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Chapter 820: The City's Altar (4000 words)
Chapter 820: The City's Altar (4000 words)
After the Grain Guard Army's great victory, the sky gradually darkened, and they temporarily set up camp, resting for a day before launching another assault, following the strict battlefield protocol.
There were still many things to be done, such as persuading surrender, probing, and understanding the surrounding situation. They hadn't even caught their breath when they were about to launch a night attack on the city.
But the Grain Guard Army did just that.
From Hu Ma's location, looking down at the battlefield below, they saw that under the cover of night, the dark and dense military camp suddenly lit up with torches. The next moment, waves of Grain Guard soldiers shouted in unison and charged towards Lake Prefecture City.
Inside the city, at its center, a large circle of blazing braziers had been lit, illuminating the central platform with a bright light. All around, men wearing crimson belly wraps and holding steel knives stood guard.
On the platform stood a man with powdered face, a long beard, and a green robe—none other than Sister Deng, the leader of the Daughters' Sect. She shouted in a shrill voice:
"The Bright State King is truly rude! Born from the rivers and lakes, he cannot tolerate our Daughters' Sect. He has unleashed his armies and, in a single day, destroyed our headquarters and slaughtered all our disciples."
"Today, I will avenge our disciples and establish a great achievement for the Dragon King. Bring them up!"
"..."
All around, rows upon rows of women and children were tied up in five-flower bindings. Looking out, the end was not in sight. Due to the abundance of sacrificial offerings, even the remaining disciples of the Daughters' Sect were insufficient, and they had to rely on the Lake State soldiers to help with the escort and guard duties.
Upon seeing that they were about to be brought to the altar, these people began to cry incessantly. The disciples of the Daughters' Sect nearby scolded and cursed them, creating chaos.
"Not enough, not enough!"
Sister Deng shouted, "We are using this sorcery to kill the Bright State King. He has gained power, and the number of sacrificial offerings cannot be lacking. The more offerings there are, the more ferocious our knives will be!"
"Grab them, grab them all, and send them to the sacrificial altar!"
"Don't feel sorry. After killing the Bright State King and seizing this prosperous land of Bright State, how many women will you want?"
"Of course, if you join our Daughters' Sect and follow us, learning our skills and understanding the wonders of the growth of all things and the transformation of heaven and humans, you will no longer think about these useless matters of men and women..."
"..."
As he shouted, the city became even more chaotic. Countless people were dragged out, and even the soldiers guarding them felt a twinge of reluctance. However, they were held back by the Dragon King's usual ferocity and the Daughters' Sect's peculiarities, so they dared not say anything for the moment.
Just as these women and children were about to be brought to the altar to shed their blood, a faint drumbeat could be heard from outside the city, thundering and startling everyone. Soon after, torches were lit atop the city walls, and the sound of gongs rang incessantly. Everyone heard a loud voice shouting:
"Bad news! The Grain Guard Army is attacking the city..."
"..."
People's faces turned pale, and they fled in all directions, including the members of the Daughters' Sect, who were greatly shocked.
Many of the soldiers who had been guarding the women and children took this opportunity to release them, shouting that they had to go and face the enemy while telling the women to escape quickly.
At this moment, the Grain Guard Army had already reached the city gates. Arrows flew like locusts, and the sound of their cries was like boiling water. Huge stones and logs tumbled down from the city walls, while the Grain Guard Army set up siege ladders and pushed forward with their battering rams.
The Grain Guard Army's momentum was strong, and their assault became more ferocious. Inside the Lake Prefecture City, people were running in all directions, and some even took advantage of the chaos to shed their armor and hide under the beds in thatched huts.
Outside the city, the Grain Guard Army advanced with great force. Under the dancing flames, they could see red lanterns being lit one by one in the pitch-black night, casting a reddish glow on the iron armor. Waves of blood-red energy surged towards them.
The Lake State soldiers guarding the city walls had received orders to hold their ground at all costs, but their hearts trembled with fear.
Just then, a black Dragon Banner suddenly rose within the Lake Prefecture City, fluttering in the strong wind. It gathered strength from all directions, forming a tornado that blew straight towards the sky.
"Huala!"
A sudden downpour caught the Grain Guard Army off guard as they were charging towards the city. The rain poured down from the heavens, with raindrops as big as fists, carried by the raging wind and rain.
Both inside and outside the city, countless soldiers were drenched like wet hens. Especially for the Grain Guard Army outside, their military formation and momentum far surpassed that of the Lake Prefecture City. However, with one side attacking and the other defending, and now facing this heavy rain, the situation became even more challenging.
