Chapter 282: The Outer City Falls, the Celestial Gaze Awakens!

Chapter 282: The Outer City Falls, the Celestial Gaze Awakens!

Inner City.

Jiang Ning moved like a raging gust, a streak of lightning traversing the rooftops of the inner city.

He had already reached the limits of his speed.

In an instant, he covered several dozen meters.

In a breath, he traveled two hundred meters.

Gazing at the signal rockets exploding overhead, he dared not let his guard down for a moment.

According to his knowledge, these large signal rockets at the city gates were bright enough to illuminate the night sky. They were only launched in emergencies, alerting the entire county.

The sound of battle drums further confirmed that something serious was happening at the west gate.

A large-scale attack, perhaps an army besieging the city, was the most likely cause for the rockets and drums.

He couldn't fathom why the west gate would be under siege, but the blaring drums and soaring rockets left little room for doubt.

This made him recall some recent intelligence reports.

In the Great Xia, for the past few years, scattered rebellions had erupted across the land.

Although swiftly quelled, new uprisings constantly emerged, an unending cycle.

Nearly a year ago, rebellions became more frequent.

Especially in the last year, the incidents of rebellion intensified.

In Luo Shui County, located in Zephyr Mountain Province, the most significant rebellion was led by the Black Lotus Sect.

At its peak, the Black Lotus Sect's rebellion spread from Dingming Prefecture, engulfing two prefectures and affecting seven counties.

During that time, countless counties within the two prefectures and seven counties fell, turning into hellish battlegrounds.

The Black Lotus Sect's rebellion was the most influential and widespread in Zephyr Mountain Province's four prefectures and thirty counties.

However, it didn't mean that Zephyr Mountain Province only had the Black Lotus Sect's rebellion. Other uprisings had occurred throughout the year.

According to past intelligence reports from the Inspection Office, there had been over a dozen rebellions of various scales in Zephyr Mountain Province.

"Could it be that a prolonged drought in some areas led to a rebellion, which has now reached Luo Shui County?"

As this thought arose, Jiang Ning silently shook his head.

"Impossible. The heavy snowfall would make it impossible for ordinary people to reach Luo Shui County in such conditions."

In an instant, he focused his gaze on the distant walls of the inner city.

With his incredible speed, he could see the towering walls of the inner city at the edge of his vision.

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

If the outer city fell, the inner city could still hold.

Thus, the inner city was more secure, inhabited by the wealthy and influential.

This also meant that the inner city had stronger defenses, taller walls, and thicker gates.

After all, the safety of the inner city's elite was at stake.

They wouldn't 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 the movement of supplies.

Witnessing this scene, a thought suddenly struck him.

"Could it be that the west gate has already fallen?"

At that moment, he noticed that the battle drums at the west gate had suddenly stopped.

Boom—

Boom—Boom—

Just then, he saw a tall, robust man pounding the drums on the towering walls of the inner city.

The drums thundered, echoing through the inner and outer cities, their beats growing more urgent.

Witnessing this, his heart grew heavy.

"Could it be that the outer city has already fallen?"

With this thought, he pushed his speed further, his figure becoming even swifter.

Even at this moment, his speed far surpassed that of high-speed trains from his past life.

Yet, he still created no wind resistance.

The air before him seemed to offer no resistance.

He merged with the wind and air, the reason for his terrifying speed.

Although he wasn't entirely free from air resistance, his form seemed to blend with the wind, reducing resistance to a fraction of what others experienced.

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

Moments later.

With a burst of speed, Jiang Ning covered over ten kilometers, reaching the base of the inner city's walls.

"Who goes there!" The defense officer on the wall exclaimed as he saw a figure swiftly approaching the inner city walls under the moonlight, its silhouette gliding over the rooftops.

The next moment.

Before the officer could react.

The figure appeared inside the ninety-degree angle of the wall, climbing straight up.

In an instant, it soared over his head.

Clang—

The defense officer's sword was drawn in a flash.

The clear ring of his sword and his earlier shout instantly drew the attention of the officers on the wall.

As the figure soared into the air and slowly descended onto the city walls, someone immediately drew their sword, their eyes fixed on the silhouette.

The officers, skilled in martial arts and with profound insights, witnessed the figure's graceful descent, akin to falling cottonwood seeds, and their hearts instantly tensed.

