Breaking Through

Calling them immortals or gods would not have been an exaggeration.

Whether it was the four monks' Great Buddhist Momentum or Xu Yang's Unity of Heaven and Man, both had already surpassed the realm of "Spirit Condensation."

Beyond Spirit Condensation lay Dao Fusion, possessing the power to Shatter the Void.

In this world, they could be called Martial Dao True Immortals.

Such a display of power was only natural.

But what was natural could not be accepted by the masses.

What had they seen?

An ancient Buddha?

A true dragon?

What kind of battle between gods was this!

The crowd awakened from their stupor, horrified beyond measure.

"What happened?"

"Who can tell me what happened just now?"

"So this is the strength of the Four Great Holy Monks?"

"Xu Qingyang—no, Martial King—he truly is a god among men!"

"Holy crap!@!~#!~@$!@%@!#%..."

The crowd was aghast, and Li Shimin was even more shaken. Instinctively, he wanted to retreat, but the warhorse beneath him had been cowed by Dragon Might. No matter how he tugged the reins, it did not move an inch.

"Second Brother!"

Only Li Xiuning had awakened in time. She shouted to Li Shimin in a deep voice, "Quick, loose the arrows!"

"Loose the arrows?"

Li Shimin jolted awake, but hesitated. "This..."

"Quick!"

Seeing his hesitation, Li Xiuning hurriedly said, "His qi and strength are exhausted. He cannot continue!"

"This..."

Li Shimin's gaze sharpened. At last, he understood. He immediately drew his precious sword and shouted, "Archers, heed my command—Ten Thousand Arrows Volley!"

"Yes!"

Though they too were shocked by the sight from only then, years of training had made these elite soldiers obey orders without fail. They swiftly moved, drew their bows, nocked their arrows, and fired in high arcs.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Arrows swarmed out like locusts, forming a dense curtain of rain that descended upon Xu Yang by the Qu River.

Was such a move unwise? Could mere bows and arrows truly injure a Grandmaster?

They could!

Though Grandmasters were formidable, they were still flesh and blood, not Indestructible Vajras, Immortal and Indestructible.

In theory, three thousand archers could blanket an area with arrow rain and exhaust a Grandmaster's protective essence.

Once that essence was depleted, even a Grandmaster would be fish on the chopping block.

But that was only theory. In practice, it was almost impossible, because no Grandmaster would be foolish enough to stand still and let three thousand archers wear him down with a volley.

With a Grandmaster's power, unburdened by obstacles or encumbrances, he could range freely across a battlefield and come and go as he pleased. Not to mention three thousand archers—even thirty thousand would find it difficult to shoot a Grandmaster to death.

Unless... that Grandmaster had already been severely injured, with his qi and strength exhausted.

Was Xu Yang injured?

He was. And severely so—not only physically, but mentally as well.

After all, the skill trait Unity of Heaven and Man was responsible only for the unity itself; it did not bear the cost of that "unity." Thus, when Xu Yang entered double Unity of Heaven and Man, he had to endure double the mental expenditure.

Now, Xu Yang was not only badly wounded physically, but his mental reserves had also been drained to an extreme degree. If it had been another Grandmaster, he might truly have been powerless to resist at this moment, doomed to be slain beneath this arrow rain.

But the same words still applied: others were others; Xu Yang was Xu Yang.

Thanks to the wonders of the Martial Scripture and his many skills, whether in physical strength, the quality of his protective essence, or mental will, he surpassed Martial Artists of the same level by a great margin.

So, injured though he was, his strength had not run dry. He could even unleash another ultimate move of Unity of Heaven and Man, aside from Arrogant Dragon Returns to the Sea.

Now, facing the arcing fire of several thousand archers and arrows as dense as rain, he did not flee. He merely swept his arm.

"Gulu Gulu!"

Another change arose in the Qu River. The water churned upward, forming a curtain of water that covered the battlefield.

The battlefield?

That was right—the battlefield!

Within it, besides Xu Yang, there was Wanwan, trembling all over, as well as experts from both the righteous and demonic paths, severely injured and unconscious.

These were his spoils of war, captives he had gone to great lengths to capture alive. How could he let them be killed by someone else at the very last moment?

Thus, he drew a curtain of water from the Qu River, covering the battlefield and protecting them all.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

The ten thousand arrows descended in volleys, yet they were blocked by the curtain of water.

