Chapter 780: Horsehair Hibiscus in Bloom (This Chapter Contains Nuclear Energy)

Li Banfeng led a group of shadows out of the alley next to the workshop.

Outside the alley, enemies heavily surrounded them from the east, west, and south, with only the northern enemy forces being slightly less concentrated.

To the north was a hill, where military equipment was stored and positions were set up, likely a training ground for offensive and defensive drills.

Break through from the north?

Li Banfeng glanced at the hill, feeling a chill. After a moment of deliberation, guided by his instinct to seek good fortune and avoid disaster, he chose to break through to the south.

The main enemy formation was to the south. Due to the characteristics of the House Cultivation technique, the enemy could only discern the outlines of the shadows, mistaking them for a large number of people Li Banfeng had brought.

The main generals, Song Zhu, Wu Ji, and Lan Jue, watched Li Banfeng, their three heads tilted.

He was not a sergeant or a centurion; he was a general of the Sharp Edge Camp, one who had truly commanded troops and fought battles,a general who had achieved military merits on the battlefields of the Tufang Kingdom.

Song Zhu was the middle head and usually in charge. Li Qi suddenly bringing out so many people indeed surprised Song Zhu.

Wu Ji remarked from the side, "Does this person have some kind of mechanism on him? Where did all these people come from?"

Lan Jue chuckled, "Heh heh, who cares what mechanism it is. Just take his head, send it to Lord Qiao, and our noble titles will be upgraded one rank."

Wu Ji frowned, "You're still thinking about titles? Do you know how many people we've lost? Do you know how valuable lives in the Sharp Edge Camp are? You should be thinking about how to explain this to Lord Qiao!"

Lan Jue continued to smile, "Isn't this *for* the explanation? This person's life is also very valuable. To be able to hold out against the Sharp Edge Camp for so long, he must be a major figure in Prolific Province."

As they spoke, the two sides had already engaged in battle, with Li Banfeng leading the charge.

Banfeng Yi caught up from behind, "Old Jia, stand behind us!"

Li Banfeng replied, "Now there's no distinction between us; we're all brothers!"

He leaped forward, swung his Tang saber, and struck the middle head of a captain.

"Every strike for an enemy head!" The enemy's skull was tough, and the Tang saber was pushing its limits. This strike sliced off half of the captain's head.

But the captain didn't die. His remaining two heads, each controlling an arm, grabbed hold of Li Banfeng.

Before Li Banfeng could break free, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

A three-headed earth soldier swung a long saber, striking towards Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng neither parried nor dodged, directly swapping places with Banfeng Yi, who was cut in half at the waist.

"You said no distinction, was this what you meant?" Banfeng Yi looked at Li Banfeng before being thrown to the ground by the captain.

Li Banfeng turned and struck again, severing another of the captain's heads.

For the third strike, Li Banfeng didn't need to give instructions; the Tang saber acted on its own, cutting off the captain's third head.

With all three heads gone, the captain fell from his horse.

The Projector whispered to the Wine Gourd, "The Tang saber can only strike three times, and all three strikes were on the same person.From an artistic perspective, isn't that a bit of a waste?"

The Wine Gourd replied, "I don't know what art is, but I don't think it was a waste. Judging by his clothes, this person had status."

The Wine Gourd had fought alongside Yao Xin before. Although it hadn't engaged much in direct combat, it knew a fair bit about tactics.

She felt Li Banfeng's choice was correct; Old Yao also used similar tactics when he fought.

As expected, this captain was the military leader for hundreds of soldiers in the vicinity. With his fall, the surrounding soldiers' attacks became disorganized, and the shadows instantly gained the upper hand.

However, despite their disarray, the soldiers' positions remained unchanged, their formation wasn't broken, and their formidable combat power was still present.

Although the shadows had the clear advantage, they couldn't kill many enemies and couldn't find an opportunity to break through.

Wu Ji, the head on the general's left, frowned and said, "This person is very cunning; he knows whom to strike with deadly force."

Lan Jue, the head on the right, chuckled, "It's just a captain; it's not like he can't afford to die."

