Chapter 424 Breaking the Formation
On the wide and gentle platform halfway up the mountain, the crimson glow of the setting sun shone through the pines and cypresses on both sides of the mountain path onto everyone's faces.
On one side was the iron cavalry of the State of Yu, led by Zhao Duan, who was dressed as a nobleman, a torrent of steel.
On the other side, the disciples of Zixiao Palace, led by a Taoist priest in white and purple robes, lined up and were ready for battle.
The cold winter wind swept across the mountain road, and the atmosphere became increasingly solemn.
"The Zixiao Palace is closed to visitors. If you pilgrims want to go up the mountain, please come back tomorrow." The Taoist holding a whisk said calmly.
Zhao Duan, who was on his horse, asked with great interest, "Do you know my identity?"
The leading Taoist priest has a certain status in Zixiao Palace, and is the leader of all disciples. He is the "senior brother" taught by the "Palace Master" Lu Zhengchun himself. He has been in Zixiao Taoist Temple for many years and is used to seeing dignitaries.
Over the past few decades, countless important figures have traveled between Binhai and Linfeng, and there has been an endless stream of people coming to burn incense.
Also, due to the natural awe and respect that secular forces have for "practitioners", even princes and nobles are treated with courtesy when they come to the mountain, and very few people rush to the mountain gate for no reason.
The leading Taoist priest did not know the identity of the visitor, but after receiving the news, he followed his master's orders and came to stop them.
He glanced at Zhao Duan and the cavalry behind him and said:
"In the outside world, ordinary status and authority are not important.
This young man may be the son of a general or some other noble family, but you must know that Zixiao Palace was a reward bestowed by the late emperor, and the status of the Palace Master of my Taoist temple is transcendent.
The prefect and the governor are extremely respectful to our palace master. The monks of the three sects of Buddhism, Taoism, and Qingshan have treated our palace master as a fellow Taoist... If you want to go up the mountain, you should explain your purpose and follow the rules, leaving your men and horses at the foot of the mountain. That is in accordance with the rules."
He spoke with an arrogant air.
The hundreds of Taoists all looked arrogant, as if "it's as it should be".
Zhao Duan saw this and couldn't help but sigh. It was obvious that in this Fengcheng area, Lu Zhengchun seemed to be used to being a wild immortal.
The other party's undisguised obstructive attitude was also quite abnormal, which made him think of Duke Cao who rejected Beicheng - are these people who monopolize power and dominate a region so arrogant?
Coincidentally, he specializes in treating all kinds of arrogance.
"Haha, this young master heard that the purple clouds in Zixiao Palace are extremely beautiful at night, and that the purple-robed Taoist priest is skilled in practicing flying swords with his alchemy furnace, so I came all the way here to see this wonder. Now that it's getting late, please hurry back and ask Lu Zhengchun to prepare a bed for you. This young master will not mind your little disrespect in stopping me."
Zhao Duan spoke in a condescending tone, like a man on the throne looking down at ants.
He became more and more convinced that there was something wrong with the Zixiao Palace.
As soon as the words fell, more than a hundred Taoist priests showed anger on their faces. The eldest brother who was in the lead had a cold expression and snorted with a flick of his sleeve:
"The Taoist temple is closed. Young Master, don't you understand? Or do you really want us to escort you down the mountain?"
Zhao Duan was too lazy to talk nonsense with this idiot, and said calmly with narrowed eyes:
"Yuanji, attack the mountain."
"yes!"
At the back of the team, the deputy general who looked like a mountain of flesh and held a war hammer had learned of the empress's order a few days ago, and he only followed Zhao Shaobao's orders.
He had always disliked the boss of Zixiao Palace, and today he had the opportunity to fight him, so he looked excited.
With a wave of his hand, the black cavalry dismounted in an orderly manner and turned to walk, while taking off their spears and shields from the side of the saddle.
