chsdbacks Chapter 157: The Siege of the Stone City
Chapter 157: The Siege of the Stone City
"Your aptitude has improved, and the potential you previously depleted has also been replenished. From now on, there will be no more obstacles in your cultivation while taking the secret medicine."
After a long while, once Nangong Feiyan had put on her thin gauze dress, Zhang Ping slowly withdrew his gaze and spoke.
Upon hearing this, Nangong Feiyan remained silent, immediately sitting cross-legged on the bed and attempting to circulate her qi and blood for cultivation. Sure enough, the previous sense of obscurity during cultivation was gone, and she felt the path ahead was smooth.
"Thank you." She pursed her lips, but her beautiful eyes refused to look at Zhang Ping.
At this point, she had completely devoted herself to Zhang Ping and would stay by his side for a long time to come until her talent could no longer be improved.
If she had already left the old territory of Wei and Zhao by then, perhaps she would have pursued a stronger martial art?
But who can say for sure what will happen in the future?
Seeing her like this, Zhang Ping found it amusing and quite intriguing. A powerful woman who managed such a large family, dressed in a thin gauze dress, was displaying this behavior in front of him, making it seem as if he had truly committed acts of bullying and oppressing men and women.
Nangong Feiyan is very charming, and although Lu Wanrou also once controlled the Lu family, their personalities are completely different.
Lu Wanrou has a gentle and refined personality, with a touch of demure charm. Taking over the Lu family was a reluctant decision. Nangong Feiyan, on the other hand, has a strong ambition and a thirst for knowledge, and is keen on developing the family's power.
Thinking about these things, Zhang Ping had some other thoughts, but when he noticed the red plum blossoms blooming on the big bed, he suppressed his emotions.
"I never expected that the head of the Nangong family, who has been married for many years, would still be a virgin."
Meeting Zhang Ping's teasing gaze, Nangong Feiyan still didn't respond, only saying, "I'll go back to the family later to arrange some things, and then I'll wait for you to return at the manor."
Yesterday, Zhang Ping told her the more detailed truth about the demon chaos, and she knew what she should do.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ping knew he couldn't continue joking. This woman had a strong personality, and taking jokes too far would be inappropriate. After giving her a few brief instructions, he didn't linger, put on his clothes, and left.
......
Lanjiang Prefecture, Giant Stone City.
Blood and flesh flew everywhere, and mud covered the ground.
It hasn't rained in Giant Stone City for half a month. The ground is now soaked with blood, blood from both demons and human warriors.
The pits and craters left by the battle outside the city were now filled with bloodstains.
Inside the city, warriors could be seen everywhere healing their wounds. Some wandered around, trying to find their comrades or relatives who had been separated from them in the chaos of battle.
The fire that Thunder had started in the city had just been extinguished, and the air was still filled with the smell of gunpowder.
No one wailed, and no one cried.
Everything was quiet.
On the city wall, Wen Gaoyang's left hand was wrapped in a splint and hung around his neck. Through the outer cotton cloth, one could see the green secret medicine taking effect inside.
Beside him, Xu Rulin looked regretfully at the long sword in his hand, now only half intact. He had spent a fortune to have this sword forged, never expecting it would only stay with him until now.
"Take some men and retreat first thing tomorrow morning. The Black Abyss Army and I will cover your retreat."
The cool night breeze, carrying the stench of blood, swept across the city walls, which were already half collapsed, and corpses were everywhere outside the city.
Xu Rulin immediately shook his head: "Master, I want to stay with you."
"It's useless. Martial artists below the Essence Blood Realm won't be of any use staying here. Leaving to save your life is the best option." Wen Gaoyang shook his head.
He was pleased with his disciple's choice, but pointless sacrifices were too foolish. To defeat demons, courage alone was not enough; strategy was also essential.
Upon hearing this, Xu Rulin's face darkened.
His chest was also wrapped in white gauze, indicating that his injury was not minor.