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

Had the figure not come from the direction of the Inner City, they might have already charged forward with their swords drawn, instead of merely half-drawing their blades.

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

The other officers also suddenly realized the situation and snapped to attention, bowing in reverence.

"We've seen Commander Jiang!"

"We've seen Sir Jiang!"

". . ."

Jiang Ning scanned the surroundings but didn't spot a familiar figure.

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

"Me!" Someone stepped forward, wearing half-armor. He bowed to Jiang Ning, "Sir Jiang, I am Xiao Chen, a Ninth Rank Inner Fortitude Realm Warrior."

"So it's Officer Xiao!" Jiang Ning slightly bowed in respect.

Then he asked, "Officer Xiao, what exactly happened? Why did the West City Gate suddenly launch a large signal flare and sound the battle drums?"

As he spoke, Jiang Ning glanced at the towering battle drum and the continuous drumbeats on one side.

From the power transmitted by the drumbeats, he knew that the drummer was no ordinary person, most likely a Sixth Rank Martial Artist in the Divine Strength Realm.

Sensing Jiang Ning's gaze, the Ninth Rank Inner Fortitude Realm Warrior, Xiao Chen, spoke up, "I don't know the specifics either! But according to the intelligence conveyed by the rhythm of the West City Gate's drumbeats, it's an army laying siege to the city! Additionally, the continuous detonation of five large signal flares is also a signal for an army's siege."

"An army laying siege?" Jiang Ning's eyes narrowed.

Noticing Jiang Ning's gaze, the Ninth Rank Inner Fortitude Realm Warrior, Xiao Chen, said, "I don't know the exact details either. But since the signals being conveyed are these, I can't ignore them or take them lightly. Even if it's a false alarm, I must treat it as real."

"Impressive!" Jiang Ning bowed, "Officer Xiao, you're truly dedicated to your duties, a model for others to follow."

After a brief compliment, Jiang Ning continued, "Colleagues, I'll go to the West City Gate to take a look!"

Leaving these words behind, he took a step forward and instantly traversed the entire city wall.

Then, with a swift movement, he leaped over the wall.

His right foot landed on the protruding battlement, causing a corner of the battlement to shatter. Utilizing the recoil force, he soared through the sky like a Great Peng, and in the blink of an eye, he reached the rooftop of a building over a dozen zhang away.

The next moment, his figure transformed into a fleeting shadow, swiftly disappearing from the sight of the several defensive officers.

"What terrifying movement technique!"

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

". . ."

On the other side.

Jiang Ning moved at lightning speed, and in just a moment, he had crossed a third of the Outer City's area.

Subsequently.

Clop-clop-clop—

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

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

In an instant, he reached the rooftop of the tallest building in the vicinity.

Looking down from above, he instantly spotted a group of figures clad in obsidian armor, riding Black Nightmare Horses, on the main thoroughfare connecting the Outer City to the Inner City.

The Black Mountain Army!

The Black Mountain Riders!!

Witnessing this scene, his heart trembled.

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His eyes grew serious.

At the edge of his vision, on the main avenue connecting the Outer City to the Inner City, he saw a group of Black Mountain Riders, totaling more than thirty riders.

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

It also indicated that among these unruly soldiers, there were at least thirty Sixth Rank Martial Artists in the Divine Strength Realm.

Moreover, they were clad in battle armor, riding warhorses, and formed a disciplined unit, well-trained Sixth Rank Martial Artists in the Divine Strength Realm.

Such a force, even if faced with ordinary Seventh Rank Martial Artists, would be able to overwhelm them with a single charge.

Because the martial artists within the army, unlike those in the martial world who fought alone, were well-organized and trained, charging with precision and coordination.

Their combined combat strength could easily double their individual power.

The difference in combat prowess between the two was incomparable.

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

Their combat strength was only more terrifying.

Furthermore, this group of Black Mountain Riders was cavalry, not infantry.

It was known that Sixth Rank Martial Artists in the Divine Strength Realm possessed at least a thousand jin of strength, and the exceptional ones had two to three thousand jin of force, with their battle armor weighing several hundred jin.

Once these Black Mountain Riders started moving, they were like a force of iron in motion.

And the Black Nightmare Horses, capable of carrying these armored riders with their full gear, had explosive power and endurance.

With two riders combined, once they charged, how could they be stopped in the face of dozens of charging riders?