Like black water, they passed by a group of masters including Zhao Du'an, Gongshu Tianyuan and some of the accompanying soldiers in brocade clothes. Amid the sound of armor clashing, they held their shields in front of them, forming a black and cold steel shield wall, with sharp spears protruding from the gaps.
Then, this dark mass of humanoid war fortresses advanced forward step by step using the offensive triangle formation on the battlefield, as if they were going to flatten the mountain with their troops.
The leading Taoist's expression changed, and he whispered:
"Form a formation!"
In an instant, hundreds of Taoists who were on high alert stood in a square formation, and each of them made hand gestures and shouted in unison at the same time.
Magical power surrounded his body, and the hilt of the sword in the scabbard on the back of the Taoist priest began to vibrate.
Then, amidst a series of "swish swish" sounds, nearly a hundred long swords were unsheathed on their own, as if pulled by an invisible hand, hovering above the heads of this group of Taoists, with the tips of the swords pointing directly at the infantry formation.
"Is this the flying sword?" Zhao Duan looked at it from behind, quite surprised.
Gongshu Tianyuan showed disdain on his face. Although Zhang Tianshi's fifth disciple was on the path of the God of Craftsmanship and not proficient in this art, his vision surpassed ninety percent of the Taoist monks in the world. He curled his lips and said:
"What kind of flying sword is this? It's nothing more than a sword-guiding technique.
A true Taoist flying sword is as thin as a cicada's wing, flies without a trace, and is extremely dangerous. It is extremely difficult to refine and control, which is why it is so rare. It is our Taoist sect's way of distinguishing itself from the inheritance of gods, and is almost a swordsman's killing move.
In the early years, when the paths of the gods were still unclear, the earliest Taoists also learned martial arts for self-defense, especially swordsmanship, and gradually developed flying swords...
Every priest in my Tianshi Mansion, no matter which god they specialize in, can also practice sword control...
However, because it is too difficult and not as well-organized as the divine techniques, there are fewer people practicing this method nowadays, and only this group of wild Taoists regard it as a treasure."
After a pause, the fat priest added reluctantly:
"However, the positions of these Taoists are like a sword formation, just like the deployment of troops on a battlefield. Although it is a sword-controlling technique, it is far inferior to the real flying sword. But once this sword formation is unleashed, it is indeed impressive. Ordinary Divine Realm cultivators will undoubtedly die. Even those in the Secular Realm who encounter it alone will have to avoid its sharp edge."
Are they so powerful? No wonder these powerful people are so confident and show no fear when facing the officers and soldiers.
Zhao Duan listened and roughly understood that the swords in the hands of these Taoists were not real flying swords, but ordinary swords that were controlled by magic.
Huh, this makes sense. If these more than a hundred people were all powerful people who could wield flying swords, Lu Zhengchun would have established his own sect and competed with Qingshan... Zhao Duan looked like he was watching a show.
At this time, seeing that the soldiers in formation continued to advance without stopping, the leading Taoist priest's face turned stern and he said:
"My fellow disciples, join forces to repel the enemy!"
"yes!"
The Taoists shouted together with great momentum, and the dense swarm of swords above their heads suddenly whizzed out like a swarm of locusts.
It was like a rainstorm, with raindrops hitting the ground. A strong wind swept across the mountain road, and the pines and cypresses on both sides swayed. Long swords gathered into a tornado of swords and slammed into the shield wall of the Dayu infantry.
“Ding-dang-dang!”
In an instant, sparks flew from the junction of the weapons, and the tip of the sword collided with the shield, making a crisp sound of iron clashing.
Along with sparks, long swords were spread out by shields like siege arrows, but they did not fall. Instead, under the control of the Taoist priests in the back, they drew a trajectory in the air, returned to the sword formation, and launched a second charge.
"go ahead!"
The infantry soldiers roared, bearing the fierce attack, and continued to push the steel wall forward.
Unfortunately, the mountain road is not wide enough, and the elite infantry cannot mount their horses to launch the strongest cavalry charge.