Song Zhu, the middle head, spoke, "That's right. We have nine deputy generals and twenty-two captains. Let's see how many he can kill."

Wu Ji turned to the deputy general next to him and said, "You go replace him."

This was a rule of the Bandit Suppression Camp: when an officer fell, another immediately took their place. Especially in the Sharp Edge Camp, this process was extremely smooth.

Everything said by Song Zhu's three heads was heard by the Threaded Earrings.

Li Banfeng looked at Song Zhu and roughly deduced Song Zhu's identity.

He first called Banfeng Chou and Banfeng Yin to his side. The two overlapped behind Li Banfeng, forming three heads.

With three heads, Li Banfeng leaped onto the captain's iron horse. The Projector emerged from behind him, modifying the scene so that to onlookers, it seemed as if the fallen captain had stood up again.

Li Banfeng whispered, "Old man, open the door."

The Portable Residence opened its door, and the Lady shouted in a low voice, "All of you, listen to my command, advance with me!"

In the past, this wouldn't have been so troublesome; Li Banfeng could have simply used the Deep Mansion technique to borrow the Lady's voice.

But now the Lady was no longer a house spirit, so her voice was difficult to project outside.

It didn't matter if she couldn't borrow it; the Portable Residence opened a separate window for the Lady to observe the outside situation, and she immediately knew what to do.

Li Banfeng intended to impersonate the captain, and the Lady immediately issued military orders.

Her shout was powerful and resonant, clearly heard by everyone around.

Li Banfeng charged out on the iron horse. Many soldiers around him couldn't understand why he was charging out.

Some soldiers also couldn't figure out where exactly to charge.

But many other soldiers charged out without thinking, simply following.

It seemed like there was no need to think about it.

That person was riding the captain's horse.

That person had three heads.

That person looked exactly like the captain.

Wasn't that the captain?

Was it wrong to obey the captain's military orders?

As for the deviation in voice, most people on the battlefield wouldn't notice it, especially since they were also affected by the Foolish Cultivation technique.

As these soldiers charged with Li Banfeng, they left their formation positions.

Once they deviated from their positions, the formation in that area immediately became ineffective. Banfeng Bing shouted, "Chop them down!"

Wu Ji became anxious, "Quick, provide support!"

Lan Jue still chuckled, "You have to admit, this person is quite clever. But indeed, we should provide support now."

"No rush!" Song Zhu shook his head. "If we support now, the formations of all units will be disrupted, which is exactly what he wants. Have the deputy generals quickly respond and reorganize the army formation."

Reorganizing the formation was too late. Before the deputy generals could reach the designated area, the shadows charged into the crowd, causing flesh and blood to fly. Hundreds of soldiers under the captain were dead or wounded in an instant.

However, the enemy general didn't fall for the trick. The main army's formation remained unbroken, and Li Banfeng still couldn't break through.

It didn't matter that they weren't fooled. Li Banfeng targeted another captain, waiting for an opportunity to get close again.

Unfortunately, within the Thousand Man Force formation, getting close wasn't easy. The soldiers had learned their lesson and were coordinating their defenses, giving Li Banfeng no chance to approach the captain.

The brief success was fleeting. Li Banfeng and the group of shadows were once again heavily surrounded. Arrows flew, large numbers of shadows fell, struck by arrows, and Li Banfeng struggled to hold out, swapping positions between the various shadows.

Lan Jue burst out laughing, "Victory is in our grasp! It's best to capture him alive!"

Wu Ji felt something was wrong, "Why are the people around him getting more numerous as he fights?"

Although Song Zhu had extensive battlefield experience, he had never seen such a technique. The current situation was truly difficult to assess.

After a moment's thought, Song Zhu stretched out a hand and summoned an eagle.

The eagle landed on Song Zhu's arm. Song Zhu whispered a few words into its ear, and the eagle soared into the air, swooping towards Li Banfeng.

Wu Ji nodded, "I knew this person was most unusual."

Lan Jue chuckled, "If you knew, why didn't you say so sooner?"

The eagle extended its sharp talons, aiming for Li Banfeng's head with great force and weight. It appeared to be a Body Cultivator.

