Chapter 563: The Onslaught
Chapter 563: The Onslaught
Chen Chuan's eyes reflected the tip of the fine sword, as if it would pierce through at any moment.
With one hand holding the sword, he waved it without changing his stance, while his other hand flicked upwards, causing the Cloud-Shattering Palm's force to erupt instantly. The attacker's long sword shattered in an instant, and the force swept horizontally, tearing apart the entire arm. As the sword sliced across the neck, a head was severed and fell to the ground.
In the blink of an eye, Chen Chuan had killed two and severely wounded another. However, at this moment, a loud boom echoed from the front, and a mounted warrior, adorned with a helmet ornament, burst through the mist, charging forward with his horse. He thrust his spear towards Chen Chuan.
Currently, Chen Chuan was in the midst of unleashing his force, unable to protect himself. But as he watched the spear tip gradually approaching, his eyes remained calm. This was because he was not alone at this moment.
Chen Bitong's figure suddenly appeared in front, brandishing a long spear and blocking the spearhead. The force on the spear was incredibly powerful, causing it to shatter inch by inch, and a dull sensation spread across his chest. Despite this, the spear did not deviate even slightly, a testament to the attacker's formidable strength.
This block caused the mounted warrior's charge to slow down momentarily, disrupting the perfectly timed and powerful thrust.
Chen Chuan seized this opportunity, adjusting his breath in time. He raised his sword and flicked it upwards, blocking the spear with a clang.
The weapons clashed, sparks flying, and the grinding sound of pressure filled the air. Although the spear had been blocked once, the remaining force still pushed Chen Chuan back several meters.
Chen Bitong approached the warrior's side and struck his waist with a palm. However, just as the String Void Force was about to make contact, the warrior's horse suddenly reared, sidestepping the attack. This evasive maneuver allowed the rider to avoid the most powerful part of the force, ensuring that even if the strike landed, its full force would not be unleashed.
Chen Bitong's palm strike seemed to continue, but his phantom appeared on the other side of the horse, punching towards the warrior. This time, the warrior had an opening and drew his waist sword, slicing through the phantom with a backhanded swing.
As the sword stroke ended, Chen Bitong's figure appeared above the warrior, and he stomped down on the warrior's head. These consecutive maneuvers kept the warrior's force in check, leaving him unable to defend himself in a normal situation.
At this almost unavoidable moment, the warrior's horse knelt, dodging the attack just before the force erupted for the second time.
This unity between man and horse was truly awe-inspiring.
However, at this moment, Chen Chuan, positioned in front of the horse, raised his sword and slashed at the warrior.
This was the advantage of having two people. Even if the opponent was indeed formidable, the collision of forces and the transition between offense and defense always created openings. Once these openings were seized, the destructive power of Heart Force left little doubt about the outcome of the battle.
The mounted warrior was not alone either. As Chen Chuan's sword was about to strike, the horse reared back, blocking the sword with its head, while the warrior flipped backwards. At that very moment, several spears were thrown through the rift, accurately targeting both Chen Chuan and Chen Bitong.
Chen Chuan's gaze remained steady. With a hiss, the horse's head was sliced off by Snow Lady Saber, and the blade's light shifted, blocking the incoming spear. On Chen Bitong's side, he flicked his hand, deflecting the spear.
Through this contact, both of them could sense that the spears had been thrown from at least half a mile away.
The attacker stood outside the rift, seemingly unable to see them, yet the spears were thrown with pinpoint accuracy. This was likely due to a connection between the warrior's Mental Force and the horse, indicating a pre-arranged backup plan.
After dismounting, the warrior raised his spear and thrust it towards both of them. As they blocked the attack, he retreated, and with each step back, spears were thrown to obstruct Chen Chuan and Chen Bitong. After only a few steps, he withdrew from the rift, apparently intending to withdraw if his attack failed.
Chen Chuan immediately pressed forward, and with a swift movement, he burst out of the rift.
Just as Chen Bitong was about to pursue, a stabbing sword suddenly appeared at his side. The person who had been severely wounded by Chen Chuan seemed to possess stealth and mental manipulation techniques, having hidden to the side earlier. Now, he launched another surprise attack from the shadows, seemingly equipped with a backup weapon. But Chen Bitong didn't even look, casually blocking the attack with a String Void Force that traveled along the sword.
The attacker's entire body erupted with a crackling sound, and a gush of blood sprayed from the severed arm. He fell from mid-air, landing on the ground, twitching for a while before finally dying.