"This rain is so strange!"
On the left and right of the Grain Guard Army's command tent, Military Advisor Iron Mouth wiped the rainwater from his face and extended his tongue to taste it. He coldly smiled and said, "There's a fishy smell in the rain. It must be the old serpent in the city casting a spell!"
The people around him were already anxious. "With this heavy rain, attacking the city will be ten times more difficult!"
Military Advisor Iron Mouth shouted, "They use sorcery to summon the rain. Can't our Grain Guard Army find someone to stop this rain?"
"Orders were given, and among the Grain Guard Army, there were also cultivators who had already sensed the peculiarity of the heavy rain. They prepared themselves, and upon receiving the command, they immediately began performing their sorcery.
Some donned rain capes and burned talismans to honor the heavens, a rain-summoning technique that could borrow the power of ghosts and spirits to reach the heavens. With this, they could both summon and dispel rain.
Unexpectedly, as the talismans burned, a wisp of blue smoke rose straight into the night sky. It seemed that the heavens had received their message, but the rain showed no signs of stopping. Instead, larger raindrops began to fall.
Others gritted their teeth and ordered a copper coffin to be brought to the battlefield. As the coffin lid was opened, a putrid smell wafted out.
Inside was a corpse with pitch-black bones, drenched and known as the Drought Bone Fiend. According to legends, during ancient battles, the Yellow Emperor used the Drought Bone Fiend to control the rain. This method should have been extremely effective.
However, when the Drought Bone Fiend appeared, a dry wind blew, and the rain around it seemed to lessen slightly, but the effect was limited. The heavy rain continued to pour down everywhere.
'It's no use,' said the one who brought out the Drought Bone Fiend, gritting his teeth. 'This thing can turn the land dry, but we're too rushed right now. It'll take time to stop the rain.'
...
...
'This old dragon in the city claims to have a thousand years of cultivation, but I don't believe it. However, its power is indeed formidable. This rain isn't something an ordinary person can dispel.'
On a nearby hill outside the city, Hu Ma was also catching raindrops with his hand, deep in thought. Suddenly, he heard someone speak and turned to see Erguotou, dressed in a green cloth robe, slowly climbing up the other side of the hill.
Both of them were concerned about the Grain Guard Army's first battle in Ming State, so they were nearby.
However, in this opening battle, their positions were different, so they didn't stay together. Hu Ma was focused on observing the Grain Guard Army and the changes in the Heavenly Mandate, while Erguotou needed to measure the terrain and determine the auspicious and inauspicious positions wherever he went, in preparation for setting up altars.
'Each sect has its own strengths. Now I feel that categorizing all sorcery into ten sects is a bit narrow-minded.'
Seeing Erguotou, Hu Ma smiled and said, 'To be honest, there's no such thing as ten ancestral sects. There are only ten families who are a little faster in their cultivation path.'
'This old dragon is not a good thing, but it is indeed a unique existence in this world. Its abilities already have the potential to form its own sect. It's just that no one has ventured down this path before, so it's slow going, relying solely on trial and error.'
'...'
'Have you figured it out too?'
Erguotou nodded and also turned to look at the rain. 'The laws of this world are completely different from what we saw in our previous lives, but now I realize that there are still traces to follow.'
'The myriad things in heaven and earth, and the two realms of yin and yang, have their own logical rules. Originally, various changes were part of the natural order of heaven and earth.'
'But humans are too clever. They can discern the loopholes in the workings of heaven and earth. Once they discover these loopholes, they will take advantage of them, exploit bugs in the system, and gradually rise, even attempting to seize the authority of heaven and earth.'
'Sigh, I only began to understand this principle after studying the Year Protection Scroll that you have.'
'...'
Hu Ma smiled and nodded. 'Monkey Wine is even more impressive.'
'In the past, he would always say things that were shocking and unconventional, yet they turned out to be correct. I was amazed, but I couldn't understand how he knew.'
'Now I realize that we all started by studying sorcery and then glimpsed the truth within. He, however, first understood the rules and essence within and then comprehended sorcery.'
'With different perspectives, the levels are also different, and the speed of learning abilities varies greatly.'
'...'
Erguotou's expression turned a bit sour upon hearing this. Reincarnates often had an unconscious sense of superiority over the indigenous people, but Monkey Wine always treated them as equals.
In his eyes, both were on the same level.
Erguotou waved his hand and asked, 'Can you dispel this rain?'
'I'm a Year-End Guardian!' Hu Ma replied with a hint of helplessness. 'I could shoot a True Yang Arrow into the sky to disperse these clouds, but it would be too costly, and it wouldn't be thorough. It's like scooping water with your fist—it's not worth the effort.'
