Chapter 282: The Outer City Falls, the Celestial Eye Opens

Chapter 282: The Outer City Falls, the Celestial Eye Opens

Inner City.

Jiang Ning moved like a fierce gust of wind, or perhaps a bolt of lightning, swiftly traversing the rooftops of the inner city.

He had already reached the upper limits of his speed.

In an instant, he covered several dozen zhang in distance.

In a breath, he traveled two hundred zhang.

He gazed at the signal flares continuously exploding above him, his heart filled with a sense of urgency.

According to his knowledge, these large signal flares at the city gates were capable of illuminating the night sky and alerting the entire county. They were only used in dire emergencies.

The sound of the war drums further indicated that something significant was happening at the West City Gate.

It could be a major event, perhaps an army laying siege to the city.

The large signal flares and the beating of war drums were akin to the ancient beacon fires and smoke signals.

Although he couldn't fathom why the West City Gate would be under siege by a massive army, leading to the launching of signal flares and the beating of war drums, he knew that with these signs, a siege was highly probable.

This made him recall some of the intelligence he had gathered earlier.

In the past few years, various rebel armies had sprung up across the nine provinces of Daxia.

While they were swiftly suppressed, new rebel forces emerged like spring bamboo shoots after rain, seemingly endless.

As one group was crushed, another would rise, unfurling their banners and inciting rebellion.

In the last year, rebellions and uprisings had become more frequent.

Especially in the previous year, such incidents had increased significantly.

In Ze Shan Province, where Luo Shui County was located, the most significant uprising was the rebellion led by the Black Lotus Sect.

At its peak, the Black Lotus Sect had initiated a rebellion in Da Ming Prefecture, which then spread to two prefectures and seven counties.

During that time, countless county towns within the two prefectures and seven counties fell, turning them into hellish places.

While the Black Lotus Sect's rebellion was the most massive and widespread in Ze Shan Province, it didn't mean that there weren't other rebellions in the province.

In the past year, according to the intelligence Jiang Ning had received from the Inspection Office, there had been over a dozen large and small rebellions in Ze Shan Province.

"Could it be that the prolonged drought in some areas has driven the people to the point of rebellion, and now it has spread to Luo Shui County?"

As this thought arose, Jiang Ning shook his head.

"No, with the mountains sealed off by heavy snow, how could ordinary people survive and make their way to Luo Shui County in such conditions?"

He turned his gaze towards the distant city walls.

With his incredible speed, covering two hundred zhang in a breath, the towering walls of the inner city were already within his line of sight.

Luo Shui County was divided into the inner and outer cities.

If the outer city fell, there was still the inner city to defend.

The inner city was safer, and its residents were either wealthy or of noble status.

Consequently, the defenses of the inner city were stronger, its walls taller, and its gates more robust.

After all, the lives of the nobles and the wealthy were at stake.

They would not skimp on such matters.

Jiang Ning's eyes narrowed slightly.

In an instant, he spotted soldiers in disarray on the walls, figures running back and forth, and people carrying supplies.

Seeing this, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

"Could the West City Gate have already fallen?"

At that moment, he noticed that the war drums at the West City Gate had abruptly stopped beating.

Boom—

Boom, boom—

Boom, boom, boom—

Just then, he saw a tall and robust man at the war drum on the towering walls of the inner city, pounding the drum with all his might.

The drumbeats echoed like thunder, reverberating through the inner and outer cities, growing increasingly urgent.

Witnessing this, Jiang Ning's heart grew heavy.

"Could the outer city have already fallen?!?"

As this thought arose, he pushed his speed even further, his figure becoming faster.

Even though his current speed far surpassed that of high-speed trains from his previous life, he still didn't create any wind resistance.

The air before him seemed to offer no resistance at all.

At this moment, he seemed to merge with the wind and air.

This was the reason his speed had reached such terrifying levels.

While he wasn't entirely free from air resistance, the resistance he experienced was several times less than that of an ordinary person because his body seemed to merge with the wind, reducing air resistance, but also due to his incredible speed.

Hearing the whooshing sound in his ears, Jiang Ning rapidly approached the boundary between the inner and outer cities.

A moment later, after a burst of speed, Jiang Ning had covered over ten kilometers and arrived at the base of the inner city's walls.

"Who goes there!" As a shadow swiftly approached the inner city walls, illuminated by the bright moonlight, the defense officer on the wall immediately shouted.

The next moment, before the officer could react, the shadow reached the ninety-degree corner of the wall and swiftly climbed up.

In an instant, it leaped over the officer's head.

Clang—

The defense officer drew his sword in a flash.

The clear sound of the sword being drawn, along with the officer's shout, instantly caught the attention of the other officers on the wall.