Though this water curtain appeared to be only a thin layer, it was in truth flowing water, carrying its own force. The arrows shot into it were immediately swept aside, unable to cause any harm at all.

"Do not stop firing!"

"Let's see how much vital energy he still has!"

Li Xiuning urged the troops on, intensifying the assault.

Li Shimin personally drew his bow as well and fired an arrow.

As everyone knew, the Prince of Qin was skilled with bow and horse, and his archery was peerless. He was the greatest general of Celestial Strategy Manor and Great Tang.

Though Celestial Strategy Manor did not yet exist, it did not affect Li Shimin's archery. One arrow tore through the air, pierced the water curtain with force, and flew straight at Xu Yang.

Xu Yang did not move. When the arrow reached before him, it struck a layer of protective qi and exploded into fragments, revealing the force behind that powerful shaft.

"..."

That result made Li Shimin grit his teeth. Without a word, he drew another arrow and pulled the bowstring into a full moon.

He did not believe that after sweeping through a host of experts from both the righteous and demonic paths, then fighting the Immortal Evil King Shi Zhixuan, and finally clashing at the peak with the Four Great Holy Monks in an ultimate confrontation—after battle upon battle—this man could still remain standing beneath the arrow rain of his vast army.

If he truly possessed such ability, then Li Shimin would accept defeat wholeheartedly.

What, retreat?

Retreat was impossible.

By this point, the conflict between their two sides had become irreconcilable.

They could not tolerate him, and he could not tolerate them.

Therefore, there was no question of yielding. They could only go all out—either you died, or I perished.

Li Shimin saw it clearly, and Li Xiuning understood it as plainly as a flame reflected in water. Raising her sword, she commanded and rallied the generals. "This man is at the end of his tether. Do not fear him! Rotate the volleys, keep the arrows unbroken, and do not give him any chance to escape..."

"Rumble, rumble, rumble!"

Before her words were finished, the earth began to tremble, and a sound like thunder rolled through the air.

"Hmm?"

"This is..."

"Hoofbeats?"

The two froze, uncertain and alarmed, then turned to look behind them.

Behind them lay Chang'an.

But they soon discovered that these thunderous hoofbeats were not coming from Chang'an City behind them.

If not Chang'an, then where?

In this land of Guanzhong, aside from Chang'an, where else could there be cavalry...

"!!!!!"

In an instant of horror, their pupils contracted. Li Shimin raised his head and looked into the distance, where dust and smoke billowed, rolling like a dragon.

"Rumble, rumble, rumble!"

The earth shook as thunderous hoofbeats rang out, stirring dust that filled the sky. Within it, an armored elite cavalry force could vaguely be seen galloping at full speed.

Cavalry?

Where had this cavalry come from?

In all of Guanzhong, aside from his Li Tang army, where could there be such a cavalry force?

This was...

"Ride!"

The armored elite cavalry charged forward. Though there were not many of them, only a little over a thousand riders, they carried the force to shake heaven and stamp the earth.

"Bows!!!"

At one command, the entire force moved. They pulled massive iron-backed bows from behind them and drew their strings to full moons atop their horses.

"Fire!!!"

Another command rang out. The galloping warhorses surged like dragons, spitting forth a rain curtain of steel that blanketed the sky and shot toward the Tang army by the Qu River.

"Not good!!!"

"Your Highness, watch out!"

The generals cried out. Several loyal guards immediately shielded Li Shimin and Li Xiuning, raising their shields to block the attack.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The next instant, the arrow rain fell. Sparks flew everywhere. The Li Tang army, which had just been clad in grim iron armor, instantly collapsed in swathes. All had been struck by powerful arrows that pierced armor and punched through shields, killing them outright.

"Bang!"

A great general toppled to the ground, one large hand clamped tightly over his chest as he gripped an arrow that had pierced through his Hundred Refined Mysterious Armor. He rasped, "Steel-Piercing... Arrows!!!"

"Bang!!!"

As soon as the words fell, another arrow descended. Amid a burst of sparks, it pierced through his helmet and burst out through his skull.

"Steel-Piercing Arrows!"

"The Xuzhou Wuwei Army!"

"Xu Qingyang!!!"