Since following his master, his cultivation has progressed rapidly. With a determination to fight demons to the death, he is always among the first to charge into battle, fighting with all his might to slay demons. Each battle causes his blood and qi to solidify quickly, and with the supply of cheap secret medicines from the front lines, his cultivation progress is terrifying. He has now reached the late stage of the Bone Forging Realm.
On the brutal battlefield, those at the Marrow Marrow Realm control the overall situation, while only those at the Essence Blood Realm are considered the backbone. The rest, at the Bone Forging and Purification Realms, are, to put it nicely, basic forces, but to put it bluntly, just high-quality expendable supplies that are slightly better than cannon fodder.
"These two demons are incredibly powerful; even I can only hold off one of them. The remaining one can be barely held back by the Black Abyss Army, but the army has already suffered considerable casualties. If this drags on, we will be defeated sooner or later."
Xu Rulin was aware of this as well. He said somewhat reluctantly, "We've already sent word back. The Marrow Marrow Realm experts and elders in the rear will definitely come to our aid. We just need to hold out a little longer, and then..."
Wen Gaoyang interrupted him: "Hold on for a while? How long? The city can't hold on any longer."
He turned his head and looked at the silent warriors in the city.
Giant Stone City has been besieged by demons for half a month, suffering countless casualties. No reinforcements have been sent from the nearby Taiwu Prefecture front, presumably because they too have encountered a demonic attack.
As for the rear, even if someone wanted to come to their aid, without a martial artist at the Marrow Marrow Realm leading the way, they would be unable to break through the demons' outer perimeter defenses. Rushing in would only be courting death.
The warriors of the Angry Dragon Mansion in the rear should be aware of this. After a siege of half a month, no allied forces from the outside world have attacked the demon's territory; they probably haven't been able to find a Marrow-Entry Realm warrior to lead the charge.
Today, Stonehenge is an isolated city.
Wen Gaoyang sighed. Of the three martial artists who originally guarded this place, only he remained; the other two had long since left.
This massive city cannot be defended.
He solemnly declared, "Rather than wasting our forces here, we should retreat decisively. Tomorrow morning, we'll break through to the Angry Dragon's Mansion!"
Xu Rulin opened his mouth, but seeing that his master had made a decision, he ultimately did not try to persuade him further.
Defending the city means certain death, while breaking out might offer a sliver of hope for survival.
After the initial resentment, all that remained in his heart was anger and helplessness. He was angry that the warlords and elders of the Demon Extermination Division had deserted their posts, and even more helpless that he did not have enough power to protect the people of the Great Wei.
Xu Rulin lowered his head, and when he saw the expression on his face, the hilt of the knife in his right hand was sore from gripping it so tightly that his knuckles ached.
The following day, Wen Gaoyang led the way, followed closely by the Black Abyss Army in their formation, leading all the warriors of the city in a breakout. After a brief period of chaos, the demon army immediately concentrated its forces to intercept them.
......
On the Taiwu Prefecture front, with the order for a large-scale retreat issued, most of the people in the cities near the front had already left; in the cities a little further away from the front, the weaker warriors and ordinary people were panicked by the situation and were swept along to flee into the heart of the Great Wei.
Many small towns and counties were abandoned directly; those who wanted to leave left, while those who wanted to stay flocked to the major cities.
The western section of the battlefront, Qiaomu City.
The city of Qiaomu was originally built in a vast forest of tall trees. Due to the destruction caused by war, the surrounding forests were turned into scorched earth, and low shrubs could still be seen growing in the scorched earth.
Whoosh! Boom!
A flash of cyan light appeared, and the head of the rock serpent, which was over thirty meters long, was severed and crashed to the ground.
"Not bad, my disciple's Instant Shadow Split Blade has improved again." Two mantises lay peacefully on the charred wooden stake. Seeing the six afterimages created by the slash, Grandma Hong nodded in satisfaction.
With a soft creak, Hua Zhu leaped down from the height, stepping on the charred branches on the ground, and walked to the front of the huge rock snake's head.