Chapter 836: The Assembly of the Gods? I vaguely remember it (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

Shen Tang was confident in his eloquence.

Sowing discord is just something he does easily.

"Huang Xiguang, you have the Imperial Seal in your hands, don't you? If you held the Imperial Seal today, how could the prestige of the nation within the territory of Chaoli Pass affect your soldiers? The heads of your most prized sixteenth-rank Grand Masters wouldn't be in my hands. They died because of you, they died fighting for you, and yet you caused their wrongful deaths... Tsk, could it be that you're worried that if you carry the Imperial Seal with you, you'll lose more than you gain if you're defeated? So you deliberately hid the Imperial Seal in a safe place. Oh dear, this move is truly chilling."

She moved freely, her voice echoing throughout the entire battlefield.

Make sure every one of Huang Lie's soldiers can hear it!

The worst thing for a soldier is to be betrayed, especially by his own lord. They risked their lives for Huang Lie, yet Huang Lie sent them to their deaths for his own selfish reasons. The Heavy Shield Warriors were mindless and unaffected by Shen Tang's manipulations, but what about the others?

Upon hearing this, Huang Lie's troops indeed became chaotic.

Before the riot could spread, a loud shout broke out from the enemy ranks. He was so angry that he wanted to tear Shen Tang's mouth apart: "Shen, stop spreading rumors and misleading the public!"

Huang Lie himself gripped the handrail tightly.

No one knew better than him why he couldn't produce the imperial seal.

He gave the order with a gloomy expression.

"Kill Shen Youli at all costs!"

Each martial artist has their own strengths.

Some have great endurance, some great strength, some great speed, some excel at frontal combat, and naturally, some specialize in assassination. If Shen Tang had been hiding in the central army, heavily protected by soldiers, it would have been difficult to deal with him. Who knew that this person would be so skilled and daring, willingly revealing himself to the front lines. In that case, he shouldn't be surprised by the sneak attacks.

Having fought this far, Shen Tang had no way out, and neither did Huang Lie. If they retreated now at the first sign of weakness, it would be a devastating blow to morale. Even if they regrouped, the next attack on Chaoli Pass would only be worse.

The instructions were issued to the target in a series of rapid succession.

At this moment, a legion of heavy shield warriors stood at the front of the battle line—

An unassuming but courageous warrior received the order, his expression calm and composed. Instead of ordering his heavily armored warrior legion to slow their advance, he launched a fierce and rapid attack, forcing a breach in the city wall. At the same time, his body dissipated like wisps of smoke, imperceptible to the naked eye, as if he had merged with the air.

He couldn't be found using ordinary methods.

His concealment techniques were so advanced that even martial artists several levels higher would find it difficult to detect him. Anything that might reveal his presence—killing intent, a gaze, an aura—vanished without a trace. At this moment, his presence was almost indistinguishable from that of a legendary ghost!

Ghosts can only be seen by those with the ability to see ghosts.

Although Luan Xin lacked the ability to see ghosts and had never seen one, his eyes could perceive all kinds of auras in the world. Naturally, he wouldn't miss the fact that half of the heavy shield warriors' morale was surging towards a humanoid aura. Large swaths of mixed-color aura were absorbed by the vortex, eventually transforming into an arrow resting on a full-moon bow. This arrow, however, was almost transparent.

The scent was very faint.

Luan Xin followed the direction of the arrowhead and saw his lord high in the sky.

The lord seemed to be unprepared.

Luan Xin moved his fingers.

He didn't intend to gamble on whether his lord would notice the assassination attempt.

As soon as the arrow left the bowstring, he used his incantation to move his lord away. Although this kind of assassination archery technique comes with a built-in aura lock and can turn around and pursue after missing, Luan Xin helped her dodge the first assassination, which was enough for her to react and evade the remaining pursuit.

Luan Xin's idea is good.

But he forgot one thing: his reaction time was slow.

Normally, he's alright; to outsiders, he's at most a slowpoke, reacting a beat or two slower than average, prematurely aged. But this is a battlefield, and as a participating scribe, he's under immense strain. In other words, by the time his brain receives the information that the enemy general is preparing an assassination attempt and he makes the decision to strike, the arrow has already left the bow!