Li Banfeng bothered not to deal with it himself, only sending Scythe to parry. Scythe fended off two attacks and shouted, "Old Qi,I can't beat him!"

Before he finished speaking, Scythe was knocked away by a powerful flap of the eagle's wing.

Scythe scraped against the eagle's wing, causing feathers to fall off. These feathers struck Li Banfeng like sharp swords. Unable to dodge or swap positions in time, Li Banfeng endured the blow with his Profound Residence Heart.

Many feathers hit Li Banfeng, cutting his skin and drawing blood.

The fact that feathers could penetrate the Profound Residence Heart proved this eagle was no ordinary creature; it must be a first-grade weapon.

Striking so quickly and fiercely, this first-grade weapon was likely a Blade Cultivator.

Li Banfeng felt no pain, but a tingling numbness spread through his body.

"It's poisoned!" The Wine Gourd leaped up and splashed wine onto Li Banfeng's wounds. In that brief moment of detoxification, the eagle suddenly vanished. Li Banfeng paused in surprise, then felt a sharp pain in his chest, and blood seeped through his clothes.

Swift Strike?

This eagle also possessed a Travel Cultivation technique?

Li Banfeng was still searching for the eagle's whereabouts when he saw Song Zhu wave his hand, and over a dozen giant eagles of various forms flew towards Li Banfeng.

Banfeng Yi exclaimed, "These are all first-grade weapons? Qiao Yi invested so heavily?"

These eagles were indeed all first-grade weapons. Qiao Yi never spared expense when it came to the Bandit Suppression Camp.

Surrounded by Bandit Suppression soldiers and besieged by eagles from above, Li Banfeng and the shadows struggled to parry below. His top hat was torn with several holes, and blood streamed down his forehead, covering his face.

"Look at him, his head is almost like a rotten persimmon," Song Zhu said, tilting his neck as he looked at Li Banfeng, his smile more sinister than Lan Jue's.

Lan Jue joined in the laughter, "Brother, order the Mind Blast technique! Explode his brains and turn him into a rotten persimmon, inside and out."

"Good, Mind Blast!" Song Zhu ordered the use of the Mind Blast technique.

The surrounding soldiers simultaneously cast their Mind Cultivation techniques, and Li Banfeng felt his head splitting with pain.

Fortunately, his mind was filled with numerous thoughts, making it difficult for the enemy to target him. For anyone else, their brains would truly have exploded.

Seeing Li Banfeng increasingly desperate, Song Zhu laughed uproariously.

Banfeng Zi, hugging the ground, looked up at Song Zhu, thinking, "Lord Jia, just hold on a bit longer, let him laugh a bit more."

Silently, he glided forward for over ten meters, reaching Song Zhu's horse. From beneath him, five shadows—Banfeng Mao, Banfeng Chen, Banfeng Wu, Banfeng Wei, and Banfeng Shen—all emerged.

After hearing Song Zhu's voice through the Threaded Earrings, Li Banfeng had targeted Song Zhu.

The Earthly Branch shadows all had excellent House Cultivation talents, especially Banfeng Zi.

Banfeng Zi, along with three shadows, each grabbed a leg of the iron horse.

The four shadows simultaneously exerted force, and despite the Thousand Man Force formation, they tore the iron horse apart.

Song Zhu, who had been roaring with laughter, was completely unprepared and fell heavily to the ground.

He had been laughing with his mouth wide open, and when he fell, his face hit the ground first, giving him a mouthful of dirt and sand.

He lifted his head, about to spit out the dirt, when Banfeng Chen, waiting nearby, stomped on Song Zhu's head. *Splatch!*

Song Zhu's face sank into the ground, his nose bone fractured, and blood mixed with dirt poured into his mouth and nostrils.

Banfeng Wu held Song Zhu's feet from behind, preventing him from getting up, while Banfeng Zi led the other shadows to grab Wu Ji's and Lan Jue's two heads, tearing at them fiercely.

Surrounding soldiers rushed forward to rescue him, but the six shadows, enduring blows from sabers and axes, tore Song Zhu apart.