Someone immediately drew their sword, their eyes fixed on the figure that soared into the air and then slowly descended onto the city wall.

Seeing the figure drifting down like willow catkins, several officers with exceptional martial skills and profound insights instantly felt their hearts tighten.

Defying the laws of free fall, the figure's powerful ability to hover in mid-air revealed their extraordinary strength.

If not for the fact that this figure came from the direction of the inner city, they might have already charged forward with their swords drawn, rather than merely drawing their blades halfway.

"Commander Jiang!" As Jiang Ning's figure landed, someone instantly recognized the identity of the newcomer and immediately sheathed their sword, bowing respectfully.

The other officers also suddenly realized who it was.

They quickly lowered their guard and bowed respectfully.

"We've met Commander Jiang!"

"We've met Lord Jiang!"

". . ."

Hearing this, Jiang Ning glanced around but didn't see any familiar faces.

"Who's the highest-ranking officer here?" Jiang Ning asked.

"Me!" Someone stepped forward, wearing a half-armor. He bowed to Jiang Ning, "Lord Jiang, I am Xiao Chen, the Ninth Rank City Guard Commander."

"So it's Commander Xiao," Jiang Ning slightly bowed in respect.

Then he asked, "Commander Xiao, what exactly happened? Why did the West City Gate suddenly launch a giant signal flare and beat the war drums?"

As he spoke, Jiang Ning looked at the towering war drum on the side of the city wall and the continuous sound of the drums.

From the power transmitted by the vibrating drumbeats, he knew that the drummer was no ordinary person and was likely an Eighth Rank Martial Dao practitioner in the Divinity Realm.

Sensing Jiang Ning's gaze, Commander Xiao Chen spoke up, "I don't know the specific situation either! But based on the information conveyed by the rhythm of the drums from the West City Gate, it's an army attacking the city! Additionally, the giant signal flare exploded five times, which is also a signal for an army attacking the city."

"An army attacking the city?" Jiang Ning's eyes narrowed.

Seeing Jiang Ning's reaction, Commander Xiao Chen said, "As for the specific situation, I don't know either. But since the signal being transmitted is this, I can't ignore it and be careless. Even if it's a false alarm, I have to treat it as real."

"Impressive!" Jiang Ning bowed slightly, "Commander Xiao, your loyalty and dedication to your duties are truly exemplary."

After this brief flattery, Jiang Ning said to the other officers, "Fellow colleagues, you all have your tasks, I'll go check out the West City Gate!"

With that, he took a step forward and crossed the entire city wall in one stride.

Then, he leaped over the wall with ease.

His right foot landed on the protruding part of the battlement, causing a corner of the battlement to shatter. Using the recoil force, he soared through the air like a giant bird, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared from the sight of the defensive officers, leaving only a fleeting shadow.

"What terrifying movement skill!"

"Indeed! Commander Jiang's strength is truly terrifying!"

". . ."

On the other side.

Jiang Ning moved swiftly, and in just a moment, he had crossed a third of the outer city's area.

Then.

Clop-clop-clop—

The sound of horse hooves grew louder, reaching his ears.

"Horse hooves?" Jiang Ning's heart tightened, and his figure instantly rose.

In an instant, he reached the highest building in the vicinity.

From his vantage point, he saw a group of figures clad in black iron armor riding black nightmare horses on the main road of the outer city.

The Black Mountain Army!

The Black Mountain Riders!!

Seeing this scene, his heart trembled.

His eyes grew solemn.

At the end of his line of sight, on the main avenue connecting the outer city to the inner city, he spotted a group of Black Mountain Riders, totaling more than thirty riders.

This meant that the West City Gate had been breached, allowing the Black Mountain Riders to enter the outer city.

It also indicated that among this group of rebels, there were at least thirty-plus Eighth Rank Divinity Realm martial artists.

Moreover, they were clad in battle armor, riding warhorses, and formed a disciplined unit, well-trained in the Eighth Rank Martial Dao.

Such a force, even if a typical Seventh Rank martial artist dared to stand in their way, would be overwhelmed in a single charge.

Because martial artists in an army, with their disciplined formation and rigorous training, had a different combat effectiveness compared to individual martial artists from the jianghu.

Their disciplined formation and well-coordinated attacks allowed them to maximize their combat power, with one plus one equaling more than two.

The difference in their fighting power was like night and day.

Not to mention that these Black Mountain Riders were an elite force, having endured countless trials and tribulations.

Their combat power was even more terrifying.

Furthermore, these Black Mountain Riders were cavalry, not infantry.

It was known that Eighth Rank Divinity Realm practitioners possessed at least a thousand jin of strength, with the top ones reaching two to three thousand jin, and their battle armor alone weighed several hundred jin.