'Moreover, even if I disperse the clouds, that old dragon can easily bring the rain back. It only takes one-tenth of its effort to summon the rain, while it would take seven-tenths of my effort to disperse the clouds.'"
"..."
"Haha, then I'll do it!"
Erguotou spoke, his wide sleeves fluttering as he laughed and lifted his hand, holding the Yin-Yang Dual Vision Plate.
Hu Ma was curious, "What method are you using?"
Erguotou replied, "The old dragon's specialty is summoning rain. I'll set up an altar and trap his curse within Lake City, won't that solve it?"
Hearing this, even Hu Ma was surprised, "You..."
"That's right, I'll set up an altar and seal this city."
Erguotou seemed quite proud, saying, "My dear brother, I can now set up an altar that's smaller than a city, and I'm too lazy to do it!"
As he spoke, he held the plate in one hand, and with the other, he shook his wide sleeve and shouted, "Rise!"
Suddenly, all around Lake Prefecture City, even the areas near the connecting lakes, were covered in command flags. Due to the city's vast size, the flags were placed far apart.
As he cast his spell, the flags fluttered, creating invisible ripples. The massive Lake Prefecture City seemed to tremble slightly, as if misty fog enveloped it.
At the same time, as the fog began to envelop the city, the heavy rain in the sky seemed to intensify for a moment before gradually turning into a drizzle and finally stopping.
Not only that, but even the dark clouds in the sky dispersed, revealing the bright moon.
"Quick, even the heavens are helping us! The rain has stopped, attack the city!"
In the Grain Guard Army, various generals roared, ordering their troops to charge towards Lake Prefecture City.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
On the walls of Lake Prefecture City, the defenders, seeing the rain had stopped, were startled. They immediately ordered arrows to be fired into the night sky, regardless of the cost.
But Erguotou had already made his move, and it wasn't just about dispelling rain. With the Yin-Yang Dual Vision Plate in his hand, he simply waved his other hand, and a fierce wind started howling.
The endless rain of arrows aimed at the Grain Guard Army was met by this strong wind, causing the arrows to scatter in all directions. Some flew crookedly, their destinations unknown, while those that landed were light as feathers, lacking the force of straw.
Meanwhile, the second wave of the Grain Guard Army's siege team had reached the base of the Lake City walls, unrolling rope ladders and placing them against the wall.
Usually, cloud ladders were used for sieges, requiring them to be erected tall enough to reach the top of the walls. The first wave of the Grain Guard Army had done this, but it was inconvenient due to the defenders on the walls.
However, what they were using now were rope ladders, and even these soldiers didn't know why they had to bring them. They only knew that General Shen Hongzhi had ordered their creation, saying they would be useful later.
As the rope ladders were unrolled, an astonishing scene unfolded. From a distance, Erguotou lightly raised his hand, and the rolled-up ladders suddenly flew upwards, as if lifted by invisible hands, and attached themselves to the Lake City walls.
The Grain Guard Army soldiers rejoiced and quickly climbed the ladders, scaling the walls.
Erguotou, still on the small hill, wasn't satisfied with this display. He scanned the surroundings and finally clenched his fist lightly.
Boom!
At the city gate, the Grain Guard Army had been using a massive siege ram, exerting all their strength to batter the gate, but it remained unbreached.
Suddenly, as if the ram had become infinitely heavy, it smashed through the gate with its final blow, shattering it into pieces and opening a wide gap.
"The city walls are breached!"
In the pitch-black night, ten thousand voices shouted in unison, expressing indescribable joy and excitement.
"The army is here, and the city is breached in a day!"
Amidst the army formation, Military Advisor Iron Mouth and various fierce generals, upon hearing the shouts, were both surprised and delighted. They pounded their legs, saying, "After this battle, who dares say that the name of the Grain Guard Army won't shake the world?"
Amidst the crowd, Yang Gong also wiped the rainwater from his face, revealing a joyful expression.
"Well done, King of Ming State, surrender your life!"
At the same time, the Daughters' Sect within the city was in a rush due to the Grain Guard Army's swift attack and the imminent breach of the walls. They didn't have enough time to prepare for the ceremony properly, and before it even began, most of the sacrificial offerings had already fled.
In the haste, many people were killed, although it was still far from enough. They could only close their eyes and chant curses, and beneath the altar, a trail of blood suddenly emitted a beam of bloodlight.
In an instant, it disappeared into the darkness of the night.
(End of Chapter)
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