In this terrible terrain, they could only transform into infantry and advance forward with their bodies. Their combat effectiveness was reduced by 70% to 80%. Zhang Han, who also came from the military, frowned and whispered to Zhao Duan:
"This place is too hostile for soldiers. If it were flat ground, a single, fearless charge would break through this so-called sword formation. But right now, we can barely exert 20% of our full strength."
Zhao Duan, however, looked calm and said:
"But it's enough, isn't it?"
Indeed, even though the soldiers' formation could hardly exert its strength, they were able to hold up the locust-like sword formation with just their sophisticated shields.
"The warriors on the battlefield are different from the monks. The latter have more skills, so they tend to use less protective gear and pursue flexibility and maneuverability. This sword formation is also set up against the monks, but when it hits a solid wall, the power of the sword formation will also be greatly weakened." The deputy general named Yuanji said calmly.
In front, the Taoists also quickly realized this and their expressions changed slightly.
The invincible long sword was knocked away by the iron walls again and again, and everyone seemed to see the dark sea water slowly and steadily surging towards them.
The leading senior brother snorted coldly and said:
"Just a mere iron shield, watch me break it."
As he spoke, he suddenly swept the whisk in his hand forward. In an instant, Zhao Duan only heard a sharp whistle.
He was very familiar with this because the Golden Crow Flying Knife had this kind of momentum when it flew out.
At this moment, when the leading Taoist swept his whisk, a handleless sword blade flew out from nowhere, split into three in the air, turned into a gray afterimage, and hit the shield formation in the blink of an eye.
The unbreakable shield wall was torn apart in an instant. A foot soldier groaned, his body flew backwards and hit the person behind him, and the shield in his hand cracked and shattered.
A gap was created in the shield wall, and it showed signs of collapse in an instant. The remaining swords in the air also swarmed into the crack, avoiding the soldiers' necks and stabbing their shoulders and ribs. In the blink of an eye, blood spurted out, and a row of infantrymen fell down like straw.
"not good……"
Yuanji's eyelids twitched. Once the battle formation was broken, the infantrymen who could not move freely would face a crushing defeat.
Of course, if one is ruthless enough to sacrifice human lives, the formation can be broken, but the damage will be too great.
"Lang Eighteen, Jiyue, go and break the formation."
Zhao Duan spoke calmly.
In an instant, the drunken swordsman and the sorceress who looked like a ghost in red rushed out.
Lang Shiba tore through the air like a meteorite and crashed into the crack of the shield wall. The scimitar in his hand drew a bright arc in the sunset light.
With a "ding" sound, the flying sword was knocked away. The eldest brother of Zixiao Palace, whose soul was connected to the flying sword, turned pale and his pupils narrowed.
"Western Region Warrior?"
He used the scimitar to try to determine Lang Shiba's origins.
Ji Yue, dressed in red, with her hair loose and revealing a pair of white pupils without pupils, opened her arms and flew up. Above the mountain path, she bathed in the gradually darkening sky and the fading twilight, and grabbed with her pale index finger.
“Crack, crack…”
The moisture in the air was madly sucked out and attached to the dozens of long swords in the air.
In an instant, the long sword wrapped in the suddenly appearing water film had its own ideas and stopped in mid-air. No matter how the Taoists controlled it, it could not move.
Ji Yue used his own strength to restrain hundreds of long swords:
"Move...hands..."
"Break the formation!" General Yuanji shouted loudly, holding two war hammers, bent his waist and knees, jumped up, and smashed into the sword formation like a meteorite.
With a sweep of the heavy hammer, several dazed Taoists were hit, causing them to spit blood from their mouths and fly backwards.
When the other brave soldiers saw this, they also threw away their shields and rushed into the sword formation like wolves and tigers, defeating the group of Taoists.
"Attacking an official of the imperial court is considered treason. Yuanji, do you know how to deal with this?"
A light voice came from behind.
Yuanji, who weighed hundreds of pounds and had a face full of flesh, felt a chill in his heart while standing in the sword formation. He suddenly swept his hammer across, and several corpses fell to the ground in an instant.