Banfeng Chen burst into laughter. Banfeng Chou thought about escaping quickly. Banfeng Wu and Banfeng Shen had just burrowed into the ground when they heard Banfeng Wei say, "Wait, this isn't the main general."

Banfeng Wei tore off a head. It wasn't Song Zhu's, nor Wu Ji's or Lan Jue's; it was a head he hadn't seen before.

Banfeng Zi's gaze swept across, spotting Song Zhu's figure in the distance.

"Position Shift!" The Little Train also saw it.

The Thousand Man Force formation had special protection for the main general. Song Zhu was originally in the center of the formation, about to be torn apart by the shadows. At that critical moment, the formation activated, swapping his position with a soldier at the edge of the formation.

The swapped soldier died on the spot, and Song Zhu himself was also seriously injured.

His nose bone was broken, several teeth were knocked out, and both sides of his neck were severely injured, making it impossible for him to straighten it.

But he was still alive, and the soldiers knew he was alive.

Song Zhu looked at Li Banfeng and laughed even louder, "Kill me? You still want to kill me? A cornered beast's struggle!"

Wu Ji laughed, and Lan Jue followed suit.

Banfeng Zi led a group of shadows to burrow into the ground, still seeking an opportunity to approach Song Zhu.

Li Banfeng fought desperately, but the situation remained dire.

Song Zhu laughed so hard he gasped for breath, "He, he wants to kill me? With just him, he still wants to kill me—"

Wu Ji stopped laughing.

The battle wasn't over yet; a couple of laughs were enough. A general laughing like that was undignified.

Lan Jue also stopped laughing. His neck was almost broken, and he couldn't laugh anymore.

But only Song Zhu couldn't stop laughing, his face turning purple from laughter.

Wu Ji reminded him, "Brother, let's focus on the battle first."

Lan Jue also added, "Laugh later. First, get your breath back."

Song Zhu coughed twice, then said, still laughing, "We almost got killed by him. I'm quite scared."

Wu Ji paused, "What does that mean?"

Song Zhu smiled at the two and said, "How about we just stop fighting?"

Lan Jue coughed twice, "Brother, that's a good joke!"

Song Zhu shook his head, still laughing, "This is no joke. Full army retreat!"

Wu Ji and Lan Jue were stunned, and the surrounding soldiers were also bewildered.

Ayi chuckled from a distance, "He said retreat! Didn't you hear him?"

Several soldiers looked back at Ayi, but then, to their surprise, Song Zhu raised his general's banner and issued the retreat order.

"Brother, you're insane!"

Ayi laughed, "You guessed right! He's gone mad! You might as well go mad with him!"

Song Zhu had moved from the center of the formation to its edge, which gave Ayi the perfect opportunity to approach him.

Ayi used her technique, and Song Zhu went mad.

The captains of various units saw Song Zhu's general's banner and immediately organized a retreat.

As the army began to move, Ayi shouted loudly, "Brother, blow them all to hell!"

Li Banfeng was still besieged by the eagles. Two eagles charged towards him simultaneously, just about to strike his face, when the airflow suddenly shifted, causing the two eagles to collide head-on.

One eagle broke its neck, the other broke a wing. The flock lost control of the airflow and plummeted to the ground.

Although they were first-grade weapons, once these eagles hit the ground, their combat power was greatly reduced. Li Banfeng, with a stomp that could shatter ten thousand rivers,sent feathers flying and flesh scattering.

Riding the Wind and Driving the Clouds – this technique was truly enjoyable.

However, Li Banfeng and the eagles had all had enough fun. If it weren't for deceiving Song Zhu, Li Banfeng would have dispatched them long ago.

Having dealt with the eagles, Li Banfeng picked up the explosives. Working with Ayi from both inside and outside, they blasted thousands of Bandit Suppression soldiers into scattered corpses.

Song Zhu was still insane, waving his general's banner and continuously issuing retreat orders. A group of soldiers advanced, attempting to subdue Song Zhu, when Hong Ying suddenly appeared, killing over a hundred soldiers and protecting Song Zhu.

Normally it was hard to say, but on the battlefield, Hong Ying's thoughts became exceptionally clear.