Luan Xin: "..."

"Mr. Justice, be careful!" Lin Feng, braving the shockwave from above, swiftly deflected the stray arrow that nearly struck Luan Xin with his sword, while simultaneously forming a hand seal to activate the literary energy barrier.

Luan Xin had only two wounded guards with him, who had been blown off their feet by the sudden gust of wind and waves. One of them was even using his uninjured hand to pry open the cracks in the floor tiles to prevent himself from being blown further away. Every now and then, he would yell out, "Who stepped on my hand!"

After a dozen or so breaths, the shockwave finally subsided.

Lin Feng barely opened his eyes and saw the situation in the sky.

Two unfamiliar figures stood in front of their lord on either side.

One figure was clad in simple armor, and his appearance seemed vaguely familiar. However, he wore a visor, so his features were obscured. The other figure was even simpler, without any armor, only a cloth shirt over which was a wide robe with intricate and mysterious patterns.

The two are about the same height, but their body shapes are slightly different.

Shen Tang said with a hint of helplessness, "Gong Xichou, although our friendship is stronger than those who are inseparable, I have a principle: I hate it when people show off and steal the limelight in front of me, especially when that limelight should be mine..."

Before she could even strike the arrow, Gong Xichou arrived first!

No, to be precise, it was Gong Xi Chou and her Martial Spirit Totem who arrived together. Judging from their height, Shen Tang, who was in mid-air, silently raised her position, making herself half a head taller than them!

"Even if you don't come to kill me, I can handle it."

Don't underestimate the courage and skill of a scholar!

Gong Xichou spat and accused, "You killed Zhang Yongqing and came straight here without even caring about me, huh? Damn it, you've disappointed me so much! What's wrong with stealing your thunder for once?"

The next second, thud!

The high priest struck his head with his staff as a warning.

Gong Xichou: "..."

Take a deep breath and let it go for the sake of your seniority.

Gongxi Chou and the High Priest, represented by the Martial Courage Totem, joined forces and easily outmaneuvered the Zhang He army, which had lost its commander. After breaking through the encirclement, they arrived at Chaoli Pass one after the other. During this time, Gongxi Chou politely invited the elderly elder to climb onto his back, demonstrating the tribal tradition of respecting elders and caring for the young. The High Priest was the most respected and revered figure in the Gongxi tribe, and even though he existed only as a Martial Courage Totem, he still deserved respect.

Gongxi Chou, who wanted to carry his senior, was hit on the head with a wooden stick.

Gongxi Chou muttered to himself: "Does your high priest have some kind of peculiar hobby? The old priest always hits my butt with his staff, while you, senior, are tapping my head? What's the meaning behind that?"

The High Priest, in his Warrior Totem form, ignored him.

Seeing that he was in a hurry to travel, Gong Xichou comforted him, saying, "Mama is very strong. As long as she doesn't charge directly into an army formation, ordinary martial artists would just be throwing their lives away if they fought her..."

He was also a veteran of many battles.

Mama was the first person he had ever seen who dared to challenge a fully formed military formation alone. A typical example was the battle of Xiaocheng a few years ago. After returning, he couldn't understand why someone would charge into a military formation alone, except for being attacked by the enemy.

The High Priest, in his Warrior Totem form, still ignored him.

Gongxi Chou, however, took a keen interest in this tribesman and chattered on and on until they were less than three miles from Chaoli Pass. Suddenly, the high priest, whom Gongxi Chou had feared was mute, turned around. He responded, and Gongxi Chou was flattered.

The next moment, the wooden staff struck his head again.

The divine power unique to the High Priest radiated from his body.

Arrive at your destination in an instant.

They happened to be caught in the sneak attack by that cold arrow.

Gong Xichou was still wearing his clan's armor, which amplified his perception of the energy of heaven and earth several times over, so he naturally wouldn't miss the cold arrow. Without hesitation, he acted before Shen Tang could, pouring all his martial energy into his palm and striking out with it. The shockwave and sound waves caused by the explosion of martial energy spread in all directions from them, but Gong Xichou, his red tassel fluttering, remained as immovable as a mountain.