Seeing their leader's actions, the other soldiers no longer held back. The flash of their swords flashed across the sky, and blood flowers bloomed in the afterglow of the setting sun.
Murder...
The leading Taoist's pupils suddenly narrowed. Seeing the situation was not good, his face turned pale. He flicked his whisk, recalled the flying sword back into his sleeve, turned around and was about to leave. As he turned around, a scimitar was pressed against his neck:
"Don't move."
The eldest senior brother of Zixiao Palace was considered quite capable in the Divine Chapter Realm, but facing Lang Shiba's blade, he didn't dare to move at all.
Especially when Ji Yue appeared in front of him lightly and like a ghost, he finally gave up hope completely.
behind.
Haitang and others watched this scene expressionlessly.
If it was just normal arrogance, they would naturally take a step back when faced with the government troops' intrusion, but this group of Taoists chose to attack the government troops.
This action itself shows that Lu Zhengchun does have serious problems, but no one has suspected it before.
Zhao Duan shook the reins lightly, took the lead, stepped over the corpses on the ground, and continued to walk towards higher ground, saying indifferently:
"Yuanji, you and your men stay here and handle the aftermath. The rest of you, follow me up the mountain to meet Lu Zhengchun. We can't maneuver here, so there's no need to waste soldiers here."
…
…
The Zixiao Palace Taoist Temple covers a large area and is very magnificent.
In front of the Taoist temple, there is a huge and towering archway.
Further in, there are palaces and pavilions.
At this moment, on the tallest building, Palace Master Lu Zhengchun, who looked to be a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, was sitting in an exceptionally large chair, wearing a luxurious dark purple Taoist robe and with his hair tied up with a jade hairpin. He looked down at the fighting on the platform on the mountainside with an expressionless face.
From this viewing angle, you can perfectly see the fight between the two sides below.
At this moment, Lu Zhengchun was holding a disheveled female Taoist priest in his arms. The female Taoist priest was young, beautiful, and graceful. Her untied belt and slipped dress revealed her beautiful white hair.
Just witnessing the scene of killing below, this pretty Kun Daoist girl turned pale as gold paper, trembling, with cold hands and feet. She did not react at all despite Lu Zhengchun's big hands moving.
On the other side, the plump female Taoist priest who was serving Lu Zhengchun and feeding the grapes to the palace master was also stunned. She was holding a golden cup filled with green grapes.
Not only them, but also a large group of beautiful women at the back, ranging in age from their teens to over 30 years old, were trembling like quails and stopped singing and dancing out of fear.
"A bunch of trash."
Lu Zhengchun uttered these four words expressionlessly, and it was unclear whether he was referring to the disciples below or the Kun Daoists around him.
Only the female Taoist priest in his arms suddenly cried out in pain. It was Lu Zhengchun's big hand stuffed in her robe that suddenly exerted force, pinching the white and tender flesh into a large purple patch.
Lu Zhengchun turned his head and looked at his concubine who was trembling, biting her lips tightly, forcibly holding back her cries of pain, tears welling up in her eyes. He stroked her hair gently with a tender look in his eyes and said:
"Does it hurt? It's okay, it won't hurt soon."
Originally a good family who came to burn incense, she was spotted by Lu Zhengchun, who used some tricks to take her into the palace to be used as a furnace. Kun Dao looked pitiful and nodded slightly, her eyes revealing fear and dependence.
However, the next second, her delicate and white neck was twisted off by Lu Zhengchun.
"Zhao Duan...what a Zhao Duan..."
Lu Zhengchun murmured, anger roaring in his eyes. His figure became blurred, and when he became clear again, he had appeared under the ancient and majestic archway in front of the Taoist temple.
He looked at Zhao Duan who was leading a group of his men up the stairs.
Their eyes met.
Zhao Duan's lips curled up slightly. "Lu Zhengchun? I suspect Zixiao Palace is colluding with the rebels. Come with me."
(End of this chapter)
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