Song Zhu was the main general, and according to military custom, the entire army had to obey the main general's orders. As long as this madman was protected, the Bandit Suppression Army couldn't reorganize their formation.

A Bandit Suppression Army unable to form ranks was just a group of live targets. Her idea was correct, but Hong Ying underestimated the quality of the Sharp Edge Camp.

Seeing that Song Zhu was out of control, all the deputy generals simultaneously waved their banners, ordering the Bandit Suppression Army to reform their ranks.

The captains of each unit, seeing this, immediately organized their soldiers to regain their positions.

This was a rule of the Sharp Edge Camp: when all deputy generals' orders were consistent, the entire army would disregard the main general's orders and obey the deputy generals' orders.

This rule was specifically established by Qiao Yi to prevent unforeseen circumstances with the main general.

If one deputy general defied the main general's wishes, that deputy general would be charged with insubordination. But if all deputy generals defied the main general's wishes, the problem definitely lay with the main general.

Just as the Bandit Suppression Army was about to fully reform its formation, the Portable Residence suddenly appeared, roaring as it cut through the army formation. Its wheels crushed everything in its path, leaving two rows of fallen bodies behind it. Taking advantage of the Bandit Suppression Army's disarray, the Portable Residence carved a bloody path and turned to Li Banfeng, saying, "Go!"

It was indeed time to leave now.

The Green Sharp Camp had been annihilated, and the Sharp Edge Camp had suffered thousands of casualties. This battle could already be considered a great victory.

Having originally been in a desperate situation, being able to withdraw completely now was an opportunity not to be missed.

Li Banfeng broke through the encirclement, called for Hong Ying, and went to find Ayi.

Song Zhu was still insane. Wu Ji and Lan Jue, who had restrained themselves for a long time, also started to go mad with him.

The three burst into maniacal laughter. Hong Ying's saber flashed, and the laughter abruptly ceased.

With everything properly handled, Li Banfeng still couldn't find Ayi.

A series of explosions erupted on the hillside next to the workshop. Li Banfeng looked in that direction and saw Ayi was surrounded.

When the Portable Residence broke through earlier, Ayi went forward to assist but ended up in the wrong position. She was forced by the Bandit Suppression Army to the north of the workshop and onto the hillside.

Li Banfeng had previously used his "Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Disaster" skill to observe that this hillside was extremely dangerous, with many ambushing soldiers there,and numerous traps. By the time Ayi realized the situation was grim, the Bandit Suppression Army had already formed ranks around her.

Ayi took out all the weapons she had, laughed loudly, and tried to induce the enemy soldiers to go mad.

Indeed, some enemy soldiers went mad and left their original positions.

The mad enemy soldiers caused dozens of others around them to be blown to smithereens.

But most soldiers remained unmoved at a distance. They collectively used their Mind Cultivation techniques and gradually stabilized their minds.

With little explosives left, Ayi's smile remained unchanged as she softly sang:

"My dear brother, oh, the silk floss tree flowers on the mountain have bloomed,My dear brother, please walk slowly, oh, pick another flower for your sister,Standing on the petals, oh, your sister waits for you to return. My dear brother, come back soon, oh, don't wait until the flowers wither—"

Li Banfeng had promised to send Ayu back to Gourd Village, and Li Banfeng would never break his word.

Ayi had promised to help Li Banfeng fight the Bandit Suppression Camp, and Ayi always kept her word.

She held her last pack of explosives, looked at the surrounding Bandit Suppression soldiers, and chuckled as she sang the folk song.

Li Banfeng disregarded Hong Ying's attempts to stop him and charged back into the enemy formation like a madman.

The Portable Residence closed its windows. Zhao Xiaowan couldn't see clearly what was happening outside, but she guessed the situation was dire.

Zhao Xiaowan shouted, "Old man, let me out!"

Jiang Ling'er stood up and said, "I'll go with you."

The Portable Residence did not respond.

Hong Lian said, "What good would letting you out do? Take me out with you!"

Zhao Xiaowan asked, "What would you do out there?"

Hong Lian replied, "I need to save Li Qi! I don't want to be trapped here forever!"