Who dares to stand in their way? Even the current him, upon seeing these dozens of Black Peak Cavalry, felt a sense of trepidation in his heart.

The Western City Gate was breached so quickly that even on this special night of New Year's Eve, it was evident that among these dozens of Black Peak Cavalry, there were experts far surpassing the Eighth Rank.

Merely an Eighth Rank Divine Strength Realm expert couldn't achieve such a swift city breach.

There must be true experts who scaled the city walls, swiftly eliminating the guarding soldiers, and then opening the city gate.

Only then could they have achieved such a rapid breach of the Western City Gate, appearing within the Outer City.

As for the strength of the experts among this group of Black Peak Cavalry, he was unaware.

Whether he was a match for them, he also didn't know.

The Black Peak Cavalry was the elite force of the Black Peak Legion, and the Black Peak Legion was the Black Lotus Order's guardian army.

Previously, they had caused a rebellion that spread across two prefectures and seven counties, so it was impossible for the Black Peak Legion to lack Martial Path experts.

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Ning abruptly halted, observing from a distance the dozens of riders approaching at full gallop in the direction of his gaze.

After charging into the city through the Western City Gate, the Black Peak Cavalry proceeded directly along the main road towards the Inner City gate.

There was not a hint of hesitation among them.

They had already meticulously planned their actions beforehand.

They entered the city through the Western City Gate, and upon entering, their first move was to rush towards the Inner City gate.

They, too, were aware that on New Year's Eve, with the defenses relaxed, breaching the Outer City gate would be easy.

The challenge was breaking through the Inner City gate.

With the Outer City's warning, the defending forces within would undoubtedly spring into action.

For them, time was of the essence.

After all, their Black Peak Legion numbered less than a hundred.

Once the defending forces were fully prepared, and the experts within the Inner City had gathered, breaching the Inner City would be harder than ascending to heaven.

Strength had its limits, and this was the reality.

No matter how powerful they were, they were still mortal, and eventually, they would tire, incapable of withstanding a sea of enemies.

Suddenly, in the ears of the Black Peak Cavalry's leader, who was galloping in the forefront, a cold female voice sounded.

"Captain Jiang, are there experts observing us from afar?"

"How strong are they?" Upon hearing this, the Black Peak Cavalry leader immediately responded, his voice quickly carried away by the howling wind.

"Unclear, I haven't pinpointed their exact location, but based on my intuition, I have a rough idea of their direction."

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

"Rest assured, with the Black Lotus Order's unique arts, I'll bring them to the realm of bliss!"

On the other side.

Jiang Ning observed for a moment.

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

This feeling was like a cicada sensing the coming autumn wind.

Goosebumps instantly rose across his body, and his hair stood on end.

His gaze swept discreetly in the direction of his perception, but he noticed nothing.

The next moment.

He closed his eyes slightly, then opened them.

The Celestial Gaze between his brows instantly activated.

With the Celestial Gaze, he scanned the direction from which the Black Peak Cavalry had come.

Instantly, he spotted a black mist enveloping a woman in a black gown, her face covered by a black veil.

"This is..."

Upon seeing this woman, he also instantly sensed the aura of a Divine Descendant from her, along with traces of Divine Essence.

A member of the Black Lotus Order!

Jiang Ning instantly made his judgment.

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

"She looks young, around twenty-three or twenty-four years old, worth a try!"

"If I kill her, based on the aura I sensed, I should be able to extract Divine Essence from her."

"She should be the strongest among this Black Peak Cavalry and the Black Peak Legion behind them!"

At the sight of this woman, Jiang Ning instantly understood.

The Black Lotus Order, backed by a true deity, a genuine deity wielding Authority.

After grasping the basic situation, Jiang Ning prepared to retreat.

Here, facing over thirty riders, at least Eighth Rank Martial Path experts, was no easy task.

Moreover, these were the renowned Black Peak Cavalry, and with the Black Lotus Order woman of unknown strength, he wasn't overly confident.

Hence, he planned to fall back to the Inner City's walls, leveraging the advantage of terrain.

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

Upon spotting Jiang Ning, she saw him swiftly retreat, instantly disappearing from her line of sight.

"So young!"

"So fast!"

"What an agile body!"

"Who is this person?"

Questions flooded her mind, and her heart grew heavy.

At this time.

The wind howled in Jiang Ning's ears.

He swiftly leaped across rooftops, soaring over the snow like a Great Peng.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end