Protected at the cost of their lives by the guards, Li Shimin finally awakened from his stupor. Watching Tang soldiers fall in sheets beneath the arrow rain, he could no longer spare thought for anything else. He shouted, "Rear army to the front! Retreat at once!"

With that, he snatched an iron shield and fled toward Chang'an with Li Xiuning.

He could not understand it, no matter how he thought about it. Why had the Wuwei Army of Xuzhou appeared outside Chang'an City?

How had they gotten in?

Chang'an lay in Guanzhong. Between it and Xuzhou stood not only Luoyang, but also three passes—Sishui, Hangu, and Dongtong. Each was guarded by heavy troops and subjected to strict inspections. Even if people could infiltrate, could controlled items such as arms, armor, bows, arrows, and warhorses infiltrate as well?

Then where had these Wuwei Iron Cavalry come from, clad in mysterious armor, carrying sabers and bows, and equipped beyond compare?

Could they fly, descending from the heavens like divine soldiers?

Or had some great clan betrayed Li Tang, providing them cover and transporting supplies...

Li Shimin's mind was in chaos, unable to make sense of it. At this moment, he could not concern himself with any of that. He led Li Xiuning and the battered remnants of his army in retreat toward Chang'an.

"Ride!"

The Wuwei Iron Cavalry raced forward without stopping, pursuing them all the way toward Chang'an. Only a hundred riders split off and rushed to Xu Yang's side, dismounted, and began clearing the battlefield.

Elsewhere...

"How could this happen?"

Within the mountain forest, above the sea of bamboo, Fan Qinghui watched the Wuwei Iron Cavalry descend from the heavens, the Li Tang army collapse into utter disarray, and the Four Great Holy Monks suffer grievous casualties. Her face turned deathly pale, and she could barely maintain her lightness skill, nearly falling from the tips of the green bamboo.

"Master..."

"Hurry and go!"

Shi Feixuan was about to offer words of comfort when Fan Qinghui suddenly awakened, leapt away without another word, and fled.

At the same time...

"How could this happen? How could this happen!"

Inside Chang'an City, all four gates were tightly shut, and the people were gripped by panic.

Li Shimin and Li Xiuning galloped at full speed, charged through Xuanwu Gate, and entered Taiji Palace.

"Imperial Father!"

Within Taiji Hall, Li Yuan sat high upon the dragon throne, equally shocked and enraged.

Before the hastily returned Li Shimin could speak, Li Yuan rushed down from the hall. "How is the battle? Is Xu Qingyang dead?"

"This..."

Li Shimin's expression changed, and he immediately sensed something was wrong. Still, he quickly replied, "That man actually had powerful reinforcements in reserve. A force of Wuwei Iron Cavalry arrived and saved him at the critical moment."

"How could this happen!"

Li Yuan's face went pale. He staggered back several steps and nearly collapsed to the floor.

Li Shimin hurriedly asked, "Imperial Father, what is wrong?"

A civil official at the side quickly informed him, "Urgent reports from the border. Xuzhou has sent troops. Luoyang surrendered without a fight, and the Wuwei Army drove straight in, rapidly breaking through Sishui, forcefully attacking Hangu, and threatening Dongtong. If we do not send reinforcements..."

"What?"

"Impossible!"

Hearing this, Li Shimin could no longer care about anything else. He seized the civil official and demanded, "How could Luoyang surrender without a fight? Where is Wang Shichong? Where is the Dugu Clan? Are they all dead? And the three passes possess natural defenses and were heavily guarded—how could one fall so quickly? Who is fabricating military reports?"

"R-reporting to the Prince of Qin!"

The civil official was terrified and replied in a trembling voice, "Luoyang's surrender without a fight is indeed true. As for why, we do not know. As for how the three passes fell, the urgent military reports said that the Wuwei Army is full of powerful Martial Artists, all capable of scaling the walls first. They wear mysterious armor, their bows are strong and their arrows fierce. The defenders truly could not hold them back..."

Before he could finish, Li Shimin released him in a daze.

Li Xiuning beside him was equally pale, her teeth clenched tight. "This man's arrangements this time truly were meant to seize the foundations of our Li Tang!"

"Not good!"

Having said that, she suddenly awakened and urgently said to Li Yuan, "Imperial Father, though he is injured, he did not die. He will surely attack the city next and break Chang'an. We must make a decision quickly!"

There are no saved chapters; it is all written as I go. There are still three updates left, tomorrow at noon.