"You don't need to save him!" Zhao Xiaowan pulled hard at the Portable Residence's door, but it wouldn't budge an inch.

Hong Lian shrieked, "Little Train, let me out! I still need to save Ayi! That's Ayu's daughter!"

"My daughter!" Ayu burst out of Gourd Village's entrance, desperately rushing towards the Bandit Suppression Camp.

Of their entire family, only Ayi was still alive.

Jiu'er was gravely wounded and couldn't stand up, so she could only crawl forward.

She knew something must have happened to her sister. She didn't dare to think anything, only hoping her sister was still alive.

Ayun was about to stop Jiu'er when she suddenly saw A-Long rushing over in a panic, "The Madam is back."

Ayun was startled, "Which Madam?"

A-Long said, "It's the Madam our village chief loves the most."

"Which one is 'loved the most'?" Ayun still couldn't recall who it was, but then she saw Qiu Luoye roar and charge over.

"Where is he?" Qiu Luoye roared.

Ayun was stunned for a moment, "Wh-what person?"

Qiu Luoye said, "Where's my brother?"

Ayun pointed into the distance, "Fighting in the military camp."

"Where's your village chief?"

"He's also fighting in that military camp."

Qiu Luoye charged towards the enemy camp in a desperate hurry.

After he left, Ayun felt another gust of wind pass by.

Ayun asked A-Long, "Why did the village chief's Madam suddenly return?"

A-Long said, "He said he brought two helpers."

"Where are the helpers?"

A-Long pointed outside the cave and said, "One just left."

Was that the gust of wind just now?

Who was that, running so fast?

Ayun looked towards the hillside. She couldn't see the helper's appearance, only a cloud of dust on the ground.

"Why can't I see him clearly?"

A-Long replied, "It's right that you can't see him clearly. If you did, you might have nightmares."

"Weren't there two helpers? Where's the other one?"

A-Long looked back to see an honest-looking middle-aged man, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, walking towards them.

"Where's my brother?" the man asked.

Why did everyone ask that?

Ayun didn't recognize the man, but Jiu'er did.

Jiu'er looked up and said, "Fighting in the Bandit Suppression Camp."

The man crouched down and said, "Child, why are you so badly injured?"

Jiu'er shook her head, "Don't worry about me. Mom and Big Sister are over there."

Sun Tiecheng stood up and sighed, "What kind of situation is this? Fighting the Bandit Suppression Camp, why didn't you call me?"

Li Banfeng desperately charged up the hillside. Too many enemy soldiers surrounded Ayi, and Li Banfeng couldn't break through. As he was figuring out a way, a colossal object suddenly rolled up to his side.

That's right, he rolled over.

This colossal object startled many enemy soldiers and sent them retreating; its appearance was simply too bizarre.

Li Banfeng took a closer look. He seemed to have seen this colossal object before.

It was a human head, about three meters in diameter, without hair, but with complete and rather regular features.

It had open eyes, and its pupils were gazing steadily at Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng remembered; he had indeed seen this head before.

Back when he offended Feng Daiku, Li Banfeng accidentally entered the Iron Wire River. After emerging from it, Li Banfeng got lost. While wandering and trying to find his way back, he passed through a thicket of thorns and saw this head among them.

This head had caused Li Banfeng a lot of trouble; it kept spinning in the thorny thicket, frightening Li Banfeng so much that he hid inside the Portable Residence and dared not come out.

The head stared at Li Banfeng for a moment and then spoke, "Have we met before?"

Li Banfeng nodded, "I believe so."

The head then said, "Are we friends?"

Li Banfeng thought for a moment and replied, "I believe so too."

The head bobbed up and down, as if nodding, "If we're friends, then it's easy. I'm a fair person; you help me, and I'll help you."

Li Banfeng didn't understand what he meant, but found his manner of speaking very familiar.

The head then added, "I'll help you fight the enemy, and you give me a push. Going uphill is truly exhausting!"

Li Banfeng looked at its form, then thought about its rolling method of movement, and couldn't help but nod, saying,"Yes, it really is too exhausting."