched a targeted assault. As expected, the stones rained down continuously upon the Imperial Guards' defensive formation like scattered flowers. Soon, many of the Imperial Guards' faces turned pale; the energy drain was simply too immense.

Wang Bolin and Zhang Zijiang were both shocked and enraged. They moved to intercept, but could only block a fraction of the barrage; it was already too late. As the formation teetered on the brink of collapse, they knew that once breached, these hundred men would swiftly be surrounded, cut off, and slaughtered to the last man.

The two commanders made an immediate decision: they charged directly at the large monk. Having just hurled a small mountain and employed such elaborate tricks, the monk must be in a moment of weakness. By capturing the leader, they hoped the rebel forces might instantly collapse. To their surprise, however, the monk stood his ground, neither dodging nor avoiding, with not a trace of fear in his eyes.

Suspicion arose in their hearts, but having committed to the action, they pressed their charge. Nonetheless, they instinctively reserved some strength as a precaution. Just then, a scarred face flashed out from behind the monk, a cruel smile playing on his lips. A flash of cold light appeared, and both Wang Bolin and Zhang Zijiang felt their hairs stand on end.

Fortunately, they had reserved strength and hastily brandished their weapons to block. With a crisp clang, both weapons snapped clean in two, and a mist of blood erupted from their chests as the two men were sent flying backward. Xie Daoyun hastily formed a hand seal, and a soft force appeared behind them, dissipating much of the impact and cushioning their fall.

The two men barely managed to steady themselves. Looking down at their shattered armor and chest protectors, they were greatly alarmed. As vice-generals of the Imperial Guard, their armor was naturally top-tier, especially the chest protectors, which were theoretically capable of deflecting a full-power strike from a ninth-rank master. Yet now, both their chest protectors and armor had been cleaved apart by a single strike.

"You're a Grandmaster?" Terror and confusion filled their eyes. A Grandmaster held enough sway to become a regional lord in the imperial court; what could possibly drive one to join the rebels?

Xie Daoyun's face turned even paler. She had already been struggling just to contend with the monk; now, with the addition of a Grandmaster, she was surely doomed.