This obstruction wasn't entirely pointless, as it caused Chen Bitong to fall slightly behind. By the time he emerged from the rift, he saw the mounted warrior retreating into the thick fog on the mountain. Chen Chuan had already caught up and was behind the warrior, ready to deliver a fatal blow with his sword.
Chen Chuan's blade barely made contact with his opponent, but the force behind the strike directly sliced through the armor on his back, creating a long gash from top to bottom.
The mounted warrior didn't even turn his head, instead, a surge of power erupted from within, increasing his speed slightly as he quickly vanished into the thick fog.
The air buzzed with the sound of piercing, and several spears flew towards Chen Chuan. He merely raised his hand to block, and the spears struck his body, shattering his clothing and skin upon impact, and falling to the ground.
Chen Chuan had only managed to partially activate the Hard and Soft Conditioning Technique, and although he couldn't match the prowess of Chang Kuanghai's Heaven Pardon Fist, his ordinary movements combined with his Heart Force were enough to create a more impressive display.
He felt a slight regret that the Snow Lady Saber had yet to awaken, and the force he had exerted was insufficient. Otherwise, the previous strike could have done more than just cutting through the opponent's armor.
At this moment, he noticed countless White Plagues surrounding him, surging towards the mountain peak. Knowing he had no chance, he stopped pursuing and glanced down the mountain, where he vaguely saw the mounted warrior escaping under a large flag, with a higher-ranking military general riding a horse nearby.
After taking a deep look, Chen Chuan didn't stay put but retreated into the rift. The White Plagues, fearless of death, followed him into the rift.
This assault lasted for about ten minutes, and when it stopped, the area in front of the rift was filled with corpses, leaving no room to even step down. The place was permeated with foul-smelling odors.
Chen Bitong said, "We can pile these corpses at the entrance and burn some of them. The airflow in front of the rift is blowing outwards, which will buy us some time. We can also take the opportunity to recover our physical strength. Captain Chen, I have prepared oil barrels in the vehicle, and Fang Assistant can bring them to you."
Chen Chuan said, "I'll take care of it."
He turned and walked out, and after a while, he brought in two oil barrels. By this time, Chen Bitong had already moved most of the corpses to the front of the rift. He poured the algae oil onto the corpses and with a flick of his lighter, the oil ignited, sending a raging fire into the sky. Due to the outward flow of air, the mountain path was temporarily obscured by thick smoke.
Chen Chuan looked outside and said, "Chen Laoshi, that person's strength is not weak. With their current power, even if they personally enter the Central City, they might not be able to cause much damage. Their purpose is probably not that simple, right?"
Chen Bitong shook his head and said, "This is likely just their vanguard force. Once they break through, the main force will probably be mobilized. Even if it's just a small vanguard force that breaks through, it still carries significant political implications.
Since the overthrow of the Old Empire and the establishment of the Daxun Republic, these remnants have never broken through the blockade or entered Daxun from the Convergence Ground in over ninety years.
But if a force enters the Central City and causes some damage, it will greatly boost military morale and unite the internal factions.
And if it happens once, it can happen twice."
Chen Chuan thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. He understood the logic—the contest between two groups was not just about military victory but also maintaining internal control. Especially for a ruling group like the Old Empire, they must continuously exert military might to alleviate internal pressure and conflicts.
Chen Bitong's expression turned solemn as he said, "Precisely because of the significance, they will spare no effort to break through our blockade. We are about to face a tough battle."
Chen Chuan said, "Then let them come."
But he looked down again, and although he was confident in holding his ground, he felt too passive. The opponent had been calmly deploying their forces, and as a martial artist, he didn't like this situation of only being able to take hits without retaliating.
So he changed his mind and said, "Chen Laoshi, I just saw that the flag bearer is very close to us, right at the foot of the mountain. Since it's just the vanguard force, can we rush down and try to kill their main general?"
Upon hearing this bold idea, Chen Bitong didn't think it was far-fetched. Instead, he seriously considered the possibilities here and said in a low voice, "There is a chance."
Although this was a risky move, it was worth a try because the opponent would never expect them to charge down.
Moreover, Chen Chuan knew that the Conquering Country General sent by the opponent was currently facing off against the martial artist in the Central City, so there was no absolute power to suppress them.
He said, "At this distance, with sufficient preparation and a highly sudden attack, there is still a chance of success."
Chen Chuan said, "Chen Laoshi, let me take the lead in the frontal assault this time. My speed is faster. Chen Laoshi, you can utilize the rift, and I'll attract their attention at the front. Then, you can seize the opportunity to advance, but we don't have to force it. If there's no chance, we'll retreat."
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(End of Chapter)
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