Yet amid the shrill, urgent blare of horns and clang of gongs, under the stern urging of their direct superiors, the vast majority of Imperial soldiers and Tang Sect disciples still chose to obey.
Gritting their teeth, they forcefully suppressed both their desire for the victory that was within reach and their grief for their fallen comrades. They swiftly disengaged from the remaining enemy forces and, following the predetermined retreat routes and order, began withdrawing from the breach in the eastern city gate and the other occupied sections of the wall like two backward-flowing torrents of steel.
At the same time, on a preselected highland several miles beyond the eastern gate, a formation-deployment unit jointly composed of Tang Sect Soul Tool Hall elites and Imperial Soul Masters skilled in formations was racing against time.
They drove metal formation foundations engraved with intricate silver patterns into the ground, connected specialized soul tool circuits, and poured pure Soul Power into the formation's core.
Before long, a soft pale-silver glow, carrying an aura of purification and protection, rose from the highland and rapidly spread, forming a light barrier that covered a considerable area—the rudimentary form of the Spirit Guard Array.
Though it could not be fully deployed in such haste, the newly formed array had already begun to function. It effectively weakened the evil death aura drifting from within the city, an aura that made one's blood boil and soul tremble, providing the retreating troops with a temporary place to catch their breath and regroup.
However, not everyone could maintain absolute rationality and obedience. This was especially true within the Imperial army, where some mid- and lower-ranking officers and hot-blooded soldiers had witnessed countless comrades fall during the charge.
They had finally torn open the city gate and fought their way inside. Just