This entrance was perfect.

“If neglecting you would put your life in danger, then of course I would. Since it won’t, I naturally prioritize the greater good.” Shen Tang spoke with conviction, but still asked with concern, “Gong Xi Chou, are you alright?”

Gong Xichou removed his scale armor gauntlets and extended his middle finger: "Thank goodness, if I had come any later, the wound would have healed."

Shen Tang: "..."

The Warrior Totem seemed to know what she was thinking and tapped her head with its wooden staff.

Gong Xichou asked, puzzled, "Senior, what's wrong?"

The Martial Spirit Totem said coldly, "Insolence."

Gong Xichou: "..."

So the senior wasn't mute after all.

That's true. The high priest has a lot to learn. Besides various sacrificial dances to please the gods, he also needs to be able to sing. A mute person can't be chosen. But the other party is really indifferent. I've said so much to him, and he hasn't responded at all.

Tsk, this aloof personality is different from the typical Gongxi ethnic group's style.

Gong Xichou curled his lip and put on the scale armor gauntlets.

He was in a bad mood, so naturally he needed an outlet to vent.

Unfortunately, Huang Lie ran right into the line of fire!

"So many weird things?"

After fierce fighting, Huang Lie's force of over 20,000 shield-bearing warriors had dwindled to 14,000-15,000 remaining. The walls of Chaoli Pass had suffered extensive damage in three or four large areas, with countless smaller breaches. Under normal circumstances, such walls could be toppled with another concentrated attack, but the power system of this world was flawed. Even with cracked walls, morale could be temporarily used to repair and reinforce them.

You attack, I defend; you come, I go.

Beneath the city wall, the corpses of both enemy and friendly forces were piled up several layers high.

Judging from the morale of both sides, the situation is close to balanced, with a slight bias towards Huang Lie's troops. After all, the remaining 14,000 to 15,000 heavy shield warriors are relatively well-preserved, and Chao Li Pass is almost out of options: "Damn, where are Huang Lie's sixteenth-grade Grand Masterpieces?"

What is the situation regarding high-end combat capabilities?

Gong Xichou wanted to capture him to vent his anger!

Shen Tang swayed the sickle on his shoulder.

The head, with its eyes wide open in anger, swayed from side to side.

"Here it is. First come, first served!"

Gong Xichou: "..."

That's good, the scales have tipped in our favor.

He was just unhappy because he had no one to vent his anger on.

Shen Tang looked at the tireless heavy shield warriors, quite troubled: "It takes a long time to catch more than ten thousand pigs, let alone more than ten thousand energetic and abnormally strong live puppets. I remember that the Gu worms on the bodies of these heavy shield warriors are related to your Gongxi tribe, right? Do you have any methods to deal with them?"

The high priest remained silent, while Gongxi Chou kept talking.

"For example?"

Shen Tang: "Let the Gu worms in their bodies explode."

“It can’t self-destruct, but it can make them go out of control. However, if the Gu worms go out of control, the host will also go berserk and become even more lethal when they go crazy…” Gong Xichou shook his head, then looked at the mysterious high priest, “It can also put them to sleep.”

Shen Tang suddenly opened her almond-shaped eyes wide.

What happens if one falls into a deep sleep?

Gong Xichou said, "I've been forced back to my original form."

Once these heavy shield warriors lose the powerful boost from the Gu worms, they are nothing more than ordinary people whose lifespans have been greatly depleted.

A threatening, precipitous drop.

Shen Tang was overjoyed: "Then I'll have to trouble you."

A wooden staff was extended in front of her. Shen Tang followed the hand that held the staff, down her arm to the Martial Spirit Totem, whose face was mostly covered by a hood and shadow: "Lord God, I can do it too."

Gong Xichou: "The High Priest is even more skilled in controlling Gu."