Once these Black Mountain Riders started moving, they were like a moving lump of iron.

And the black nightmare horses that could carry these fully armored riders were also exceptionally powerful and enduring.

The combined strength of the riders and their mounts made them an unstoppable force.

Who dares to block their path? Even now, seeing these dozens of Black Mountain Riders, he felt a sense of trepidation.

The West City Gate was breached so quickly that even on this special New Year's Eve, it was evident that there were powerful warriors among these riders, far surpassing the eighth rank.

It was impossible for mere eighth-rank Divinity Realm warriors to breach the city walls so swiftly.

There must be truly powerful warriors who scaled the city walls, swiftly killed the guarding soldiers, and then opened the gate.

Only then could they have broken through the West City Gate and appeared in the Outer City so quickly.

As for the strength of the powerful warriors among these riders, he had no idea.

He didn't know if he was their match either.

The Black Mountain Riders were the elite of the Black Mountain Army, which served as the Black Lotus Sect's protective force.

Given the rebellion that had spread across two prefectures and seven counties, it was impossible for the Black Mountain Army to not have powerful Martial Dao experts.

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Ning halted his steps and observed the thirty-odd riders approaching in the distance.

The Black Mountain Riders charged into the city from the West Gate and headed straight for the Inner City Gate along the main road.

They showed no hesitation.

Before taking action, they had already formulated a plan.

They entered the city through the West Gate and immediately headed for the Inner City Gate.

They knew that on New Year's Eve, with the defense relaxed, breaching the Outer City Gate would be easy.

The challenge was breaking through the Inner City Gate.

With the Outer City as a warning, the Inner City's defense would undoubtedly be on high alert.

For them, time was of the essence.

After all, they were less than a hundred Black Mountain Army soldiers.

Once the defense was fully prepared and the Inner City's powerful warriors assembled, breaking through would be harder than ascending to heaven.

Human strength had its limits; this was reality.

No matter how powerful they were, they were still flesh and blood, and they would eventually tire and be unable to withstand a sea of enemies.

Suddenly, a cold female voice sounded in the ear of the leading Black Mountain Rider as he rode ahead.

"Captain Jiang, are there powerful warriors secretly observing us?"

"How powerful?" The leader of the Black Mountain Riders immediately asked, but his voice was quickly drowned out by the howling wind.

"I'm not sure, I haven't located them yet, but based on my intuition, I have a general idea of their position."

"Please ask the Holy Maiden to find this person as soon as possible, and if possible, deal with them first."

"Rest assured, with the unparalleled Black Lotus Sect's mystical arts, I will bring this person into the Blissful World!"

On the other side, Jiang Ning observed for a moment.

Instantly, he felt that someone was also secretly observing him.

This feeling was like the autumn wind, causing goosebumps to rise all over his body, and his hair stood on end.

He scanned the direction he sensed with his eyes, but saw nothing.

The next moment, he closed his eyes and then opened them again.

The Celestial Eye between his eyebrows instantly activated.

With the Celestial Eye open, he scanned the direction from which the Black Mountain Riders had come.

He immediately saw a black mist surrounding a woman in a black dress and a black veil.

"This is..."

Upon seeing this woman, he also sensed the aura of a Divine Descendant and the residual divinity on her.

Jiang Ning instantly made a judgment: a member of the Black Lotus Sect!

His gaze intensified, and he instantly saw through the illusory black mist around the woman, seeing through her entire body, as well as the veil covering her face.

"She looks young, probably around twenty-three or twenty-four years old. I can try!"

"If I kill her, based on the sensed aura, I should be able to absorb the divine essence from her."

"She should be the most powerful among these Black Mountain Riders and the Black Mountain Army behind them!"

When Jiang Ning saw this woman, he instantly understood.

The Black Lotus Sect had the backing of a true divine being, a genuine deity with power and authority.

After a moment of thought, Jiang Ning decided to retreat.

Here, facing more than thirty riders, at least of the eighth rank in Martial Dao or higher, was not a good idea.

Especially since these were the renowned Black Mountain Riders, and there was an unknown Black Lotus Sect woman among them. He didn't have a high chance of success.

So, he planned to retreat to the Inner City's walls, using them as an advantage.

At this moment, as the distance between them narrowed, the woman also noticed Jiang Ning.

After discovering him, she saw Jiang Ning swiftly withdrawing.

Instantly, he disappeared from her line of sight.

"Such a young face!"

"So fast!"

"What an incredible movement technique!"

"Who is this person?"

Doubts flooded her mind, and her heart grew heavy.

At this time, the wind howled in Jiang Ning's ears.

He swiftly leaped across the rooftops, soaring over the snow like a mighty eagle.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end