Nine martial artists from the Yan Kingdom, all at the Grandmaster level, dressed in black robes, mingled with the attacking Yan army in the darkness and charged toward the gates of Luoyue Pass.
Throughout history, there have been cases of high-level martial artists breaking through a city, but it is truly an unprecedented event that nine Grandmasters could break through a city at the same time.
The Qi state had a scattered army of about a million men stationed on the border between Qi and Yan. Yet, this million-strong army couldn't even muster nine Grandmasters. In contrast, Yan mobilized nine Grandmasters from its 300,000-strong army for a single siege. Moreover, they were using Grandmaster-level warriors as expendable resources in the siege. Yan's willingness to disregard costs demonstrates the importance that the entire Yan state placed on this siege.
A martial artist at the Grandmaster level is different from one at the Ninth Rank. Reaching the Grandmaster level is not something that can be achieved through mere effort; it is a rare feat, requiring talent, hard work, and a stroke of luck—all three are indispensable. It is no exaggeration to say that every Grandmaster is an exceptional individual.
It's not easy to motivate these geniuses, let alone get them to voluntarily risk their lives to break open the city gates.
However, the Emperor of Yan succeeded.
Nine Grandmaster-level martial artists from the Yan Kingdom, under the cover of night and countless Yan soldiers, swept wildly towards the city gate, like nine swallows flying close to the ground.
Zheng Lao Er, who has been demoted repeatedly and now only holds the rank of a fourth-grade general, is currently having a great time fighting on the city wall.
He sometimes even felt that the Yan army was too slow to arrive, so he would voluntarily jump off the city wall and fight with the Yan army.
With a Grandmaster's cultivation level as a safety net, any number of Yan soldiers who invade would be easily cut down as soon as they entered Zheng Lao Er's attack range below the city wall.
Even grandmasters, though powerful, get tired.
After fighting for an hour, Zheng Lao Er returned to the city wall to drink and rest.
With the war raging, Yang Wu was too busy to pay attention to anything else.
With a slap, Zheng Lao Er broke the seal on the wine jar. Amidst the shouts of the two armies, he picked up the wine jar he had stolen from the kitchen and, without even using a large bowl, tilted his head back and gulped it down.
After downing three large gulps of strong liquor and exhaling a breath of stale air, Zheng Lao Er laughed heartily and said, "That was refreshing!"
A soldier standing nearby, his eyes reddening at the sight of the wine, and relying on his good relationship with General Zheng, said, "General, did you enjoy the strong liquor?"
"Not bad! The wine was really good, and the Yan army was pretty awesome too! Damn it. I've never seen a city besieged like this before. You guys go all out and kill them all! After this wave is over, I'm going to find Old Yang to get some celebratory wine for the brothers!"
Just as the soldier was about to ask for wine, he saw several dark figures rushing towards them from below the city wall. The arrows shot from the city wall couldn't even touch the hem of their clothes.
"General! The Yan army's 'knives' have arrived!"
Upon seeing this, Zheng Lao Er realized it was indeed the case, and his fighting spirit was immediately ignited. He shouted, "Where are the ninth-rank soldiers of our army?! Follow this general down to the battlefield to meet the enemy!"
Those of the ninth rank are mostly generals and captains, officers who don't even need to fight personally. Besides, with the Yan army's experts attacking, waiting in ambush on the city walls is the best strategy. But now that Zheng Lao Er has raised his arm and shouted, the blood of men surges up, and who cares about home or away games anymore.
Zheng Lao Er took the lead and jumped down first, followed by five or six other figures soaring into the air.
Zheng Lao Er laughed heartily, his inner strength mingling with a deafening roar, "You brat from Yan! Your grandpa's here!"
Upon landing, he found the nearest man in black, nicknamed "Knife," and without a word, unleashed a palm strike imbued with the power of a grandmaster. The man countered with a fist, and the two exchanged blows, neither gaining the upper hand for a moment.
"Grandmaster?" Zheng Lao Er was taken aback at first, then laughed loudly, "Well done!"
The moment he finished speaking, the ninth-rank Qi warrior who had fallen beside him coughed up blood and flew backward. His chest caved in deeply, leaving him with absolutely no chance of survival.
Another black-clad Yan Kingdom martial artist slowly withdrew his palm, but not his inner force. A solidified, tangible inner force of a Grandmaster surrounded him, openly displaying his Grandmaster-level strength. (M.cascoo.net)
"General, watch out! They... *pfft!*"
Before another ninth-rank martial artist could finish speaking, his head was severed in two, and he died instantly.
The one who made the move was also a grandmaster. With a flick of his wrist, he wiped the blood off the sword. The gleaming white blade reflected a cold, eerie light under the bright moonlight.
Grandmaster.
Grandmaster.
Grandmaster.
Still a grandmaster!
Nine grandmasters stood silently before Zheng Lao Er, while behind him stood the tightly closed gates of Luoyue Pass.
At this moment, the atmosphere in front of Luoyue Pass seemed to freeze.
Nine and one.
Behind them, the deafening battle cries of the Yan and Qi armies echoed. But all of this seemed irrelevant to them.
Siege is one battlefield, mastering a grandmaster is another.
Zheng Lao Er laughed, even though it was a battle he was destined to lose.
Under the gaze of countless people, Zheng Lao Er slightly tidied his appearance, something he usually never cared about.
"Who goes there? State your name!"
None of the nine black-clad Yan Kingdom warriors responded.
Zheng Lao Er laughed even louder.
"Hahaha! We martial artists should cultivate a magnanimous spirit, speaking and acting with a clear conscience before heaven and earth. Those who are timid and cowardly are nothing but timid dogs at the Grandmaster level! They are nothing but clowns who know how to practice martial arts!"
The ninth-rank martial artist remained silent.
Zheng Lao Er was not surprised by their reaction. A grandmaster was just a martial arts realm, and had nothing to do with a person.
"Listen up! My name is Zheng Jiuchang, and I am the Vanguard General of the Wuwei Army of the Great Qi! Do you dare to fight me?"
In the deep darkness of the night, the nine men drew their weapons, and just then, another man fell from the city wall.
Upon seeing this, Zheng Lao Er exclaimed happily, "Old Yang, you're here too! How was my presentation?"
Yang Wu stared at the nine Yan Kingdom warriors and said, "Not bad."
Zheng Lao Er said with considerable pride, "Last time I went to Yanbian City, I spent two taels of silver to have a scholar write this. How about it? Isn't it impressive?"
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