He didn't know much about Gu worms, and his method of subduing them was simple and brutal: he used the Gu King within his body to forcibly stun the Gu worms in the surrounding area. Although the Gu worms on the heavy shield warrior weren't strong, they accumulated over time, and a combined force of 14,000 to 15,000 Gu worms was still terrifying.

If he is not careful, he risks being attacked in return.

Even if they succeed, the Gu worms will only be unconscious for a short time.

If the high priest were to take action, it would be even safer.

Even the Gu King is essentially a Gu worm. Gu worms will fight and kill each other when they meet, so Gong Xi Chou's methods involve some risk. On the other hand, the High Priest is different; his divine power has an irresistible attraction for Gu worms.

They also possess many secret techniques for using hypnotic insects.

Using Gu insects to deal with the Gongxi tribe is like adding fuel to the fire.

Shen Tang: "..."

Unexpectedly, the nemesis of the heavy shield warrior was right beside her.

"Then I'll have to trouble you."

On the battlefield, something unexpected happened.

Accompanied by the strange, incomprehensible chanting of the Warrior's Totem, countless vibrant green particles of light fell like snowflakes, covering half the battlefield. As the particles pierced their bodies, the heavy shield warriors, who had been murderous and painless just moments before, cried out in agony, clutching their wounds. Their once rock-hard skin softened like paper. Each strike drew blood.

The high morale suddenly came to a standstill.

Upon seeing this, Kang Jishou immediately commanded the remaining eight giants. The remaining giants raised their arms in front of them, facing the tidal wave of attacks head-on, and charged into the center of the heavy shield warrior legion with fierce courage, using every means to disrupt their formation.

at the same time--

The section of Corpse Vine that had been clinging to Lin Feng's shoulder slid down to his back with a whoosh, as if it had seen a ghost. The vine trembled slightly, as if sensing something terrifying. The other Corpse Vine used to mend the cracks in the city wall were also baring their fangs and claws…

Lin Feng was afraid that they would get out of control and harm his side.

They used their literary energy to suppress them.

The moment she touched it, a feeling similar to fear emanated from the Corpse Vine and traveled to Lin Feng, startling her.

Do plants and trees also have emotions?

Before she could think further, she was shocked to discover that the heavy shield warriors were behaving abnormally—their previously ineffective incantations were now driving them to despair. Before long, they were being utterly routed by her own troops, who were advancing with overwhelming force…

"Didn't they say these living puppets don't feel pain?"

I hadn't heard them howl much before.

Lin Feng's intuition told her that this was related to the green light particles falling from the sky, and she couldn't help but reach out to catch them. Watching the light particles sink into her skin, a slightly familiar aura flowed through her meridians, instantly merging with her own spiritual energy…

"Such a pure life force..."

|ω`)

Today I chatted with some netizens, and they complained that the books on the current bestseller list (specifically referring to Lv Jiji) are all about "beautiful wives competing with each other," which ruins the list and the website. They asked why they don't write strong female protagonist stories like "cyber," and even asked if "cyber" doesn't make money.

Shiitake mushrooms found it quite interesting.

The fact that these books made it onto the lists clearly indicates that their audience paid for subscriptions. Why don't these readers complain on the platform? Because they have plenty of reading material; there are enough novels they want to read. Who's going to complain when they're already full?

Readers with limited reading material or small book collections will wonder why there are fewer books they like to read on the platform.

The best solution is to support the novels you enjoy reading. If authors can earn money, naturally more people will write in that genre.

PS: When I said this to someone, they retorted that the author has no ideals or ambitions, and just writes mindless, spoiled wife romances and sadistic female characters all day long. They said the author should be responsible for their writing and not just care about money... This rhetoric is exactly like that of a capitalist _(:з」∠)_

Ask yourself honestly, if your boss makes such empty promises, would you be willing to take them?

P.S.: Another relatively young person said that the "strong female lead" genre is still in its early stages, and that more authors are needed to create a large following... This veteran of ten years, Mushroom, was speechless. How many years has online literature existed? The "strong female lead" genre has existed for just as long, okay? How popular were they a few years ago?

PPPS: Lin Feng might be a candidate for High Priest; it's just a thought that suddenly came to mind today.

(End of this chapter)